Solar Knight: Shifting Sands (book 6)

chapter 30: Seth and Serpentine

Once the storm has cleared, me and seth have found ourselves separated by the group and have ended up in some canyons, completely off course.

I assumed everyone heard me, and that i shouted that i found refuge from the storm, but i was foolish to think that, due to the howling winds and obstructed vision from the sand.

We waited there for a good long while.....

Lady Rehmea, guide them safely.  I will not let you down, we shall reunite with our party and your grandchildren! I shall brave these sands in your name, my queen!

"They have completed diverted off course, simon. They don't know where we are and vice versa. Let us venture into the canyon, maybe we can arrive out the otherside and bypass the storm." Seth said, calmly, lightly jiggling the reins, making his camel move forward, deeper into the canyon.

Lady Rehmea, watch over them. I shall valiantly reunite with them soon!

"What has gotten into you lately?" I said, doing the same as he did.

"What do you mean?" He said passively.

"Even before they arrived, you have shown some distain towards your brother. Explain yourself, seth." I demanded.

He stopped his camel and sighed heavily. I could tell that this was a touchy subject and i could tell something was festering beneath.

"Look, i love my brother and his family to my very soul....i am just....aggravated that he hasn't went out past his royal capital and ventured out to the struggling villages, as well him slacking off and being vulgar....i understand he is head over heels for her majesty, but to openly be perverse.....it's unbecoming of him! When we get him back, i am going to be on his heels more and get him out of this habit he has developed!" He said with conviction.

"Or why don't you become pharoah?" Said a dreadfully familiar voice.

We immediately stopped and looked around. Tia, or i guess i should say serpentine, was nowhere to be seen, only villainous giggling could be heard.

"He has clearly been slacking off of his duties as leader..... that village was suffering for years and he didn't look into it and it wasn't like they could venture all the way to the capital and voice their problems..... all the while, he was sitting on his arse, drinking wine, and openly groping his wife!" Serpentine said with a chuckle.

"Show yourself!" Shouted Seth.

We continued to look for her, only for her to seemingly appear as soon as we looked at nearby cliff, to where she was.

"Serpentine....." i said with a sour tone.

"Missed me? Hehe..." she said with a giggle.

I immediately drew my blade and aimed it at her. To which she laughed arrogantly at me.

"Pray tell, what's so funny?" I said with a smirk.

"You can't cast magic! I know you can't!" She said as she laughed.

I then brought my sword back and smiled.

"Glint shot!" I said as i swung it in her direction and a swift shimmering projectile shot forth and almost instantly struck her, creating a small explosion.

Unfortunately, as expected, she meerly brushed off the attack. My blade has been enchanted, by the wonderful Isis, to utilize the glint of my blade to unleash lightning fast, long ranged strikes with the force powerful enough to penetrate stone and leave craters in steel. For my glint shot to leave not a scratch....is something troubling.

"A meer breeze in the wind, darling. Put some back into it and i might feel a sting! Hohohohohoho!!" She mocked.

I growled.

"Do not let her under your skin...." seth said, calmly.

"Glint shimmer rain!!" I shouted as i position my blade flatly and swiped at her, sending multiple projectiles her way.

I primarily did this out of anger and wasn't thinking. The attack caused several rocks to fall down into our path and nearly hit us, causing our camels to panic and buck us off of them, leaving us stranded without camels.

"I just said-!"

"I know! Ugh, i let my anger get the best of me....I just hate the feeling of being weaker is all!" I growled.

"Why must you stoop so low, seth? Why are you rubbing shoulders with a meager general, when you're supposed to be above them?" Said serpentine in the dust, with glowing eyes.

"I am fine where i am..." seth growled.

"Are you though?" She said, emerging from the dust.

I pointed my blade at her and seth would make some serpents made of sand emerge from the ground, ready to strike.

"Your sins have never been forgiven. It is true that you have done many wrongs against the pharaoh's family, but you have been having to grovel and lick the sandals of them for ages, despite you proving to them you're capable of good and that you have indeed changed.....they still codemn your actions of the past and still look down upon you, with arrows aimed at your backside at every turn....waiting for one slip up- JUST....one....mistake...." she said with a seductive tone.

The sand serpents fell and turned to sand, as seth stared at Serpentine in a hypnotized state. I would only glance at her for a moment and started to be lulled under her spell.

Her eyes glowed and morphed into snake-like eyes, she would also do a seductive dance as she would whisper incomprehensible words of a strange dialect.

Suddenly, sand would brush against my eye, causing me to flinch and wipe them. By a miracle, i was out of her hypnosis.

I turned to seth and he was now crying and gritting his teeth.

"Seth! She is messing around with your memories!! Do not heed her words!! Its all false!!" I cried.

I'd then charge at serpentine to try and interrupt her spell in any way or fashion.....but then I'd feel an agonizing pain and blood splattering on serpentine, who wiped some off her cheek and licked it.

I looked down and saw a blade made of sand stuck out from the right side of lmy abdomen.

Seth would lean over my shoulder with a furious, growling tone.

"I have served both sides for years....have put my blood, sweat, and tears into becoming an excellent general....yet you had plans behind my back to eliminate me if i made a mistake....she shared your memories into mine! It was brief, but i seen an plan of a coup for all of you to kill me!" He growled.

"We....have....seen you....as family.  It took us years....but-" before i could finish, he ripped the blade out and kicked me to the ground.

"Enough of your lies!" He shouted as he stood above me as i held my wound.

He would place the sand blades edge to my throat and then would raise it in the air, before serpentine stepped in.

"No....that's too good for a lying backstabber....let's have him eaten alive by the fowl of the air." She giggled before grabbing me by the throat and throwing me out under the blazing sun.

"A fitting end for the like of you....the rest will feel my wrath of betrayal....so you will have company soon." Seth said with a wicked smile, before he would do a gesture, making the entrance to the canyon crumble, leaving me stranded at the mercy of the blazing sun above.