Immortal Dynasty (30 page)
Darius held his anger in check this time, watching from the shadows of the alcove. When Shaila and Therion’s battle seemed to draw the two of them into another dimension, Marcus and Bakari had used the opportunity to free Darius from the wall. For once, he’d smiled his thanks at Bakari, soaking in the warmth of the gifted healer’s hands.
Grasping Shaila’s dagger, he’d backed into the shadows when the pair emerged from the astral plane. He’d quickly noted the victorious look in Therion’s face.
As Darius watched his enemy lording over them all, he willed his body to stay still for as long as it took. He focused on calming the fury that wanted to unleash in his heart. The time for action neared, as he watched Therion’s aura build a wall of defense around him and his victim.
Darius readied his own body to withstand the assault of Therion’s power. Years of studying martial arts had taught him to read his opponent quickly. He’d seen one thing tonight that might give him the opening he’d need. He had no idea if it would work, but it was worth a shot.
Lilith? If you can hear me, I need you to insult your son again.
He hoped his mental message would reach her, just as Bakari’s had reached him earlier.
Please, will you help me?
As Therion climbed on top of the altar, positioning himself between Shaila’s legs, Lilith laughed, in between coughing fits.
“My son has balls after all! Shouldn’t I be the proudest mother on this day?” She shook her fists at her son. “Yet, I am shamed that this vile beast pretends to have the strength to rule a woman. You’re a stupid boy. You will never have the true power that nature has bestowed only on her female creatures. You will never have the power to truly pass on your bloodline.”
You owe me one, Darius.
Her voice sounded annoyed but clear in his head.
If I survive this moment, I will honor that debt.
He meant it.
Just as Darius had hoped, Therion could not ignore the emotional emasculation from his mother.
The energy wall that he had constructed came tumbling down as fast as his fury rose.
As the moment came, Darius launched noiselessly from his hiding spot in the shadows. As he neared Therion, the beast turned to counter the attack, but he was too late. Darius plunged Shaila’s golden dagger deep into the heart of the Death Beast.
Therion fell from the altar, desperately gasping for breath. He crawled toward the edge of the dais, collapsed against it, and slowly pulled the dagger from his chest. He looked at it in confusion as his body flashed back to his human form.
Darius followed him and whistled. “Look at me.” Darius grabbed a handful of Therion’s hair and yanked upward, enjoying the pained expression in the dark eyes. “Your kingship has been revoked.”
Using the momentum of Shaila’s sword, he spun around and sliced it downward. Therion’s head tumbled across the dusty stone floor.
Darius turned toward the
shadow walkers
still hovering in the dark corners of the room. He pointed to Therion’s body. “You can fulfill your task. Here’s an Anunnaki soul for your master. Let him know there’s a new queen in town, and she’ll kick his ass if he dares to interfere in her life again.”
Stumbling with exhaustion, he climbed up to the altar and found Bakari working his magic again. Even he looked tired. Shaila’s wings had disappeared, and her leather clothing had darkened to black. But her emerald eyes burned brighter than he’d ever seen.
Lifting her up, Darius carried her away from the bloody table. Sinking to the floor, he cradled her, rocking back and forth. A lullaby tumbled from his lips. He didn’t know why, it just felt right, even though he had no idea what he was saying.
The familiar Egyptian song brought a stream of tears, which Shaila had no will to stop. “Darius, that was the song Nefertiti used to sing to you as she rocked you to sleep. How do you know it?”
He shrugged. “She sang it to me in a dream.”
She smiled and memorized every detail of his commanding face. “I think this belongs to you.”
As she opened her fist, Shaila watched Darius’ eyes as he realized what she held. Bringing her palm up to his lips, he kissed the blue bead. His eyes, the color of dusk and sand, told her that all was now right with his world.
“Kiss me, goddess.”
“As you wish, my pharaoh.”
She purred as his lush lips claimed hers in a fierce, possessive kiss.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Shaila a’k’Hemet stood at the railing in amazement, taking in the evolution of Egypt. The café where Shadiki brought them was on the third floor of the building. From the balcony, they drank in the sight of the whole Giza plateau: the pyramids, the sands, the date palms, and the hustle and bustle of a city, which had sprawled up to the very toes of the mighty Sphinx.
The pyramids proudly pointed to the heavens, but the luster of their outer layer was gone. Yet, even in their crumbled state, they were a majestic reminder for her of the heart and soul of humankind. As the sun set, within the span of a few moments, the colors of the brick shifted and evolved. When the sun shone unhindered, the pyramids were bright and yellow. Under the shadows of dusk, they were a warm orange-red.
“You are home, Shaila.”
She loved the way Darius wrapped his arms around her from behind. She snuggled deeper into his embrace.
“No, Darius, this was just a part of my journey.” She pointed to the stars. “My home is up there, many light cycles away.”
“But you loved this land, didn’t you?”
“With all of my eternal heart.”
Above her, dusk was at war with the night sky. Half of the heavens still clung to light, bursting with vibrant shades of purple and blue. The other half rolled in the night sky like a dark wave. In Boston, the stars seemed fewer and fainter, but here they shone bright and strong. Here she could read the sky with more accuracy.
A man in white robes brought a tray of
cappuccinos
for everyone.
Shadiki sat at one small table with Bakari. Both of them hugged their shesha pipes with serene reverence. Sitting on the ground, the pipes gurgled with water and steam as the two men puffed clouds of apple-scented smoke into the air around them.
“Shadiki, do you know where Nefertiti is buried?” Shaila could barely pull her gaze from the splendor of the twilight. “I would like to pay my respects.”
“As far as anyone knows, her body has yet to be discovered. The one who finds it will undoubtedly receive much praise and reward.” He smirked at Darius. “Are you up for the challenge?”
“Someday.” Darius sat down and took a short sip of the hot drink, watching the changes dusk brought to the plateau. He always enjoyed watching the evening lights flicker on around the pyramids. In some way, the small lights in the great darkness brought the huge wonders to life. “I would like to find my father.”
Papa Shadi leaned forward. “Darius, please understand that Shaila and her mother did what they believed was right.”
“He speaks the truth.” He heard Shaila move to stand behind him. Closing his eyes, he enjoyed the feel of her palms on the back of his head. He loved her touching his skin…as often as possible.
“My mother and I knew how desperate the human priests had become. Under Ahkenaten’s rule, they received no funds to maintain the temples of their gods, and they blamed Nefertiti. They attempted to kill her on several occasions. After the king’s death, Seth was sent to help Nefertiti negotiate with the priests. They fell in love.”
“That was a romance that was absolutely inspirational.” Bakari nodded and puffed a larger smoke ring than Shadiki had. “It is a shame that humans do not know their story. They were like the Romeo and Juliet of ancient Egypt.”
“When we told Seth of Nefertiti’s murder, we led him to believe that you had died as well. Unborn.” Shaila’s voice lowered to a whisper, filled shame. “I am sorry that we lied to Seth, but we knew the odds of you surviving that moon cycle were almost non-existent.”
“They hid your birth from him, a miraculous feat to begin with. Seth was incredibly attuned to his mate.” Shadiki calmly demolished Bakari’s smoke ring with a smoke bolt. “After Nefertiti was murdered, Shaila came up with the plan to sleep through time. My visions told me that your soul was destined to live far in the future.”
“How did my father handle the news?” Darius was still too numb to evoke any emotion other than curiosity.
“Furious would be too light a word to describe his anger.” Bakari looked squeamish at the memory. “He despaired over your loss.”
Shaila finally moved to sit and face him. “If Seth had known of your birth and our true plans, he would have moved heaven and earth to find you. That would have doomed the humans of this age. The prophecy would have begun regardless of your place in this time.”
Darius watched her aura burn with intensity. He still marveled about this woman’s conviction. Her emotive nature was going to keep him very busy and very entertained.
Marcus and Bessie burst onto the patio like desert dust devils. “Howdy, folks. Sorry we kept you guys waiting.”
“Nice to see you finally made it.” Darius grabbed his friend’s hand, but Marcus pulled him in for a big hug.
“We’ve been through too much for a simple macho handshake.” Marcus smiled. “You’re family.”
Bessie was still dressed in true steam punk fashion, but she’d toned down the make-up. Between gum bubbles, she was bursting with excitement. “Hey, Shaila, check out my new raptor tattoo. I told you I liked the scientific types.”
Darius chuckled as he watched his best friend tap his toe impatiently.
“So, Papa Shadi, what’s next?” Darius brought his full attention back to his grandfather. He knew there was a reason the old man wanted all of them to come to Egypt together. “I know you have something up your sleeve. What I don’t know is whether I’m gonna like it or not.”
The shesha pipe burbled again as Papa Shadi drew in a deep breath. As he exhaled, the smoke curled around his head. “Shaila, this is your dynasty now. The
medjai
are needed once again.”
“But who is left here?”
“They are out there,
nefer
. The moment you inherited your queenship, you sent a great pulse through the astral plane.”
“So they will know that a new queen is alive, and will be calling on them to gather?” Darius pulled Shaila away from her own chair to sit on his lap.
Papa Shadi nodded. As he grinned at Darius, smoke fanned out from between his teeth.
“What about Lilith?” Shaila asked.
Darius noted how Bakari shifted uncomfortably.
Papa Shadi patted her knee in a comforting gesture. “Do not judge her so harshly now. She is no longer a threat. Lilith has gone away for a while to search for her true soul. We will cross paths again.”
Clearing his throat, he motioned for all to pay attention.
“Therion’s defeat does not prevent the prophecy. The
Age of Awakening
is coming. From his prison in the Underworld, Apophis has had thousands of years to plot his revenge on the Anunnaki. We have recently witnessed for ourselves that his evil is not completely restrained by his imprisonment.”
“Great. That puts us way behind on the planning part.” Marcus saluted him. “That’s gonna send Darius into a frenzy.”
Darius glared at Marcus to
shut up
. “Go on, Papa. How do we assemble this team?”
“Seven
medjai
warriors will be trained and led by Shaila.”
“Okay, so my task is to find and bring in six more Anunnaki warriors?”
“I did not say that they would all be Anunnaki, but they will each be bound to a special sword. Like Shaila’s, the swords carry unique powers which only their true owner can wield.”
“Oh, this just gets better by the minute.” Darius scoffed. “So, now we’re up to six individuals who happen to be warriors and who each need a special sword?”
“What’s so special about the swords?” Marcus sat at the edge of his chair.
“They were each forged more than ten thousand years ago and they are made of a metal only found on Shaila’s home planet.”
“Good luck with that, Dare.”
“Marcus.” A mischievous grin spread the wrinkles across Papa Shadi’s face. “You are a part of this team now.”
After a moment of stunned silence, Marcus brightened. “Do I get one of those cool swords?”
“No.” The old mage laughed. “You have many skills that will be valuable in aiding the team. Wouldn’t it be more exciting to research dragons instead of dinosaurs and dirt?”
“Dragons! Don’t mess with me, old man. I’ll be wicked torched if you’re pulling my leg.”
Darius had had enough of the prophecy for one night. He pulled Shaila back across to the railing. For now, he just wanted to soak in the cool Egyptian evening, and watch the glory of the moon passing above the Great Pyramid of Khufu.
“So, my goddess. What would you like to do tomorrow?”
“Well.” She shifted her body against his, and his blood pulsed rapidly in response. “Since I see no chariots about, I would love to go for a motorcycle ride again.”
“An excellent idea, and I know exactly where we can rent one.” He snuggled his lips behind her ear and felt her tremble. “And what would my goddess want to do right now?”
A purr vibrated in her chest. She turned her lips to his ear and whispered until he felt his face flush.
“Okay.” He loved the way the moonlight set her green eyes aflame. “But you can keep the boots on. Just…the boots.”
Apophis wanted to hit something, but there was nothing left in his prison to destroy. Instead, he tapped a long black talon against the arm of the stone chair. The puny carving was an insult. He deserved a real throne. He, the most powerful god in the universe, sat on a fucking cold chair.
His white eyes shifted to fiery red, blazing with irritation. A beetle had the audacity to crawl across his limp black kilt. The insults would not stop coming. He squashed the impudent bug between his fingers.
A pair of golden wrist cuffs chaffed at his skin. He’d long ago tuned out the occasional shot of pain the bracelets sent him. They would be child’s play to destroy, if he’d had his full powers.