Bakari's Origin

Chapter 3

For Bakari and the other two minions time seemed meaningless in their tomb. The three creatures were stuck in the darkness unable to do anything except stare at one another as time marched by.

Bakari still could not speak. It was just as well he was not sure what he would say to the others if he could. It was a strange sensation Bakari held no hatred for his other minions, but he knew that they were his enemies now, even if they did not know it.

Set. It was all Set's doing, Bakari swore revenge against the dark god, Set had stolen his childhood, his future, and made him murder his own father. At least Bakari still had his humanity, and in the confines of their tomb his mind mulled over the idea of revenge. It kept him from going mad from the isolation of their prison as the centuries passed by. He would have revenge, one way or another.

Even if it cost him his own existence.

Time would be the judge. Sooner or later Bakari's time would come again.

As the minions dwelled in their tomb, the world continued as it always did, around the temple a trio of boys played a game, a mix of tag and hide and seek, between the monolithic statues of the gods and pharaohs they ran, stopping only to hide from a column of silent priests keeping their vigil.

The trio resumed their play when the priests had passed, one decided to be clever and hid on a pedestal between two imposing statues, perfectly hidden by the long shadows the statues cast. As the boy giggled at his cleverness the floor suddenly cracked and gave way and he found himself tumbling down onto a sandy bottom.

Moaning the boy dusted himself off and saw what lay before him, a dark rounded tomb sealed off, and guarded by effigies of the gods. Upon the stones the hieroglyphs told a story, as the boy began to read, he was interrupted.

"What is that?"

His friends crouched above him; heads framed by the light as they peered down.

"I do not know. I was just going to find that out."

His friends hopped down to join him. Seeing the pair moving to join him the boy continued.

"It looks like some kind of tomb, and there's a story on it."

The three were now examining the tomb with interest.

"It says that long ago, the evil overlord Set came and unleashed his evil minions upon the land. None of the great pharaoh's armies could stop the minions as they brought terror to all."

The glyphs and pictures seemed to shimmer in the dull light of the tomb. The boy continued reading the story.

"The pharaoh then called upon a great power to imprison the minions here in this tomb. Where they will stay forever."

"Ohhh," The other two boys gasped in awe and fear, as they realized just where they were.

The reader swallowed and continued, "If the evil minions of Set were ever to be freed of their prison, the only salvation would be- uh!"

The boy was suddenly grabbed and pushed back towards his friends. The three boys screamed at what they saw before them.

A very angry priest.

"What are you children doing down here?" the stern priest asked.

The three did not reply. The priest huffed.

"You know better than to be playing in the temple!"

He ushered them towards the exit. As he continued to berate them.

"You should be studying! Where are your teachers? They know you're not allowed in here, and so do you!"

As the group reached the outside of the temple, the sun and sands of the Sahara greeted them. The priest shook his staff at the naughty children.

"Now, get out of here! Run! Go, study!"

As the children ran away, the priest took a breath and cast a solemn look at the tomb, knowing full well what evil was trapped within its confines.

Elsewhere not far from the temple a sinister man plotted. Set's followers still existed, even though Egypt had undergone changes, from the Persians, the Greeks, and now the Romans. The cultures had endured, and so had the beliefs.

Set's cultist still dwelled, waiting to do their masters bidding. Perhaps it was time for a change once again? One such cultist thought so. Though he had seen no visions or dreams from his god, he had taken it upon himself to bring about another great change.

"There are too many foreigners in our lands now. The lands must be cleansed." He said to his fellow cult members as they all stood around a campfire.

"But we have seen no visions from Set." One cult member protested.

The lead cultist looked perplexed and then smiled, "He is testing us. He wants us to enact his will without being prompted."

That seemed a satisfactory answer to the other cultists, and all nodded in agreement.

"We shall watch and wait and someday we will release the minions of Set to finish the job they started. Egypt will be reborn from the ashes they leave. Like the phoenix."

"So shall it be." The cultists chorused.

The men sealed their oath by slicing their palms with their daggers and holding the bleeding hands above their burning fire.