The Kuthun (25 page)

From our current vantage point I can make out faint symbols and carvings that detail the outside of the doorways, making them appear intimidating to those wishing to enter. In this case…us.

I then look down at the most imposing feature here—the large pool of water that stretches across from one end of the chamber to the other.

‘Well first things first. How are we going to cross this?’ I say.

‘I have no idea. But we better find a way or we could be stuck down here for a long time.’ He leads us further into the chamber, which slopes downwards slightly, stopping only a few metres before the water’s edge. I notice that small tendrils of steam are floating on its surface.

‘Is it hot water?’ I ask.

‘It appears to be.’ Uncle Jo screws his eyes up, trying to discern the exact cause of the steam.

Magi gets up enough courage to venture forward and reels back at the scent she’s caught. She sends me an image and I know immediately what she is telling me.

‘Uh…this water isn’t hot. It’s acid!’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Magi just showed me. She can smell it clearly.’ Upon closer inspection the water isn’t what it seems. There is an eerie green glow wisping up through the tendrils of acid cloud. ‘There is no way we can cross this,’ I say.

‘There is always a way, Ellie. We just have to figure it out.’ He pulls me back gently and we take a seat on the nearby boulder, contemplating what our next move will be.

‘The most obvious answer would be to teleport
across wouldn’t it?’ he asks.

‘What if the teleporting doesn’t work down here? Or it cuts out mid-air? I don’t feel like burning to death thanks very much,’ I reply indignantly.

‘Point taken.’ He smirks. ‘Well, any suggestions?’

‘Not just yet,’ I say.

‘The Ancient Egyptians who built these tombs had an uncanny ability to be able to devise traps and deterrents against forbidden intruders,’ he says. ‘How they were able to do this thousands of years ago I have no idea, but you have to give them credit for their imagination.’ He stands up and takes a closer look at the pool walls, trying to find a loophole in their design.

‘What if I just try and teleport on this side of the chamber?’ I ask him, standing up in readiness.

‘You could, but again you wouldn’t want to miss your target.’ He keeps searching for a way across.

‘Well I have to try,’ I whisper. I look to my left, to the far wall on this side of the chamber, where a pile of rubble sits in a heap on the ground. I focus my attention on it and when I feel ready, I grab the kuthun.

I can feel my body making its way towards it, but mid-air I hit a forceful barrier. I open my eyes and see that I am being thrown back by the blocking of an invisible wall—its surface ripples with the impact. I watch it bow and warp as if in slow motion and then I hit the ground hard, crying out in pain.

‘Ellie!’ Uncle Jo yells, his boots echo through the vast chamber as he runs towards me. I try and sit up, and find that my left leg won’t move.

‘What were you thinking?’ he asks me gruffly, as he feels my leg gently for any sign of damage. He presses on my ankle and I cry out once more. ‘You’ve broken it,’ he says. He takes the knapsack off his back and sifts through it, pulling out a bandage.

I shake my head. ‘That’s not going to help. I need to heal it myself,’ I say through gritted teeth. I sit up as far as I can, inhaling sharply with the pain. I go within, blocking out the rest of the world and place my hand over my ankle. ‘Imbanese da noma ra. Samara nekfatety.’

I wait for the spell to take hold. It takes a few minutes but gradually the magic enters my foot and the area that was once swollen and distorted now starts to shift itself back into place. Bones crack as they reconnect with other bone fragments and the pain subsides.

I sigh with relief and gently start to wiggle my toes, making sure everything is working like it should. I bend my legs and slowly stand up, leaning on Uncle Jo for support.

‘Does it feel better?’ he asks.

‘Yes. Much better. It will be tender for a while but it will come good.’

He shakes his head at me. ‘When will you learn to be more careful, Ellie?’

I don’t respond. I stand up and hobble slightly, searching the air in front of me for any sign of the force-field that just deflected my power with its own. I see nothing. Magi is sniffing around the area of impact and she passes underneath without any trouble.

‘What did you hit up there?’

‘I’m not too sure. I think it may have been a force-field of some sort.’ I continue looking up into the air.

‘A force-field? What would it be defending?’ he says.

These words trigger off a thought. He’s right, what would it be defending?
‘Nice work, I think you may have just given us our first clue,’ I say.

I look over at the rubble still standing untouched against the far wall. My intention was to reach it and it was then that the force-field appeared. What is in those rocks? I make my way towards the pile, curious as to what I might find.

Uncle Jo follows me closely. ‘What are you searching for?’

‘I don’t know yet, but if I’m right, then I think we’ll find our answer to crossing that acid stream in amongst that pile of rocks.’

Shards of different coloured rocks, all shapes and sizes, make up the large pile in front of us. They don’t look like anything special, which is probably why most people would miss it. I bend down to take a shard off the top but it doesn’t move. I try another one, but with no luck. It’s like they’re all stuck together. How bizarre?

Uncle Jo gives it a try, his biceps bulge under his efforts, but the pile doesn’t budge. ‘What is this? Why won’t it move?’ He wipes the sweat from his brow.

I remember Maya’s words. ‘Use the earthly elements to your advantage.’

A weird thought occurs to me. ‘I think I need to ask the rock for permission,’ I say hesitantly.

He raises an eyebrow. ‘Uh…ask the rock for permission?’

‘I know it sounds nuts, but it feels right,’ I say, not taking my eyes off the pile. As if in agreement the kuthun begins to glow. I take a step back and my movement tells the others to do the same.

‘How are you going to ask it may I enquire?’ he says, with a hint of cynicism in his voice.

I think about all the movies where access is needed to a sacred area.
Lord of The Rings
, my all-time favourite, where Gandolph speaks the elvish word “Melloch” to gain entry into the Mines of Moria.
Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade
, where to save his father and retrieve the Holy Grail he had to utter the word of God in Latin. And
The Davinci Code
, where Professor Langdon must decipher the five letter code word “Apple” to open the cryptex, revealing the papyrus scroll inside.

None of this is helping you, Ellie!

‘I have no idea,’ I reply. I continue to search the rubble for any clue as to what I might say and then Magi sends me an image of the kuthun.

Could it work? Only one way to find out. I place my hand on top of the pile. ‘Tyet,’ I say loudly.

A groaning and shifting of rock sounds out from the pile. We all take another few steps back and watch in wonder as the rubble moves aside to reveal another stairwell beneath it.

‘Holy hell! You did it!’ Uncle Jo says excitedly.

I give Magi a big hug. ‘Thanks, Mags. You’re the best.’ She wags her tail.

‘How did you do that? That was fantastic! I can’t believe this is happening, really I can’t.’ He rambles on in awe at the events that are unfolding.

‘Alright, Sosibius, take it easy,’ I say cheekily.

He laughs and ruffles my hair. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen him like this. It makes me smile.

‘By the way, I’ve noticed that you’ve been able to cast spells a lot easier recently,’ he says, following me down the stairs.

‘Yeah, I think the kuthun has really expanded my abilities. It’s like I already know the spell without having to learn it, you know?’

‘No. I don’t know. I’m just a mere Cole male remember?’

I chuckle.

We continue to descend the stairs for another ten metres where again our path is illuminated by the candles. We take a sharp right and walk straight ahead.

‘I don’t think it’s just the kuthun by the way,’ he says.

‘What do you mean?’

‘I think it’s a combination of things, Ellie. The kuthun, your Merging, and the fact that Isis is triggering some sort of internal power struggle within you, are all playing a part I believe.’

He could be right. Maybe it is a combination of things. I don’t like the part about the internal struggle, it fills me with unease.

We keep walking in silence and I see light up ahead. It’s another opening. I look back at Uncle Jo and Magi before taking the stairs.

My head pops up through the opening and I see that we have reached the opposite side of the chamber. I move out of the way to let the others through and find that we are standing in front of the two open archways.

The guards loom over us, unmoving in their protection of whatever lay beyond the doorways. I step closer, taking in the symbols surrounding the arches, and in one swift movement the guard to the left blocks my path with his javelin-like spear.

I jump backwards startled.

‘Ellie, back up slowly,’ Uncle Jo whispers in my ear. He grabs my elbow from behind and gently pulls me back. The guard freezes in place.

Magi growls low in her throat.

‘What are they?’ I whisper.

‘I have no idea, but I wouldn’t get too close if I were you.’ He keeps his voice low.

‘This must have been what Maya was talking about. She warned me that two of the challenges down here may end our journey,’ I say quietly.

‘Well that’s handy,’ he replies sarcastically.

I notice that every inch of the arches’ fascia is covered in detailed hieroglyphics.

‘Which one do we choose?’ he asks, still watching the guards closely. I shrug. ‘That’s a lot of help.’

‘Another question would be, how do we get past the guards?’ I say.

‘Did Maya say anything else?’

I nod. ‘She said to use the earthly elements and answer with truth and a pure heart.’

‘Answer what?’

At that question the guard’s dark, empty eye sockets move to stare right at me. An unearthly sound escapes from its stone mouth. ‘To pass through this door you must first answer your truth.’

‘Answer what truth?’ Uncle Jo says.

The guard takes a step forward and freezes.

I reach out to touch his arm. ‘Uncle Jo, let’s just try and figure it out without upsetting Hercules here,’ I whisper.

‘How do we know that this is the door? It could be the other one for all we know.’ He jerks his head in the direction of the other doorway.

Magi sends me an image of the kuthun.

‘I think you’re right, Mags.’ I look back at the far side of the acid stream. ‘My magic only worked over there because I spoke the true name of the kuthun. Maybe that’s what Maya meant. Find the symbol and speak its truth.’

He rubs his chin in thought. ‘Sounds plausible. But how do we know what symbol to look for?’

I sigh. ‘We don’t.’

We decide to split up and take a door each, being careful not to challenge the guards. The minutes draw out as we search for an answer written in the symbols.

‘Anything?’ I ask him.

‘Not yet. Although we could just try one and backtrack if it’s no good,’ he replies.

‘Do you want to risk their wrath dear uncle, because I sure don’t?’

He looks up at the guard closest to him. ‘Not particularly.’

I smirk. ‘Roger that. Then what exactly are we supposed to be looking for?’

He turns to me. ‘I’ve been thinking about that. If we go off the first challenge, we can assume that by you saying the word tyet, which is the symbol meaning life or rebirth, we should be looking for any clue that may represent Isis. Just as that did.’ He looks at the kuthun.

It makes sense. ‘I think you’re right,’ I say.

A light breeze suddenly flows around me and on it I hear the whispered words of Neteru. ‘Search for the symbol that represents who you are.’ The breeze subsides and with it his voice.

Magi whimpers.

‘Ellie, what’s wrong?’ Uncle Jo asks, feeling the change in the air also.

I look over at him. ‘We have to find the symbol that represents who I am.’

He frowns. ‘How do you know this?’

‘I just heard the voice of Neteru,’ I say calmly.

He exhales and runs his hand through his hair. ‘Of course you did. Okay, so a symbol that represents who you are. Let’s see.’ He searches the fascia more closely.

‘You’re assuming that we can now read hieroglyphics,’ I say sarcastically.

‘Actually, smarty pants, I do know some.’

I raise my eyebrows in surprise.

‘But in this case, your intuition is going to be our best bet at figuring it out,’ he says.

‘If I could touch the symbols it might help,’ I say.

The guards begin to stir.

‘You better make it quick. I think these guys are getting impatient,’ he says edgily. I see him slowly reach around to his back pocket where he keeps his knife. The guard moves its head to stare directly at him. He stops and slowly removes his hand, placing his palms up in a submissive gesture.

I cast a spell that will extend my reach. ‘Incata mektu. Arkfara hundai.’

The two guards both turn to look at me, raising their spears in contention.

‘Ellie,’ he whispers desperately.

Magi slowly positions herself in front of me protectively.

‘I know, I know. Give me a sec.’ Magic leaves my finger tips and weaves its way towards the first arch, skimming its way over each symbol.

The guards take another step towards me.

‘Ellie!’ Uncle Jo warns.

A misty cloud of magic covers the fascia of the first door.

Nothing.

I direct my fingers to the other door.

The guards take another step in my direction and turn their stone torsos, bringing their spears up behind them.

Magi’s hackles rise and she bares her teeth.

The magic cloud highlights one symbol.