2

The initial sensation of instantaneous travel was, to put it bluntly, not pleasant. It was fortunate Adil was not awake, or the large man would have definitely been sick, so soon after drinking from an urn. As it was, Mertrashida had the misfortune of dry-retching for several minutes before the nausea faded.

As abhorrent as the feeling was, it was still not totally unwelcome; with its arrival came the knowledge that Mertrashida had been successful. Opening her eyes, Mertrashida looked around at the darkness, the still air against her skin indicating that she was inside.

Being so late, Mertrashida had been tired for quite some time, but afraid to rest. Now that she was hopefully very far away from the troubles of Egypt, she finally felt safe to fall asleep, so she shuffled around in the dark a little and lay on the cold, hard ground, passing out within a few moments.

When she finally woke, sunlight filtered through here and there from above, allowing her to see enough to identify the vaguely familiar interior of an old cave.

Shrugging to herself, Mertrashida glanced over at the sack of urns. For the first time, it occurred to her that she didn’t know what form of Umbra lay within most of them. Noticing that Adil had either still not returned from meeting his Umbra or simply hadn’t woken, Mertrashida reasoned that she had ample time to sort through the urns.

Retrieving the sack from its resting place by Adils side, Mertrashida moved away from the cave centre and settled on a place near the rock wall. She placed the sack down on the dirt and sat beside it before picking up urns one by one and standing them in a line before her.

Air. Form. Sense. Metal. Electricity. Gravity. Regeneration. Light. Flora. Bone. Flesh. Shadow. Ice. Mimic. Decay. Blood. Spirit. Water. Gas. Dimension. Fauna. Earth. 

As she examined each urn and considered the powers they contained, Mertrashida was taken aback by how dangerous some sounded. Still, she continued until the sack was empty, and then counted the urns.

Twenty-two urns sat on the ground before her. Including those bonded to herself and Adil, Mertrashida had managed to steal twenty-four urns out of the thirty that had been prepared. Thinking back, Mertrashida recalled the urns that had been taken away before she could snatch them.

Change. Life. Death. Luck.

With those four had been a fifth, one she had been unable to see. Finally, that left the Umbra bonded to Setesh, which was quite apparent.

Fire.

With only one of the thirty urns being unknown, and only five being under the control of Osiris, Mertrashida began to feel a little more confident in her mission.

 

The mission in question, of course, was to form a team of warriors ready to take on Osiris and his people. She had no way of knowing how complicated things would soon become.

 

Back in Waset, Osiris was preparing to bond with an Umbra alongside his wife, Isis. They sat together in the Great Temple, alone save for several brown-robed disciples, and Ndidi, Isis and Osiris’ personal servant. Osiris rested his hand on his wife’s upper leg, casting her a glance. She returned his look with a more anxious one, cupping her hand over his as she smiled lightly.

‘You are happy with your choice, yes?’ Osiris spoke softly into her ear.

Isis nodded.

‘Life and Death… They may as well have been born for this moment.’

Osiris nodded, satisfied at her words.

‘Ndidi!’ He barked. The servant glided gracefully to his side, awaiting further instruction.

‘Our urns,’ Osiris stated simply.

Ndidi spun on her heel and walked away, returning moments later with an urn in each hand. Kneeling before her masters, she held up her hands in offering, head down.

Osiris stretched out his hand first. His fingers wrapped around the urn before him as Isis leaned forward and claimed hers in turn. Glancing at the symbol on the front of Osiris’ urn, Isis hesitantly turned her own in her hands for a moment, before clasping the lid and looking to Osiris as Ndidi scrambled aside.

Osiris returned his wife’s gaze and mimicked her actions, clasping the lid of his own urn.

             ‘Are you ready?’ He asked, his mouth twisting slightly in a smile.

Returning her husband’s smile, Isis nodded, and the pair cracked the seals of their urns, almost simultaneously lifting the urns to their lips and tipping them back.

The thought that it was Nephthys’ blood they were drinking was not lost on Isis, but she powered through with the knowledge that it would cease to matter all too soon. She finished drinking the contents of her urn and looked at Osiris, wiping the blood from her lips as she did so.

Osiris, for his part, had no issues with drinking Nephthys’ blood. The one problem he did have, though, was far more troubling.

His urn, the urn containing the Death Umbra, was all but completely empty.

The last thing Isis saw before succumbing to the pull of her newly consumed Umbra was Osiris rising from his seat and throwing his urn in frustration,before cursing loudly and turning to face Ndidi.

 

It was some time before Isis would wake again. In that time, she was carried to her quarters and placed upon her bed to rest comfortably while Osiris launched an investigation into the missing Umbra.

Calling all his disciples before him, Osiris began with a tirade of cursing at the mass of brown-robed figures before him. Behind him, a frightened Ndidi stood in the shadows, keeping herself out of Osiris' way.

Once he had yelled enough, Osiris took a deep breath in and sighed.

             ‘Who is responsible for this mess?

The only answer he received was silence, so he decided to try again.

‘Who among you was guarding the urns?’

After a moment’s hesitation, one of the disciples stepped forward. Osiris peered at the man studiously.

‘You?’ He asked.

The disciple shook his head quickly as Osiris’ hand began to reach for his weapon, a peculiar-looking blue and gold flail slotted into a loop on his robe.

             ‘No, my lord. I merely wish to tell you that it was High Disciple Din who was tasked with watching the urns.’

Osiris paused for a moment, then lowered his hand.

             ‘Very well. Where is he?’

The disciple looked to his brown-robed companions and back, shrugging.

             ‘I am unsure, my lord.’

Annoyance flashed on Osiris’ face for a moment before he regained his composure.

             ‘Find him for me. All of you,’ he added, looking around to the other disciples, before turning on the spot and walking away.

 

Osiris reached his shared quarters just after Isis began to stir. He sat on the edge of the bed, reaching over and stroking her cheek as her eyes opened.

             ‘How do you feel?’

Isis blinked a few times and then refocused on her husband’s face as he moved his hand down to clasp her own.

             ‘Like I never slept poorly in my life,’ she smiled.

Osiris shook his head.

             ‘I was talking about the Umbra,’ he responded, searching her eyes.

Isis frowned for a second and then pushed herself up into a sitting position. She seemed about to answer, then changed her mind and the subject.

             ‘Never mind that. What went wrong with yours?

Osiris’ face broke into a scowl at the mention.

             ‘Somebody beat me to it… The cursed urn was empty.’ He sighed in annoyance and squeezed Isis’ hand more tightly for a moment. ‘The robes are tracking down High Disciple Din as we speak so I may question him about his responsibilities.’

Isis frowned as the news was relayed to her, concern rightfully evident on her face. Of all the Umbra to now be in the wind, there could surely be none worse than Death.

 

 

It had been some time since Mertrashida had taken Adil and the urns to their current hideaway. Adil was still laying on the ground, but he finally began to stir while Mertrashida was exploring the cave.

The sound of stone scraping on stone jolted him fully awake, and he sat up with a start. Apparently he was still adjusting to the events of his meeting with his Umbra, as he stared at his open palms momentarily before shaking his head to clear his mind.

 

Now more aware of his situation, Adil began to walk around, checking out the interior of the cave as he made his way toward the scraping sound. As he drew near, the scraping stopped entirely, ending with a heavy thud.

Rounding the corner before him, Adil looked down and saw Mertrashida, on her knees in front of the far wall with her back to him. Her head and shoulders were slumped in defeat, her right hand resting next to a fist-sized rock.

             ‘Mertrashida?’ Adil called softly. ‘What’s going on?’

She stiffened momentarily at the unexpected noise, but didn’t turn. Silence fell upon the two for a moment, neither willing to be the next to break it.

Finally, Mertrashida slowly rose to her feet.

             ‘You may as well see...’

Stepping aside, Mertrashida revealed what she had been doing with the rock.

On the wall before Adil, down near the ground, was an old message, scratched into the wall. Fresh scrapings covered most of the writing, but Adil could still make out what it said.

“Take Shida and run.”

Confusion washed over Adil before he made the connection.

             'Mertrashida… Are you the Shida in this?’

Mertrashida looked at him and nodded slowly. Now that he could see her face, Adil noticed that she had been having some kind of emotional breakdown, and the tears were still fresh on her face.

             ‘I had no idea where to go… Not even a memory of this place…It just came to me.. I found that not too long after we arrived, and… I remembered everything.’

Adil remained silent, waiting for Mertrashida to continue. After a brief pause, she did.

             ‘My name was just Shida, once. I was… So young, back then. I lived with my family a long walk away, and we came here when our home town was attacked.’

From the look on her face, Mertrashida was a million miles away as she recounted her tale. The further she got into it, the more Adil sympathised with the girl.

She told a tale of a little girl, raised into a simple life by poverty-stricken parents. She spoke of love greater than anything she’d ever known since, pausing only to question how she could ever allow the memory to disappear.

She told Adil the story of how her hometown was attacked in the dead of the night, its citizens slaughtered by an unseen force. How her father scooped her up as he and her mother ran in terror, taking her away, disappearing into the cover of the neighbouring forest.

They ran for quite some time before her parents grew too tired. Even then, they continued to walk, barely resting for a moment at any point. They never spoke of what happened during the entire journey, not until well after Shida’s mother spoke up, announcing that they were nearing shelter. Sure enough, a few moments later, a clearing came into view, containing what appeared to be some kind of cave constructed with rocks and boulders, lush green grass, and a small stream running right through the middle.

Her parents decided it would be best to stay in the cave for a while, until they could figure out a better plan.

A few weeks passed, and Shida’s family had begun to feel quite at home despite their living situation. Shida would often explore the forest nearby with one of her parents, and on one particular day, it was her father that walked beside her.

They walked around the forest floor for quite some time, the various plants and soil crunching beneath their feet. Her father, ever practical, began to show her how to tread more lightly, so that she could learn to hunt and to hide. Shida, for her part, took great delight in kicking at the ground, watching sticks, dirt and leaves launch into the air before her.

After several uneventful hours had passed, her father decided that they had spent enough time exploring for the day.. He guided Shida back, and the two began what would be their last return to the cave together.

An invasive feeling of dread settled over both of them the moment they stepped foot inside. They shared a glance, both equally alarmed and frightened. Shida clung to her father’s hand as he called for his wife through the cave.

Not a sound came back in response. Inching forward, Shida and her father ventured further into the cave, searching for her mother. The more they explored the cave, the more it dawned on them.

The cave was empty; Shida’s mother had disappeared, leaving not a trace of evidence behind, save for a message freshly carved into the stone.

             “Take Shida and run.”

Upon noticing the message, her father barely paused for a second before picking Shida up and supporting her on his hip. He ensured they were holding each other tightly enough, and he began to run for the cave exit.

 

Mertrashida began to struggle with her emotions at this point, and Adil moved closer to her, resting his hand gingerly on her shoulder.

             ‘You can stop there, if you like. Maybe it would be best if we get out of here.’

Mertrashida looked up at the man, a little stunned. Wiping her eyes and clearing her throat, she shook her head and took a couple of deep, shaky breaths, before launching back into her tale.

 

Shida’s father ran fast, especially considering the added weight of Shida on one side, and even a cave of such a size as the one they were in didn’t take long to cover. Somehow, in his haste, he was still able to see the blade poised and ready, held by an enemy hidden by the cave entrance. He had a split second to make his decision, and he acted on it almost as quickly.

He continued charging forward, but rotated his upper body to protect Shida from the blade. The pair burst out into the sunlight, reaching about a step and a half out into the surrounding forest before the blade sliced across Shida’s dad’s upper back, slicing his flesh open in an instant.

He convulsed mid-step as he felt the searing pain, and fell hard, collapsing onto the sand. Shida hit the ground hard, and rolled a short distance from the momentum.

Looking back, she saw her father feebly attempting to push himself off the ground but falling face-first back into the dirt. Still, her attention was quickly drawn to what was happening behind him.

The swordsman was not alone; on the other side of the cave entryway, a large man with a hammer was slowly approaching Shiva’s dad, still fumbling on the ground.

             “Papa!” She screamed, trying to rally his efforts.

Her father lifted his head at the sound of his daughter’s terrified voice. In that moment, as their eyes met, he seemed to understand that he wasn’t leaving alive.

             “Run, Shida! Go, now!”

Shida shook her head, barely able to see through blurred eyes as the big man swung his hammer down on the back of her dad’s right knee, shattering all bones beneath.

With an agonizing scream, Shida’s dad yelled to her once more.

             “Shida! Just run!”

This time, Shida was able to move. She started shuffling backwards through the grass as quickly as she could, but couldn’t take her eyes off the scene before her.

She couldn’t help but watch as the hammer came down once more on the other leg, bringing forth another painful scream, immediately followed by a deep, cruel chuckle from the big man.

As horrific as the events taking place were, they could barely compare to what came next. The swordsman, apparently growing bored with how little fight they were receiving, walked slowly to stand by the fallen man’s head. Shida watched, petrified, as the man reached down and grabbed a fistful of her father’s hair, pulling his head up to face his daughter. A deranged smile formed on the man’s face as he looked on, taking joy in the horror and pain etched upon her own.

Shida locked eyes with her father as he mouthed the word “run,” still making a last-ditch effort to get her moving. Finally, as the swordsman pressed his blade against her father’s throat, she was able to turn away. She started to run just as she heard the sound of the swordsman pulling his sword across her father’s throat. Fortunately, as traumatic as everything thus far had been, Shida was far enough away not to hear as the only family she had left began to fight for breath, choking on his own blood.

 

She ran as fast as she could, but she was still just a child; if the men chose to pursue her, they would catch her easily.

Her heart dropped as she heard the footprints behind her; the men were giving chase, after all.

They caught up to her with relative ease; the swordsman brought the hilt of his weapon down upon the back of Shida’s head, sending her now unconscious body sprawling across the forest floor. She had not escaped, and her father’s sacrifice was for nothing.

 

Adil listened on in horror as Mertrashida wrapped up her story, telling him how the men had turned out to be slavers, and had sold her to her Egyptian masters at some form of gathering a few awful weeks after her capture, and how she had been looked after quite well by Nephthys and, at the worst, treated with total indifference by Setesh. She never saw or heard from her mother again, not even as a fellow prisoner in the slaver’s camp, and would be unlikely to ever recognise her if she saw her again; eventually, as she entered her early teen years, her childhood memories began to fade, taking with them all but the aftereffects of her trauma… Until she had unwittingly taken Adil and the urns back to the one place she experienced the worst moments of her young life.

The cave fell silent as Mertrashida finished speaking, and Adil stood before her, shocked at the girl’s sudden revelation.

It was a short while before Adil found himself able to speak again.

             ‘You have seen so much horror for someone so young... I am sorry,’ he added, noting the wounded expression still glued to her face. She closed her eyes for a moment, looking almost peaceful as she searched inside herself.

When she reopened her eyes, all despair was gone. Instead, she appeared to have regained her focus �" a fact that boded well for both of them.

             ‘You were right. We should leave,’ she said, finally moving again. She walked away from the engraved wall and through the cave passage, Adil falling into step behind her.

             ‘Where are we going?’

Mertrashida didn’t answer, she was so deeply lost in thought as she bent down and picked up what appeared to be the empty urn sack. For the first time, Adil realised that the urns were all lined up along one of the cave walls. Mertrashida made her way over to the line and grabbed the five on the closest end, placing them back in the sack carefully, leaving the rest in their places.

‘Should we not keep them all with us?’

This time, Mertrashida turned to answer his question.

‘Carrying a small sack of urns is going to prove far easier than trying to carry them all. Besides, this way, if we get caught, we only lose another five urns to Osiris instead of giving every single one back.’

Adil nodded, acknowledging the wisdom behind her actions.

‘Good thinking.’

             ‘And...We are going somewhere Osiris would never think to look,’ she said cryptically, stepping closer to Adil and holding out her empty hand as she answered his earlier question. The cave would most certainly fill this need, but offered very little else.

             ‘Uh… Okay, and where would that be?’ Adil responded, taking her hand in his with a confused look on his face.

Mertrashida smiled, and suddenly Adil felt an intense pull on his entire body, seeming to suck them both into one small focus point.

Within an instant, the dark, rocky cave around the pair was replaced with stone houses and paved streets. Looking around from the side alley they found themselves in, Adil’s mind took a moment to register what had happened, and another to figure out where they were; though he need not have given the matter much thought, as Mertrashida finally answered his question.

‘Rome, Adil. He would never look for us in Rome.’

A smile broke over Adil’s face and he let out a small cheer.

‘That was amazing! With what you can do, I bet we can stop Osiris in no time at all,’ he celebrated.

Mertrashida quickly hushed the big man, looking around anxiously.

‘Be quiet, Adil! If anyone hears you talking like that, we will be caught before we can even figure out a plan… Besides,’ she continued, ‘I hardly think you and I are any match for Osiris or his people right now… Moving quickly from place to place is great, sure, but it is hardly going to be enough to hold the power of even one of the urns still in Waset.’ She paused, apparently losing herself in her thoughts for a moment.

‘That reminds me… We have yet to talk about what you can do. The urn was labelled rather vaguely, I am afraid, but I believe you have quite a range of abilities in store. Did your Umbra tell you much?’

Adil began to nod before Mertrashida had finished speaking, but waited to respond until she fell silent.

‘A little, and it showed me enough to get started, as well. I can project these circles in front of my hands and use them to summon fire, water, and the like. I am… Not very good at it yet, apparently.’ His face took on a downcast expression as he finished speaking, obviously more than a little sore about his slow start.

‘I’m sure you did just fine, Adil. You had no idea any of this was even possible half a day ago… Besides, we are going to be practicing once we get somewhere safer, and I plan to find a few new places to divide the rest of the urns between. Might as well focus on you first, my power is pretty simple.’

Adil froze for a second, a little taken aback. To postpone improving her only means of defending herself, for sake of a man like himself, gave Adil any reassurance he may have needed that he was travelling with a truly kind soul.

‘Thank you, Mertrashida. I will try not to leave you waiting long.’

Mertrashida waved her hand flippantly at the gesture.

'I would much prefer you do not rush your training, that would be far less beneficial to us right now than me not practising moving around.'

Adil nodded; it was a fair judgement, to be sure.

'So... When and where are we doing this? I'm afraid I do not know my way around Rome very well,' Adil admitted shamefully.

Mertrashida frowned for a moment.

'Normally, I would suggest we just train in the desert by the cave. The problem there is, I would rather keep the urns away from any outbursts of energy that may be traced back to us. We know little of what the Egyptians are really capable of, so we should always assume they are ready for us.'

Adil nodded silently, considering her words and musing over the level of intelligence she had shown time and time again since meeting.

Realising he was waiting for her to continue, Mertrashida resumed thinking aloud.

'I know of a large mountain a little over two days walk from here, it should cover us well enough if we stick to the basics.'

'Two days' walk? Can we not just skip that with your power?' Protested Adil, who was evidently none too keen on such a journey, no matter how much walking he may have done under Necho's rule.

'No.. Firstly, as I mentioned, we know little of what kind of ability the Lords of Egypt possess to track us, so we cannot afford to risk leading them to everything they want at once. Second, just because we have these powers, does not mean we should use them for everything. Walking will do us some good, both for our bodies and for us as a team, seeing as we have had very little time to get to know each other.

And finally, I simply cannot do it. It seems I can only travel to places I have been to before, and have never before been much closer to Mount Vesuvius than you and I are right now.'

Adil took a moment to think through Mertrashida's words.

'Ah, so that is how that works, then. Well, I cannot fault you in any of that, so count me in. If you would oblige me, though, I think we could both use a meal before we walk that far...'

It was only then that Mertrashida realised how hungry she was, having eaten nothing since she was allowed a small serving of Osiris' feast. Adil himself hadn't likely eaten for even longer, she surmised, as she hadn't seen him at the feast at all.

'That sounds like a grand idea, Adil. I knew I brought you along for a reason,' she joked.

Adil chuckled for a moment, before the prospect of food took his attention once more. Fortunately, it seemed Mertrashida had something in mind, for she turned and led him away, almost without another word.

'Come on, then,' was all she offered before darting through the streets and side alleys in their path. 'Nephthys used to take me to a place here somewhere when she came to Rome on diplomatic errands… I must admit, I would like the chance to eat there once more, she called back to Adil as she led him away.

'Sounds fancy,' Adil drooled, excited to eat whatever foods one of the Egyptian Gods had considered a treat.

Mertrashida snorted up ahead. 

'Hardly. Nephthys may have been kind to me, but not so kind that she would allow a servant to rise above their level and dine like a God… Instead, she actually chose a place with basic Roman food and we are there together…'

As with any other mention of the kindness of any among the Egyptian Gods, Adil's mind reeled with the new, alien concept. Nephthys must have surely been special, for he could scarcely imagine Setesh or especially Osiris making the same choices.

As he thought, he realised he knew little to nothing about Osiris' wife, Isis. The more he pondered the situation, the more he wondered if the darkness of the family fell exclusively upon the males, or if it followed the same path as nature did for certain members of the animal kingdom, leaving the females as the more dangerous members of the family. All signs pointed to the former, but he decided to keep an open mind.

'Hey, wait! How are we supposed to pay for this?'

Mertrashida froze, mid-step, turning to face Adil.

'We get no food or pay for what we do from this day forth,' he continued.

Mertrashida shushed him by holding up a finger.

'If the price of life is a meal for two, people will live long enough to stop caring... Assuming we do our jobs right. Can we go now?'

Adil snorted and nodded, satisfied.

'Go on, then. Lead the way,' he gestured, stepping over a stack of stone bricks.

Mertrashida nodded once before turning and continuing ahead, keeping sure to stay within sight of Adil. 

As the pair made their way through Rome, their adversaries in Egypt grew restless. Osiris had launched a manhunt for his High Disciple, Isis remained locked in her chambers while spending the majority of her time delving inside herself to meet with her Umbra, and Setesh had been flying circles above Waset, scanning the desert for any signs of Mertrashida and Adil - a task he knew could well be hopeless, with so many urns missing and no clear idea which had already been consumed.

Even as he pondered the conditions of the task his brother had set for him, signs of a disturbance in the desert sand caught his eye. Immediately flying down for a closer look, he noticed the sand had been disturbed in a truly strange way, as though all the surface sand in a 5 foot radius had been suddenly pulled toward the one central focus point.

The sand around the circle, however, remained normal, allowing Setesh to see the traitorous guard’s footsteps fading away back toward Waset, and the smaller footsteps of Nephthys’ servant’s peppered around the area. Interestingly enough, there were no footsteps leading away from the area, only those made while fleeing Waset. 

As he pondered the scene before him, Setesh began to walk slowly around the area, paying particular attention to the circle. Crouching down just outside the perimeter, he reached out his right hand ever so slowly and ran it over the sand inside. As he did so, he felt a disturbance both on his outstretched hand and arm, and deep inside himself.

At that same moment, he felt the same sensation as he had experienced meeting Nuri. The Umbra’s voice rang through his mind as they shared a thought - the circle of sand was a tell-tale sign of the teleporting Umbra, Kuyutha. 

Processing this new information, Setesh slowly rose to his feet. If the pair had teleported away, there was no sense searching around Waset for them. Turning away, he prepared to fly back and give Osiris his report, when he suddenly noticed something mostly buried under the edge of the circle. Retrieving the item, Setesh quickly identified it as one of the missing urns, and checked its markings even as Nuri picked up on the scent of the Umbra that had been held within.

Satisfied that he had gathered enough information for his report, Setesh tucked the urn into his robes and launched himself rapidly into the sky, propelled by a brilliantly bright, intensely powerful torrent of flame.

At around the same time as Setesh finished investigating the scene of her first teleportation, Mertrashida was sitting beside her companion in the darkened corner of a cosy little thermopolium, as the Romans called it, that she had visited in the past with Nephthys. Before them sat a half-eaten strange local dish consisting of a flattened dough covered in cheese and onions. They ate in silence, merely watching the citizens pass by on their daily routines, half expecting to see the Egyptians appear at any moment.

All in all, their meal was a peaceful one, with the only interruptions coming from a stray raven. The bird was quite scraggly in appearance, and was quite skittish around people, but seemed to take a liking to Mertrashida after she offered the bird a chunk of dough. After that point, the bird kept within a close radius of Mertrashida, rushing back and forth every time it wanted more food.

It wasn't long before all three had eaten their fill. The raven slowly waddled away, casting a final look at Mertrashida as if thanking her for the food, before it disappeared around the wall of the thermopolium.

Adil leaned back in his seat, sighing contentedly. He rested both hands on his stomach and closed his eyes, enjoying the peaceful normalcy.

As for Mertrashida, she remained watchful; both keeping an eye out for danger, and maintaining the lie she had told the slaves who had served them - that they had been sent ahead of Nephthys, who would be catching up with the group soon.

It wasn’t a hard lie to sell; most of the slaves recognised Mertrashida from earlier visits, and that had been that. It was, however, a hard lie to tell, on account of the wave of guilt that still hadn’t left Mertrashida alone, even for all her words earlier. After all, she was only taking what she needed, and fully intended her efforts to make up for such a small crime, but the slaves would still surely be punished.

With that in mind, no amount of rationalization could spare her from the awful feeling in her gut as she gripped the sack of urns resting on the floor between her feet.

Now that they were fed and ready to leave Rome, a new problem was rearing its head. Getting away from the thermopolium wouldn’t necessarily be all that difficult, but getting out of Rome without drawing attention presented a significantly greater challenge.

Looking around once more, Mertrashida shook Adil from the slumber he had begun to slip into. 

‘Get ready. Any distraction right now is our ticket out of here.’

Adil grunted in agreement and started scanning the area before them, assessing the options. 

‘Nothing is happening,’ he whispered after a few minutes.

Mertrashida said nothing, but sat in place biting on her lip anxiously as her eyes darted back and forth. So far, it seemed as though Adil was right - an observation that did not bode well for the plan. 

Just as Mertrashida slumped backwards, giving up on the hope that she could avoid using her powers in such a public place, it happened.

A large, scraggly stray dog walked right into the thermopolium and jumped onto the nearest bench, right in front of a freshly prepared serving of beef and lentils. 

The slaves working at the thermopolium immediately began to freak out but the worst was yet to come. The dog began convulsing a little, then lowered its head and began to vomit onto the plate in front of it.

As soon as it finished, the dog lifted its head and looked Mertrashida straight in the eye, as if giving her the cue she needed. Mertrashida tugged on Adil’s arm, and the two slipped out of the thermopolium amidst the chaos as one of the slaves shoved the dog off the bench and proceeded to chase it outside, leaving the others to deal with the mess.

The dog fled into the street at the same time as Adil ducked around the corner into a nearby alley. Mertrashida looked back for a moment, silently thanking the dog for helping her and Adil before following her companion into the alley.

The dog stared after her for a moment, then turned and walked into the nearest alley on the other side of the street.

‘What will you do now that the Death Umbra has been claimed?’

Ndidi and Osiris were walking side by side through the sand on the outskirts of Waset, discussing their options. Osiris never even faltered in his step, and kept his eyes forward as he answered.

'I am going to find Din and tear his head from his body. He wanted Death, now he will face it.'

Ndidi nodded. As Osiris’ longest-lasting servant, she had witnessed his rage countless times and always took great pains to remain worth keeping around. With the latest turn of events, however, her master had been set on edge with constant bouts of calm and rage in a truly frightening and unpredictable combination, and she had found herself being as careful as she possibly could to avoid incurring his wrath.

The tension hung thick in the air as Ndidi considered his words.

Osiris stopped for a moment, looking her over.

‘Enough about Din, we will find him soon enough. Right now, there is something else I wish to discuss with you.'

Ndidi said nothing, merely cocked her head to the side and listened curiously.

‘You have served under me for a long time, Ndidi. In all that time, you have never been caught so much as uttering a sour word about your duties, or even about myself. As such a dependable and loyal servant, I have grown quite fond of having you by my side…’

Ndidi felt Osiris’ words roll over her, bringing a wave of shock and stunned gratitude. Osiris had never commented on such things before, and was hardly well known for his compassion, except that which he saved for his wife.

Not wanting to ruin the moment or cut her master’s praise short, Ndidi bowed again and remained silent, listening attentively.

‘These current events have set me down a path of thought I had previously never considered. When I set this all in motion, I intended to rule alone with Isis as the Lords of Life and Death. Now, I will have to claim the power of a different Umbra, and make it work.

I believe I speak for both Isis and myself when I say that we would be honored if you will join us with a power of your own… Naturally, this means you will no longer be considered a servant, but as a member of our court, with servants of your own. Do you accept?’

Ndidi gasped in shock as Osiris finished speaking. She opened her mouth, but was unable to speak. Her eyes filled with tears as she nodded emphatically, a short laugh bursting forth from her lips. 

Osiris nodded.

‘Good answer.’

Ndidi raised her eyes to see Osiris had an arm extended toward her, an urn resting on the palm of his hand.

Luck.

How appropriate, Ndidi thought. Her luck had truly changed on this day, and once she drank from the urn, it would be completely under her control from that point on.

Reaching out shakily, Ndidi accepted the urn and turned it over in her hands, more than a little overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events. 

‘Thank you, Lord Osiris. I will not disappoint you.'

Osiris shook his head.

'This is not just a gift. With this Umbra comes a whole new life, with new responsibilities. As I said, you will no longer be a servant - however, you will still have a job to do, and a very important one at that.'

Ndidi nodded gratefully.

'I am prepared to do whatever it takes to earn my place, Lord Osiris.'

Looking around for a moment, Osiris lowered his voice.

You may as well stop calling me that, now. Soon, not just Egypt but the entire world will bow to us as their Gods… Now, if you will excuse me…'

Osiris gestured up into the sky as he spoke, where a flaming mass that could only be Setesh was descending rapidly.

‘...I have more work to attend to,’ he finished as Setesh landed with a heavy thud and a wild gust of flame. 

Ndidi nodded, tucking the urn away inside of her robes. She bowed once to each of the brothers and began making her way back through Waset to her designated quarters.

‘Tell me you have good news, brother,’ Osiris said to Setesh, finally turning to face his younger sibling.

‘I have news, but as for it being good…’

Setesh shrugged as he spoke, before tossing an empty urn to Osiris. 

‘The traitors have each bonded with an Umbra. That one was the guard’s, and the girl has the power to jump between two distant places. They used that power to get away, and I have no idea how to track them down.’

Osiris clenched his jaw as he felt the rage of failure wash over him. The flail looped through his belt began to vibrate, resonating with the same energy coursing through its owner's veins.

‘Easy, brother. Taking this out on the wrong people will be no help, you know this…’

Setesh spoke cautiously, trying to soothe his older brother with cool reason. 

It didn’t work.

With a cry of outrage, Osiris opened the palm of his hand, seemingly cueing his flail to fly free of his belt and into his grasp. As he closed his hand around the familiar handle of his weapon, he turned on the spot and swung the flail downwards, casting a trail of energy from each tail on his weapon. The energy surged forward in a roll, emitting a deep, powerful hum as it moved, until it all collided with the first thing standing in its way - a small home, occupied by a middle-class family.

The effect was horrific. With a growing whine and a deafening crack, the energy shrunk and disappeared in the catalyst reaction of the coming implosion. The house, along with all of its contents and the family inside, was suddenly and violently crushed into the one focal point, leaving nothing but a small brown and red ball, almost bearing the appearance of polished stone.

Setesh stood in place, appalled but not surprised by the sudden outburst. To enjoy punishing the enemy was one thing, but to wipe out an entire family on a whim was another entirely. Still, it was hardly out of character; Setesh knew well by that point that Osiris was a truly hot-tempered and sometimes downright cruel ruler, as were all the males in their family. 

This train of thought left a strange feeling in the back of Setesh’s mind, but he pushed it away with the thought of what he had just witnessed as Osiris turned back to face him, eyes wide like a man possessed.

‘Do not ever tell me how to act, Setesh, or you may just find yourself the next marble in my collection.’

Setesh said nothing; a wise decision, due to the mixture of emotions he was suddenly exposed to.

Sighing, Osiris closed his eyes and began to breathe deeply. When he reopened his eyes, he appeared to be his normal, in-control self.

‘It is what it is. I have another job for you now, anyway.’

Setesh cocked his head and listened silently.

‘While you were out hunting, I came to the realization that we have been betrayed even further. High Disciple Din has taken the Death Umbra. My Death Umbra,’ he corrected himself, adopting an edge to his tone once more.

Setesh snorted.

‘You mean to tell me you had five urns left and yet were unable to even keep those few secure from your own men?’ He retorted before he could stop himself.

Osiris growled.

‘Joke all you want, boy. Din is out there somewhere, likely at this very moment learning how to harness the power of Death itself. Now you find him and bring him to me before he grows too powerful,’ he threatened, stepping face to face with Setesh, ‘or you will have a far more personal death to worry about.’

‘You already had Nephthys killed. Do you really think I would take any death more personally than that? You find your own man and fix your own damned mistakes. Now excuse me while I go drink myself stupid among the mortals.’ 

With that, Setesh ignited his flames one more and launched into the sky, taking off quickly for the nearest inn, leaving Osiris alone to rage among the desert sand.

While Setesh distracted himself among mortal men and Mertrashida led her companion toward Mt. Vesuvius, the latter’s most recent ally padded through the backstreets of Rome, searching for something to fill the recent void in its stomach.

With its nose to the ground, the shaggy black dog slowly made its way through the poorer streets and toward the more respectable part of the city. The people walking past barely looked twice, and those who did took little to no interest in the dirty stray sniffing its way around. 

Eventually the narrow, cluttered streets widened as the dog left the Roman peasants behind, approaching the nicer, cleaner buildings, following the delicious scent of a possible meal. Unfortunately, the citizens there were less receptive of a dirty, stray dog wandering past, and it wasn’t long before the dog bolted through some more side alleys, trying to escape the shower of small rocks being thrown at it. 

Once it seemed to be safe, the dog continued creeping through the alleys, taking a less direct path to the food it had picked up on.

Within a short while, the dog had found its way to the source of the smell; in a small clearing between some buildings, in the centre of a ring of seats occupied by Roman men, some kind of sizeable bird was being roasted over a small fire pit, occasionally dropping fat onto the fire below with a sizzling pop!

Staring at the bird from out of sight of the men, the dog began to drool and whine quietly, before apparently deciding to go for it. Rushing forward as fast as it could, the dog jumped past the closest man and straight for the fire, locking its jaws around the bird as it soared over the fire, pulling the cooking frame down with it.

Almost instantly, the dog began to yelp as the stolen food burned at its mouth and tongue, and dropped its prize behind the circle of men, who were now standing angrily and moving toward the dog, yelling belligerently. The dog looked back up at them for a moment and then looked away, looking for an easy way out but finding none.

Strangely, the men could swear they heard the dog utter a very human sigh of defeat; this was both confirmed and rendered irrelevant moments later, however, when the dog standing before them suddenly morphed and changed, raising itself onto its hind legs and growing, shedding its fur and reforming into a tall, bronzed woman, seemingly somewhere in her thirties but too dirty and unkempt to tell for sure, with not a scrap of clothing to cover her body.

The sudden shift from stray dog to naked woman sent the men’s minds reeling, and the woman seized the opportunity to quickly kneel and grab the bird from the ground, before standing tall once more and smiling cheekily at the men - then suddenly tossing the bird high into the air above and behind the men an instant before beginning to sprint as the men turned to watch the bird, moving diagonally for the wall that stretched past her right side.

The first of the men turned around just in time to see her launch herself into the air, kick off the wall just above his left shoulder, and spiral over his head, her body darkening as she spun before suddenly sprouting wings and erupting into shape as a large eagle, catching the small roasted birds in its talons as it began to fly, soaring into the sky far above as it rapidly disappeared from view.

By the time night fell upon the Egyptian sand, Setesh, true to his word, had indeed drunken himself stupid, and then eventually sobered and returned to his quarters. Standing in the doorway, he gazed inside at the mess that had remained since Nephthys had been taken. Stepping into the room, Setesh kicked a toppled chair out of his way and sat on the edge of the bed, running his hand over the material as his thoughts drifted to his wife.

‘I am so sorry, Nephthys. I should have been here to protect you. If I was, you would be here with me right now… And maybe things would be a little less screwed up.’

He sighed, lost in thought.

‘I can barely understand everything that has happened since they took you from me…’

Upon mention of her death, Setesh’s mind began to replay the final moments in which he saw his wife alive - the desperate look on her face, her pleading cries to escape… High Disciple Din’s blade thrusting through her body and protruding from her chest, the blade dripping red with fresh blood.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Setesh’s eyes snapped open once more to reveal the deep crimson glow he had been exhibiting lately, as a burning hot hatred filled his body.

Very well, Osiris. I will go hunt your man, but only so I can feast on his flesh while he dies.

Rising from his place on the bed, Setesh looked to the door in preparation to leave, but was surprised to see the silhouette of someone leaning in the doorway.

‘Hello, Setesh. Going somewhere?’

His old friend, Necho II, Pharaoh of Egypt and the public face of power.

Setesh nodded. 

‘Osiris gave me a job to do… I might as well do it,’ he said simply.

Necho snorted and nodded, a wry smile on his lips. 

‘I see. Well, I would hate to keep you…’

Necho stood clear of the doorway as Setesh stood, allowing him to walk through.

‘Oh… Did you need something, Pharaoh?’ 

Necho shook his head.

‘I merely came to check up on you, my friend. It seems your new task has given you the purpose to move forward, though, so I see my efforts were unnecessary.’

Setesh nodded.

‘I appreciate the thought, but yes, I am fine. Do you know where Osiris is?’

Necho frowned thoughtfully for a moment.

‘He now lies with his wife, and they have asked not to be disturbed. Sorry, Setesh, you will have to speak with him later.’

Setesh grunted in acknowledgement.

‘No matter… If you see him before I return, tell him I accepted the task he set for me.’

He made to leave, then paused for a final moment.

‘How long do you intend to stay in Waset?’

Necho shrugged.

‘I think I may stay here until such a time as I am certain my services are no longer needed here.’

‘And your plans?’

Necho shrugged again, seemingly unbothered.

'My plans will still be in place when we are done here.'

Setesh frowned thoughtfully, considering the Pharaoh’s words. It was certainly odd for Necho to not be itching to return to his campaign, and after sampling his own fluctuating mentality, he was beginning to wonder just what was at play to sway their minds so.

Pushing the thought away, Setesh decided to return to the matter when he could approach it with a clearer focus, and move on instead.

‘Very well. I will see you when this is all finished.’

With that, Setesh walked away down the stairway leading to the rest of Waset. He wasn’t sure how he would find High Disciple Din, or even where to start, but he wouldn’t find out by hanging around.

I know a way to find the one you seek.

Nuri’s voice reverberated around Setesh’s skull like an echo. 

How?

He didn’t really need to think the question, only desire the answer, but Setesh found this form of direct communication to be more comfortable and… Normal.

Death will follow Death no matter how securely he is contained in this world.

The answer was somewhat vague, but the sensations flooding Setesh’s body helped make sense of Nuri’s meaning. All he had to do was search for an unusual amount of death in one area, and he was sure to find his target at the centre. All he needed now was a general direction.

Satisfied with this newfound clue, Setesh headed off in search of the Disciple’s quarters, too impatient to wait for morning before beginning his quest. Before the moon had moved more than a few degrees in the night sky, he had learned of Din’s departure to the West, and could be seen soaring into the darkened sky as an orange glow. 

Osiris and Isis lay side by side in the dark, staring at the ceiling of their bedchamber and quietly discussing the new power Isis found herself in possession of.

‘What of the Umbra? Setesh told me he was able to meet his own when he passed out... Did you have a similar experience?’

Isis nodded at Osiris’ question, pausing before she spoke.

‘I did.’

Osiris leaned over on his elbow, waiting for Isis to continue. When she didn’t, he pressed further.

‘...And? What was it like?’

Isis turned her head to face her husband.

‘It was amazing. They are really quite beautiful… She is, at least… And the feeling, just being near them? I have never known such power before!’

Osiris smiled as his wife described her experience. More than ever, he was excited to bond with his own Umbra and see that side of the world for himself.

With the thought of bonding to his own Umbra, however, Osiris’ mood soured. He was long since supposed to have bonded with the Death Umbra, and would be expanding his control at that very moment if it hadn’t been for High Disciple Din. 

Through sheer coincidence, at the moment Osiris’ thoughts turned to punishing Din, there came a resounding knock on the door, followed by Necho’s voice.

‘Pardon me for the intrusion, Osiris. Setesh has left Waset in search of your Disciple.'

Osiris smiled once more at the Pharaoh's words, and the knowledge that he should soon be standing face to face with the man who stole his Umbra. 

'Perhaps he finally came to his senses… Thank you for the notice, Necho.'

There was silence for a second as the Pharaoh paused.

'It seems all he needed was a little time… That is all for now, Osiris. I will come back when the sun rises so we can discuss the remaining urns.'

Silence fell as Necho finished speaking and left. Turning back from the door to face his wife, Osirs frowned thoughtfully.

‘Have Ndidi meet us in the morning with the urns. It seems I have work to do, but first… We should rest.’

Isis nodded, stifling a yawn at the mention of rest as it suddenly hit her how tired she was. Rolling onto her side, she curled up close to her husband and drifted off to sleep as he lay still, deep in thought.

Morning came quickly and with it, the promise of a new life. Osiris opened his eyes to his wife’s sleeping form, still curled up in her regular sleeping pose. Wiping the sleep from his eyes, Osiris reached out a hand and shook Isis awake.

With a groan, Isis rolled toward her husband, blinking confusedly before remembering the conversation of the previous night.

‘Good morning,’ she said, reaching across herself to stroke Osiris’ face.

Closing his eyes and sighing, Osiris placed his hand over that of his wife and held it there, enjoying the moment.

‘Good morning… Are you ready for today?’

Isis shrugged.

‘I suppose, though I still know very little of what you have planned for today…’

Osiris nodded thoughtfully.

‘You will see soon enough. In the meantime, I need you to find Ndidi and meet me on the Southern side of Waset.’

‘South? You plan to go see her, right?’

The note of distaste in Isis’ words was not lost on Osiris, nor did it come as a surprise.

‘I know you find her… Difficult, but she has yet to be proved wrong once, has she not? Besides, I think we can make more use of her than as a mere advisor, anyway.’

Isis frowned at her husband’s words. She wasn’t sure what he was planning, but she decided to continue trusting him as she had always done.

‘As you wish,’ she said simply.

Osiris nodded.

‘We need the urns, too. Be sure not to leave them behind.’

Isis nodded.

‘Of course, my love. I will see you soon,’ she added as Osiris slid off the bed and rose to his feet, stretching.

Osiris nodded once to Isis and made his way for the door. Assuming the plan went well, the day would be quite an interesting one.

The air had warmed considerably outside well before Osiris saw the figures of Ndidi and Isis approaching. A stiff, dry breeze rolled by, stirring up the sand around Osiris’ ankles and flinging it into the sky.

Narrowing his eyes to shield against the flying grains of sand, Osiris waited in place for the women to finish their approach, jaw clenched in anticipation of the day ahead.

When the women finally arrived, Osiris wasted no time.

‘You have the urns?’

Ndidi held out her hands, offering Osiris a glance at the small, ornate chest she carried. Flipping the lid open, Osiris breathed a sigh of awe as he ran his fingers over the final two urns held within. 

Looking up at Ndidi, he nodded.

‘Very good. Shall we go, now?’

He directed the question at Isis, who had been standing beside Ndidi silently up to this point.

‘We shall,’ Isis answered with a nod.

With a smile, Osiris turned away from the city of Waset and began to lead the women South, heading off to find his unofficial advisor. 

More than once during the walk, Osiris reconsidered his decision to walk such a distance, but if he was being honest, he enjoyed the time away from Waset, and he had never enjoyed the discomfort of riding mules.

The journey lasted just over five hours. As the buildings of Lunyt came into view, Osiris breathed a relieved sigh that the walk was all but over, at least until it was time to return. 

‘Let us just hope Erna is home shall we?’

Isis and Ndidi exchanged a look behind Osiris. To have walked all that way only for the advisor to not be around was a rather daunting thought, as were the ideas of waiting an unknowable amount of time for her to return, or simply turning back immediately and walking home.

Thankfully, as they approached the elderly woman’s small hut, it appeared that the elder woman might be home, after all.

Osiris walked right up to the door as his wife and former servant remained behind. Raising his fist in preparation to knock, Osiris was surprised when the door swung open, held by none other than Erna herself. A short distance behind Osiris, Ndidi and Isis both breathed a sigh of relief to find their effort wasn’t in vain.

‘Come on in, then, hurry up,’ Erna urged the trio. Osiris pushed past her and stepped inside, closely followed by his companions.

‘You never seem surprised to see me,’ Osiris commented, turning back to face Erna.

‘Should I be surprised that you need my help?’ the old woman cackled.

Osiris snorted in response, helping himself into a seat at the table and waving Ndidi over. Ndidi quickly closed the distance and laid the chest before Osiris, then backed away so as not to obstruct Erna’s view. Osiris flipped the lid open to reveal the three urns within, and carefully removed one.

Setting it aside, he gestured with his eyes to Ndidi, and she quickly retrieved the chest from the table.

Erna’s eyes appeared glued to the urn in Osiris’ hands as he set it gently on the table.

‘This is one, then? I must admit, I expected you to use something over the top to contain them, not a regular clay urn.’

Osiris chuckled. 

‘And leave such power in such a thievable object? You know you taught me better than that.’

This time it was Erna who laughed.

‘So I did teach you something, then. That is good to hear… In my experience, you’ve almost always preferred fists over thought. Though, I see you have moved on from fists as well,’ she noted, referencing the flail looped into its place on Osiris’ belt. 

Grunting, Osiris nodded.

‘Yes, as much as I hate to say it, you did get through to me once or twice,’ he joked.

'So,' Erna started, changing the subject, 'I assume you have already consumed yours? How does it feel?'

Osiris's face fell for a moment as he recounted the tale of Din's betrayal, the old lady adopting a frown as the story progressed.

'In the end,' he finished, 'there seems to be nothing I can do about the situation, and am hoping to retrieve the other urns before I make a new decision.

Opting to ignore the failures, Erna looked Osiris over, noticing how different he was to the boy she had helped raise.

‘It is a shame your parents are not here to see the man they created.’

‘Not a man,’ Osiris said under his breath.

Erna paused, then corrected herself.

‘Ah, yes… My mistake. It is often so easy to forget what you are... Perhaps you merged a little too well with the world of man,’ she jested.

Osiris dismissed the matter with a wave of his hand.

‘No matter. I came here to offer you a choice, Erna. This is it,’ he continued, pushing the urn across the table as Erna finally took her seat. ‘If you accept, I will need your help as quickly as possible. If you do not… Well, we will always have room for an experienced advisor like yourself.’

Osiris’ meaning was not lost on Erna.

‘If you think I would rather remain an advisor than accept this urn, you must not know me at all,’ she said, clasping the urn within her hands.

Osiris shook his head, leaning back in his chair and smiling.

‘Oh, believe me, I know you well enough to know which choice you would make.’

Erna chuckled as she cracked open the urn. For a woman of her age, she was, surprisingly enough, rather strong. Isis and Ndidi shared a stunned look as the elder woman opened her urn with ease.

‘I would like to think so… I suppose, in time, we shall see,’ she said mysteriously, laughing as she lifted the urn. ‘To your good health,’ she toasted, before tipping back the urn and downing its contents easily. 

‘I am afraid this part is rather unpleasant,’ Isis warned as the older woman wiped her mouth.

Erna turned to face her and scoffed.

‘I think I can handle this, dear child.’

Isis frowned internally at Erna’s words. As always, she seemed to see the younger woman as barely more than a newborn infant. It was her attitude toward Isis that left the younger woman with a strong dislike for the elder, despite her close bond with Osiris.

All thoughts of Erna’s disapproval of Isis disappeared, though, as the elderly woman suddenly clutched at her stomach, groaning in pain. Isis watched on with a light smirk as Erna ate her earlier words.

Before too long, Erna’s groaning turned to screaming. The smirk fell from Isis’ face as it occurred to her that something wasn’t right.

‘What is this? What-’ Erna’s eyes bulged and her skin reddened as she turned in an attempt to face Osiris, who remained glued to his seat, watching on in shock as Erna’s screams turned to pure, animalistic howls of agony.

Erna began to shake all over and froth at the mouth, quickly falling from her chair onto the floor as all her muscles began to spasm. 

Isis, Ndidi and Osiris could do nothing but watch on in horror as Erna curled up tightly into a ball on the floor, wailing and crying uncontrollably as the Umbra she had consumed played havoc with her body and mind. Throughout it all, her body seemed to age and de-age rapidly in differing areas, adding a terrifying visual to the horrific scene unfolding before them.

Just when the three didn’t believe the sound of wailing could be worse, Erna arched over backwards, bending impossibly far as her screams turned into nothing more than an unintelligible roar of noise, prompting all three stunned onlookers to shield their ears with their hands.

Strangely, Erna began to glow with a bright white light as the sound increased, blinding the others even after they squeezed their eyes shut. This continued for perhaps several full minutes, and then… Nothing.

Osiris was the first to open his eyes. He expected to see Erna laying on the floor, either perfectly fine but unconscious, or perhaps even dead. Instead, he let out a stunned roar as he flipped the table before him.

‘Just what the Hell is this?!’ He cried, breaking the sudden silence.

There on the floor, where Erna had spent the last few minutes writhing and screaming in agony, was…

Nothing at all.