As the rain fell softly outside, pelting the window with soft taps, Tari twisted and turned in her bed, her breathing labored and sweat drenching her forehead. Her hands clutched tightly at her sheets, and her head turned from side to side as in her mind, she tried desperately to fight off and escape a fate that had tormented her for at least a year.
Images flashed in her mind....images of a cruel smile that was once kind...of gentle hands that turned steel and would not let her go. Those same hands covered her mouth and prevented her from screaming for help, to let anyone else know that she was in trouble in that small room. Cold blue eyes bore into her own brown ones as the one person she thought loved her laughed cruelly at her attempts to get away....
With a loud gasp, Tari sat up in her bed, then took in huge gulps of fresh air. She blinked her eyes and looked around, forgetting where she was for the moment. When she saw the familiar surroundings, and remembered that she was far away from New York and with her father, she calmed a little, and slowly laid back down on her big bed. She then reached up and wiped off her forehead, and chided herself for having that dream again after so long. Geez, like I want to have THAT on my mind along with everything else! the dark-skinned girl grumbled in her mind.
With a sigh, she turned on her side and remembered the disappointed and lost look in the eyes of Isis when she told her about how the boy she thought could have been Osiris reborn was no longer in the orphanage. Tari couldn't blame her...she was disappointed in herself too. She close...so close, and now they were back at square one. The little boy could be in any hospital right now, dying, and there was no way she would find him without at least a clue. She then told Isis about how the two servants of Set...Nak and Sebau, found her and attacked the orphanage, and how they suddenly stopped fighting her and fled. "And what's worse," Tari had said, "is that I don't even know how they knew I was looking for Alim there. Does..does that mean they can track Osiris's soul too? If so..how?"
"I do not know, young one," Isis said, shaking her head. "The best I can say is that Set is probably keeping a close watch on you, following your every move, and even listening in on our conversations. We must be careful from now on. We cannot take the chance that Set will be able to locate the boy before us."
With those words, Tari nodded, promising she would be careful, and Isis slowly disappeared from her...but not before Tari saw a slight mist of tears gathering in the goddess's eyes. Tari vowed in her heart to try harder then, even if it meant going to every hospital in Egypt...
Just then, the door to her room opened, and her father walked in, his eyes worried. He flicked on a switch and hurried towards her bed. "Tari? Are you okay? I thought I heard you yelling..."
"I'm fine, Dad. It was just....a bad dream, that's all." Tari said, sitting back up.
"Are you sure?" At Tari's nod, Dr. Baltimore's shoulders relaxed with relief, and he smiled as he sat down next to her.
"Good," He then looked at her seriously. "You know Tari, from since a couple of weeks ago, I realized that you've...I mean, it seems as if you've changed somehow."
When Tari turned to look at him with wide eyes, he sighed and continued. "Don't get me wrong, it's not the "bad" sort. It's almost like you're more..confident now, have more of a purpose and knowing what you want...you know, from ever since..."
He stopped for a moment, then turned to smile at her. "I'm glad for that Tari, I really am." He laid a hand on her shoulder. "But if there's anything wrong, anything you want to talk about, you know I'm here, right?"
Tari smiled gratefully at him, her tension easing away. "I know, Dad. I know. It's just..well, there's still so much I need to sort out, to decide on, and I guess coming here really helped with that." Not to mention figure out how to save the world by finding one little boy in a country as big as Egypt! Tari grimaced slightly at that thought, but luckily her father didn't notice.
"That's good to hear!" her father beamed. He leaned over to give her a quick kiss on the forehead, then got up to leave. "Now, go back to sleep, it's late. I'll see you in the morning."
"Okay Dad. And...thanks," With a last smile, the door closed, and Tari once more plopped back down on her bed, her mind swirling with questions and thoughts. She knew it going to be easy, but she also didn't know it was going to be THIS hard keeping a secret! She knew that someday, it would come to a showdown between her and Set...what if she didn't make it? How would her family know what happened to her?
With an annoyed growl, Tari threw the covers back over her, and hoped to sleep away the frustration plaguing her mind. Her dad was right, she needed rest, especially if she wanted to accomplish what she had in mind tomorrow. Luckily it was a day off from the dig site, and Tari hoped to used that time to go to as many hospitals as she could. She just prayed it wouldn't be in vain...and that it wasn't already too late.
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With a scowl on his blackened face, Set stood in the middle of a dark, medium-sized room with tables and crevices in walls filled with scrolls and tablets. Rolled-up papyrus written with spells that dated back many millennia by Earth standards were also at his feet, discarded because they were not the ones he wanted or needed.
His coal-colored arms were stretched out in front of him, palms up, and above him, more papyrus scrolls floated above him and spun round and round in a circle. His eyes glowed a dangerous red, and he magically read the words written within them. The scrolls glowed a bright red as they continued to circle one after the other above him.
Moments later, the scrolls began to fall from the circle, one by one until there was two left. The first of the two fell after a moment, and with a frustrated grunt, Set was about to discard the last scroll....but stopped himself as the words of a complicated spell flashed into his mind from the scroll. The large scroll floated down slowly in front of him, and gently began to unroll. The red glowing dissipated from Set's eyes, and he reached forward to take it into his hands.
His eyes flicking back and forth over the page, Set read the highly complicated signs and hieroglyphs. When he was done, he slowly started to grin from ear to ear, already feeling triumph. Yes, this was what he was looking for! He had just about given up hope, but fate smiled on him this day. Now more than ever he was glad he had kept his secret collection of spells, some stolen from the other gods themselves.
He rolled back up the scroll, and with a flick of his wrist, all of the other scrolls on the floor, tables, and everywhere else floated up and went back to their places within moments. He then turned and belted out "Nak, Sebau, Apep!"
Within seconds, there was a shimmer in the air, and then first Nak appeared, kneeling down on one knee, followed by Sebau, and finally Apep.
"You summoned us, oh Mighty Set?" said Nak, a fist over his heart.
"Yes," Set looked down on them as he stepped closer. "I have found my spell, and I am now ready to move forward with our plan."
The three servants looked at each other with glee and anticipation. At last! Now they would be victorious against the mortal girl, and they would rule this pathetic world along side their master!
"You have only to tell usssss what to do, Massster!" hissed out Apep, his green and yellowish scales shimmering in the dim light. "We live only to ssssserve you...."
"That..I know," Set said arrogantly. He stepped a little closer to them. "But right now, it's not a matter of what you can do for me to get this spell started...it's what I need from you."
"From us?" questioned Sebau, looking up at him curiously.
Set smiled maliciously, and before any of them could react, his heavy and blood-covered sword appeared in his hands. With lightning quick moves, the god of chaos slashed down and and made a large and deep gash on the chests of his three servants.
With shocked and confused looks on their faces, the creatures fell back, their eyes wide. Immediately Set got to work as his sword disappeared and held out his hand. With a flash, a gold colored bowl appeared, glimmering as though awaiting what was to be put into it.
Quickly he stood beside Apep first and knelt down on one knee. With a flick of his other wrist, the wound on the snake god's chest ripped opened even more, slightly revealing his slowly beating heart. With a smirk, Set held out the golden bowl to the wound, and with a golden flash, a stream of the flowing green blood diverted towards the bowl, and quickly drained into it. When Set felt there was enough, he stood and went over to Sebau, and did the same thing.
Purple blood flowed from the heart and wound of him, and when Set was done, he turned to Nak and collected the pinkish blood from him. Then the night-colored god stood once more before his servants, and held out his hand, his fingers spread. He then closed his hand into a fist, and with sickening, wet sounds, the wounds on the chests began to close, leaving behind a thin scar.
Seconds later, the servants began to flicker and open their eyes. Apep was the first to blink his eyes and flick out his forked tongue in confusion. "What hassss happened?" he asked.
"Nothing to concern yourself too much about," Set said, turning away from them. "Just collecting the first of my ingredients. Now come, we have much to prepare for..."
The animal-headed gods looked at one another for a moment in complete bafflement, then hurried to catch up with their lord and master, barely noticing the scars on their chest.
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Yawning, Tari walked down the street towards a small hospital located at the heart of the busy city of Cairo. Although it was not even mid-morning yet, the heat was nearly unbearable, and people hurried to and fro along the streets, trying to find shade.
When she reached the building, Tari looked up, with much concentration on trying to remember how to read some Arabic, read that it was the Cairo Medical Center. Crossing her fingers, Tari stepped through the double-doors and headed for the receptionist desk. After tripping over some words in the difficult language of Arabic, Tari was finally able to ask the large woman behind the desk about Alim. The woman shook her head, saying although there were many children here..even some from orphanages, there was none by that name at the present.
Dejected, Tari left the hospital, her heart sinking a bit lower. It was the third hospital she's been to so far, and while she knew there were plenty more, she also felt that time was running out, and there wasn't a moment to lose. So engrossed in her thoughts was she, Tari never noticed a pair of yellowish eyes glaring at her from the darkness of an alleyway between two buildings.
Sighing, Tari walked on, passing old buildings, the statue of Talaat Pasha Harb, until finally stopping at an open, courtyard-like area. Tiredly she sat down on one of the white benches, stretching out her arms and long legs. She then took her book bag off her shoulders and reached in to take out the blue and white candy-striped crook that once belonged to Osiris. She looked at it hopelessly for a few moments, turning it over and over in her hands. "Come on, can't you at least give me a clue?" she asked it under her breath. "I'm really running out of options here.." But the object only continued to remain silent.
Blowing out an annoyed breath, Tari put back the crook in her back bag and leaned back on the bench, looking up at the sky and not really knowing what to do next. She was just about to feel a tear run down her cheek when a soft voice suddenly spoke out.
"Tari?"
Tari turned in surprise, and gasped to see Horus standing beside her, a concerned look on his face. "Horus! What..what are you doing here?" She quickly looked around at the very few people walking by. "What if someone sees you?"
The Egyptian god prince chuckles slightly under his breath, his dark, handsome face amused. "It's alright Tari, only the mortals who I want to see me can see me, remember?"
"Oh, right!" Tari nervously ran her hand through her dark braids. "I'm sorry, I'm just really not in the best mood. It's been...hard, trying to find..well, you know." She sighed once more and looked up at the sky again. "I've tried and I've tried, and it's impossible! This crook isn't much help either. What am I supposed to do? She angrily wiped away a stray tear.
Horus gently sat down beside her and gave her an encouraging smile. "Try again." he said, nodding his head. "Tari, we all have the upmost faith in you. You can do this. Just..don't give up now, okay?"
Tari could only look at him, her heart filling with hope, and after giving him a grateful smile, nodded her head.
"Now that's the smile of a fighter!" Horus smiled back. "Now, as for what I'm doing here, my mother and the other gods fear that Set is up to something. Apep and Set's other lackies have been spotted sneaking around various spots and collecting some things. He's been quiet these past few days, and that does NOT mean good news. I came to keep an eye on you and make sure Set doesn't try any of his tricks."
"Oh great," Tari rolled her eyes as she got up on her feet and stretched once more. "I guess this means the break's over.
"Don't worry, I'll help as much as I can." Horus said, standing with her. "We have to stay a step ahead of Set, in any chance we get!"
"Right," Tari looked around her, feeling revived. "Hey, I think there's another medical center a couple of blocks down that street. We can go check there."
With a nod, both headed across the small street and quickly walked on, hope filling their hearts.
They walked for what seemed like forever, until finally stopping before a slightly bigger hospital named El Borg. Horus nodded at Tari, indicating that she should go on in alone. When Tari stepped inside, she stopped for a moment and breathed in with relish when she felt the air-conditioner blow all around.
Then remembering why she was here, she quickly headed for the receptionist area, and asked for anyone admitted by the name of Alim, and described him as best she could remember. The dark-skinned woman, obviously from one of the southern countries of Africa, typed in the name and nodded after a moment. "Yes, we do. He's on the second floor, room 275, but I don't think..."
Tari gasped with surprise. "Really? Oh my gosh, thank you!" Not even bothering to hear what else the woman had to say, Tari rushed off. By passing the elevators, she took the stairs two at a time, and rushed along the second floor halls until she reached the room. She stopped outside for a few moments, trying to catch her breath. Oh my gosh, this is it! I finally found him! she thought excitedly. She willed her heart to stop pounding so hard and composed herself. Finally, it was almost over. Now Isis can have her beloved husband back, and the world would be safe once more.
But secretly, Tari also wanted to know what it would be like to see the handsome god king back to normal...to see and hear for herself what he was really like once his soul was back in his body. Did he smile, did he laugh...like mortals? Did he get sad too?
Well, if she would soon find out. But then another thought popped into her head. If this boy had Osiris's soul, and it went back into Osiris...what would happen to little Alim? She stood still for a moment, then shook her head to clear out that thought. No, that would be dealt with soon too. Right now the important thing was that he was found.
Taking a deep breath, Tari walked into the room, dropping her backpack right bu the doorway. She smiled in greeting, and just as she was reaching the bed, she said "Hi Alim! I don't know if you remember me, but..." Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks.
The boy sitting on the bed that turned to face her was completely foreign to her. Although she had only seen the child once, Tari could not forget the eyes, the curly hair, and the very presence of the young boy Alim. But this boy...this boy was certainly not him. This child was older...almost 12 years old, with straight, black hair and small, dark eyes. He looked at her curiously for a moment before blinking his eyes.
"Wait...you're not Alim," Tari finally said, confused.
But the boy nodded, pointing to his name hanging at the end of the hospital bed. "Yes, I Alim," he said, still looking at her with watchful eyes.
"Oh no," Tari whispered to herself. She then looked at the boy with apologetic eyes."I...I'm sorry, I made a mistake, I thought you were someone else. I..."
But before she could finish, the windows to the hospital room suddenly burst, showering pieces of glass and debris everywhere. The preteen boy screamed and scrambled under the bed covers, narrowly missing the sharp pieces of glass. Tari fell to the ground, shielding her head and face with her arms.
When it was all quiet again, Tari looked up cautiously, and narrowed her eyes when she saw Apep slithering his way in the room through the window. When he was inside, he turned his large head, hissing loudly, towards the shaking figure under the sheets.
With quick moves the snake god reached the bed, and using his teeth, ripped the covers off the terrified boy. He quickly wrapped the boy with the tail-end of his body and brought him closer and closer to his mouth as the boy screamed in terror.
"NO!!" screamed out Tari. She stood up and rushed forward, but she was scared...oh so scared that it was already too late to save another innocent child.
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To Be Continued....
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