Desert Umbra

Chimera

The night was filled with the clomping of hooves at a constant trot or gallop trying to flee Hamunaptra. The noise was calming and the breeze of the night kept us cool, I had wrapped a blanket around my shoulders as it was almost too much at times. After the conversation with the leader, we knew there was more to fear. I could see the visible change in Rick from the pompous 'I got him' guy to 'Oh shit we're in trouble'. In my case, there were many thoughts that washed through my mind. Evil... The word filled my mind in metaphorical capital letters. We were all so focused on getting out of there that I hardly noticed Evy was trying to get my attention.

"Eris?—Eris?" She asked repetitively.

"Yeah, Eves?" I replied so she knew I was listening.

"When we were in the chamber you said that the mummy would yield to you until he was fully regenerated. What did you mean by that?" She asked inquisitively.

"Honestly, Evy I'm not sure. That was Ahmanet, it was like I couldn't control her, a fight was happening in my mind." I said to her choosing my words carefully.

"Yep, I could tell that from your eyes and speech." She murmured lost in thought.

"It's like I was possessed—wait, my eyes? What happened to my eyes?" I asked her.

"They turned to gold and doubled; not like you had four eyes but your pupils. God, it was disconcerting Eris. I wish you could've seen it." She explained.

"It certainly got my attention. What I don't understand is why you? Why did this entity attach itself to you?" Rick pipped up from the background.

"Well, I've been told I've been marked for death because of my tattoos," I whispered out, just loud enough to be heard over the hooves.

"Marked for death... Who in their right mind would tell you that?" Jon asked as he slowed down to a trot next to me.

"The warrior, the one that leads them all..." I told him. His face dropped, and his sarcasm died.

"You're put your faith in the one person who has attacked us not once but twice?" Jon asked recovering from the serious moment.

"And beyond that, he has been watching us at each step of the process. Yet he didn't come forward and say anything with concrete evidence until we were all in danger?" Rick asked me.

"I guess it is silly when you put it that way... He just seemed to know more about this type of thing than any of us did." I told them perking up a bit, now that I didn't feel that I was going to die.

"I swear to you, I won't let her hurt any of you," I said to them all, hoping that they would believe me.

"She won't get what she wants out of you, not if I have anything to do with it," Rick said back to me. I nodded, knowing that there was nothing he could do.

"We know." They all echoed each other.

"Eris, I wondered if I could talk to her...?" Evy asked curiously. I looked around at the other two curious about what their opinions were, Rick nodded and Jon just stared at me.

"Give me your pack and weapons," Rick told me, holding his hand out ready to receive them. I did slowly, then took my knife from my sleeve and gun out of my waistband. He nodded and held on to my gun for a second, watching my eyes. I nodded to him to take it once my hands were free I called Ahmanet to the front. She happily appeared a bit eager to talk for once. Evy's grip tightened on her reins and she straightened her posture. I felt my own posture morph into something that was best described as regal, I felt Ahmanet straighten my back, my grip on the reins, stretch my neck out, and hold my chin up high. I knew she did not feel threatened by Evy she actually seemed interested in her.