Bam my head hits the concentrate.
"Look who decided to show up," Grey remarks. I shake my head trying to relieve the pain that I experienced from my downward fall.
"What were you dreaming about that made you land so hard," Finley asks curiously. My mind has finally gained consciousness. I must have dreamt that causing my rough landing into the duat. I was sitting with my head against the wall of the labyrinth, the boys staring at me waiting for me to get head up so we can trek onwards on our journey.
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"We're close to the Hall of Judgment, I can just feel it," Grey confidently leads the way down the hall. A chill feeling runs down my back, and I'm not really feeling too good about this. Plus, what was I doing dreaming about Finley? I try to separate my dreams from reality. We went to Hyde park. That was real. We took a visit to the Long Water. Finley opened up about his parents. He showed me the Sunken Garden, but we couldn't go inside. It was locked, so I admired it from the outside. He drove me home, and I crashed shortly after dinner. So why did my mind let me dream of dancing with Finley. Of his hand in mine. Of falling so graciously into his arms. Of his warmth and familiarity beyond comparison.
I slowly stand up from my daze realizing that I needed to be fully awake for what's to come. We stalk down the labyrinth that has become an endless maze of lefts and rights that I've begun to lose track of how much time has passed until we finally reach the end of a corridor where there are these two huge double doors.
Finley pulls the door open with a creak to reveal a throne room. The boys' hands reach straight for the weapons fastened to their waist belts prepared for a fight, alert and ready for anything that could possibly go wrong.
"Look who's finally decided to return," says a stern voice coming from the back of the room.
"Sorry, I have been busy," a voice not quite Grey's pours forth out of his mouth well it's more sort of a muzzle now that he has fully transformed into Anubis. His jackal head now rests at the top of his shirtless midsection. His abdomen is toned and glowing a beautiful bronze, while a skirt held up by a belt covers his waist and lower body.
"I think they're referring to me," Finley's voice is stern and brooding now completely transformed into Osiris. He's quite regal looking dressed in white long robe, sandals, and a golden crown while holding a crook and flail all symbols of his kingship.
"Oh, shire we have had much need of you," an older gentleman comes toward Finley wearing priestly garments. "it's been quite chaotic and of course there's been a few disputes over rulings of cases and the fairness without you on throne and not to mention the fact that-"
"Silence!" Finley cuts the nobleman off. He heads to the end of the hall walking up a small set of stairs unto an altar. He takes his rightful position on his throne easing back in the seat. To the right of his throne sits a set of scale - for the weighing of the heart. Grey as Anubis sits down and kneels next to the scales giving a pat on the head to this mythological creature – Ammuet. He looks exactly as Grey depicted him in his sketches. His snout and mouth was that of a crocodile's, but it had the front legs and mane of a lion. Then, the rear of the creature was a hippo though it kept the lion's bushy tail. I wonder if Grey had ever been to this part of the duat before and that's how he was able to draw his sketches so perfectly.
"Who's next in line." Finley asks impatiently.
"Finley, I was hoping," I interject.
"Who is speaking?" he responds with an edge in his voice that's not quite his. Olivier grabs the corner of my shirt pulling me backwards and closer to him, Henri, and Aiden.
"You might not want to do that." Olivier suggests whispering to me to avoid being yelled at by gods.
"Who is next?" Finley yells louder this time his voice echoing off the halls of the chamber.
"Oh shire," the old gentlemen, "Walter Joseph Foster soul number," the man rattles off an ungodly long number that wastes a few minutes.
"Bring him in for judgment," Finley says dreadfully. A man in his mid-forties comes to kneel at his throne. "Mr. Foster – died from a car accident three nights ago." My body reacts in hurt for Finley whose own father had fallen to the same tragedy not too long ago; though, he seemed unfazed by the information his counsel was reading off. "father of two girls – Josie and Laila. Former husband to Rudy Foster. Had an affair with a mistress a few years into his marriage. Left his family when his youngest daughter was only two. Ran off with another woman committing adultery. Partook in white collar crimes and fraud in his company," Finley continued to read a list of crimes that man had committed.
"Please, please, I can explain," the man kneeling at the altar begging for mercy.
"Anubis, ready the scales and prepare the heart," Finley instructs.. A heart appears in Anubis's palm. He then goes forward and places the heart on the scale against what appeared to be a white ostrich feather – the feather of truth.
"That's what we need," I whisper to Henri, Olivier, and Aiden who nod in agreement.
"How are we going to umm let's say borrow it for a second without them noticing and maybe banishing our souls into the fires of hell," Olivier exasperates.
"I have an idea," I say, making the basketball three symbol against my temple except I forget that they don't understand the meaning behind it – only Finley would understand and he's temporarily unavailable.
"Here's the plan," I explain to them quickly. Across the room, the heart has finally finished being weighed. The scale tips in favor of one side, but I'm not sure the meaning.
"The scale reads the soul is heavier than the feather of truth,"
"Take him off with Ammuet," Finley declares.
"No please. Please don't!" The man's piercing cries echo through the entire chamber as guards surround him grabbing him by his arms and leading him off through a different set of doors. I can still hear his horrific screeches even after he's well gone.
"Who's next," Finley or should I say Osiris asks. "Bring'em in." For a god well it seems very ungodly business. Imagine being sentenced to have immortality only to spend it judging and sentencing the dead.
"Leo James Hunter." Instead of this guy's soul, Aiden appears in front of the throne. Osiris doesn't seem to have noticed that the boy standing in front of him is far from dead, but so clearly alive and well – hopefully he'll stay that way for the time being. His guards stare at Aiden trying to make sense of his lively being, but Osiris who isn't paying much attention slowly becomes frustrated.
"Go on then and read off his statement and list of crimes. You weren't hired to stand and stare now," Osiris voice cuts deep. Well, the guards begin to read of Leo's crimes still struggling if their minds are messing with them.
As Aiden bows for judgment, and Henri has captured and held hostage the real Leo's soul, Olivier, and I have snuck across the hall to the scales. Grey or Anubis seems to be falling asleep when he suddenly blinks at me as if he wants to confirm that I was real.
"Grey," I whisper, trying to call out to him hoping that part of him is still in that Egyptian god's body and can be summoned to life. His jackal face just glares at me numbly, clearly unfazed by my presence. "Grey, we need your help, if you can hear me, help us." I cry out to him trying to awaken him from whatever state he has been shoved down into.
Olivier reaches out for the feather of truth on the scale. "How can we defeat Set?" he asks the feather shaking as though it's a crystal ball that will foretell our future. Anubis's Jackal head starts convulsing out of control. Grey seems to be fighting or more like struggling to gain control of the god's body.
"I don't think that's how to work," I say, stealing the feather from his grasp. "You have to give it to someone who knows the truth, so they are forced to tell you the truth."
The Jackal head snaps to life -it's eyes shifting from the Anubis's golden color to that of Grey's unparalleled grey eyes cold and metallic as a polished gun gleaming with vindication.
"Grey," I grab his palm in mine letting his fingers tightly wrap onto the feather before proceeding. I then let go of my hold on the feather fully entrusting it into his hands that are shaking as he struggles to maintain control of his claim on the body. "Tell us how we can find and destroy Set," I beseech.
"The one you are seeking; you must go to where the pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom have been laid to rest. Who you will seek will call the one he requests, and he will give him the guidance you wish. Though, one must remember the passion that outshines the stars and moons can conquer even what has been ill-fated," Grey gasps struggling to let the words roll off his tongue before finally relinquishing control back to the real Anubis. The Jackal's eyes shift back to their piercing gold color craving our demise and its head snaps back and upward releasing a howl that fills the entire hall. A warning cry to alert the guards of the intruders that have disturbed their affairs.
The guards stop mid-way through their accounts of Aiden's well Leo's life. Osiris seems to have awakened from his dazed dream state.
"Why is the soul in front of me filled with life still? The heart is thrumming which I highly doubt is from a macabre sound of a beating heart through a dead corpse," Osiris snaps at the guards while Aiden's palm instinctively goes to rest on the left-side of his chest to check to make sure he truly is still alive and not yet succumbed to death's doorstep.
Osiris lifts his staff in Aiden's direction ready to blast him into oblivion – well if he died wouldn't he just end up right at his throne's footsteps anyways?
Before, Osiris can release his magic and unleash endless destruction, Olivier steals the feather of truth from Anubis's hand, and screams, "Set has been unleashed!" His loud cry filled with desperation turns Osiri's attention away from Aiden sprawled in front him, and towards our direction giving Henri time to rush to Aiden's side.
Osiris uses the arms of his throne to lift him into an upright position. This sheer movement radiates the power and stronghold of his glorious body.
"Set has been released?" He inquires coolly. His demeanor shifting from vexation to apprehension. His anger quickly abating inside him at the realization of the words that fly off of Olivier's tongue.
"Yes, Set has been released," Olivier cries out, holding out the feather of truth in clear view begging for the ancient god to trust the truths that spring forth from his mouth. How could the god not believe him now for he beheld the feather of truth – for the truth would overcome any lie.
"We need you to aid us in defeating him," Henri pleas.
"That I am unable to do," the god frankly replied.
"Don't you sense that we host some of you gods," I ask confused.
"I sense that I help the boy here and there for part of me has been summoned by the host – not now. He can't have any hold of me in my home place. I can and my fellow friends can bring him and you aid. Though, we cannot be fully summoned entirely unless you risk your whole destruction."
"So, you won't help?"
"I cannot. I have other responsibilities."
"So, you don't care that Set can destroy the whole world?" I scream at the god probably not one of my best decisions, but I let my voice release the anger that I have withheld thus far.
"Foolish girl," his voice shifting back to its cruel, infuriated tone. "That is how the world works sometimes. Life goes on as normal, and along with it comes death. My duties are here, and it's not my world but your own. My existence doesn't end with the world. And you surely haven't proven yourself worthy of my aid anyways. Quite honestly, you should feel honored that I haven't banished you into utter oblivion." I stare at him unable to fully understand his lack of sympathy. Though what do I expect from a god who has immortality.
"Use the knowledge that I have given you and go, seek the one you need for aid, the feather was right in those truths," Anubis offers us.
"Why should I spare them?" Osiris turns to ask Anubis.
"Because sire, you judge the truth of the heart. In that you give those a chance to choose to pursue good before they finally meet their end. Therefore, they too all deserve a chance to pursue righteousness. If they fail, they will end up back here soon anyways," Anubis offers him.
Osiris sits back gently in his throne, his right fingers tapping the arm as he contemplates Anubis's proposal.
"Fine but leave immediately before I have Aummet devour your whole being," Osiris declares.
With his decree, Olivier, Henri, Aiden, and I rush down to the doors and leave the Hall of Judgment. We race down the halls to the chamber to nowhere in particular making a series of arbitrary lefts and rights. I feel something shaking my shoulder, and I grab my knife from my belt reading to strike whatever creature has taken hold of me.
"Ray......Ray," the Olivier voice calmly wakes me up from the duat.