A God of Old Ch. 05

"You will see."

They had landed in front of a mysterious pyramid, one that he had heard had only recently appeared. All he knew was that the locals, or what passed for locals, steered clear of it.

This little trip had already been strange enough.

But partway to the pyramid, he had heard Salome gasp. He and Amina had turned back, to see a tall structure standing before them, as if it had always been there. The two women had shared a meaningful glance, and immediately changed their path, heading towards this new structure. Yussef had followed behind, his mind struggling to comprehend what had just happened.

Maybe I just missed it. Yeah, maybe I failed to catch the massive palace right next to where we landed.

They were not far from the palace now. Yussef had glanced up at a certain point, to see three figures waiting for them at the bottom of an entrance ramp. Once Amina and Salome had noticed them, they had begun walking faster, eager to meet them.

As they neared the mysterious trio, he glanced around, taking in the spectacle of this palace. Whoever had designed it had possessed a keen mind for opulence and efficiency, and whoever had constructed it had done so quite perfectly. Many different details drew the eye, from the artfully unpredictable sight lines to the strange yet interesting statues that dotted the parts that he could see. They were amazingly lifelike representations of bipedal creatures, tall and lean, each bearing a unique weapon.

Amina and Salome stopped close to the trio.

In the middle was a man, pale and tall, dressed in a silk robe, colored silver and dark blue. On either one of his arms was a woman, both young and pretty, also dressed in silk robes, theirs colored pink and red. The man had a serene look on his face; the women were pressed against him, obviously engaged in some sort of sexual relationship with him.

"Master," Amina and Salome said, dropping into a reverent kneel.

What the fuck?

"More priestesses?" the strange man asked.

"Yes," Amina answered, keeping her head bowed.

Shunting his confusion aside, Yussef stepped up to the strange man, his hand extended.

Several awkward seconds passed, before one of the woman with the man spoke up.

"He wants to shake your hand," she told the man.

Arching an eyebrow, he reached out and closed a hand around Yussef's wrist. With an inquisitive glance towards the woman who had spoken, he began to yank Yussef's wrist up and down, obviously not familiar with a handshake.

"You can stop now," the other woman said after several more awkward seconds.

His eyebrow stayed arched for a few seconds after he let go of Yussef's hand.

"Rise," this strange man commanded Amina and Salome.

They did, both women brimming with excitement. Yussef had seen Amina in such a way before, but having just met Salome, and having only received barely veiled contempt from her, her excitement was weird to see.

"How did you escape?" Salome asked, her voice tinged with awe.

"These priestesses freed me," he answered, gesturing to the women with him.

Amina and Salome shared a look.

"What are your names?" Amina asked the two women.

"I'm Kristin," said the one on the left, a brunette with a button nose and a freckle-smattered face.

"I'm Stacy," said the other, also brunette, slightly lighter in hair and skin tone.

They sound like Americans.

Amina hesitated.

The two women looked slightly nervous, pressing themselves closer to the strange man.

Yussef was confused, watching the scene play out.

"Master," Amina began, "these are not priestesses. I would know their names and faces."

He shook his head, smiling serenely.

"They are indeed. Perhaps there was a time when their minds were their own, but they now belong to me."

What the fuck?

Amina hesitated again. Another shared glance with Salome passed.

"If you say it, then it must be the truth," Amina said.

Okay...

"We have come here for you, Master" Amina continued, gesturing to Salome, ignoring Yussef.

"For me?"

"Yes. To bring you to Cairo."

He arched an eyebrow.

"Why would I go there?"

Amina hesitated.

"Uh...your other priestesses are there. Waiting for you."

His eyebrow remained arched.

"Why would they not come to me?"

Amina shared a quick glance with Salome.

"Master...we had a plan for your return. Many of your priestesses are doing their part in that plan."

"Waiting for me is a part of the plan?"

Amina's nervousness was quickly apparent on her face.

"Some priestesses have people who can help us accelerate our plan. Some simply were to gather other priestesses. We were to come here to bring you to Cairo, where the others will be waiting, so that we can discuss our further plans."

The arched eyebrow returned to normal, and another serene smile appeared on his face.

"Very well then, I shall go to Cairo."

Yussef watched, still confused, unsure of who this man was. There was a definite strangeness to his appearance, his pale and hairless skin exotic.

"Stay here," the man told the two women wrapped around his arms.

They pouted, but did not protest further as he extricated himself from their grip.

"You came here in that?" he asked Amina, gesturing out to the helicopter.

"It's a helicopter," she informed him, "a modern vehicle."

Who is this guy?

"Then we shall fly in it to Cairo."

The strange man walked past them, barely sparing any attention to Yussef. Amina and Salome followed closely after him.

Before turning to follow them, Yussef gave another glance at the two women who had been with the strange man. They seemed troubled, moving closer together, ignoring him completely.

"What are we going to do without Master?" he heard one ask the other.

"I don't know," the other answered, "but hopefully he'll be back soon."

Shaking his head, half in confusion and half in bemusement, Yussef turned to follow the other three back to the helicopter.

Questions were swirling in his mind. He watched Amina and Salome walking behind this strange man, having treated him as if he were royalty, having shown incredible deference.

Who is he?

"Amina," he said just as they reached the helicopter.

She turned back to him. Salome and the strange man clambered inside the vehicle.

Keeping an eye on the strange man, he took Amina by the elbow and pulled her further from the vehicle.

"Who is he?"

She smiled, reaching out to stroke his shoulder.

"All in time."

The vague and unhelpful response only created irritation.

"No, Amina," he said, fighting to keep his voice civil, "don't drag me out here to meet some strange man, and then not tell me anything."

Her smile fell, and she sighed heavily, still stroking along his shoulder.

"I'm not keeping the truth from you," she began, "it's just a long story. I'd rather tell you when we're someplace more comfortable."

"You mean Cairo? With him and these 'priestesses' you keep talking about?"

"Don't you trust me?" she asked, frowning.

It was his turn to sigh.

"Yes, Amina. I do. Very much. But this is a bit distressing. You bring me here with some vague promises, to this strange man, and still tell me nothing besides 'all in time'?"

Her smile returned, slightly smaller than before.

"Trust me for a little while longer. After you know the truth, your trust of me will only multiply."

His hesitation made her cock her head.

"Have I ever done you wrong?" she asked, hand running along his shoulder to cup his cheek.

"That restaurant by the Winter Palace Hotel was horrible," he said, smiling wryly.

"You just didn't like the food," she teased in mock indignation, "it wasn't my fault in the slightest."

He leaned down, and she met him halfway for a quick kiss.

"You won't regret this," she told him when they separated.

I certainly hope so, he thought as he watched her turn back, headed for the helicopter.

He climbed in after her. Amina had taken a seat next to the strange man, so he settled in to one across from them.

The helicopter rose into the air. The strange man peered out, watching as the sand receded below them, as they began their journey back to Cairo.

Yussef spent the next few minutes stealing glances at the strange man, trying to figure out just who he was.

Is he some recluse? The leader of some cult? A mystic?

"You doubt me," the strange man said, turning to lock eyes with him.

Amina began to speak, but the strange man raised a hand, stopping her before she could say anything.

"Of course I do," he replied, "I don't know a thing about you."

He kept his eyes locked with the strange man's, despite a mounting uneasiness due to his serenity.

It's like he knows something I don't.

"Many have doubted me. But once I showed them, their doubts dissipated, like dust on the wind."

"Showed them what?"

The strange man smiled, further unnerving Yussef.

"My power."

Those deeply calm eyes closed for a long moment. Yussef glanced over to Amina, raising an eyebrow, but she was looking at the strange man, a look of worry crossing her face.

A shudder ran through the helicopter, making Amina murmur and glance back to the cockpit.

"What's going on, Salome?" she asked worriedly.

"Something's interfering with the controls," Salome shouted back, more violent shudders arising, the helicopter's rotors whining with effort.

"Fear not," the strange man said loudly and steadily, his eyes opening.

The whirring and shuddering stopped, and Yussef caught sight of the lights in the cockpit turning off.

For several long moments, they were suspended in the air, held aloft by what seemed like nothing.

And then they began to move, as if pushed along by an invisible force.

"Come sit with us, Salome," the strange man called back over his shoulder, "you are no longer needed in there."

Amina's eyes were wide, as were Salome's when she joined them in the seats. Yussef imagined his eyes looked exactly the same.

Who is he?

The strange man turned his gaze back out onto the rapidly passing sands, leaving the other three of them to gaze at him. While Amina and Salome had awe in their eyes, Yussef's were tinged with horror at this strange man and his apparent powers.

Who is he?