The Kuthun (24 page)

Isis.

‘Uncle Jo, we have to go,’ I say agitated.

He looks at me and then back to Kentucky man. ‘Sorry sir, we really must be going, but thank you for your concern, I hope you have a nice time here.’

He hurriedly shakes his hand and I lead him further into the temple, following the magnetic forces that are pulling me forward. Magi has her nose down, sensing it as well.

I walk through the rooms, not slowing down, only focusing on my destination. The sandstorm has allowed easier accessibility within the temple by scattering the people to other areas.

I head straight for the inner sanctum, where Isis is staring down at me from the wall. The intricacies of her face have been carved in detail by a hand that obviously worshipped her. Every outline has been delicately placed to reveal her beauty and illuminate her spirit.

An overwhelming feeling settles over me at the sight of her, and a sharp burst of energy permeates my body, stopping me in my tracks.

She’s here
.

I look at the hieroglyphics that surround her drawing, taking in their unique symbolic relevance. One hieroglyph stands out amongst the rest—the owl. The image of the owl landing on the branch outside my room replays itself in my mind’s eye.

‘Ellie, can you feel that?’ Uncle Jo whispers as he searches the room.

‘Yes,’ I reply calmly. ‘It’s just Isis.’

He stands in front of me and a frown crosses his face. ‘Ellie, do you feel alright?’

‘Of course. How can I not feel perfectly fine here in the resting place of
she who is all
.’ My voice sounds different.

His frown deepens and he looks down to Magi, who sends me a warning. She projects to me the image of what I look like, and I gasp lightly at the sight of myself.

My hair is illuminated, as if there is an invisible light falling softly upon it. My skin appears translucent, my green eyes shining like stars upon my face. The kuthun is glowing orange at my chest and the energy around me is creating a facet of colour all streaming out from my aura in rainbow-like ripples.

‘What is happening?’ I ask him quietly.

‘I don’t know, but we’ll figure this out. Ama did warn me that you and Isis are connected, and that you being here could…transform you somehow.’

Remember who you are
. Ama’s words run through my mind. I take a deep breath.

‘I’m alright.’ I point to the floor. ‘Isis lies here, beneath the stone. We need to find a way to get to her. There has to be a secret handle or something around here,’ I say more to myself, searching the wall in front of me for any clues.

‘A secret handle? Ellie, we are in a temple surrounded by people. How do you propose we find it and then enter it without attracting unwanted attention? We have to remain under the radar, remember?’

‘I’ll take care of that.’ I stand in the centre of the room and raise my arms out. ‘Malake me anoden. Bumena da mura.’

Around us the static within the air changes and the spell creates a wall which blocks the entry to the sanctum. ‘This room is impenetrable now for the next half an hour. No-one will enter.’ I turn around in search of the hidden passageway. I feel my way across the stone wall, trailing my hand over the rough stone face. I take my time, wanting to take in this moment, not wanting to rush the discovery of Isis, yet also knowing that I must find her so I can find the light.

‘Ellie, there’s nothing here,’ he says frustrated. ‘We’ve been searching for ages. Could it be somewhere else?’

I shake my head. ‘No, she’s here.’

Magi is nuzzling my palm, trying to tell me she can’t find anything either.

‘Keep looking. We’re close.’ I hear the hoot of an owl inside my head and I quickly turn towards the hieroglyph of the owl on the opposite wall. ‘It’s here!’ I exclaim, walking towards it.

Uncle Jo and Magi stand beside me. ‘Are you sure?’ he asks. ‘There doesn’t look like there is anything here.’ He squints his eyes at the image of the owl, trying to see what it is he is missing.

‘Stand back,’ I say gently.

I focus my attention on the owl, taking in all its features—its wisdom; its secrets; its calling.

The kuthun starts to throb and heat up until I fear that it will burn a hole through my chest.

I will not move
.

The kuthun awakens, releasing a beam of orange light that hits the owl right in its eye. It begins to move.

It shakes its head from side to side slowly, raising its beak in a gesture of freedom. Its feet start to move back and forth, waking themselves up from a long, dark sleep. Finally, it begins to flap its wings and the currents of air tickle my face.

Uncle Jo’s mouth is agape. I gently touch his shoulder and he nods, not able to speak for fear of disrupting the display before us.

The owl is in full form now, standing just outside the wall, like a 3D movie. The light around her is glowing brightly, adding to the brilliance of her white plumage. Her presence instils an otherworldly feeling within me.

She looks right through me, staring into my soul, making sure I am worthy of standing before her. I do not move. When it seems she is satisfied she takes off, using her strong limbs to lift her off the ground, and she soars into the air, flying back and forth through the sanctum before gliding back down and landing in front of me.

Her large brown eyes pierce mine and then I hear her sweet voice in my mind as she speaks to me. ‘We have been waiting for you, Great One. Our Mother has been calling for you for a very long time.’

I am stunned. Am I imagining this? I quickly peer at Uncle Jo who I know is hearing this also. He doesn’t take his eyes off her.

‘You know this is the truth I speak.’ Her voice sounds like water trickling over a stream bed. She turns to peer at Uncle Jo and Magi, who are both frozen in place. ‘You have brought Sosibius and your lunar sister I see. I welcome you both here.’ She gracefully nods her head in their direction.

‘Sosibius?’ he asks confused.

‘Yes. You are the reincarnated form of Sosibius, who was Captain of the Guard and protector of our Goddess Isis,’ she replies, ancient wisdom emanating from her.

Uncle Jo is struggling to comprehend her full meaning. I myself understand it completely and am in awe of the karmic intertwining of worlds here. Of course he would be a reincarnation of someone with military experience and noble bravery. He has brought the same attributes into this life as well.

‘Um, I’m sorry. Are you saying that I
was
her protector in another life?’ He is rubbing his forehead in confusion.

She nods. ‘Yes. That is exactly what I am saying.’

‘Oh,’ he says. He glances at me briefly before turning his attention back to her.

She lifts her head to me once more. ‘My name is Maya. I am the wisdom that links this world into the next. I will lead you to my Queen.’

I finally find my voice. ‘It is my honour to meet you, Maya.’

She tilts her head and her light glows brighter. ‘You have great power, Elena. I am honoured also.’ She bows her head towards me in respect and I return the gesture.

‘Shall we begin?’ she asks us.

We nod our heads and she hops over to the far-east corner of the room, stopping in front of a large block within the floor. It has a beige hue to it compared to the stone colouring of the rest of the floor around it.

‘Where did this come from? It wasn’t here before,’ I say.

‘The entry will only appear once the ancient symbol has been opened,’ she answers.

She stands very still, her magic vibrating all around her. Her feathers ruffle in response and slowly the block starts to tremble. The ground beneath us shakes and we brace ourselves, unsure of what is happening. The floor starts to open and with the creaking and trembling of stone and earth I am afraid we will be detected, but then I remember the wall I created.

The block sinks down into the ground and disappears from sight. I move forward to get a better look and can make out the outline of stone stairs, disappearing down into the dark unknown.

‘You want us to go down there?’ Uncle Jo asks, pointing towards the hole in the ground.

‘If you wish to find the light, then yes,’ Maya says. She moves aside, allowing us to pass.

‘You’re not coming with us?’ I ask her.

She shakes her elegant head. ‘No, I cannot venture further than here. You must go on alone if you are to succeed.’

I frown. ‘But how will we know what to do?’

She cocks her head. ‘You will know, Elena. Trust your magic.’ She then folds out her wing towards the stairs.

Uncle Jo and I look at each other and before we can decide who will go first Magi takes the lead. She stands at the ready and takes one final look at Maya before descending into darkness. Uncle Jo takes out his trusty camping lighter from his pocket and tries to click it on, without success.

‘Your gadgets will not work in here, Sosibius. There are candles that will illuminate your path upon descent. They will guide your steps.’ Maya inclines her head towards us.

‘My name is Jo,’ he says under his breath.

Maya says, ‘Ah, you are a disbeliever I see. Whether or not you believe in reincarnation is not my concern, Sosibius. But I shall call you by the name that my Queen bestowed on you many long years ago.’

He begins to say something else but I put my hand on his arm, silencing him. He nods towards Maya and then follows Magi cautiously into the stairwell. I make my way in after him but not before asking Maya one more thing. ‘Is there anything else I should know, Maya?’

She stares at me, her large brown eyes glistening with wisdom. ‘Know this, Great One. When you find the answers you seek, you shall bring upon the earth a light so blinding, that the world will be forever changed.’

I sigh. I would have liked a more obvious answer like…find the light, cast a spell and you can live a long and fruitful life. Instead I get another riddle wrapped in an enigma.

She continues, ‘You will also face three challenges beneath the temple, two of which might end your journey. To find your way through them you must answer with truth and a pure heart. Use the earthly elements to your advantage. This is all I can tell you.’

I take in her advice, promising to remember it when the time comes. I make my way into the narrow stone stairwell. After a few careful steps I see that Maya was right—the candles that adorn the walls are slowing coming alight making the pathway more visible.

A loud grinding of heavy stone sounds out above me and I turn to see the block shifting back into place, locking us in. I take a deep breath and descend further, catching up to Uncle Jo and Magi.

‘Are you ready?’ he says.

I nod.

‘Then let’s do it.’ He gives my hand a quick squeeze before leading us deeper underground.

We are walking for what feels like an hour, with the tunnel unchanging. The stone walls start to become blurred and I feel disoriented and slightly dizzy.

‘Uncle Jo, wait,’ I say, sitting down on the step.

‘What is it?’ he asks concerned, kneeling down in front of me.

‘I just feel light-headed, that’s all.’

He grabs a water bottle out of his knapsack and hands it to me. ‘Hm, I would expect you would. The air down here has been trapped for years. The oxygen levels would be quite low. I can feel it myself. You need to take shorter breaths so your body can adjust to the difference.’

I take a few minutes to rest before standing up. ‘I’m alright, let’s keep going.’

We keep moving further and further into a never-ending pit of nothingness. The air down here is stale and warm. Beneath my Kevlar vest sweat is beading its way across my skin.

‘Where are we going? It feels like we keep moving deeper underground,’ I groan.

‘I don’t know,’ he says. ‘But I suppose we have to trust that this path will lead us somewhere.’

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, the path before us levels out and we find ourselves in an immense circular chamber built into the ground. From wall to floor there is nothing but stone. Light is streaming through the skylight that is fitted into the ceiling. The sun’s rays cast an amber glow onto the chamber, highlighting its vastness. Boulders and rocks are sporadically strewn across the chamber floor and the eerie silence of lifeless whispers makes me think that no-one has ever been down here.

‘What is this place?’ I ask in wonder.

Magi lowers her head and sniffs the area around us.

‘I have no idea, but it doesn’t look all that appealing,’ he replies. ‘I’ll tell you one thing for sure, passing through
them
doesn’t appear to be easy.’ He points to the far side of the chamber, where two large doorways stand perfectly positioned alongside one another.

Positioned at each entrance are two seven-foot high stone guards. They look foreboding in their military stance, unmoving, as if they are made of ice—cold and lifeless in their intent to keep others out. Their war-like helmets shield the dark pits of their stone eyes, and from this distance I could swear they are looking right at us. A shiver runs up my spine.

‘Creepy 1 and Creepy 2 don’t look like they’d be fun to play with,’ I say.

Uncle Jo nods. ‘You got that right.’