The Wand and The Scepter

Chapter Ten - The Call of Mighty Anubis

Perri strolled down the street of the magnificent city, its single-story sandstone buildings rising on either side of her, their thatched roofs in perfect condition. Women carried baskets on their heads, men in kilts or skirts walked or rode camels. Children played in front of their homes or ran on the roads with their friends. A group of soldiers in white uniforms marched past Perri, each holding a shield and either a spear or curved sword.

She continued along, following the raven-man. Her guide filled her with a terror greater than anything she had ever endured, but still, she followed. Somehow, this was important—she had to see it through. The road ended at another that ran away to the left and right, and across the street, directly in front of Perri, was a massive sandstone structure. Easily three stories tall, the building was resplendent with colorful pillars. Its walls adorned with painted carvings of men-in-arms leading a procession of women. A litter followed the procession in bas relief in the stone, bearing what must be the city's ruler, his back stiff and his head looking along the line.

The raven-man did not falter and marched through the massive double-doors that flung open on their own as they approached. Straight through the splendor of a pharaoh's palace, they went, until at last they entered its immense throne room.

Light filtering in through shafts in the walls illuminated the great hall, augmented by the many torches. A series of richly painted pillars held the vaulted ceiling in place. Gold adorned everything, adding to the majesty of the scene.

Upon a broad dais at the far end of the room were strewn pillows on which lounged beautiful women of varying races. And amid them rose a magnificent throne and on it sat he who could only be a god come to life. Anubis, God of the Underworld, Protector of the Dead. Anubis, with a body that had no equal among men, and the head of a jackal, as intelligent as it was vicious.

The raven-man took his place beside the throne as Mighty Anubis rose to greet Perri. He motioned toward a long, blue pillow that lay empty at his feet, and he spoke to her in what she thought must be Ancient Egyptian, but she couldn't tell what he said. Staring at him, she strove to understand his words, then his eyes met hers—eyes as red as the flames of Hell bored into her mind and she screamed in terror.

***

Perri sat up in bed, her heart pounding, her breath coming out in sudden gasps. The details of her surroundings came into focus as her head spun around in panic. Tent walls appeared gray in the dim light of the fire, now down to embers. The chairs remained as they were, and nobody stood in the shadows. A sigh escaped her lips as relief flooded through her. Another dream about Nekhneten—and this was the worst of them.

All was quiet and still. No sound filtered in from outside, save the occasional grunt of a camel.

The scene still hung clear in her mind. The clarity of it, and the realness of it reminded her of her previous dream—in fact, it seemed to be a continuation of it. As far as she could remember, she never had a dream that remained in memory so clearly, and she never had one continue on another night. Repeats, yes, but not continuations.

Could it have been magic? she wondered as she sat there. For it to be a spell, a wizard would need to be close by. None of her own team would have done something like that, she was certain of it.

That left the workers. They had been on the Elizabeth Peabody when she was, but they had been invisible to her then, people who quietly did their work away from the rest of them.

The need for stealth clear in her head, she eased herself from the bed, slid her feet into a pair of slippers, and lifted her wand gently from the nightstand. Anyone trying to enter her mind would be right outside. One step at a time, she stole silently to the tent door. A deep breath and a count to three later, she burst out, looking in all directions as she did.