A Falcon's Light

Chapter 23

I sighed and stepped from our hiding place, letting him see me. I gave Anubis to wait until I had his attention before moving. I slowly moved away from the door and waltzed up to the balcony next to him. Just as I thought I had his full attention and his eyes left the door to watch me instead. As I distracted him, Anubis slinked from the door to his father's side, quietly undoing the locks that bound him.

"So should I call you Ausir or Apophis?" I asked nonchalantly. I wasn't afraid of him, besides I was in striking distance.

"Apep if you would please. So you're Alice? Every time I try to look through his eyes to see you, he makes it blurry. So I've never seen you like this. It's nice to finally meet you." He held out a hand but I simply looked between him and it with a 'seriously' look.

"What do you think I am? Stupid. Yeah, nah hunny. I'm a Texan, smarter then one might think, and with more sass, in my right thumb than most have in their entire body." I smirked. He scowled. "So Apep, do you have your own body, or are you formless?"

"Why are you asking? So you can take advantage of me?" I simply shrugged with a 'Nah'. He sighed. "Yes I have a physical form, just like you, but while Set controls lightning, I am a parasite. I can inhabit another's body. Which is why I wanted to meet you so badly." He turned to me with another crazy grin.

"Don't you touch her!" Set screamed, pulling our attention to him. He was free but in bad shape. Anubis had to help him stand but somehow he managed to hold up Hinin, pointing it at the snake. Set's face was pulled back in a snarl but he collapsed from exhaustion, dropping the sword.

Apep smirked and grabbed me pulling me close, his ungloved hands melting through my chainmail. "I'll take good care of her I promise." Moron. Indeed.

Like a lightning bolt, I reached up and grabbed Ausir's head. I conjured a flash of light that blinded the man. I backed away and ran to Set's side, healing him as best as I could while Ausir groped around trying to find me. Set smiled at me and pulled me into a kiss.

"You bitch, where are you!?" Apep screamed. Just as I had hoped he became too angry and like a snake shedding its skin, Apep removed himself from Ausir. There standing next to Ausir was a tall lean man with snake-like scales instead of skin. A flap of skin connected from his jaw to his shoulders. A forked tongue slipped between cracked lips. He wasn't very much to look at, that was for sure. Ausir fell to the floor like a limp doll.

I smiled as I stood, my plan had worked. I summoned Nebula and got ready to defend from his attack. Anubis summoned his bow and Set raised Hinin. "I told you I'm smarter than one might think." I summoned a whirlwind around me and gathered Set's blood, which had collected on the floor, to form a set of spinning blades.

Apep snapped and two insect-like soldiers appeared moving towards us. Each held spears and their chitin acted like armor. They would not be easy enemies. Apep stood back and watched as the bug-warriors advanced.

I sent one of the blood blades hurtling towards one of them, but it simply bounced off the shell, like an arrow hitting metal. Set and Anubis nodded confirming the armor quality. Anubis set an arrow and shot at an intersection of joints. The arrow notched itself deep in the warrior's knee and he fell to one side like a stone.

"We'll take care of them, Alice, try to get Apep." Anubis said with a grin at his handiwork. I nodded running towards the cobra man. One of the soldiers tried to strike me with his spear, but I fell and slid on my knees, ducking under the blade. Like a flash, I was back on my feet, the blades of my fan ready to strike at the man's throat. He smiled and his nails grew to long claws, ready to defend.