AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Grovel later, door now!” I ordered sternly.
“Yes, I’m almost there. This was Seti’s job, if you’ll recall, not mine.” He turned and pressed more inscriptions, then the engravings began to glow brightly and a door finally formed in the wall. It swung open, slowly revealing another tunnel. Wesley glanced back at me, then stepped into the tunnel. He held out his hand for Tory and helped her through. She followed him but swayed unsteadily on her feet, so I stepped up behind her and settled my hands on her waist to steady her. She leaned back against me for a moment, and I closed my eyes, trying to focus on our current situation rather than how good she felt.
We moved farther into the tunnel, away from the light, but a couple of hundred metres in, Tory stopped and turned to me. “Jack, what the hell happened to me back there? My mind is just whirling and nothing is making sense!”
I took her hand and squeezed it in reassurance. “We’ll explain, I promise, but right now, we need to go. Those things out there? West and Zayn are holding them back to give us time to escape, so we really need to—”
My words were cut off by the muffled sound of an explosion. I looked at Wes then slipped back to look through the doorway. West and Zayn appeared through the archway, sliding the chests back into place and racing towards us. They reached the door, and I stepped back for them to come through. The three of us rushed down the tunnel towards Wes and Tory.
“Move!” West yelled. Tory and Wesley seemed to read the situation and didn’t argue for once, as they turned and fled down the tunnel. When we rounded a bend, another explosion roared through the tunnels, rocking the ground and causing a shower of dust to fall from the ceiling, covering us all. We came to a stop, coughing.
“You blew up the shrine?” Wesley sounded utterly horrified, and I couldn’t help but laugh. He glared at me.
“No, Wes, don’t worry. It was just the entrance. They’ll have to find another way around.” Even West was grinning at Wesley’s face.
“Is there another way?” Tory asked. Her arms were wrapped around herself, and she shivered. She was probably in shock.
“Yes, there are a few, don’t worry,” West answered. “Let’s keep going. Let’s get as far away as we can before they break through.”
As we moved away from the tomb, the light began to fade, and Zayn, West, and I switched on our head torches.
“Wes, do you remember the closest way out?” West questioned quietly.
“Maybe, but it’s been a while, West, I’m going to need some time to think. If the hatay have to find another way around, maybe we should find somewhere we could take a short breather.”
West opened his mouth to reply, but I beat him to it, agreeing with Wes. “You and Zayn look dead on your feet, and Tory is barely standing. If I remember correctly, there should be a storage room up ahead that might do.”
West considered for a moment, glancing over at Tory who still shivered. He nodded and gestured for me to lead the way.
I did remember correctly, and about fifty metres ahead, an ancient wooden door opened onto what used to be a storage room. Shelves and tables lined the walls, and several old pottery vessels still remained. Some were even sealed, though I had no idea what might be in them. It had been a store for wine and oil for the rituals of the temple and in the tomb, so that was a good option. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but at least it was out of the corridor and gave us some kind of concealment from the enemy that pursued us.
“Can you hear anyone?” West asked Zayn.
He listened carefully. “No, nothing. They must be a good distance away.”
West sighed. “I know I’ve asked a lot of you tonight, but I must ask more. Will you stand guard? Your senses are better than mine, and I want to know as soon as possible if they approach. We don’t want to be fighting our way out of here.”
Zayn immediately went out into the corridor, sliding down the wall and stretching his legs out in front of him, his Uzi resting across his lap.
Tory stood in the doorway and looked down at him. “Who are you?” she asked. “You seem so familiar, and yet I can’t place you.”
He smiled at her. “We’ve met before many times. You will remember, but it’ll take a while for the memories to come back. Your mind is still trying to sort and make sense of them.”
She sighed and turned back, wandering into the room where West and I were leaning against the table. Wes had sat down towards the end of the room, farthest from the door, on a wooden box. Tory looked around. “Does anyone have a drink? I’m so unbelievably thirsty. I haven’t had a drink since dinner, and the dust shower didn’t help.”
I reached into my pack and brought out a bottle of water, passing it to her. She unscrewed it and brought it to her lips, downing the whole thing in seconds. I could see West watching her carefully, and I knew what he was thinking.
“Better?” West asked casually.
“No, not really. Can someone please fill me in on what the hell is going on here? What are those things and what happened to me in that room?”
West sighed, pulling his pistols out of his harness and laying them on the bench behind him. “Those creatures are called hatay,” he said, clearly picking out the easiest thing to answer first. “They are demonic forms created by the serpent god Apophis. They roam the earth feeding on human and divine souls.”
“Uh-huh. Demons. Apophis. Okay, you’re insane. Anyone have a plausible explanation please?” she enquired, rolling her eyes and turning to me.
I shrugged. “Unfortunately, no. It’s as West described. You saw them with your own eyes.”
“Yes, but I’ve seen some weird shit tonight, and I’m starting to think someone laced my drink at dinner, especially since you are here.” She glared at Wesley. “Not to mention you seem to be on friendly terms with my bodyguards. Dammit, is there any more water?”
“All the water in the Nile won’t stop you from feeling thirsty right now,” West murmured quietly.
“And why is that?”
“Because you have been awakened. Your body is transforming. It’s absorbing its powers, and for that, it needs something else entirely.” He reached into his jacket and pulled out my knife. Sliding his cuff back, he brought the steel blade to his skin and sliced it down. Tory gasped, and he held his wrist up in front of her, ruby liquid spilling from his vein. “Water won’t cure your thirst, my lady. You need blood.”
