Ascension [A Yu-Gi-Oh! FanFiction]

29: Expect

Atem stood just outside the westernmost pylon of the palace, morning sun at his back, watching as the last of the cargo was loaded onto the royal ship in preparation for their journey to Memphis. Despite the fact no one knew how long they would be gone, Atem had insisted they take only what was necessary — scrolls and important documents, clothing, and other irreplaceable personal effects. Everything else would be provided by their hosts, the Memphis Conclave, or procured as needed. While Memphis did not have its own palace specific for royal visitors, it was decided they'd make use of the former nomark's villa as their temporary living quarters. With its many comfortable suites, central location, and easily fortified layout, it would provide a suitable garrison from which they could plan their strategy for securing the Holy Ka.

Unfortunately, Atem and Satiah had so far made very little headway on translating the Millennium Tome. As they had no way of knowing which spells would be the ones needed to enter the pyramids, they first needed to translate the Tome's index, which listed out every spell and the page on which it was written. Just the names of some spells already had Atem's thoughts churning with morbid curiosity — there were incantations to bring about plagues and torture upon one's enemies, spells offering the power to manipulate matter and energy, and invocations that seemed to imply the ability to stave off death. Every time Atem felt the instinct to flip to one of these pages, he forced himself to remember the words of Ramesses: tread carefully.

Likewise, Satiah's patience and focus helped him to maintain his wariness of the Tome. Before they'd even begun translation efforts, she'd suggested they come up with a secret shorthand for taking written notes, so as to provide yet another obstacle to anyone seeking to steal or copy their work. Every time they completed a page, she would commit any important information to memory, then burn the written records. As an extra precaution, she worked with Shimon to design a lockbox to hold the Tome and Codex whenever they weren't working. The box could only be unlocked using the cartouche piece taken from the puzzle's cover, which Atem now wore around his neck when not in use.

Atem was thankful for his wife's thoroughness, even if it did slow down their work substantially. Like Satiah, Atem was determined not to let his urgency lead to recklessness. While danger would always be imminent with Bakura prowling the kingdom, they were still several steps ahead of the thief — but even the simplest error might cause them to stumble.

Atem took a deep breath and settled his attention back to the bottom of the wharf, where loud shouts seemed to signal the end of the loading efforts. On the last landing, the familiar shapes of his court stood huddled together, bidding goodbyes to one another. Only three Guardians — Seto, Mahad, and Aknadin — would be traveling with them to Memphis, plus Satiah's father. Meanwhile, Shimon, Shada, Karim, and Isis would stay behind to manage state affairs from Thebes.

At the sound of footsteps, Atem turned back toward the palace courtyard, just in time to see his wife emerging from a shaded glade of trees. She set her eyes on him and smiled as the sunlight embraced her, drawing to a stop at arm's length.

"Are you sure you're ready?" she asked.

"A little late for second thoughts, wouldn't you say?" Atem replied, raising his eyebrows.

"I know," Satiah said. "It's just that things are moving so quickly now..."

Atem shook his head. "This is the right move," he said.

Satiah turned her attention back to the ship, her eyes veiled with uncertainty.

Slowly, Atem reached out and touched her arm, pulling her gaze back to him. "What about you, then?" he said. "All packed and ready? Not forgetting anything, are we?"

"WA—AIT!"

A high voice echoed through the courtyard, and Atem snapped his head over his shoulder to see Mana sprinting toward them, a huge satchel slung over her shoulder.