50
Amelia opened her eyes. It was dawn and Mikhail, naked except for a pair of pants, stood like a statue by the window, gazing at the mountains. She savoured the quiet moment and enjoyed the rhythmic rise and fall of his bare chest.
The previous night had been warm for spring in the mountains, made even hotter in Mikhail’s embrace.
They’d kissed and touched, each giving freely to the other.
She’d shown him her unfiltered desire – accepting his past, his sins, his raw, animalistic side.
Mikhail had relaxed in her presence, letting her take control.
For once, they’d shed their masks, and it had felt as though they owned all of eternity.
But afterwards, Amelia had sensed something off – a restlessness in Mikhail.
She wondered if she was imagining it, as the mind tends to seek flaws when happiness finally arrives.
Now, in the clear light of day, she knew she hadn’t been mistaken.
The tension radiating from him prickled her skin like electricity.
She swung her feet to the floor and walked over, fingers tracing his biceps. “What’s wrong?”
Mikhail’s jaw relaxed at her touch. “I’m not sure.”
“I can feel something is bothering you.”
“For some reason, since last night, I can’t stop thinking about Presiyan’s warning – that trouble is coming. The thought is stuck in my mind. It’s probably nothing serious…” He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “Don’t worry, my love. Whatever happens, you’re safe.”
Her heart flipped. Mikhail had never told her he loved her, even though she’d felt nothing but loved for the past three days with him.
She didn’t have time to melt, however, because she had another confession to make. “Mikhail… When the reptilian attacked us on the anniversary of my family’s death, you…” She found it hard to finish.
“I what, little beast?”
She swallowed hard. “You died…”
“But I came back.” He reached out to embrace her.
She stopped him. The story didn’t end there.
“You died in my arms, exactly three years after my entire family was killed, and I did the only thing I could think of. Without Zacharia seeing, I poured the contents of a vial into your mouth. A vial Ana gave me. She told me it was a cure for impaired regeneration.”
Mikhail’s eyes widened for a second before he shook off the surprise. “Is it the same liquid Diana drank to unlock her secondary form?”
Amelia nodded. “Yes, I think so. But back then, I didn’t know about Diana. I found out later, after you were arrested and we went to the temple.”
Mikhail pursed his lips, his gaze fixed on her face. “So, what does this mean? Now I have to thank this Ana not just for bringing you back to me but also for giving you something that saved my life?”
Amelia tried to smile. “Put that way, she doesn’t sound that evil, does she?” Her smile faded. “But now that stuff is in you, and we don’t know if there will be consequences.”
Mikhail cupped her face in his hands. “Your prophecy about my death did come true, after all.”
“So it seems…”
“And I survived.”
“Yes, you survived.”
***
Amelia was just getting dressed when shots rang out and all hell broke loose. She quickly pulled her blouse over her head. There couldn’t be fireworks during the day, right?
A wave of alarm swept through her body, amplifying the tension since her conversation with Mikhail that morning. She rushed to the window and scanned the sky, but it was clearer than usual. The bright day bathed the building’s walls in pleasant sunlight, the spring breeze swaying the trees.
She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her forehead against the glass to take in as much of the courtyard as possible, twenty stories below. Everything seemed normal…
Goosebumps prickled across her skin once again.
Out of habit, Amelia glanced over her shoulder, searching for Mikhail, but he’d gone out earlier to patrol the other floors.
Her eyes returned to the courtyard just in time to see the main gate swinging wide open.
Several men lay on the road beyond. She recognised them as the building’s guards, but why were they on the ground, unmoving?
Her mind connected the gunshots from a few minutes ago to the fallen men. Someone… had shot them?
Stomach twisting with worry, Amelia reminded herself that she shouldn’t jump to conclusions – she just needed to find Mikhail and tell him what was happening. Though he must have heard the shots himself by now.
She was about to swivel around and rush downstairs when her peripheral vision caught movement in the woods.
Soldiers in camouflage emerged from the trees near the main gate.
Black masks covered their faces, and the raised rifles in their hands made it clear they hadn’t come in peace.
It also confirmed her suspicion that the Hospital guards had been shot.
In swift motion, the soldiers entered through the wide-open gate and spread out across the courtyard, moving with perfect coordination. Amelia stared at the invasion, horrified. From this height, the soldiers resembled ants that couldn’t reach her.
The Hospital was supposed to be impenetrable, wasn’t it?
The door behind her burst open.
“Amelia, we have to go!” Mikhail shouted, gripping her elbow. His voice was like an alarm, snapping her out of her stupor.
“Mikhail, what’s happening?” She tried to find answers in his eyes, but he was dashing around frantically, and it was hard to make out the contours of his face.
“Hurry up!” was all he said.
Her legs moved on their own when Mikhail pulled her through the corridor. They scurried across the twentieth floor, and Mikhail led her up the stairs to the tower. Once they rushed inside, Mikhail walked to the window and scanned the courtyard.
“Mikhail, what’s going on?” Amelia insisted.
He finally faced her. His eyes were wild with colours, but his face was pale as a sheet. “It’s humans and reptilians.” His voice cut through the narrow space of the tower like a blade, and every muscle in his expression twisted with tension.
They stared at each other while Amelia tried to process his words.
Humans and reptilians.
The Hospital was surrounded.
“Humans…? Aren’t they unable to see the building?” she asked.
Mikhail shook his head and returned to the window to observe. More gunshots rang out, and a scream pierced the air. When his gaze met hers again, his eyes were yellow, on the verge of transformation. “I have to go down! The creatures need me.”
He headed for the stairs, and the sight of him leaving filled her entire being with dread.
“Mikhail, there are too many of them, and they’re armed…” Her voice wavered. She knew that if Mikhail decided to descend, she wouldn’t be able to stop him. But if he did, they would kill him. She inched closer to him, clutching his hand. “Please, don’t go! What good will it do if they shoot you?”
Her touch gave him pause. He gazed at her as if weighing his options. Amelia prayed with all her heart that he would choose to stay with her.
He reached out and caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. “I’m sorry I lied to you.”
She covered his hand with hers, pressing her cheek into his palm, savouring the instant calm his warmth brought her. “What did you lie about what, Mikhail?”
“About being safe here. About the Hospital being impenetrable. I really did believe it—”
Bile rose in her throat. “It’s not your fault…”
He pulled away from her, took out his phone, and dialled someone, but the phone on the other end was off. For a brief moment, a torturing silence ensued. And Amelia realised what Mikhail must have known from the start.
Their coming here, to the tower, had been a desperate move. They were trapped.
***
Zacharia lowered the visor in front of his face, released the clutch, and immersed himself in one of the things he loved most.
The engine of the black Norton motorcycle roared like a menacing beast while the tyres picked up speed down the slope.
The road didn’t allow Zacharia to go too fast, but the sharp turns, where his body leaned low over the asphalt, offered enough adrenaline to distract him from the puzzle driving him mad.
He loved unravelling mysteries, but the threads of this latest one seemed more elusive than the river flowing beside the road.
They had a missing mummy, proof of their presence at the temple.
But could a mummy be considered evidence?
How could anyone prove that their mummy and the one that had vanished from the temple were the same?
Zacharia leaned his body to the right, navigating another turn. His thoughts matched the movements of the motorcycle under him, shifting left and right with the upcoming curves, trying to find a different angle to assess the situation.
He supposed that if he were to learn more about the Horned God, he might uncover the kinds of sacrifices made in his honour.
That, in turn, might shed more light on the mummy’s identity.
With more information about it, he could better figure out a motive for the theft.
And the motive would point to the culprit.
Zacharia hit the brakes, coming to a full stop by a green meadow on the side of the road. He removed his helmet, resting it against his bike.
Who was the Horned God?
His images marked the rocks and served as a marker to get to the temple, but he wasn’t a devil.
He was called that because he resembled the Devil in human religions.
In the immortal world, the Devil didn’t exist. Unfortunately, neither did the Horned God.
The only mention Zacharia had found of him had been in a book.
A quick two-liner saying it was a deity worshipped by the Beduin tribe.
Zacharia furrowed his brow. If he wanted to find out more, he needed to speak with someone from the Beduin tribe.