Chapter Twelve

Take a Bow

Texas

The low hum of the airplane vibrates my seat. We’ve been in the air for the last four hours, and I’ve quietly seethed ever since.

The reason is Exhibit A: Mr. Anton Orléans.

“Must you act like a child?” he asks.

I lift my eye mask, my attention totally devoted to Rose and not to Mr. He-Who- Thinks -He-Knows-Best. She’s flipping through the pages of a thick book. “Rose…do you hear something?”

With a dramatic flick of her fingers, she points to a word on the page, then shrugs her shoulder. “Hmm, you know what? It’s a buzz from a fly or something. But an actual, living, semi-human being…I don’t think so, no.” She lightly sniffs and then goes back to reading a book.

Rose is mad at Anton because he snitched to Nikolai about our mission to Egypt. The vampire, Nik, then redirected his flight from London and has plans to wait for us at the hotel.

“Your reaction to Nikolai is nonsensical,” Anton says. “We need more allies. Let’s not mention that you and Texas exacerbate situations with your constant bickering and competitions about who can kill the most vampires.”

“We do not bicker,” I bicker.

“Then what would you call the issue with the seating arrangements?” Anton leans back, staring at me.

Oh, right. We were trying to figure out the safest seat on the plane should it go down. And of course, I wanted to sit at or near the safest spot. Nathan, who doubles as a butler and pilot, assured us we were safe, but regardless—the plane is so small we all would die if something terrible should happen, so there. Problem solved.

Rose taps her toes on the floor. “We were discussing the pros and cons of our seating arrangements.”

“This discussion delayed our takeoff by thirty minutes,” Anton argues. “Precious minutes. Besides that, you should never desire a window seat. You need to ensure your safety away from the sun.”

“Whatever, Mr. Spock.” Rose now lifts her book to block Anton from her sight, but I can still see her.

“Nikolai will join us, Rose. Please ready yourself.”

“Of course Rose is ready.” When I defend Rose, she smiles.

I smile back. “You’ve been ready to tango with Nikolai for centuries.”

“You little brat.” Rose chucks her book at me. I duck, and it hits Anton.

She shrugs and laughs along with me.

Anton rubs at his temples. “Children…we need to discuss our approach to the temple guardians. We must be careful and deferential, lest we get on their bad side. They are legion.” He’s looking at us like he’s the star student stuck with two screw-ups for a group assignment.

I don’t know if it’s the dissatisfaction on his face or his condescending warning, but his words suck out the little fun and laughter we enjoyed. He says it as if we aren’t serious about the threat of Alexander…and the guardians of the hidden temples or whatever. And as if he wasn’t the one who sat on key intel for Khamari and the stone. Irritation spreads like chickenpox over my body, and now I’m just itchy and pissed.

“The next thing from your mouth needs to be word-for-word what Khamari said to you. You need to tell me what you know, and you need to trust that I can handle whatever you have to say.”

Anton opens his mouth and shuts it. He takes a deep breath.

“I’m nineteen years old and, in many locations, considered a grown woman.”

Rose snorts, but I don’t respond because that would just prove Anton’s point, and I can’t have that.

“I’m not an idiot, you know,” I say to Anton, and if I’m being honest, I’m saying it to myself, too.

Anton, who insisted on sitting beside me, scoots closer. “I know you aren’t. You have incredible gifts and even more so as the granddaughter of a slayer. You have so many things ahead of you, both wonderful and terrifying. And I want to you to be ready for whatever may come.”

“Then you need to prepare me, not protect me. Protecting the world is my job.”

He taps his lips, drawing my attention. “I don’t relish the world breaking you.”

“The good news is that I can heal myself.” Thanks to Remington.

He smiles reluctantly, and I know he’s finally thawing.

“Tell me what he told you…please?” I ask in the sweetest voice I can muster.

“Yes, but before I do, may I offer you a word of advice?”

“Go for it.”

He clears his throat. “There will come a time in your life where you’ll need to make a choice between the life of one versus the lives of many. Choose well.”

I dart my attention to Rose, who does the Star Trek hand signal for “Live Long and Prosper.”

“Greater good. Got it.”

He tells me about the temple guardians, which I already knew about. But then he mentions Khamari’s run in with an Egyptian god.

But it was one part of his story that really bothers me. “That thing he said to Khamari, about giving him the ability to eat and drink. Do you think he’s maybe in the Underworld? If he’s down there, then he’ll have to go through the trials with gods and beasts.”

“Hmmm. I hope not. If so, I do not know how to bring him back,” Anton says. “And he most definitely will go through the trials if they weigh his heart.”

Oh, shoot. That notion that your heart must be light as a feather thing. What exactly do they expect from someone who was tossed from home to home and then forced to be a vampire against his will?

“Maybe he did the trials, and his heart is light as a feather.” I exhale hard, trying to push out my lie.

Rose shoots me a look that says get real . “Oh, honey. His heart is heavier than a dump truck full of cement blocks.”

“Thanks, Rose.”

She shrugs. “We don’t know his fate, but here are the facts. The Emerald Tablet exists. We can either A: find its location and keep it safe, or B: let it be.”

I frown. “Let it be?”

“Oh, let it be!” she sings.

“Rose,” I snap.

“I’m serious. How many times have we read in books and seen in the movies about someone flopping about without the knowledge, skill, or care to retrieve some rare artifact? And let’s be clear: the Egyptians don’t play around.”

“I’m not basing our strategy off The Mummy .” Rose forced me to watch it once Charlotte gave me the assignment of going to Egypt for “research.”

“We don’t know what we don’t know.” There’s no teasing in her tone.

“But isn’t every religion the same?” I shrug. “You have a savior. People write some stuff down that’s important, follow the rules, and when you die, you get a nice reward.”

“Whew.” Rose shakes her head. “That’s an interesting outlook.”

“It’s true. Even what Ptah said to Khamari about the Emerald Tablet…about the knowledge being within you. Well, that’s the same as the Bible. Like you know what to do because you have the Holy Spirit.”

Anton snaps his fingers. “You’re right. The knowledge is within. Maybe the tablet doesn’t even exist.”

“See!” Rose’s voice grows animated. “That’s what I’m talking about. We know nothing. This could all be an elaborate ruse.”

“If it’s within, then Alexander can’t access it, right?” I ask no one in particular.

“Depends on the gatekeeper,” Rose mutters.

“Right and the gatekeeper, the Egyptian gods seem to hate his guts.” My shoulders relax. “I say we find Khamari, do a little sightseeing, and go home.”

Anton shakes his head. “Alexander is fixated for a reason. We cannot easily dismiss its existence. There may be different entry points for the knowledge, but that doesn’t mean it’s not tangible. We must see this through because if we’re wrong, my father will have infinite power.” Anton taps his chin.

“Infinite?” I say.

“The power to defy the laws of…anything. If the Emerald Tablet gives knowledge to all things, he can then break those laws or redefine them. He can turn the world into vampires or bend us to his will. He could become omnipresent—be everywhere and know everything. There would be nowhere to hide…not even our thoughts.”

“Well,” Rose sighs. “The world as we know it would be over.”

“You’re right.”

“You agree?” He blinks at me.

“You talked me into it. Besides, this is too important to make assumptions.”

“Excellent.” He clasps his hands. “We should make a priority list of temples and pyramids to check and—”

“I’ve already prepared a list.” I lean over to pull out my laptop. “There’s a lot of ground to cover, but I think we can do so in ten days. We’ll start looking at the pyramids of Cairo. Then Luxor, next to Aswan. Though it’s more efficient to divide and conquer, I feel like we should stick together. I don’t want to be a sitting duck for the temple dudes.” I clap my hands. “Oh! I spoke to Charlotte, and she has someone checking out different places around the world that have been rumored to have the Emerald Tablet, like in Tyana, Turkey.”

Anton gives me a soft clap of applause.

“Thank you, thank you.”

Okay, so Charlotte had basically laid out the plan. Over the past few months, I’d consumed all things alchemy—from China to India to Europe—but all roads point to Egypt. Of course, everyone wants to know two main things—how to transmute simple metals into gold and the most important one, the Magnum opus, the perfection of the human body.

And that’s what Alexander wants. That perfectionist doesn’t like the fact that he’s restricted to roaming at night.

And those well-meaning, but wrong, alchemists had failed miserably in their attempts to kill him. A botched transmutation created the world’s greatest threat.

“I’m going to get some Zs. You guys should get some rest, too.” I pull down my eye mask, eager to fall asleep. It’s the only way Khamari can find me.

…

“Why are you here?” a voice whispers to me. But I’m not on a plane bound for Egypt. I’m in the middle of a desert storm.

“Khamari?”

“Yes.”

“Where are you?” I spin in a circle, attempting to find him.

“Don’t come.”

The wind blows stronger after he makes the declaration. I lift my arm to block the onslaught. Sand fills my mouth and coats my tongue.

I cough and swallow down the grit. “If you don’t need help, then why did you walk my dream?”

“I didn’t. You called out to me.”

“What? I can’t do that.” I shake my head, still coughing from the sandstorm.

“I would never bring you here.”

“Where is here? Are you…dead, dead? Anton told me you could be in the below.”

“Limbo maybe? It’s the same place Ptah brought me. I haven’t been able to wake up yet.”

“Where is your hotel?”

“I’m not there. The Temple Guardians moved me.”

“No, but I’m sure I can find someone who saw you. Now tell me about the hotel.”

“The Cambridge.”

I swallow, satisfied that we have a lead. “Stay safe. I’m on my way.”

“Texas…you can’t follow me where I’m going.”

“We’ll see…” My voice trails because I’m no longer yelling at a vast sky in the desert. I’m back on the plane, and all I can hear is the low hum of the engine and breathing.

Rose is on the verge of snoring. Anton’s breathing is light. I’ll have to wait to share the news about Khamari once they awake. I close my eyes under my masks and fall asleep again. This time it’s dreamless, but for once, it doesn’t comfort me.

…

After we land, a local who appears to be a few years older than me welcomes us. Sprigs of curls bounce just above his shoulder. Thanks to our African Alchemist Order and Slayer Society, we’re able to forgo the typical traveler processing, especially since our IDs are fake.

“I am Omar. Nice to meet you.” He shakes my hand but gives Rose and Anton a polite wave.

I chuckle a bit to myself before grabbing my backpack.

“They’re the good ones,” I whisper to Omar.

“I do not believe there are any good ones, miss. Not around here.”

I raise my eyebrows at the dig on my vampire companions. “You’re still up for pretending to be our guide?”

“Of course. You only want to try Giza tomorrow, correct?”

“Yes. We may slip away every now and again. But at least one of us will stick with you to keep up appearances.”

“Excellent. We have the paperwork you need. New phones with proper data. An app to call us in case you get into a bind.”

“An app? Like Uber or something?”

“Yes. I created this myself.” His lips twist into a smile.

“Very cool. The American division needs its own app.”

“You don’t already have an app?” he says in a surprised, yet pleased, voice.

“Nope, afraid not, but we’ll fix that soon. I’ll share this with my team if that’s cool with you?”

“Of course.” Omar smiles like he’s won the lotto. “We are in this together, right?” He lifts an eyebrow.

“Yep. One team and all of that.” I pump my fist in the air.

“Okay.” Omar claps his hands. “We bring you to your hotel. Get an early start, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Looks like Niky’s run into some travel issues.” Rose giggles. “He won’t be here until tomorrow night.”

“Please tell me you did not delay his flight?” Anton’s voice is stern.

Rose snorts. “Of course I did. That’s what happens when you insist on flying privately. I have lots of IOUs out there, and I’ve cashed in.”

After a quiet and intense drive to our destination, the hotel’s security check the trunk of Omar’s cars for bombs and then let us through the gates.

“I will meet you here in the lobby at five in the morning. The tours open at eight, and that’s the best time to get in before the crowds. Of course, your vampire friends cannot come.”

“Anton can join us.”

“Too bad we can’t go tonight,” Rose mutters.

“We…could.” Omar looks around the lobby and then guides us to a corner. “Lower your voice… They are everywhere.”

We all nodded, waiting for him to continue.

“It’s best to go at night. Going at night is the best option since no one is allowed there, but of course, there is security. However,” Omar chuckles, “we are the security.”

“Great idea. Except the fact that we’re foreigners.” I jerk my thumb toward Anton and Rose. “And they definitely will stick out.”

“No, I mean the African Slayer Society acts as security. We have a few of us on staff. We know the magic the pyramids possess.”

“Oh wow, you’re an ASS, too.”

“Excuse?” His eyebrows shoot near his hairline.

I just realize African Slayer Society and American Slayer Society have the same acronym. “Oh, your letters… Never mind.” I wave him off. “Guys, how does that sound?”

Rose stretches her arm in the air. “I’ve slept most of the flight, so I’m ready.”

“Anton?” I ask.

He looks thoughtful. I can tell he doesn’t want to pivot from the original plan, but he must know this one is much better. Fewer tourists and less body count should something go down. And best of all, Rose can join us.

“Yes. It seems it will be advantageous since the Temple Guardians are not vampires,” he agrees.

“All right, Omar. We’ll check in and drop off our stuff. How about we meet in, say…twenty minutes?” That way I can take a shower, or at least a bird bath.

He pulls his hands behind his back, feet spread apart like he’s a bouncer at a club. “I’ll wait here.”

Twenty minutes later, we are on our way. Rose insists on sitting up front with Omar. Probably because she wants to annoy him since he obviously hates vampires from his rigid body and sneer. Also, she wants to be in the front in case we run into any danger.

“How long have you been a slayer, Omar?” Rose asks him.

“Fifteen years,” he answers robotically, staring straight ahead at the road. We’re in bumper-to-bumper traffic, so there’s time to shoot the shit.

“Oh wow. You look so young.”

“As you know, we do not age, madam.”

“Really? Neither do I.” She slaps his arm.

Omar seems to shrivel within himself.

“You really hate my kind, huh?” Rose doesn’t sound upset about the observation.

He takes a deep breath. “I’ve not had good interactions with your…sort.”

We all sit quietly in the car for a while until Rose breaks the tension.

“So, no nice vampires in Egypt?”

“Our vampire population is low. The African division is very effective.”

“At killing us?”

He grips the steering wheel. “Yes.”

Rose laughs. “Wow, Tex. I think Omar here may hate vampires as much as you did.”

“Do. Present tense, including present company.”

Omar laughs a bit at this.

“Stop it. You love me now. I’m basically your bestie. And Anton’s not so bad.”

“Sure, he isn’t.” I grunt. I still hate most of them, especially Alexander and sometimes Khamari. I am about to tease Rose about our friendship, but my breath is taken away by the sight in front of us.

The Great Pyramid of Giza is hella huge and seems to rise from the sand shrouded in the dark sky. Even with my enhanced night vision, there’s no way to take it all in. But everything seems…small in comparison. The desert in the backdrop is flat and sparse without a speck of green, just a sea of brown.

“This is one of the tallest manmade buildings at 146.6 meters tall.”

“Do you really think it’s manmade?” Rose whispers, matching Omar’s tone.

“Rose!” I laugh. “Don’t tell me you believe in the alien conspiracy theory.”

“If vampires exist, surely aliens do, too.” Her voice is too serious to not take her seriously.

“Do we have an alien slayer division?”

Rose shrugs. But it’s Anton who replies. “No, of course not.”

“See, I knew—”

“That’s folded under NASA.” There’s a smile that he’s struggling to suppress.

“Look at you, making a joke on a mission.” I poke his chest.

“If you say so.”

I say nothing. Just look straight ahead as Omar swerves into a paved parking lot.

After we park, we walk along the paved road that leads up to the entrance.

“Be on the lookout, bestie.”

My attention swerves to Rose, who gives me a thumbs-up and a winning smile.

“Don’t forget our plan.”

While we got ready upstairs, she, Anton, and I had made contingency plans should we get separated, maimed, or killed.

Omar greets the guard near the entrance, and surprisingly, we go straight inside the first pyramid. The entryway is seriously narrow, about as wide as Anton’s shoulders. Omar leads us down a set of stairs, at least two hundred feet. The air is stale and thin, smelling of mold and something else I can’t place. My nose is sensitive, but to be here, even under the circumstances, is astonishing.

The air is cold, and I shiver from the chilly air. Of course, there isn’t a lot of insulation here because, ya know, pyramids.

Omar keeps us at a brisk pace and walks us down a set of narrow tunnels. In the middle is a thick wood board that groans underneath our combined weight. There is a set of lights wedged between the granite walls and on the ground. The sloped walkways are so narrow that we stand behind each other, bracing the rail for support. I’m directly behind Omar, much to Rose’s annoyance because she wanted to stay in front of me. Behind me is Rose and bringing up the rear, Anton.

“We are here,” Omar says, leading us to a much wider space. We fan out, look around. I peek around the corner. There’s another ramp, and I’m grateful for my discovery that I am not claustrophobic because it’s not only narrow but also a dark, steep incline.

“Oh, sweet,” Rose says as she yanks at my elbow and pulls me behind her.

“What the hell—”

Someone grabs Rose’s shoulder. She elbows them in the nose, ducks, pulls out a set of knives, and tosses them into the neck and chest of two men in robes.

The temple guardians.

Omar slowly creeps backward, toward the entryway. I run, block his exit, and pull him against me. “You little traitor.” Omar squirms. He’s slightly taller than me, which makes it awkward to get a handle to drag him backward, but my advantage is my strength.

Four guardians in dark brown robes surround me. I glance at Anton, who yanks a large gold staff from a guardian and conks him against the head.

Hmmm. He doesn’t plan to kill them just yet.

“P-please,” Omar pleads. “We are the Hem-netjer and have the same aim—to eliminate all abominations.”

I snort. Just two months ago, Omar and I would’ve agreed.

“My objective is to kill Alexander,” I answer. “Not all vampires.”

“His progeny will die when he dies.” Omar’s voice is fierce despite my arm around his neck. I don’t like his tone, so I tighten my grip around his neck and, with my other hand, reach for my blade.

“Progeny?” I take a deep breath.

“All who have directly tasted his power…those who have received his blood and fangs.”

I look at Anton, who shows no emotion at the revelation. He either already knew this important piece of information or doesn’t care. I have no idea if blood also meant kids, but I can’t risk revealing Anton’s lineage.

“Take me to Khamari. I know you have him.”

“We do not—”

“Bro. I will slit your throat if you lie to me again. Where is he?”

“He is going through the trials.”

It feels like someone punched a hole through my chest. “You killed him.” I dig the blade into Omar’s neck.

“No. He is alive, r-relatively speaking.”

“Where?”

“Further down. A place you should not follow. You are needed here.”

“Take me now or that’ll be the last thing you’ll ever say.”

“Texas!” Anton yells. But he’s no longer across the room. He’s standing in front of me. Rose is still kicking ass. “Don’t go to Khamari. It isn’t safe.”

“I’m the Maximus.”

“With gifts from The Architect. Not their gods.”

Maybe they’re the same. And there’s only one way to find out.

I twist Omar around, then slam him against the wall. My elbow indents his chest and neck. “Move and I’ll kill you.”

He gulps, blinking his eyes like its morse code. I’m pretty sure he understands.

Elbows still in place, I return my attention to Anton. “Are you saying I can’t take them on?”

“We should regroup and not test this theory.”

“I’m sure they’ll be more guardians on the way. They’ll block us in.” I search his eyes, looking for support. “We’ve gotta take a stand, and we need more firepower. We need Khamari.”

“You think you need him. I do not.” His face is blank, but his tone and heavy, like he’s grieving something.

“Anton…”

“Don’t risk yourself for him. The world needs you to defeat Alexander. Greater good, remember?”

I drop my hands from Omar’s body and lean against him, using my back to imprison him. “I’ll do both. It’s not either or.”

He says nothing more. Anton’s eyes are wide and round and intense. He works his throat as if he’s trapping words inside. And I wonder if he’ll berate me or support me?

My throat becomes tight because I know what he’s thinking—that I’m choosing Khamari over him and everyone else. “Any advice?”

“Why? You’ve made your decision.”

“I…” I sniff. Dust and sorrow fill my throat. “I’m sorry. So, so sorry.” Not just for breaking plans, but for things I can’t really say right now. I guess for always giving him a hard time.

His knuckles graze the side of my cheek. His other hand grips Omar by the throat. “Come back.” His strong fingers are laced behind my neck. He pulls me close to a hug. I wrap my free arm around his torso.

I lift my head, lift the frown from my face. “Don’t worry. I’ll come back in one piece so I can save the world.”

“I want you to come back and not because of what you can do for the world, but for who you are.”

Omar squirms like a worm beside us.

“Awww. You really do care if I die.”

Anton rolls his eyes and almost gives me a smile. “Go. We’ll take care of it from here.”

“But what if—”

“Nikolai knows where we are.”

I look at Rose, who I just now notice is wiggling her hand.

“Add five to my list,” she says out loud.

“Are you really counting temple guardians?”

“Hell, yes! They were strong and tricky.” She points to a still body on the ground. “That one tried to use alchemy on me, but he was too slow.”

“All right, fine. Five more, but you still haven’t caught up yet.”

“Yeah, well, that’s because you killed all those vamps at once when you went berserker.” She shrugs. “But I’ve got time.”

It sounds like a stampede from above.

Rose crosses her arm. “The calvary has arrived.”

“Yeah. Sounds like a lot of them. Maybe I should stick around and take care of it.”

Rose winks and speaks in my mind. “Relax, Slayer. We can take these guys, but I want to know their plans. I’ll give up. Let them think they’ve captured us for a while. That’ll give you more time.”

“Okay, I’m leaving.”

Anton releases his grip around his neck, then I lock Omar’s arms behind his back.

“Show me the way.” I push him forward.

“B-but—”

“Take me to Khamari or take your last breath.”

“Yes, madam…but be warned, you may be taking your final breath.”