Chapter Twenty-Five

Day 53.

Imagine you're on a sinking ship. You're all alone in the middle of an ocean, with no land or help in sight. You've just been hit by a tsunami-sized wave, and there's another one heading towards you fast, the roar of it sounding scarily like the deep-bellied laugh of a monster. But that's not the worst part. No, the worst part is that the ocean is not made up of water. It's sand. And it's everywhere. Swallowing up all life, blocking out any remaining sunlight, isolating you from the world. There's no way out; you can't see yourself moving forward or escaping from the impending doom. It's hopeless.

And then, out of nowhere, there appears another ship. A lifeboat. A miracle, sent straight from the gods. A saviour shining in the overwhelming darkness.

That's what kissing Ahmose was like.

All the frustration rushes from my limbs like sand through an hourglass. My knees crumple, and I lean into into him like he's my lifeline. The kiss intensifies. My senses overload. All I can smell is his familiar oaken musk; all I can feel is his strong, staunch muscles holding me flush up against his body; all I can taste is his lips and the soft tang of the hardboiled sweets the air hostess handed out. My arms wind around his neck, and a soft noise catches in my throat. Something clicks in the back of my mind.

This feels familiar. This feels right.

This feels like home.

The high-pitched, obnoxious honking of a car tearing past shatters the bubble our kiss had created around us. Ahmose and I jolt and jump a foot apart. I stare at him. My fingers gingerly brush over my lips.

"I uh..." I stammer, my voice cracking. "You kissed me."

Ahmose seems as shocked as I do. "You kissed me back."

"You kissed me." I point at him. "Why did you kiss me?"

"Why did you kiss me back?"

"Ahmose! Stop repeating everything I say!" I exclaim. Without thinking I shove him, causing him to fall back against the side of the building hard. He groans, cradling his injured shoulder. I squeak. "Sorry!"

Ahmose stares bug-eyed at me. "Why must you be so violent when you are shocked?!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's a reflex, I'm sorry!" I wail, gripping my head with my hands. Ahmose flinches, eying me warily. I wince and step forward gingerly. "A-are you alright?"

"I am not sure you want the truthful answer to that."

I sigh, biting my lip. "Let me look at it, please. This has been going on too long; you're clearly in a lot of pain."

"I am fine." Ahmose mutters. He pushes himself away from the wall and groans quietly. "I am just... stiff, from the plane flight."

"Ahmose." I give him a look and hold my hand up. "Show me."

He rolls his eyes and steps forward, extending his injured arm with only an imperceptible grunt. I hold his arm lightly with my hands, turning it as softly as I can as I examine it. Ahmose winces and flicks his nose with his other hand. I murmur an apology.

"Ahmose, it looks like you've broken your wrist." I chastise, looking up at him. "How have you been walking around with this? I can see the bone. See, right here?"

I gently run my finger over a bump near his wrist. The moment my finger makes contact with his skin it starts glowing with a bright white light; a light that centers around Ahmose's broken bone. Ahmose's whole arm warms up so quickly it just about burns me. Ahmose sucks in a sharp breath, his eyes widening to the size of saucers. He holds his arm aloft just in time for us both to visibly see the bone shift in his wrist, wriggling like a caterpillar to return to its normal position in his arm.

"What the—?" I stare at his arm. "What just happened?"

Ahmose tentatively flexes his wrist. He slowly looks over at me. "It does not hurt."

"What?" I demand. I grab his arm roughly and pull it closer. "How is that possible? It's broken; there's no reason it shouldn't be hurting!"

"Well it hurts now." Ahmose retorts, ripping his arm out of my grip. He rubs his wrist, giving me a look as he flexes his fingers. "It appears once you touched my wrist it healed itself."

"I healed it? How?"

"The cynic in me wants to say your kind and caring nature, but we both know from the last five minutes that cannot be it." Ahmose deadpans. I give him a look. "It appears you have been granted the ability to use more of Isis' gifts. Specifically, her ability to heal others."

"Use more?" I repeat. I frown as I sift through my memories. My eyes widen. "You're right. I've never been able to do this in the past. How is it I can suddenly be able to do it now?"

"I do not know, Kiara. For some reason your ba appears to be connecting more and more to Isis' every day." Ahmose's forehead furrows as he loses himself in thought. I tilt my head to the side as I study him.

"What are you thinking, Ahmose?"

"It does not matter." Ahmose shakes his head and flicks me a throwaway smile. He picks his bag up off the ground and slings it over his shoulders. "We must make haste for Ma'at's temple. The sooner we have answers, the better we will be able to understand this all."

I hesitate, my mind racing as it attempts to digest the whirlwind of events that just happened. We really should talk about...

"Ahmose."

He meets my gaze. His expression is completely blank, like a slate wiped clean. "Yes?"

"I..." My gaze drops to my feet. "I think we should try to summon Ma'at in the Karnak complex."

Ahmose studies me closely. "Why?"

"It was commissioned by my fa— Amenhotep III," I catch myself, wincing internally. "So it would theoretically be the exact place he asked for her help in the first place. What better place is there for us to confront her?"

"That seems logical." Ahmose eyes me silently for a moment longer. I continue to avoid his gaze. He sighs. "We should not waste a moment longer. Let's go."

— — —

I throw my bag down with a resounding groan and collapse on the nearest boulder. I arch my back like a cat, stretching my throbbing muscles out. My eyes flutter shut.

"Please tell me we're here."

I hear footsteps crunch in the sand. A shadow casts refreshing coolness over my body.

"I believe we are close."

"So we're not?" I groan again. "I thought you knew where you were going."

"I did. Several thousand years ago. Somehow, the landscape has changed somewhat since then, Kiara."

I peel open one eye just so I can glare at him. "Oh has it now? I am shocked. Shocked."

"There is no need to to take your frustration out on me, najmay." Ahmose retorts. He offers me a hand. "Come."

"Hang on." I wave my hand at him. "My feet just need a slightly longer holiday."

"Their holiday must wait. It is not much further."

I let out a loud sigh and make a big show of getting to my feet. "You have been saying that for hours now. We have walked the whole way here from Cairo; I think my feet have a right to complain."

"We did not walk the whole way. That lovely family were very kind to offer us a ride for half the trip."

I snort. "Ahmose, every single person on the planet would be 'very kind' to you if they got the chance."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Seriously? You don't realise? Ahmose, literally all you have to do is smile at someone and—" I catch the look on his face and abruptly stop myself. "Oh." My cheeks warm. He roars with laughter. I shove him. "You are a total narcissist, you know that?"

"It is hard not to be when you are blessed with such fine musculature." Ahmose flexes his bicep.

"And exactly how much of that is genuine Ahmose material as opposed to borrowed material from a certain deity?"

Ahmose looks genuinely offended by that. "What are you trying to say, najmay?"

"Just that you shouldn't get too big for your britches." I tease with a sweet smile. "If we really do manage to break this curse, you may not know how much of your fine musculature may just be... returned to its rightful owner."

"Osiris and Isis joined their ba with our own, Kiara. They did not lend us their divine features. It pains me that you do not remember that this is all me."

He stomps away, leaving me cackling in his dust.

We finally stumble across the Karnak complex just as the sun is starting to settle in for the night, closing its eyes on the horizon and wrapping us up in a cool, but warm, embrace. Ahmose and I quickly set up camp behind a cluster of large rocks and settle in, keeping a watchful eye on our target. Similar to the other well-preserved snapshots of ancient Egyptian life, the Karnak complex was a well-established tourist attraction, and had visitors and tour guides visiting it right up to the last moment. Considering our intentions at the old temple were anything but tourism-related, we knew that we wouldn't be able to approach it under any guise other than complete darkness. I had a feeling we'd have a solid one-way ticket to the nearest jail cell — or psychiatric facility — if anyone discovered that we were, in reality, intending to confront an ancient goddess and ask her 'what gives?!'.

Just as I'm changing into some slightly more conspicuous clothes, Ahmose knocks softly on the wall of the tent.

"Kiara. It is time."

I poke my head out of the tent door. "Has everyone gone?"

Ahmose nods. "The last person left about an hour or so."

"Alright." I step outside and zip the tent shut behind me. I throw my sweat-soaked clothes on the nearest tree in a half-assed attempt to dry them out and turn to Ahmose. I smile what I hope is a determined smile. "Let's do this."

Ahmose offers me a torch, but I shake my head. He shrugs and clicks his on. "Do you know where the temple is?"

"I... I think so." I nod, a neuron firing somewhere in the back of my mind. Ahmose steps back and gestures me forward.

"Lead the way then, amyrti."

I let out a long breath and set forward.

The beaming moon in the sky bathes the ancient ruins in a bright, silvery light. The shadows that dance around the towering pillars and crumbling walls border on horror-film creepy, and I can't help but shiver as I tiptoe through the maze of ancient Egyptian rubble. I almost reconsider Ahmose's offer of a torch, but the irritatingly proud part of my mind refuses to let me turn around. I settle for talking instead.

"So." I whisper, my eyes darting from side to side as I confidently head for a destination I've never been to before. In this life anyway. "How exactly is this going to work? We just step into the temple and Ma'at appears?"

"It is not as simple as that." Ahmose replies softly. "When we visited the temples of Isis and Osiris, we were able to channel them easily as we already harbour a part of their ba, making our connection to them far stronger. It will not be that easy with Ma'at. Neither of us have a strong connection with her."

"My father did though, apparently." I mutter. "Okay so what, we just perform a ritual offering to her?"

It almost shocks me at how easily that sentence springs to my lips — like it's one I've said a million times before.

Ahmose looks as shocked as I do. "Yes. Exactly."

"Alright. Sure. That'll be easy. In 21st-century Egypt. In complete darkness. With no clear altar or identifiable temple. What could go wrong?"

"Najmay. You are rambling."

"I'm sorry." I blow my cheeks out. "I ramble when I'm nervous."

Ahmose smiles minutely. "I know."

I glance over my shoulder at him. Though his face is shrouded in darkness, I have absolutely no trouble noticing how unusually open his expression is. How transparent his emotions are. How vulnerable he's suddenly allowed himself to be.

My heart tightens. I can tell just from the expression on his face that he thinks everything has changed. Or at least some part of him sincerely hopes that it has, after this morning. After our kiss. A large part of me aches to allow my heart to beat in unison with his and agree with him, to dash away the dissenting thoughts needling away at the back of my mind. But I can't. So I look away, so he doesn't read the emotions on my face as easily. My gaze locks on the stones in front of me, and I make a point of focusing on keeping myself balanced. Not now, Kiara. Not yet.

After a few minutes of walking in moonlit silence, a feeling blossoms in my chest like a balloon, like I've arrived somewhere a vague part of me recollects visiting a very long time ago. I come to a natural halt in front of a pile of assorted sandstone bricks that barely resemble the bones of a building. My gaze wanders over the rubble. The feeling in my chest blooms.

"We're here."

Ahmose brushes my shoulder as he stops next to me. My heart skitters. "Are you certain?"

I reach forward and skim my hand over the surface of one of the sandstone pillars. The tips of my fingers tingle as an electric shock zaps through them. I nod decisively. "Yes. I am. This is Ma'at's temple."

Ahmose opens his mouth, but I walk into the building before he can say anything.

A feeling akin to a thousand scarab beetles crawling over and under my skin washes over me as I step over the threshold of the old temple. Unlike the temples to Isis and Osiris, which sprang to life as soon as we entered them, the temple to Ma'at stays exactly the same, giving us no indication to its previous glory. I frown in confusion and glance over at Ahmose. He shrugs.

"It is as I said. We will need to pray to Ma'at in order to connect with her on the same spiritual plane."

"Okay." I trail a finger over the top of a crumbling column. "Remind me what we need to do again?"

"Traditionally we would make a sacrifice first, such as a bull, as an offering to Ma'at. Then we would incite her with an invocation that drew her attention to our request. After that, it would be up to the deity as to whether they wanted to respond to our prayer."

I raise an eyebrow at him. "Well I know I for one don't have a live bull handy on me. Do you?"

Ahmose doesn't respond to my sass, instead bending down and picking a sharp rock up off the ground. He dusts it off on his pants, glances up at me and slashes it lightning-quick across his palm. I gasp and cover my mouth, staring in horror at the blood welling up in his palm.

"What did you do that for?!"

Ahmose walks forward and squeezes his hand over a crumbling stone dais. Big, thick maroon droplets trickle down the edge of his palm and splatter red raindrops across the dusty stone. I gape at him.

"Ahmose!"

Ahmose's eyebrow rises. He gestures to the dais. "I am making a sacrifice."

"But did you have too..." I splutter, staring at his bloody hand. Ahmose stares at me. I throw my hands up in the air. "Oh, what the hell. Desperate times." Sighing, I snatch the knife off him and slice my hand open. I stride forward and squeeze my hand tightly across the bloody dais. I meet Ahmose's gaze. "Now for the prayer, right?"

Ahmose nods.

"Alright then." I clear my throat and clap my hands together. I hesitate. My gaze flits to Ahmose. "Do you know any prayers? I can't quite..."

"Remember?" Ahmose scoffs softly and rolls his eyes. I frown at him, perplexed by his sudden sour attitude. He bows his head, motioning for me to do the same. Only when I do so does he clear his throat and begin.

"Awake, awake, awake,

Awake in peace,

Lady of Justice.

O Goddess,

Daughter of Ra,

Beloved of Thoth,

We approach you with pure intentions

And beseech you to humble us with your presence.

O Ma'at,

Mother of Balance and Morality,

Bless us with your presence,

Appear to us now,

Answer our prayer."

Ahmose squeezes his bloody fist tightly over the dais a second time and steps back, motioning for me to follow suit. I curl my fingers into my palm and press them together as tightly as I can muster, grimacing at the pain that licks my hand at the movement. A crimson droplet trickles down the edge of my palm and tumbles through the air in slow motion. It lands on the dust coating the dais and sends ripples ricocheting around it like shock-waves. A wind suddenly picks up, starting off as a whisper, then a breeze, then a roaring howl. Before I can blink it surrounds the dais, picking up and flinging the dust around like a miniature tornado. I glance over at Ahmose. He doesn't meet my gaze, but his fingers curl around mine and pull me closer.

It takes almost a full minute for the dust to settle enough for Ahmose and I to see clearly. Unlike the other temples we had visited, which had sprung to life the moment we had entered them, this temple stayed as decaying and decrepit as it was the moment we walked over the crumbling threshold. However, there was one stark difference: someone had appeared in front of us in the place the dais had been.

Someone with strikingly regal Egyptian features, a sour expression on her face and a bloodied and beaten figure.

Ma'at grunts, grimacing as she pushes herself falteringly up to her feet. She turns her head and spits a glob of blood out. Once she's wiped the remaining blood off her face she turns back to scowl at the two of us.

"You two have a lot of explaining to do."