It was an extremely busy night, the new additions to the museum had brought many people into the museum. Even Rebecca, the receptionist, was back at work to help the night guards. The Egyptian family had specific instructions and to be on their best behaviour which the parents of the brothers ensured they would be. Ahkmenrah was paler than normal but he remained interacting, Larry was keeping a strict eye on him as well as the still fully grown Jed and Octavius. The young king hadn’t said anything about their size other than one word, ‘protection’. It made literally no sense to any of them but it did give Lancelot an actual challenge, the knight was shocked at how well the roman could fight while Jed just watched with love in his eyes every time they duelled. However, there had been a few times where Tahmunrah asked to duel Octavius but the roman refused even in front of the others, something just wasn’t sitting right with the roman general. It wasn’t a big concern but Larry had asked Teddy to keep an eye on Octavius around Tahmunrah, something just wasn’t right with the roman’s behaviour.
Larry smiled from the balcony as he kept a strict eye on the Egyptian family. It seemed Merenkahre could control his sons the best but it didn’t help Shepseheret showing her visible worry for her youngest. There was only an hour left of the public enjoying the night ‘actors’ when Rexy suddenly stopped moving, confusing the public. Larry froze looking at the t-rex thinking it was just playing games. Soon enough the cavemen stopped moving, remaining statue-like.
Larry locked eyes with Dr McPhee who nodded, calling out that it was an early night due an incident with the water exhibit upstairs. The public were quick to leave without much of a care leaving behind puzzled night guards, an owner and receptionist. Soon Dr McPhee left the situation in Larry’s capable hands.
There he, Nick and the caught up Rebecca stood in front of the cavemen who were frozen almost like it was sunrise. Teddy had moved over to inspect only to gasp, the statues they had in the museum were frozen as were Sacagewa’s brothers. Any animals were back to their original state. Rebecca remained in the main lobby keeping an eye on Dexter, the only animal still awake.
Nick turned to look towards the Egyptian family only to see Tahmunrah in Kahmunrah’s face and the parents of the two trying to separate them while Ahkmenrah was missing. Nick alerted his father and soon enough everyone still awake which turned out to be Teddy, Sac, Jed, Octavius, Atila, the Egyptian family and Lancelot were on the search for the young king only to find him unconscious in the middle of the egyptian wing with two anubis guards kneeling over him. Larry gasped, Ahkmenrah was too pale for his liking. Kahmunrah wasted no time in scooping his limp brother into his arms. Ahk’s head just rolled as blood poured down his nose.
“Put him in his sarcophagus now!” Merenkahre ordered, Kahmunrah could only nod, lying his brother in his bed. Merenkahre pulled the tablet from its hiding place only to gasp, now half the tablet was red. “He’s dying” Merenkahre gasped out, trying to read the tablet only for it to almost scold his hand. He dropped it only for Octavius to snatch it out of mid air, his gloves stopping him from burning them but he at least put it back on the wall in its rightful place.
“No offence but how can he be dying, if he is already dead?” Larry asked, Merenkahre raised a hand to his nose and pinched it trying to work out how to reason with the nightguard.
“Every night you all come alive, yes?” Merenkahre said receiving multiple nods, “Well with us, our skeletons return back to our human state. What we were before, every morning we return back to being skeletons. So, we are vulnerable to attacks and we can bleed as well as bruise. What I’m saying is every night, Ahkmenrah is facing whatever this is: the red death is slowly killing him everytime he wakes up. His heart can’t take it. If we do not work out how to stop this, in a week’s time. Ahkmenrah won’t wake up and if the tablet continues to corrode for a week afterwards, the magic will cease to exist” Merenkahre explanation caused wide eyes of worry around the room. A groan from the sarcophagus as Ahkmenrah sat up, the young king’s vision blurred with tears as Kah and his mother comforted him. Tahmunrah remained miserable with his arms crossed over his chest, everything was coming together perfectly but first he had to make tensions even thicker so his brother’s heart would give in and that was in the form of Nick Daley.
“Guardian?”
Larry whipped around hearing Ahk’s innocent voice, oh god he sounded so young. Larry walked over only to pull the young king into a hug, the shivering king accepted Nick’s jacket. Ahkmenrah had removed his egyptian jewellery and crown leaving him with his chest in sight. Nick’s jacket helped warm him up while the said boy received a glare from not only Kahmunrah but Teddy and Merenkahre as well. They weren’t blind.
“Ahkmenrah, if you do not mind me asking. How old are you in human terms?” Sacagewa asked the young king who could only gulp looking towards his brother. Kah sighed, wrapping Ahk up in his arms once Larry had let go. “He’s technically 16, well that’s what his age was when he died” Shepeseheret sighed, knowing something must have happened between the brothers for them to seek each other out in comfort.
“Are you sure?” Lancelot teased only to meet the glare of a lifetime, “Trust me! I’m sure! I was the one who killed him a week after his coronation!” Kahmunrah yelled out of anger and frustration rather than anything else. Merenkahre could only sigh knowing his son had kept that information at bay for thousands of years.
“Feel better Kah?” The older brother whipped around at the teasing tone to see a smirking Tahmunrah, “You shut up! The amount of wives you had and murdered plus killing me! Somehow after I made sure you were dead! I was hoping Anubis would take you early but it seems you escaped death yet again!” Kahmunrah roared at Tahmunrah who could only chuckle. “Sure sure, sunrise is among us again” Tah said with a laugh as his eyes flickered black making them all backaway.
“How? It’s only 01:00 am in the morning” Nick calls out only for Tahmunrah to drop something causing smoke in the tomb and for him to take off with the tablet in his hands.
“Don’t believe us now that he is plotting against us all and is evil!” Kah turned his anger on the museum exhibits who could only let out a range of sighs and sorry’s. They were truly regretting their judgement against the Egyptian brothers.
“Kahmunrah Enough! We must find Tahmunrah before time is up!” Merenkahre shouted out, placing a hand on Ahkmenrah’s back to feel his son’s short breathing. Kahmunrah could only nod, he grabbed something from the side of his sarcophagus and stalked out of the tomb. Ahkmenrah muttered something which made the two anubis statues turn into humans. Merenkahre was in shock all of them were.
“Son, since when could you do that?” Merenkahre asked his youngest who could only look off to the side, “Since the British museum” Ahk murmured back, climbing out of the sarcophagus with Teddy’s help and taking a seat against the wall beside Jed who smiled at him.
Sherpseheret wore a look of worry, she turned to her husband who could only wrap an arm around her feeling the same concern.
“Larry, you must find the tablet. I believe the magic runs deep within Ahkmenrah and if the tablet ceases to exist so will my son. Ahkmenrah is the sole reason why this museum comes to life, I believe the gods connected my son to it. His birth was a surprise, he was a gift from the gods meaning, he holds a power like no other. This would also explain why he has asked for ‘protection’ which is in the form of the two miniatures now being the size they are now. In other words, Ahkmenrah is the only one who can wake this museum up again and bring it back to life. Tahmunrah is the destroyer while Kahmunrah is the balance” Merenkahre explained, Larry could only nod as he, Attila, Teddy and Lancelot went off to help Kahmunrah find Tahmunrah.
The last thing Larry needed was to lose the egyptian brother, thankfully with the museum being eerily silent, the sounds of clashing and shouting echoed through the silent walls of the museum. The four took off in the direction only to find Kahmunrah fighting Tahmunrah while the tablet lay carelessly on the ground beside the two brothers.
“HEY! ENOUGH!” Larry shouted, startling the pair. Tahmunrah glared at the guard slashing his brother’s arm, Kahmunrah ignored the bleeding as he grabbed his nearby khopesh ready to strike when Shepserhert appeared in between the two.
“ENOUGH! Put down your weapons now!” Her mothering tone made Kahmunrah put his weapon down however Tahmunrah didn’t, he instead aimed for his vulnerable mother when out of nowhere, Lancelot’s sword protected the queen's back. Shepsehert was in shock, she was then forced behind Kahmunrah as Tahmunrah easily took down the knight who was in shock.
A roar broke through the fight, Tahmunrah turned only to find himself face to face with Rexy who had reawakened. Larry was in shock until something caught his eye. Nick was holding Ahkmenrah up near the stairs, the young king’s eyes flashing as the t-rex came alive. The anubis human guards moved down the stairs and took hold of the egyptian brother who could only glare as he was forced into a seat. Larry was struggling with an idea on what to do with the brother who sat with a miserable face in the office. Merenkahre, Kahmunrah, Teddy, Attila and Lancelot while the others remained in the egyptian wing with the exhausted Ahkmenrah.
“What do we do, Lawrence?” Teddy asked, looking at his old friend who could only sigh. Tahmunrah sat patiently waiting for his fate.
“You can’t do anything, time is upon us, he will pay for his sins!” Tahmunrah said with a smile, Attila and Lancelot shared a ‘look’ almost saying ‘the man is crazy’.
“What sins?” Teddy questioned, Tahmunrah could only smile. The anubis guards suddenly appeared in the doorway with red eyes as they took a step towards Tahmunrah who didn’t move an inch.
“Guys, what’s going on?”
“Lawrence, I do not think they understand you”
“Merenkahre, can you…?” Larry turned to the pharaoh only to gasp. Merenkahre was frozen in his spot as was Teddy, Attila and Lancelot. The Anubis guards were frozen in human form while Tahmunrah could only laugh, “Run”. The one word made Larry back out of the room and up the stairs, he quickened his pace when he heard, “DAD!”.
Larry ran quickly until he reached the Egyptian wing where the others were. There he found Shepseheret and Sacagewa desperately trying to wake Ahkmenrah up while Jed and Octavius held Nick in between them. Ahkmenrah was pale, almost grey, the tablet was on the wall in it’s rightful place, the gold fading. There was only a quarter of it left.
“Dad! Do something!” Nick cried out just as the room filled with a blinding white light knocking out anyone who was still awake, the last thing the young night guard heard was, “This is all your fault Nick, if you had just broken my brother’s heart. I wouldn’t have had to do this”. Something heavy then connected with his head and he fell into eternal darkness.
My apologies for the delay! A new chapter will be up in a week!
Thanks to anyone who is reading/voting or commenting - it's much appreciated :)
See you all very soon! ;-)