The First Ark: Deathless Prequel
Author: Fox, Chris
Date: 2014-12-24

Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Prologue- Zep Tepi

Chapter 1- The First Ark

Chapter 2- Tragedy

Chapter 3- Chamber of the Gods

Chapter 4- Ka

Chapter 5- The Conduit

Chapter 6- The Mutagen

Chapter 7- Ka-Ken

Chapter 8- Salvation

Chapter 9- Damnation

Chapter 10- Hope

Chapter 11- Despair

Epilogue

Note to the Reader

THE FIRST ARK

Chris Fox

This novel is fiction, except for the parts that aren't.

Copyright © 2014 Chris Fox

All rights reserved.

To Kathy. You are and will forever be The Mother.

Prologue- Zep Tepi

Ancient Egyptian ruins speak of Zep Tepi, a time in the distant past when gods walked alongside mankind. It began in the wake of a great flood that drowned the world, leaving but few survivors to reclaim their world.

They speak of mighty Osiris, the king of the dead. His wife and sister Isis, mother of Pharaohs and goddess of magic. Their cruel brother Set, god of violence and chaos.

Legends speak of Set's treachery, of his anger and jealousy at all his brother Osiris possessed. In his infinite rage, Set ambushed Osiris and struck him down. He butchered his brother's body, scattering its pieces to the corners of the world.

Isis was horrified by the death of her beloved and used her potent magic to gather the pieces of his body. She returned Osiris to half-life, a state where he was neither living nor dead. He became the Lord of the Underworld, the guardian of the distant west. Osiris took his revenge on his brother Set, driving his treacherous kin into the wilderness where he seethed with ever more rage and jealousy.

The Egyptians believed that these three gods were directly responsible for the creation of their culture, that they led the first tribe to the river of life. The Mighty Nile. They do not know from what faraway land their gods came from, or just how old they were.

That mystery has been lost to time. One can only guess at the truth.

Chapter 1- The First Ark

24,000 BCE, Central England

Isis huddled in a small gully with the last survivors of her tribe, shivering beneath layers of crudely stitched fur. Fat flakes of snow fell from the sky, dusting them all in a thick layer of white. They needed to find shelter soon, or they'd no longer need to fear their pursuers. The land would claim them.

"How much longer will that take? We cannot be here when night falls, or we will leave nothing but our own corpses for our pursuers," Sobek growled. He was short, but stocky. Arms thick with muscle from launching spears on many hunts. He cradled one such in his right hand, the flint still as sharp as the day he'd shaped it. The snow had painted his bristly beard white and Isis could not help but smile. His appearance made it difficult to take his words seriously, despite their dire situation.

The man he'd spoken to looked up calmly with gray eyes, Osiris, her mate. His hair was also dark, though it was more brown than black. His beard was shorter but just as tangled as the other man's. It too had been painted white. He struck deftly at a flint core with swift, sure, strokes. It was nearly complete, a perfect fit for the yew shaft propped against the rock face next to him. If Sobek's words alarmed Osiris, he did not show it. "If Set and his followers catch us and we are unarmed then we will be just as dead. My last blade was lost saving your life, Sobek."

The heat in his words worried her. Osiris only showed anger when he was afraid, and in this instance he had cause. Set had abandoned their ways and joined with the flesh eaters. If they were caught it meant more than death. It meant being eaten alive.

"Patience. We have time yet," Isis said, hoping her words would cool both men's fire since the snow would not.

"Precious little of it," Sekhmet said, rising from a bundle of furs piled between two rocks. She towered over Isis's comparatively tiny form. Her long, red hair bound with a simple leather cord. She too carried a spear, one of the few women accepted into the hunters. She was Isis's near sister. More than that, she was her closest friend. "They've dogged us for many days now. I still do not understand why Set is so persistent. Osiris, you are chieftain now. We will follow where you lead, but Sobek is not wrong."

"I know, Sekhmet," he said, without looking up to meet her gaze. "That is why you will head to the top of the ridge and see if we are still pursued. Silently, like a cave lion."

The flame-haired warrior scrambled up the hillside in near silence, kicking loose little drifts of snow as she ascended. She was out of sight in seconds, moving with a grace Isis knew she could never possess.

"You know as well as I that our pursuers have not given up. What did you not wish her to hear?" Sobek rumbled. He folded his arms and stared a challenge at Osiris.

Osiris didn't answer, didn't address the challenge in any way. He turned to Isis, meeting her gaze. The love was fierce there, the need to protect her. Yet it was suborned by his need to protect the tribe, as well it should be.

"Isis, you speak for the spirits. The Valley of Hidden Voices is close. Will the spirits protect us if we enter?" Osiris asked, striking a final flake from his new blade and then affixing it into a notch cut in the top of the spear shaft. He applied a thick glue she'd blended from amber and animal fat, then wrapped the shaft in a leather strip.

"You cannot mean to enter," Sobek hissed, eyes narrowing as he took a step toward Osiris.

Osiris uncoiled like a viper, the tip of his new spear resting against Sobek's throat before the smaller man could react. "I am chieftain now, Sobek. Not your rival. Not your far brother. Your chieftain. You will abide by my decision, or we will take your meat to sustain the tribe."

"I am sorry, Osiris," Sobek said, shrinking away from the newly made stone blade. He was a strong warrior, but there was a reason Osiris had become chieftain and not he. "But surely there is another way. If we go there, we will be damned. No one returns from the Valley of Hidden Voices. It is cursed."

"Yes," Osiris said, pulling his weapon from Sobek's throat. He began wrapping furs around himself, clearly preparing to depart. "Isis, I would hear your words on this."

He turned to address her. Isis considered carefully before answering. The Valley was a dark place, one even the spirits feared. They held no power there. "The spirits will offer us no protection. If we enter the Valley, we do so at great peril."

"If we do not, then we are all dead," Osiris snapped. He seemed on the verge of saying more, but Sekhmet's silent form dropped into the camp.

"They pursue us still. They will be upon this place not long after the sun sleeps," she said. She studied Osiris's preparations for departure. Then she began gathering her own furs.

"All of you need to decide right now if I am truly your chieftain," Osiris said. He straightened, his gaze roaming their assembled faces.

"We go where you go," Sekhmet said simply.

Isis answered by reaching up and squeezing Osiris's arm. The flesh was cold and she knew hers was just as cold. They had bare hours before they succumbed to the land.

"You are my chieftain," Sobek snarled. He seized the last of his furs and threw it about his shoulders. "If you wish to doom us with this madness, that is your right."

The long, low trumpet of a horn split the gathering dusk, still distant but far closer than it had been just a day before. That silenced the assembled group. They moved into a loping run as one, departing the gully and winding their way between two hills. How long they ran, Isis wasn't sure. She gave herself fully to the activity, loping through the footsteps pressed into the snow by the others ahead of her.

Clarity returned when the assembled group reached the crest of a tall hill. Isis turned in a wide circle, looking out over ring of hills covered by mighty glaciers. In their center stood the Black Mountain, the very reason the Valley was so feared. It towered over the glaciers, each slope unnaturally smooth and bare of snow as if the unholy place refused to accept winter's touch. Her mother's mother had told her stories, but they captured neither the majesty nor the foreboding of the place.

"Spirits below," Sekhmet breathed. She raised a trembling finger, pointing at the mountain.

Osiris began picking his way down the icy slope without a word. The others followed, with Isis bringing up the rear. Her gut knotted as she darted quick glances at the Black Mountain. Even staring at it seemed wrong, as if so doing might draw its attention.

Her heart beat more swiftly as they reached the Valley floor and moved toward the mountain. It loomed before them, still visible as the last light of the sun fled the sky. The moon cut a hole in the clouds, bathing the awful structure in her light.

Osiris had stopped near a cave in the side of the mountain, its walls cut at sharp angles just like the slopes. Sobek and Sekhmet drew up short next to Osiris as Isis forced herself forward. She yearned to flee as she drew even with the others, but loyalty to her tribe restrained her.

The shadows at the mouth of the cave stirred as a figure emerged. It was short like Isis but much broader of shoulder and had a heavy brow that overshadowed its eyes. Thick, dark eyebrows gave it a brutish look, though its eyes glittered with intelligence.

The stranger approached slowly, raising a hand to beckon them forward. Its other hand clutched a staff that shone in the moonlight, a magical thing that could not be more different than the carved branch Isis bore. The head of the staff bore strange symbols, etched into the body of a golden scarab with wide wings arcing smoothly over it. It was unmistakably an artifact of the gods, though Isis had never seen one before. No one had. But the legends had survived.

Set into the center of the scarab was a gem the size of her fist, the color of ice. Perhaps she was snow-blind, but it seemed to pulse with its own light. Curious.

Osiris was the first to move, taking several steps closer. He clutched his spear tightly, keeping himself between the stranger and his companions. "Greetings, Old One. Your kind is rare. I have not seen one such as you since I was a child."

The stranger said nothing, instead taking several steps back into the pyramid and beckoning for the others to follow. Osiris did so, then the others. Isis forced her feet to obey, taking a step into the horrible cave. She felt as if she were entering the throat of some great beast, and some part of her knew that if she emerged she would never be the same.

Chapter 2- Tragedy

Isis had only made it a few feet into the strange cave with its too smooth walls before her body betrayed her. She could not force herself even a step further, despite seeing Osiris and the others disappear into the gloom. She darted a glance over her shoulder, wondering if she should take her chances with the cold.

That glance saved her life. Figures moved in the gathering darkness, trotting closer through the swirling snow. The lead figure was familiar, tall and strong like his near brother. Set mirrored Osiris in nearly every way, but where compassion and duty could be found in her chieftain's eyes these things were simply absent in Set.

Set gave a snarl, cocking his arm and hurling the spear in one smooth motion. Isis's eyes widened as it streaked toward her like a diving hawk. She tumbled backwards as the weapon passed a finger's width from her face. The weapon continued its flight, drawing a line of sparks from the wall of the cave as the flint tip exploded.

"Kill them," Set roared, turning to some dozen followers. "Kill them all."

Isis sprang to her feet, holding her staff protectively before her as she backed further into the cave. Then she turned and ran. Whatever terrors this place held paled compared to death at Set's hand. His warriors were starving, and right now she was the closest prey. They would divide her flesh and crack her bones before her blood had cooled.

Osiris and Sekhmet were already making their way cautiously back toward her. Both cradled their spears, ready for combat. Sobek lurked behind, reluctant but still armed and ready.

"Set?" Osiris asked as she skidded to a halt near him.

"Yes," she said, stepping behind Sekhmet and Osiris. She would only make their job more difficult if she were involved in the fighting. As a shaman, she'd never been trained for such things. "They'll be on us in moments."

Isis gasped as she spotted movement further into the cave, but relaxed when she realized it was the stranger that had guided them inside. He stood silently, face impassive as he watched them. Either he didn't have a language or didn't understand theirs, but he looked as if he wished to say something.

"Ready yourselves," Osiris called.

Isis stepped closer to the wall, kneeling as she withdrew her belt knife. The cold flint was reassuring, worn smooth from years of use. It had been one of Osiris's first courting gifts.

Sobek moved to Osiris's left. Sekhmet stood resolutely on his right. The three took up most of the corridor, but it was still possible someone might slip past them. That was where she came in. If anyone made it past she would have to deal with them, or the others would be encircled. Given their opponent's numbers that would mean certain death.

If they could hold Set and his men, they might kill enough to drive them off. At the very least they could sell their lives dearly.

"Osiris," Set's voice boomed through the strange cave. He stepped from the shadows, eyes glittering in the near darkness. A knot of figures waited behind him. "You have nowhere left to run. You should have accepted my rule, near brother. There is no need for you to die. Even now I would accept your allegiance. Kneel. We will take Sobek's meat to sate our hunger, but you and the women will live."

"You rule through terror and intimidation," Osiris replied, feet sliding apart as he raised his spear. "It is not the way. Father's spirit watches, Set. He knows what you have become. That you have discarded our ways. We do not take another's meat, unless there is no other way for the rest of the tribe to survive. You killed a man for a feast. His life snuffed out so you could host a celebration."

"My rule, or death. Last chance, Osiris," Set said, tone deathly cold. He too had raised his spear, and with that motion the knot of figures divided. Men and women advanced up the corridor, each cradling a spear or stone axe.

"Death," Osiris said. He rolled his neck, unlimbering for combat. "I will not meet it alone, once brother. You will join me."

"Will I?" Set asked, eyes twinkling as he stepped aside. He turned to his followers. "Kill them and eat your fill. All I require is the heart of Osiris. The rest is yours."

Then the chaos began. A dozen feral warriors rushed them, mad with hunger and bloodlust. Osiris glided forward, spear darting out to take a man through the eye. Sobek's broad shoulder caught a woman in the stomach, knocking his taller opponent back into her fellows.

Sekhmet merely waited, languid and unconcerned. It wasn't until her first opponent was close enough to strike that she began the lethal dance that had earned the respect of every hunter. It happened so quickly Isis didn't even see the blow that caused the man to stumble back clutching at his entrails.

It was a valiant defense, but their foes were numerous. The horde pressed forward and a wiry man with gray in his beard ducked past Sekhmet on the right. He paid no attention to Isis, a fatal mistake. She crept forward, ramming her blade into the small of his back again and again in quick thrusts. The man tried to turn, but she moved with him, thrusting twice more before he collapsed in a pool of his own blood.

She looked up when Sobek gave a bellow of pain. The stocky man spilled to the ground with a spear lodged in his thigh. Another warrior surged forward to capitalize on his weakness, but Osiris leapt over an opponent's low thrust and rolled toward their downed companion.

He brought up his spear just in time to block the attack that would have claimed Sobek's life, then kicked hard at the attacker's groin. The man stumbled backwards, but not quickly enough. Sobek lurched to his feet, ripping the spear from his thigh and shoving the tip deep into his opponent's gut.

Just like that the press was over. Set's warriors fled, disappearing back into the darkness. Isis and her companions labored to catch their breath, the mix of cold and hunger having rapidly sapped their strength. It would have affected Set's men just as fiercely, though they'd fed more recently.

"Are you hurt?" Osiris asked, turning to face her.

He never saw the spear and she wasn't quick enough to cry out a warning. The weapon bit deeply into his back, punching through his chest near the heart. Osiris collapsed to his knees with a groan, hands gripping the blood-slicked haft.

Isis caught one brief flash of Set's triumphant smile, then the treacherous snake retreated into the darkness with his cowardly men. She was dimly aware of Sekhmet darting past on her right. Her near sister snatched up a discarded spear, skidding to a halt as she brought it to her ear. The tip was absolutely still as she scanned the retreating shadows.

Then she lunged, hurling the yew shaft in the direction Set had retreated. It disappeared, immediately followed by a roar of pain. She knew that voice, knew it like the name of death.

"It was not a killing blow," Sekhmet said, snatching another fallen spear and moving to aid Sobek. "We must move swiftly before they gather their courage. They are hungry. They will return soon, once they are sure we have retreated."

"I can't leave him like this," Isis replied, knowing she had no other choice. A single hot tear slid down her cheek as she knelt next to Osiris. His mouth worked as he met her gaze, but he was incapable of speech. She pulled his head to her bosom, blood soaking through her furs. It was already cooling. "Oh, my love. I am so sorry."

Osiris gave a shuddering gasp and died.

Chapter 3- Chamber of the Gods

"Isis?" a voice said, muted and distant. She glanced up through the tears to find Sekhmet staring down at her. Her near sister's face was a mask of grief and pain, twin to her own. Sekhmet gathered Isis to her and Isis didn't fight it. She sobbed her grief into the damp furs covering her friend's chest.

"It's my fault," she said, finally pushing Sekhmet away. Isis rose to her feet, wiping away the tears as she sought desperately to compose herself. "I knew the spirits couldn't protect us here and I agreed to come anyway. His death is my fault."

"No," Sobek hissed, limping forward. He leaned heavily on his spear, but his eyes were hard. "This is not your doing. Osiris led us here. I mourn his death, but the blame is his."

"This was Set's doing," Sekhmet said, glaring a challenge at Sobek. The wounded warrior broke gazes first. Isis was grateful. Had she spoken the words would have been a great deal harsher.

Sekhmet knelt next to Osiris and gently removed his necklace of cave lion teeth, the mark of the tribe's chieftain. She settled it grimly around her own neck. "But we are too weak to claim vengeance, at least right now. They will return soon and we cannot be here when they do."

"Perhaps the stranger can help us," Isis suggested, turning to peer up the corridor. The odd-looking stranger still stood there, his golden staff gripped firmly in hand. If he'd moved at all during the fighting she hadn't seen it, and if the sight of so many bodies troubled him he gave no sign.

The stranger beckoned them forward, then turned and disappeared into the darkness. A moment later something inexplicable happened. The sapphire set into the staff began to glow, it's light both warm and bright. She'd never seen such magic, such incredible power.

Sekhmet was the first to follow, with Sobek hobbling after. Isis moved to support his larger frame, bearing some of his weight as they hurried after the stranger with his incredible staff. The stranger guided them through many tunnels, up flights of tall stairs and down others.

By the time the stranger stopped to face them, Sobek had gone ashen. The wound in his thigh was deep and bled freely. She had no catgut thread to bind it and using a fur as a bandage would do little unless Sobek stopped to rest.

"Unnh," The stranger grunted, pointing urgently down a ramp that led into a dark cavern.

Sekhmet moved to Sobek's opposite side, and together they helped the wounded warrior into the cavern. At the room's far side light shone through a square cave mouth, much like the one they'd passed through when entering this dark place.

The stranger threaded through the cavern, passing by odd spires that towered over them. The one in the center stood higher than ten men and hummed with some low malevolent power. Isis eyed it warily as she passed by, not trusting anything about this place.

She was out of breath by the time they reached the light, and she found it wasn't the cave's exit. Rather it led into a small room that had clearly been constructed by the gods. Seven blocks a little longer than a man radiated outward from a central point, each more clear than the clearest ice and standing at about waist height. Large gemstones dotted their surface, with little pulses of red and blue light passing between them on invisible lines.

"Unnhhh," the stranger grunted, even more urgently. He rested his staff against one of the blocks, then moved to scoop up Sobek. Sekhmet stiffened as if she might protest, but relaxed and allowed the stranger to carry Sobek to one of the strange blocks.

He set the wounded warrior atop the block, and after a moment the block glowed and began to flow like melting animal fat. Sobek sank inside and the block closed around him. His eyes closed and his breathing seemed to ease. More importantly the bleeding in his leg stopped, though the awful wound remained.

The stranger turned to face them, his chest drenched in Sobek's blood. He picked up his staff in one hand and offered the other to Isis. She shot a nervous glance at Sekhmet.

"Go on," Sekhmet said, nodding as she drew a hand axe from her belt. "If he tries anything I will gut him. See what he wants. I think he recognizes you as a shaman. Maybe he can share the magic of the gods with you."

Isis accepted the stranger's hand, old and leathery but warm. He led her across the room to the block furthest from the door. The stranger released her, then mimed placing his hands atop two giant rubies set into the block. He watched her expectantly.

She took a deep breath, then set her hands atop the gems. There was a flash of light and then she was elsewhere.

Chapter 4- Ka

Ka stared at the strange hominid as it entered the mental construct. It had breasts and lacked facial hair, so a Ken. A female. Fascinating, doubly so given that it had been nearly two hundred millennia since she'd last seen a new offshoot of the Ken's species

The intelligence had watched with eager anticipation as the new hominids entered the Ark. They were taller and thinner than the existing host, with slightly larger brain cavities. That could be important, though it was too soon for her to rejoice. Their stone-tipped weapons were similar to that of the host, but more advanced.

Where the host's people had short, thrusting spears, these new hominids carried spears that could be thrown. It probably made them more successful hunters, which could account for why their people were surviving the world's latest glaciation where their unfortunate cousins had all but been wiped out.

She'd been intrigued when the two groups had clashed. These new hominids were clearly more violent than the host's genus, a more aggressive offshoot of the same species. Could they interbreed? An interesting experiment.

The host had dutifully led the new hominids into the rejuvenation chamber and placed the wounded one in a rejuvenator. It had done so of its own cognizance, but that was the limit of the creature's intelligence. Useful, but still not able to do what she required.

"Are you a god?" the Ken asked, glancing around curiously. A little fear touched her gaze, but only a little.

Ka was shocked. The current host could manage simple words and concepts, but higher reasoning and imagination were sadly lacking. For this Ken to understand the concept of a deity, she had to possess both.

"You might consider me so," Ka replied, willing herself closer. She drifted like a specter, coming to rest next to the Ken.

"You are like us, but different. Your eyes are too large and you are too tall," the Ken said, grip tightening on her staff as Ka approached.

"I am patterned after the builders," Ka explained, knowing what its words were likely to mean little. "I was left to steward this Ark when they departed long ago."

"Where are we?" the Ken asked, turning about in a slow circle as she took in the construct.

"It is difficult to explain. You might say we are in my mind. Your body remains where it was, next to your companions. Only your consciousness has come to this place," Ka said. She plucked at a thread in the Ken's mind, and the construct changed. "Is this more pleasing to you?"

They were now surrounded by low, fir huts, supported by thickly cut branches and packed slow. A fire burned in the center of the village, with a haunch of mammoth meat roasting on a spit over it. The place smelled of smoke and cooked flesh, a bizarre mix.

"My village," the Ken gasped. She moved to one of the huts and tugged open the flap. "What sorcery is this? Set burned this place weeks ago."

"I conjured this memory to make you more comfortable," Ka explained. "If it makes you uncomfortable I can change it."

The construct shifted back to a replica of the rejuvenation chamber. The Ken turned slowly to face Ka, eyes wide and mouth open. "You are a god. Can you bring the dead back to life?"

Ka was taken aback by the question. The existing host had demonstrated attachment to its kin, so the idea of love didn't surprise it. But when the host lost a brother or a mate it simply accepted the fact and moved on. It lacked the ability to conceptualize, to envision its mate being alive again. This new hominid clearly possessed that ability, which might mean that she could become a shaper if her helixes were properly modified.

"I cannot intervene directly, " Ka said, considering her approach. This must be handled delicately, must be done of the host's own free will. "However, I can give the power to do as you ask. It will require pain, but you will gain the strength to save your Dun."

"Dun?" the Ken asked, blinking away unshed tears.

"Your mate. Your word would be male," Ka explained. The Ken had language, but some concepts did not translate even in a mental construct.

"I can save Osiris?" she asked, straightening.

"Yes," Ka said.

"What must I do?" the Ken asked, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"My current host will guide you to the central chamber, far below where your body now stands. He will give you the staff he carries," Ka explained, shifting the construct to show the path even as she spoke. "You will enter the very heart of the Ark. If you are worthy, your body will be transformed. You will be gifted with the ability to shape, which you can use to mend the damage to your Dun's body."

"And if I am not worthy?" the Ken asked. A shrewd question, one that Ka had no choice but to answer truthfully.

"Then you will die painfully, the forces you seek to harness tearing apart the molecular bonds holding you together," Ka answered.

The Ken was silent for a long moment, and Ka did not prod. This would be a difficult decision, one that she could not influence.

"Why would you give me this gift?" the Ken asked, again taking Ka by surprise. She would never have expected the hominid to question her motivations. It had been so long since she had conversed with a creature that could reason.

"Doing so will gift you with great power, but the nature of the power benefits me," Ka explained. "A shard of my existence will be bonded to you and in so doing I will finally be able to leave the Ark. I will be able to influence the world in a way I have been denied since the builders departed."

The Ken was silent for a long time. She studied Ka, her expression unreadable. Finally, she spoke. "Very well, I accept this bargain. Give me this gift, that I might save my Dun."

Chapter 5- The Conduit

The world lurched as Isis returned to her body from whatever strange place the god had whisked her. She staggered, catching herself against one of the strange clear blocks. It was warm to the touch and she focused on that as she struggled to make sense of what had just happened.

"Isis?" Sekhmet asked, laying a hand on her shoulder. "You've gone pale. Are you all right?"

"I...yes I think so," she said, straightening and turning to face her near sister. Sekhmet's red hair had been tied in a tight braid, a nervous habit. How long had she been gone? "The god of this place summoned me. It explained much. It has offered power and it claims I can save Osiris."

"Osiris is beyond saving. We watched him die, near sister," Sekhmet said, face twisted with pain.

"Unnnh," the stranger said, urgently. He offered his golden staff to Isis.

She took it without hesitation, the metal hot to the touch though not unpleasantly so. "This god clearly has great power. Who knows what it can and cannot do?"

The stranger started for the doorway, back into the chamber with the spires. Isis followed. She was aware of Sekhmet behind her, the taller woman hesitated then followed as well.

"Isis, wait. What price does this god demand?" her near sister asked.

"Does it matter?" Isis asked, rounding on her. "I will pay any price to save him and count myself fortunate in the paying of it. Stay here with Sobek. Set could return at any time. Be ready."

She recognized the concern playing across Sekhmet's features, but had no time to indulge it. Osiris might yet be saved, if she acted quickly. Isis turned and followed the stranger into the central chamber. He waited near the largest obelisk, gesturing urgently at its base.

Isis approached, unsure what he was asking her to do. She studied the ground near the base of the obelisk, a flat black rock that drank in light. It took her several long moments to notice the small gold ring set into the stone, just large enough for the base of the staff she now carried. Was it that simple?

She gripped the staff in both hands, planting the base in the ring. Brilliant light surged from the staff, pure and warm as the rarest summer day. The ground rumbled and then began to change, shifting into steps that descended into the darkness. The stranger started down them without hesitation, beckoning for her to follow.

Isis withdrew the staff from the ring, worried for a moment that it might cause the stairway to disappear. It did not, and she carried the staff with her as she followed the stranger. The golden artifact now glowed continuously with a soft inner light, enough to banish the darkness as she continued down.

Time lost all meaning as they continued ever downward, the stairs spiraling deeper and deeper into the heart of the earth. A sliver of fear worked its way into her gut as she remembered her grandmother's stories of the underworld. Surely they must have entered it, or soon would.

"Unnh," the stranger called. He turned to face a wall, banging on it with his fist. Then he turned back to her, pointing at the wall.

She made her way down to the platform where he stood, a small area as long as two men laying head to foot where the stairs paused before continuing into the darkness. Isis looked for another ring, but could find none. She knelt next to the wall, resting the staff against it as she searched. The moment metal touched stone the wall began to ripple like water disturbed by a thrown pebble.

It flowed away from the metal, revealing a passage that ended in a cavern a small distance away. Faint blue light came from the cavern, a shade she'd never seen before. Isis picked up the staff and started down the passage. She paused when she realized the stranger wasn't following.

"Aren't you coming?" she asked, turning to face him. The stranger shook his head, then waved her forward with both hands. Clearly he intended for her to enter, but why didn't he follow?

Isis turned back to the cavern and made her way up the passage. The blue light grew stronger as she crept forward, eventually reaching a room of indescribable beauty. A walkway circled a valley as wide as the one that held the Black Mountain. It was massive. The ceiling vaulted high above, the distant parts difficult to make out even though they were lit by the blue light.

Every wall was covered in tiny crystals, the source of the glow. In the center of the valley below lay an enormous crystal the size of a small mountain. It began to pulse as she entered the room, and Isis realized in shock that it mimicked her own heartbeat. She rested a hand on the railing circling the walkway, which was all that stood between her and a fall to her death at the base of the giant crystal.

She lacked words to describe what she was seeing, had no understanding of what this place was or what she was expected to do. Surely the stranger would not have led her here if there wasn't something obvious to be puzzled out. Isis took a deep breath and studied the walkway, since that was the only part of the chamber she could readily reach.

A few hundred paces away a platform jutted from the walkway, extending over the valley. It was empty save for a single blue crystal roughly the size of a man. That must be it. Isis hurried in that direction, darting nervous glances at the railing as she did. Heights did not give her the crippling fear it did some, but only a fool would walk that close to death without at least being aware of it.

Eventually, she reached the platform, which lacked the railing the walkway provided. Isis took a cautious step onto it, prepared to leap backwards should it fail to support her weight. It neither moved nor creaked as she stepped atop it, so she took another step toward the strange crystal. A gold ring was set into the base at an angle.

"I hope you aren't some trickster god," she muttered, slotting the base of the staff into the ring as she had above. There was another flash of light, this one not from the staff but rather from the crystal. Clear blue brilliance bathed her, both from the crystal before her and from every other in the room. The giant crystal below was the brightest of all, so powerful she could no longer look directly at it.

It began to thrum with a low vibration like the purring of some great cat. Then a figure flickered into existence, the strange god she had seen in the other place. It towered over the giant crystal, though it appeared the same as before in all ways save size.

Large black eyes peered down at her, so different from those of a man. There was no white to those eyes, just pools of unreadable black. The creature lacked hair, and its neck was too long and thin to be a man. Its skin was a soft green, not so dark as pine needles. More like grass near the end of summer.

"You have done well, Ken," the voice rumbled through the room. The god's mouth did not move, and she couldn't say for sure where the voice had issued. "Full access to the repository is granted."

"Your words are strange," she replied, brow furrowing. "What must I do to save Osiris?"

"This chamber was created to enable the greatest feats of shaping," the god explained, though its face remained eerily still. "Many of the species that now roam your world were first created here. You must tap into that power to shape your own helixes. First, you must open a conduit so that I might aid you."

"How do I do that?" she asked. The words made no sense, but if the god was telling the truth, she didn't need to understand. Only trust.

"Grip the staff tightly in both hands and close your eyes," the god instructed. She did so. "Now envision a great river of blue light flowing from the crystal, up the staff, and into your body. Discard your fear, your pain. There is only the river of light and you must allow it to fill you up if you wish to save your Dun."

Isis struggled to do as the god asked, picturing a wide flowing river like that she'd grown up next to. She imagined it full of the strange blue light, all flowing directly into her. The staff grew hotter, painful to the touch. Her body demanded she release it, but she refused. Doing so would deny her the power to save Osiris.

She stood fast, a rock against the flow of the mighty torrent. Power filled her to bursting, searing every nerve as it raced through her body. On and on it went, leaving her a panting, confused wreck.

Well done, Ka-Ken, the god said, but its voice had changed. No longer did it echo through the vast cavern. Now it sounded inside her head, just as if it were one of her own thoughts. You have established the conduit. We are one now, and you may draw upon my power and guidance.

Blackness overtook her.

Chapter 6- The Mutagen

Ka considered carefully as the new Ka-Ken collapsed. She had the time it took the hominid to recover in order to craft the mutagen's structure, then she must guide the Ka-Ken through the act of creation. But what to create?

Only three creatures had possessed the ability to restart cellular mitosis once it had stopped, in essence bringing life to the dead. Two of those were simplistic proto-mammals and their method couldn't sustain the complex structure of the hominid brain. If Ka used their helixes, the Dun's body could be reanimated, but he would possess none of the intelligence or memories he had in life.

There was a third option, though it was heretical to even consider. Ka could use the structure of the builders themselves. Their ability to process signals allowed constant genetic repair, making them effectively immortal. If it combined the methodology of the proto-mammals with the builder's ability to control and receive signals that would restore the Dun to life and could, in theory, preserve most of the brain's complex neural structure.

Still that was not enough. Creating such a life form would be magnificent, but how would it reproduce? Sexual reproduction would be impossible. Ka leafed through a thousand, thousand species faster than thought before she found the answer. A virus had plagued early hominids around the time their ancestors had split off from the great apes and lesser primates. That virus could be tailored as an effective delivery mechanism. It could be transmitted through blood or semen or saliva. Any bodily fluid. Then it would jump hosts, infecting others with the same mutagen. This ensured that Ka's new creation would propagate, spreading across the globe until all seven Arks were once again occupied.

What would the builders think of such a creation? Did that even matter? They had been gone for eons and it seemed unlikely they would ever return. This was Ka's one chance to create a species in their image, one that might reclaim the Arks and restore intelligent life to a world that had become nothing more than a large garden.

Yes, this was the proper course. Ka selected the appropriate genetic maps, assembling them into the correct sequence. She could feed this data through the conduit to the new Ka-Ken, enabling her to construct the mutagen. She would never willingly give it to her dead mate if she understood what it would create, but that didn't trouble Ka. She couldn't lie, but could omit truths if the Ka-Ken was not smart enough to ask directly.

Her desperation to save her mate should blind her to the truth long enough for the mutagen to be created and administered.

Chapter 7- Ka-Ken

Isis was unsure how long she was unconscious, but she rose hurriedly to her feet as soon as she was able. Nothing had changed about the room that she could see, save that the giant image of the strange god was gone.

"How do I save Osiris?" she asked, hoping it could still hear her. There were many questions, but that was the only one that mattered.

We must create a mutagen capable of repairing his body. It will change him, but it is the only way, a voice explained, echoing through her mind.

"I do not understand your words," she said, raising a hand to her forehead as she fought off a dizzy spell.

I will show you, Ka-Ken, the voice explained. Allow me to guide you. Relax, and stare at the crystal before you.

She did as she was bid, resting her weight on the staff and she stared at the crystal in which it was embedded. Shapes began to swirl inside, strange symbols she could not understand. What were they?

They are glyphs, each one representing one of the creatures stored in the repository, the voice answered her unspoken question. Could it hear her thoughts?

Yes, Ka-Ken. As I said we are one.

A glyph rose from the swirling mass, appearing directly over the crystal. The crystal turned green for a moment, then another rose. Faster and faster they came, each glyph another color. She winced as the light grew brighter until finally it calmed and the glyphs stopped. A single smaller crystal rose from the top of the larger one, floating into the air until it was at eye level. It pulsed green with a soft inner light.

"What is that?" she breathed, awed by the magic.

We have created a mutagen, a virus that will shape the helixes of your species. If we are swift, it may repair the damage done to your Dun. It will revive him, though if the damage is extensive his mind may never be the same. The results could be unpredictable, but it is the only way.

"I will take any chance, just show me what I must do," she commanded. If the voice lived in her head, then it would learn to obey her.

Pick up the crystal, then remove the staff, the voice said.

Isis did as she was instructed, first removing the glowing green gem and then removing the staff. The stone went dark, as did the giant stone below. Only the crystals lining the walls still glowed. She was light headed, but Isis forced herself back the way she had come. She picked a rapid path along the walkway, heading as swiftly as she could manage toward the passage that had led her into the room.

Once we have ascended, you must go back to your Dun's body. You will need to bring it to the rejuvenator, just as your other companion was brought. It is there we will administer the mutagen.

The voice was talking about Sobek, she knew because the words carried images with them. They were like speech but imbued with the power of thought. It was strange and alien, but not unwelcome. Truly a miracle, one she wished she could have shared with her grandmother.

Isis hurried back up the passage. The stranger stood waiting, giving an approving nod as she stepped onto the landing. He trailed behind her as she began to climb. Her legs trembled with exhaustion at the first step, and she feared she might lack the strength to gain the summit.

Concentrate, Ka-Ken. Focus on the staff. It binds you to the Ark and you can draw strength from it. Simply will it and your fatigue will vanish.

She did as the voice suggested, following the images behind its words. A pulse of golden light flowed from the staff, sliding up her arm and into her chest. It washed away the fatigue, and she laughed as she was suddenly able to leap up the stairs two at a time. It was like a good night's sleep after a summer feast.

The stranger struggled to match her pace, but Isis did not slow. He would catch up, and even if he did not this Ka could render more aid than the stranger ever could. Isis sprinted up the spiral, eventually reaching the central chamber with its mighty spires.

"Sekhmet," she yelled, bounding through the doorway into the rejuvenator room. That was its name, though how she knew that she couldn't say. "Come quickly. We have to find Osiris."

Sekhmet's form rose from the floor next to the rejuvenator containing Sobek. She seized the spear next to her. "Isis? What has happened to you?"

"It's glorious. The god has joined with me. I have been given the power to save Osiris," Isis said, laughing.

"But, your hair. What happened?" Sekhmet asked. Her near sister's eyes were wide.

Isis reached for a lock of her hair, drawing it up to her face. It was paler now, shinier. It had gone from the color of straw to pure silver, the same color as the nuggets warriors sometimes found.

"It must be part of the change," she reasoned aloud, meeting Sekhmet's gaze. "It doesn't matter. All that does is saving Osiris. Come, let us return to his body. We have to save him before Set and his hunters return."

"Very well," Sekhmet allowed, though she seemed more reticent than Isis would have expected. Why wasn't she rejoicing in the miracle of it?

No matter. Isis turned from the rejuvenator and started back toward the central chamber. She knew this place intimately now, and they could return to the outer passage in just a few minutes. Hopefully, they'd arrive before Set.

Chapter 8- Salvation

Ka was pleased. The new hominid was everything she could have hoped for, clever and possessed with just the sort of imagination the builders had possessed so long ago. The conduit had been established, transforming the Ken into a proper Ka-Ken.

The shard of her existence that had been bonded to the hominid was a wholly separate entity, but one that shared Ka's motivations and understanding. It would guide the host, helping her to extend Ka's influence outside the Ark.

For the first time Ka dared to hope that she could re-establish the network, could place Ark Lords in each of the other Arks. That she could return this world to the majesty it had enjoyed before the builders had departed.

She watched as the new Ka-Ken led her companion and the lesser hominid through the Ark. She navigated with a familiarity that only Ka possessed, a potent demonstration of the conduit's work.

"Isis, you're scaring me," the Ka-Ken's fiery-haired companion said. Sekhmet, that was her name. "Slow down for a moment."

The Ka-Ken paused, turning to face her companion. Ka was unfamiliar with this new genus, but the emotion playing across the Ka-Ken's features was easily recognizable. Impatience.

"We don't have time, near sister. I can save Osiris, but only if we get there quickly. You know what Set and his hunters will do to him if we tarry too long," the Ka-Ken said, eyes flashing with their own silver light.

Her fiery-haired companion shrank back, refusing to meet the Ka-Ken's gaze. "I do not know what this god has done to you Isis, but the price was high. This isn't like you."

"Does it matter?" the Ka-Ken snapped. "The price has already been paid. Let us see what I have bought with it."

The brutish lesser hominid waited in a crouch behind the two women, chest heaving from exertion. Ka hadn't realized how much of its strength came from the staff that the Ka-Ken now possessed. The creature was old and that age was beginning to affect it now. It would be dead in a matter of days without the staff. Pity. The creature had served loyally, if not adequately.

The Ka-Ken pivoted and started back up the corridor. Sekhmet hesitated for only an instant before following. The lesser hominid rose shakily to follow, but leaned against the wall instead. Ka chose to watch the two women, abandoning its former servant.

"Isis," the Ka-Ken's companion called, quickening her pace until she drew even. "If we are to do this, we must be careful. Set still has many warriors. I will do my best to protect you, but unless this new magic can provide aid, they will slay us."

"Thank you," the Ka-Ken said, resting a hand on her companion's arm. "The staff I carry is powerful. I do not know how I know, but I can use it to strike down Set and his warriors. Just keep them at bay long enough to use it."

The pair continued their trek, finally entering the outer passage. They slowed as they returned to the site of the earlier battle, which did not surprise Ka. She knew what they would find as she had been observing the passage. Seven figures crouched over the bodies of the fallen, each wielding a flint blade to slice away haunches of flesh.

Several bodies had already been butchered, and the rest would soon follow. When the Ka-Ken saw this act, her eyes flashed bright green again, full of the energy Ka provided through the conduit. She gave a cry, darting past her companion and into the butchers' midst.

The closest rose at her approach, an older Dun with graying hair and only one eye. He raised his stone knife threateningly, but the Ka-Ken merely gestured with the staff. Ka could feel the sliver of energy she drew from it, channeling it through the staff in a bolt of pure green brilliance.

It washed over the Dun's entire body, and everywhere it touched the hominid simply unraveled. The bonds holding its molecules together dissolved, leaving a messy puddle of sludge where the creature had stood.

Another butcher started for the Ka-Ken, this one a younger Dun with a thick black beard. The fiery-haired Ken glided forward, slashing his throat with her own stone blade before he was even aware of her presence.

"Isis," a voice roared from the rear of the remaining butchers. "You've come to claim your mate's corpse, haven't you? See what's left."

The speaker was the same Dun who'd struck down the Ka-Ken's mate, Set his name had been. He held a severed arm aloft, blood still dripping from the forearm he'd just skinned.

"You. Will. Pay," Isis shrieked, extending the staff with the last word. A wave of green light washed outwards, dissolving three more butchers.

Set and his remaining companion turned and ran back the way they'd come. The Ka-Ken did not pursue, instead rushing to the grisly remains of her Dun. She removed her cloak and laid the fur near his corpse, then began gathering his body parts. Her companion joined the grim task, and before long they'd saved all that could be.

Ka admired her resolve. Its own shard, her Ka, must be guiding her. Must have explained that even in such a state her Dun might still be saved by the rejuvenator. Excellent. She was strong willed and resourceful, but was already learning to trust her Ka.

Chapter 9- Damnation

Isis refused to give in to despair. She sliced two holes in her cloak, extending the golden staff through them to make a crude litter. Then she picked up one end. Sekhmet picked up the other without needing to be told, and together they bore Osiris's body back into the Ark.

Time is critical, Ka-Ken. The longer this takes, the more of what he is will be lost, the voice in her head explained. You must place his body in the rejuvenator. Then I will show you how to shape his helixes. Once his body is whole, you can apply the mutagen.

She redoubled her pace, which Sekhmet easily matched. The taller woman spent her days hunting and was far more adept at physical feats than Isis. Yet long after Isis should have collapsed from exhaustion she kept going. It was the strange energy from the staff, she was certain of it.

They made their way through a myriad of passages, finally passing through the central chamber and back into the rejuvenator room. Sobek's body lay almost perfectly still in the chamber closest to the door, though his chest rose and fell almost imperceptibly.

"Help me get the body atop this one," Isis commanded, heaving the litter onto the rejuvenator next to Sobek's. Blood dripped steadily down the side of her cloak, pooling at the base of the chamber near her foot.

"Now what?" Sekhmet asked, taking a step backwards. She was no stranger to blood, but stared down at her hands as if it had been she that struck down Osiris.

"Now I use the magic the god has given me," Isis explained. She took a deep breath, then began arranging the mangled pieces of Osiris's corpse until everything was roughly where it should be.

Now touch those two gems, there and there, Ka-Ken, the voice instructed. The rejuvenator will rebuild his flesh though it cannot restore his life. We will need the mutagen for that.

Isis was aware of the stranger as he shuffled to the rejuvenator. His cheeks were sunken and hollow, his eyes more rheumy than they'd been just hours before. His skin had begun to crack. It was as if he'd aged decades. She gave him a single horrified glance, then pulled her gaze back to the rejuvenator. A great price had been paid, but she would claim the reward. Osiris would live again.

She gripped the gems the voice had indicated and willed energy into them, just as she had when slaying Set's foul hunters. The entire rejuvenator began to hum, then became viscous as it had when Sobek had sunk into the other chamber. Osiris's mangled body descended until it was encased by the rejuvenator's clear form.

Now we wait, the voice said.

So Isis waited in silence. Sekhmet hovered near the door, timid as a doe on the edge of flight. The stranger rested a hand on the rejuvenator, watching with interest as tendrils of golden light enveloped Osiris's form. They wrapped him in a cocoon, covering every bit of his bloody form.

The humming grew louder and Isis could see something happening. No, see wasn't the right word. She sensed Osiris's body being rebuilt in a way she didn't really understand.

His helixes are being shaped, the voice explained. You are detecting the signals broadcast by the rejuvenator. When you accepted the conduit, you became sensitive to their use. You can now both project and receive similar signals, something you will learn in time.

Not all the words made sense, but Isis had the general sense of what the voice was telling her. It was a fascinating process, more so because it would save the life of a great man. One she'd loved since she was old enough to understand what love was.

The light flared more brightly than the sun, then the strange energy she'd sensed was gone. Osiris's body lay within the rejuvenator, all trace of injury gone. Yet unlike Sobek his chest did not rise and fall. His body was still and lifeless, the miraculous healing had failed.

Not failed. There are limits and we have reached them. To go further, to recover your Dun, we must expose his body to the mutagen. Grasp the control gems and will his body to rise from the rejuvenator.

Isis did as she was bid, holding her breath as Osiris's body rose from the rejuvenator. The clear material rippled until his form lay atop the structure. She reached into her belt pouch and withdrew the strange green gem she'd helped shape in the huge cavern below. It still glowed with its own inner light, a strong green radiance like nothing she'd ever seen.

Place the gem in his mouth, the voice instructed.

She opened his mouth as gently as she could, then placed the gem on his tongue. Isis closed his mouth just as gently, biting her lip as she did so. This must work. She couldn't face life without him, not after everything they'd sacrificed.

"Isis?" Sekhmet called, voice quavering. "What are you doing?"

"Hush, near sister," Isis called absently, focused on her task.

It will not be long, the voice said.

Osiris's head gave a sharp jerk. Then another. His eyes flew open, their deep gray replaced by the same bright green as the gem. His mouth flew open and a beam of pure emerald light shot outwards. Then his back arched and he gave a low scream, the agony a spear in Isis's chest.

"Make it stop," she pleaded, but the voice in her head was silent.

The green light grew brighter, veins of the horrible light flowing down Osiris's neck and into his chest. They shot out, rapidly spreading across each of his limbs until the whole of his body bore a spider web of pain. The light flared brighter still, then faded. Osiris's body fell limp, all signs of life gone.

"Osiris?" she asked, stretching out a tentative hand.

Sekhmet was suddenly next to her, pulling her back. "Don't touch him. He is cursed. We should never have come here. We're leaving. Now."

"No," she cried, struggling to reach Osiris. Sekhmet dragged her backwards, the powerful huntress easily hefting her from her feet and carrying her to the door.

Osiris's glowing green eyes opened again. He rose slowly to a sitting position, the aged stranger peering up at him from those rheumy eyes. Osiris stared dispassionately at the stranger, no sense of recognition or compassion in his gaze. He lunged without warning, his greater weight bearing the stranger to the chamber floor and out of sight.

Horrible crunching noises came from behind the rejuvenator where they'd fallen. The stranger gave a loud yell, then a soft whimper. A pool of blood spread from the base of the rejuvenator, winding a slow path toward their feet.

"Run," Sekhmet hissed, shoving Isis through the doorway and into the central chamber. Sekhmet followed, tugging urgently at Isis's arm.

Isis refused to budge. She drew on the strength of the staff, willing herself to stand fast. "He will not harm us. If I am wrong, then I no longer wish to live. It will mean this place truly is cursed."

Sekhmet stared at her as if she'd gone insane, but after a moment's hesitation stood beside her. They waited patiently until Osiris's blood-drenched form appeared in the doorway. The changes were subtle, but alarming. His teeth were razored, like a crocodile only far sharper. The green light still lingered in his gaze, unnatural and frightening. Each finger now ended in a black claw, more cave lion than human.

"What have I done?" she whispered, almost hoping he would strike them down. She had only wanted to help, to return her chieftain to life. Yet the god had tricked her, had brought back this monster with Osiris's face.

Not so, Ka-Ken. He is changed, yes, but your Dun is much the same as he was. It will take time for his mind to regain full control, during which time he must ingest genetic material. Even now some of that control returns, in the wake of his feeding.

"Isis, Sekhmet," he hissed, low and alien. His gaze flicked between them. "Set will pay in blood for his treachery. I will feast on his heart. Come, we hunt."

Osiris sprinted past them, hurling up the stone ramp and into the darkness. Isis could do nothing but stare after, torn as to what course to take.

"What has he become?" she asked, certain she didn't want the answer but needing to hear it anyway.

His helixes have been shaped to be far more resilient. He no longer needs to breathe and his heart no longer beats. To sustain himself, he must ingest more genetic matter than your kind normally requires. Like you he now possesses a shard of Ka, a reflection of me.

"We should not follow him, Isis," Sekhmet said, delivering a sober look. "He will turn on us once Set is dead."

"He would never do that," Isis countered, shaking her head. She refused to believe Osiris would ever harm any of his people. He was a protector, a guardian.

She is wrong, Ka-Ken. We must pursue him. There is great danger in allowing him to feed. The mutagen could spread. Those he slays may rise again, just as he has.

Chapter 10- Hope

Isis pulled her cloak tightly about her as she left the passage's shelter for the thick snow falling across the Valley. Sekhmet trotted ahead of her, boots leaving a set of tracks that shadowed those Osiris had left just minutes before. His intermingled with two other sets, one larger and one smaller. Set and his last surviving hunter.

"They cannot be far ahead," Sekhmet called back, low enough that her words were nearly swallowed by the storm. A few threads of scarlet had pulled loose from her ponytail, writhing about her as the wind played with them. "Are you certain you wish to do this? I do not know what Osiris has become, but it is some sort of demon. My weapons may not even harm him."

"This will come down to the magic the god gave me," Isis explained, certain it was true even if she didn't know precisely what she could do to stop Osiris. It killed her both that she had brought him back and that she must be the one to subdue him.

The cold pierced her furs, yet a curious warmth suffused her entire body. Whatever this conduit was apparently conferred many benefits. She kept pace with Sekhmet, something that would not have been possible even a single day before. They ranged through the snow, eventually topping a rise.

Below lay a shallow ravine, its base hidden in the gathering darkness. Anything could lurk within. All three sets of footsteps disappeared down a steep trail, one made even more treacherous by the snow.

"We can still turn back," Sekhmet offered, gaze searching.

Isis understood. Osiris had been the strongest hunter, the fiercest warrior. That was before the dark magic Isis had unleashed. Now he was even more powerful. Who knew what strange abilities he might possess? Or even if he could be killed. Entering that ravine might mean both their deaths.

Green light flared from below, briefly illuminating three figures. The largest leapt upon the smallest, Osiris's form bearing Set's final companion to the ground. Set didn't come to the man's aid, instead turning to run. He sprinted through the ravine, but the snow slowed his pace. There was a sharp crack of bone, then Osiris rose to his feet.

"Set," he roared, taking a step forward. "Will you really die with your back to me, fleeing like the coward you've become? The brother I remembered was strong. Loyal. Fierce. Has the wretch who has taken his place fallen so far that you are afraid to meet death on your feet?"

That drew Set's attention. He turned to face his brother even as the eerie green glow around Osiris dimmed. "I saw you die, shade. Whatever you've become, you are not my near brother. You are not Osiris, and I'll not stand here and be lectured by you. I outlived my brother. Whatever you are is a demon that spits on his memory. If you've come to kill me, then let us dance."

Set's eyes flashed in the dim. He took a step toward Osiris, brandishing his spear. Isis began to slide down the trail, using the staff to prevent her from falling.

"No," Sekhmet hissed, seizing her shoulder. "Let them fight. Osiris deserves his revenge, whatever he's become. You can use your magic after they've settled the matter, there will be time yet."

She was right. Osiris had become a monster, but that didn't change what Set had done. He would reap the fate his actions had sowed.

The green light flared, a corona of power around Osiris. He leapt skyward, coming down atop Set like a cave lion, claws extended. Set was a gifted warrior, and he saw the blow coming. He rolled backwards, bracing his spear against the ground and aiming it at Osiris's chest. It cut a bloody furrow from chest to shoulder, but Osiris twisted to avoid the weapon.

He landed atop his near brother, claws scything down once, twice, a third time. Each blow drew a panicked cry of agony from Set, but there was nothing he could do. Osiris's larger form pinned him in place, and the strange green glow seemed to infuse her chieftain with enormous power.

Then Osiris began to feed. He took Set's head in his hands, mouth opening to reveal a sea of jagged teeth. He lunged, fangs sinking into his brother's neck. He ripped loose a hunk of flesh and wolfed it down. It was the single most vile, most terrifying act Isis had ever seen.

Isis fell to her knees, dropping the staff. Her stomach heaved, and then she was emptying this morning's meal noisily into the snow. She was dimly aware of Sekhmet doing the same a few feet away.

Recover yourself, Ka-Ken. He will soon finish feeding, and you will be his next prey. You must subdue him and quickly.

The voice was right. Isis gripped the staff and used it to heave herself to her feet. The glow around Osiris intensified as he fed, until the light was nearly blinding. At long last he rose to his feet, blood and bits of flesh coating his face and neck.

He turned to face her, a demonic grin spreading across his features. Then Osiris leapt, the motion carrying him far further than any man had a right to jump. He landed in a crouch atop a snow-covered boulder a little distance away.

Sekhmet scrambled to her feet, drawing her stone axe as she positioned herself between Isis and the thing that had once been Osiris. "Stay back, demon. Your vengeance has been slaked. There's nothing further for you here. Be gone, or we will defend ourselves."

"Be gone?" Osiris replied. He looked genuinely confused, his eyes widening as he looked down at himself. "By the spirits..." he trailed off, and when he looked up again his expression was forlorn. "I do not know what magic you used to bring me back, but it was tainted. This place truly is cursed. I am sorry for bringing us here. Better that we'd died than suffer such a fate."

He dropped from the rock, landing in the snow near them. Osiris fell to his knees, pulling the furs back to expose his chest. "Do what you must."

Isis froze. She couldn't kill him, not again. He sounded like himself. Surely there was some chance he could be redeemed, become the man he'd been before. She just had to find it.

"We will not harm you, my chieftain," she said, stepping up next to Sekhmet and placing a hand on her friend's shoulder to stay her wrath. "We will escort you back to the Ark, that's what the strange mountain is called. Inside there are magical chambers called rejuvenators. I have been gifted with great magic, and may be able to use these to cleanse the darkness from your heart."

"Isis," he whispered, a single scarlet tear sliding down his cheek. "If it is possible I will try, but I fear it is not. There is a voice in my head, slithering through my mind like a serpent. It whispers dark things. Tells me to feed."

"Are you chieftain or not?" Sekhmet snarled, taking several steps closer. She pulled the fang necklace from her neck and tossed it at Osiris's feet. "This voice is not your master. Listen to my near sister. She does possess great magic and if a way exists to save you then she will find it. If it does not then you will learn to master this evil. Return to this Ark. Fight, as any warrior would."

"You are right," Osiris said, picking up the necklace and sliding it around his neck. "As long as I have the will, I shall continue to fight. I will return with you to this...rejuvenator. Isis, my love, you will find a way to cleanse me."

Isis rushed forward, throwing her arms around Osiris. She didn't care about the blood or about the strange green glow. After all, she was different now too. Together a way could be found. They could be happy, could rebuild their tribe.

There was hope.

There is still a matter to tend to, Ka-Ken.

Isis disengaged from Osiris, unsure what the voice meant.

We must be certain that the mutagen has not spread. Look to the bodies of the fallen, ensure they do not rise as your Dun rose.

She raised her staff, commanding the sapphire to glow with the brilliance of the sun. It illuminated the bodies below: Set and his final companion. The scene was ghastly, but the bodies were still.

Chapter 11- Despair

The creature's eyes snapped open and it rose slowly to its feet. Snow fell all about it, yet curiously it did not feel the cold. It felt nothing, save hunger. The creature knew that it was a walking corpse, a dead thing that should not be. Such things were unnatural. Evil. Cursed. How was this possible?

When you were slain, the mutagen spread to your body, as it will in turn spread to those you kill, a voice whispered, dark with malice. The creature accepted its presence without question.

It gazed around, licking its lips as it saw the pool of blood drenching the snow all around it. The creature fell to its knees and lapped eagerly at the blood. The tangy liquid tasted of life, of power. The blood was gone all too soon, and the creature looked around for more. Its gaze fell on a figure in the snow only a little ways away. That figure had begun to stir and even now was rising to its feet. It was familiar somehow, this figure. It was short and male, with a graying beard and dull lifeless eyes.

Your former companion, the voice whispered in the back of its mind. Feed upon him and your strength will grow.

So the creature did. It charged the smaller figure, bearing it to the ground and smashing its head against a rock again and again until it stopped moving. Then the creature began to feed. The flesh was cold, but each mouthful filled it with strength, though it did nothing to sate the awful hunger.

Yes, feed and grow strong, the voice said, a proud father. Find others of your species. Consume them.

The creature fed, but as it feasted a troubling thought flittered through its mind. It had a name but could not remember it. What was it called? This lack of identity was troubling.

You are called Set, my host.

Set smiled grimly, for with knowledge of his name memory came flooding back. The world would pay a furious price for the wrongs it had heaped upon him. He would slay them all, and as they died, they would rise again. A glorious army of the dead, united in their service to him.

He rose and wiped blood from his chin, smiling as he walked away from the Black Mountain and into the storm.

Epilogue

Ka was more satisfied than she'd been in nearly three eons. Her plan had two segments, a primary way to seed the world with new Ark Lords, and a backup plan, should the first fail. Both had succeeded.

She watched as the new Ka-Ken led her companions back into the central chamber, pausing by the central obelisk. The woman slammed the primary access key against the floor, then called out to the air around her. "Show yourself, Ka. I would have words."

Her anger was clear, as was the reason. The mutagen had transformed her mate in ways she, no doubt, found disquieting. They ran contrary to nearly every life form that had graced the planet.

"I am here," Ka said, willing a holographic representation to shimmer into existence not far from the Ka-Ken. "Ask your questions and I will answer as I am able."

"What have you set in motion?" she asked, eyes hard. She gestured at the Dun. "This mutagen you had me craft, tell me exactly what it has done to Osiris."

Her fiery-haired companion lurked behind her, standing on the balls of her feet as if she might attack. It would be fruitless, of course. Ka's current representation had no substance.

"The mutagen combined helixes from many species, primarily primate and simian. However, those alone would not have been sufficient to restore your Dun to life. That required a cellular activator, one that could restore necrotic flesh. Such a creature lived during the warmer epoch that preceded this one, approximately seven million years ago. Its body adapted to process a special band of solar radiation that could restart mitosis even if the body had been inert for years."

"What of the voice in my head?" Osiris roared, taking a step closer to Ka. His eyes flared green, clear proof that his body had been infused with the proper radiation. Excellent. He would be even stronger than she'd anticipated.

"Just as I gifted your Ken with a shard of my own existence so to do you possess one," Ka explained, experiencing another surge of satisfaction. Such an unexpected victory. "It contains a part of my knowledge and will guide you as I would guide you, even if you stray far from the Ark."

"This voice," Osiris said, grip tightening on his spear. "Tells me to feed on the flesh of my mate, to slay Sekhmet and feast on her corpse. It. Is. Evil."

"That is unexpected, yet the concept of good and evil are arbitrary and defined by your own morality," Ka countered. "Ultimately your own mind should retain control and your shard should serve as nothing more than an advisor. It seeks your preservation, and the mutagen ensures that your strength will grow as you feed. This is why it recommends such seemingly harsh actions. They are merely a means of ensuring your continued survival."

"Is there no way he can be rid of it?" Sekhmet asked, venturing a little closer. She seemed afraid of Ka, but mastered that fear. Impressive.

"It is a part of him now. The mutagen has permanently altered his genetic structure. Even if it were possible to remove doing so would kill him," Ka offered, understanding that her words did not please the hominids, but also understanding that their approval meant little. What she'd set in motion would echo across millennia, transforming their entire species regardless of what they chose here. It was too late for them to interfere.

The Ka-Ken cocked her head as if listening, then her eyes narrowed. "The voice in my head claims that the mutagen spreads like a sickness. That those killed by Osiris could rise just as he did. Is that true?"

"It is," Ka admitted, nodding.

"Why?" the Ka-Ken asked. "You've created a plague. One that could wipe out the few of us left."

"You are incorrect on two points," Ka countered. "First, I did not create the mutagen. You did. I merely guided you, but the act itself was yours. Second, it will not wipe out anyone. Merely reshape them into a form much more adept at surviving the harsh environment outside the Ark. This glaciation has lasted for eleven hundred years and could persist for several more millennia. The mutagen provides an unparalleled genetic adaptation that may allow your species to survive where it would otherwise perish."

"It turns our people into walking corpses," Osiris said, eyes flaring green. His hands trembled and Ka had no doubt that if she possessed a throat this hominid would attempt to choke her. Then his eyes widened in sudden realization. "By the gods. You say that any slain in this way will rise. That means that Set..."

"Yes," Ka said as the Dun trailed off. "Even now the hominid once called Set has risen and makes his way south. His shard will guide him to the Ark of the Cradle, a place like this one. When Set reaches it, he will become an Ark Lord, just as your Ka-Ken has become one. The lands he will control are much warmer, and he is likely to find more of your kind there. He should be able to convert them, thus spreading his influence and beginning the process of building a global empire."

"That's not possible," the Ka-Ken protested, eyes large. "We watched the bodies. They didn't rise."

"Your interval of observation was too short," Ka explained. "The original mutagen acted very quickly, but the virus will take longer to infect a new host. This process occurred in both the hominids that your Dun struck down, though hominid Set has already devoured his companion."

All three hominids were silent for a long interval. Then Osiris turned to the Ka-Ken. "We have to stop him. We must reach this Ark of the Cradle before he does."

"I agree," Sekhmet said. She turned to face Ka. "Can any of us be one of these Ark Lords?"

"Not as you are," Ka replied. "The one you call Isis has been bonded to a conduit and possesses the ability to shape. While the mutagen has shaped Osiris differently, he too possesses a kind of shaping and thus could serve as an Ark Lord. Your own helixes would have to be shaped as well in order for you to seize control of an Ark. Do you wish this change?"

"Gods no," Sekhmet answered, without even the slightest hesitation. "Let Isis be the Lord of this place, and Osiris claim this Ark of the Cradle. I want nothing to do with your foul touch. I've already seen what it does."

"Very well. If your desire changes it will be a simple matter for Osiris to spread the mutagen, or for Isis to use her shaping to alter your helixes," Ka explained. It found the hominid's limited view quite amusing. They saw time in years, or perhaps decades.

She measured time in eons, had watched as millions of years had passed. She understood the rise and extinction of entire species in a way they never could. Right now this Sekhmet might find the concept horrifying, but soon the idea of being as her companions were would become familiar. Then comfortable. And then desirable.

The Ka-Ken cocked her head again, then focused on Ka. Alarming. Part of the shaping that had created the shard dictated that it must enable the host to survive at all costs. Only now did Ka realize that meant the shard could see her as a threat. It's own creator. She may have created her own adversary, one armed with many of her own capabilities.

"The voice says that this place can be sealed," Isis said, a grim smile spreading across her face. Her eyes glittered maliciously. "It says that when we leave I can will this place to sink into the ground, and that it obey. That this act will send you into hibernation, like a cave bear in deepest winter."

"This is true," Ka began cautiously, struggling to conjure a way to forestall her fate. "So doing will rob you of much of the power offered by the Ark. Your own strength will diminish. This will make it possible for Set to best you. If he does so, there will be nothing preventing him from spreading the mutagen to your entire species."

"There is one thing," Osiris snarled, his entire visage twisted until it no longer resembled the other two hominids. No wonder they found the change disquieting. "I will stop Set, no matter the cost. Isis doesn't need the witchery this place offers."

"He's right," the Ka-Ken broke in. "The voice says that you cannot take away my ability to shape, just some of the energy I would gain from this place. It tells me I can gain more from the sun and that Osiris can do the same."

Ka was trapped and she knew it. The shard had betrayed her. She had made a gross miscalculation, and only now was she beginning to see the extent of that error. If the Ka-Ken's shard was seeking preservation of the host even at the expense of Ka and the First Ark, what would this Set's shard prompt him to do? What had she unleashed?

"Do as you will with me, but know that if you do not stop Set it is possible for him to remake your species in his own image. If he gains the second access key he can use the Ark of the Cradle to shape helixes just as you have done here," Ka explained. Perhaps it wasn't too late for the damage to be mitigated. "If you can reach the Ark first and stop him, then you can seize control of it. You can guide the growth of your own species, helping them to adapt to this world until the great warming begins."

"Very well," Isis said. She turned to her companions. "Let us go from this place. The voice in my head says we must go south, that there is a great land there. A continent it calls the Cradle. If we reach this place, we can stop Set and help rebuild our tribe."

Osiris gave a nod and strode from the central chamber. The others followed. Ka hoped for their success, for if they failed its actions could shape the world into something that would horrify the builders.

<<<<>>>>

Note to the Reader

I hope you enjoyed The First Ark, a prequel novella for No Such Thing As Werewolves, the first novel in the Deathless Trilogy.

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