Paid In Blood - Revised

Chapter 26

Daphne kept screaming Harry's name over and over, but it was as if he couldn't even hear her. He simply continued roaring in pain, his face twisted in agony as he struggled in vain against the skeletal chains anchoring him to the ground. Almost as worrisome were the inky black tendrils creeping out from the corners of his eyes as they continued to darken.

Unfortunately, she was faring little better. Dobby, Scylla, and even Zael and Kael were also straining against their bindings, but to no avail. Whatever was responsible for this had to be incredibly strong, and incredibly dangerous.

"TONIGHT, A GOD WILL WALK THE EARTH AGAIN! TONIGHT, RHASSEL'THOTH SHALL REJOIN THE WORLD OF THE LIVING!"

Daphne turned towards the source of the cry, and her eyes widened in shock at the arrival of seven unfamiliar people, seemingly appearing out of thin air. The one in the centre appeared older than the others and was carrying a dark staff in his left hand. Daphne gasped when she recognised the book chained to his waist as the same one Granger had tried to use in Harry's memory. The man's eyes focused in on Harry, and at that moment he drew a long dagger from within his robes and started stalking towards them.

Daphne descended into panic as the hierophant steadily approached them with the dagger, mumbling the beginning words of a ritual while his companions circled around them. She called out to Harry again, but he just continued to scream, seemingly unaware of anything that was happening around him.

Just when she was about to give up hope, the sights and sounds of spellfire erupted all around them. Somehow, yet another group of mysterious people had arrived on the scene and were rushing the cultists, wielding both magic and traditional weaponry.

"MEHARJHAI!" they called out as they charged, forcing the cultists to break off their chanting and turn their attentions to their age-old enemies.

"Protect the ritual circle!" Varrard'Thoth snarled as he recognised their enemies' war cry. He raised his staff to the sky, and a wall of purple flames shot out of the ground, separating the cultists and their prisoners from the attacking Meharjhai.

"Complete the ritual!" he commanded, raising the dagger and turning to Harry with a frantic look.

There was a spark of recognition when Daphne heard the new arrivals' war cry. If those people were the Meharjhai, then there was no longer any doubt who was attacking them. Harry had been convinced that the Followers of Rhassel'Thoth weren't an immediate threat, so why were they here? In Harry's past, the Longbottoms hadn't come across the necromancer's tome until they went to Egypt, something like ten years from now. What purpose could have possibly brought them here?

Meanwhile, the Meharjhai had not been discouraged by the cult's swift defence. The warriors wielding swords and spears were taking the fight directly to the Followers of Rhassel'Thoth by leaping over the purple flames, aided by their comrades' magic, while the others worked to bring down the fiery barrier. It wasn't long before some of the wizard members of the Meharjhai managed to get through, and a fierce battle broke out between the two opposing factions.

At that moment, more glowing red lines appeared on the ground. With a thunderous crack, several tombs and mausoleums exploded outwards, their decaying inhabitants crawling out from within. Knowing that failure was unacceptable, the cult had meticulously prepared the scene for any eventuality. Their inferi swiftly joined the fight against the Meharjhai, swinging the momentum back in their favour.

Even amidst all the chaos, Daphne only had eyes for Harry. He had finally stopped screaming, but instead he had collapsed onto his back and was spasming on the ground. The cult leader positioned himself over Harry, dagger in hand.

"HARRY!" she screamed again. Daphne put all of her magic into breaking free, but she simply wasn't strong enough. Scylla was thrashing about, trying to get into a position where she could gaze at the monkey who dared threaten her pet, but it was no use.