Black Panther: a Kane Chronicles au

Chapter 9

"Are you sure he isn't dead?"

"I'm an expert in death. He isn't."

"What does that even mean? You're just a pasty white boy-"

"Shut up! He's waking up."

The voices pinged around Carter's head as he tried to grasp any detail that might make sense. He fell... didn't he? Carter forced his eyes open a crack at the three blurry figures standing over him.

"My god, you're right." A different voice, older and measured. A fourth person appeared. "Carter, can you hear us?"

Carter closed his eyes, then opened them again, the figures a little less blurry. Details were coming back to him; the falls, the fight, Sadie... Sadie!

Carter bolted upright, his companions jumping back at his sudden movement. "What happened? Where am I? What-who-"

"Carter." A woman placed a hand on his arm. "Calm down. One thing at a time."

Carter focused his eyes on her face. "Zia?"

She smiled, and a weight seemed to leave her shoulders. "Thank god. I was afraid I was going to have to kick your ass again."

"And Walt..." Carter shot his friend a smile. "Amos, I'm glad you made it out." He caught a glimpse of blond hair just away from the table. "Jaz, you too. And..." his gaze fell on someone he didn't recognize. A white man, with dark brown eyes and dark hair. Handsome.

"I'm Anubis," the man said, his voice smooth and measured. "And I just saved your life."

***

Amos wrapped Carter in a blanket and led him to a chair. Zia pressed a mug of something hot into his hands and sat across from him, flanked by Walt and Jaz.

"So..." Carter said, "what happened?"

Amos sat forward. "After Sadie, ah, won, Zia knew anyone with ties to you was in danger, so she got Walt, Jaz, and I out of Wakanda."

"Bast caught us before we could get out," Zia continued, "but she didn't stop us. Instead, she told us that things that fall down the waterfall tend wash up downstream. And that we should check in with an old friend of hers." She gestured vaguely to Anubis.

Walt took a sip of water. "So we trekked up this mountainside to Anubis, and sure enough, there you were."

"It was a little more complicated than that," Anubis said, stepping forward. "Carter, you were basically dead when I found you. But dead people are kind of my specialty." Carter and his companions shot uneasy glances across the room.
Anubis cleared his throat. "Um, what I mean is I'm the god of death. I don't... I mean it's not like I run around killing people."

"Well that's... good to know," Carter said.

"Anyway, I'm a friend of Bast's. I spend most of time on their mountain because, well, no one really likes the god of death hanging around. It's disconcerting."

"At any rate," Carter said, "thank you for saving me. I guess that means Bast is on our side?"

Zia sighed. "I think she's playing both sides. Which actually doesn't surprise me."

"And Wakanda? What's happening there?"

Zia and Walt exchanged a glance. "Carter, why don't we wait until you're stronger?"

"No. I have to know now. How bad is it?"

Amos cleared his throat. "Well, from what I've heard from my spies, Sadie chose the leadership path of Isis. Now I know you all associate militaristic ideals with Horus, the path Carter chose, but Isis is dangerous in a different way. She's a schemer, a plotter. Not straightforward."