“They cannot enter my home. It has been blessed,” he stated, sounding like he was trying to convince himself as much as me.
“Blessed, cursed, it doesn’t seem to make much difference to the bad guys. You grand vizier types rely a bit too much on your spells, don’t you think? Common sense tells me we should vacate the premises. Preferably in a fast car.”
“No!” Dr. Hassan paled. “You would be ripped to shreds should you venture outside at this time. We are safe in the house.”
“Well, that’s great for us, but what about innocent bystanders? Aren’t you worried about your neighbors?”
“This storm is aimed at us. Those nearby might experience the strange weather, but the attack was meant to target you and Amon.”
“Right.” I shifted doubtfully in my seat as I listened to the splintering of wood. The creatures had apparently grown irritated with being denied another taste of my juicy self and were taking out their aggression on the patio furniture. Carefully, Dr. Hassan dressed my leg and then began tending to my arm. “So the Dark One likes to bite girls?” I asked as I peered at the wound. “I couldn’t help but notice that you are pretty much bite-free.”
“If the creatures were to bite me, then I would be able to see who is directing them. They avoid me on purpose.”
“Someone’s controlling them?” I asked in confusion.
“Yes.”
“I thought it was the god of chaos, Seth.”
“No. If it were, we would be facing much worse than these creatures. His powers are limited until the passing of the full moon. Until now I did not believe it was possible, though I must admit that I have sensed an increasing evil. I have shrugged off my niggling suspicions as the imaginings of an old man, but the creatures outside leave no room for doubt. The one directing them is his minion. His servant. My dark equal.”
“Another priest?”
“I believe so. His power is…it’s unprecedented.”
“But you don’t know who he is.”
“I know what he is, but I remain unaware of his identity.”
“So he’s human?”
“He once was.”
“What do you mean?” I asked hesitantly.
The white-haired Egyptologist sighed. “In a city called Shedyet there was a cult of priests devoted to Seth. The leader of that group was a necromancer named Apophis. Modern Egyptologists consider him the enemy of Amun-Ra and a god himself, but the records passed down through the viziers tell a different tale.”
“So you believe he was not a god but human.”
“Correct. Apophis was a vile, lecherous man who abused anything or anyone he considered weak and soft. He identified with the Nile crocodile and even kept several as pets, delighting in throwing them live creatures to consume. Believing himself to be a great seducer of women, he sought out the most beautiful, pure, and innocent girls from a variety of backgrounds, offering them riches, luxuries, or the illusion of power. Whatever it was he thought they might want—shelter, money—it was provided.
“It was all a part of his game. He’d lie in wait, much like the crocodile does when it seeks prey. When the girl took the bait…snap! She was caught between his teeth and there was no escape for her but death.”
His story was interrupted when a fierce ripping sound by the window distracted us. Invisible claws hit the glass and then drew slowly down it, leaving large scratches. The glass didn’t break. Dr. Hassan grunted. “The protection spell appears to be working.”
“Let’s hope it continues,” I remarked. “You were telling me about Apophis?”
“He lured women, and when they were at their most vulnerable, he’d strike. In the temple he proudly displayed his conquests, and when he was ready to move on to the next victim, he would sacrifice the young maiden to a giant croc that he adorned with golden bracelets and a jewel-studded collar.
“All feared him. Many idolized him. Seth loved him.
“The city was renamed Crocodilopolis in honor of Apophis and his crocodile temple, and he was given a new power as a reward for his devotion to Seth.”