Visions of Fire and Ice (The Petiri) (35 page)

Chapter Thirty-Six

Ramose slammed his blade hard against his brother’s. There would be no finesse this day. Only death. Only pain. He tried to ignore the thoughts as he fought. Tamara stood, her hand over her lips as though fighting the urge to scream. Yet, inside, he felt her calm.

She’d lit his blade afire, and he charged forward, amazed to see his brother backpedaling. Could it be? Could Amunkha be afraid of fire? That would certainly explain his quick departure the last time they met.

“You think you can best me in a show of magick?” The words came from his brother’s mouth, but, for the first time, Ramose realized the man before him could not be Amunkha. The sound echoed and hissed like a thousand serpents.

It’s Set, the real God of Chaos
. He heard the soft feminine voice in his mind.
Amunkha is still in there, Ramose. If we can get him immobilized, I might be able to save him
.

Ramose shook his head. He didn’t have time to immobilize the creature. He had to kill him. He charged, their blades engaging, ready for the kill. “It’s time for this to end,” he growled.

“I so agree,” said the man he’d once thought was his brother. The man stepped back and dropped his sword point to the floor. “I’ve had enough of these games. You will help me achieve the greatest of my goals. What more can a brother want?”

Ramose stopped, struggling to slow his breathing and his heart. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Why, Ramose, your pain will be the one thing which destroys your brother. He will die. And, with him gone, I shall have the power I need to reclaim my throne.”

Set grinned, an evil, sliding type of grin which sent shivers of foreboding down Ramose’s spine. Strawberry blonde hair hung in the air as the man spun. A ball of energy exploded from his fingers, flying through the air toward Tamara.

“No,” shouted Ramose. He threw himself forward, knowing he would be too late.

“No,” screamed a feminine voice. The priestess he’d left chained in this same room the night before lunged forward, shoving Tamara to the side.

The ball slammed into her belly. She screamed, her head thrust back, her eyes filled with the black shadow of the chaotic power. Her body shook and trembled, and her eyes widened. Dark lines of pain drew across her face as Ramose watched in horror at what so easily could have been Tamara.

Then, as if unable to contain the energy another second longer, she exploded outward, the power a dark hole in its intensity. At last, the power collapsed, leaving only the echoes of her screams.

And, then, there were only the soft echo of breath sounds.

Breathy sounds of those left living.

Ramose growled, and, using his power, he sent ice shards raining down upon Set. In an instant, the man-god had installed a shield of some sort, the ice bouncing off as though nothing more than light snow. Well, if ice wouldn’t do the trick, perhaps snow was exactly what he needed.

He let the power of cold surge through his veins. Above Set, he let it swirl and eddy until a huge vortex formed. Snow fell in masses. In seconds, foot upon foot of snow dropped its heaviness upon the man, covering his body in a blanket of white.

Amunkha’s body collapsed. Ramose poured more energy into the forming cloud, and more snow collapsed downward. Then, with a quick thought, he imprisoned the man in large blocks of snow and ice, like the igloo he’d created for Tamara, but with much heavier consequences.

The room quieted. Tamara’s sobs were all that remained. Ramose turned toward her. His
Kha-Ib
held the remnants of the priestess’s clothing.

He pulled her to her feet. “Shhh. There’s nothing you could have done.”

“She wasn’t evil,” she cried. “She would never have done on her own what she did last night. He made her do it.”

Tamara’s pain sliced into his heart. “I know.” He drew her close into his arms, holding her as she sobbed.

“She saved my life.”

“And we will remember her for that.” He owed the woman a great debt. He would find a way to repay it. Somehow. Somewhere.

An explosion of sound vibrated from across the room, and they both turned. Set erupted from his cocoon of ice, shards flying everywhere. Snow powdering at his feet.

Soft, evil laughter filled the room. “So you thought to imprison me, dear brother,” he said.

“You fool,” screamed Tamara. She jerked herself from Ramose’s arms and stormed toward Set. Her grief disappeared beneath a fierce cloak of rage. “You would even kill your own priestess.” She emphasized every word with a fireball thrown at Set. He stepped back, cringing from her fury. “You have no right to the throne of Osiris. You are evil incarnate.”

Tamara stormed toward the man who’d once been his brother. Ball after ball of flame slammed into the man/god until he’d backed against the stone.

“Stop your slut, Ramose,” he heard Set shriek. “Before I destroy her as well.”

Ramose drew to a halt at the man’s words. He cocked his head in wonder. He had disappeared before when Tamara had thrown fire at him, and, now, he was on the retreat. “You can’t, can you? Fire is your enemy.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Small bursts of chaotic energy shot outward, searching for a target, but missing. “You think you can defeat the God of Chaos?”

* * * *

Tamara stared down at her hands. Yes. She could. Just as she knew she could save Ramose’s brother. The knowledge radiated from every pore, building the heat inside her. She released her hold on her fire. Flames erupted, covering her body, surging from the top of her head to her feet. In seconds, she was nothing more than a pillar of fire with arms and legs. The heat filled the cavern, and she saw sweat pouring from Ramose, but she barely felt it.

Stepping forward, Set cringed from her. Ramose was right, he was afraid of fire.

She straightened, raising her chin. “I can, and I will. Leave this man now, while you can.”

“I will kill you,” he growled.

“So be it.” Tamara knew what she had to do. If she delayed another second, she put both Ramose and Amunkha in jeopardy. She raised her arms, projecting the image she wanted to see. Fire leapt around his feet, encircling his body. Like a tornado, it spun about him, rising higher and higher, until the fire encompassed his entire physical being. The spell she’d written with her cousin came flowing from her lips as she worked to destroy the god hidden inside the man.

“I call upon our ancient’s power

Bring help to those this very hour

Ancestors, family join, through the power of love

Energy increased from the power above

Come to me, loan me your power

Bring us help this very hour.”

The words worked through her mind, repeating over and over again. Power surged, intensifying with every phrase. She spoke again to Set. “Leave this man, give him the peace he deserves.” She fought to keep her voice from trembling. She’d never done anything so terrible as she was about to.

“Never. This poor soul has done more for me than any other in my history.” At first, he cowered behind the flickering flames, but then, as though he found hidden strength, he righted himself and a slight smile touched his evil lips. “You know, I do love your spunk. I could keep you forever at my side. Would you like that, my dear?”

She couldn’t believe his audacity! “Never.”

White hot pain slammed into her head, dropping her to her knees. Her hands hit the floor hard. She cried out as tiny knives stabbed at her brain, shattering her thoughts, disrupting her concentration.

She sensed movement behind her and knew it was Ramose. If she didn’t get control, and fast, Ramose would kill his own brother. With effort, she shook her head, lifted her eyes to Set’s, ignoring the stabbing pain.

“You will not have your way in this. Leave Amunkha. I won’t allow this to continue.” She forced the words through her teeth. The spell continued to shimmer through her mind. It took a moment before she realized Ramose now echoed her words, helping her keep the cadence going. She didn’t have time to send him a mental thanks. Instead, she forced herself to feet, glaring at her adversary.

Set’s mocking laughter echoed through the chamber, muffled by the rippling and snapping of flames.

“And just what do you think
you
are going to do about it?”

“I don’t think you realize what you are up against,” she said, confidence oozing from her every poor despite the pain. “You may have brought Ramose here and used his brother’s life force for millennia,” she said, “but it ends today.”

Tamara sensed Set’s power whirl around her again. She couldn’t take another slam like before and be able to do what she needed to do. Not with all the other hits to the head he’d given her.

She repeated her spell in her head, praying for a miracle, while she worked to build the fire around her nemesis.

Gray, smokey shapes formed in the small chamber.
It was working!
The air grew thick with magick as shapes solidified. Men and women, from all walks of life, both past and present filled the room. Multiple cultures, multiple races circled around her, joining hands. Her ancestors. Her family. The pulse of relief was monumental, and, for an instance, the figured wavered. She focused on their appearance, pushing more and more into the spell. Their bodies solidified, and before her stood the power of centuries of family.

Power surged through her. Not just the power of fire, but, oh, so much more. It was the power of love.

“You think you can defeat me? The God of Chaos?” The fire around Amunkha wavered, shrinking. His power surged again. A small statue flew through the air, directed at her head. She held out her hand, and it stopped, inches away, shattering uselessly to the floor when her arm dropped to her side.

“No, I can’t defeat you alone. I don’t have that kind of power. But it appears you have one power you yourself have not used and I am forced to use it for you. You will defeat yourself.”

“You are going to use my own power? I seriously doubt it, child. You are no match for me. For this, you and Ramose both will die.” He shook his head as if the idea pained him. Then he brightened. “But I am pleased to say it will be very painful. I truly do love painful.” Set sent a knife hurtling through the air toward Ramose, aiming directly for is heart.

With a flick of her hand, Tamara turned it, sending it directly back toward its sender, stopping it at his throat.

“It’s too late, Set. God, or no god, you have made countless mistakes. Your first was to infect a man whose family loves him more than all the power inside you.” Her voice echoed with the voices of centuries, her ancestors adding their power to the chorus. “Amunkha’s real power is in love. Using that love, he reached out to me for help. And that love will free him before his soul is totally destroyed.”

The walls of the cavern bulged. The stones groaned beneath the pressure. Dirt and debris rattled, showering downward in the corners of the chamber. From the corner of her eye, she saw Ramose staring in shocked horror. She tried to ignore his expression. Tried not to worry about what he thought when she called forth her ancestors. The chances were he’d be gone by morning, overwhelmed by what he’d seen. But tomorrow didn’t matter. She had to rescue Amunkha and see to it Ramose remained safe. Nothing else mattered.

“You imagine your request is so compelling you need only ask, and I’ll leave? I have used his body for more years than your limited intellect can comprehend. I will not give it up.” Set’s lip curled into a snarl

Set/Amunkha raised his hand, behind the flames, his arm parallel to the floor, and slowly closed his fist, focusing his power on Tamara. Energy moved, a slithering snake, surging through the small stone burial chamber. Her throat tightened until it nearly closed, gripped by an evil force. Her blood pounded in her ears, and she gasped, struggling for breath.

No longer alone, energy poured into her from the spirits around her. She shoved hard, pushing their shared power toward him. The whirlwind of fire encircling him blazed higher and higher, eating the oxygen which kept him alive. The heat buffeted her and Ramose, but she didn’t back off. She tightened the ring, forcing Set to remain still, his focus lost, as was his maleficent grip.

Her voice rang pure and clear when she spoke her next words:

“Join with me, ancestors please Mothers, fathers, filled with love Join with me, share your expertise Send power pure as a dove.”

Once she uttered the words, the power from the spirits circled the cavern. They swirled, their smoky presence pouring toward her, their visible energy pulsating in the room. The chorus of voices echoing through the tomb.

“Take this soul who seeks control. Bind him from his cruel intent Ancestors joined, we bind his soul Separate from those who remember love Be gone dark spirit and be content.”

Nothing happened.

Still, Set controlled the body before her. She could tell by the evil glint of laughter in his eyes. Tamara’s heart pounded in her chest. She couldn’t fail. She had to win, or they were all going to die. Tamara searched her mind for another incantation, a poem, anything. Then a woman stepped from the circle of ancestors. Dressed in an ancient white gown, gold criss-crossing between her breasts, encircling her waist. Her long dark hair hung past her shoulders, straight and shiny as a raven’s wing. Her eyes were decorated with ancient Egyptian kohl, enhancing an already beautiful face. At first, Tamara thought she was Brianna, come back to help. But this woman held an aura of power which caused Tamara’s body to tremble.

The woman’s mind join with hers.

“
Trust me. I will help,”
the woman’s voice said.

More words poured into her head. Whoever this woman was, she knew her stuff. Tamara nodded, then turned to the east with the new chant.

“
Aker, Amaunet and Baal – hear my cry
.”

She then turned west.

“
Meretseger, Sihkar and Qebehsenuef,”

She then turned her eyes heavenward. Energy circled the tomb, whipping her hair across her face, wrapping her in a cocoon of safety from Set’s wrath.