King of the Gods

by J. A. Cipriano

  “Yes, we seek your assistance, oh, wise priests. We have learned Khufu intends to take possession of the Staff of Ra. In fact, he is on his way to the lost city right now. We would like you to aid us in stopping him.” Aziza smiled at the bedazzled priest and batted her eyes.

  He ignored her, glancing up the steps toward the old guy at the top. The old guy shrugged. The priest turned back to Aziza. “What you say is impossible. He cannot take possession without the Book of Thoth, and no one knows where that is.”

  “Um … isn’t it at the bottom of the Nile?” I asked, shrugging. When they all, and I mean all, turned to look at me, I swallowed. “Yeah, there’s the story of the book of Thoth. How it’s buried beneath the Nile, guarded by a ghost, you know?”

  Evidently, they did not know because the old priest guy at the top stood and descended the steps quicker than I could have. It was actually kind of impressive.

  “How do you know this?” he asked, and his voice was deep, rich, and booming. It filled the entire temple and resounded off the walls. When his withered feet touched the ground, I swear to God, the eyes of the pharaoh statues turned to regard me. He reached out and touched my face, and the feel of his fingers was like old, dry paper.

  “Speak. You have no need to fear me,” he said, nodding to me. “I am your ally. In that, you can trust.”

  I shot a quick glance at Aziza who nodded and decided to go for it. After all, their help was what we wanted.

  “I read it in a book. Well, an electronic book.” I shrugged.

  “I sense that you are not lying, but …” He turned away and stared up at the statue to my left. “That is secret knowledge that you should not have.”

  “He’s from the future. Maybe it’s common knowledge where he is from.” Aziza’s voice seemed to placate the priest, and his expression softened.

  “Ah.” The old priest moved back toward the dais and knelt down beside it. He picked up a large white jar with a golden crocodile emblazoned on it. “That makes everything clear. His future is not visible to me. It is blurry like a pond that has had the dirt kicked up by a thrashing fish.” He stood and handed the jar to Aziza, a warm smile on his lips. “Take this deep into the river and pour it into the water. It will summon a crocodile you can ride down into the Duat. Do not be afraid, he will not harm you.”

  “Um … what do we do once we ride the magic crocodile down there?” I asked as Aziza took the jar from him and tucked it under one arm.

  “Unlock the seven boxes, defeat the spirit that guards the treasured book, and bring it back out of the Duat with you. Take the book to the city of death and use the spell to perceive the gods at its steps. Perhaps Ra will gift you with the staff before Khufu’s plan succeeds.”

  “How will Khufu take the staff without the book?” I asked as Aziza grabbed my hand and began pulling me away.

  “That is the question, isn’t it?” the old priest replied and began ascending the stairs, his long white robes trailing behind him. “Remember, werewolf, everything is not as it seems.” He winked at me and my stomach clenched as the bad feeling therein turned from a grapefruit to a pumpkin.

  “You know what’s going to happen, right?” Aziza said as we exited the temple. “We’re going to go through all this trouble to get the staff and book. Then Khufu is just going to steal the staff, the book, or both from us. That’s always how these things end.”

  “Which is why I’m going to burn the book to cinders the second we get it. That old priest is a fool if he thinks for a second I’m going to retrieve the staff.” I smiled at her.

  “What?” she asked, shocked. “Do you really think burning a priceless artifact written by the god Thoth himself is wise?”

  “I don’t like the idea of burning the book either, but the best plan is the one that keeps Khufu from getting the staff. Especially since he might get the book himself even if we do nothing. Doubtless he knows where it is, and if he doesn’t, he will soon. You don’t think he has spies in there?” I jerked my thumb at the temple behind us. “Any one of those guards could be a spy for Khufu. The best plan is to find the book and destroy it. If we don’t, as you pointed out, he’ll probably just steal it from us once we do the heavy lifting.”

  She sighed. “I don’t like when you use my logic against me. It makes it tough to argue since I like being right.”

  “Well, you’re usually right, so it makes everything easier,” I replied, grinning at her. “You’re quite good at being nefarious.”

  “Thanks, I guess,” she said as she stopped and spread her hands out. “This seems like as good a spot as any.”

  “For what?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

  “For you to teleport us with your magic.” She knelt down in the sand and scooped up a handful.

  “I can do that?” I stared at her in shock. “Actually teleport?”

  “More or less.” She walked over to me and held the handful of sand out to me. “Take this.”

  “All right.” As I took the handful of sand from her, she smiled at me and patted my arm.

  “Good, now concentrate on taking us to the Nile River. Picture it in your mind while slowly pouring out the sand.” She gestured behind her. “Make sure you release it so it catches the wind.”

  “Right,” I said, trying to picture the Nile River. Admittedly, I’d never actually seen it, but I’d seen tons of pictures, so I focused on those. As I did, I slowly unclenched my hand, allowing the sand pouring from my fist to catch the wind and whip around us like a dervish that grew wider and wider. “Um … is it supposed to do that?”

  “Yep. Now, get ready to hang onto your socks. We’re going for a ride.” She smiled sweetly at me as a raging tornado of sand and debris exploded into being around us, sweeping us into the air like we were weightless. I shielded my face in my arms as the swirling sand lifted me up, but strangely, I didn’t feel my body being torn apart by flying sandpaper. I dropped my hands to see Aziza. She sat cross-legged in mid-air, smiling at me.

  15

  I’d known the Nile was a big ass river, but when I stood before it and stared out at almost two miles of water straight across, it took my breath away. That was ignoring the fact that it went so far in either direction, I couldn’t see the end of it. It reminded me of the time I’d gone with my dad to see the Mississippi, only this made the Mississippi seem like a small creek running through someone’s backyard.

  “Um … so what now?” I asked, swallowing my awe and turning to look at Aziza. She was still dusting herself off from our ride over here in the sand dervish. I smirked. I was glad she’d known that trick because instead of taking hours or days to cross several miles of barren sand in the middle of the day, we were here in minutes.

  I wasn’t even sure if we’d actually traveled or if we’d been transported. Either way, I was glad we’d avoided a long, arduous trek through hundred-plus degree weather … even if I did have sand in places I didn’t even know I’d had. Definitely good for long treks, but I wouldn’t be repeating it for short distances.

  “Now, we find us a crocodile and make him magical,” she replied, putting the priest’s jar on the ground next to her and nudging it with one slender foot.

  “You know, I never really liked crocodiles. I remember when I was little watching one eat a duck in a wild animal park. It was the scariest thing I ever saw.” I shuddered at the memory of the creature bursting from the green, algae-filled water and dragging the poor waterfowl to a murky death.

  “For a guy who turns into a raging wolf monster, you’re surprisingly sweet,” she said, not looking at me as her clothing transformed itself into a pair of very short shorts and an even tinier skin-tight shirt that left very little to the imagination. That somehow made lots of thoughts swim through mine. She picked up the jar once again and waded into the water.

  “Thanks. You’re not so bad yourself,” I said as I tore my eyes from her lithe form and scanned the water for reptilian predators. Thankfully, I didn’t see any. “Say, aren�
�t you worried about getting eaten?”

  “No. I’m a mummy and will taste all wrong. They won’t eat me.” She smiled. “If they were interested, I wouldn’t be in here because predators eat prey. That’s just nature. Hell, you’ve tried to eat six of the mummies we fought and a cat. I don’t even know why you would try to eat a cat in ancient Egypt.”

  “That’s nothing. You should have been there the time I went to India.” I smirked at her. “Besides, it isn’t like I’ve actually eaten anything. I’m hungry.” I rubbed my stomach.

  “I know it feels like you’re hungry, so we’ll have to get you some food, but the ring you found is more than capable of sustaining your body for months before needing to be recharged. It’s only been a couple days.” She grinned at me. “But either way, I look forward to showing you some of my cooking skills once we get some more time.”

  “I look forward to that too,” I replied, fingering the tiny golden band I’d gotten from the very first mummy I’d killed. It was warm to the touch, like a little ring of lukewarm bathwater, and while it had kept the worst of the hunger away, it was no substitute for actually eating.

  “Luke, come in here. It will be fine.” She sank up to her hips in the murky river and gestured for me to join her. “The crocodiles aren’t interested in eating you either. You’re twice the predator they are, and they know it.”

  “You don’t need to tell me twice.” I kicked off my sandals. The sand burned beneath my feet as I moved into the water. My clothing, unfortunately, did not transform itself into magical swimwear, and I was immediately struck by how ridiculous I must look wading into the Nile in a blood-drenched toga.

  “So … uh … how come the priests didn’t mention the fact that I was covered in the blood of the fallen?” I asked as the water around me turned pinkish.

  “They were probably too engrossed in their own shit to pay any attention to what you actually looked like,” Aziza said, shrugging.

  “Fair enough.” I shook my head, dismissing the thought as muddy water seeped into places I’d rather it not be, and plastered my bloody clothes against my body. I looked down at myself and blushed because my clothing had become nearly transparent.

  When I looked up, I found Aziza looking at me and grinning, and when I caught her watching me, she didn’t bother to look away.

  “Man,” she said, finally tearing her gaze away and meeting my eyes. “I can’t wait until we get a bit more downtime.”

  With those words, she spun on her heel and made her way deeper into the Nile until she was nearly up to her shoulders in the murky water, one hand balancing the jar on the top of her head. She turned and looked me over with a wicked gleam in her eye.

  “So, do you think this is deep enough to pour out the jar?” I asked as I reached her side.

  “I think so.” She nodded and took the jar off her head. Then she poured it into the river.

  The first drops had barely struck the water when a thirteen-foot-tall man with a crocodile head exploded from the Nile. He was covered in thick, black sludge. It ran down over his golden armor as he looked us both over.

  “Why have you invaded my water, priestess?” the crocodile-headed man snapped, his flat empty eyes boring holes into my friend. His voice was low, and well, reptilian sounding. It reminded me of the voice of a dragon from one of those old movies.

  “Lord Sobek, I’m sorry!” Aziza cried. As she said those words, crocodiles appeared all around us, multiplying on the banks like they were water-doused gremlins.

  “You’re Sobek?” I whispered in awe. “Like the Sobek? The Egyptian god of strength?”

  Sobek turned his crocodile eyes at me, his huge mouth opening very slightly. “Yes. I am Sobek,” he replied, tilting his head to get a better look at me. “What is it you want, wolf?”

  “I … um … erm …” I mumbled, trying to figure out what the hell it was I wanted. I knew it was something important, but sadly, I was so star-struck, I couldn’t even think. Still, I shook it off quickly and managed to speak intelligently. “We need to go down into the Duat, so we can get the book of Thoth and stop Khufu. Only a crocodile can take us to the entrance to Neferkaptah’s tomb.”

  “If you truly wish to stop Khufu, I will help you, but be warned. If you go to the tomb and retrieve the book, Neferkaptah’s spirit will haunt you until you die,” Sobek said, plunging one huge hand into the water between us. The river surged around us, reminding me of those feeding frenzies for piranha that you see on television. Only instead of crimson, the water was sickly yellow.

  A huge crocodile head surfaced from the Nile, its maw opening wide to reveal rows of dangerous-looking teeth. It was so large, I was pretty sure I could have stepped into its gullet and still had room to park my van inside. You know, if I had a van.

  “Wait, you mean we actually get to ride in a crocodile’s mouth?” I asked, pointing at it as Aziza took my hand and squeezed it. “Because if so, that’s awesome.”

  “I love how you think everything is so fun, Luke.” Aziza smiled at me. “Would you help me inside?”

  “Don’t worry.” Sobek nodded at me, a strange gleam in his eye as he patted the huge creature on the snout. “You’ll be fine, I promise.”

  At the sound of his voice, the sky above us crackled, thunder booming from the cloudless sky, and for some reason, I knew Sobek’s promise would be kept.

  “Why are you helping us?” I asked, making my way toward the open maw of the giant croc so I could help Aziza inside. “What’s in it for you?”

  “I have my reasons,” Sobek said, and I could have sworn he was grinning at me as I put my hands on Aziza’s waist and helped her climb inside.

  “Well, thanks.” I smiled at him before grabbing onto two of the crocodile’s huge teeth. They were warm and slimy in my hands, and as I pulled myself into its gaping jaws, a warm breath that stank of decaying meat and fish hit me full in the face. Even still, it was a lot better than I’d expected it to be.

  “You’re welcome,” Sobek said. He waved at me as the crocodile shut its mouth, trapping us inside.

  16

  “I always just love seeing new tombs,” Aziza said, running her fingers along the golden pharaoh statue at the entrance of the tomb. It was nearly twenty feet tall and had eyes that glittered like sparkling rubies in the torchlight. The rest of it was covered in hieroglyphics I couldn’t even begin to understand.

  I still wasn’t quite sure where we were. The crocodile had spit us out on the bank of an underground river a few yards behind us before disappearing back into the ether. The sand down here was the color of soot, reminding me of those Hawaiian beaches my dad took me to visit when I was younger.

  “Should you be touching that?” I asked, walking up to her. “Isn’t that how booby traps are sprung? What if you summon a giant fireball or a huge rolling rock to crush us?”

  All the color drained from Aziza’s face as she snatched her hand back and examined it like she was worried it would fall off. “Sorry,” she said, nodding at me. “I wasn’t thinking.”

  “It’s okay. You were excited. I get that.” I smirked. I couldn’t help it. “But no harm, no foul.”

  She looked at me for a long time before turning back to the statue. “I’m trying to figure out what these hieroglyphics mean. I can understand what they say, but it’s more like someone just picked random words and strung them together. I think it’s some kind of code.” Her long ebony hair swished behind her as she began walking around the statue, looking for clues. To what? I wasn’t sure.

  I was about to ask her about it when a stench like rotting fish and ozone filled my nose and turned my stomach. I swung my head toward it. Off in the far corner was a lone torch. I moved toward it, and as I got closer, the smell grew stronger. No longer was it just a faint whisper in the air, no … no, it was definitely getting more …

  I was nearly in front of the torch now. Like all the others, it sat clutched in a golden claw that reminded me of a bird of prey. Rings of blue and red s
piraled up its base going all the way to the lip of the torch. I couldn’t see over the lip because it was too high on the wall, but now that I was examining it closely, it didn’t seem like the torch was actually burning. It seemed more like fire was being shot out of its mouth from a fuel source within. But how was that possible?

  I was about to reach out and touch it but thought better of it. Hadn’t I just scolded Aziza for doing just that? I turned and gestured at Aziza, trying to get her attention, but instead of looking up at me, she was bent over the statue’s huge feet, studying something.

  “Aziza!” I called, my voice echoing in the space.

  She looked up at me, confusion on her face. “What?”

  “This thing is weird, come check it out,” I said, turning back to it and pointing … only it wasn’t there anymore. The smell was still there, stronger than ever, but the torch was gone.

  “What’s weird? I don’t see anything,” she replied, but she sounded closer.

  “Hmm…” I muttered, squatting down to examine the wall. Now that shadows weren’t dancing across its surface like flickering ballerinas, I could see something dark along the bottom that sort of looked like a handle. I reached out, running a tentative finger along its edge.

  “Ow!” I cried, yanking back my finger as blood welled from the tip. “It bit me.”

  No response. I glanced over my shoulder. “Aziza?” I asked, but as my eyes scanned the room, I didn’t see her anywhere. I hopped to my feet, spinning in a slow circle. “Aziza, where are you? This isn’t funny.”

  The torches around the room puffed out in little bursts of sulfur-smelling smoke. It started off behind me and circled outward like a cascading ring of dominoes until I was left in nearly total darkness.