Osiris Rising Chapter 7

Osiris Rising

Chapter 7


The hot, Egyptian sun had been up for no more than five minutes over the large city of Cairo before people began hurrying out of their apartments and houses, dashing off to school or work. Car horns began beeping and people shouting in the crowded streets was the normal start of a typical day in the ancient city.

People started setting up little fruit and drink stands, children ran about, chasing one another before starting another boring day at school. Deliverers and messengers rode bicycles in order to race pass  jammed cars in the street. In all the hustle and bustle, no one noticed a shadowy figure in the shape of a dog silently watching everyone from a darkened alleyway. Oh, it thirst to attack all the humans, to rip them to shreds and gnaw on their bones. But first it must find its master, and the shadowy creature could almost feel itself getting closer and closer to its goal. Soon, it will find its master, and all who opposed them will die a most horrifying death. Suddenly, a memory flashed in its mind of the young human girl that hurt it so bad. It still bore slight wounds from the last battle. How did she get so powerful? The smoky, dog-like monster never imagined that the mortals would come to have such power!

It shook its head and continued to watch the humans walk to and fro. No matter. It would only be a short matter of time before it was reunited with Set. And the first one that will suffer would be that girl. With its glowing eyes blinking, the creature moved back into the shadows, patiently waiting for its time to attack and for its master to come.

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In her room, Tari lay comfortably on her stomach on her bed with her chin in her hands and a pair of headphones over her ears. Behind her, her legs bent up and down alternately while she listened to the catchy song from the famous Egyptian singer known as Ruby. She had just started listening to Egyptian music, and the very beat, tempo and style of it was enough to make her want to forget all the troubles of the world and relax.

She was so engrossed to the music that she did not notice a soft, white light flash near her bed. When the light died down, four figures stood to the side, smiling with amusement and watching Tari softly hum along to the song only she could hear. The goddess Isis cleared her throat once, but it was not enough to get Tari's attention and she continued listening to the song, oblivious. With a chuckle, Thoth reached down and gently tapped her on the shoulder. At the touch, Tari jumped with surprise, nearly falling off her bed with a short yell.

She blinked her eyes at the visitors in her room for a moment before taking off her headphones and giving an embarrassed grin. "Oh! Err...hi!" she stammered out. "Oh man, I must have forgotten we were supposed to meet this morning! Sorry!" She sat up and tucked her legs under her, blushing hard.

Thoth chuckled again and picked up the CD player, turning it over in his hands curiously. "Interesting device. Do most mortals have these things? It plays music, right?"

"Heh, well yeah, most of us do. The adults just think it makes noise!" Tari smiled sheepishly and watched him put the headphones on. He didn't realize that as he was turning it over, he put the volume to maximum. When he pressed the "play" button, the music blasted so loud, his eyes widened and he yelled in surprise before he snatching off the headphones and throwing it and CD player away from him on Tari's bed.

"Evil!" Thoth growled, pulling on his now sensitive ear. After trying as hard as she could to hold it in, Tari couldn't help herself and fell back on her bed laughing. Isis, Anubis, and Hathor chuckled behind their hands at the amusing scene.

Isis was the first to composed herself after a moment and turned to face Tari. "Well, now that we're all in a good mood, I believe it's time we get to the heart of the matter." The goddess turned to Hathor besides her and nodded. At that, Hathor stepped forward and raised her hands palms up before her. In a soft light, a holographic image of Osiris as he once was appeared above them near the ceiling.

"Woooow, who's that? He's… he’s so handsome." Tari blushed at that statement, as it came out of her before she could stop herself. But Isis only smiled softly at her.

"That is Osiris, my dear husband," she began. "As we have told you, we need your help in recovering his soul, which was lost to us many of your Earth years ago."

"Yes, I remember reading about it now," A thoughtful look crossed Tari's face, recalling the old legend. "He was tricked by his own brother, Set, and was killed. I know that you did all you could to revive him, and that nothing was the same since then."

At the crestfallen and saddened look on Isis's, beautiful, regal face, Tari got up, walked over to her, and gently took the goddess's hands in her own. "I'm so sorry Isis. I know it must have been so hard on you and your family. So much has been taken from you." She gently hugged the taller woman.

The two just held each other, remembering how much they have lost and drawing strength from one another. They both knew that in order to get through this, they would have to rely on one another and use their loss as a strength to defeat the evil Set.

Isis finally leaned away and wiped a stray tear on her brown cheek as the holographic image above them slowly faded. "Thank you, Tari." she whispered. At Tari's nod, the goddess turned to Thoth and gave a soft smile for him to take over. The god stepped forward, and with a flick of his wrist, a writing feather appeared and he grasped it tightly. There was a bright, blue flash right after that, and a glowing outline of an unfurled papyrus scroll appeared floating in front of him.

"I did some calculations, and based on what I have come up with, we believe we might have a clue as to the whereabouts of Osiris's soul." The papyrus scroll solidified and furled open, and Thoth began writing furiously across it in the air. Symbols, numbers and equations appeared with each stroke of his feather pen. Tari stared in wonder at the incredibly complicated math equations on the scroll and felt her head spin.

"According to my research and findings, Osiris's soul has indeed been reborn. Now, adding and adjusting the time line and the time measurements of the Earth realm with ours, as well as the Pythagorean Theorem...." But whatever more was said was completely lost to Tari right then. The youthful god of mathematics started using words and phrases that she barely heard of when he tried to explain his findings and measurements of time. When he was done, he looked at her expectantly. But instead of her nod of understanding he thought she would give him, Tari just stared at him in complete confusion.

"Ummmm, I think that's a little, errr,….advanced for me," Tari said, giving him an apologetic look. "But I sure wish I knew you when I was in calculus class last year!"

"Oops! Sorry about that! I tend to get carried away sometimes. I should have realized that by now!" Thoth chuckled nervously and flicked a wrist once more, making the scroll with the symbols and calculations furl up and disappear.

Hathor rolled her eyes with a small smile. "Tari, what Thoth meant to say is that we have come up with the conclusion that Osiris's soul is no longer in the Underworld. We've searched everywhere there. We now believe that his soul has been reincarnated about eight of your Earth years ago, in this very city. Time in our realm and the Earth realm move very differently. For us, the occurrence that happened when Osiris died was just a little over sixteen years ago. For you, it's been thousands of years. Thoth measured and converted the time that passed for us to Earth's, and concluded that Osiris's soul was reborn in this age after spending years without an identity in the afterlife."

"So it's here now? In Egypt?" Tari blinked her eyes, beginning to understand. "You're saying that somewhere out there, there's a little boy with Osiris's soul in him?

"Yes, and if we don't find him soon, that child will be danger!" Isis said, her hands clasped together nervously.

"Why? What do you..." Tari paused, and her eyes widened when she realized what the goddess was trying to say. "Oh no, that means Set is after him too, and wants to...to..."

At Isis's nod, anger flashed through Tari. "How could he? Why would he hurt an innocent child like that?" She balled her hands into fists.

"Because to Set, power is everything," Anubis answered, his dark face back in its usual scowl. "There's nothing he wouldn't do to get it."

"We can't let that happen!" declared Tari, "I won't let Set harm any children here!"

But before anyone could answer her, there was a soft knock on the door. "Tari? Honey, is everything okay?"

Tari looked up in surprise at the gods, but they merely nodded their heads, indicating that it was all right and that they would talk again soon. With a flash of soft white light, they were gone.

Tari quickly went over and opened the door, finding her father dressed in his business suit and a worried expression on his face. "Tari? I thought I heard..I mean..."

"It's fine Dad, it was, ummm...my radio! Yeah, I had my radio on loud, sorry about that." Tari chuckled nervously with a hand behind her head.

A slight relief crossed his dark-skinned face. "I see. Well, I'm off to the board meeting. I should be back later this afternoon."

When he saw Tari hang her head in disappointment, he smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "But that doesn't mean you'll be cooped up in here all day. I've already arranged for Sajid to take you shopping in downtown Cairo today."

"Really?" Tari's face brightened. She was a little disappointed that her father would be too busy today to spend time with her, but the chance to finally shop and explore the city more than made up for it!

"Yeah, really," her father smiled. "Now get dressed, he's already waiting for you downstairs."

With an excited yell, Tari dashed back into room, her dark braids trailing behind her, and quickly searched her closet for some comfortable shorts and a tee shirt.

Her father looked at her wistfully, wondering where the time had gone since she was his precious little girl. Now before him was a vibrant young woman, ready to take her place in life. He only hoped that he would be there for her, just like he should have been there for her when she needed him the most. With that, he smiled softly at her and then turned to leave, knowing she would be in good hands with Sajid.

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In his dark and dreary castle, Set walked down the blackened halls, his face determined. Time was getting short, and he would not lose to that human child again. Now was the time for him to get serious. He will get back his powers and he will make sure to kill whichever child now holds Osiris's soul.

He was just about to reach his throne room when a soft voice called out to him.

"Set,"

The coal-skinned god stopped in his tracks, then slowly turned around. Standing before him was his estranged wife, Nepthys. His eyes narrowed as he watched her walk up cautiously to him. In all corners of the world, goddesses were supposed to have incomparable beauty, grace, and charm. But in this case, it was sadly lacking. For Nepthys, whatever beauty she was blessed with had long since faded away. Her long, gorgeous dark hair was now thin and limp, sagging to nearly the floor. Her skin, once shining and the color of oiled wood, was now ashy and pale. Bags were under her eyes, and instead of a form-fitting dress, she wore a simple ivory-colored dress that seemed to engulf her. Her feet were bare, and when she stood before Set, she trembled slightly.

"What do you want?" Set said coldly, looking down on her with scorn.

"Set, how long will you go on with this madness of yours?" Nepthys whispered. "Have you not caused enough pain, destroyed enough lives? What more can you do to -"

Her words were cut off when Set's hand suddenly lashed out and grabbed her by the throat.

"Madness, you say?" he asked,  pulling her in and putting his face very close to hers. "The only madness was letting you live after your betrayal. Did you think I have forgotten?"

He threw her away with disgust on the ground. The woman lay panting for precious air for a few moments before looking up at him. "I've paid for my sins many times over, Set! What happened was in the past. But please, stop this foolish plan of yours! Go back to what you used to be!"

The god barely acknowledged her,  walking past her and entering the throne room to leave her sobbing on the black floor. He was immediately greeted by a slithering Apep. The snake god straightened up to his full height and bowed his head low.

"Have they been summoned?" Set asked, standing before him.

"Yess, Massster," Apep breathed out, his eyes glowing. He turned to face front. "SSSebau, Nak, come forth!"

Immediately a swirl of black clouds appeared before them, dark and menacing. It gradually became more and more solid. When it was done, two large demons knelt down on one knee before them. One had green fur all over him, and had the face of a coyote. A tight kilt was wrapped around his waist. The next one had red fur with the face of a baboon. He too was had the traditional Egyptian kilt around his narrow waist.

"You summoned us, oh great Set?" said the coyote-faced Sebau.

"We are forever your servants," Nak lowered baboon his face to the ground. "Your word is command!"

Set smiled maliciously. "As it should be. Now listen, for I have an important mission for the both of you."

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Smiling broadly, Tari skated alongside Sajid in Garden City. She wore her blue roller blades along with knee and elbow pads. The morning passed by quickly, and Tari couldn't remember having a better time. She visited just about every store, from clothing to electronics to sports gear. At her father's insistence, she spared almost no expense, but she also knew that it would not do to waste money. She held back on buying the most expensive things.  Before coming to Egypt, she did some research and understood that there were many poor people living in the city, and it wouldn't be right to just splurge on everything while they struggled. But still, it was so nice to be able to actually afford to get what she wanted for now. It was exhilarating!

She turned to see Sajid struggling with the many, many bags and boxes he was carrying. She grinned, almost feeling sorry for the large man, but having no doubt he was able to handle it. Besides, he seemed to have as much fun as she did as she rushed around excitedly in every store they visited. He thought she didn't notice, but she saw his small smile while she shopped.

Finally they came to their jeep, and with a tired grunt, Sajid started loading the boxes and bags into the back.

"Sajid, you finish packing, I want to explore a little bit more." said Tari, skidding to a stop near him.

"But Mistress Tari, I thought -"

"I won't be long, I promise! I'm just not ready to go back yet. Please?" She batted her eyes at him and smiled hopefully.

The Sudanese man sighed in defeat and shook his head. "Alright, but do not be long. Your father is due to arrive home soon."

"Okay!" With a wave of her hand Tari skated off, drawing curious stares from everyone she passed and carefully crossing the street.

Smiling, Tari skated by many amazing sights of people singing, dancing, and performing acrobatics in the streets and sidewalks. After a while, she smoothly skated up to a small, old man from India wearing a white turban. He sat cross-legged on an elaborate Persian rug in front of a cobra, and playing a wooden flute, he charmed it into doing many twists and turns, following the man’s movement. Tari watched in complete amazement along with the crowd, never seeing anything like it.

Everyone clapped when the presentation was over, and the old Hindu Indian man bowed his head in appreciation. Tari skated on, then a few minutes later, she skidded to a halt when she saw young Egyptian girls doing acrobatics. Gasping in awe, she watched the young girls, looking no more than eleven or twelve years old, do a series of backward flips. Jumping high after their last flip, they expertly did a double twist while still in the air, then finally landed on high stilts. They then jumped off the stilts and landed in a perfect crouch on the ground, drawing amazed gasps and applause from everyone.

Hey, I think I can do something like that! Tari thought, smiling to herself.  She took a deep breath and then skated to the end of the sidewalk. She closed her eyes in concentration, and after taking another deep breath, dashed forward, her roller blades gliding easily across the ground. Surprised, everyone turned to watch in interest.

Right at the last minute before reaching the crowd, Tari bent her legs and leaped forward, soaring high in the air. She crossed her arms over her chest, did a double twist spin, then curved downward to land perfectly in a one-kneed crouch, right beside the on-looking acrobatics girls.

The crowd was silent for a long, stunned moment...then they burst out in a loud cheers and applause. Tari looked up in complete surprise at the crowd. Whoa! I wasn't expecting to do THAT! Where did it come from? She looked down at the bracelet on her wrist. The snake seemed to actually wink its brightly reflecting ruby eye at her in amusement.

“That..that was you?” she whispered to it, amazed. But the bracelet remained silent. She looked up at the clapping crowd after shaking her head at the impossible thought and gave a victory sign, grinning nervously.

Waving to the crowd, Tari skated away down another block, hoping to see one more thing before heading back to Sajid. Maybe I could find a toy store so I can buy something for Jake and Jessica, she mused. And maybe I could also get a clue as to where this boy with Osiris's soul is. He could be anywhere around here!

A few peacefully minutes passed by, then suddenly, a loud crashing erupted from a few inches away, interrupting the serene atmosphere. A large, shadowy figure jumped through the window display of a clothing store, sending pieces of the smashed window all over and making Tari halt and put up her arms in protection.  The sharp, jagged glass missed her by inches. When it was done, she looked up and stared in shock at the shadowy form of a demon dog landing right before her.

The creature howled long and loud in the air, then lowered its head and stared directly into Tari’s eyes. Tari blinked in complete shock. It was the same monster she fought before at the dig site! What was it doing here? "Oh man, you've GOT to be kidding me!" Tari breathed out after straightening up.

The creature growled and slowly started to move forward. With a gasp, Tari turned and skated as fast as she could, soon leaving the black creature far enough behind her to quickly duck into a small alleyway. "I've got to change and get rid of this thing once and for all!" she said, sliding off her roller blades and balling her hands into fists.

She closed her eyes to calm herself and concentrate, taking deep breaths. When she felt her heartbeat slow down a little, she crossed her arms over her chest and called out "Powers of the ancients, I summon thee!"

The familiar light and surge of power raced through her body, adding to her confidence and lending her the strength she so needed. After the transformation, she took another deep breath to ready herself, then dashed outside, ready to defend those who were innocent and to destroy the blackened creature for good.

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To Be Continued...