From previous chapter:
Coldness exploded from her core and Trueth heard words tumbling through her brain. It took a moment until they reached her tongue. 'Aren't you forgetting a minor detail. Like a demon army parked down there, waiting to invade Kemet?'
As if on cue, a flock of waiters arrived, bearing pizza.
***
Seisi's friends were stunned into silence while one steaming dish after another landed on the table as if a carter was laying out a spread of savoury wheels. Maybe the others were merely impressed by the selection. More likely they were still in shock over Metjen's last comment.
With a grand gesture, the person Metjen had called Maitre d' wished them a good appetite. He appeared to have cheered up considerably. His behaviour was no surprise. If the man had been calculating the total bill, he would have arrived at the conclusion that giving away his most coveted table had been worth some remote-controlled humiliation. Seisi snapped his fingers and took a mental note. Metjen would have to practice more mind-swipes. That person should never have noticed what had been happening to him.
'The underlings are gone,' Pharaoh commented the obvious and grabbed two slices of triple-cheese which had been placed next to him. 'Your Wisdom may continue outlining our approach.'
'Oy, that's mine,' Ranofer declared. The serving plate bearing his favourite lifted from the table and landed next to him with an audible clunk. Unlike his sister, Ranofer had apparently not been able to develop his magical talents much further.
Seisi mind-shot a warning across the table. Pray, use your hands, not your sun-flow. People might notice otherwise!
Ranofer nodded once and bit into a slice of pizza.
'We thought, we would all be sharing?' Pharaoh had difficulties staking his claim while chewing.
'Don't speak with your mouth full, ' the Lady Nefertiti waggled a finger at his Majesty, then turned to address her eldest son. Too late. Her husband got there first.
'Did I hear that correctly,' the professor had placed one hand on the table, another one clenched the stem of his glass of wine. 'You want to go back to that disaster area under the step pyramid, waltz through a hall full of demons and open the very portal these bastards have been fighting like hell to open? The same portal Imhotep has secured with that bloody walking stick we had so much trouble finding? The portal that doesn't even seem to work properly?'
'Exactly that one,' Metjen said and licked his fingers. He had placed a collection of slices on his plate and was calmly savouring a piece featuring those green vegetables which looked like innocent beans but burned your mouth. Those were his favourites as well, so Seisi helped himself and deposited another slice on Trueth's plate.
His woman stared first at him, then at the steaming food in front of her.
'I believe our lives are about to get very complicated again very soon,' Seisi said. 'You better enjoy this while it lasts. It's my favourite.'
Trueth's glare softened, she stroked his hand and took up her cutlery to tackle his gift. She chewed, her eyes bulged; she nearly pushed over her glass of water in her haste to drink.
'That's peperoncino,' she said when she could speak again.
Seisi regarded his dinner. 'Is that what it's called? I wish we could have this in Kemet.'
The Lady Nefertiti made another attempt at speaking but Metjen raised his hand. 'I like my pizza hot, so let me finish this. Yes, I want to go back down there, and yes, it might sound like madness. And no, it isn't, at least, it isn't as bad as you might think.'
His father stared morosely into his wineglass.
Rani-Ra, who was nimbly dissecting a piece of pizza garnished with shellfish among sludgy green leaves, looked up and grinned at her brother. 'You're a nutter, but you're not dense. What have you got in mind, bro?'
Trueth had been fanning her face and drinking more water. She stabbed her finger in Metjen's direction as if he was just another olive. 'Why are you so shit-hot on going back? Would it not be better just to stay here and forget that place? After saving my witches, of course. If Imhotep is so keen on doing his thing, why not let him?'
The Lady Nefertiti threw up her hands, then rose to help herself from the salads parked on a side table. Speaking over her shoulder, she said 'That's what I was trying to say the whole time. One could say we have done our duty, and just leave it at that?'
She sat down again, placed her plate on the table and started eating with an innocent expression on her face that was belied by the mischievous twinkle in her eyes.
'Nice try, ladies, ' Metjen said. 'I can't just vamoose. If I was out of sync with this world before, I'm even more so now. And the rest of you are not much better. But my real problem is Imhotep. If I let him carry on like that, means I leave the others in the lurch and you know that full well mother, this is not my style.'
'I agree, ' said the professor, biting into a crispy piece strewn with colourful vegetables. 'Plus, I dare say, digging for the remains of a world that you know is still out there somewhere is simply not the same. I want to be in it.' He smiled affectionately at his wife. ' And you my dear, are pure magic. You can't be anywhere else but in Kemet.'
She returned the fond expression and snatched a slice of pizza off his plate. 'Fine, then we are at least all agreed, I only wanted to be sure.'
'We are very pleased,' said Pharaoh somewhat shyly. 'We were worried we would have to remain in this world forever. Not that it is that bad, even if it is full of demons.' He turned towards Metjen. 'We do not understand what is happening here. I...We have seen a world full of suffering and a few truly evil people. But not a single demon. When they appeared in Kemet the first time, they were very visible. Putrid, vicious monsters!' Pharaoh sawed his pizza apart and shoved it into his mouth.
Metjen snorted. 'After all this time, they look like humans. But they're evil in disguise. And of course, they have found so many human followers. Losers, taking the easy way. Now for a lot of people, humanity is only skin-deep and the monsters look like your next door neighbour. It's all mixed up. That's what makes it so hard to work out who your enemy is.'
Pharaoh nodded pensively.
'So we go?' asked Rani-Ra. 'There's only one point that bothers me a bit.'
The professor raised his digit. 'I believe I know what you mean. Should we not consider saving this world for a change.'
Rani-Ra applauded slowly. 'Thanks Dad, for stealing my thunder. But yeah, that's what Rano and I discussed yesterday.'
Her brother nodded, but could not contribute with his mouth full.
Metjen dropped his cutlery and pushed his plate away. 'Let's save one world at a time, okay? I think we are all agreed. We will return to Kemet and take it from there. And I'll tell you how we do it. '
With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Seisi realised that the others were looking everywhere but at Trueth. Or at him. He knew what this meant. She might not want to join them. He had just found his love. He could not lose her again. He simply could not—Trueth's hand stole into his, he focussed on her and saw a radiant smile backlighting the freckles.
'I can't stay behind either, ' she said. 'I would be stranded like a jellyfish in the desert.'
Hope spread like a warm glow from the centre of his being. But he had to be sure. 'We could live in Avebury with the others?'
'Yeah, and every time I get too close to the henge half of the village population disappears, or the pub turns into a black hole or whatever. Forget it, as long as I don't know how to deal with whatever it is I am we can't run any risks. So I'm coming back with you, period. Just keep the peperoncino out, please.' She raised her chin in defiance but she need not have worried, applause and shouting broke out, and one by one the others rushed around the table to hug her.
Finally, sister. You must make more haste with your decisions. It is agonising to watch you sometimes.
Trueth waved a fist at the darker side of the grotto, but could not hide her grin.
Metjen waited until his family had finished, and then he rose slowly and joined Trueth. They confronted each other like a pair of hostile hedgehogs until he smiled, pressed her to his chest and patted her back. Trueth returned the hug with a sigh, making Seisi realise he was clenching his fists. He wondered whether now was the time for a spot of jealousy but decided there was no point. Things were the way they were and things would get easier as time passed. His thoughts were rational and appropriate so why did he still feel annoyed?
Metjen returned to his seat, emptied his water glass and wiped his chin. 'Okay, here is what I have been thinking.'
Oh, you have, have you? Methinks your mind is still afflicted from your little trek to the universe if these memory lapses are anything to judge by!
Metjen took a deep breath. 'Okay, Iseret wishes me to acknowledge copyright. Fine. Happy now?'
Something huffed on the side of the grotto and Metjen continued. 'I knew I had to get close to our old portal but I'll admit the bit with the demons in residence had me slightly spooked. Nobody in the circle had any solution either. They just offered to join their powers to mine, once we had the damn thing open. Trouble is, you can't do that until you are very close. Which brought me back to the demons every time. But Iseret had the right idea.'
He checked around the table with an expectant expression on his face. He got only blank faces in return.
'There is one power still down there that should be on our side.'
More blank faces. Seisi had no idea what Metjen was talking about. Did he mean the old Pharaoh, Khy's father? But he had been told that there was no trace left of his body. And if that were the case, his ba could not linger. This did not make much sense.
Rani-Ra jumped up. 'Amasis and the ghosts of the Guardians! Imhotep's daughter. Of course! She gave us all such a hard time but in the end she was quite friendly, wasn't she?' Rani-Ra shivered and pulled down the sleeves of her jumper. 'Oh shit, will she not side with daddy and eff up whatever you do? Last time she was playing silly games but I'm not convinced that's all she can do. She was one of the warriors who stayed behind, I mean, she must have been pretty impressive once.'
She was. So were the other Warriors of the Light. They all enjoy their stay in the fields of the rushes but the blood curse which protected the access bound them to the place as well. If you, their descendant, calls them, they will return in your hour of need. Honestly, you all must learn to think better!
Ranofer was whispering to his parents, providing an interpretation of the words neither they nor Pharaoh could hear. The professor winced at the last part, but Metjen did not engage. Instead, he nodded at his sister. 'Good point. I never even thought of that little nugget. Any comments, Iseret?'
She is duty bound to the cause!
'Means, you're not totally sure,' Trueth said, making a double knot in her napkin. 'You know what, Iseret, you're not much better than your pal Imhotep! You drop hints and choice bits of information, but keep the double whammy for later. Like when we are down there and things go pear-shaped.'
This will not happen. Metjen wishes to return to Kemet; he needs to get close to the portal and he can only do so with Amasis' help. If you do not believe me, think of something better. Or abandon your quest and abide with Imhotep! Who is not my 'pal' by the way.
Trueth poked a finger through the knot and shook out the checkered cloth as if she was a stage magician. 'I believe that was a "Howgh, I have spoken", at least, it sounded like one to me. It does not reassure me. Metjen, you were not planning to go down there on your own, were you?'
Seisi blended out the voices; he knew what was coming. He had known from the start that he and Trueth would get involved in Metjen's latest adventure even without Metjen telling him. He must have been unsure about Trueth's choice. Unsure about both of them, it appeared, and he had therefore hedged his bets. It did not matter. They would go and face danger once more. At least, he and Trueth would be together.
The dinner broke ended not long afterwards and their group was a lot more quiet on the way home, than they had been when setting out.
'It does worry me a lot that the members of the circle still can't see the future,' he confided to Trueth later in the quiet of their bedchamber. Which was not all that quiet after all, as Trueth was cleaning her teeth with one of these noisy devices and a large furry object kept purring his content to the world from the centre of their bed.
Trueth response sounded like 'Arrrh?' but this was owed to a mouthful of bubbles.
Seisi moved to the window and cracked it open. But not much. The air was not as cold as it had been in Britain, but it was not warm either and Trueth froze easily. Fortunately, he possessed a substantial and warm body and would be able to remedy this problem very quickly. The thought sent more heat into said body, at least into certain crucial parts of it and he smiled in anticipation when Trueth joined him at the window.
'I understand now, what you need your stone face for, if you don't slap it on, you are as open like the proverbial book,' she teased.
'Scroll, dear. And it is not my face that is giving my intention away.'
'Whatever. When are we going to descend into the dungeons again?'
Seisi rubbed his nose. 'I think Metjen is still waiting for more information from the circle, but it doesn't look as if he is getting enough of what he wants to hear. Give him a day or two, by then he will be so edgy, he won't wait any longer.'
'Anything we can do to prepare?'
'I doubt it,' Seisi said. ' I'll stock up on amulets. There's no time to play the hero and if I get things wrong I don't want anybody to risk their lives to save me. That includes you!'
She turned her innocent blue-eyed gaze on him. 'Try to stop me, then. We have Iseret with us. If she can't get her fellow ghost to join the camp, we will have to turn back anyway.'
'Yes, hopefully without having woken up the dark hordes,' Seisi sneered. 'I still wish you would not join, yet I know we will need you.'
'Yes you do,' Trueth smiled and placed a finger over his mouth.
He kissed it and pushed his hands against her shoulders, marching her backwards towards the bed. At the last moment, he remembered the cat and fell onto the side, pulling Trueth with him.
'Ow!' She sat up, rubbing her shin.
'Cat,' Seisi pointed at the ginger lump by way of explanation.
'Oy you,' Trueth twisted around and poked the animal who shut down his purr on a burp, dropped off the bed and stalked away indignantly. 'Biggest turnoff ever.'
Seisi raised an eyebrow. 'Not as far as I am concerned. What about you?'
If you liked this story, please leave me a vote or a comment. Or both XD. Wattpad writers write for feedback. We thrive on it! Thank you so much. If you REALLY liked it - maybe you can tell your friends about it?
AND HERE IT IS - DRUMROLL - COMING SOON - THE NEXT NOVEL! (Don't worry, this one is not finished yet!)
===
This chapter is dedicated to HopeMarieGalloway. Thank you for reading and voting on Cursed Times
The image is from DeviantArt, copyright spako