Chapter 33

Paige's heart pounded as she stared up at the man. "Oh, hi, there, Mr. Pharoah, sir. I'm Paige Turner, and this is my trusty partner, Dewey Decimael."

The massive Mummy Lord's form loomed over her and his voice boomed. "Who disturbs my sleep?"

Paige stared up at him for a breath, before her eyes slid side to side. "Uh, me, Paige Turner. I feel like we already addressed that."

"Who is Paige Turner?"

Paige wrinkled her nose. What kind of questions were these? Was this some sort of introspective examination of conscience expected? "Uh, I am…I'm a librarian with Shadow Harbor, cat mom, and also an avid reader."

"Paige, he didn't ask you for your dating profile," Dewey hissed.

She shrugged. "I don't know what he's asking. Why did he ask who I am?"

"What nations do you rule?" he asked.

"Wh-what?"

"Who serves you? What lands do you rule? "

"Uhh, I rule the Shadow Harbor Library Archives. And Dewey here is my loyal subject. And Bones." Paige waved a hand at Bones. "Also, I have a few fiancés and a cat, as mentioned, and a golem."

The Mummy Lord's forehead creased as Paige babbled on. "Silence!"

"Okay, sorry, but I mean, you asked."

"What gives you the right to enter my realm?" he boomed.

"The International Magical Library Association Board."

"What?" he snapped.

"Look, buddy, I don't know what kind of games you're playing, but the organization I work for gave me the right to come in here and get this so it doesn't fall into the wrong hands. Now, I'd really hate to have to pull rank on you, so if you'll kindly stand aside and let me do my job, I'd appreciate it."

Paige offered him a curt nod as she stepped away from the podium with the scepter in hand. She made it a few steps before a massive leg came crashing down in front of her, halting her progress.

"Stop!" the Mummy Lord boomed.

Paige's shoulders slumped. "I don't have time for this. I have other things to do. This is really just a side quest for me. So, let's just get over ourselves and move on. You should be happy. You don't have to guard this anymore. The Library Network will do it for you."

"Leave the scepter, and I may let you live."

"Be real cool, Paige, and drop the scepter, then make like a tree and leave," Dewey whispered.

"No, I'm not dropping the scepter. Sorry. I can't do that. And I'm really sick of being in this tomb. I've got sand in places I don't want it. I just want to go back home, take a shower, and keep searching for my mom. But I can't do that until after I've secured this scepter. Now, what's it going to take for me to leave here with this?"

"My dead body," he growled.

"Of course," she said, shooting him an unimpressed stare.

Dewey shook his head. "Paige, you'll never beat him. He's huge, and I'm pretty sure that stinger on him is dripping with poison."

"Let it drip," Paige said with a dismissive wave. "I don't have time for an epic, knock-down, drag-out fight."

"So, you're leaving the scepter?"

"No. I'm just going to run for it. I mean, he's huge. By the time he turns around, we'll be long gone."

"I don't know about that, Pa–" Dewey started when Paige neatly sidestepped the spider's leg and dashed for the door.

The Pharaoh's eyes went wide as he tugged his chin back, following her darting movements across the room. He spun in a circle, the eight legs dancing to turn him before he scrambled after her.

"Uh, Paige?"

"Yeah?" she answered as she continued her flight toward the door.

"He's like right behind you."

"Already?" she cried, shooting a wincing glance over her shoulder.

"Yep. He was like…super fast."

"No kidding!" Dewey glanced behind them again. "Paige, go faster. Must go faster."

"I'm going top speed for these legs." She grimaced as her thighs burned as she pushed them for more speed.

"Well, it's not fast enough ‘cause he's catching up."

Paige risked another glance over her shoulder. "Oh, shi–" she started when her feet left the floor. The massive Mummy Lord snatched her by the edge of her tunic top and dangled her in the air .

"Oops," Paige tried, still puffing for breath. "That was fun. You're quick. Here's the thing, though, you've got to understand where I'm coming from."

"Silence!" he boomed as Dewey fluttered off Paige's shoulder and darted away.

"Traitor!" Paige called as he fluttered to a dark corner of the room.

"Now, you will pay."

The Mummy Lord ripped the scepter from her hands before he dropped Paige closer to the silk sac before he wound her into a cocoon and tossed her into a hole in the floor. After returning the scepter to its place floating above the podium, he searched the space for Dewey. Only Bones knelt on one knee before him, pledging his allegiance to the massive Mummy.

"Guard the scepter," the former Pharaoh told him before he slinked back to his resting spot.

"Paige! Paige!" Dewey hissed a few moments later.

Paige tried to move her lips, but the tight weave around her prevented her from anything but a muffled moan. She struggled to spot him through the translucent web around her, only able to make out a teal blur.

"Paige, you gotta get out of there!"

Paige's mind reeled at the words. She could barely move her lips let alone pry herself free of the sticky cocoon.

"Hurry up, Paige!"

"Mama?" Bones's voice echoed softly.

"Mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm," was all Paige managed.

"What? I can't understand you. That web's muffling your voice."

"Mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm," she tried again.

"Wait." Dewey fluttered closer and ripped the web from her face before he rose with a disgusted grimace on his features as he tried to pull the sticky substance from his paws. "Ew. Gross. Paige, get out of there."

"I can't. I'm stuck. Come tear more off of me."

"Can't do it, partner."

"Why?"

Dewey poked a claw down toward her. "Look around you."

Paige struggled to lift her chin and peer around her surroundings. Her eyes went wide as she spotted hundreds of spiders crawling over her webbed body. "Ew! Dewey, get down here and get me out of this."

She wriggled around, stretching the sticky fibers but not breaking them.

"I can't! You know how I feel about spiders!"

"You literally told me two seconds ago you don't like them, but this is an emergency!"

Dewey lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "Doesn't make my fear any less pronounced."

"Dewey! I could die down here." A spider wriggled its way onto her cheek, and a groan escaped her as she tried to contort her mouth to blow it away.

"He doesn't look poisonous."

"Dewey!" she snapped as it crawled onto her nose. Her eyes crossed as she stared at the hairy black legs.

"Okay, okay," Dewey answered. "I just…hope I live through this."

He fluttered closer, still hovering above her. "Ohhhhh."

"Come on!" She wriggled again as more spiders danced across her.

"This is gross." Dewey darted downward and sliced a claw through some of the webbing, but not enough to free her before he shot skyward. "Ewwwww."

"Dig deep and get back down here."

With a wrinkled nose, Dewey dove back down and sliced at the web again, splitting it open more, but failing to cut it entirely.

Paige fought to free herself but still found it impossible. "One more pass should do it. Hurry! They're crawling inside this stupid cocoon!"

"Oh, gross," Dewey answered as he hovered over her and stretched his tiny arm to cut into the remaining bits of web still keeping her trapped.

"Got it!" She freed her arms and kicked her legs, shedding some of the sticky substance from around her. "Now, help me out of here."

Paige reached toward the top of the cavity but found herself unable to grab hold of it.

"You're on your own now," Dewey said, flying high above the pit.

"Dewey!" Paige leapt at the edge again, squashing spiders under her feet when she landed. She batted at her arms and hair as she tried to free herself of bugs.

"I can't help. I'm too small to lift you."

"You lifted me in Mario World."

"Things are different there. I can't do it…a spider may crawl on me. Just jump higher."

Paige growled as she made another attempt. This time a bandaged hand clamped around her arm and tugged her out of the pit. She collapsed on the stone floor with a sigh of relief. "Ugh, thanks, Bones."

"Save Mama."

"Yes, you did," Paige said before she stiffened and leapt up, smacking at her body to send the spiders spiraling onto the stones below her feet.

"Ewww, Paige, they're in your hair."

"Help me get them out!" she exclaimed.

"No way, uh-uh. I've done my work already. You're free. Now, you're on your own. "

Paige barked out a laugh as her features twisted in disgust. "Some friend."

"Yeah, some friend. The friend who dove into a spider-filled pit to rescue you from a cocoon after your stupid plan to ‘just run away.'"

"It was a great plan until it wasn't," Paige said, stomping on a few of the spiders before she twisted to glance behind her to search for any more of the eight-legged terrors.

"Yeah, it really took a nosedive when you got caught. I would–"

"You'd what?" Paige asked, still focused on the spider search.

"Run!" Dewey finished.

Paige huffed at him, ceasing her hunt for a second as she stared at him. "No, you wouldn't. You said it was a stupid plan."

Dewey flicked his wide eyes down at her as he shook his head, slowly backing through the air. "No, I mean run now. Now's the time to run."

"Why? What's–" Paige's eyes went wide, and she slowly spun to glance behind her as her heart hammered against her ribs.

The half-spider, half-pharaoh scurried back into the chamber, his eyes set on Paige. "No!"

"Yes. Looks like Spiderman is awake. And we're totally trapped."

"Great," Paige spat out. "Look, Mr. Pharaoh, we don't have your stupid scepter. Keep it, okay? Just let us go."

"You must die," he boomed.

"Okay, that's just really rude. At this point, I'm just trying to get out of here, and you've wrapped me up in a web and tossed me in with a bunch of spiders, who, by the way, are now crawling all over me. "

Paige brushed at her hair again in disgust. "And I'm pretty fed up with you right now, to be honest."

"Uh, Paige, he's like one of the most powerful supernatural creatures around, I don't know if I'd be that rude."

"Oh, big deal. I've fought werewolves with my bare hands. This guy's attitude needs adjusting." She wagged a finger at him. "You may have been some big deal back in the ancient world, but this is a whole new ballgame, friendo."

The Pharaoh's features scrunched as he stared down at Paige. He swiped an arm forward, trying to grab hold of her. She danced backward, avoiding him.

"I don't think so!" She darted to the side of the room. Before she could make a break for the door, he cut her off.

She shifted her weight from left to right as she tried to find a way to skirt him and escape. She dove toward the right, but he followed her. She scrambled back, kicking her feet to propel her against the wall.

He loomed over her. She surged forward, crawling underneath him and climbing to her feet behind him.

He whipped around to follow her again.

"Run, Paige! He's right behind you."

Paige sprinted across the space, darting around wildly so he couldn't grab hold of her.

She spun to face him, backing up as he approached her. He reached for her, and she leapt to the side, smacking into a large stone pillar. It wobbled on its feet before it toppled over, smacking into another. The remaining pillars fell like dominos in rapid succession until the last one fell and smashed into a large metal pyre.

The blue-white flames shooting up from it crashed to the floor with sparks flying.

"Nice going, Paige," Dewey grumbled. "Now you've set the place on fire."

One of the sparks smashed into the Mummy Lord. He shrieked in pain as the tiny blue speck grew against the black, hairy spider body.

"Oops," Paige said with a wince.

The spider-man staggered back and forth as a flame shot out of his back before snaking across to the other side. Within seconds, the entire beast burned in a white-blue light, and agonizing shrieks continued to fill the chamber. He tossed his head back toward the ceiling, roaring in pain before his body began to crumble underneath him, eaten up by the white-hot fire.

The wailing finally died down as the flames consumed him wholly, leaving only a pile of blackened ash on the floor.

Paige stood frozen, her eyes wide and her jaw hanging open as she stared at the remains of the Pharaoh.

Dewey fluttered in the air, a similar expression on his teal features. "P-Paige. You killed him. You did it."

"I did it," she repeated, her voice breathy with disbelief.

"You killed the Mummy Lord. You did it!"

A smile crept across her features as she twisted to him. "I did it."

"Haha! You did it! Your klutziness finally worked to our advantage. We've come full circle!" Dewey raised his fisted paws in the air in triumph.

"I did it. I defeated a Mummy Lord."

"Yeah, by complete accident, too. Don't worry, we won't tell anyone that. We'll say you fought bitterly until he finally succumbed."

"Right," Paige said as she strode across the room, giving the ashes a wide berth.

"Grab the scepter, and let's get out of here."

Paige nodded and reached for it before she yanked her hand back. "Wait. How do we get out of here?"

"Back the way we came?" Dewey asked with a shrug .

"I don't know. What happens if I grab it, and then I'm transported out of here?"

Dewey crossed his arms. "Don't be ridiculous, Paige. That happened once when we were stuck inside a book. It doesn't happen in real life."

"Okay," she said with a shrug and reached for the scepter again.

"Wait!" Dewey shouted. Paige tugged her arm back again, fear flashing in her eyes.

He settled on her shoulder. "Just in case."

"We should grab hold of Bones."

Dewey rolled his eyes. "Hey, Bones, get over here, pronto."

Paige clamped a hand onto the Mummy's bandaged arm and snatched the scepter. Nothing happened. "Dang it. Looks like we have to go back through the stupid pyramid to get out."

"Yep," Dewey said. "I told you."

"Can't anything work out easily for us?"

Dewey offered her an incredulous glance as she trod across the room toward the exit. "I mean, you literally just accidentally killed a Mummy Lord."

"I guess," Paige said as she slipped into the slider puzzle room and crossed it. "I just want to get out of here and see if Ronnie found anything else about my mom."

She backtracked through the darkened halls, creeping along in the darkness. "You know, there's like no way I can climb back across the alligator chamber," Paige said.

"I'll fly across and see if anyone has found a way down to us yet," Dewey said.

"Oh, great, perfect, yes, leave me in the bowels of a tomb alone."

"Paige?" a distant voice echoed.

Heat washed over her as she froze. "Devon? "

"Paige!" he shouted again.

She hurried forward toward his voice, rushing into the alligator chamber. Drucinda stood next to him, assessing the space. "Oh, there you are. And you have the scepter. Good. Let's get going."

Paige crinkled her nose. "Uh, wait, I can't make it back across there."

"Well, how did you get over there?"

"I climbed. And it was super hard!" Paige shouted.

Drucinda rolled her eyes. "Fine. Devon, go get her."

Dewey grabbed the scepter and sailed across the chamber as Paige waited for Devon to transform into beast mode and carry her over. Bones scrambled across the wall easily.

"Here's the scepter, Drucinda. It was hard fought, too. You should have seen me with that Mummy Lord. He came at me, but I got away. Then he kicked me. It hurt, but I dug deep and let him have it."

"What really happened, little man?" Drucinda asked as Devon delivered Paige to the opposite platform and shed his beastly form.

"Paige knocked over the special flame and it burned him alive."

"Well, well done, I suppose. At least we have this. With any luck, Ronnie and Ro have made progress. Let's get out of this tomb and call for an evac."

They backtracked through the remaining chambers, climbing out of the hole Paige accidentally landed in with a rope ladder. "I see you pried up the stone," she said as she scurried up into the main chamber.

"Yes, we did," Drucinda answered. "I've sent Tarik ahead to set up a comms device. With any luck, he's already reached the library.

They emerged into the night air of the desert and found Tarik speaking with Rochelle. "They are here. "

He passed the device to Drucinda. "Ro, we got it. Requested immediate evacuation from these coordinates." She jabbed at a button on the RP.

"Sending a team now. Dru, we have news."

Paige stepped forward, trying to read the woman's stoic face. Was there a crack of disappointment?

"A lead? Tell me. We'll give the scepter to the retrieval team and go straight away."

"I'm sorry, Dru."

"What is it?"

"We found…a body. We think it's Reed."

The world collapsed around Paige as the news hit her like a ton of bricks. While she'd been retrieving an asset for the library, somewhere, her mother had been killed. She would never have the opportunity to find her. She would never meet her mother. The woman had lived for decades, trapped, kept from her, and now, she was dead. And along with her, all of Paige's hope died, too.

The End