Rise of the Fallen Princess (Ahmanet - The Mummy)

Chapter 19 - Wrath of the Princess part 2

Mathias had never felt so light as before, feeling like he was floating on a carpet of clouds. A most pleasant and welcome feeling. Was he dead or alive? Impossible to say but either way, if his time had come, so be it.

Suddenly, a scent of incense caressed his nostrils and gradually brought him out of his torpor. Opening his eyes and having to allow a few seconds for his vision to return to normal, Mathias noticed that he was lying on a large four-poster bed of ancient and noble construction, large enough to accommodate two people. The room he was in was also imbued with this refined and old-fashioned luxury, judging by the refined tapestry and furniture, the chandelier hanging from the ceiling and the scarlet carpet covering the floor. The scent of incense came from sticks in a small ceramic bowl placed on the bedside table and which emanated this pleasant smell. Several paintings were displayed on the walls, created by talented painters and all having the same theme in common: ancient Egypt. Mathias recognized, for example, a portrait of Horus the god, or a majestic landscape representing the famous Pyramids of Giza, considered among the Wonders of the World.

While he was wondering where he was and how he got here, Mathias felt a sharp pain grip him as he wanted to get up from the bed. Looking down at his aching thigh, he saw that it had been treated and bandaged under his pants. He always had the same clothes on him. His whole body was painful, numb, he felt it, but he still found the strength to get up.

Then, as he looked around at this luxurious room, his mind managed to gather itself and he remembered. The attack of these soldiers in the crypt. Ahmanet and the other monsters. The explosion and his fall into the darkness, tens of meters below... He then felt the icy, biting water cover him as he was carried away by a powerful current of an underground river... Then , lacking strength and air, he had suffocated, falling into unconsciousness, and... he woke up here.

_"Ahmanet..." whispered the young man, very worried because he was unaware of what could have happened afterwards.

Praying for her to be saved, his heart beating, Mathias walked, limping a little on his injured leg, to the door of the room, but as he was close, it opened, surprising him. Mathias took several steps back as a woman in a black and white maid's outfit entered humbly and stood straight. But what surprised Mathias was what she wore on her face. A mask, appearing to be made of porcelain and representing a jackal's head marked with hyeroglyphs. Feeling in danger, Mathias backed away and grabbed the first object within reach, a candlestick, ready to use it to defend himself.

_"Ah, you're awake." said the servant politely and in no way intimidated by Mathias' defensive posture. "Very good. Monsieur will be delighted to see that you have recovered."

_"But... what... I... where am I? What's happening?" asked the young man, totally lost.

_"I am not authorized to answer your questions." replied the maid humbly. "Please, please follow me. He's waiting for you."

Who was waiting for him? The master of the place surely. However, Mathias's bad feeling did not leave him. There was definitely something wrong and that's why his gaze went to the nearest window.

_"You will excuse me, but I decline the invitation." he said, then he drew the curtains of the window, but to his great dismay, an iron trapdoor blocked the way to the outside.

He tried the others, but each window had iron trapdoor, preventing any view outward. No point trying to shout and hope someone outside would hear, it was probably soundproof. A real golden cage. The maid had remained perfectly straight and calm while observing him, not even stopping him from trying to force the trapdoors, knowing that there was no way of escape.

_"Please. We don't have to keep Monsieur waiting any longer." she said politely.

Mathias turned towards her, really starting to get tired of this charade. He had never been a violent person, even less towards a woman, but this time, exasperated and above all worried about finding Ahmanet and making sure she was well, he walked aggressively towards the maid, the candlestick in her hand.