Michael Belmont and the Tomb of Anubis (The Adventures of Michael Belmont) (36 page)

Michael had no maps, and couldn't remember much from the ones he'd seen in McGinty's diaries, or from his father's work.
 
Now he wished that he'd studied them more closely when he'd had the chance.
 
He held the faery lantern up and looked at the rock walls around him.
 
Should he go exploring, searching blindly for some way out of this place?
 
He wasn't comfortable with wandering away from familiar territory, but if every known way of escape had been cut off, that didn't really matter.

After resting for a few minutes, he got up, gathered his things, and set off down the passageway to explore.

He walked back the way he'd came, returning to a cave not far from where the gateway had been, and headed down a tunnel he'd noticed on his way through.
 
It looked like a good place to start, but after following it for a while, it led only to solid rock wall.

He backtracked several times, returning from dead ends and impassable sections back to tunnels or passageways he thought looked promising.
 
This went on for hours, until he became exhausted from walking and climbing over rocks.

Realizing that he'd gotten hopelessly lost, he found the most comfortable looking place he could, and laid down to rest.
 
Fear and confusion were welling up within him, but he knew he had to fight the temptation to give in, and keep a calm, level head.
 
He now regretted wandering off to explore.
 
Should he have stayed where his family would know to search for him?
 
It wouldn't have done any good.
 
It would take weeks, perhaps months to clear the cave in, if it was even possible to do so.

He wondered if Liam was all right.
 
Had they been able to get him out and take him to a hospital?
 
What about his Uncle Link?
 
What of the rest of them?
 
Had they all made it out safely, or had Zuriel gone for them after Anubis refused him?
 
Questions zipped through his mind like shooting stars as he laid his head down upon his backpack.

He set the small blue faery lantern upon his chest.
 
It had revealed nothing to him as he searched for a way out, but he was still thankful he had it with him.
 
It's light made him feel warm and calm when he looked at it.
 
Perhaps some sleep might do him good.
 
He would think more clearly after some rest.

Michael was just about to close his eyes when he noticed a strange movement off in the distance.
 
His heart leapt in fear as he sprung to his feet and scanned the shadows.
 
It was then that he saw a small, brown hare jump out onto the ground a dozen feet away, and eye him inquisitively.

It was about eight thirty in the morning when Liam rushed into Michael's room to wake him.
 
"Come on sleepy-head, it's time for breakfast."

Liam leaned upon his crutches outside the bathroom door, chatting up a storm as his friend combed his hair and got dressed.
 
He couldn't seem to stop talking about the things that had happened in Egypt, and wanted to hear Michael's story about Anubis and the gateway over and over again.

"I can't believe you followed that rabbit out of the catacombs," Liam said excitedly.
 
"It was just like that story Elizabeth told us.
 
How weird is that?"

"Yeah," Michael told him with a smile.
 
"You should have seen the looks on the faces of those Japanese tourists when I pushed out those bricks and crawled out of the wall."

"So your father was right all along.
 
There
was
an entrance to the necropolis from the Temple of Horus in Edfu.
 
He's pretty good with maps, I wonder why it didn't rub off on you?" he added jokingly.

There were still a lot of pieces of the story that didn't seem to click.
 
What exactly were Aiden Osiris and his brother?
 
Where did the immortals come from?
 
How did Zuriel factor in to all of it, and whom was he trying to free from the domain of Tartarus?
 
These were the questions that Liam kept asking, but his friend had no answers.

When Michael was dressed, he and Liam headed downstairs to the kitchen.
 
Their fathers were sitting at the table along with Uncle Link and Mr. Finnegan.
 
It looked like they were having a serious discussion, so the boys stood quietly beside the door and listened.

"I just…I really don't know about this," Link said.
 
"I've never thought of myself as much of a role-model."

"Nonsense," Mr. Belmont told him.
 
"Michael and Abby both look up to you, and I've seen you around other children.
 
You love kids, whether or not you're willing to admit it."

"What about the boy's family?
 
I know his parents are dead, but he has to have somebody else who can care for him," Link retorted.

"Do you mean to suggest that we send a six year old werewolf back to say, his grandmother?" asked Finnegan.
 
"Perhaps an aunt or uncle?
 
How would we explain it to them?
 
Can you imagine a happy ending to such a story?"

"Whatever family the boy may have left has thought him dead for over a year now," said Mr. MacDonald.
 
"It may be wise to maintain that illusion, at least until we find out what kind of people they are."

"I agree with all that," said Link.
 
"I just…don't know if I'm ready for this."

"Well, you're the best choice for obvious reasons," Mr. MacDonald told him, "but if you refuse, then we'll have to keep the boy here.
 
I honestly think that all things considered, he would be happier and safer with you."

"You wouldn't be alone, Link," Mr. Belmont assured him.
 
"Your sister and I would be there to help.
 
Elizabeth too."

"Elizabeth?
 
What do you mean?" Link asked.

"Well, Rachel and I have talked it over.
 
Our lifestyle has been pretty hard on the kids lately, and with the events of the last few months, we'd really like to keep the family a bit closer.
 
Elizabeth has accepted a role as the children's private teacher.
 
That way we can bring them all along on assignments.
 
We're hoping it'll keep things a little more stable for Michael and Abby."

Link grew silent and looked down at the table, as if he didn't know what to think of this last bit of news.

"Honestly, Link, when are you going to break down and admit what everyone seems to already know?" Mr. Belmont asked him.

"What do you mean?"
 
The meek tone of his voice sounded unusual coming from his uncle.

"You know exactly what I mean.
 
She really loves you, Link, but she's not going to wait forever."

"She deserves better," he said.
 
"And if she knew what I really was, well…how could she really love someone like me?"

"Maybe." Mr. MacDonald took a quick sip of his coffee.
 
"But you should respect her enough to let her decide that for herself."

They sat for a moment in silence.

"Besides," he went on, "she seems to enjoy playing with Sir Nigel.
 
She probably wouldn't mind throwing a stick for
you
from time to time."

Every once in a while Mr. MacDonald said something that reminded Michael where Liam got his sense of humor.

Link's frown turned into a threatening smirk.
 
"Watch it," he warned.

"Oh come on," retorted Mr. MacDonald unworriedly.
 
"It's time for you to, as they say in Texas, 'Cowboy up'."

Link sat for a moment with his arms folded in front of him.
 
"All right, I'll give it a try.
 
But only if it's what the boy wants."

"Good man," Mr. MacDonald slapped him on the back.
 
"Why don't you stick around for a few days and get to know the tike?
 
Besides, after coming to save us, you deserve a little vacation."

Michael and Liam walked into the room as if they'd just arrived.

"Who deserves a vacation?" Liam asked, pretending he hadn't heard.

"Boys," said his father, "if you want to try your hands at eavesdropping, you might want to consider skipping a few meals."

They frowned at each other, and Liam shrugged. "Well," he said, "speaking of meals, what's for breakfast?"

Mr. Belmont shook his head, and Link stared at them with a raised eyebrow.

Finnegan crossed his legs and opened up a newspaper.
 
"Whatever you two feel like making for us.
 
Just make sure you wash your hands thoroughly first."

Rachel Belmont sat on the grass, leaning back on her hands with her face pointed up to the sky.
 
The sun warmed her bruised but smiling face as she took a deep breath of fresh air.
 
Although the last few weeks had been agonizing, her family was safe once again, and for that, she was thankful.

Michael walked up and lay on the ground beside her.
 
With all of the things he had endured, he was glad to enjoy a few quiet moments alone with his mother, but there were some questions that kept gnawing at him, questions that he knew his mother would be expecting.

"Mom, why didn't anyone tell me that Uncle Link is a werewolf?" he asked her.

She laughed quietly.
 
He knew that she wasn't laughing at him, but it was still irritating.
 
"Your uncle is
not
a werewolf," she said pointedly.
 

"Then what is he?" he quickly came back at her.

"Your uncle is a shape shifter."

He looked at her expectantly.

"Werewolves," she began, "well, werewolves are a
kind
of shape-shifter, that is to say, a mutated or deranged form of shape-shifter."

"What's the difference?" Michael asked, with coldness in his voice.

"Well, shape-shifters can change form whenever they want to, and each one takes a unique form.
 
Your uncle just happens to take the form of a wolf.
 
A Mexican Gray Wolf to be more precise."

"What happened to turn him into one of those, er…shape shifters?"

She laughed again.
 
Michael's mother often got a bit giggly when she was feeling light-hearted.

"Well I'm glad you think it's funny," he said shortly.
 
"Abby almost got eaten by a group of those things, and me and Liam too, if Mr. Finnegan hadn't shown up to rescue us."

"I'm sorry," she said, sitting up straight and gazing at him empathetically.
 
"I know what you've both gone through, and I'm
so
thankful to have you back safe."
 
She ran her fingers through his hair.
 
"But like I told you, your uncle
isn't
a werewolf.
 
Nothing happened to him to turn him into what he is.
 
He was born with his abilities.
 
It's something that…well, its something that runs in the family."

Michael looked down at the grass for a moment, trying to take in what his mother had just said.

He looked at her apprehensively.
 
"Can
you
turn into a wolf too?"

Again, she laughed.
 
"No.
 
I can't turn into a wolf."
 
She cocked her head sideways and added with a mischievous wink, "But I
can
do this."
 
She looked around to make sure no one was watching, and to Michael's astonishment, shifted into a red-tailed hawk right before his eyes.

She playfully hopped on the ground and flapped her wings, then let out a screech and lifted off into the breeze, shooting up toward the west tower of the castle.
 
She circled it, and then flew up so high that Michael almost lost sight of her.

Without warning, she shot back down like a rocket, alighted gently to the ground beside him, and turned back into the beautiful, blonde-haired women he knew as his mother.

The vision of Anubis and Horus, racing as young boys, had come back to him as he'd watched her.

He shifted nervously.
 
"Are you and Uncle Link…are you immortals?"

"No," she said.
 
"To be honest with you, Michael, I'm not entirely sure
what
we are.
 
I think Mr. Osiris could have answered some important questions for us.
 
It's a shame we didn't have more time with him."

He sat silently for a moment before speaking.
 
"And what about Abigail and me?
 
Will we…I mean are we going to be…?"

The question didn't seem to surprise her.
 
"I don't know.
 
Like I said, it
does
run in the family, but it doesn't seem to be something that's passed on to everyone."

"Do you know of any others?
 
Other shape-shifters I mean?"

She smiled and nodded.
 
"Yes, we know a few.
 
You even know some yourself."

"Really?
 
Like who?" he asked excitedly.

"Well, Mr. MacDonald for one."
 
She wore a mischievous smile.
 
"It's not a coincidence you know, the work we all do.
 
We've been searching for answers, trying to find out where we came from, why we are the way we are."