The ninth chapter of my story series. I am really pleased with this one

Please enjoy and any feedback is welcome

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Tales of the Eternals chapter 9 To the Stars

The stone slab finally slides away to reveal yet another dark chamber. The two hooded people light more small square candles, placing them in the corners. This one was smaller than the previous chambers, but even more festooned with hieroglyphs; showing a multitude of people, some with animal heads. The largest picture on the farthest wall showed the king with a green skinned man wearing a feathered crown. On the ceiling is a painting of a winged scarab holding the sun in its front two legs.
In the centre of the room is a huge stone square sarcophagus. The woman removes pulls down her hood, revealing a lioness. She grins excitedly at the sarcophagus.
“At last!” she sighs and then snaps at the elephant and scorpion “You two, open this up.”
Exchanging a fearful glance, the two of them move to the sarcophagus and start shifting the lid, while the hooded man lowers his hood; a male lion with a rather bedraggled tawny mane.
“As a priestess of Thebes, I command you to stop this violation!” Kiya raises her nose into the air “You will be hunted down by the god Anubis for your crimes.”
But the tomb robbers ignore her.

While everyone else's attention is fixed on the sarcophagus, Kiya starts feeling movement behind her. Altallo was wriggling and shaking.
“I've found something sharp behind us.” he whispers to her.
“Good work! Wait, I have an idea,” she raises her voice and addresses the others in the chamber. “What is it that you want from this tomb exactly?”
“Why riches and power of course,” the lion man replies “The Pharaohs of the Old Kingdom had power far beyond that of Mentuhotep.”
The two labourers lift the lid of the sarcophagus and toss it aside with an almighty smash!
“Quiet you two!” the lioness hisses “You don't want to alert the guards! And be careful with that.”
She points to the innards of the sarcophagus, where something glitters from within.

Out of the sarcophagus the thieves pull out a magnificent coffin, made of wood coated with gold plaster and coloured glass. It is shaped almost like a person covered in a colourful blanket, his hands and face peering out; his face is carved in the shape of Pepi the Second, the eyes made of polished stones and the skin of gold, holding the crook and flail in his hands. The two lions are beside themselves with glee, but the scorpion, the elephant and Kiya look afraid.
“Madam,” the scorpion croaks fearfully “My friend and I are concerned about the consequences of desecrating the god king.”
The lioness snorts mirthlessly. “The Pharaoh is dead, he won't miss anything. Now get to work or your families will suffer.”
The elephant and scorpion look horrified, the colour draining from their faces. They quickly rush to the sarcophagus and set to work. The male lion meanwhile has been heating knives in one of the candles. Taking a knife, he inserts it between the lids and stars slowly moving the knife.
“This coffin is stuck with a very thick resin, it may take some time.” the lion reports to his partner.
“And what about that treasure back there?” Kiya asks, nodding down the hallway.
“You could always take it all as a sort of back-up.” Altallo suggests.

The two lions look at each other.
“He has a point.” the lioness confers with her partner and then snaps her fingers at the scorpion and elephant “You two, into the other chamber and grab all that you can in these.” She tosses a bundle of sacks to them and they scuttle out off to the burial chamber.
The pair then set to work; inserting the hot knives into the lid of the coffin. Altallo meanwhile returned to cutting through the ropes.

After almost an hour, the lid of the coffin swings open, revealing a bandaged figure. The lion's mouths hang open in awe for a few minutes, before they start tearing at the bandages. The lioness pulls an ornate amulet in the shape of an eye, her companion takes a staff with an ankh symbol at its top. They both seem in awe of their discoveries and do not even hear Altallo slice through the last of his and Kiya's bonds. Spotting a bundle of spears nearby, they slowly edge sideways towards them.
“The eye of Horus and the Ankh staff! Just think, with these we will have power and influence throughout Egypt!”
“Not so fast!” Kiya shouts.
The lions whirl round in alarm, finding themselves on the wrong end of two spears.
“Argh! No please!”
“Mercy! Spare us!”
“How pathetic,” Kiya snorts “Not so brave now are we? If you want us to show mercy, give us the eye of Horus and the staff. Quickly!”
She shakes her spear threateningly and the lions hurriedly thrust the amulet and staff at Altallo who takes them. Just at that moment the scorpion and elephant return, dragging sacks full of treasure.
“Get them!” the lion snarls, leaping away.
The scorpion starts snapping at Kiya again, but she holds up her spear at him and retreats. The elephant charges at Altallo who jumps out of his way and uses the blunt end of his spear to trip him over. The elephant falls and slams right into a wall, which begins to shake.
A horrible, crumbling noise fills the room.
“The pyramid is collapsing!” the lioness screams, then to her partner “We must get out!”
“Not without my treasure!” the lion growls, grabbing the sacks and hauling them slowly across the floor, while dust floats down from the ceiling.
Kiya grabs Altallo's arm and tugs, trying to get him to move, but his attention is on the scorpion and the elephant. The scorpion was desperately trying to drag the groggy elephant from the burial chamber, fear etched on his face. Altallo dashes over to the elephant and grabs his other arm. With the scorpion's help, they manage to lift him to his feet.

“What are you doing!” Kiya yells at Altallo “They are the enemy!”
Altallo grabs her arm and leads her swiftly out of the burial chamber, the scorpion and elephant following. The lions soon wobble in their wake, weighed down by their loot. The whole of the tunnel shakes and rumbles, thick dust billowing in from above.
Soon the leading four reach the hidden door. After a hasty search for the door mechanism, they spill outside onto the sands and the dawn light. They flee from the pyramid, hiding among some sand dunes. One of the pyramid's walls is crumbling, the once beautiful, white limestone coated wall now falling in great chunks. The summit also begins to break apart, without the support of the fourth wall, it teeters precariously before it too falls. The other walls also begin to fall. Medjay rush away the pyramid, screaming in panic and, to their surprise, the two lions soon emerge from the broken pyramid, unharmed and dust covered, still carrying their treasures. However its not long till they are spotted by the Medjay, who surround them, weapons raised. The lions hold up their hands, surrendering.

“We still have that Medjay commander to take care off.” Kiya whispers to Altallo.
Altallo nods and then turns to their two new friends.
“You had better return to your families, no point risking all our lives.”
“Are you sure you won't need our help?” the scorpion asks.
“Don't worry, we'll think of something.”
“But, why?” the elephant asks “Why did you save us? We're criminals and we attacked you.”
“Your families will need you,” Altallo replies, patting him on the arm. “Take care.”
The elephant grasps Altallo's hand in thanks and he and the scorpion hurry away, while Kiya and Altallo turn their attention to the Medjay. Creeping closer they could see the Medjay guarding the lions as their captain approaches.

“They were trying to steal these.” one of the guards says to the captain, pointing to the sacks.
“Good work men, take these thieves to the compound. We will let Pharaoh's judges deal with them. In the meantime I will take care of the treasures they have stolen.” the Medjay commander tells his subordinate in a surprisingly calm and level voice.
The guards salute and lead the lions away. The captain, smirking, hauls two of the sacks in the other direction. He loads them onto a chariot, which had two large horses harnessed to it, and then walks back to get the others. As soon as he's gone Altallo and Kiya dash out and clamber aboard the chariot.
“Quickly!” Kiya hisses to Altallo, who looks nervously at the chariot.
“Um, uh...” Altallo swipes his hand over the crossbar and reins “Activate. Start....please?”

The Medjay captain returns carrying more treasure and whistling happily to himself before he stops short, spotting Altallo and Kiya in the chariot. His mouth opens in shock.
“Oh move over!” Kiya groans and pushes Altallo out of the way. Seizing the reins she lashes them and shouts. The horses rear and start running.
“Ah so that's how it works.” Altallo says brightly. Kiya just rolls her eyes and snorts.
The captain gapes at the chariot racing away into the desert, then shouts to his men.
“Quickly! After them!” he points to the cloud of dust “They've stolen the pharaoh's treasures, capture them!”
The Medjay rush to their chariots and follow in pursuit.

Up ahead, Altallo looks amazed at the chariot's spinning wheels.
“What an amazing device!” he shouts over the creaking and groaning of wood. “Uh oh, Kiya, the Medjay are following!”
Another chariot races up behind them carrying two people, a lizard driver and a human armed with a spear. Kiya grabs a bow and quiver of arrows from the chariot's weapon rack and thrusts them into Altallo's arms.
“Here, defend us with these!”
“Great idea!”
Altallo lobs the bow and quiver at their pursuers. The bow slams into the human's chest, knocking him off the chariot. The lizard looks backwards, shocked at his companion's fate, when the quiver hits him squarely in the back and he too falls.

Kiya gives Altallo a witheringly look.
Their chariot thunders down into a valley, while another Medjay chariot emerges from the dust. It drives up alongside their chariot and then starts to crash into them. Kiya screams in surprise as they lurch dangerously, the chariot wheels scraping the valley wall. Altallo, clutching to the crossbar for dear life, spies a spear in their weapon rack. He snatches it and jams it into the wheel of the Medjay chariot, which stops, tipping over to one side and spilling out its occupants.
Kiya sighs in relief.
“Thank Isis for that.”

Presently they leave the valley and descend down a hill to the banks of the river Nile. They approach a village as three more Medjay chariots charge after them. The first to reach them pulls almost next to them. One of its passengers, a hound, jumps from his chariot onto there's, pulling out a curved sword he points it at Kiya.
“Stop this chariot and we will spare you!” he snarls at her.
Altallo grabs a shield and smacks the hound, who falls off into the sound with a surprised howl. Altallo then hurls the shield at the remaining men on the chariot, knocking them off too.

But soon the second chariot is on their tail. As the enter the village Kiya notices a goose carefully arranging baskets full of sand into a neat stack.
“Here take the reins, I've got an idea.” she says to Altallo, handing them over. Altallo holds them dubiously, unsure what to do.
“Take us left.” Kiya instructs, as she takes a sword from the weapon rack.
Altallo panics and pulls the reins, but the chariot veers to the right.
“Not that way, the other way!” Kiya shrieks.
Altallo steers the chariot left and Kiya slashes at the baskets, sending sand showering over the pursing Medjay who cough and splutter. The goose on the other hand is less than pleased and shakes his fist at the departing chariots.
“My baskets! You vandals! You'll have to pay for my lovely baskets!”

They race through the village, its inhabitants screaming and running or jumping out of the path of the rampaging chariots.
“Look out!” Kiya yells.
Up ahead is a ditch full of mud. Altallo pulls hard on the reins and the chariot veers to left, missing the ditch and crossing over a small wooden board. The Medjay aren't so fortunate; seeing the ditch too late. Their chariot over turns, flinging the soldiers off into the muddy water. The Medjay grumble as they climb out of the ditch and return to their chariot and ride back the way they came to help their companions.

By late morning, Altallo and Kiya arrive back in Thebes. They park the chariot into a dark and deserted alleyway nearby the temple city. Kiya disembarks, looking rather windswept but determined.
“I'll go tell Neferure and Ramos. I just hope we're in time. You'd better hide the chariot and the treasure.”
“Wait, you may need these.” Altallo says, handing her the eye of Horus and the staff. Kiya nods in acknowledgement and runs off to the temple city.
Clambering up the stairs breathlessly she hears voices from within the huge echoing hall.
“... the two nobles were caught laden with stolen objects and undoubtedly destroyed the pyramid as an act of blatant vandalism.”
With a thrill of horror she recognises the voice of the Medjay commander. As quietly as she could, she tip toes to the entrance and peers inside. In the middle of the vast columned and lavishly painted hallway, the Medjay captain was kneeling before a tall and powerful looking hawk, wearing a blue crown, jewellery and fine garments and holding a crook and a flail crossed across his chest. He stares down at the captain with a pair of beady black eyes. Surrounding him are guards in full armour, a beautiful female hawk and Ramos and Neferure, looking worried. Kiya noticed the captain wearing a long white scarf around his body.
“And what of the treasures you confiscated?” the hawk asks in an imperious voice, tilting his head to one side.
“Ah, your majesty, that is where things get interesting,” the captain sighs “While I was about to bring the majority to you, two people stole my chariot. Clearly the thieves had accomplices, a young girl and another one in blue and yellow. Mere criminals.”
Kiya breathes deeply, closing her eyes for a few minutes. Opening them, she strides into the temple. The captain whirls around.
“Oh-ho! There's one of the thieves now!” he cries out dramatically pointing an accusing finger at the girl “Great Pharaoh, let me arrest her and bring justice to this matter.”
“What? No! Kiya would never do anything like that. You must be mistaken.” Neferure hisses.
Kiya ignores them both and instead bows deeply to the Pharaoh.
“Your highness, I am no thief. I came to give you these.”
She takes out the staff and the eye of Horus and lays them on the ground in front of him. A guard picks them up and presents them to the Pharaoh who eyes them with interest.

“You have done admirably little one,” he says to Kiya smiling kindly down at her “But one thing eludes me. What were you doing outside of Thebes?”
Kiya gulps before answering.
“I....I overhead the thieves blackmailing some workers and they bribed him.” she points to the captain.
“She is lying sire,” the captain replies hurriedly, looking fearful “She is responsible for not only theft but for damaging four expensive military chariots and injury to several guards.”
He gestures to a huddled group of Medjay guards, covered in bandages, bruises and in three cases mud and looking thoroughly miserable. As the captain turns back to the Pharaoh, Kiya could hear a faint clinking sound from his scarf.
Kiya charges at him and tears off the scarf. Gold ornaments tumble from the torn fabric and spill out onto the floor with a deafening clatter. For a moment the whole room was silent, except for the chink and clink of gold. Slowly the Pharaoh, raises his gaze from the gold on the floor and straight at the captain.
“Arrest that man!” he cries out, and his guards grab the man and haul him away. The captain protests all the way.
The Pharaoh then turns to Kiya.
“I thank you Kiya for protecting these priceless items.”
Kiya beams, flushed with bride.
“But,” the Pharaoh continues sadly “I am afraid you broke your vow. You left the temple city and Thebes.”
Kiya's smug smile disappears. She now looked pale and nervous.
“I am sorry, but you cannot become a priestess now,” sighs the Pharaoh. “Don't worry though, you can always try some other occupation. Now I shall depart, come my dear.”
The Pharaoh wraps a winged arm around the female hawk and leaves the temple, flanked by guards.

Later, Kiya is in her quarters; a small room containing a bed covered in soft linen. Kiya is packing a pair of white chests with hieroglyphs on its sides full with clothing and other personal possessions such as game boards, papyrus scrolls and a few bits of jewellery. She's obviously upset, looking fit to burst into tears.
She is startled by the sound of someone approaching. Turning she sees Altallo in the doorway.
“Mind if I come in?” he asks.
Kiya nods solemnly and goes back to her packing. Altallo puts a hand on her shoulder.
“Is everything alright?”
“I just don't know what to do or where to go,” she mumbles, sadly looking at him “This is the only home I know.”
“Don't you have a family?”
“Ramos and Neferure are the only family I have. I never knew who my parents were.” Kiya sniffs and wipes her eyes. Altallo rubs her arm comfortingly, looking thoughtful. Then an idea flitted into his head.
“Why don't you come with me? I'm a traveller.”
“You have a caravan?” Kiya asks, her eyes brightening in excitement.
“No, but I have a ship and-”
“That's even better!”
Kiya crams the rest of her luggage into a chest and then thrusts it into Altallo's arms while she carries the others.
They walk out of the room and into a courtyard with an obelisk at its centre. Kiya pauses and looks up at it and then back to her quarters; a long rectangular building with many small rooms like her. The place was deserted.
“I'll miss this place. I was the only trainee left,” she sighs “I was far behind everyone else.”

Later on Altallo has taken Kiya to the old ruins near the banks of the river and a familiar boulder. Kiya, exhausted by the journey, slumps on a rock and looks around her, puzzled.
“I thought you said you had a ship? Then why are we here in the desert, why didn't we go to the Nile delta?”
Altallo approaches the boulder and pats it.
“Ah still safe. This is my ship Kiya.”
Kiya looks at the boulder and then back to Altallo and shakes her head.
“I knew it. You're mad. You're completely and utterly mad.”
But she stops short when a bright blue archway appears in the boulder's surface. Altallo slides down the dune again and gathers some more containers from the ruins.
“What are those?” Kiya asks, eyeing the containers with suspicion.
“Just some things I've collected and bought.”
“Is that treasure from the tomb? You should have put it back!” Kiya folds her arms angrily “And I'm not going in there!”
“I tried to bring them back, but the place was crawling with Medjay and the tomb was in ruins anyway” Altallo replies, sounding exasperated “Come on in, its quite safe.”
Fearfully, Kiya follows her strange friend into the boulder. She gasps at what she sees next; a beautiful blue chamber with a tall column, a large circular basin of turquoise liquid and archways leading to other areas, while Altallo put down his containers.
She's even more surprised when a tall reptile enters the chamber, runs at Altallo and lifts him up into a hug.

“I've missed you so much!” Shern'aath grins down at Altallo “What kept you?”
“Just exploration and a bit of intrigue,” Altallo replies, wrapping his arms around the raptor. “Also met a new friend.” he nods at Kiya.
“Who is that?” Shern'aath asks, regarding Kiya with interest. Kiya on the other hand regarded the raptor with distrust.
“What is this savage and strange beast?” she asks Altallo in an imperious voice.
“Oh not this again.” Altallo groans, slapping a hand to his face.
“Nice to meet you too,” Shern'aath replies sarcastically to Kiya. “I'm a proud raptor. And what are you, you silly looking thing?”
“Silly indeed?!” Kiya angrily shrieks, causing Altallo and Shern'aath to wince “I am a priestess of the city of Thebes, servent to all the gods-”
“No you're not,” Altallo says “You were booted out of the temple remember?”
“You keep out of this!” hisses Kiya, and Altallo backs away.
“You leave him alone!” Shern'aath growls at Kiya.
Kiya huffs.

“What is with her?” Shern'aath asks Altallo in a whisper.
“I think she's just scared and just feels out of place. Anyway, will you help me with these things?”
Altallo and Shern'aath gather up the things and carry them away, Kiya following and huffing all the way.

Much later they return back to the flight deck.
“And so you fly around in a boulder and collect plants, animals and things?” Kiya asks in a snarky tone “Oh do me a favour.”
“Its not a boulder, that's just a disguise. You wouldn't laugh if you saw it in its real form. I know, I'll take you somewhere. Wherever you want.” Altallo says running his hands over the turquoise liquid. The entire chamber lights up and a humming sound fills the room. But suddenly, a small red cylinder pops out of the column, surprising Shern'aath and Kiya.
“What is that?”
“Its a messaging system we Eternals use to communicate with each other in times of emergency. We don't really use it much, we're often too busy.”
Altallo takes the little red cylinder and unwinds it to reveal a thin piece of red crystal covered in strange writing.
“Its a distress message! From somewhere called Tythonia.” Altallo gasps, sounding shocked.
No sooner had he said that than two more cylinders pop out. He reads the others quickly.
“All distresses. I'm afraid we'll need to cut the tour short. We're heading off world.”
He powers up the ship and it rumbles with life.

Not so far away is a small house with stairs leading to the roof with a wooden shade. A portly man dressed in purple was cheerfully making paint by crushing stones and sea shells while his wife, sitting underneath the shade, weaves papyrus threads together to make paper.
The man is distracted by a roaring. Looking up, he sees a large moon-shaped object flying away from a nearby sand dune. Excitedly he grabs a piece of papyrus and makes a quick drawing of the object.
“It is the chariot of the sun, Amun Ra!” he exclaims.
“Darling have you been drinking again?” his wife calls from upstairs “You know its not good for you!”

Inside the ship, Kiya and Shern'aath watch in alarm as the ground grows smaller and smaller and the ship shakes.
“We'll hit the sky and be blasted to smithereens!” Shern'aath yells at Altallo.
“I'm not sure I like this ship!” Kiya cries out, shutting her eyes and Shern'aath follows suit.
All of a sudden the shaking stops. Kiya and Shern'aath open their eyes and gasp.
Out of the window, the Earth lies below them, a wondrous round marble of blue, yellow and green, and surrounding it, inky blackness strewn with sparkling stars and colourful clouds of gas. It was so quiet all they could hear was their breathing and the gentle hum of the ship.
They drift gracefully off, away from the blue world and into the darkness beyond.