Glowing Sand,

 Glowing Sand

A cold wind whipped across her face as she ran through the desert, above her Khonsu, the Moon shone brilliantly across the dark sands and illuminated her path towards the distant temple. She had left her royal escort behind, slipping out from the royal yacht and swimming to shore, with luck she would make it to the temple before they discovered her absence.

As she approached the Temple she heard a wolf howling in the distance and doubled her pace, a single desert wolf she could handle, but the howl of wolf could be more than a simple beast, her mind darted to the possibility of a signal, someone perhaps had seen her coming? Time, time was running out for her.

The Temple was small and low, with rows and rows of statues standing outside, their shadows casting a haunting gloom across the stone steps. Inside the gate a single candle was lit illuminating a dark hallway into the complex.

“Sedjet” She whispered, and a small flicker of flame erupted from her fingertips illuminating the dark painted hallways as she ran through the temple. Her father was dead, and now, now she had to move quickly before......

There! Her thoughts were interrupted as she found the hidden door and slid open the balanced stone door, closing it behind her as she started running down the stairs of the hidden passage, down, down, down into Geb's dominion, underground at the bottom, the bright light of torches illuminated a room, but suddenly a dark shape moved in front of the light blocking the stairs.

“My Queen! It's a tra....” The figure stiffened, and she halted as he the figured gasped and clutched the back of his neck, before falling.

“He's right, it is.” A cold voice spoke from behind her, as she turned a figure materialized out of the darkness.

“Ahmose-Ankh, this is sacred ground, you cannot be here!” She stated extending her hand and shining light upon the man's sallow face.

Ahmose laughed, “Is that how you greet your brother, dear sister Iset?”

“You will address me as Queen Isetnofret, you servant of chaos!” She hissed furiously, “Sefet!” she stated firmly, and in her other hand a short bronze sword materialized.

Her brother laughed, a cruel and sickly sound, “Queen? I had no idea you had decided to agree to be my wife.” He held up his right hand, long bony fingers covered in gold and jewels, matching his sister's pose. “I am the rightful king, the Great House and ruler of Ku-Mat.”

Isetnofret's lip twisted. “You have tossed aside the Gods that give you that right.”

“HAYT!” Ahmose shouted suddenly, his left had launching a long streaming banner of cloth that Isetnofret was forced to dodge as she jumped back into the lit room behind her. The cloth was flying around her, trying to encircle her and wrap around her.

“SEDJET!” She shouted, sending a blast of fire and burning a section of the cloth off, yet more kept coming, materializing from nothing.

“HAYT!” He shouted again, another strand of fabric flying at her.

“Is this all the power your devotion to your God of chaos gives you?” She asked, slicing through the fabric and swinging her sword at her brother's head. “I was.....”

She didn't get a chance to finish that thought as abruptly Ahomse held up his hand and shouted an incoherent spell and she found herself rapidly flying towards him before her neck crashed into his hand. The weak, frail looking fingers twisted into her skin, she tried to swing her sword at him, but his other hand grabbed her arm and wrenched it away.

“I didn't want to hurt you, dear Sister,” He stated in a calm voice as his free hand reached up pushed a lock hair out of her face. “How could you have come to hate me so?” He asked as she gasped for breath and her fingers clawed at his hand. “You remember how we used to play together? I remember the palace we built out of hay in the stables, you were so mad when a horse trampled it by mistake and you wanted it banished!” Ahmose laughed, for once a genuine happy laugh, as though he had forgotten that the one who he shared the memory with was starting to lose consciousness. “But then, you always were blind like that.” He continued, the cheery voice he had taken for a moment being replaced by the cold again as he looked into her bloodshot and terrified eyes. “Look what you've made me do to you!” He stated, his hand finally releasing and dropping her to the ground.

Isetnofret fell to the ground with a hard thud, and gasped deeply, her hand rubbing her throat as she started to crawl away from her brother. Through blurry vision she could see the room, in one corner several of her priests were tied up, guarded by several sword carrying guards. Along the walls, treasure was piled, everything a dead person would need for the afterlife, statues of servants, food, chariots, and in the center, a long simple wooden staff with an engraved hawk head on one end.

“There's nowhere to go dear sister,” Ahomse stated, stamping her onto the ground with the heel of his metal studded sandal. “Please don't be difficult, it already pains me to hurt you as I did.”

Isetnofret tried to push herself back up, but her brother pushed harder down. “You are not the brother I knew.”

“YOU NEVER KNEW ME!” He shouted, lifting his foot and kicking her. “You only knew yourself!” He continued as she rolled into the wall with such force the plaster cracked. “You never listened!” His voice became quiet and remorseful, “But you were there for me, and for that, I will give you one last chance.” He stated, walking over and picking up his dazed sister. “One last chance, all you need to do is, give me something.” He continued, his voice suddenly as if he were a savior, and that all the anger of the last moment was gone. “Come on, wake up.” He said, setting her down on a stone table.

“I, I,” She muttered her head spinning and her vision blurry.

“We can be like before, together, forever in a new world, a world free of pain.”

Isetnofret took a deep breath and held a shaking hand against her head. “You, you,” She shut her eyes and leaned up.

“Iset, please, help me. I don't want to force you.” His voice was one of desperation now, almost begging. “I just need you give me the Great Staff,” He pointed and Isetnofret saw the blurry object near her. “Give it to me, these priests made a, mistake, just say it is mine.”

Her vision was still blurry, but she could see the staff now, glowing, as though it were as bright as the moon outside. “I...”

“IT'S YOURS!” A voice suddenly called from where the priests were tied up. “DON'T GIVE IT TO HIM IT BELONGS TO YOU.”

Ahomse's eyes shot up causing one of his guards to turn and stab the priest who was speaking, covering the dying man's mouth and silencing him. “My dear Iset, please, for me, your brother.”

Iset's voice was quiet, yet collected. “You died years ago, what you are now is nothing but a cruel mockery of the brother I knew.”

There was a moment of silence in the room, then it was filled with a cruel laughing sound. “I am the dead one?” Ahomse hissed, “You disappoint me!” He screamed, all of the nicety of voice replaced with malice. With a sweeping motion he smashed Iset back against the table, “HYET!” He shouted, a roll of cloth appearing and wrapping its way through the air. “I am not dead, but you! You will experience a thousand deaths!” He shouted, his voice breaking and hands shaking as the cloth started wrapping around his prone sister.

“You will never break me!” She hissed as the cloth wrapped around her legs, binding them together, she tried to sit up or move, but her brother's bony fist pushed her down again.

“I gave you a chance to be by my side, now you make me take it by FORCE!”

The wrapping had made it to her chest by down, and at her legs she could feel it getting tighter and tighter, crushing her, she tried to breathe but found her chest but the wrappings were getting around her neck. “H, H, H,” she gasped as they pulled tightly.

Ahomse stood up over her, a cruel smile forming on his lips. “I'm afraid you won't be able to die so easily.” He stated, before turning to his guards. “Hed ahew nedj!”

The men's eyes widened and suddenly they collapsed to the ground, grabbing at their necks and collapsing as a dark smoke poured from their mouths, one of them desperately reaching for Ahomse, a look of shock and betrayal on his face before he collapsed leaving the lone living priest recoiling in horror.

The smoke billowed around Isetnofret and seeped into the wrapping around her, her strangled sobs being muted as the wrapping covered her mouth and nose, leaving only her terrified eyes wide open and staring at her brother.

“Good night little sister.” He hissed cruelly as he pushed her into a large painted Sarcophagus. “And remember my face as the last you saw.” And with that cruel taunt, there was a grinding sound of stone and Isetnofret was forced to watch as the lid closed and she was left in agonizing darkness.

However, Ahomse's victory was short-lived, his sister locked away, there was only one thing left here, the Great Staff sitting in the middle of the room on its pedestal. As he approached he felt it almost humming and glowing, the staff of the King of Ku-Mat, their birthright and a gift from the Gods to amplify one's power and give one the ability to rule.

“It is not yours, you cannot touch it!” The only living one of his sister's priests stated, though not definitely, but as if a father giving a warning to a son. “The Gods decreed you are not worthy of it.”

Ahomse laughed. “I serve a greater God! I don't need their permission.” And with that he reached out and clasped the staff and held it up defiantly for a moment, before dropping it and screaming in pain, his hand burning, flesh melting off as an invisible flame burned up his arm.

“I warned you.” The priest stated, standing up and shedding his bonds. “You foolish boy.” He continued, walking towards Ahomse as the burning spread across his arms. “Hyet!” he commanded, and cloth started wrapping around the agonized man. “You poor fool!” He stated, stepping forward and reaching down to pick up the staff. “Chaos is not a.....”

He was halted as Ahomse's burning fist grabbed him by the throat, his agony giving him strength as the burning tore at his chest and neck. “Sedeb!” He screamed in agony, his grasp slipping as he stumbled back, but that was enough. The priest's face twisted into one of horror. “I CAN'T BE KILLED!” He screamed, slowly regaining his footing.

The Priest's eyes widened, his skin wrinkling and peeling as though his body was being drained of life, “Nekh!” He shouted, raising the Great Staff towards Ahomse. Immediately a brilliant light shone forth and a haze fell between them, dividing the room with a glowing barrier between him and the heretical prince.

“Is this it?” Ahomse asked, standing straight as the glowing flesh across his body dimmed. “It won't take me long to get past this, and when I do, you will have already died old Man!”

“This is my Temple.” The Priest stated slowly “This is a temple of Asir” And I am his servant!” The priest's hands were shaking and his hair gray. “Like Asir, you will be trapped here, but you will never escape!”

Ahomose paused, before concern fell over his destroyed face. “You don't have the strength you're....”

“BY THE GOD ASIR! IEW! KEFA! IHEM!” He shouted lifting the glowing staff on high as the ground began to shake and Ahomse jumped back.

“NO! NO NO NO NO!” He screamed running at the barrier and being launched back in a brilliant explosion.

The Priest, fell to his knees, around him the lights were fading, the room became heavy, as though the air was becoming solid, glowing sand poured from every crack in the roof. “My Queen.” He muttered his voice that of an ancient man, he stood and put his weight against the sarcophagus, but the lid didn't move and from the across the barrier he heard a cruel laugh.

“You're not strong enough to free her!” Ahmose hissed, “At least if I have to rot in here forever, she will too!”

The Priest fell to his knees, his muscles failing and his vision blurring. “I failed you.” He whispered, placing the staff on the Sarcophagus, “Please.....” And with that he collapsed, sand covering his body as the room was slowly filled with the glowing sand.