Michael Belmont and the Tomb of Anubis (The Adventures of Michael Belmont) (12 page)

A flash of lighting cracked outside, and the young waitress let out a sharp squeak, running through the door into the back.
 
She was shocked and frightened to witness such a thing at her normally peaceful establishment.

"Uncle Link?" Abigail called in an excited, but confused voice.
 
She jumped up and rushed over to throw her arms around him.
 
"What are you doing here?"

"Hello there, sweetheart.
 
You look like you've been run through a washing machine."

The girl laughed.
 
"So do you," she told him.

Michael had come up behind her.
 
He saw the distressed look on Elizabeth's face, and knew that if his uncle had come all the way from Arizona, something must be wrong.

Link looked up and met his eyes; he appeared even more serious than usual.

"Hey there, Mike.
 
How are you, buddy?"
 
He reached out and squeezed his nephew's shoulder.
 
Then he looked at Elizabeth, who was standing in silence.

"Why don't we all have a seat?
 
Liz here and I have something to tell you."

They all went back to the table and sat down.
 
"Long time no see, Liam, been keeping out of trouble?" he asked as he removed his hat and hung it on a nearby hook.

 
Liam nodded politely.

"Well, let's get to the point," he said grimly.
 
"Turns out that your parents have gone missing.
 
Your Dad too, Liam."

Elizabeth gave him a hateful look, as if to say that he should have been more tactful.
 
If he noticed this, he just ignored it.

All three of the children were stunned.

Link continued.
 
"I'm really sorry, but there's not a lot of information yet."

Abigail began to cry, and Elizabeth put her arm around her.

"Well, how did you hear the news?" Michael asked.

"I received a call from Aiden Osiris yesterday afternoon.
 
Everything was going well at the excavation site until two days ago.
 
Your parents reported in and entered the tomb that morning, but they didn't check back out, so a search team was sent in to look for them.
 
They found nothing.
 
No signs or indications of anything strange, they were just…gone."

"Mr. Osiris said that the site was safe," Michael said, shaking angrily.
 
"He said there was nothing to worry about."

"I know this is hard news to take, but—"

Michael rose to his feet.
 
"He said there was NOTHING to worry about!"

"Mike," his uncle commanded sternly, "sit down."

The boy reluctantly obeyed.

"I want you to listen very carefully, all three of you." Link folded his hands on the table.
 
"I want you all to hope and pray for the best here.
 
Remember that there were no signs of your parents being injured, no signs of any struggle or fight, and if they had been attacked by anyone or anything, evidence would have been left behind."
 
He frowned at them thoughtfully.
 
"Both of your fathers are exceptionally resourceful, as is my baby sister.
 
What we have here is a mystery to solve, and as soon as I can, I'm going over there to Egypt to work this all out."

"What about us," broke in Liam, "we want to go too."

Link glanced at Elizabeth, who still looked very displeased with him.
 
Elizabeth had known Lincoln as long as she had his sister, and the two of them had never gotten along very well.
 
She thought he was arrogant and a bit of a chauvinist.
 
He knew her feelings about him, but never seemed to care that much.

"Well, that's one of the things we need to talk about," he said.
 
Until I figure out exactly what is going on, I think the safest place for the three of you is right next to me.
 
Elizabeth here thinks you should all stay here in Scotland, at least until we get some news about —"

"No WAY!" shouted Michael.
 
"We don't want to stay here, not knowing what's going on with Mom and Dad."

"I want to go to Egypt and help look for them," sobbed Abigail, her face buried in Elizabeth's arms.
 
"But I want Aunt Elizabeth to come too."

"Whatever we decide Abby, I'm not going to leave you," Elizabeth told her.

"Lincoln," said Elizabeth in a stern voice, "I think the safest and most stable place for these children right now is exactly where they are."

The boys began to protest, but Elizabeth raised her hand to cut them off.

Link shook his head.
 
"I wish you were right about that, but I'm not convinced.
 
We don't know who or what is involved in this yet, and you might think you can protect these kids, but who's going to protect you?"
 
Then he softened his tone a little.
 
"Remember what we talked about, Liz."

"FINE," She shouted back at him, poking him sharply in the chest. "But I'm GOING with you, and if you take these children ANYWHERE that puts them in danger, YOU'RE going to answer to ME!"

Link let out a wolfish growl, accentuating the frown spread out across his unshaven face.

"Fair enough," he told her calmly.

Michael had just finished packing, and was about to turn in to bed when his uncle knocked on the door.

"Hey, sport, how ya holding up?" he asked.

"I'm alright," Michael insisted.
 
He said this not because he actually felt it, but because he thought it was what ought to be said.

"I want you to know that I'm going to do everything I can to find your mom and dad," said Link.
 
He winked at him.
 
"I've never let you down before, have I?"

"No," said Michael numbly.
 
He didn't know what to think or to feel.
 
He had always felt uncomfortable when his parents went away on business, and now his worst nightmares had come true, and he was scared.

But Michael knew that hope was fighting within him too.
 
Uncle Link was right, if his parents had been attacked there would have been signs of a struggle, and all three of them were much too smart to wander off and get lost in the necropolis.
 
None of this made any sense.
 
What he needed to do now was protect his sister and have faith in his uncle to find out what happened and recover his parents safely.

"I'm gonna go check on Abby.
 
Get some rest, okay?
 
We have an early flight tomorrow."

"I will.
 
Goodnight, Uncle Link."

"Goodnight, kiddo.
 
I'll see ya bright and early."

"Bright eyed and bushy-tailed," responded Michael.
 
It was something his mother always said to him.

"You know it, kid," Link told him.
 
"Say your prayers," he yelled back after leaving the room.
 
Michael could hear the heavy clack of his boots as he trudged to Abigail's room.

Michael was tired, and he had lain in bed for what seemed like hours, reading books and then trying to sleep.
 
But his mind was racing and he couldn't calm down.

Perhaps he would go down to the night corridor one last time before they left.
 
He would see if he could get the statue to activate again, and experience more of the story of Anubis and Horus.
 
Maybe it would take his mind off his parents for a little while.

He didn't want to disturb his sister, but he knew she would be upset if he snuck off without her, so he crept into her room to check on her.
 
She was sleeping soundly.

Good
, he thought to himself.
 
She needs to rest.
 
This has been a hard day for all of us
.

He hurried down to the corridor, not stopping to explore as he'd done on previous occasions.
 
He quickly found his way up the winding stairs and into the chamber of antiquities, making a beeline for the statue of Anubis.

Michael stepped up and looked through the eyes.
 
For a moment, nothing happened, and he was about to get down when he felt the familiar tugging sensation.

The statue pulled him in, and it took several moments to regain his bearings.
 
He found himself standing beside Horus on the bank of the Nile River.
 
The sun was just beginning to set behind the mountains in the distance, and a tall man who seemed to come out of nowhere was walking toward them.

He had blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes, and wore a long brown robe.
 
Michael knew that Anubis was not accustomed to seeing such men. He wondered who this was.
 
A traveller from the cold regions of the North, perhaps?

The man approached them and nodded to Anubis, and Michael found himself nodding back.

"Greetings, Horus," the man said to his brother.

"Greetings, Uriel, this is my brother, Anubis."

"Yes, I have heard of your deeds.
 
You and your brother are both well known for your courage and valor."

Uriel turned back to Horus.
 
"Have you considered my offer?
 
It has been a week, just as we agreed."

"Yes," said Horus.
 
"I have considered it, but have not yet spoken of it to my brother.
 
I thought it would be a good idea to wait until you could extend the offer yourself."

Anubis glanced back and forth between them expectantly.

"You know who I am?" Uriel asked him.

"I have heard of you as well," Anubis told him.

He nodded and smiled.
 
"Well, perhaps you've also heard that I have been given the responsibility of holding the keys to the gateway of Tartarus.
 
Recently, I've considered recruiting some help.
 
There are still a number of prisoners that need to be captured and escorted through the gateway.
 
From everything I've heard about you and Horus, you may be just the two I need."

"You want us to track and capture fallen ones?" Anubis asked in disbelief.

"No, I want your brother to lead a small team of warriors to do that," Uriel responded.
 
"For you, I had something a little different in mind.
 
I need you to guard the gateway, and escort the prisoners through once they're brought to you."

"Why do you need us for this?
 
You and your brethren are much more powerful than we are.
 
Not to mention the fugitives we would be going after."

"The two of you have shown a true love for mankind.
 
You have proven to have self-control, and much better judgment than others like you, who have been easily corrupted by their abilities.
 
This would be a chance for you to prove that not all of your kind are evil."

Horus stared at Uriel eagerly, as if this was indeed something he desired to do.

"Besides, my brothers and I have many responsibilities.
 
There are other urgent matters that need our attention.
 
It has been agreed that this would be an acceptable solution.
 
As to the matter of your being overmatched, you will not be expected to undertake these duties without help."

He raised both of his hands, in which two wooden staves appeared.
 
The staff before Horus had the head of a falcon, and the one nearest him bore the head of a jackal.
 
They were rather simple things, but for some reason Anubis felt drawn to the jackal staff.
 
He knew that the thing had been made specifically for him, and although he hadn't even touched it yet, it seemed like a part of him.

Both Horus and Anubis reached out for the staves, but Uriel pulled them back.
 
"Wait," he said.
 
"Before you accept this responsibility, there is something you each need to be aware of.
 
One of the criminals you may be tasked with bringing in," he said softly, "is your own father, Osiris.
 
Are you both willing to do that?"

They looked at each other, and Anubis could see the determined look on Horus's face.
 
They both knew what the other was thinking.
 
They always knew that their father would have to answer one day for his evil deeds. He had performed works of necromancy, consorted with demons, and demanded to be worshiped as a god.
 
But they had never considered that it would be they who would confront him.

It was Horus who first turned to Uriel and held out his hand to take the staff.
 
Anubis hesitated for a moment longer, and then he too accepted.

Uriel gave them both a long solemn nod, and handed them the staves.
 
As Anubis took his, Michael heard something like a crack of thunder, and felt an incredible surge of energy rush through his body.
 
It was like water being poured too quickly into a glass.
 
He expected it to be painful, but it wasn't.

"So far," said Uriel, "you have been faithful with what you have been given.
 
These staves will give you both great powers, so I urge you to continue on faithfully as you have in the past.
 
Do not allow yourselves to succumb to temptation.
 
You have been warned."

Anubis looked at his staff.
 
It glowed with a brilliant blue light, much like the color of Uriel's eyes.
 
Michael recognized what he was holding.
 
He had seen it before, in the painting of the wolfish man hanging in McGinty Castle.
 
It was definitely what Liam had referred to as the staff of Anubis.