The Golden Scarab (Chasing Chaos Book One)

Chapter Twenty-Four

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

"You died," Alyxx whispered. "I watched you fall into that hole to your death."

     "I'm okay," Angie assured her. "Do you know what the scarab represents in Egyptian mythology?"

     "No," Alyxx admitted.

     "Eternal life. It's often used as a symbol of reincarnation. I was born to a father who could not die and a mother who was willing to."

     "I don't understand."

     "You will." Angie looked at Apep and smiled. "This may come as a surprise to you, but you're not going to win this battle today."

     "Why is that?" Apep asked.

     "The trinity you were so certain you had destroyed? They're all here in this room."

     "Nonsense! Ra is here and Khnum was never as destroyed as I wanted, but Khepri is dead and gone. He has been for a very long time."

     "What if you're wrong about that?"

     "I do not fear them."

     "Then why did you try so hard to kill them?"

     "I have killed many. Fear was not my motivation."

     "You knew the most powerful things in the universe come in threes. There was always a chance they would destroy you and you couldn't risk it."

     "That doesn't matter, Child. Khepri is destroyed and nothing remains of him. Your existence is a sorry replacement."

     "Oh, I'm sorry. You thought the prophecy meant I would replace him? No, see, I'm actually just here to return him to power." With that, Angie reached into the hole and removed a tiny scarab. It began to grow in her hands, glowing until its power forced it to take on a human form. His head was that of a scarab but his body looked familiar.

     "Tommy?" Alyxx asked. Her brother's body stood before her, perfectly intact and still dressed in the same clothes he had been wearing when he fell into the hole.

     "When I wear this face, I am Khepri, but yes, Alyxx," he replied. He hugged her and Alyxx did not care that his face was that of an insect. Her brother was alive. That was the only thing that mattered.

     "You will not defeat me!" Apep declared. "This changes nothing!"

     The other Gods came together and surrounded him. "Actually, it changes everything," Janna replied.

     Shannon smiled and took Janna's hand. Together they began reciting a prayer in Ancient Egyptian which brought Zane, Jonathan, and Tommy together. The men took each other's hands and cast a circle around the others.

     Apep shrieked as he became trapped inside of the circle of light. Panya summoned scorpions to bite him while Adara threw fireballs at his head. Alyxx pulled her sword from his center and thrust it into his back. He screamed in agony and swayed to the side.

     As he grew weaker, the Gods grew stronger. Dean attacked him from the left while Ryan took him from the right. Finally, Zane, Jonathan, and Tommy threw one last spell into the air.

     Apep exploded. Blood covered them all and no one cared. Instead, they hugged and celebrated in relief. For several minutes, no one dared do anything else.

     "Is it truly over?" Panya finally asked.

     "For now," Olivia replied. "He'll be back, but we'll be ready."

     "What if we aren't?" Jonathan asked. "We barely knew what we were doing this time. And how will he be back? He was very much blown up."

     "He will find a way back. Evil always does. The key is to prepare. We know what he's after now, and we know that several more of us survived than we once thought," Zane replied. "This is not the end, but it is a very good start."

     Alyxx finally let go of Tommy and Angie and sobbed in Mark's arms. It was over. It was really over. What would happen now?

     "Are we going to die?" She asked.

     "I hope not," Mark replied.

     "I mean me and Panya and Jonathan. Do we die now or what? Or do I just age and age into an old woman? Or do I go back to the past? I'm a little freaked out over here."

     "It'll be okay, Alyxx," Mark replied. "I won't let anything hurt you."

     "I wish we had some idea," Jonathan said. "It would be nice to know what we were getting ourselves into for once."

     "Knowing the future is overrated," Josie decided. She kissed him quickly, then smiled. "See? Isn't spontaneity more fun?"

     "Yes, Ma'am," he replied before dipping her backward in his arms and kissing her passionately. "It sure is."

     "Whatever comes next, we know one thing," Zane said.

     "What's that?" Janna asked.

     "My daughter is right. There are no lost causes. That means we can and will defeat him."

     Only Zane spoke the words, but each of the Gods took a silent vow in that moment. Chaos would always return, but Order would rule in the end. It was only a matter of time.

THE END.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you for reading! This book may undergo some minor revisions in the near future. This is the first book in a trilogy. I started writing the sequel, called The Silver Lotus, but won't be posting it here just yet. I'll announce it here when I do. I appreciate all of your support!