Cat's Claw (35 page)
Authors: Amber Benson
Tags: #Fantasy, #Contemporary, #Fiction, #General, #Fantasy fiction, #Fiction - Fantasy, #Science Fiction And Fantasy, #Fantasy - Contemporary
He ignored my negative comment and picked up what looked like an effigy of one of the Jackal Brothers. He measured the weight of the thing in his hands, then grabbed it by its jackal head and began to hammer away at the lid with it.
Now I knew for sure that security
had
to be on their way. You didn’t just destroy casino property, cause a stampede, and hang around afterward to break more stuff without
someone
coming after you. There wasn’t an exit strategy in the world that could get us out of the mess we were in. Resigned to spending the night in jail—which would seal my fate as the next Guardian of the North Gate of Hell
and
make me lose Daniel and Runt at the same time—I sat back on my butt and waited for whatever was gonna happen to happen.
had
to be on their way. You didn’t just destroy casino property, cause a stampede, and hang around afterward to break more stuff without
someone
coming after you. There wasn’t an exit strategy in the world that could get us out of the mess we were in. Resigned to spending the night in jail—which would seal my fate as the next Guardian of the North Gate of Hell
and
make me lose Daniel and Runt at the same time—I sat back on my butt and waited for whatever was gonna happen to happen.
The whole thing was my own fault. I’d caused everything to get all screwed up and now there was no one to blame but myself. Who was the idiot who had made the deal with Cerberus in the first place? Me. Who was the nincompoop who tried to help Daniel, only to have his Shade stolen by the Queen of the Cats? Me. Who was the dumbo who’d taken pity on Senenmut and gone to Las Vegas only to find that the guy’s lost love didn’t even remember him anymore? Yours truly. That’s who.
I began to feel the stirrings of a pity party coming on—and from what I could tell, it was gonna be a big one, a frickin’
block
party-sized one. Rage at my own stupidity overwhelmed me, and before I even realized what I was doing, I had picked up a piece of broken pottery and was throwing it as hard as I could at Senenmut’s head. He must’ve sensed the pot coming because he dodged my throw, letting the potshard explode into a million pieces as it hit the sarcophagus.
block
party-sized one. Rage at my own stupidity overwhelmed me, and before I even realized what I was doing, I had picked up a piece of broken pottery and was throwing it as hard as I could at Senenmut’s head. He must’ve sensed the pot coming because he dodged my throw, letting the potshard explode into a million pieces as it hit the sarcophagus.
That was when I heard a
pop
. . . and then the lid to the damn thing fell off.
pop
. . . and then the lid to the damn thing fell off.
twenty-two
There was a blinding flash of light as the lid hit the ground. I covered my eyes with my hands, trying to block out the brightness, but the aftereffect lingered behind my eyelids. There was a rush of dry, hot wind that ruffled my hair and made my body start to sweat. This was followed by a barrage of small, sharp particles that stung every available piece of flesh on my person. The stinging lasted only a few minutes, but I felt as if my skin had been sandpapered off when it was over.
The wind began to die down, blowing with less intensity now that the stinging particles had ceased attacking me. Still worried that the wind might pick up again at any moment, but curious to see where the hell I was, I cracked open one eyelid. Nothing happened, so I opened the other eye, too. To my surprise, I found myself sitting in the middle of a desert, my body draped in the finest of white linens, leather thong sandals on my feet. I looked down at my arms, terrified that I would find the topmost layer of skin stripped away, but happily my skin was all in one unscathed piece.
“Welcome to Egypt.”
A long shadow cut across the sand and I looked up to find Senenmut standing above me, clad in the same white linen getup I was wearing—but this Senenmut was another man completely. He was so tan that his skin was the color of toasted almonds, and dark hair coiled thick and luxurious to his shoulders. The biggest change was how relaxed and rested he looked.
“This isn’t Egypt now, in my time, is it?” I asked as I stood up and brushed the sand off my butt. I noticed that the piece of linen I was wearing was cut
exactly
like one of my all-time favorite dresses: a silk Givenchy sheath that my mother had given me for my seventeenth birthday. I’d loved that dress so much I’d worn it until it disintegrated. Needless to say, I was superexcited to find myself wearing an ancient re-creation of it.
exactly
like one of my all-time favorite dresses: a silk Givenchy sheath that my mother had given me for my seventeenth birthday. I’d loved that dress so much I’d worn it until it disintegrated. Needless to say, I was superexcited to find myself wearing an ancient re-creation of it.
“And by the way, who makes these things?” I continued, indicating my new favorite dress.
Senenmut stared at me, then shrugged. I guess it was an ancient Egyptian fashion faux pas to ask who had designed one’s dress. I could just imagine Joan Rivers asking Cleopatra what designer she was wearing and getting an asp in her face for her trouble.
“Forget it,” I said. It wasn’t like I was gonna be here long enough to track the seamstress down anyway.
“I asked Amun-Ra to return me to the day that I died,” Senenmut said evenly. “We are in the Valley of the Kings.”
“Are you
crazy
?” I yelled at him, then quickly lowered my voice. “Why would you do that?”
crazy
?” I yelled at him, then quickly lowered my voice. “Why would you do that?”
We may have
looked
alone out here in the desert, but I didn’t believe for one second that we really were. Maybe it was because the Valley of the Kings had all those mummified bodies hidden in tombs beneath its sands—or maybe it was just me being paranoid, but I got the distinct feeling that someone, somewhere, was watching our every move with great intent.
looked
alone out here in the desert, but I didn’t believe for one second that we really were. Maybe it was because the Valley of the Kings had all those mummified bodies hidden in tombs beneath its sands—or maybe it was just me being paranoid, but I got the distinct feeling that someone, somewhere, was watching our every move with great intent.
I scanned the hills around us, noting that we weren’t just surrounded by sand. Here and there were eroded outcroppings of man-made brick—each one probably marked the entranceway to a sacred King or Queen’s burial place.
Creepy!
“I will find Hatshepsut and tell her of my journey. I will explain everything, and my ending will not be repeated,” Senenmut said, his words precise as bullets.
Wait just one little minute there, buddy!
I thought angrily.
Something smells pretty damn fishy in the State of Denmark and I think it’s you!
I thought angrily.
Something smells pretty damn fishy in the State of Denmark and I think it’s you!
I realized for the first time that I had just been taking what Senenmut told me at face value. I had just assumed that he wanted to see his lost love because he missed her and loved her, but now, from the rigid set of his jawline, I understood that what he had led me to believe might not be the
exact
truth.
exact
truth.
This man was on a mission, but not what I would call a
love mission
by any stretch of the imagination.
love mission
by any stretch of the imagination.
“Hold it right there,” I said as Senenmut began to trudge through the sand toward one of the outcroppings of brick. He stopped, his shoulders taut as a rubber band someone was just about to flick. He sighed and turned back around to face me.
“You’re a liar,” I said plainly, since there was no use beating around the bush. “You conned me, under false pretences, into letting you drag us all over Hell and high water looking for some woman who—for all I know—you might’ve made up to manipulate me into doing your bidding in the first place!”
“Calliope—” Senenmut tried to interject, but I poked him in the chest with my finger.
“You used my problems in the romance department to sucker me into buying something completely different than what I thought you were selling!”
Ashamed, Senenmut hung his head. He didn’t argue with me or tell me that I was totally off base with my assumptions. All he said was:
“She does exist.”
No offer of explanation, no begging for my forgiveness, just a three-word sentence that didn’t even go
halfway
toward an apology—which was exactly what I thought my little Egyptian friend totally owed me.
halfway
toward an apology—which was exactly what I thought my little Egyptian friend totally owed me.
“Go on,” I said, glaring at him.
He sighed again and I could see that he was mulling over in his brain how much he
really
needed to reveal to me.
really
needed to reveal to me.
“All of it!” I yelled, not caring who was listening—dead people be damned!
“As you wish,” Senenmut said resignedly.
“Damn straight I wish it,” I hissed at him.
“It is a long story and we do not have much time, so I will try to be precise,” Senenmut said.
I wanted to interrupt him with another snarky comment, but I decided that the best thing I could do given the situation was to just keep my mouth shut.
“You see,” Senenmut continued, “I fell out of favor with my one true love, the Queen Hatshepsut, and she condemned me to death. She was a wildly jealous woman, and I can imagine some members of her retinue whispering my imagined misdeeds into her ear to gain her favor.”
“So, you were a good boy and kept it in your pants, then?” I asked, expecting him to get all defensive on me.
“Why would I need another woman when she fulfilled every part of me?” he replied in all seriousness. “She was my best friend and my partner in both the literal and physical sense.”
I nodded. Obviously, this woman had it going on if she could keep a man like Senenmut madly in love with her for thousands of years.
“As the living consort of the all-powerful creator, Amun-Ra,” Senenmut continued, “Hatshepsut had ultimate power. With her hatred for me overflowing, she ordered me to be mummified while I was still alive and placed in the tomb of her beloved daughter, Neferura, for all eternity. This is how I know that she had not fully forsaken our love. Otherwise, she would not have placed me so close to the one she loved best, so that we all might meet again in the Afterlife.”
“Oh,” I said, not really sure what to make of Senenmut’s story. I didn’t think a girl who was still in love with a guy would have him mummified alive like that. Maybe castrated if she thought she was being cuckolded, but the murdering part didn’t sit quite right with me.
“There is more,” he continued, his eyes wide with remembered pain. “When my earthly body finally succumbed to starvation, I was greeted by Anubis and his twin, Bata—”
“I’ve always just called them the Jackal Brothers,” I interrupted. “I didn’t know they had different names.”
“They are so alike that there is none who can tell them apart,” Senenmut said. “But while they both represent Death, each one embodies a different aspect: Anubis sits in judgment, while Bata enforces that judgment.”
“Okay,” I said, shaking my head. “So, what happened when Anubis and his brother came to get you after you died?”
“The brothers told me that I had not respected Hatshepsut, Amun-Ra’s earthly consort, and for that they would punish me themselves. They refused to judge my heart and discover its worthiness. They knew if they did, they would be forced to let me pass into the Afterlife because all I had in my heart was my love for Hatshepsut. And that would be my redemption.”
“I knew those guys were just two jerkoids,” I said angrily.
Senenmut smiled wearily at me.
“But then you came to rescue me, and for that I thank the Gods,” he said. “Now I am free to find Hatshepsut, discover what I did to displease her, and save my past self from the horrible fate he will be forced to endure upon this day.”
“Look, I would love to help you out, Senenmut,” I said, “but I don’t think we really have time for this. If I had known that you were doing all this under false pretenses . . .”
I trailed off. It didn’t matter what I
would
or
wouldn’t
have done anymore—all of that was in the past now. And you can’t change the past, no matter how hard you try. That was what Senenmut didn’t understand.
This
was our future—albeit in the guise of the past—and all we could do was make smarter decisions from here on out.
would
or
wouldn’t
have done anymore—all of that was in the past now. And you can’t change the past, no matter how hard you try. That was what Senenmut didn’t understand.
This
was our future—albeit in the guise of the past—and all we could do was make smarter decisions from here on out.
I found the rubidium clock in a small pocket at the side of my sheath dress. Since it was a magical device, I wasn’t surprised to see that it had followed me through time.
“This clock tells me how long I have before I have to get you to Cerberus,” I said. “If I don’t get you there before it runs out, we will be in serious three-headed doggie doo-doo.”
Senenmut watched as I held up the clock and whispered to it:
“How much time is left?”
The numbers came to a stop and the tiny screen went black.
“That’s weird,” I said, shaking it. “Must’ve gotten messed up when we went back in time.”
Suddenly, a string of numbers flashed in front of me. I still had over six hours until Senenmut was due in Hell.
“What does it say?” Senenmut asked.
I looked up and smiled at him. I didn’t have the heart to begrudge him a few more hours in Egypt. Besides, what harm could it do? If things started to get out of hand, I’d just grab Senenmut and tell the little clock to take us to Cerberus.
“We have time,” I said. “So if you want to look for Hatshepsut for a few hours, I’m okay with it.”
Like I said, it was gonna be all about the decisions we made from here on in. Senenmut let out a whoop and grabbed me in a hug, swinging me around like a rag doll.
“I could kiss you,” Senenmut said, grinning like an idiot as he set me down, making me blush.
“Why don’t you save it for your lady love?” I replied, but his positive attitude was rubbing off on me.
“All right, just plant one right here,” I said, indicating my cheek. As Senenmut leaned forward to give my cheek a thank-you kiss, I saw a flash of white streak across the sand a few hundred feet away from us.
“Wait a minute,” I said, stopping Senenmut. “I just saw something over by those bricks.”
Instantly, Senenmut was on the alert. His swiveled his head around to see what I was pointing to, but there was nothing there.
“Are you sure you saw something?” he asked me. “Maybe you only imagined—”
He was interrupted by the whoosh of an arrow as it sliced the air between us, embedding itself in the sand at my feet.
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