The Valley of Kings and a Queen

Chapter 40

I'm standing in an ....I must be in Alexandria. I stand facing a younger Cleopatra. She's wearing a black tube-shaped dress and just staring off into the distance. A man that I recognize from the museum comes into view. Marc Anthony, I think to myself. He's clothed in Roman military armor with a sword sheathed at his side.

"I don't know what we are going to do about this issue," he says flatly.

"I know that it's a complicated mess. The goddess herself isn't the easiest to get along with."

"I just think we must give up and accept whatever fate lies ahead."

"No, darling please don't give up hope," she says reaching out and placing his hand in hers.

"What's the point of hope."

I turn to look at Cleopatra more closely. Her eyes are gleaming, shiny with promise.

"Better to have hoped and failed. Then failed due to not even having any hope."

The scene shifts, and I fall towards the ground and slowly stand up brushing off my dress. Where was I? I look around, I'm in some chamber that felt strangely familiar, but I couldn't pinpoint from exactly where. I see him standing there sprawled out across the floor. His caramel brown hair a tangled mess. His clothes disheveled and stained with blood and grime.

"Finley," I cry out to him. He doesn't move in the slightest or even hint at having heard my beckoning out to him.

"Surprised, you made it through the wards and the creatures that guard me," a voice speaks to him. His tone regal and unwavering. "Though I suppose that just proves to me that you are worthy of my assistance." It's the same voice from my dream nights ago. I'm in the mausoleum again. A sarcophagus opens carefully. A mummy sets out. Finley just stares at it plainly with not even the slightest hint of fear.

"King Tutankham," Finley lets out bowing down as a sign of respect as the mummy slowly approached him across the floor. The sphinx from the Valley of Kings stands at the mummy's feet, tail flickering in quiet amusement.

"So, I have heard that you and your companions have come a long way to seek my aid," the King responds. Slowly but carefully the linen cloth that covers him begins to unravel. An aura of light emits from his body and begins blinding my eyes. The Pharaoh steps forth to reveal his true self. A teenage boy probably Finley's age. The few photos that I had looked up online about the young Pharaoh were completely inaccurate and really didn't do him justice. Despite being stuffed into a sarcophagus for thousands of years, his skin was beautifully bronzed. His hair was dark black and cropped short – a golden crown resting on atop. He wore a kilt and sheer blouse with pleated sleeves. He was adorned with jewels and golden bracelets. He stood there with his arms crossed over his sculpted chest. He looked like less of King, and more like a brute warrior honed for battle.

"I'm trying to defeat set and rid ourselves of the gods inside us," Finley slowly rises and stands confidently facing the Pharaoh. "I've heard that you have banished them before."

"Oh yes, I very much so have. Back in my short ruling, my court and I decided to unleash them. We thought that it would bring us aid. Bring protection and good fortune to our Kingdom. Our nation though not apparent to outsiders at the time was losing strength, and we heard the cries amongst our people. I thought that my blood as a pharaoh would protect me from their wrath. They brought our kingdom good fortune but at a steep cost. But isn't that how it always works. Though what good is it if to gain so much if you lose the entirety of your soul in the process," his words were eloquent but solemn.

"So, how do I banish them for good?"

"Oh, the sealing process. There's a few things that you will have to fetch in order for everything to work. There's a weapon that was forged for me back during my rule. You will need that to assist you. You will also need to find out the prayer needed for the sealing, but I can't help you with that. When you search for it, it will find you. You will find aid from unlikely friends when the time comes. They can help you with the rest. I will, though, aid you with what I do know."

"And what exactly do you know?"

"I will explain to you the oblation one must perform," the King speaks unwavering as he unsheathes the blade strapped to his belt. "This is what you must do as you recite the oath that you must seek out." He pulls the blade towards his wrist. Without hesitation he slices the palm of his hand open and makes a thick slit for his blood to slowly trickle from dripping onto the mausoleum's floor. The blood forms a small crimson pool in front of Finley.

"You are going to have to follow exactly what I do. Memorize it for when the time comes." The Pharaoh drops to the floor now on all fours. He uses the blood from his cuts to begin forming an arc on ground. "Follow me," the pharaoh lifts his head towards the pool of blood in front of Finley who is now on his hands and knees observantly the King so keenly. Finley dips his hands into blood and follows the pharaoh's motions forming an arc on the floor. Finley continues to use the blood to follow the Pharaoh's motions. They do this for a while, Finley's on the ground panting and sweat dripping from his face. The blood creates different etches on the floor - ancient hieroglyphics of some sort. They seemed to be drawn in order to cast a spell.

"You will need to create the same depiction with your own blood, and then you will almost be done."

"What was the final cost to completely banish them,"

"The cost was me,"

"The cost was me," Finley repeats, murmuring to himself meekly.

"I didn't die at such a young age for no apparent reason. I lost my soul, my livelihood. A sacrifice for my friends and my kingdom that I loved for them to be finally be free of them," the Pharaoh says

"So, I must sacrifice my soul to complete the sealing,"

"Yes," the King stands up hovering over the image that he has created with his own blood, "I'm sorry for that." The King stares at him. His eyes filled with complete sorrow. He offers Finley a hand to help him up, "sacrifice is never easy friend, but if you can save those you love, I deem it worth it." Finley nods in understanding. "Death isn't so bad either. It will greet you ever so kindly."

"No," I yell out, but Finley from the dream can't hear me. I begin to scream louder, but instead, I'm pulled back into the reality. I fall backwards into the bathroom crawling away from the mirror. I'm clutching my dress trying not to cry as the realization hits me.

Finley's not here. No, he's not here at all. That so-called dream wasn't a dream at all. No, it was a reflection on what had already happened. On what King Tut really spoke to Finley about. And now, he's gone. To sacrifice his soul to finally end it for all of us.