I throw on my pack, shove an energy bar in my mouth and wash it down with some of my water supply. The others are already standing, waiting for me. Kane looks miserable and Nicole most likely feels the same, though she doesn’t show it. Her eyes give away her exhaustion though. Not to mention the large yawn and stretch she just did, like a cat waking from a long nap.
That’s when I notice her shirt lift, just for a second. I get a sneak peak at her mid-section, specifically the six-pack abs she carries on her strong, lean frame. My eyes must have lingered a little too long because, I get an ahem and a cough from someone.
I look up and see Kane staring at me, his eyes glancing over to his left. I take a glimpse to his left and see Nicole staring me down. I blush and try to stutter out a response. After two or three tries and just stop and turn.
“Let’s go,” I squeak and start off, but no one follows. I look back and see Nicole standing there arms crossed, waiting for what I’m sure is an apology. Kane is still standing there because I’m pretty sure he’s trying to stay in her good graces. Plus, I’m pretty sure he just wants to see me squirm. Jerk.
I turn fully around, take a breath and walk back over to Nicole. I get to within an arms distance of her and stop, hoping she doesn’t reach out and choke me to death. But luckily, she doesn’t blink or budge an inch. She just stares. I contemplate what to say and get nothing. I’m a little scared myself, primarily because I think I like her…a lot.
She’s perfect. She’s strong and independent, but she has a scarred past and is vulnerable. She’s complex, yet simple. My thought process gets interrupted.
“See something you like?”
That’s when I notice that I’m staring straight at her. Great, now I’m gonna get shot. What do I say now? The only thing I can think of.
“Yep.”
That’s when the greatest thing on planet Earth happens—no check that—the greatest thing in all the known universe. The corner of her mouth turns up in an honest-to-God smile! Just a little one—basically a smirk—but it’s something. As she takes a step around me, she gives my face a pat and keeps on going.
Did that just happen? Not only can this women run-and-gun with the boys—actually, she’s probably better than most—but she has a sense of humor too. Oh, and I guess it doesn’t hurt that she’s drop-dead gorgeous and likes searching for dead people’s stuff like I do. I suppose it doesn’t hurt to have some things in common.
“Ok, Mr. Boyd, now what?” She asks.
I shrug, “We still need to find Dad and Omar, and I’m pretty sure they went this way. So I say we continue on our quest.” I turn to Kane. “Mr. Watson? Onward please.”
This gets a smile and laugh out of her. But, not out of Kane, “I ain’t your Watson, Sherlock,” he says in an annoyed tone.
“Okay. How ‘bout Robin?” I add.
He just grabs his forehead and sighs, rubbing out a Boyd induced migraine.
“Alright, you two lovebirds, can we just move out, please? Your flirting is going to be the death of me.”
Now it’s mine and Nicole’s turn to look uncomfortable, both of us blushing in the dim light.
He continues, “Oh, and by the way, mating season isn’t until spring. So, cool it. I really don’t want to have to shoot the both of you.”
42
After a few more light hearted ribbings, we do indeed continue toward our destination. The problem is, I really don’t want to go there. The others may not fully understand what we are going to find, but I do. Him.
We follow our downward spiral until we finally reach level ground. We follow through a short tunnel, only about twenty feet long and step into another cave, but this one isn’t as ominous as the last.
It’s exactly how I remember it in my first dream, the encounter with the frozen black fire. The smokeless torches are lit, floating in the air, and the bonfire of doom sits in the middle of the room. We enter guns up, ready for whatever decides to pop out at us.
Kane heads straight for the center of the cave, in the lead, Nicole and I following close behind. Right when we get to the half way point, I see something that wasn’t in my dream. Three large rectangular shaped objects surround the fire, perfectly laid out.
My brain is firing on all cylinders and I head straight for the closest one. What could they be? I flick on my glasses’ night vision mode. The view comes into focus to the point that I know what we are looking at.
“They’re…sarcophagi—coffins. What could they be doing down here?” I stop ten feet from the one I was about to inspect, dumbfounded.
These things are huge, maybe four feet tall by another ten long.
Nicole strides up next to me, equally perplexed.
“There are three of them too. You don’t think…” Kane queries trailing off into thought.
Then, it’s quiet. My head pulsates with information and…
“I was thinking,” I continue my thought aloud. “You don’t suppose one of those Nightmares could have made it down—”
Click.
I get cut off by the sound of a hammer being cocked on a rogue pistol.
“Ahh, shit,” Kane mutters in displeasure.
We simultaneously put our hands up, assuming the position. It never occurred to me that there could be members of Zero down here, but that doesn’t make sense. The only people that could possibly be in here besides us are—
“Harrison?”
A man holding a gun steps out from behind the sarcophagus then lowers it.
My night vision specs pick up his features and then I’m off in a sprint, grabbing him by his shoulders, embracing him.
“Dad, you’re safe!” I squeeze the man with all my strength, not wanting to let go.
“William!” Nicole throws herself on to the both of us. We just stand there lost in the bliss of it all. That is until someone-who-will-remain-nameless interrupts the happy moment.
“Oh…Omar…you’re still alive.”
Omar gives Kane a venomous look after just stepping out from where Dad was hiding, gun also drawn.
“Sorry to disappoint you,” he says with annoyance.
After we finish our reunion, we regroup and go over the last few hours events.
Apparently, Omar did indeed flee immediately after the first explosion back in the pyramid chamber. He said he was scared and just reacted and then realized he left everyone behind, but by then it was too late. He eventually encountered something that looked like a cross between a tortoise and a man.
“Really? You got a turtle? Wow, you got off easy, man,” Kane says. “We got a rhino and a cobra. What got you next a fluffy kitten-lady?”
“For your information, you big ox, he didn’t move like a desert tortoise. He ran like a man, but had tortoise shell armor,” Omar retorts, clearly antagonized.
“Seriously man, it was a freaking stone-age ninja turtle!” Kane says almost laughing.
“Gentlemen, please!” Dad steps in between the two men, separating them. He knows as well as I do that all Kane would have to do is sneeze hard enough and Omar would lose a few teeth.
After a few more less-than-family friendly exclamations are thrown, the tension in the cavern quiets down and we get down to business.
“So, that’s him?” Dad asks.
I look over and see him staring at the solid black piece of rock…thinking.
“Dad?”
“Huh, what?” He answers snapping out of daze.
“You, good?”
“Yeah, I’m okay. I was thinking if we packed any C-4 or something.”
This gets a laugh out of everyone.
“I like the way you’re thinking!” Kane exclaims.
“Hank?”
Nicole is back over by the orichalcum forged casket. We all join her, encircling it. This thing has got to be one of the biggest Egyptian-style sarcophagi ever found. It’s beautifully designed, very sleek and almost…modern, like the body of a brand new sports car.
“Who are they?” Kane asks
pointing to the three caskets.
“My guess…it’s the Atlantean priests.”
Everyone looks up at me like I just called Mother Teresa a bad name, but I’m serious about my assumption.
“They said that they are still here and so his he,” I say gesturing to where Nannot is being held. “Kane, you asked me earlier where they were. Plus, they’ve only used their mental gifts to contact me. I’m guessing their physical forms died, or they’re in a form of stasis or hibernation.”
“So you think their minds are still active and that’s how they contacted you?” Nicole asks.
“Yes, I do.”
Kane walks up to the crypt and brings up his flashlight. He then begins to examine it.
“Not a single tool mark or seam anywhere. It’s one solid piece of the orich-stuff.”
“Amazing,” Dad whispers.
I walk up to the massive coffin and rest my hand on it. It may be just my imagination, but I could have sworn I felt a slight tremor underneath my hand.
Then the answer comes to me. I’m not sure from where though, “I think I know what they did…” I close my eyes now seeing another vision. I describe what I see while it happens.
“They sacrificed their immortal bodies, using the power in them to contain their brother longer, hoping for a chosen individual to come and aid them. They knew one day that Nannot would be set free and that this chosen one would be all that could save the world from his wrath.”
“How?” Asks a distant voice. “How was he to be freed?”
“All he needs is a human host. The more willing the person is, the stronger his power would be,” I answer, eyes still closed.
Kneel. A soothing voice resonates through my mind, coaxing me to listen. I do. I know who speaks to me.
“Rahji-itza, is that you?” I ask mentally.
Yes, it is I. You have been chosen by Lord Thoth himself to defend the world against his fallen son. Do you accept the burden of saving all of mankind?
“So I have a choice?” I ask honestly a little surprised.
You always have a choice. You chose to fight against our brother. You chose to let us into to your mind. And you have a choice to accept or deny us now.
“The will of the chosen to deny…so it’s not just a prophecy against your brother, it’s for you too.”
Yes, you are correct. If someone with darkness in his heart wanted to free our brother then they would be able to. Like I said, you always have a choice.
You always have a choice, I think to myself.
I choose…to kneel.
43
I kneel, touching my forehead to the orichalcum sarcophagus. The light vibration I felt in my hand is now a buzzing in my head. I try my best to stay relaxed, but it’s a little difficult under the circumstances.
Thousands of visions—no not visions—memories fly by. Every single one of them is being absorbed into my mind at light speed. And it’s not just one person’s memories, its three sets of them.
I see the four twins playing as children in the king’s palace. I see Thoth educating the kids as well.
I see the brothers as grown men—maybe in their early twenties—arguing.
I see Thoth again, this time entrusting the four brothers with the elixir, making them immortal, like himself.
I see chaos and destruction.
I see heartache and loss.
I see Thoth on his knees weeping for his lost child, the three loyal defenders standing beside him, consoling their father…their king.
I see the king cry out in anger and frustration and strike down Nannot, the same way the priests did in my second dream. He used an unbelievably strong energy beam to subdue him and then used the very Earth itself to entomb him.
Then all at once, I feel the love these three brothers share. I feel their hope for healing and their continued forgiveness for their sibling.
Wow, they never stopped loving him, I think. Then a warm, tingling sensation consumes my body, almost like I’m fully immersed in the most relaxing hot tub in the world.
You are one of us now, son. You have been given a power—a gift greater than anything you could ever dream of.
This is a different voice…an older voice.
“Thoth? Is that you?” I ask continuing in my mind.
Yes, my son. It is I, Thoth. The Last King of An’tala. Use these gifts well and do this world justice. There’s a pause in his statement. But, could you please tell him that he is forgiven. Please, tell him that.
“I will, my…king.”
The last part was awkward and strange, but it felt like the right thing to say.
Then I’m released, back into the real world. I’m not even violently thrown back into reality this time. I’m just freed from the mental incursion, which included none other than Thoth himself.
He is forgiven. After all he did to his homeland and to his family, they still ultimately forgive him. Humanity could learn a lot from this.
I stand and remove my glasses, rubbing my eyes, removing some of the built of tension and face the others. They all gasp and take a large step back away from me.
“What?”
“Hank…your eyes,” Nicole says her face pale. She stares at me with fright and what looks like a hint of wonder. I’m not quite sure what’s happening. Everyone is just staring at me, mouth agape.
Nicole digs into her pack, producing a small compact mirror. She offers it to me, stepping back a few feet. I take it and look into its reflective glass and see myself, looking normal. That is except for my…
“They’re the same,” I say lost in a memory.
“What do you mean the same? Nicole asks. “They weren’t like this before.”
I look back down into the mirror, staring into my reflection. When the priests revealed themselves to me they all had wonderfully disturbing eyes. They swirled like storm clouds made of pure orichalcum.
“I’m like them,” I quietly say, staring at my reflection with astonishment.
“Like who?” Kane asks.
Click.
We turn as one.
“Omar?” Dad asks confused. “What is this?”
Omar is standing only ten feet from Nannot’s prison. He must have been slowly making his way over there while everyone’s attention was on me. And…he has a gun pointed in my direction.
“Shut it old man! I’ve dealt with you and your sorry-excuse-for-a-son long enough!”
“What the hell, man!” Kane shouts. He still has his Desert Eagle in his hand about to raise it.
“Ah, ah, ah Mr. Kane, you wouldn’t want me to accidentally pull the trigger and shoot Mr. Boyd would you?” Omar sneers. He takes another step back, towards the obsidian tomb.
“Omar, please don’t,” I plead. “You have no idea what you’re doing. If he gets loose—”
“Who says he will get loose? He will be freed yes, but I will control him! Zero has plans for his power.”
“Zero?” Nicole asks. “You’re with Zero!”
“You son of a bitch, you set us up!” Kane yells stepping towards Omar. “That’s how they got here so quick. You told them where we’d be and when we would be there.”
Omar matches his stride and takes another large step back, now within reaching distance of the worst enemy in the known world.
“What happened to the excavation team, the men and women outside?” Dad asks concerned for his crew.
“Those who didn’t flee would have been killed,” Omar remorselessly replies.
Dad lifts his hands to his mouth, officially freaking out. I know what he’s thinking. If he loses another team, like the one in Spain…
“Why would Zero want to set Nannot free? He will just lay waste to the entire world, killing billions. What could they gain from that?” I ask.
“We are Zero: The Beginning of All Things. We believe—I believe—that we can control him. That it is our right, our destiny to do so. He is The End of All Things, we will be complete together.”
“You’re insane…” Nicole replies looking like she’s about to vomit. She’s right too. The look in Omar’s eyes is unnerving to say the least.
“You have completely lost your marbles,” Kane says rubbing the frustration off his sweating face.
Omar reaches out his hand, never taking his eyes off of me and with a smile says, “It’s been a pleasure Mr. Boyd, but you’ll have to excuse me. I have a date with a god.” He places his palm on the motionless fire and screams.
44
The sound resonating from the man’s lungs is like nothing I’ve ever heard. Its one part agony and one part pleasure. A look of anguish and ecstasy is slathered all over Omar’s face. That’s when I notice that the crazy zealot’s body is suspended a foot off the ground, back arched, arms out wide. A slight breeze seems to be holding him aloft. The current of air suddenly becomes a strong gust and forces us to our hands and knees.
Kane tries to aim his weapon at the thing that used to be Omar, but can’t hold his hand steady enough to take a shot. He gives up and lowers his gun.
That’s when the wind dies down and Omar lands. He is gently deposited on the floor of the cave standing in a relaxed stance, head dropped forward resting on his chest. He takes in a deep breath, looks up and opens his eyes…his red, bleeding eyes.
“We are so delighted to see you again…slave.”
It’s Omar’s voice, but it sounds like ten of him talking at once, all in different octaves. He stretches and yawns, like he just woke up. Actually, I guess part of him did just awake.
“Omar?” Dad calmly asks.
“Ahhh, you must be Dr. Boyd. No, I’m sorry Mr. Jafari is no longer with us. He is shall we say, out of town for a while. It’s just me, The End.”
“No! You selfish, sadist bastard! What did you do with him?” Dad yells.
“Where are your manners, William? You are addressing a god. And do you know what happens when someone disrespects a god?” Omar’s body raises his gun. “They die!” He fires his weapon straight at my father’s chest. One clean shot.
“Nooo!” I scream. I put all my emotion into the thought and thrust out my hand. The bullet covers the distance and hits my dad and…turns to dust.
Blood and Sand Page 17