Soul Reborn (Key to the Cursed Book 1) (4 page)

Among the debris of
the aqueduct, Lilly walked to the level they had been on the night before. A
fine white dust coated every surface. Body parts were indiscernible from
concrete slabs.

The remains of the
undead were removed and stacked into large mounds prepped for incineration. Heads
in one pile, hearts in a second, and the bodies in the third. It was the only
way to ensure that the victims of the curse were cataloged and one hundred
percent exterminated. The information would be handed over to the local
authorities to resolve the growing missing person cases in the city.

With twilight
falling, the cleaners were running out of daylight to work. The workers were in
the process of erecting high ultraviolet lights to keep the pale ones at bay. Lilly
stooped down and brushed her fingers against the fine dust that had retained
the heat of the fire. There is no way they made it out, she thought.
Damn
it.

One of the UV lights
above her head flickered on. A few feet ahead, a reflective flash caught her
eye among the debris. She kicked away the chunks of rock. A long thick gold
chain lay coated in white dust. When all eyes were turned she stooped and cupped
the necklace in her hand.

Kit sauntered over.
“Let’s blow this place. I’ve had enough of burning flesh to last me a lifetime.
Plus, I’m hungry.”

Kit’s statement was
a testament to how numb they had grown to the whole ordeal. Gone were the days
when she would become physically sick over the sights and smells.

“Yeah, let’s go.” Lilly
stood and pocketed her treasure.

During the twenty
minute motorcycle ride to the museum, she noted how surprisingly quiet the
streets were. The hit on aqueduct had made a significant dent in the reven’s
numbers. At least for tonight.

The museum doors
were in the process of being secured when they arrived. Lilly had requested a
night off for both her and Kit after a second altercation broke out with
Rebecca. Better to let things cool down for a while. They could work with
Kendra on her research, tucked safe and secure behind the walls of the museum.

Well, Kendra would
work on her research. Kit would goof off, and Lilly would wander the halls of
the building. Either way it was time spent together. Sort of.

Kit pulled the cork
out of the wine bottle and poured three glasses. “Cheers, sisters!”

Lilly smiled at her
two younger siblings. They had been through so much, and yet they’d found a
moment to laugh together, despite the lack of cheer these days. Hell, the last
five years, for that matter. She sipped her wine, then stuffed a piece of
cheese in her mouth. “Any luck deciphering the symbols I gave you?”

Kendra covered her palm
over her mouth, attempting to chew her food before she spoke. “It’s a form of
ancient hieroglyphics. Interestingly enough, the glyphs predate the references
I currently have in the archive.”

“I’m assuming
Egyptian?” Lilly sat forward on their makeshift picnic blanket that consisted
of a torn fabric tapestry.

“Yes and no,”
Kendra said. “The glyphs have similar features but are unique unto themselves. The
only Egyptian symbols that I could find that even came close were the ones used
predominantly in pharaohs’ tombs, referencing the underworld and afterlife.”

Kit scowled.
“Surprise, surprise. Why is it we always seemed to come back to something dead
and rotting?”

 “Actually, the
Egyptian’s embalming was advanced for their time,” Kendra said. “The
preparation lent to very little decay. When done properly, it was thought that
the soul which resided in the heart would be reunited with the body in the
afterlife.”

“Someone should
tell those bastards we kill every night to go peacefully into their little
afterlife.” Kit chugged her wine and wiped her hand across her lips. “It would
make my life a whole lot more enjoyable.”

Lilly leaned back
along the bookcase and twirled a blonde strand of her hair. “Well, considering
this all started when a tomb was exhumed, we can only assume it was cursed.”

Kit rolled her
eyes. “You’re not going to start that theory again are you?”

Lilly threw a piece
of bread at her sister. “I think our boss is right. Curses were created to keep
tombs safe from looters or rivals. They didn’t think the world would scatter
their burial sites around the world in museums or private collections.”

“The myth of curses
just plays on peoples’ fears.”

“You don’t believe
in curses. Really? And this coming from someone who kills revens every night
and had a snake imbedded in her spine by an ancient conversion spell. That’s
not enough proof for you?”

Kit shrugged. “I
didn’t think it would actually work.”

“I didn’t believe
it at first. I still have nothing tangible to support why revens exist,” Kendra
said, and refilled her glass. “I’m still hoping to find a scientific reason. Some
new virus or genetic mutation. It may have been the reason for the mass graves
that were found in South America. Some long hibernating virus, just waiting for
a new host without herd immunity. A new pandemic.”

“It’s probably some
government’s experiment gone awry, but regardless here we are stuck under
Mother’s thumb,” Kit complained. “She has Kendra chasing an empty tale of an
ancient talisman that will cure the entire world — pining her life away making
love to books instead of men. She’s still a virgin for hell’s sake.”

“Hey, I made it to
third base with Jimmy what’s-his-name.”

Kit laughed. “That
was in high school.”

“Well, when is the
last time you had sex, Kit?”

“Yesterday.” Kit blew
a kiss over her shoulder and sauntered to the bathroom.

Kendra turned her
doe eyes Lilly’s direction. “What about you?”

Lilly sighed. She’d
been purposely quiet during the whole discussion. “I don’t keep track, unlike
our slut of a sister.”

“Hey, I heard that.”
Kit yelled out over the flush of the toilet. She zipped up her pants as she
exited. “Lil hasn’t gotten laid since before her last boyfriend turned into a
raging flesh eater.”

“Shut up, Kit.” Lilly
snapped. Her sister had hit on a very sore subject, one she didn’t want to talk
about. With enough dead bodies on her conscious, she didn’t want to be reminded
about the ones she cared about.

“Well, it’s true. You’re
gun shy. Come on, it’s not that you haven’t had the chance to spread your
legs.”

Lilly grunted. “Really,
Kit! Do you have to be so crude? Our little sister is here.”

Kendra laughed. “It’s
okay. I’ve already heard all her dirty jokes.”

“Yeah, that’s what
I was afraid of,” Lilly huffed, pushing up off the floor. She absently rubbed
the chain in her pocket. Her fingertips tingled at the contact.

“I can fix your
cold spell. I have just the guy in mind.” Kit sat on the edge of the desk. “That’s,
if you don’t mind that he already slept with a Carrigan sister?”

“Gross, Kit, really.
Shut up!”

“I’m just saying. Live
it up now, it may be your last.”

Lilly took a big
gulp of her wine and stalked off.

“Way to go, big
mouth,” she heard Kendra hiss.

Lilly walked up to
the main level of the museum. There was no human security these days, only electronic.
She needed to work off her agitation before she went back to her sisters. Opening
the main panel, she switched off the internal motion sensors. All the other
grids remained green and active.

Out of habit, she
looked out the barred windows. The streets were empty, as they should be with
the mandatory curfew. Hopefully there’d be no new victims come morning. She turned
her back to the window and swirled her wine in the glass before taking another
sip. The museum and the fortress were the only two places she felt safe enough
not to wear a weapon. It was liberating not have the weight on her body.

In the center of
the room, she lay on the marble floor. Bars over the small skylights in the
roof prevented entry into the museum, but still allowed natural light. Stars
twinkled in the distance. When had she last lain in the grass and looked at the
constellations and majestic Milky Way galaxy?

She pulled out the
thick gold braid and held it up in front of her eyes. It was surprisingly cool
to the touch, especially at the point at which the gold cord thickened and
shaped into a lion’s head and moon medallion. She turned the medallion over and
found it was the exact mirror of the front.

She didn’t recall
seeing it on the dark reven’s body, but it had been wearing dark clothing that
matched its black skin.

“What would a reven
want with jewelry?” she mumbled to herself.

Lilly jumped up and
headed to the Egyptian exhibit to do a little research of her own. She dashed
up the steps carrying her wine glass in one hand and the necklace in the other.
If this was worn by the dark reven and the symbols on his arms referenced the
underworld, there was only one place she needed to look.

Holding up the
necklace, she compared it to the various artifacts contained behind glass cases
in the tomb hall. “A usekh collar? No. A pectoral necklace? Yes, a pectoral.” With
more excitement she walked to the great wall that had hieroglyphics spanning
the entire space. She placed her hand against the stone and brushed the texture
of each glyph against her fingertips. No lions or moons. Turning in a circle,
she scanned the exhibit. The symbol wasn’t anywhere to be found. “Where are
you?”

Without realizing,
she had let the necklace slip from her fingertips. The sound of heavy medallion
hitting the floor drew her attention downward. “Shit.” Annoyed by her
clumsiness, she quickly dropped to her knees. The necklace had landed in the
center of an enormous engraving that spanned the entire floor. Two eyes stared
back at her from the black marble.

She jumped to her
feet and back away. Holy hell—she had been standing on it the whole time. “Kit,
get your ass up here!”

Her forceful voice resonated
off the hard stone walls. Hopefully her sisters would hear her all the way down
in the basement.

Footfalls echoed
out in the corridor. Kit stormed into the room with her sword drawn. Her sister
grasped her chest and blew out a hard breath. “Jesus, you scared the hell out
of me.”

“Look!” Lilly
pointed to the statue and then the floor.

“What? I’m not
following you. Care to share a little more detail?” Kit asked, annoyed.

Lilly smiled and
handed her sister the pectoral necklace.

“Where the hell did
you get this?”

“The aqueduct. I
think it belonged to the dark reven.”

Kit’s eyebrows shot
up, which only made Lilly grin. She never broke Mother’s rules, and this was a
big one.

“Look.” Lilly jumped
up onto the statue and rubbed her palm against the pectoral necklace that lay
against its chest. The museum replica had a crude resemblance to the necklace Kit
had in her hand, but with much less ornate detail. She leapt down and laughed. Her
hands rubbed the engraving on the floor. An enormous engraving of a lion’s head
and small moons.

“It looks similar. So
what?”

“Step back and look
where we are.” Lilly gestured her arms out and around. The room depicted the
underworld with the various gods that ruled the afterlife. “Look where we’re
standing.”

“The gateway to the
underworld,” Kendra said behind them.

Kit whirled around
and glared at their sister. “I thought I told you to wait downstairs.”

Kendra shrugged. “I
didn’t hear any screaming so I figured it was okay to come out.”

“Can I kill her
now?”

Lilly got up and
brushed off her knees. “Maybe later. Right now we need her expertise.” She
pulled Kendra over to the statue with the matching pectoral necklace. “Who is
this?”

“It’s Akar or Asar.
There are several spellings of his name. He guards the entrance and exit to the
underworld, protecting it from evil spirits. Upon their death, Egyptians had to
request to enter the gates. Asar would pass judgment based on the weight of
their heart, which contains the soul. Similar to Saint Peter at the gates of
heaven. Asar determined if the soul could pass into the afterlife to be
reunited with their body and live the rest of their life in paradise. If they
were turned away…” Kendra shrugged. “Well, let’s just say it was the equivalent
of being sent to hell.”

Lilly pushed Kendra
closer toward the statue. “What is he holding in his hand?”

“It’s a key. I had
a replica made of the one dad found in Alexandria.”

“The key that was
stolen from the site?” Kit asked.

Kendra nodded. “Dad
made a drawing of it in his journal.” Her younger sister’s eyes widened as she
looked at Kit’s hands. “Ah, Kit. Where did you get that?”

Kit glanced at the
pectoral necklace still in her hands and pointed at Lilly.

“It belongs to the
dark reven. I found it at the aqueduct.”