War Of Egypt

Chapter 6: Ancient Enemies

    The three deities reach another huge metal door made of silver. A molded serpent's gaping mouth is open in the middle of the gigantic doors. Amiid halts them and moves to the door, he grabs something from his belt--a short white staff with emeralds on each end. Holding the staff head-level, Amiid aims and brings it down into the serpent's mouth harshly.
    Shai bows to Amiid with a thankful smile.
    A loud hiss travels through the entire body of the door and clanking could be heard as the door received it's command to open for the three.
    They enter a large hall with hieroglyphics linning the wall with ancient splendor.
   "Like my quarters?" Smiled Shai walking forward from the other two. She stood in the middle of room and twirled like a dancer.
    Ametis turned to look at Amiid and clicked her tongue when she caught him grinning stupidly at Shai as she twirled.
    Shai snapped her fingers and the many torches that marked the walls came alive with flames, all responding to her simple yet effective command. The light lit up the hieroglyphics and beautiful drawings on the wall.
   "There are too many!"
   "When a prophecy is fulfilled, it disapears and a new one takes it's place on the walls here. After the first battle, they all nearly faded but two remained," the flames caught sharp glints in her eyes as she turned to Ametis. "A image of a goddess swinging her blade at darkness and the other...a god striking the Nile with the staff of Set."
    Amiid came to stand by Ametis as they both continued staring at Shai. She nodded and walked to two large empty patches on the wall. The light luminated her face as she gilded her eyes over it carefully before pointing. "The images disappeared on the day Hathor conceived you and of course, when word reached everyone that Set had a child."
    Ametis looked at the bare wall before her. She thought of the stories Hathor told her as a child, stories about becoming a warrior goddess and saving everyone. It's all true, she thought, but was she enough?
   "Here is my second favorite," Shai smiled and glanced to her right. There was an image of a goddess standing over the body of the a god who lay dead by her feet.
   "That's you."
    Ametis ignored the chatter it sparked between Amiid and Shai. Instead, she moved closer to the drawing and tilted her head to the side to look at the god's face as he lay by the feet of the goddess.
    Even in the dim-lit area she saw something in his closed left eye. Tears?
    Bewildered she moved closer to the drawing and looked at the god's face. It was tears! She didn't let that faze her as she left the god's face and looked up at the supposedly powerful ancient potrait of her with her sword raised to the skies.
    This time she froze.
    The goddess that was supposed to be her--she was also shedding tears from her left eye. The powerful victorious scream and posture was a cover for something--what?
    Why are the tears there? Has anyone else realized the ancient potrait had a tint to it?
    Questions rolled in Ametis's head.
    "Why the tears?!" Her voice vibrating off the walls with anger and such ferocity.
    "Ametis? What is it?" Amiid asked.
    "Shai, what does fate have to say about the tears?" Ametis questioned angrily.
    Shai slowly approached her side and looked up for a long time. She glanced at Amiid and back at Ametis who was frozen like a icicle.
   "Ametis...there are no tears. Where?" She finally said.
   "Ametis?" Amiid joined in. "She is right, I cannot see tears. Not on this potrait and not on any of the others."
    If she could get any worse, Ametis would have already turned into stone. She didn't understand. Thinking another look would help clear her wild imagination, she did.
    However failed, for the tears still rested in their eyes. Ametis closed her eyes.
   "The tears," she quietly mumbles.
   "What?" Shai and Amiid asked.
   Ametis sighed, "I said it was a trick of the light and shadows. I'm sorry, there's nothing there." She lied but continued looking at the portrait intensely.
    She sighed and turned away.
    Just as her eyes swept over the image, another caught her eye. Beside that image, was another one. The most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She aproached it, calmly fanning out her delicate hands onto the potrait.
    She looked at Shai, "what is this one?"
    Shai smiled, a look of pride sparkling her eyes in the dark. "That," she replied, "is my favorite one of all. However I'm afraid I have to admit I know nothing of it. No visions and no links to it, it just appeared one day and even though it's a mystery--I treasure it and will miss it if it gets fulfilled."
    Slience loomed in the hall with only the crackling of the flames loud and clear. All sets of eyes were on the potrait. And it was beautiful beyond any other in the room!
    The potrait was of two individuals standing together, engulfed in what happened to look like a passionate embrace. Unfortunately, their faces were turned away from the immortal audience viewing them.
   "What do you think?" Shai chirped behind Ametis.
   "I think it's scary I'm feeling attached to your prophecy artworks."
   "May Ra save your soul," sniggered Amiid.
    Shai smiled and slung an arm around Ametis, "you're not the only one. Believe me I know--I myself am attached to them. It will surprise you further that even strangers feel the pull to this picture. This one god, he came here to find out about something and I could have sworn you are duplicating exactly what he did."
   "Huh."
   Amiid laughs loudly, "alright enough of scaring Ametis, Shai. Please just sum up your fancy work about Kha and Ametis."
   "Not only proof in the drawings," she pointed out. "But also in my visions; you will kill Kha and stop him from awakening Set."
    Amiid immediately buts in, raising his hand with a concerned look. "I'm not trying to make you lose hope but I just want to let you know the real thing. Shai may be Fate however no one can write your future but yourself...so don't underestimate Kha as a result of just these prophecies. "
   "You will defeat him," smiled Shai ignoring Amiid.
    Will. Eveyone seems to go with believing in me, Ametis noted glancing sideways at the image of her over Kha's body, but what if they are wrong.
    I write my own fate. Not Shai herself as the personification of fate. In my own written fate, I can try to defeat Kha but then again...I may not defeat him.