Soul divisionChapter 2

Soul division

Chapter 2: The end of the Thief King’s reign

Mahad sat on his horse and looked down. He now understood how the Thief King had eluded him for years now. His lair was situated in the rocky walls of the valley below him, and the entrance was cleverly hidden by scrubs. But now Mahad had finally found it, and he was determined to rid the people of Kemet of the Thief King’s foul reign. This would bring him one step closer to bringing peace to the lands of his beloved Pharaoh.

Mahad had been a close friend to young Pharaoh Atem ever since they were children. He could never forget how Atem had once saved his life, by risking his own life to suck the venom out of a snakebite Mahad had received. Now Mahad was still a close friend to the Pharaoh and one of his loyal Priests and carrier of the Millennium Ring.

“My lord.” One of his scouts called, “Our suspicions have been confirmed. The Thief King and his band are hiding in the cave.”

Mahad nodded at the report. “Prepare yourself to assault the cave and show no mercy to those inside. These men have been judged as criminals by our Pharaoh and he has decreed that all shall be punished by death. Leave the Thief King for me.”

The scout saluted and went off to relay his orders. He watched as his capable soldiers moved silently into the valley. Mahad dismounted and handed the reins of his horse to a servant. He intended to fight alongside his men and take on the Thief King himself.

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Mahad’s soldiers and the Thief King’s band fought a bloody battle. The bandits were larger in number than Mahad had predicted, and his soldiers were struggling to get the upper hand. Mahad was about to use his DiaDhank, a golden wing-shaped device strapped to his left wrist, to summon his Ka, Illusion Magician, to help his men out, when he spotted the Thief King. He was robed in an exquisite red robe and he wore a golden ring on each finger. Mahad realized that this man truly saw himself as a king, but he was determined to let his reign come to an end.

Mahad faced the Thief King as he glared back. He raised his DiaDhank in order to summon his Ka, but was surprised when he saw the Thief King do the same. But that was impossible! Only the Pharaoh and his six Priests were allowed to wield DiaDhanks!

“Surprised, you little meddling Priest?” The Thief King said mockingly, “This is a nice little goody I snatched from former Pharaoh Aknamkanon’s tomb that I have been itching to try out.”

Mahad glared at the Thief King, “It is one thing you come upon the people of Kemet, murdering the innocents and raiding their homes, but to defile the tomb of a Pharaoh is a disgrace to the gods. You will pay for this with your life.”

Mahad proceeded to summon his Ka, Illusion Magician. A small man-like creature covered in dark blue armour with its face hidden within its pointy hood appeared in front of Mahad, its staff pointing at the Thief King. The Thief King summoned his own Ka, Diabound. A winged large grey creature with the muscled body of a man appeared in front of the Thief King. Instead of legs, the bottom of this creature consisted out of the body of a hissing snake. Both men ordered their Ka to attack the other. A fierce battle erupted. Illusion Magician shot magical bolts of energy towards his target, but Diabound evaded the attack and lunged towards its enemy, attempting to use its snake-like body to grip the smaller creature. Illusion Magician quickly hovered out of the way and managed to hit the creature from behind. The Thief King gasped as if he had been hit instead of his Ka. Illusion Magician and Diabound continued to strike at one another. Their masters gasping in pain every time the other creature made a solid hit. Mahad eventually noticed that Illusion Magician was gaining the upper hand. Mahad had had more training with fighting with his Ka than the Thief King had, and this advantage soon decided the outcome of the battle in Mahad’s favour. The Thief King grunted one last time as Illusion Magician dealt the finishing blow to Diabound before collapsing on the floor. He was dead. Mahad quickly turned to look at how his men fared, but he saw that they had reigned victorious and were watching in awe at the small Illusion Magician. Mahad smiled, nodded to his Ka before it disappeared.

“Well done my men. You have proven your worth to this kingdom today. The Thief King and his band lie defeated at our feet and shall plaque the people of Kemet no longer. I am proud of you, and so will the Pharaoh when he learns of our victory. Now let’s finish things up here so we can go back home.”

His men cheered and then started to treat the wounded and remove the dead. Mahad oversaw his men’s efficiency with pride. They had proven themselves as true warriors today.

“Lord Mahad!” One of his men called urgently as he ran up to his Lord. “My Lord, I think you need to come see this!”

Wondering what could have upset his men he followed the soldier deeper inside the cave. His eyes widened in shock as he saw his men remove a chain from a hook in the wall, lowering the body attached to it to the floor. What shocked him the most was that this boy, whoever he was, looked like a spitting image of his Pharaoh. When he got over his initial shock he noticed that this boy was in terrible condition. His emaciated body was covered with a variety of wounds, old and new. His left arm was angled in a weird way that told the Priest that it was broken. There was hardly any area that wasn’t bruised or covered in blood. The collar that was clasped firmly around the boy’s neck had caused a badly infected wound. Mahad had to close his eyes to keep him from throwing up at the horror he was facing.

“My Lord, he’s still alive.” One of the men reported, “What shall we do with him?”

Mahad’s eyes snapped back open, “This boy is obviously a victim of the Thief King’s band. Remove that accursed collar and treat his wounds to the best of your abilities. Send some men to the nearest village to get a litter. We are going to take him back with us.”

His men saluted as they carried out his orders. Mahad couldn’t help but look away from the mutilated body in front of him. Still he couldn’t help but wonder why this boy looked so much like the Pharaoh he had known for so many years now.