80AD.

The Tekhen of Anuket.

by Aiki Flinthart.

Sparks flew from the iron door handle as it crashed against the stone wall. Feng Zhudai stalked into the cell. He held a flickering candle high, glaring past its dim light, into the shadows. Baiyu looked up, eyeing his old nemesis impa.s.sively. It was difficult to keep a calm face when he burned to know why Zhudai had come. Did he want to simply gloat at his captive or was he angry because the outlanders had escaped him again?

Baiyu waited. He was good at that. Zhudai was not. Even during their childhood together, Zhudai had feverishly pushed ahead in their studies and games; ever eager to learn more without taking time to truly absorb what was already before him. Magic, calligraphy, swordplay, martial arts, politics Zhudai was a master of all, but understood none. They were like clothes; costumes that he put on when needed and left off when he thought they were useless.

It was an interesting thought; one that required careful consideration. Baiyu smiled to himself. Now was as good a moment as any. In this dank prison he certainly had ample time to think and little strength to do much else.

"They have made a mistake," Zhudai's contemptuous comment cut through his prisoner's contemplation.

Baiyu blinked, hoping his face didn't betray the stab of fear he felt at those words. When he had sent across time and s.p.a.ce to find rescuers, he'd expected to bring someone.....older and more experienced than the two teenagers his magic had drawn into this realm. They were so young; so frightened and so very unsure of themselves. Had they truly made a fatal error?

Zhudai paced forward just two tigerish, smooth steps. His long, black hair was tied in a complicated knot on top of his head; his triumphant face harshly-shadowed by the candle. He held his black and gold silken robes off the hay-strewn stone floor with fastidious fingers. Still Baiyu refused to be drawn into talk. Let Zhudai reveal all in his eagerness to prove himself to his old rival.

"The girl has neglected to hide herself and her companions from me as she did with the Roman boy. In her haste, she has forgotten that I have seen her with my own eyes and can therefore Far-see her as well." Zhudai barked a mirthless laugh. "And, I know where they have gone Egypt."

Baiyu could not stop the few muscle movements of his face that betrayed his concern clenching of the jaw; flaring of the nostrils and eyes. Zhudai saw and laughed again.

"It will not be long now, my friend," he said, his dark eyes half-lidded. "Your rescuers will be captured and, with your help, I will become an Immortal."

"I will not help you," Baiyu returned, his own voice low and strained.

Zhudai's smile turned pitying. "No, you mean you will not help me voluntarily." He turned away and grasped the door. Looking back over his shoulder, he shook his head. "Surely you know that I never expected you to give your help? I will take what I need. You will not live past the ri shi."

Baiyu raised his chin, schooling his face back to calm. "Pure gold does not fear the smelter."

Zhudai made a noise of irritation and stalked out.

Behind the closed cell door, the smile slid away from Baiyu's face.

CHAPTER ONE.

Phoenix stepped through the portal into hot, still darkness. As an afterthought, he drew his sword, Blodbal, and held it ready. Peering into the gloom he listened for movement. Nothing. This unknown place was heavy with ancient, silent shadows; its air dusty and dead. As his eyes adjusted to the glimmer of light given off by the portal, Phoenix could dimly tell they were in a large, rectangular room of some sort. Regularly s.p.a.ced stone columns supported a stone roof.

He edged forward with his sword out, the other hand still holding firmly onto his horse's reins. The stallion whuffled, pushing at him with its nose. Hooves clattered on a stone floor.

What was it with the darkness thing? Everywhere they went, he, Jade and their companions seemed to end up in some lightless hole usually a prison. Didn't anyone build with windows in the year 80AD? Or were the programmers of this benighted computer game just plain nasty?

After consideration, he favoured the latter idea. The guys who wrote the game he and Jade were trapped in, had probably quite enjoyed dreaming up the unpleasant little nuisances he'd experienced so far: giant trolls, armies of Roman soldiers, evil sorcerers and power-mad G.o.ds. So what was in store for his troupe now? They were in Egypt, so surely it would be mummies; or Sphinxes or maybe a horde of bad-tempered, stampeding camels.

"Ow!" Jade's pained outcry told him the others were right on his heels. He tugged his horse forward to make s.p.a.ce for Brynn and Marcus to emerge as well. More hooves echoed. Brynn and Marcus stepped through. Marcus' bow was ready, an arrow notched. Brynn drew his new sword and glared into the gloom.

Abruptly, the faint light vanished as the gateway between Asgard and Egypt popped out of existence with a slight schlorping sound. Come what may, they'd arrived on Level Three.

"Everyone ok?" Phoenix called over the stompings and nickerings. One by one, the others a.s.sured him they were all ok.

"So," he aimed for cheerful, "on to the second question. Anyone know where we are?"

There was a small silence, then Brynn's c.o.c.ky voice piped up. "aegyptus?"

"Thanks for that. Helpful," Phoenix said sarcastically. He heard a fleshy thump. Brynn squawked and Phoenix grinned, guessing Marcus had whacked the boy on the arm.

"Hang on," Jade said. She tucked her quarterstaff under one arm and, seconds later, a greenish light appeared in her cupped hands. She'd cast a light-spell. Next she murmured a few words over the glowing ball and blew on it. To Phoenix's surprise, it wafted out of her hands and began to drift around the room.

"Nice trick," he admired.

Jade grinned. "Courtesy of that spell-book asulfr gave me back in Sweden." She sent another off in a different direction; then a third. Soon the room was eerily lit by what looked like a dozen giant firefly-backsides.

Jade exclaimed in soft delight and hurried over to the nearest wall. Phoenix handed his reins to Brynn and joined her, wondering what she found so fascinating. As far as he could see, it was just a wall covered in pretty pictures.

"They're hieroglyphs," she breathed, brushing the tips of her fingers over the jewel-coloured images.

Brynn and Marcus hurried up, peering over her shoulder.

"Did you tie the horses?" Phoenix asked Brynn.

"Nope. Where would they go?" The Breton boy raised an eyebrow at him.

"Good point," Phoenix glanced around the room. There were definitely no windows and, more concerning, no doors. Even dimension-gate entrance they had come through was now merely a three-stone door-frame set into solid wall. "Maybe we shouldn't waste time on the walls, Jade," he laid a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe we should be looking for a way out of here."

"I suppose," she didn't turn away. Phoenix waited a second then gestured to the other two. There didn't seem to be any immediate danger. It wouldn't hurt to let her stay while they looked for a way out. He and Jade had had their differences in the past, but Phoenix was determined to be a true leader now and earn her respect and co-operation. Ordering her to come away from the hieroglyphs would be a poor way to start.

"Could you at least lend us some of the lights?" he prodded her gently in the ribs. All of the light-b.a.l.l.s danced around her head, illuminating the wall.

Jade nodded, tucked a stray strand of shoulder-length, white-blond hair behind a pointed ear and waved a hand absently at the hovering lights. Three of them drifted down to bob just over the boys' heads.

"Right," Phoenix peered into the gloomiest corners, "there has to be an exit. Let's split up and find it but don't get lost. We don't know how big this place is." The other two nodded and walked away, green lights dancing around their heads. Phoenix headed in the opposite direction.

As it turned out, they were in no danger of getting lost. The room was fairly small and flanked by two rooms that were even smaller. Brynn found what had to be the original door, but it had been built in with large, firmly-mortared limestone blocks. There was no exit.

Finally, the three gathered around a central stone altar.

"Unless there's some sort of secret entrance, I can't see a way out of here," Phoenix admitted. "Ideas?"

"We could look for a secret entrance," Brynn offered, grinning.

Phoenix raised his eyes to the ceiling, but nodded. "It was a joke. Any other ideas?"

Marcus glanced over his shoulder. "Let's ask Jade."

All three turned to look at her. Their half-elven companion was still staring at the hieroglyphs that covered the walls. Her mouth moved silently and her eyes were almost crossed with intense concentration.

"I've got it!" She turned and beckoned them, excitement making her green eyes glitter. Relieved, Phoenix jogged over. Trust Jade to come up with a decent plan to get them out of trouble.

"So?" He prompted.

Jade pointed at a set of pictures encircled by an oval. To Phoenix it looked like a hook and a shovel followed by a flying saucer and a small chicken. Outside the oval was a hamburger bun, a sailing boat and something that looked like a complicated showerhead. Perplexed, he raised his eyebrows at Jade.

She grinned at him. "See? It says we're in the offering chapel of Snefru's Shining Pyramid. The game programmers are obviously fans of the Stargate Sci-fi TV series. Any minute now it will be aliens landing on the pyramid."

Phoenix, Brynn and Marcus all stared at her with looks of blank astonishment for a moment before blinking again at the pictures. Phoenix decided to ignore the Stargate comment, as he'd never watched the show and had no idea what connection it had to their current problems. He examined the hieroglyphs again. He even tilted his head and closed one eye, hoping that would help. It still looked like a chicken and a complicated shower device.

"I'll take your word for it," he conceded. "Does it say how to get out of the chapel of Snefru's Shining pyramid by any chance?"

"What? No, it's all about what a great Pharaoh Snefru was and how he's going to get to the afterlife." Jade blinked at him. "Can't you read it?"

All three of the boys shook their heads.

"Huh," she pulled down her mouth. "I thought that language spell asulfr cast back in Olshammar would work the same on all of us, but I guess I'm the only one who can understand and read other languages. Weird."

"Very weird," Phoenix tried to curb his rising impatience. "But will it help us get out of here?" He reached out and grabbed her shoulder as she turned back to the hieroglyphs. "Jade! Focus! We're bricked up in this place and I'll bet horses use lots of oxygen. We need to get out of here!"

She looked around the room, frowning.

"Oh," he added as an afterthought, "and please tell me that crack about aliens was just a joke?"

Her expression cleared to a smile. "I'm pretty sure they wouldn't write something like that into the plot. There was no mention in the game manual, was there?"

Phoenix thought hard then shook his head, relieved. "Ultimate badguy to kill, Yu Dragon to master; plus five levels of evil henchmen, G.o.ds, Elves, magic and monsters, yes; but no aliens, thank goodness."

"OK, so we just need to get out of here and get on our way to releasing the G.o.ddess Anuket from her prison, then," Jade summed up. "And remember, we were told we have to release Anuket before the 'death of the moon'. I still don't know what that means, though."

"Then we have to start by getting out," Phoenix shrugged. They all stared around again, seeking inspiration.

"Secret pa.s.sage?" she raised her brows at them.

"Already thought of it," Phoenix replied. Brynn snorted a laugh.

"But did anyone actually look for one?"

The three boys exchanged sheepish glances.

"Obviously not," Jade sighed, shaking her head. "Let's go, then."

For a good ten minutes, the companions prowled around the temple, poking, pushing, twisting and prodding any likely-looking carving and stone they could find. The room got hotter and stuffier. Various bits of fur clothing from their time in Sweden and Asgard ended up on the altar, stripped as the four got sweatier. The horses' heads drooped and their breathing became laboured.

The group gathered again. Jade shoved their furs into the Hyllion Bagia and retrieved cooler clothing from within its endless, black depths. They all changed. It helped a bit, but there was no ignoring the shortness of breath that was now bothering all of them. They were running out of air.

"Why is the back wall so slanty?" Brynn wiped sweat from his face.

Jade tilted her head and eyed the wall. "I guess the temple is right up against the pyramid."

"What is a pyramid, anyway?" Brynn seemed aggrieved he didn't know.

Phoenix stared at the boy. It was hard to remember that Brynn came from a small village in early Roman Britain. He was so smart Phoenix often forgot they came from vastly different backgrounds. How could a peasant boy from 80AD know about other cultures? He couldn't exactly watch a doc.u.mentary.

"The people of aegyptus call them mer," Marcus' quiet comment intruded on his thoughts.

"They do?" Phoenix switched his gaze to him, amazed. Normally Jade was the walking encyclopaedia. Marcus hardly said a word.

The Roman boy nodded. "Pyramid is the word the Greeks gave them. Mer are the tombs of dead kings the paros, they call them."

"Pharaohs. Hey!" Jade's green eyes were wide. "How do you know so much?"

Phoenix sent her a narrow look, wondering if she were jealous of Marcus' knowledge. She was pretty sensitive about being the smartest in the group.

"I came to aegyptus with my uncle," Marcus shrugged. "He took me on a trading mission and we stayed in Alexandria for several months. My uncle thought I found the place and the people too fascinating and sent me home again. Romans are not well-liked here and he was worried I would get myself killed wandering around the streets on my own."

Phoenix stared at Marcus for several seconds, wondering what had prompted that long a speech. Sweat dribbled into his eyes, reminding him of their situation.

"OK." He slapped his hands flat on the altar. "So we know the back wall is part of the pyramid mer, I mean," he corrected himself. "Does that help us? Would there be a secret pa.s.sage there?"

Jade shook her head. "Even if there was, it would only lead deeper into the pyramid, not to the outside. I have no idea when Snefru's Shining pyramid was built, but the air in there would probably be bad if the tomb hasn't been robbed."

Brynn's eyes lit up. "Robbed? As in treasure?" He sent a covetous look at the sloping back wall. "Couldn't we just try? We've hardly found any treasure at all so far."

Phoenix laughed at the little thief and laid his sword on the altar. "C'mon, a magic sword is pretty good treasure, so is a magic bag full of Roman denarii and the Horn of Aurfanon that we used to summon help with the troll in Svealand."

The boy made a face. "I want some gold to take home with me, thanks. We can only use that horn twice more, anyway, remember?"

"Don't forget what our true mission is," Marcus reminded him, frowning.

Brynn waved him away. "I know, I know. We're out to kill Feng Zhudai, the big badguy. But hey, can't a guy dream of more than just revenge?" He blinked innocent brown eyes up at the Roman. Marcus sent him a sceptical look.

"C'mon, you lot," Phoenix urged. "We've got to stay on track. We need to find a way out. Look." He pointed at the horses. One of them had slipped to her knees and lay half on her side on the stone floor, panting.

Jade ran its side and muttered in its ear. One by one, she went to all five horses and spoke to them in low tones. One by one, the animals' breathing calmed and their eyes closed. She came back to the altar, looking a worried and guilty.

"I should have put them to sleep earlier. It would have saved oxygen and caused them less stress."

"It's a good idea, whenever," Phoenix a.s.sured her. He was rewarded with a quick, grateful look. "Back to the problem at hand. How do we get out?"

Marcus ran a hand through his short, dark hair. Brynn chewed on his bottom lip, eyes darting around the room. Jade tilted her head to one side and tapped one finger on her teeth. Her eyes widened. Phoenix looked at her, waiting.

"If you were at home, Phoenix," she mused, "how would you deal with this?"