B E L I E V E I N M E
Theodosia desperately wished she could read minds.
She watched Larry as he walked up ahead, surrounded by Kahmunrah's guards, to the supposed "cube of Rubik." She knew what a Rubik's cube was. Nicky had brought one with him one night, when Larry was still the museum night guard. It was small, small enough to fit in the palm of her hand, and other than being notoriously hard to solve, it didn't have any special properties.
Yet Larry looked like the picture of calm.
Nothing in his posture or face gave away whether he was stalling or had an actual plan to save them. Kahmunrah kept a close eye on him as he led the group, distrustful, despite wanting to know if Larry was telling the truth.
Theodosia had been so mad at Larry before, but now that he was here, surrounded by deadly Egyptian warriors, all her anger vanished. She loved him. He was a part of her family – her people. Larry was flesh and blood, like Ahkmenrah when the sun was set, and she could easily lose them both to Kahmunrah's wicked temper. One false move and those sharp spears could kill Larry.
Even Ahkmenrah seemed neutral. If he was worried about Larry's plan, he didn't show it. Theodosia tried to mimic their ease, but her nerves were buzzing with anticipation. Larry was never known for his bright ideas. She had a sinking feeling that this whole thing was just to buy them time, but what then?
She was pulled from her racing thoughts as the group slowed, finally reaching their destination. In front of them was a long wooden crate, and no Rubik's cube. Larry led Kahmunrah over to the crate, gesturing to it casually.
"There it is."
Theodosia shared a doubtful look with Ahkmenrah; even he was beginning to look worried. She shuffled closer to him.
"Open it," Kahmunrah ordered, staying back.
It was fully apparent now that Larry was bluffing. A small part of her was relieved Larry's entire plan didn't rest upon a tiny puzzle cube, but it was overshadowed by her new worries. What was in the crate? How did Larry know what was in any of these crates? What if it was nothing and Kahmunrah was truly as cruel as he seemed to be?
She held her breath as Larry pulled open the left latch, the wooden crate creaking and groaning as if it sensed him, slowly making his way across to the other latch. Theodosia recognized the new tension in his shoulders and the deliberate way he stepped. He was afraid of whatever was in that crate, which meant that somehow, he knew what he was doing. Her hand searched from Ahkmenrah's as Larry eyes met hers.
She heard the words he couldn't say: Run.
Theodosia grabbed Ahkmenrah's hand as Larry flicked open the second latch, allowing the creature inside to emerge. The wood shattered into splinters as giant pink tentacles burst from the crate. Far enough away, they watched as a giant octopus crawled from the box, visibly angry. Without warning, it began snatching Kahmunrah's guards and tossing them like ragdolls.
As soon as it had Kahmunrah, Larry scooped up the tablet and escaped into the tall stacks of shelves. Theodosia was quick to follow suit, pulling Ahkmenrah with her into the maze of shelving to find Larry.
She caught glimpses of him through the openings in the shelves, caught the glint of the gold tablet in his arms, just before she was yanked back and pulled into the shelves. Panicked, Theodosia assumed it was a guard, but she soon realized it was Ahkmenrah who had pushed her behind a tall, shadowing crate. He covered her mouth, silencing her.
She was so stunned she could only watch him, betrayed, as he waited for Kahmunrah's guards to pass their hiding spot.
As soon as their footsteps quieted, she pulled his hand off her face. "What are you doing?"
When Ahkmenrah met her furious eyes, he deflated, realizing now how impulsive he'd been. He let out a sharp sigh, running a hand over his forehead anxiously.
"Larry has the tablet. It's safe for now."
"And what if Kahmunrah's guards catch up with him? What then?"
"Larry can handle himself, Theodosia."
"He shouldn't have to!" she exclaimed. "We should not be hiding behind a wooden box like cowards. We must find him and help him keep the tablet safe, Ahkmenrah. Your brother could kill him."
She tried to leave, but Ahkmenrah stopped her, blocking her path. His gaze hardened and suddenly Theodosia realized she'd never seen him like this before. She felt confused and muddled, and she hated it. She shook him off, growing angrier.
"Ahkmenrah, I'm warning you."
For the first time since Theodosia had met him, Ahkmenrah's gaze darkened and he returned her glare, the challenge clear in his eyes. "You are too reckless, Theodosia. If there is a fire you run straight into it, and it isn't brave, it's stupid. I refuse to stand idly by while you goat my brother into killing you."
Theodosia was nearly stunned in silence. Nearly. "If my recklessness saves your life, then I will be reckless all I need to be. I was not going to sit still and give him the opportunity to take more of his anger out on you. I'm not made of flesh, Ahkmenrah, the only way he can hurt me is by hurting you!"
"You do not understand how dangerous Kahmunrah is! I have seen and experienced the things he is willing to do for power. I won't lose you to my wretched brother. I don't care what you have to say, I won't let you put yourself in danger anymore, Theodosia! I met my fate thousands of years ago, and I will gladly give up everything to keep you safe."
This time, Ahkmenrah had rendered her speechless. In all their years together, they had never fought, about anything. They barely argued, and if they did it was never about anything serious. Theodosia was temperamental, but Ahkmenrah was calm. He never fed off her energy, if anything, he had the remarkable ability to quell her temper. Theodosia hadn't even realized he was coming undone.
Of course, he was. How quickly she had forgotten the gravity of Kahmunrah's confession. He had killed Ahkmenrah, his own brother, because of his own selfishness and greed. He destroyed his family for a throne.
Ahkmenrah was always anchoring her. He was always there when she needed him, but when faced with his darkest memories, his murderer, she wasn't there for him. Even as scared as he was, he would still do anything for her. Even die.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, after a tense moment of silence.
Ahkmenrah said nothing, watching her carefully. He hated arguing with her. It burned him to think she might hate him, but he was afraid; more afraid than he had been in thousands of years.
"You're right, I've been reckless," she continued, reaching for his hand. "I let my anger get the better of me, but in the moment, I couldn't stay silent while he spoke to you...like you were nothing. And all I could think was that if he chose to, he could hurt you just like he did before. I know you want to protect me, but I'm made of wax."
Ahkmenrah started to protest, but she shushed him.
"I know that he can still hurt me, and I know you hate hearing it, but when something cuts me, I don't bleed. Don't you remember what happened to Teddy when he was struck? Sacajawea mended him with a candle. I can't mend you with a candle, I can't restart your heart or stop it when you bleed. I couldn't save you if he ever decided he wanted you gone."
"I know," Ahkmenrah conceded, his voice barely a whisper. "I've thought about it too. It's been so long, but I still remember. I feel as powerless now as I did when he killed me. All I can do is beg him to stop, like a scared child. Kahmunrah was always selfish, but I never thought he hated me enough to kill me. I was a fool to see any good in him, but I won't be that fool anymore."
Theodosia pulled him into a hug.
"You weren't a fool," she whispered into his shoulder. "You were kind, just like you've always been. You wanted to see the good in him, in your brother. It's Kahmunrah who is the fool, to betray his own brother so cruelly."
Ahkmenrah pulled back so he could see her. He took in her warm, comforting smile and calm blue eyes, and felt his anxiety melt away. For that moment, he let himself pretend it was only the two of them. They were back in his exhibit in New York, away from everyone else, and miles away from Kahmunrah, the tablet safely secured in its place on the wall.
He knew Theodosia was right. Larry needed them. But he wanted nothing more than to stay behind the tall crate, tucked away with Theodosia, pretending nothing was wrong. Pretending Kahmunrah was nothing but a terrible memory.
"Ahkmenrah," Theodosia whispered, drawing him from his thoughts. "Did you notice anything different about your brother? I mean, does he look different?"
"What do you mean?"
She sighed, chewing her lip in concentration. "When I threw that spear, it cut him, but he didn't bleed. I don't think that it's truly Kahmunrah. I think he's like me, only a wax recreation of him. He said he's come back to life, which means he has no idea he isn't alive. I mean, we feel like flesh and blood, how would he know unless someone told him?"
"He didn't look much different," Ahkmenrah told her, omitting that he'd been barely able to look at him for longer than a second, "but it has been 4000 years."
"I'm not entirely sure I'm right, but if I am, your brother is truly gone. That man out there is only an imitation. This Kahmunrah will pay for his crimes in his stead, and I promise you Ahkmenrah, you won't lose anything more to him. We can leave him out in the sun come morning, and he'll be nothing but ashes in the wind."
"Whether he is my brother or not, he thinks and acts just like him. You can't swear this night won't end without more loss."
"I can try."
"Just promise me you'll try not to anger him on purpose," Ahkmenrah sighed, relenting. "Don't draw attention to yourself, it will only make him want to lash out at you. For once, would you just blend with the background and ease some of my worry?"
"I'll try. But if he tries to hurt you, my promise is revoked."
"Why are you so stubborn?"
"I could ask you the same thing," Theodosia smiled. "Believe in me, Ahkmenrah."
"I have always believed in you, Theodosia."
"Good. Now," she sighed, "can we go? I'll bet Larry could use our help."
a/n: sooo, it's been a while 😅 I want to apologize (like seriously) to all my readers for being so absent! The support for Theodosia has been amazing, I mean this story is at 19.2k readers! That's completely insane. I never imagined having so many people reading something I wrote. I tried to at least keep up with your comments, and I appreciated each and every one! Online school was a lot harder than I anticipated, and even though I did nothing but be consumed by school work, my grades still dropped. I've never hated school more in my entire life, I had like eight breakdowns in the span of three weeks during finals. I needed a bit of break afterwards, but I'm no longer walking around like a zombie, and I'll hopefully be uploading Theodosia on a more regular basis (however, knowing me, I can make no legitimate promises).
Thank you SO MUCH to all my readers and those of you who still read this even after waiting this long. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and have a lovely weekend!