Ennead: Ancient Bit: Part 15

Mana was nervous as she entered the Pharaoh’s bedchambers. Not because of where she was, or who she was talking to. The Pharaoh had been her friend since childhood and though she had to show the ‘proper’ respect in front of everyone else, when it was them alone, they could be more themselves.

No, the nervousness came from the Pharaoh, who was still recovering from the poison, which had taken three more doses of the antidote to leave her system entirely, asking for her to come alone to discuss recent events.

If the Pharaoh wanted to discuss what had happened with her and only her, Mana couldn’t help but worry that the Pharaoh had somehow learned about the lessons Ba-Khu-Ra had been giving her before she had left for Kul Elna and wanted to confront her before bringing the guards down on her head.

She knew she was being paranoid, but Mahad’s constant ranting about the ‘traitor,’ and how anyone who had associated with her and aided in the attempted assassination would lose their heads if he had his way was making her nervous.

She stepped into the bedchambers to find the Pharaoh was on her balcony, the one that overlooked the courtyard where the fight had taken place. As Mana stepped up cautiously, shutting the door most of the way behind her, the Pharaoh spoke up, her voice a little unsteady.

“Do you believe Ba-Khu-Ra is a traitor too?”

Mana paused to consider the question, wondering if she was expected to actually speak her mind, or just agree with the crowd.

“A simple yes or no would suffice.” The Pharaoh continued as she leaned against the railing, using it to support her weight instead of her still unsteady legs.

“May I speak my mind?” Mana asked her ruler, hoping for a positive answer.

“I would welcome it.” The Pharaoh snorted in reply, half turning to look at her.

“I think,” Mana started as she moved to her Pharaoh’s side, “That if Ba-Khu-Ra wanted you dead, she wouldn’t waste her time hiring mercenaries to kill you.”

“Finally.” The Pharaoh breathed, relief obvious, “Someone that agrees with me.”

“My Pharaoh?” Mana asked, confused.

“Everyone’s so focused on what the mercenary said, despite him admitting he never saw the face of the woman who hired him, that they’re blocking out any other options.” The Pharaoh pointed out, “I don’t believe she hired them for one simple reason.”

“Oh?” Mana asked, wondering if it was the same reason she could think of.

“If Ba-Khu-Ra wanted me dead, she wouldn’t hire someone to take me out with a quick acting poison.” The Pharaoh shrugged, “She’d do the deed herself, make it slow and painful and she would ensure that I knew every excruciating detail of why.”

“You are far too calm about that.” Mana wondered at the older teen.

“Sometimes it’s nice to know where the danger lies.” The Pharaoh explained, “At least with Ba-Khu-Ra I never had to worry about getting a dagger in the back. At least not after the first couple of months.” The Pharaoh sighed, “And if she wanted my demise, she had plenty of opportunities before she and Akhenaden went to Kul Elna. I was even alone with her the morning she left. Why not kill me then?”

“You believe someone’s making Ba-Khu-Ra the scapegoat.” Mana realized.

“Indeed.” The Pharaoh turned to look at her properly, “I’m no fool, Mana. I know what you and Ba-Khu-Ra were up to in your spare time and don’t bother lying about it.”

Mana, who had been about to try and cover her tracks closed her mouth.

“I want you to use those skills to find out who really hired those men and help me bring them to justice.” And clear Ba-Khu-Ra’s name was left unsaid but clear enough.

“My Pharaoh, what if it’s someone within the palace?” Mana asked, “Or one of your High Priests?”

“I highly suspect it is.” The Pharaoh grimaced, “Though once again I have no proof.”

“Akhenaden?” Mana yelped, before glancing around, double checking they couldn’t be overheard before continuing, “He wouldn’t be so foolish, surely? He’s already in disgrace.”

“My uncle stands to gain everything if I die.” The Pharaoh pointed out, “And by getting Ba-Khu-Ra blamed for the attempt, he removed a thorn from his side.”

“How do you want me to proceed?” Mana asked cautiously, well aware that Akhenaden could read minds, which made sneaking around him difficult at best.

“Carefully.” The Pharaoh’s reply made her smile slightly, “In the mean time I’m going to send a runner with a message for Ba-Khu-Ra. She needs to be made aware of the current situation. Preferably before Mahad arrives to arrest her.”

Ennead: Ancient Bits: Part 13

Ba-Khu-Ra glowered at the pile of bodies that she had left behind. The guards that had attacked her hadn't stood a chance of actually killing her after she had called forth Diabound and now there was just one guard still breathing.

"Who ordered you to attack me?" Ba-Khu-Ra demanded with a scowl, Diabound squeezing the man in his grip, causing a pained cry to escape the royal guard.

He didn't answer, instead he focused on trying to struggle free of the naga like, stone skinned creature's grip. Ba-Khu-Ra let out a frustrated growl and gestured to Diabound who tightened his crushing grip enough for Ba-Khu-Ra to hear a crack and the guard to screech.

"Now, as I was saying, who's orders were you acting on?"

"The Pharaoh's!" The guard yelped, "It was Pharaoh's orders."

"What?" That Ba-Khu-Ra hadn't expected. Akhenaden's probably, Shada's maybe, hell even Mahad was a possibility, but the Pharaoh herself? Why would the Pharaoh, who had been her friend for years, order her death now? It didn't make any sense, especially after the Pharaoh had supported her in court and promised to ensure that she got her revenge on the man who had murdered her people.

"The Pharaoh ordered us to kill you." The guard gasped, his breath short and pained before he paused to cough up blood, causing Ba-Khu-Ra to grimace as she realized she had punctured one of his lungs and he probably wouldn't be able to talk too much longer. "And bury the evidence Kul Elna ever existed."

Ba-Khu-Ra froze. She wouldn't. The Pharaoh couldn't. She had promised! Promised! That the people of Kul Elna would get justice and the afterlife they deserved. There was no way...

‘Except the Pharaoh had lived a lie her entire life. What was this in comparison to pulling the wool over the eyes of all of Egypt?’

No, the Pharaoh wasn't like that. They were friends. The Pharaoh had tried to help her get justice for years. There was no way that she would suddenly turn on her like this. There had to be a good reason for it.

"When did he give you those orders?" Ba-Khu-Ra demanded, glowering at the man, even now keeping her friend's secret from the dying Guard, hoping to get something out of the man that would give lie to his belief.

"Our commander met with the Pharaoh and he ordered your death." The Guard replied, "Along with the destruction of what was left of the village. He didn't want the truth of the Millennium Items getting out."

‘Of course the Pharaoh wouldn't. She lived her entire life under the creed 'what's best for the people.' She was pretending to be her brother in order to prevent chaos and rioting amongst the rabble. Imagine the nightmare that admitting how the Millennium Items were created would cause amongst the commoners.’

Except the Pharaoh had shown no signs of wanting to kill her when they had left the palace to come here.

‘Had she not? She sent you out into the desert with a man who hated her and a group of guards who had been sent to aid him. If it hadn't been for us,’ The voices reminded her, ‘You would have been killed.’

"You lie." The Pharaoh had supported her, upheld her side, argued with her High Priests about what should be done about the problem Akhenaden had caused and now needed to fix.

"No, I don't." The guard replied, "After all, why would a low life piece of scum ever think the Pharaoh would truly turn against his family and High Priests? He was never on your side. He just played you."

Ba-Khu-Ra's anger flared at that and she made a gesture to Diabound that had the creature crush the guard, killing him slowly and painfully as she stalked away, looking for any other targets she could annihilate.

‘The Pharaoh supported you.’ The voices agreed, ‘But that support was in a closed court where the only people who had heard what had happened to Kul Elna were the High Priests, you and Pharaoh herself. She had practically ordered you to keep what had happened to yourself and hasn’t told Seth or Mana, despite the fact that both were High Priests in training.

There was no way someone who lived a lie in order to prevent the country descending into chaos would want this secret free amongst the rabble. It made sense that she would try to get rid of the evidence and the only person who knew the truth outside of her court.’

Ba-Khu-Ra didn’t want to agree, but she could see the truth behind the voices.

’The Pharaoh is just as bad as her uncle. She would take away our only chance of moving on. Would keep the truth a secret and allow us to wander Duat for eternity in order to keep her power.’ The voices continued, weaving around Ba-Khu-Ra as they did so, ‘She betrayed you. Wants you dead. Broke her promise. She will send more men to finish the job when she hears you survived. We could destroy her. We SHOULD destroy her. Alongside everyone else who dares to use the items that we paid with our blood and souls to create. We can give you that power. All you have to do in exchange is gather the Millennium Items so we can be free. Free from our slavery and imprisonment. Free to move on.’

She knew she shouldn’t listen. Mahad had tried to teach her to block them out so she didn’t have to, but they made too much sense and they wanted to help her. Wanted to give her the power to take down the entire rotten court.

And she would do it. She had only stayed her hand this long because she thought that by working within the palace she could help the Pharaoh make things better and get her revenge on the men who had ruined her home and her life.

But the Pharaoh was a liar and a backstabber. She was as bad as the rest of her family and she should pay, just like the others. In fact Ba-Khu-Ra would make her suffer first…

‘Well?’The voices asked, ‘Will you accept our power?’

“Yes.” Ba-Khu-Ra nodded, “Yes, I will.”

  

Ennead: Past Troubles: Part 2

“You have about as much clue as I do.” Bakura grumbled. “And that is disturbing.” Honda let out a low, rumbling growl, frustration obvious. “You have no leads at all?”

“Nothing now.” Honda grumbled, “The last time we saw her, she was heading for yours to play games. So we assumed...”

“While I appreciate that someone remembers I’m the bad guy, I’m not actually at fault this time.” Bakura snorted, “I would be gloating a lot more if I was.”

“If you hear anything, anything at all...” Honda threatened.

“I’ll let you know.” Bakura promised, crossing her fingers behind her back.

Honda didn’t look like he believed her. She wasn’t surprised but she didn’t really care. She had much bigger things to worry about. Her Ring wasn’t working properly and no one had seen the Pharaoh’s brat since yesterday afternoon.

Despite her reassurance to Honda, she couldn’t be sure if Yugi was alive or not. Without some way of tracking the brat, she had no easy way to find out either. If the blasted Pharaoh had gotten herself killed she was going to get very, very drunk. She was pretty sure that Jonouchi and Honda would join her, possibly Mutou-san too.

If Yugi wasn’t dead however and had just gotten herself into some mess that had distracted her all night, she soon would be. Bakura would quite happily end her for worrying her Landlord and failing to check in with anyone.

Well. School could wait. Her Landlord had high enough grades that skipping a day of class wouldn’t do much damage and it shouldn’t take her long to find her target. She had been a Queen amongst thieves, she had found treasures and riches beyond a normal thief’s wildest dreams, broken into supposedly untouchable tombs, and discovered secret stores and hidden libraries long before she had ever gotten her hands on the Ring.

She didn’t need the Millennium Ring to find her treasure. It was just one of the many ‘cheats’ in her possession that made her life easier.

She would just have to do it the old fashioned way. Through research, footwork and hard graft. It would take her longer but with the Puzzle at the end of the trail it would be worth it.

Ennead: Ancient Bits: Part 12

Returning to Kul Elna was a lot harder than she had thought it would be and she couldn’t decide if it was because she had been away for so long, or whether it was because her mage training was making her sensitive to things she had missed when she had left.

On the plus side the voices were leaving her alone. Instead they had joined forces with the spirits trapped within the village boundaries to torment Akhenaden and his group of men. While she felt slightly sorry for the men who had done nothing wrong, it did give her some much needed respite from the voices.

As she stalked around the remains of the village, haunting it like any other ghost that hadn’t been laid to rest, she came across a building she recognised far too well. She slipped inside the mostly collapsed shell and moved towards the more unstable back of the building. When she had left Kul Elna, she had hidden away what little she had left along with the giant stone tablet they had used to create the Millennium Items, down in the cellar of this building.

The former tavern’s spacious basement had been specifically dug to be difficult to access from the surface and its entrance had been deliberately hidden even before she had gotten Diabound to put a giant stone in front of it.

She was much stronger now, mentally, magically and physically and still she required a hand from her Ka beast to move the massive boulder. The pair of them rolled it aside and Ba-Khu-Ra slipped inside, carefully making her way down the sand coated stone stairwell.

The dark atmosphere was thicker at the bottom of the stairs, the power within the air almost thick enough to cut with a knife. The spirits guarding the stuff she had left behind, swarmed forward only to part before her, bowing slightly as she passed.

She was almost a queen amongst the ghosts of Kul Elna. They looked to her to get revenge for them and help them move on. She was just pleased that she could finally fulfil part of the oath she had taken to do just that.

“Don’t break the Guards too badly.” She spoke to the spirits that seemed to ‘lead’ the ghosts of her people, “Feel free to torment Akhenaden as much as you like, as long as he can still function. He’s been sent here to ensure you lot get to move on.” She could feel the shock in the air as the spirits nodded and the small pack of ghosts in the basement faded away, the power in the air mostly fading away with them.

She set up her sleeping gear near the tablet, certain that no one else would bother venturing down here unless they were suicidal. Unlike the guards and Akhenaden, she knew what the bandits were like in the local area.

She would be much safer underground than she would in their camps. They were more than welcome to join her down here if they found it and could survive the spirits, but for now she would stay safe and they could deal with the local trouble makers.

Ennead: Past Troubles: Part 1

The Pharaoh’s brat was an obnoxious, rude, selfish person and Bakura was looking forward to laying into her. When you made plans to play a game with someone and they went out of their way to set up the board and prepare for a evening of gaming, including providing food, it was rude to not turn up and it was even ruder to not answer your phone when someone rang it ten or eleven times.

Not that Bakura had been worried, but her Landlord had been freaking out when Yugi hadn’t shown up for their pre-planned gaming session and then had been unreachable and she hated when her Landlord was unhappy. It made her life difficult.

As such she was looking forward to catching the brat before school and biting her head off. She would deserve it.

Of course she wasn’t quite prepared for Honda to stalk over to her, grab her by the collar and shove her against the lockers, fist raised as if ready to strike.

“What did you do to Yugi?”

“Okay.” Bakura twisted out of his grip and glowered at him, “For me to have done anything to Yugi she would actually have had to have shown up, so do you mind explaining what the hell you mean?”

“Wait, Yugi didn’t go to yours last night?” Honda suddenly looked a lot more worried.

“If I had beaten the Pharaoh, do you think I’d still be here?” Bakura pointed out.

Honda grimaced, having to concede she had a point. “Yugi didn’t make it home last night.”

“And no one thought to ring me?” Bakura growled at him, “I do have a phone. And you know where I live.”

“Jonouchi was out all night looking for her and didn’t think to let anyone else know until Anzu showed up at the shop and found Ojiisan panicking like mad.”

Bakura snatched up her Ring, holding it level as she growled, “Find Mutou Yugi.” The item glowed for a few seconds, the triangles surrounding it wavering for a moment before the glow died and the shapes fell limp without giving a clear direction. “Find the Millennium Puzzle.” Same reaction, “Find the Pharaoh’s host.” Once again nothing, “Find that bloody brat who keeps getting in my way and won’t let me take her item.” Nothing again.

“I thought you could find anyone with that thing.” Honda scowled.

“I can.” Bakura admitted, “Unless they’re...” She paused for a second, took a deep breath and then, “Find Mutou Yugi’s corpse.” She was almost relieved when she got the same reaction as trying to find a living Yugi. “Well she ain’t dead.”

“So where is she?” Honda demanded.

“You have about as much clue as I do.” Bakura grumbled. “And that is disturbing.”

Ennead: Ancient Bit: Part 10

If there was one good thing to have come out of the former Pharaoh’s demise, it was that Akhenaden had been the last person to see him alive before he had suddenly sickened and died. This meant that the Pharaoh could openly have him investigated and finally confront him about the truth of the items directly.

“My Pharaoh,” Akhenaden sounded panicked more than anything as he was confronted in a closed court that involved just the High Priests, Ba-Khu-Ra, representing the wronged parties, and the Pharaoh herself, “I have only ever done what is best for Egypt!”

“Then explain yourself.” The Pharaoh demanded coldly from her throne, “Explain what it was you did without holding anything back. The Scales will tell us if you’re lying.”

He didn’t. Not one word he uttered was a falsehood. He didn’t keep back how he had picked Kul Elna, the village of thieves, to be the tribute needed to save the country. Nor did he lie about how he had to brainwash some, but not all, of the men he had taken with him to make them follow his directions.

Ba-Khu-Ra listened, trembling with rage, as he spoke about slaughtering her people, using their blood to power the ritual to create the Millennium Items that had saved Egypt during the last great war. She even just about managed to keep herself in check as he described sending his men to wipe out every last man, woman and child.

It wasn’t until he admitted to burning down the entire village to destroy every last piece of evidence, including the bodies of her entire village, dooming them to an eternity in Duat, that she snapped, Diabound appearing and only not killing the man because the Pharaoh’s own summoned monster got between Diabound and its target.

“Ba-Khu-Ra!” The Pharaoh’s tone was sharp, echoing the pain the former thief’s Ka beast had inflicted on her summoned creature, “Stay your hand.”

“You heard him. He deserves death!” The girl snarled, her naga like creature snarling at the Pharaoh’s warrior on horseback.

“Death may well still be the sentence.” The Pharaoh informed her, glowering at her uncle who trembled under her gaze, “But I have a task for him first.”

“But I have waited years for retribution!” Ba-Khu-Ra protested, causing the Priests to murmur angrily about her disrespect.

“And you will have it.” The Pharaoh swore, causing her uncle to pale, “But not until he’s ensured that your people will get their chance at journeying through the afterlife.”

“My Pharaoh?” Ba-Khu-Ra asked, startled. Was she seriously promising to ensure that the people of Kul Elna weren’t left as wandering spirits for the rest of eternity? Was that even possible when the bodies were no longer available for burial?

“I swear, Ba-Khu-Ra, that the people of your village will get justice.” The Pharaoh promised, “And their eternal rest, as is their due. However,” Ba-Khu-Ra grimaced as the Pharaoh turned to her uncle, the God King’s tone softening slightly, “He was doing what he thought was best for Egypt and it is true the country would have fallen without the Millennium Items. It is because of this that I must allow him this chance to atone for his crimes, by making him set the wrongs right with his own hands.” She looked at the former thief, something in her gaze asking the other girl to understand, “Under your supervision, of course.”

The thief turned mage smirked at that announcement. The Pharaoh was trusting her to judge when Akhenaden had atoned? Then he would be working for the rest of his natural life for there was nothing he could possibly do that would make up for his crimes. It wasn’t as satisfying as killing him but she would enjoy watching him try even if the voices that had haunted her since the destruction of her village screamed for his blood.

“Th...Thank you, my Pharaoh.” Akhenaden stammered, bowing low to Egypt’s ruler. “Thank you for this chance.”

“Just don’t make me regret it.”

Ennead: Ancient Bit: Part 9

“Go away!”

Mahad let out a sigh. As a first order went, that was pretty clear, however... “I’m sorry, my Pharaoh, but I can’t follow that order.”

“Don’t...” A half sob emerged from the room he was trying to enter, a stifled, half hidden sound that spoke of someone attempting to deny grief, attempting to stand strong when all that was wanted was time and solitude so that their collapse into misery went unnoticed. “Just go away, Mahad.”

Despite her words he couldn’t let his friend bare this alone. Though Mahad could not have known that her father would sicken and die within a day of learning the truth of the Millennium Items and confronting his brother, he could not help but feel responsible for the former Pharaoh’s death.   

The priest took a deep breath, well aware that, should she desire, the newly crowned Pharaoh could have him killed without a moment’s notice. Then he pushed open the door and stepped into the darkened chamber within. The sun had long set, but none of the torches within had been lit. The inhabitant of the room, who had fled there the moment her duties had been done, didn’t want the light.

It took Mahad’s eyes a few moments to adjust and he left the door ajar to allow some of the light from the hallway into the room.

Once he could make out outlines in the darkness, he moved towards the lump on the bed, avoiding the discarded regalia as he did so. He sat next to the lump, which was facing away from the door.

“My Pharaoh.” Mahad put his hand on her shoulder gently, aware that he had already crossed the line and that this was sacrilege. Touching the Pharaoh without their permission was punishable by death but he had already refused to follow orders and entered the Pharaoh’s bedchambers without permission. At this point he was already risking death. “I’m sorry...”

A loud sob escaped the girl on the bed. That was the only warning he got before she wheeled around and latched onto him, sobbing into his chest. Mahad hesitated for just a moment before wrapping his arms around her, letting the distraught ruler cry herself out.

“It’ll be okay.” He murmured, rubbing her back, “It’ll all be okay.”

He stayed there, holding the sobbing Pharaoh until she cried herself to sleep, and then laid her down gently and moved away from the bed, pausing by the shadows near the door, where a figure was hiding.

“I’ll look after her.” Ba-Khu-Ra promised from her hiding place, “Go settle the morons. I won’t let anyone disturb her until she’s ready to deal with them.”

“Thank you.” Mahad was surprised by her willingness to do this for the Pharaoh.

“I’m not doing this for you, I’m doing this for her.” Ba-Khu-Ra snapped. “Now go.”

For once Mahad didn’t object to the former thief trying to order him around. Instead he went to deal with the fallout and left the slumbering Pharaoh in the care of the one person in the entire palace that he could actually trust not to bend to the other High Priests.

Ennead: Ancient Bit: Part 8

She had expected Mahad to be insufferable when he had finally taken his place amongst the High Priests of the Pharaoh and took on a Millennium Item.

She hadn’t expected him to enter her room in the palace, pale and wide eyed, trembling like a leaf, and sit down on her chair, his voice trembling as he spoke, “Ba-Khu-Ra... I...”

“So you finally believe me?” The thief turned temporary ‘servant to the Crown Prince’ so she could be around for the investigation the Princess was pushing, asked as she took in Mahad’s demeanour.

“Y...Yes.” Mahad’s tone echoed his disgust and disbelief as he stared at the Millennium Item in his hand. “How could the Pharaoh do something like that?” He asked, staring at her, eyes still wide, “How could he...?”

“Apparently he couldn’t. He had to send his brother to do it for him, remember?” Ba-Khu-Ra growled, pacing the room.

“I’m going to demand an audience with the Pharaoh.” Mahad decided, “He needs to be told if he doesn’t know already.”

“Why not let her highness confront him? She’s less likely to get the...” Ba-Khu-Ra drew her hand across her throat. “Not that I mind if you want to put your head on the chopping block, but I have plans to fulfil before I die.”

“Because I don’t want the Princess involved.” Mahad shook his head, “Considering the lengths they went to bury this information, I doubt even she would be safe and Egypt needs her.”

“Huh.” Ba-Khu-Ra supposed that made some kind of sense. As much as she wanted the Pharaoh and his brother to pay for their crimes, the anarchy that would befall Egypt if there was no heir when the Pharaoh died wasn’t worth it.

“I’ll go.” Mahad straightened himself out, “I can show him the proof using the Millennium Ring and he’ll have to atone for what he has done.”

“I’ll come with you.” Ba-Khu-Ra surprised Mahad by deciding. “I’ve been waiting for years for someone to confront the Pharaoh with proof and I wouldn’t miss this for the world. Besides someone has got to watch your back. I can’t be bothered to break in a new minion at this point.”

“I am not your minion.” Mahad scowled at her.

“No,” Ba-Khu-Ra allowed, “But you are her highness’s and between the pair of us, we’ve got you well trained.”

Mahad just stared at her for a moment longer before a small smile settled on his features, “Alright, but I’m not sure you’ll want to see the illusion when I show him...”

“The illusion would be nothing compared to living it and I’ve done that already.” The former thief shrugged, “Let’s go.”

Ennead: Ancient Bit: Part 4

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

“So...” Ba-Khu-Ra asked as she hovered around the Princess’s bed, unwilling to go too far while everyone was watching her carefully. “Does this mean I won?”

“No.” The girl shook her head, winced and brought a hand to the back of her head where it had hit the marble floor, “We got caught.”

“We were in the treasury.” Ba-Khu-Ra hissed, irritated despite the bag of gold and jewels hidden in her tunic. “I won.”

“No, we were in the doorway so technically neither of us won.” The Princess hissed back, “And I just saved your life, so a little gratitude would be nice.”

“Gratitude?” Ba-Khu-Ra snapped back, keeping her tone low, “When you’re trying to screw me out of my treasure?”

“Look,” The Princess glowered at her, her own voice barely above a whisper, “I’ve just gotten you permission to study magic with MY teacher. And I can see that full bag, the guards might have missed the extra lump in your clothes but I haven’t. You’re not as hard done by as you’re making...”

The thief scowled and moved away as the physician darted into the room and came straight over to their patient. He was closely followed by Mahad, who, though Abasi called him over, first darted over to the Princess’s side where he got into a very quiet but very intense conversation before he was politely shooed away by the healer.

“Outside.” Mahad growled at her, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her out. When Ba-Khu-Ra dug her heels in, he leaned in and whispered, “Unless you want me to tell the guards your secret.”

“I’ll tell them hers if you do.” Ba-Khu-Ra subtly gestured towards the bed.

Realisation settled on Mahad’s face, then anger. “Outside now.” He snapped, one hand reaching for the bronze dagger at his belt, the other still wrapped around her arm.

She was pretty sure she could take him in a fight. He was softer than her, more spoilt from the life inside the palace and while he had obviously been trained to defend himself and his charge, she was pretty sure that he would fight fair while she never had.

She followed him out of the room and down the corridor. Amusingly in the time it took them to find an out of the way corner, she had already worked out six different escape routes, none of which required magic to use.

“I should kill you.” Mahad snapped at her the instant they were alone and could not be overheard, drawing his dagger.

Bakura responded by stamping on his foot, forcing him to let her go. She slipped straight into the darkness, vanishing with practised ease but sticking close enough for him to hear her voice. “If your Princess wanted me dead, she could have had me killed already. But perhaps I’m not the one you should contemplate ending.” She moved around the room, circling him, keeping him off balance, “There’s far worse than me within your walls. But then I’m the only one who knows the evil for what it is.”

“What do you mean?” Mahad demanded, concerned and confused and still angry.

“Look into your priests and your precious golden treasures. And try asking about a village called Kul Elna.” Ba-Khu-Ra taunted, “Perhaps you’ll know what I know by the time I come back for my magic lessons. Or maybe not. Perhaps you’re just as blind as the rest of them.” With that she was gone, slipping into the darkness with practised ease and escaping out of the nearest window.

Ennead: Ancient Bit 3

Part 1
Part 2

“What’re you going to do now, brat?”

Ba-Khu-Ra tried to twist free of the man holding her, only to stop when his blade bit into her throat and her right arm was twisted further up her back, causing her shoulder to ache. A grimace worked its way across her features as her Ka beast stopped, mid-attack and turned to glower at her captor.

“You thought you’d finished me off, didn’t you?” The man sounded like he was smirking as he forced her to move forward, towards his boss who was watching her like she was a puzzle. “This is what you get,” He twisted her arm further, forcing a hiss of pain out of her as her shoulder went from aching to screaming, “For being such a smug...”

“Menes.” His boss snapped at him, “Don’t taunt the mage brat.” The woman came forward, one eye on Diabound, who was hesitant to try anything with his summoner held hostage, and one eye on the thief girl who had wiped out six of her seven goons.

“So, who are you kid?” She asked, looking Ba-Khu-Ra over, “One of the priest spawn? An illegitimate brat of the Pharaoh’s?”

“Don’t insult me.” Ba-Khu-Ra snapped at her, pain mingling with disgust at the suggestion to make her voice sharp and her eyes narrow. “I’m not related to any of these assholes.” Especially not the blasted Princess, who had fled at the first opportunity.

“So who are you?” The woman asked again, amused by the vehemence shown by the kid, “Because I’d like to know your name before I kill you for ruining my heist.”

“Me?” Ba-Khu-Ra let out a bark of laughter despite her irritation, “Ruined your job? You have any idea how long I planned this job? You’re the one who ruined mine!”

“You’re a thief?” The woman seemed to do a double take, “A mage brat? I don’t...”

The woman was cut off by an agonised bellow from Menes. He dropped the knife, allowing Ba-Khu-Ra to pull free and turn to find out what had happened.

To her shock Menes had a dagger sticking out of his side and the Princess, who she had thought long gone, was stood there, anger obvious on her features.

Menes, when he realised what had happened, lashed out, punching the Princess in the face, causing her to go crashing to the floor where she slammed her head against the marble stones and blacked out. Before he could advance on the unconscious girl, Diabound had picked him up and chucked him into the huge stone doors, which he hit with a crack.

The woman thief who had ruined Ba-Khu-Ra’s plans backed up, suddenly looking rather worried as she stared at the huge, grey skinned naga like creature.

“I’m not only a thief.” Ba-Khu-Ra informed her, smirking despite her plans having gone completely to pot, “I’m the best there is. Now, Diabound!” She gestured forward and the woman had time to let out a shriek before Diabound blew her away.

“Damn it.” Ba-Khu-Ra grumbled as the smoke from the blast dissipated, revealing all that was left was some ash, “She made me melt some of the treasure.” She knelt down by some of the melted gold and grimaced at the mess that was left as she collected a small bag of gold and jewels that she hid in her tunic, planning on coming back for more later.

“Wake up.” Ba-Khu-Ra nudged the Princess with her foot, wanting to rub in the fact that they had gotten into the treasury without getting caught by the guards. “Oi!”

“Halt!” Ba-Khu-Ra scowled as the guards finally arrived, having missed the action but in plenty of time to still catch her. She looked around for her Ka beast only to find it had dismissed itself and she didn’t have the energy left to call it up a third time this evening.

There was a pack of them at the door, headed by one of the Priests, a short, broad man with hair in three shades of grey that seemed to fly out in almost every direction under the headpiece, Millennium Rod in hand. Two of them checked over the mook that had crashed into the door as the rest entered the room, swords pointed at Ba-Khu-Ra.

It was the priest who reacted the most though as he spotted the form collapsed on the floor. “My Prince!” He shoved Ba-Khu-Ra aside, into the waiting arms of the guards and knelt by the girl, checking her over carefully and shaking her to try and get a response, “Wake up! Please!”

A pained groan emerged from the false Prince, causing relief to cross the priest’s features. The elderly man turned to glower at Ba-Khu-Ra as one of the guards scooped up the girl on the ground. “Who’re you?”

The girl glared back. The man before her held a Millennium Item, that meant he was one of those who were benefiting from what had happened to her home and her family. If he wanted to take her in, or take her down, she wasn’t going to let him do so easily. Tired or not, she would summon Diabound again and destroy herself to kill him if she had to.

“Abasi...” The priest paused, half turning to the dazed looking ‘Prince’ whose eyes were half open, unfocused and staring at him. “She’s one of the magic students.”

“My Prince?” Abasi asked, confused, “I don’t believe...”

“Are you questioning me?” The ‘Prince’ snapped, regal authority in her tone despite her current position. “I know who I study with. She IS one of Mahad’s students.”

“I understand, my Prince.” Abasi nodded, herding Ba-Khu-Ra out of the treasury, the guard carrying the Princess following, “Though you might want to inform Mahad of that fact.”

Ennead: Ancient Bit: Part 2

“Wait.” The Princess hissed, frowning as she poked her head around the corner before pulling Ba-Khu-Ra behind a statue where she could occasionally see the doors.

“What?” The frustrated thief hissed back. It had looked like a clear run to the open door at the end of the corridor.

“That’s the treasury.” The Princess snapped at her, gesturing towards the doors. “That door’s not supposed to be open and there are supposed to be guards there. No one goes in there at this time of night. Not unless it’s an emergency.”

Ba-Khu-Ra scowled. So she was right and things up to this point had been too easy. Then she realized something else and glowered at the Princess. “You cheated!”

“What?” Honest shock crossed across the girl’s features.

“You knew we couldn’t get inside without being seen!” Ba-Khu-Ra snarled, trying to keep her tone down, “You cheated!”

“I would never cheat!” The Princess shook her head, anger sinking in, “I assumed you’d have a plan for distracting guards.”

Ba-Khu-Ra didn’t believe her. The girl’s whole life was based on lies, why wouldn’t she tell but another one? Still the game was not over yet, and she was determined to get her gold. She edged down the corridor towards the open door, the Princess following with a speed and silence that the thief had come to expect.

As she got closer she could hear voices coming from the treasury, along with the sounds of a lot of coins being moved.

“Gods below…” She heard the Princess hiss and quickly glanced over at what she was staring at. Her lips pursed as she realized that there was no space to hide behind the next statue because there was a pile of bodies stacked up behind it. She couldn’t tell if the guards were breathing or not, but it was obvious that they would not be stopping the thieves any time soon.

“Shut up.” Bakura hissed at the girl, wheeling around to glower at her, “Unless you want us to get caught.”

“I need to alert the…” The Princess trailed off at the smirk on Ba-Khu-Ra’s face, “What?”

“You alert the guards, you lose and I get to tell everyone your little secret.” The thief reminded her.

“But…” The Princess scowled, flashbacks of the last time someone had snuck into the palace and the guards hadn’t been alerted in time playing through her mind. “What do you suggest then? Because if you want to win we have to get through that door without getting caught.”

Ba-Khu-Ra considered her options. She could just call Diabound and use its powers to walk through the walls. That would get her in, but the Princess had specifically said ‘through the door’ and she did not doubt she would use any technicality possible to avoid paying out.

“Stay here.” She snapped at the royal brat before edging towards the door, carefully taking note of the numbers inside the great chamber even as the amount of gold and jewels within dazzled her. Seven men answered to one woman. She would be impressed at the level of organization she could see going on as the woman directed the men to the more valuable but small objects if they weren’t interfering in her own plans.

Instead she scowled as she tried to work out how to enter the room via the doors without being seen. The Princess may claim that she never cheated and never lost, but she was no slouch at games herself and this was the one game that she had grown up learning how to play. She was not going to lose here.

She retreated back to the statue where the Princess was waiting, as per instructions. Just as she had followed Ba-Khu-Ra’s rules all the way down here. The thief was actually surprised though, this time, that she hadn’t gone running for the guards.

“Well?” The Princess asked, looking like she was contemplating something herself.

“Follow my lead exactly and be silent.” Ba-Khu-Ra informed the girl, “There’s a way in.”

“Alright.” The Princess nodded, following the commoner’s lead as she emerged cautiously from their hiding place and edged towards the door. They were halfway through it, literally in the doorframe, when a shout went up from the woman and all of her mooks turned to look at them.

“Uh oh…”

Light Amongst Shadows Part 28

The monster stepped towards her and Oneesan ripped out the drips before turning and running down the corridor. The minotaur followed, picking up speed as it ran after her. Luckily for Oneesan it did not corner as well as she did, even injured as she was, allowing her to gain ground as it crashed into the walls and pillars at every junction.

“Damn it.” Oneesan snarled as she had to duck behind a different nurse’s station to catch her breath, her side aching from both the bruising Imoto-chan had gained earlier and the exertion as she took great, heaving breaths. “Can’t... Keep...Running...”

It was a good job she had decided that because the monster had decided that it had had enough of going around things and was just going to go through them. It ripped the nurse’s station in two with its huge axe, leaving Oneesan with little to no time to get to her feet and escape.

Left with no choice but to try and fight for her life against a gigantic foe, the Pharaoh blasted it with magic. It staggered backwards, bellowing in pain, but before Oneesan could move, there were shouts from down the corridor and she had to duck behind the remains of the station as the security arrived and put several rounds in the creature.

They seemed to go through the monster, causing enraged cussing to erupt from the men, even as it turned its focus on them. Its prey was cornered after all, it had time for sport.

Oneesan shut the link between herself and her little sister as the monster charged down the corridor and struck at the men. Imoto-chan did not need to hear or see what was happening and she could not bring herself to inflict it on the lighter half of her soul.

She launched herself out of hiding and drew on the power of the item around her neck, feeling an odd disconnect as the dark and dangerous powers of the Puzzle tried to draw strength from a mind that was not entirely coherent. Without a single command the magic seemed to know what she wanted and the Dark Magician appeared at her side, real enough for the men to see him and realise who she was.

“Move!” Oneesan ordered as her most trusted monster built up for an attack.

The men were not foolish. Those who knew the game, knew that the Dark Magician packed a punch. While those who did not saw a man building up a ball of energy and did not want to see what would happen if they were hit by it. The moment they were out of the way the magician struck, its attack striking the beast directly.

The creature exploded into fragments, or rather an image of it did, leaving behind a man in a robe not unlike the ones she had dealt with earlier.

Before she could get any answers from the barely conscious mook, who was being taken into custody, a sharp, agonising pain struck as something stabbed her from behind and her whole world tumbled into darkness.

When she awoke again, it was after the weirdest dream she had ever had, one which involved time travellers, two other ‘Queens of Games’ and a man named Paradox. It was also to find both Jou and her grandfather were at her bedside, waiting for her to wake up.

“Yuge!” Jou looked relieved, barely restraining himself from hugging her, “Thank Kami.”

“What happened?” Oneesan asked, nudging Imoto-chan and wondering who had put the Puzzle back on them.

“According to security someone stabbed you while you were distracted by the huge monster.” Jou stated matter of factly. “One of the ‘ShadowSword’ lot.”

“That explains a lot.” The spirit of the Puzzle winced as she tried to sit up, the action pulling on her wounds. Sugoroku pushed her back onto the bed, a gentle but worried smile on his face as he ruffled her hair, obviously worried about her, but being careful not to aggravate her injuries.

“I do wish you had warned me you were getting mixed up with that lot.” The elderly man sighed, “I’ve run afoul of them before.”

“You have?” Oneesan and Jou both blinked at him, confusion obvious.

“Is there anyone you haven’t run up against?” Jou asked the man who treated him like a grandson.

“When you get to my age you find you’ve made a great deal of friends but even more enemies.” Sugoroku replied. “Now, both of you settle down and listen. I suppose I had better explain what I know...”