In the distant and heavenly realm of the ancient gods, where no mortal human had ever laid eyes upon, the bright and majestic sun rose as it did since time began, spreading its warm and comforting rays upon the luscious fields across the ancient land. Trees taller than any on the Earth realm swayed and bent blissfully in the gentle wind that blew, and flowers of many colors gave off scents that were near impossible to describe. Mountains and hills in the far off distance rose in majestic waves and swells, almost as though protecting the realm from any foreign element. Birds of many different shapes and sizes flew across sapphire blue skies, flapping their wings in time with one another.
But even this gentle and serene scene seemed to go unnoticed in a large and intricately designed palace set in the middle of this wonderful land. Reminiscent of early ancient Egypt, the palace was colored in a soft cream, and had many pillars with names written in hieroglyphics and scenes of daily life painstakingly painted on them. Large courtyards surrounded the immense palace, and small and large fish swam contently in the medium sized ponds built into them. Balconies with curtains flowing gently in the doorway jutted out to catch the early sunlight and soft breeze. Outside, servants, minor gods and demi-gods busily walked about, already starting their day's duties.
Inside the palace in a grand hallway, where many torches and paintings hung, Hathor and Isis walked towards the grand throne room, their faces filled with concern. It had already been more than a day since the accident that freed Set's power, and it was more than likely the evil god was already on the search for it. They had to find a way to stop him from finding those powers! That was why they had called for the meeting. At least three of the gods have agreed to be there...a lot less than they had hoped for, but at least they were one of the more powerful ones. They would then figure out what to do.
The two goddesses approached the large, golden double doors of the throne room, and nodded to the guards standing on each side. The guards nodded back, and together, they opened the large doors and admitted them in. The two women were immediately met with an intricately furnished throne room, with chairs, couches, and tables all lined with gold, emeralds, and other jewels. Tables were piled high with weapons, jewels, and papyrus scrolls. Hieroglyphics and paintings of battles lined almost every inches of the cream colored walls, and curtains delicately lined the large windows. Statues made of obsidian of other gods and pharaohs were positioned in almost every corner. But even all that was nothing in compare to who was sitting on the golden throne.
Flanked by servants on both sides, a large man, his skin the color of oiled wood, sat comfortably. He wore the tradition Egyptian kilt made of soft cotton, and was bare-chested. On his head, he wore the Egyptian double crown that signified him as ruler of both Upper and Lower Egypt, which was imitated by the mortal pharaohs. Adorning his neck was a broad necklace, nearly covering his upper chest. Golden bands adorned his wrists and upper arms, and in his hands were the sign of the Ankh, and his royal staff. Although many thousands of years old, the god decided to keep the look of a young male, looking to be in his mid to late twenties. His eyes were wide and intelligent, and his dark hair neatly combed back in a low ponytail. On his dark chin was the traditional golden false beard, which also came to be imitated by the human rulers of Egypt during ancient times.
As soon as Hathor and Isis stood before him, they smiled softly and bent down on one knee, one hand over their heart. "Our Lord, Atum," they said together.
The ruler of all the gods nodded with a soft smile of his own, and bid them to rise after dismissing his servants. When they rose, he looked at them for a long moment, then spoke. "So, it is true then? Set's powers have been released, and it is only a matter of time before he finds them?" His voice was deep, betraying his true age.
"Yes My Lord," Isis answered, "It is most distressing, but I believe there is way we can stop him. I have enlisted the help of the human girl who accidentally set him free, I..."
"A human girl?" Atum narrowed his ancient eyes slightly. "A human girl set it free? And then you appeared to her?" His curiosity turned into slight anger. "Have you forgotten my law, that there will be no more contact with the human realm because..."
"We know, Our Lord," Hathor stepped up and bowed. "But we had no choice! The spell that was cast...it made it so that only the one who set free the powers can send it back again. But now...with the vase broken, we have to find some other way of sealing it. We had to have her help!"
The progenitor of all the gods considered this a moment, but before he could speak, another voice filled the room. "And how do you expect a human girl to stop someone like Set?" it asked.
There was a shimmer, and in a bright, short flash, another god stood next to Hathor. He was tall, and had on the feathery mask of an ibis bird. The god reached up and took off his ceremonial mask to reveal a young, handsome looking, light skinned man, with laughing, intelligent eyes and short-cropped dark brown hair.
"Thoth!" Isis said in surprise, turning to him. As a somewhat shy scribe and self-declared pacifist, the god was rarely at any meetings that dealt with battles or bloodshed.
"Couldn't miss this, could I?" He smiled and winked at her. "Besides, I'd like to see how this works out, especially with the human girl involved." His eyes turned serious for a moment. "And I can't let Set get away and try to destroy our world again.
"Neither will I," said another, deeper voice. There was a swirl of dark clouds, and next to Hathor appeared another male figure, this time wearing the face of a black furred jackal. He reached up and took off the mask, and when he turned to them, a serious looking young man with dark skin and rows of long, braided black hair that reached almost to the middle of his back faced them, his eyes filled with determination.
"I knew you wouldn't let us down, Anubis," said Hathor, smiling her gratitude. The god of embalming nodded his dark head, and turned back to the god on the throne.
Atum nodded at the new arrivals, then turned back to Isis. "Please go on, what is this about a human girl?" he asked.
Isis continued. "This girl, we have given her some of our powers, especially yours, to help her in her search for Set's power. There is no doubt Set will send his many thugs to try and stop her. She would need protection."
"But how will she use these powers?" Atum asked, "Surely she must have been confused and..."
"We will guide her!" answered Hathor, her eyes determined. "Please, let us do this! We..we might have failed Osiris that day, but..we won't fail Tari, this I swear!" She bowed her head.
"And I guess we will help them," said Thoth. He scratched his head a little, a bit perplexed. "Though I've never been to the human realm, I suppose it shouldn't be that hard. I do hear they have strange ways." He sighed and gave a lopsided grin. "I'll do what I can...if you'll let me come with you."
As Anubis nodded that he felt that way too, Hathor and Isis beamed at them, gratitude filling their hearts.
"And you can count me in too," said a new voice. There was a flap of large wings, and a bright flash of light appeared above them. The light grew until it took the shape of a young woman, and slowly descended to the ground. When it touch the floor, a medium height woman with soft brown skin and long, black hair with a bang stood with Thoth, Anubis, Isis, and Hathor. Feathers ran along the length of her slender arms, and her curvy body was wrapped in a soft, slender dress. She turned concerned eyes to the standing group of gods. "I too would like to give me help in stopping Set." She bowed to Atum. "If you will allow me, My Lord,"
"Ma'at!" Hathor walked to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, her heart beating with pride in her chest. Now they were complete, and together, they could have the power to help Tari and stop Set.
Ma'at, the goddess of justice and truth, stood and looked Hathor in the eyes. She gave a soft, sisterly smile to her and took her hand in her own. "We knew this day would come. We must try at all costs to stop Set. I wouldn't be able to stand the bloodshed he would create..." Her voice held an urgency that couldn't be ignored.
Atum was quiet for long moments, so many thoughts running through his head. Dare he send them? Although he had not kept up much with what was happening on Earth, even he knew how much the humans and their ways have changed throughout the years. Only a few even believed in or even worshipped the gods anymore, preferring "science" and logic to everything else. But as he thought about their last battle with Set, he knew he couldn't let that madman have his way. P> With a sigh, he nodded his head. "So be it then. You will go to the mortal realm and give whatever help you can to this human girl. However..." He narrowed his eyes as he looked intensely at them. "You cannot reveal yourself to the mortals, and only use your powers when they are necessary. Am I clear?"
All the gods bowed once more, not even daring to question why their powers must be limited when they were on Earth. Atum's word was law, and it was final. There was a flash of twirling stars, and they all disappeared, leaving Atum alone and wondering if he did the right thing.
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Yawning, Tari stepped out of the large, makeshift tent, wearing jeans shorts, a short tee shirt that showed her mid-riff, and sneakers, and squinted up at the high, bright sun. Outside, many of the excavation team members were already up cleaning and labeling their findings from the large underground mastaba that was found weeks ago. She smiled at how excited they spoke to one another about their findings, then walked forward towards them to see if she could help in anyway. As she walked, she suddenly thought about the other night; how she met Hathor and Isis, and the story they told her about finding Osiris's reborn soul. Could it have been...was it, a dream? she thought to herself. She looked down on the bracelet on her right wrist and softly ran her finger along it. Well, dreams certainly didn't give you jewelry as presents, she decided. Still....she wished she could know more, and wondered if she'd ever see the two women again.
"Mistress!" yelled out a deep voice. Tari turned to see Sajid hurrying towards her, a smile on his dark face. "Sajid!" She waited for him and gave him a big hug after hesitating just slightly, her old fear of men trying to surface. No, he was one of the good men. He would never hurt her, like...like...
In her mind, cold, blues eyes she once trusted looked down on her, and a hand reached out and grabbed her wrist.
She shook her head to clear the disturbing memory. That was in the past now. This was one of the other reasons she decided to make this trip to her father...to learn to trust again.
"Are you alright, young mistress? Did you sleep well?" The big Sudanese man looked down on her in concern.
"Yeah, I'm fine!" she smiled, then gave him a nervous look. "Is...is Dad still angry?" After learning that she had snuck out, and that the vase the team had left for last to take out of the mastaba was broken, her father made it clear to her that she was to go nowhere alone.
"A little, but I believe he was more concerned about your safety....even though he doesn't act like it" Sajid chuckled.
Tari sighed, and Sajid gently ruffled her hair. "Don't worry, I'm sure they will find much more valuable artifacts when they dig further. Come on, let's go see what they've found so far, then we can meet your father for a late breakfast." For the next half hour or so, Tari and Sajid curiously went from table to table, looking at artifacts and watching as each member of the team recorded what they found. Tari listened with fascination as they explained to her what they were used for, from simple cooking tools to beautifully designed pottery, now covered in dust.
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But unknown to everyone, a dark, thick cloud of pure evil was swirling out in the desert. An evil laugh filled the hot air, and it dove heavily into the sand and traveled towards the dig site.
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Tari put an ancient mixing bowl back on the table with a smile. "Wow, who would have thought the Egyptians were such masters of baking!" she chuckled. The blonde woman who found it wiped off sweat from her brow with a smile.
"Yes, they baked just about everything. Makes cooking a whole lot easier!" laughed the woman. But before she could say anything more, a rumbling erupted from the ground, causing everyone to stop and look around.
"What the...?" Tari fell clumsily to the ground. When the rumbling stopped a moment later, she quickly got back up. Everyone nervously looked around, dusting off the sand from his or her clothes. But the silence was not to last for long. Suddenly, one of the tents flew high up in the air from a loud blast of sand and air that burst up. Screams filled the area as the bodies from those who were inside the tent and scores of artifacts and tools came crashing down a second later. When the blast of sand finally blew off, a dark swirling cloud appeared where the tent was. Oh no, not that again! Tari stepped back in fear as she heard the familiar evil laugh erupt from the ugly, black mass.
The mass stood there for what seemed like eternity, until suddenly, it began to take the form of a large, snarling beast resembling a wolf. More screams filled the air as the dark mass rushed forward and began attacking and mauling everyone standing around.
"Mistress Tari!" Sajid tried to run towards her to protect her, but the beast was faster, and it knocked him aside with a swipe of his huge and heavy paw. With even as big as he was, Sajid was no match, and fell hard on the sandy ground, unconscious. With a snarl, the monster made its way towards her.
"Sajid!" With a scream, Tari turned and ran towards one of the few remaining tents still standing a few feet away. She dashed inside and hid in one of the corners in a huddle, her body shaking with fear. She could hear the beast making its way towards her, and tears fell down her dark cheeks as her heart felt like it was beating over a thousand miles a second.
Suddenly, she looked down on her wrist and saw the bracelet, shining brightly in the diminished light inside the tent. The bracelet! Dammit, what was it Isis told me to say? She could barely remember, and she held her head in her hands in despair.
The front half of the tent was suddenly torn away, and the beast stood there snarling, black clouds swirling around its body.
Tari screamed and backed up into the corner, scared beyond belief. Was this the end for her? After everything she's been through last year...the pain, the betrayal...this was how her life was going to end? But she didn't want to die anymore...not like this!
The beast knocked aside the tables with a growl, and slowly made its way towards her. She looked down at her bracelet again; for the love of heaven, why couldn't she remember? Something..something about the ancients. Her eyes snapped opened then. That's it!
With a gasp, Tari stood up and looked at the beast, suddenly feeling brave. Please, oh please let this work! she prayed desperately. She balled her hands into fist, and making an "X" with her arms over her chest, shouted out "Powers of the ancients, I summon thee!"
Immediately, a bright flash of red light erupted from her bracelet, and it turned back into the broader bracelet she first saw it as. The cobra's red eyes sparkled and flashed once more, and Tari's body was surrounded by the protective red glow. Inside, she could feel the power flow through her, giving her strength, confidence, and a desire to protect all innocent people. The black mass in the shape of a beastly wolf shrank away from the red light, whining pitifully. When the light dimmed away, a new figure stood where Tari was. She wore a golden circlet crown on her dark head, and golden bracelet bands on her wrists, upper arm, and her ankles. She wore the traditional white cotton Egyptian skirt drawn in at the front with a golden belt, the front piece hanging down her middle and her midriff bare. On top, she wore a simple white crop shirt, over which was a broad golden collar. On her feet she wore a pair of comfortable Egyptian sandals, nearly as dark as her skin.
When the transformation was done, Tari looked down at herself in wonder. "What...what is all this?" she breathed out in wonder. But it was at that moment the black beast decided to attack, not giving her any time to admire her new outfit. Not knowing what else to do, Tari bent with a gasp and covered her head with her arms in protection as it jumped towards her, its black teeth bared and razor sharp.
My God! I wish I had a shield or something! Suddenly, the eyes of the snake shaped bracelet on her wrist flashed, and in a blink of an eye, a protective, red crystal-like shield appeared over her. The black massed creature slammed right into it, and with a howl of pain, it was bounced off with an electrical shock.
Tari looked up in surprise, and blinked as the shield around her disappeared. "What was that? Did....it actually read my mind?" She looked down once more at the bracelet, watching it shine as though it was winking at her. The beast got up and glared evilly at her, and with a growl, rushed back outside. "Hey! Come back here!" She rushed outside to follow it, but when she got outside, it was nowhere to be found. "Damn!" She clenched her fist in frustration, and was just about to turn away in defeat, when she heard a growling from above. With a gasp, Tari looked up and watched in horror as the black creature made of dark clouds descended down on her.
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To Be Continued...
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