Soul Reborn (Key to the Cursed Book 1) (20 page)

“Her tomb was
encased in a curse that could have only been placed by a god after her
entombment. The spell was cast in such a way that when a god touched the key,
she and the curse would be released on the human world. It was accidently
released five years ago.”

Bast’s eyes lit up.
The picture must have finally come together for her. “The offspring. One of the
offspring activated the key!” she gasped.

Asar nodded.

“Do you think that
the Mother Goddess foresaw Kepi’s plan? Created the children to release her
early before her conspirator’s plans were in place? If she suspected one of her
own was trying to overthrow her, it is no wonder she did not create a full
blooded god. The humans she could keep hidden until the right moment.”

Bast rose up out of
her seat and started to pace. “There are only a few outcasts who would dare
threaten the Mother Goddess. There is only one god foolish enough to try.”

Haru cleared his
throat before looking Asar in the eyes. “Menthu.”

Inpu’s grip on
Asar’s shoulder tightened, and Nehebkau let out a hiss. Asar did not have any
love for that name either. “
Menthu?
” An abomination.

Nehebkau leaned
both hands on the table. “His army is vast and difficult to kill. Kepi alone
can be dealt with, but Kepi combining forces with Menthu would be a formidable
battle not easily won.”

“It can be done. It
must
be done,” Asar said, decisively.

“This requires both
Pantheon legions to respond,” the Snake god said. "Bast?"

The goddess’ face
remained flat and non-committal. “I will attempt to locate Mother for you. As
for the Creation Legion…” She paused and smiled—a smile that did not sit well
in Asar’s stomach. “I will confer with the Creation Council.”

Asar growled. The
battle would be over by the time these Creation gods
discussed
the fate
of the world over tea. With or without them, he had no intention of losing. The
God of War had to be stopped.

Lilly and Kit
crouched in the darkness, staring out across the rows and rows of containers.
The safe house stood on the other side. To the human eye, the building was
unoccupied, but Lilly could see the energy signatures of multiple Nehebkau
huntresses on the lower and upper levels. She focused on the middle floor where
Mother and Kendra would be hidden.

She looked at Kit.
“I’m surprised they're still here. And don’t have the numbers I expected.” She
looked down at her watch. They should be packing up and moving, but there was
no indication they were going anywhere.

“Maybe she sent a
platoon to the next site to get it set up.” Kit surveyed the building with a
wary eye. “Enter from the top or bottom?”

“They would be
expecting that. We need to improvise and enter from the side.” Lilly pointed to
a crane that was stored to the right of the building. “We can have Bomani
create a distraction on left bottom level. You and I enter on the far end
through that ventilation duct. If I remember correctly, it opens directly into
one of the offices.”

Goosebumps raised
on her arms. The commander’s cold body pulled forward and knelt beside Lilly. She
looked into his glistening gold eyes.

“Madame, may I
suggest another approach?” Bomani grinned. “A Trojan horse, perhaps?”

Kit frowned. “What
the hell is he talking about?”

The idea was
ingenious. Lilly clapped her hands together. “Offer Mother a gift she can’t
refuse.”

Her sister’s eyes widened.
“Are you crazy? You are going to turn yourself in?”

“We both are. They
will assume we are alone. ”

Bomani spoke
quietly. “Once you are in, we will enter in from the sides. No one will detect
our presence. We will search the rooms in case they are housing your sister in
another location. Once your sister is safely in your hands or ours, we will
appear and transport you out.”

Kit smiled, finally
getting it. “There won’t be any need to disarm or fight the huntresses.”

“Correct.”

“Well, we've done
crazier things.” Kit laughed.

Lilly turned to
Bomani. “If things turn bad for whatever reason, can you get us out of there quickly?”

He nodded once.

“Trojan horse, it
is. Let’s go.”

Lilly made no
attempt to hide her and Kit's presence when they walked to the front door. She
waved at the security camera. As expected, several Nehebkau stepped out of the
darkness to surround them.

“Viper scouts,” Lilly
said, shocked. This was not in line with the usual security protocols. She gave
Kit an unsteady glance. “Since when do you guys guard the door to the safe
house?”

The closest scout
sneered. “Ever since our commander was promoted. Now hand over your weapon
belts.”

“Rebecca,” Lilly
said. Kit cursed. She realized, as did her sister, this might not be as easy as
they thought. Reluctantly, she held out her belt. Her favorite sword still in
its sheath. “Don’t scratch it, please.”

“Oh, don’t worry.
I’ll take good care of it for you.” The scout waved to Kit to relinquish her
weapons—the same scout her sister had kicked in the gut in the fortress
cafeteria. “After this is over, I have a score to settle with you.”

Kit rolled her
eyes. “I will be more than happy to kick your ass again.”

If it wasn’t for
her ear piece crackling with orders, the scout would have charged Kit. Instead,
she glanced up at the camera, then signaled for them to come forward.

Lilly turned to
Kit. “They don’t seem very surprised to see us, considering I was kidnapped.”

“Yeah, and no party
balloons. I’m
so
disappointed.”

“You two shut your
mouths,” the scout yelled. Lilly got a hard shove up the steps to the second
floor.

She felt the energy
in the room shift. Dark shadows moved over Kit’s shoulder. She grabbed her
sister’s hand and gave an imperceptible nod. They were no longer alone. The
Calvary had just taken up position around them. Passing close by a warrior’s
shadow, one of the escorts shivered, but gave it no mind.

At the top of the
stairs, the scout took a left and walked down a long corridor to an office which
was located in the center of the building. Lilly glanced up to see another
camera pointed their direction. Mother chose a safe house she designed? It
didn’t make sense. If she thought Lilly was a threat, she would have changed
locations and protocols. If Rebecca was calling the shots on security, it was
woefully inadequate, placing a scout team as perimeter security. Her thoughts
were cut short when the office door opened. Another team came out and pushed them
up against the wall, patting down every inch of their bodies.

Lilly stared at Kit
and her sister shook her head. Body searches should have been done at the front
door. Something was off.

Receiving another
hard shove from behind, Lilly stumbled through the door opening. The office was
as she remembered it. One side had a wall bank of monitors that contained the
camera data from various locations. Another scout manned the communication
radio. There were no Nehebkau security elements in the building. Vipers ran
everything.

Mother sat at the
desk in the middle of the room. Rebecca stood against the back wall.

Lilly stepped
forward. “Mother, there’s no need for roughing us up. Kit and I are reporting
in freely.”

Much to her
surprise, Rebecca spoke first. “Revens didn’t get into the fortress by
themselves. We can’t be too careful. Especially, with you.”

Lilly took another
threatening step forward, only to be stopped by blade aimed at her throat. “I
would do no such thing.”

Mother raised her
hand and stared at Lilly. “Settle down. Rebecca is right,
anyone
could
be our enemy.”

The way Mother emphasized
her words made her skin tingle. Everything about this was off.

“The goddess has my
father, and possibly Kendra,” she lied. She knew Mother had Kendra, but she
wanted confirmation. “I need your help finding—”

“Your sister is
safe under my care,” Rebecca interrupted.

Lilly glared at her.
“Now, I’m even more concerned. I want to see her.”

Mother signaled to
Rebecca. “Bring her in here.”

Rebecca left the
room by the back door. Mother, who wouldn’t maintain eye contact, sat
motionless in her chair. Her coffee cup, untouched. Her pencil, stationary.

Lilly’s senses
screamed foul play. “Mother, may I speak with you alone?”

Mother’s gaze
shifted up to meet her own. “I don’t think that would be a good idea, Lilith.
Let’s wait until Kendra is here.”

Both Lilly and Kit
flinched. Without saying it directly, Mother was warning her about Rebecca and
not to act too quickly. At least not until Kendra was within arm’s reach. Lilly
followed Mother’s gaze to the right hand door. Heat flared in her body. Danger,
just a few footfalls away.

Kendra appeared at
the back of the room with Rebecca’s arm on her shoulder. Lilly did a quick once
over her sister. Despite the fear in her sibling’s eyes, she seemed in good
shape. “Are you okay, Kendra?”

Kendra nodded and
glanced at the far door, her hands trembling. Rebecca pushed her forward until
she stood next to Mother at the desk. In the opposite hand the Viper leader
grasped a small silver blade.

“Since when would a
Nehebkau Viper sell out one of their own?" Lilly sneered. "That’s
what you have done, Rebecca, isn’t it?”

The guards around her
and her sister looked at their commander. One of them asked, “What’s she
talking about?”

“Shut up! She’s
just trying to confuse you.” Rebecca grabbed Kendra by the back of the neck.

“If I’m lying, then
why are you holding Kendra and Mother hostage?”

“They are not
hostages.”

Lilly moved toward
her weapons belt. “If that’s the case, let Kendra go.”

“Not on your life,”
Rebecca cackled, raising the knife to Kendra’s throat.

“The goddess
wouldn’t want you to damage her prize, would she? Put the knife down.”

Lilly had made it
around the corner of the desk. Her belt lay just a few feet away. The Viper
scouts didn’t stop her progress.

Rebecca sneered.
“No, she wouldn’t. She would want to collect her prize and reward me for a job
well done.”

Lilly heard gasps
from the Viper scouts behind her. Bomani appeared behind Rebecca. She turned
with Kendra in her hands.

“No one likes a
traitor,” Bomani snarled and snapped Rebecca’s knife arm in half. He launched Kendra
across the room into Lilly’s arms, along with a spray of blood. Rebecca’s
screams echoed off the walls.

The door flew open
and revens rushed into the room.

“Mother!” Lilly
yelled and threw Kit her blade, but it was too late. A reven latched onto the
matron’s shoulder and ripped out a chunk of flesh. The Viper scouts scattered
out the door and away from the revens. Lilly handed Kendra to a warrior. “Get
her out of here, now!”

Kendra’s body
dissipated in a black cloud of smoke. The warriors collapsed in on the revens
storming the warehouse. One of the warriors ripped a reven's head off with his
bare hands and crushed the chest against the wall.

Kit kicked the door
shut to prevent any more revens from entering the room. Bomani shredded the
reven that had attacked Mother, but the damage had been done. Mother had been
infected by the curse.

Lilly knelt over
her matron. “Mother!” She placed her trembling hands to the elderly woman’s face.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“I don’t have much
time.” Mother coughed up blood trying to speak. Her skin was already turning a
sickly grey color. “Help me.” She pulled at her shirt, and beneath it was a
pendent. Pulling it off, she tucked it in Lilly’s hand. “This is for you. You are
the cure, Lilly. You three are the key.”

“What? I don’t
understand!”

The blood vessels
broke in Mother's eyes and she started to struggle against Lilly's grasp.

“Shit!” She held
their Nehebkau Mother down by the throat. “Kit!”

Mother’s teeth
snapped at her arms trying to get a bite of her. Raging hunger filled her
leader’s once brown pupils. Kit stumbled to a halt behind Lilly with her hand
over her mouth.

Tears welled in
Lilly’s eyes. “Do it.”

Kit didn’t
hesitate, piercing her heart. With a few quick flicks, Mother’s eyes closed.

Lilly stood and
took the blade from Kit. “N-ka-n-imAh. May your soul find paradise in your
rebirth,” she said, then decapitated the only mother she knew.

The fury of blood
rushed into Lilly’s eyes and ears, turning her eyesight red with rage. With her
fangs bared, Lilly punched Rebecca in the face. Bomani held the traitor in
place until her face was sufficiently bloodied by Lilly’s assault.

Lilly grabbed her
by the neck and slammed her to the floor next to Mother’s headless body. “You
will tell me everything I need to know. Where is the goddess?”

Rebecca spit blood
in her face. “I’m not telling you shit.”

Lilly hissed. “We’ll
see about that.” She signaled Bomani to bring forward three of the captured revens.
Stepping back to avoid the swarm of gnashing teeth, she looked on without
remorse. Rebecca's screams pervaded the small room. Lilly nodded and the revens
were exterminated. She knelt down over Rebecca’s disfigured body that had bite
marks and chunks of flesh missing.

“This is the last
time I am asking. Where’s the goddess?”

Rebecca whispered.
“Egypt.”

“And my father?”

“Egypt.”

“Why?”

“Bakari.”

“Bakari?” Lilly
looked toward Bomani for answers. The name was not familiar, but had obvious
significance to the commander. He immediately turned and yelled out several
orders to his second-in-command, then flashed out without answering Lilly.

Lilly turned back
to Rebecca. “Where were you going to meet the goddess?”

“Thebes.”

The ground trembled
and the energy around her shifted dramatically. Asar materialized in the room.
His face paled, taking in the damage.

Rage seethed again through
Lilly's system. With a hard kick she rolled Rebecca over onto her stomach. She
grabbed the silver knife that Rebecca had held to Kendra’s throat.

“Enjoy your time in
hell.”

Lilly plunged the
blade into Rebecca's back and cut the snake away from her body. The serpent writhed
in her bloody hand. She placed the snake on the desk and wacked its head off. Rebecca
took her last breath of life.

Some promises were
made to be kept.

Asar pulled her
tight to his chest, despite the burn of her skin. His cold body pressed against
her face, still wet with her silent tears.

“Let me take you
home,” Asar coaxed.