Catacombs (The Sekhmet Bounty Series Book 2) (12 page)

Suddenly, the pressure released and I went spinning out into the open, landing hard on my butt. When the room came back into focus, I was on the other side of the human fence. They’d shoveled me through. Frost was nowhere in sight, however, and there weren’t any sounds.

Looking at my blood-drenched skin from when I’d tried fighting them, I had a sinking feeling it was too late. They had left deep cuts, and the necromancer wouldn’t heal, not like me. “Stop fighting them,” I yelled, hoping she could hear me. “Cross your arms and let them push you through. They only fight if you do.”

Still nothing, and the people that I could see were completely still. Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it. “Frost?” I shouted. “Frost!”

I paced back and forth along the line of bodies, trying to talk myself into leaving. She’d said to go. She’d said not to go back, but my feet wouldn’t budge. I couldn’t just leave her. But what if I got back in and they threw me directly into her and I couldn’t stop it? That would definitely kill me. I either had to wait or carry on.

My stomach knotted. “Come on, Frost,” I whispered. “
Come on
.”

The rows shifted suddenly and I popped my head up. The formerly frozen bodies were bobbing up and down as they passed Frost’s limp body between them and tossed her out on the other side.

She made no effort to break her fall, and she wasn’t moving at all. The blood was so thick over her that the ends of her now completely loose hair were red and clumped together. Her black shirt lay in tatters around her. Blood pooled around her body, spreading out wider and wider.

I rushed to her side, kneeling into the blood. My hands hovered over her. What was I supposed to do? I couldn’t touch her. I couldn’t help, but I couldn’t watch her die. I slapped my shaking hands together.

“Olivia, now would be an excellent time for help. A little interference, please.”

I waited and waited, digging my fingernails into my palms. Nothing. Olivia didn’t appear. I tried again and again, but Olivia wasn’t coming. Maybe she couldn’t. I’d never thought about whether she could travel between worlds. There went the safety net. We were fucked.

I shrugged off the backpack and withdrew Frost’s sweater. I couldn’t touch her skin, but her blood hadn’t killed me yet. That had to be a good sign. I draped the sweater over her and pressed my hands to her abdomen. Focusing on my goddess Sekhmet, I inhaled shakily. Losing friends in battle was a habit I couldn’t wait to rid myself of.

My mind cleared easily and the focus on healing Frost flooded me. I could do this. I was a descendant of the goddess. I was powerful. I could do this. I could save her.

The hairs on the back of my neck lifted as energy exploded from my body. It felt like a warm blanket had been wrapped around my shoulders. I had no idea what was happening, but it didn’t feel bad, and Frost’s wounds were beginning to heal before my eyes. That wasn’t how my ability worked. I could help speed up the process, but the body still had to do its part. I couldn’t undo injures. That was something more like what Olivia could do.

Olivia. I turned around, expecting my friend.

My mouth fell open.

It wasn’t Olivia who stood behind me. It was a picture brought to life. For once, I couldn’t speak. There were zero words in my head. Tall, muscular, and barefoot with the head of a lioness. Wise golden eyes gazed down at me. Sekhmet was here. It was one thing to believe; it was another to see. I had spent my whole life talking to her, not really knowing if anyone was on the other end of that conversation.

Tears flooded my eyes and it was hard to breathe.

“Nyny, good warrior.” She nodded down at me. “What troubles your heart this day?”

I shook my head, my tears spilling over. Her voice was strong, filling the room and my heart, squeezing out any fear that remained in me. I was still having a hard time forcing my lips to form words.

She continued to watch me, waiting patiently for me to find the answer.

“This mission is bigger than me.”

The lion eyes blinked slowly, possibly considering smiting me for the weakness I had just displayed—for doubting myself and my abilities. For doubting her. Her human arm lifted slowly and reached toward me. I kept my hands pressed to Frost’s belly. I wouldn’t leave her. Not even for Sekhmet.

She smiled (actually kind of disturbing on a lion head), hand still extended. “You bestow honor upon our people with your loyalty. Your priestess will not pass while I am here.”

I accepted Sekhmet’s hand then, and rose to my feet. Her grip was fire and my hand burned beneath hers like I was being branded, but I didn’t pull away. I stood with my shoulders back and my head high. We bowed before no one.

She released me, pleased. “Your destiny is great, young warrior. You will lead your people to greatness.”

I shook my head, lips pressed together. “I’ve left my people.”

The lion head tilted. “You have been chosen and the trials have begun. From the moment you accepted the mission and entered the labyrinth alone of your own free will, the trials were started. You have bested your fears that were brought forth and remained true to your word.”

Well, technically, I wasn’t alone. I had Frost with me, but I wasn’t going to argue with her over it. “Wait, you designed this mission? You’ve been killing people?”

She shook her head. “No. The guilty party is still for you to discover. The trials have not ended. The maze is not mine. It was your father’s design.”

My brain swam with questions, more than I could begin to ask. I latched on to one. “My father?”

“Did you not know? Come.” She led me to the wall and waved a hand. Two chairs appeared. She sat in one and motioned me to the other. “Long ago, your father made a choice to save his people and sacrifice himself. Throughout his travels, he learned that Shezmu had happened upon a treasure that should have never been bestowed to your world. It was far too dangerous in his hands. Your mother and father were charged with eliminating the threat, and they succeeded.”

“They trapped him here.” That’s why it was all so familiar.

“With the blood of your father’s sacrifice, this labyrinth has remained sealed. Only one of his blood can remove any object from these walls or destroy the maze.”

So that’s why I was sent. The council physically couldn’t remove Shezmu or the object they wanted. “What does Shezmu have?”

She shook her head.

It was always partial information. I sighed. “Okay, so what trials am I a part of, and why?”

“To prove your worthiness to lead your people.” She folded her hands in front of her. “I have looked into your heart. You will succeed and you will return to your kingdom.”

Like hell I would. “Can I stop the trials?”

“No. Once they have begun, they cannot be stopped. But I feel you have a great many adventures still to follow to find what you’re looking for. Your destiny, while still before you, lies in the distance.”

I didn’t believe in destiny. I believed in choosing my own path. “I don’t want to rule anyone.”

She looked completely unconcerned. “Nevertheless, you will return in their darkest hour and you will not leave them again.”

We’d see about that.

“Come.” She beckoned me to follow as she glided toward the door. Before I could object, she added, “The priestess will be unharmed.”

I almost had to run to keep up with her. “Where are we going?”

She held her arm out straight and pointed her finger at a rusted metal door. “This is the room you seek. It is the only assistance I can provide you in here.” She took my hand—the same one she’d held earlier—and flipped it over, hovering one finger above my palm.

I looked down at a tattoo in the center of my palm that had never been there before—only it wasn’t a tattoo. It was the Eye of Ra, and it swirled and churned beneath my skin like it was a living thing. My first urge was to brush it away. “What is it?”

“A link between the two of us. Your power is my power and my power is your power. It has always been so.” She pointed back at the door. “Be wary of seeking treasures you cannot name.”

In a blink we were back in the room with Frost, whose chest was still rising and falling. “Why else have you called to me, warrior? I see no threat. Perhaps, as you prepare for battle, you wish to have my blessing.” She looked up. “So be it.”

She placed her hands on my shoulders, her eyes closing. “Shezmu knows you are coming. He has been awaiting your arrival for decades. He believes this day marks a day of freedom for him. You must not grant that. You have the blessing of the gods, but Shezmu also has favor. Old loyalties lie with him that you do not yet have. Keep your steps sure and hold bravery in your heart. Best him and gain his treasure if you must, but do not release him from his prison.”

“Who sent me here?”

“That discovery will come soon enough. Use his vanity against him. It leaves him a fool.”

I glanced back at Frost again.

“Take heart, warrior—you are discovering all that you are capable of. Nothing has been lost.”

With that, Sekhmet was gone and I was back kneeling over Frost like I had never left her. And had I left her, or was that an illusion? I lifted my bloody hands from her and wiped them on my jeans. Holding my breath, I looked at my palm. It was still there, the swirling Eye of Ra.

“What happened?” Frost’s eyes opened and her voice sounded normal and strong.

I laughed, and my head dropped down to my chest. “Shit.” I blew out a breath. “You had me worried for a moment. Don’t fucking do it again.”

Frost rolled away, leaving a smear of blood across the floor, then she sat up, paler than normal. “Whoa.” Her wide eyes scanned the area. “Is that all… How am I alive?” She pulled at her shirt; her skin was unmarred beneath. “Did you do this?”

I nodded. “I didn’t touch you. I used your sweater as a barrier.”

“But you healed me. Completely healed me.”

Well, more than likely, the goddess did it through me—but maybe not. Maybe it was me. I honestly didn’t know anymore. Everything I thought I understood was off kilter. So I told Frost the only thing I knew to be true in this moment. “We started this journey together, and we’re going to end it like that too.”

I tossed her the rest of her clothes. The dark, swirling mark on the palm of my hand caught my attention again. It moved constantly, was never still. I rubbed it, but it didn’t hurt. Actually, I couldn’t really feel it, but it was certainly there. I clenched my fingers into a fist. I’d worry about what it meant later. “We can’t release Shezmu, and I don’t think we can kill him.” Which meant we needed a much better plan than what we had, which was nothing. If my father had created this place to trap Shezmu and the treasure, maybe Frost was right that we should leave it alone and not mess with it. But then again, obviously someone else knew about it. Someone was sending in humans. And if I wouldn’t play their game, how long before they went after Dendera? I needed to remove the temptation and preferably break all connections this labyrinth had to any world. Especially mine.

“What about the council?”

“They don’t care about Shezmu or the humans. They want some treasure he found that got him locked in here to begin with.”

She raised an eyebrow. “And what is it?”

“I have no idea, but it’s dangerous.”

“Then why can’t we just leave it here?”

“Because someone knows about it and wants it—and they’ve found or made a direct route to Shezmu. That’s the only way the humans are making it through.”

Frost crossed her arms and paced. “Agreed. But assuming you’re right and this object is dangerous, how are you going to protect it outside of these walls? You father gave his life to ensure it never landed in another world again, and now you’re taking it back.”

I didn’t have a choice. I had to protect Dendera… “Wait…what did you say?”

“What?” she said, turning back to me.

“You said my father gave his life. How do you know that?”

She shook her head. “No idea. It just came out.”

Was it possible she had overheard my conversation with Sekhmet? Seemed unlikely, especially if it took place in my mind. I narrowed my eyes. “What else do you know?”

She sighed. “Is now really the time you’re going to stop trusting me? When we’re almost finished?”

Yep. Exactly the time. “I’m waiting.”

She threw up her hands. “Then why did you go to the trouble of saving me?”

Maybe she knew because I healed her—maybe knowledge was passed along with my energy. The connection could have been open enough that she caught a few stray thoughts… But then again, I was a critical key to obtaining the treasure. Anyone who wanted it needed me along in order to remove it from the maze. I’d have to keep an eye on her.

Regardless of her motives, we needed a plan. Somehow I didn’t think Shezmu was going to hand over the object and let us leave with open arms. He knew I was his ticket out of here, and he’d make damn certain I took him with me.

Maybe we could use that against him. He knew I was his only hope, so if I played along and made him think I was there to rescue him, perhaps we’d inspire the nicer side of him, the side that didn’t make wine out of people’s souls. But the question was, could I play nice with the being that murdered my father?

My hand touched the demon-killing knife at my waist. I had been saving it especially for him. If I killed him, the labyrinth would collapse and would never be a problem again, but every monster I didn’t kill would then be freed, unleashed in the Abyss, because that was where the labyrinth was connected. A sigh that matched the heavy feeling in my heart escaped my mouth. The risk wasn’t worth it.

“It’s not enough,” I mumbled.

“What?” Frost asked.

“To let him live, but I don’t have a choice.”

Frost looked at the floor, a slow, sad smile spreading over her face. “People can live while enduring a lot of things. Really, really unpleasant things.”

That had my attention. “Do tell.”

She looked up. “I’m not great at a lot of spells, but I know one or two that would punish him for as long as he takes air.”

I headed in her direction. “That’s what I’m talking about. What do you need for the spell?”