Trial of Anubis

٢٦ : WRAITH

        Wraith pitched forward and howled like an animal.

         "It's quite easy to strike a nerve," Asemonekh grinned. "Nothing has changed since the Eighteenth."

       Ziara's muscles tensed and she went limp. Scrambling away from Asemonekh a fresh set of tears threatened to break their banks, "You're full of shit!"

       "Believe what you will. . .I just want that Eye!" Asemonekh unhinged his jaw like a snake and struck out towards her.

        Wraith sprung from his position and channelled all of his repressed rage at Asemonekh. Particles of sand swirled around the discarded knife and shot it towards Wraith's hand. He swung the Khepesh and knife with the intention to behead, but Asemonekh flinched at the last moment. The knife ground against the tip of Asemonekh's Pesesh-Kef while the curved edge of the Khepesh tore across his cheeks. He bit down against it, knowing that it split his lips in a terrifying bloody smile.

        "I've had enough taken from me in both lifetimes," Wraith planted his boot against Asemonekh's chest and kicked him back, twisting the blades. "Ziara will not be one of them."

        Wraith twirled his Khepesh and straightened his shoulders. He refused to repeat the same mistakes from his former life. With no spear or Forbidden Art like last time, Writh kicked up the tainted sand between them and struck with finesse. His priority was to protect Ziara and her Wadjet.

       Anuka moved in front of Ziara and used a Mummification Art to surround them in linen while Lacy guarded Elijah and deflected more floating hieroglyphs with her hair pins.

       Wraith swatted Asemonekh's palm away with his elbow and kneed him in the abdomen. He blocked Asemonekh's wand with the hilt of the Khepesh and dug the knife into his side. Whatever fighting techniques the Great Father gave Asemonekh were taken and gave Wraith an advantage.

        "Outnumbered and weakened," Asemonekh blocked Wraith's Khepesh with his forearm, wincing as the blade went to the bone. Despite his injuries, the torn skin around his mouth slowly knit together as he spoke, "Bury what is left of your dead, I will be sure to collect my just-rewards soon."

      "Asem—?!" as Wraith pulled the knife out to then cut at his throat, Asemonekh's body dissolved into a cloud of black smoke.

       "That was it?" Nathanial rose from his crouch. "For some mythical sage, he was nothing special."

        As if on cue, a wave of sand shot up behind Wraith and threatened to encompass the entirety of Naqada. Frantically, Wraith ordered Anuka to gather what remained of Harry Massit and run to the banks. Ziara ran towards the wave and jerked her chin at Wraith.

      Both Head Children slammed their hands against the ground and commanded their will of earth to halt the flow of sand. The wave arced over them, encompassing the torches and stone ruins of Naqada before it came to a stop above the marsh. A few veins of sand spilled from the peak but the body itself remained sturdy.

       "Go," Wraith said, not looking at her. "Get to the Shabti."

        "W—"

         "Go!" this time, he barked the order.

         Ziara removed her hands and stood, stumbling over her feet towards the bank. He watched her gag into her shoulder at the site of her father's body resting between the claws of the Shabti and the lone Son of Horus dangling at the back. That one split second of distraction caused the sand to tumble. Shit. He wasn't too far from the bank, but the wave grew in speed and multitude. Wraith inhaled a deep breath and bound to the bank of the Nile, jumping as the sand lapped at his ankles. He vaulted towards the hovering Shabti and latched onto Nathanial's arm.