As the innumerable stars overhead continued to shine down from the large and vast night sky, the dark-colored ship bobbed up and down the calm ocean waters, lulling the passengers down below into a calm sleep. The sailors who were stationed above on the crow's nest were keeping a wary look out for any followers or making sure the way was clear of obstacles. Their job was to keep everyone else safe, and they would do it at the cost of their lives.
Down below in the passenger's cabin, Jeneta tossed and turned in her sleep, sweat pouring down her dark face. Although the large cot she was sleeping on was comfortable enough, she just couldn't fall asleep, and when she did, it lasted only a few moments. Her dreams were often troubling, but they were so short, she could barely remember what it was. Finally with a sigh, Jeneta sat up and pushed off her covers, cursing softly under her breath. She turned to look at the other girls sleeping with her in the large room. They were all sleeping peacefully, their faces calm and serene and lit by the moon's ray shining from the portholes.
"This is nuts! Why can't I fall asleep?" Jeneta grumbled, then sighed to herself. "Well, if I can't sleep, I might as well get some air from up top." After dressing quickly and quietly, Jeneta slipped out of the cabin and headed up the short flight of steps to port side. As soon as she did, she stretched her arms over her head and took a deep breath, letting the fresh sea air calm her nerves.
"AHHH! That's much better!" she said to herself. She walked to the ship's railing, rested her elbows on it, and looked out into the ocean, awed by how big it was. It's like we're out in the middle of nowhere! It doesn't seem like there's land anywhere near in sight. she thought to herself. She sighed to herself again as she felt the gentle night breeze caress her cheeks and blow through her thick black hair. I can barely believe it. Just days ago, my friends and I were just regular school girls in London, and now...here we are, getting ready to start this epic journey. It's exciting, but so frightening at the same time. What if we can't get back home? What if we can't help this planet? Jeneta felt her heart pump faster and louder as the next thought came into her head. What if my family doesn't even remember me if we DO get back? I wonder if they're even worried about me. And Prya, Ling, Angeni, and Heather's families? Are they worried about them too? Thinking about my parents...it all seems like a lifetime ago since I've been with them. Slight tears began to form in her eyes as she thought of the enormity of the mission she and her friends would have to go through to save this world. Back in the village where she, Djoser, and the others were staying, people died trying to protect them. She made a silent vow then....she wasn't going to let their sacrifice be in vain. She'd try as hard as she can, no matter what!
"Jeneta?" The voice was barely audible, but at the sound, Jeneta gasped in surprise and turned around. Coming towards her was Heather, her eyes wide and filled with worry as she looked at the dark-skinned girl before her. "Jeneta, are you okay? Why are you up here?"
"Oh, Heather!" the girl laughed softly in relief, her hand in the back of her head. "Heh, you startled me for a second there. I thought you guys were sleeping..."
"Well, we were, but Heather heard you get up and sneak out, and told us about it. So what's wrong?" said Angeni, coming up behind the blonde-haired girl. As she said that, Ling and Prya came up walking behind her out of the short stairwell.
For a long moment, Jeneta could only look at her friends as they stood with her at the railings, looking out towards the large ocean. She then smiled in gratitude at them. She had been foolish to doubt that she would fail in this mission. She was with her friends here now, she felt she could accomplish anything now because they cared for her. Running a hand through her hair, she smiled shyly at them. "Oh, nothing's wrong, really. I just couldn't sleep tonight. I was just thinking about my family and how much I miss them. Even that little monster brother of mine, Jamie." A faraway, look of remembrance filled her eyes. "I miss the way my mum would make funny shaped hotcakes on the week-ends, and how I would rush downstairs to get them before Jamie could get to them, and how he'd cry and yell when I would leave him only one! I also miss how my dad gave us a stern look, until he couldn't keep it anymore and finally burst out laughing! I miss those days." She giggled softly at the memories.
Heather smiled along with her, completely understanding. "I miss my grandparents most. My grandmother, whose parents are Dutch, would tell me all kinds of stories about how when she would visit Amsterdam when she was growing up, her parents forced her to wear those crazy Dutch apron dresses, wooden shoes, and hats when she went to festivals! My grandfather was a carpenter, and I loved watching him whittle and make toys for me when I was little." A wistful sigh escaped her lips as she remember sitting on her grandmother's lap and listen to old Dutch fairy tales her parents use to tell her when she was a little girl.
"Well, I miss my uncle's shop the most in Beijing," Ling spoke up. "He has an herbal shop, and I would rush home everyday just to visit the shop and breathe in all those wonderful smells from all the plants and herbs he's grown." With a wink, the Chinese girl went into a karate pose. "And I loved all those AWESOME karate moves he taught me! No one could beat ME in school fights. I used to stick up for the kids that got picked on all the time. He taught me that fighting should be in the defense of the weak, not to rule with strength."
At those words, Angeni laughed out loud with Ling. "That's so cool! That's like the lesson my grandfather taught me before he died." Angeni nodded her head as her memories came to her. "He told me that sometimes, being kind and respectful can gain you more than being cruel. I miss him, but what I miss the most are my parents too. They taught me a lot about my heritage, even though we don't often see eye to eye. I miss our powwows and music too. Having a powwow party was AWESOME where I grew up. There's stories, good food, everything!"
"Parties, huh? Sounds good to me!" chuckled Jeneta.
"And you Prya, what do you miss from home?" asked Heather, turning to the East Indian girl.
Pyra was quiet for a few moments, trying desperately to find something she missed. She then smiled and held her hands behind her back. "Well, if I had to miss anything back home, it would be my church in my neighborhood. Whenever my parents were angry at me or anything, I would just go there to pray or just be alone for a while. I guess that's about it. I know it's not much..."
The other girls nodded, understanding why she didn't talk much about her parents. She had explained to them that they weren't very caring towards her, even though they didn't treat her badly. It was mostly due to their social status, something the girls didn't really understand. If she was there daughter, wouldn't they love her unconditionally? It shouldn't matter what social standing they had. But despite that, the girls were glad Prya was the sweet, intelligent, gentle girl they had come to love, no matter what kind of parents she had.
"Ahh, I thought I heard voices." said a voice, coming from out the shadows. A moment later, Danji walked up to the girls, his friendly smile setting the girls at ease.
"D..Danji? What are you doing here?" Heather said, blushing hard and pushing back a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. From ever since they were on the ship, the two have managed for find just a few moments together alone, talking about small things like her home and family. But somehow, despite the ever growing attraction they felt towards one another, they never had the courage to actually open up and admit their feelings, even though it was so obvious to the others.
"I just finished my rounds for the night, and I thought heard voices." Danji said, his eyes going immediately to Heather, and blushing slightly himself. "I..I just wanted to see if everything was okay..."
"Yeah, we're fine Danji." Ling said, a mischievous look in her eyes. "So now you know we're fine, do you and Heather want to be alone?"
"Ling!" Janeta exclaimed, nudging the Chinese girl in her rib. Ling looked at her in a shocked way, as though it was obvious Jeneta would have been thinking the same thing.
At that moment, another figure walked up to them without being seen at first, but when he spoke, he startled the girls as they chuckled at one another. "What are you all doing up here?"
"Oh Djoser! Heh, sorry, I didn't think we were making so much noise up here. Did we wake you?" Jeneta blushed and laughed nervously, hoping she hadn't gotten herself and her friends in trouble.
"No, I've been up for hours. It's almost dawn now." The tall, dark-skinned man pointed out to the East where there was just a spark of the sun in the sky, signifying that night was just about to end. "But once again I ask, what are you all doing up here? We're to dock in a few hours, and you'll be in the way when the men have to prepare..."
"Sorry, we won't be in the way any longer. It's just that...well...I couldn't sleep, and we all came up here for a little air, and...and.." At the stern look on Djoser's face, Jeneta sighed in defeat. "Come on girls, we might as well go back down."
"Yeah, before Captain Grumpy here gets a heart attack!" chuckled Ling. The rest of the girls snickered under their breaths at that remark and the way Djoser looked at her as he heard it. But before he could anything else, they rushed downstairs to their cabin and freshened up.
"I'll go check again to make sure the ship is ready to dock." Danji said, saluting once to Djoser, and then heading off back to starboard.
For the next few hours, it seemed as though every single man on the ship was busy; they were calculating distances, getting anchors and grips ready for docking, and keeping everything smoothly running. Nearly everyone was dashing here and there on the ship, yelling and shouting orders and results at each other. At last, land could be seen, and along with it the tell tale signs of a place that was once a great town. From the portholes in their cabin, Jeneta and the rest of the girls could see the ruins of majestic buildings that were now toppled over. The designs of the buildings were very similar to the Egyptians ones they had studied in school; the same smooth architecture, light colorings with elaborate paintings, and pillars that bore names of long ago kings and queens. But all of it was just a shadow of what it once was. Here and there were some evidence that the buildings were being rebuilt, but it seemed very recent. Even the port itself looked just made. As the ship got closer and closer, men of various skin color and shades came out to greet it, some very husky looking and seeming to have worked with ships a very long time.
Finally, the ship docked, and those same men grabbed ropes thrown from the sailors on the ship and began pulling hard, drawing the ship safely into the harbor.
A few moments later, Djoser knocked on the girls' cabin door. When he opened it, he smiled and beckoned them forward. "We're here. We have just enough time for breakfast and...."
He never got to finish as the girls jumped up as one and shouted "FINALLY!", and rushed out of the cabin, nearly trampling over him.
When they reached outside, they all breathed in the fresh, salty ocean air, stretching their stiff limbs over them. "Well, it was fun while it lasted, but I'm GLAD we're finally off that ship." Angeni said. "Four days out to sea is long enough for me."
"Amen to that!" agreed Jeneta. She was about to say more when Djoser came up behind them.
"We have no time to lose. Follow me," With that, he turned and hurried down the movable flight of steps that was brought to the side of the ship. For a few moments, they got curious stares from the people that were walking around, but the girls never noticed as they hurried to keep up with him. They listened with fascination as they heard many different kinds of languages being spoken as the men talked and shouted to one another, making it very noisy. Moments later, they cleared the harbor and came to the side of a ruined building, where Danji waited for them with horses for himself and each of the girls and Djoser.
"Hello girls! Ready for a day of riding?" He winked at them, making Heather blush once more in his presence.
The man chuckled, and waited until they were all mounted their horses. "So where are we going now?" asked Ling, getting curious.
"We're going to get breakfast at Danji's house, then we head off to Colaris. It's only about an hour or so from here. But we must hurry. Zain and his forces must be tracking us here by now." Djoser pulled the reign on his horse, making him neigh loudly and stand up on his rear legs, then dashed off.
"Oh dear, I don't know too much about horses," said Prya, holding on to her horse's reigns nervously.
"It's okay. Just keep close with me, and you'll do fine." Danji rode up near Prya's horse and urged him foreword, pulling on his reigns. After a moment, the group galloped off and was soon at Danji's modest home. After meeting Danji's family of his parents and younger brother and sister, and eating a hearty breakfast of different foods they could hardly name....but ate anyway because they were so hungry, they left and continued to ride on to the West, where Colaris awaited them.
They left the small harbor town and rode through the country's vast forest for about an hour before Jeneta finally brought up the courage to ask the question that was burning in her mind. She urged her horse to come up next to his, and cleared her throat nervously. "Umm..Djoser? Why was almost everything there destroyed? What happened here? How come I hardly saw any people?"
The man's eyes turned sad for a moment before answering. "This small harbor town was part of the main city of Colaris...the city where I was born and capital of Perdenia, before it broke off and became independent. It was one of the first towns and cities destroyed by Kumraa when he first broke free and gathered his evil army. I...I lost my parents and my brother in the battle. From since then, this place was abandoned. It was only recently that people who have fled here before the attack came back, but it's mostly to hold up small resistance cells here, nothing more."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Jeneta said softly. Then her eyes widened. "Wait, you had a brother? What was he like? What happened...?"
But she never got to finish as Djoser gave her a look that clearly meant that he didn't want to talk about it anymore. Just then, Danji shouted out "We're approaching the city of Colaris!"
They exited the beautiful forest and approached a large city that seemed ancient. If the girls had thought it was bad in the town they came in at, then this was worse, much worse. Buildings were blackened and pulverized, and the ground was scorched black. Nothing even resembling life remained, not even grass or trees. The only building that seemed to stand, although weak-looking, was a large arena building resembling an amphitheater from ancient Greece about half a mile up. Chunks of it were blown away, and it seemed as though it would topple any minute. Overhead, dark clouds were gathering, signifying a storm approaching.
"Oh my goodness! This is terrible! How are we supposed to find one of the Sacred Medallions in THIS!" said Heather, looking around in bewilderment.
"Because it is here that the god who is known as Sekheti, The Tormentor of Souls, resides and keeps guard over it." said Danji, fear creeping into his voice. "It has been said he was once a benevolent god worshiped here in this city, and guided the souls of the dead to the underworld to be judged. But since Kumraa was freed, he has turned evil. He was the one who destroyed Colaris and made it into what you see now, and helped the rest of the country of Perdenia fall to Kumraa." Danji's eyes seem to mist with tears. "He works for the Evil One now."
"Well, evil or no, we HAVE to go on and try to get it." said Ling, determination on her face. "We've come too far now."
"She's right. We'll just have to figure out what to do as we go along. But we should be careful, I feel a very strong, very old presence here, and it's NOT very good." Angeni said, her famous intuition for danger kicking in.
"Follow me," said Djoser, and cautiously lead them on, knowing his way easily, as he was born and raised here. When they were almost at the building, he held his hand up for them to stop, and dismounted his horse. The others followed suit, and walked up to the large entrance to the coliseum. The doors were blown away by his energy blast, and inside, they could see human skeletons on the ground where tournaments and shows were held.
"UGH! Gross!" breathed out Angeni, as usual finding anything unpleasant to look at disgusting. They were just about to go inside, when suddenly, the intense feeling of danger Angeni got grew stronger. She was just about to turn to the others and tell them to be careful, when a loud thunderclap boomed overhead, making them cover their ears. The next thing they knew, they were all being lifted up by a strong wind and carried inside the building, screaming and yelling in surprise.
Large, black ropes surrounded their bodies, and with a loud thud, they all landed in the middle of the arena, sending up dust everywhere. There was another clap of thunder, and a large being materialized out of the dense, humid air, landing in front of them with a boom and making the earth tremble. The figure could have been described as a man....except he had a jackal's black-furred head, yellow, glowing eyes, and gold arm bracelets around his bulging biceps. On his muscular thighs were also gold leg bracelets, almost covered by his starch white kilt. Dark brown sandals adorned his feet, and his skin was nearly as dark as the fur on his jackal head. A gold, multi-layered broad necklace clasped around his thick, stocky neck. He stood about 7 feet tall and towered over them as the group lay on the ground.
He raised his hand as he stood before them, and in a flash of lightening, a large sword appeared in his clenched left hand. He brought the sword down and pointed the end of it at them. "I am Sekheti, The Tormentor of Souls. You have intruded on my domain." His voice was deceptively soft, yet full of rage and annoyance. "Explain yourself before I give you an unbearably painful death."
Not even thinking of what she was doing, Jeneta was the first to speak up. "Please, we mean no disrespect! We've only come for the Sacred Medallion that you guard! It's very important we have it, please!" She gasped and stopped herself from saying anymore, surprised that she had spoke up at all.
"I see." He nodded his dog like head and stepped back. With a flick of his right hand, Jeneta was released from the black ropes, and the rest of the group was locked up in a large cage that they were suddenly in, but loosed from their bindings as well.
"If you want the Sacred Medallion, brave one, then you will have to fight and defeat me." Sekheti said, his glowing, yellow eyes, seeming to bore into her soul as she stood before him. He flicked his wrists again, and a large sword appeared in Jeneta's hands. It was heavy, and nearly made her topple over.
"What? But..but I'm no sword fighter! I can't...I can't.." The dark-skinned girl stammered in fright as she looked up at the immense god.
"You WILL fight me, or you will watch your friends die horribly....." Sekhti said, going into a fighting stance with his swords. "And you will NEVER leave here alive yourself!"
And to show he meant what he said, the god swung his sword down on her, ready and willing to separate her head from her body.
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