Cursed Times - Only Yesterday! Sequel to Wattys 2015 winner!

Chapter 54: Trueth - Dungeons and Demons Part 1

End of last Chapter:

Iseret? Metjen mind-called but got no response. Instead, Trueth imagined breathing from the direction of the opening they had just come through. Seisi twitched ever so slightly, then pressed her hand in warning. He had heard it as well, and so had Metjen, who did not move a muscle but instead materialised in their brains.

Somebody has been following us. I wondered when they would show themselves.

***

As he returned towards the opening, Metjen crushed some unidentifiable objects underfoot. He stopped right at the border between darkness and the half-light still cloaking Seisi and Trueth. 'Show yourselves!' His voice hissed through the chamber, bounced off the walls until it petered out.

There was no reply.

An impatient flick of his fingers and a spooky bluish corona outlined his body...Trueth felt a prickling on her hands and saw the same sapphire shine flowing over her arms, covering her torso, next it crept towards Seisi, encasing him as well. Numbness penetrated her muscles, she felt helpless, rooted to the spot as Metjen raised his arm and a golden flash sliced through the shadows. It lit up the opening where a white starfish of a hand clutched the broken stone as if stranded on a hostile beach. Next to it, another pale starfish showed in the opening, vigorously flapping a white handkerchief. The gesture was so preposterous it caused inappropriate giggles to bubble up Trueth's throat.

The gas cooker blue light surrounding them all abruptly vanished and an experimental shake of her leg told Trueth that she was again mistress of her muscles. The golden light from Metjen's flash still illuminated an opening that was now empty.

'Get your asses over here, before I come to you,' Metjen snarled.

Trueth heard a hushed conversation from the doorway, followed by Rani-Ra's voice. 'Aw, come on, don't be like that.' She bent under the lintel and shuffled towards them, Pharaoh in tow. Like Rani-Ra, he wore jeans and a warm parka, but where she carried a dainty light dancing on her hand, he was covered with straps bearing daggers and throwing knives. The scimitar he cherished so much was strapped to his waist, it was a bit too large for his small frame. On his head sat the baseball cap, this time the right way round.

'What were you thinking?' Metjen barked. 'Assuming you were thinking at all. I told you I had no free rides on offer this time. This place is simply too dangerous. Even father understood, but you...' Metjen was white with fury as he grabbed his contrite-looking sister by the shoulder and shook her like a blancmange in gale force nine.

Pharaoh growled and grabbed Metjen's wrist. 'Your Wisdom, we informed you that we wished to return home. We are a warrior. It is our duty to join you in danger. We knew there would be magical obstacles which we would not be able to overcome, so we asked the Lady Rani-Ra to support us in our quest. She kindly consented, so pray, cease rattling her teeth like that.'

Khy had thrust his chin as well as his puny chest forward, neither of which left much of an impression of Metjen. He did, however, take his hand off his sister and narrowed his eyes at the young king instead.

'Oh you have taken a notion in your head, have you? And what makes you think I'm going to let you torpedo my mission?'

Pharaoh looked blank.

'And don't think you can fool me, I know fully well who is behind your so-called decision.' Once more, he scowled at his sister, who had shoved her hands into the sleeves of her parka.

'It's still freezing down here,' she said in a conversational tone.

'Yes, it is,' Metjen responded. 'And I won't let you catch a cold.' A slashing movement of his right hand drew a blue line into the air straight in front of Rani-Ra. Her eyes widened, for a moment her body was still visible, like an afterimage, then she was gone.