The Pharaoh

Chapter 20

I opened my eyes and saw the clear blue sky. The sun was shining brightly down on me, making my lips feel dry. Not a single cloud was in the sky, yet I felt parts of my body were cooler and not feeling that sun-lit heat.

I blinked a few times and felt sand from my forehead fall down my face. I forced myself into a sitting position and was met with the sight of the desert. The only thing I could see was a suspicious cave that provided shade for my ankles. Where am I?

"Aiden?" I called out. My voice came out croaky and not as loud as I wanted it to. My mouth was dry and I knew I couldn't yell out any louder than I just had.

Nobody replied. I was completely alone.

Feeling a bit more panicked I yelled out, "Aiden! Where are you?"

Where is he? I'll die if I'm out here by myself. I don't have any water and I don't know how to control that weird object summoning thing that I have so I can't make water just appear out of no where.

"Alison!" I heard someone yell.

I looked around me but couldn't find the owner of the voice. "Aiden? Is that you?" I responded.

"It's me," he replied.

My head turned back and forth as I tried to find my husband. "Where are you?" I asked him.

"I'll come to you," he said.

Soon I felt a wave of colder air. His dome.

I blinked and when I opened my eyes Aiden was directly in front of me. I gasped at his sudden appearance, however, before I could berate him for scaring me I was engulfed in his arms.

"After we were transported here I used the last of my strength to create an illusion. I thought I got you inside too but I must have been too weak. I'm so sorry for leaving you out in the open," he apologized.

I nodded and whispered, "It's okay."

I hugged him back and after a long pause, he let me go. He stared ahead of us and seemed transfixed. The dome around us shimmered and the spot that he had been staring at became see-through.

On the other side was Anubis. His purple eyes seemed bored until he saw us. "I'm glad you two made it here in one piece. Now I hate to rush you but I am a busy god and can't wait on you forever," he proclaimed.

Aiden sighed and the dome vanished completely. He got up then helped me to my feet. As we approached Anubis I whispered, "Where are we?"

"The entrance to the next life. Just outside of Giza," he answered.

I looked to the cave and realized that that was the entrance to the next life. "There's an actual entrance?" I questioned.

He nodded his head at the same time Anubis said, "I decided to create it a couple centuries back. It made guiding souls much easier."

"He means he didn't have to guide everyone through. Instead of having to cross the line through death for all souls he only had to do it for a few. Everyone else eventually finds the entrance by themselves and crosses over," he informed.

We reached the entrance and a cool breeze rushed passed me. I shivered as the feeling of finality overwhelmed me.

"Are you sure it's safe for us to go? My father was fairly reassuring, but I don't trust anything he says," Aiden asked Anubis.

His purple eyes filled with mirth and he shot back, "No idea. Only gods have ever gone back and forth between the worlds. I'm confident that you'll be fine while you're next to me and Osiris though."