The Raven and the Staff (The St. James Chronicles Book 2) Read online

  Finally, we caught our breath and A’don reached out his hand to me. “Come, we should go inside.” Nodding, the sobering thought as to why we were there hit me full force. Taking his hand, we entered the ornately carved doorway into another time.

  It was like walking into a great cathedral. The beauty was astounding. Everywhere I looked there were scrolls in diamond shaped shelves. The scrolls looked as if they were made of old papyrus with gold knobs at the ends. Walking to one side of the room, there were little placards made out of gold that had different hieroglyphs on each one. Placing my fingers on an image of the eye that I saw in my vision, I outlined it with my fingers. Solas came up beside me and his grey smoke formed a hand as it grasped mine and reached up to trace the outline of the picture with me.

  “These are the scrolls that tell the story of Horus. Some legends depict Horus and Ra as the same being.” The scroll slipped from its container on a wispy puff of dark gray smoke. Solas’ smokey form worked meticulously to separate the seal and he opened the scroll gently to reveal more hieroglyphs and some other writing that looked similar to Sanskrit. I’d only seen it once before, when I’d taken a trip to Egypt with my mom after my dad died. Even though I was a young child, I never forgot the elegant looking writing.

  Solas’ voice rang steady in my ear as he read the scroll. “And his mother, Isis, commanded him to go forth and protect the people from the desert God, Set.”

  Interrupting, I asked, “But how does that relate to Ra?”

  “Shhhh. Be quiet and listen.” The scroll began to float through the air toward me as Solas remarked, “I think you should read this.”

  Putting my hand out to stop the forward progress of the scroll, “I can’t read that.” I stammered, “I mean, I wouldn’t know how.”

  “You would be surprised at what you can accomplish if you try.” He chuckled at my skeptical look.

  Taking the scroll in my hand, I focused on the words in front of me trying to decipher what they meant. In frustration, my hand jutted forward handing the delicate paper toward him. “I just can’t!”

  The wispy form pushed back. “Try again.” At my sigh of exasperation, he said calmly, “Close your eyes and take a deep breath. When you open your eyes, stay calm and relax your mind, open yourself to the possibilities and tell me what you see.”

  Frustration coursed through me. A’don stepped up behind me. “Try it Maggie.”

  As I turned to face him, my voice faltered with self-doubt, “I don’t know what you expect, but I don’t know how to read this.” He continued to hold my gaze with his, nodding his head ever so softly with encouragement, I huffed softly, “This is so pointless.”

  Sensing I was in need of something more, he calmly placed his hand on my shoulder. “Maggie, it’s okay if you try and fail, just try, please?” He smiled softly; his gaze filled with faith. “I know you can do it,” he coaxed gently.

  Something in his tone, his unwavering faith, or his gentle kindness, goaded me to make an effort where normally I wouldn’t be so obliged. Determined not to let him down, I tried again. Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply and gradually released the air in my lungs letting it take my tension away with it. Focusing my energy on removing any barriers in my mind, I slowly opened my eyes and stared at the symbols in front of me. Deep in the recesses of my mind, it seemed as if a doorway unlocked, releasing a wealth of hidden understanding. The blood coursed through my veins in excitement as a tidal wave of information poured into my intellect and suddenly, I was able to visualize the meaning behind the beautiful, ancient writing and symbols. Looking at A’don, I grinned from ear to ear. Speaking firmly and breathlessly, I read the text. “Horus, who is the son of Isis, and the God over all the desert tribes in the land of Earth will become one with Ra, the God of Quarantia, who looks over all of the people of the ancient world. Forged together by Isis to become the vanquisher of Set and the protector of all the worlds. Their might will be merged and together they will be known as Ra-Horakhty who is the Horus of the two suns. He will use the gifts of Isis and Osiris to grant his familiar, a magical being, the ability to bind Set’s powers and confine him to the land of Duat, where he will be surrounded by the sounds of the millions of lost souls that he tortured throughout his time. With the eye of Horus, the staff of Ra, and the mighty tablet of Thoth and Hermes, these things will come to be.” Stopping, my lungs burning, I inhaled a large gulp of air before continuing on. “Once the eldest evil of the lands is vanquished, the Land of Two Fields will hold the God, Ra, and all of his children who await their time of rebirth, until the day that the descendant of Ra will open the doorway between the Ba and the Ka. Uniting the two who have split apart into one.” Having reached the end of the words, I turned the page over, looking for more. Puzzled, I looked up, “Wait, what does that mean?”

  Solas gently removed the scroll from my hand, rolled it up, and placed it back into the hole it was in. Looking at the cartouche on the shelf, I could see they were numbered at the end of the name. Anxiously, grabbing the next one, I felt a surge of power as I opened it gently in the same way that I’d seen Solas open the first. Unrolling it slowly and meticulously, my breath hung trapped in my lungs until the scroll was released and I began to read aloud again. “One day, there will come a child of Ra, a descendant of earth and sky, who will find the missing tools of power that he has misplaced. The child will also release the goddess Isis from her prison within the tomb of the Valley of the Kings. She will be a guide for the savior. Her path will be filled with obstacles and she will determine who the next heir will be upon the lands of the Ba and Ka. Only the new ruler will be able to guide the two lands in harmony and unite those who have been driven out by the evil God, Set. If the Land of Two Fields is taken over by Set and his servant, the traitorous Anubis, he will destroy all that is good within the many realms. The Ba and the Ka will be permanently split and not be able to rejoin to become a new life. The descendant of Set will have the power to determine the path of the ancestor. Only the descendant of Ra will have the power to overcome the descendant of Set.” Again, I felt the urge to inhale a deep breath and as I exhaled, it whistled through my teeth. Looking to the shelf there was only one more scroll with the eye of Horus on it.

  Solas spoke, “The final scroll is damaged.”

  Carefully, I rolled up the scroll in my hand and placed it within its holder. Taking the last scroll from its place, I slowly peeled it apart. As the crinkled and worn cloth paper unfolded in my hand, it appeared to be damaged toward the bottom. There was not a lot to read, though and I was disheartened. “How did it get damaged? It looks as if it’s been burned.”

  “It’s very old, but the belief is that someone entered the temple and damaged the scroll to try and prevent the descendant from finding the answers to overcoming Set.” Solas’s voice was a whisper beside me.

  “But aren’t there other scrolls that tell how to conquer Set or tell who Set’s descendant is?”

  “I’ve looked for many years to find the information you ask, but there’s nothing. The only other historical records that exist tell how Ra trapped Set with the aid of his familiar, but nothing detailed about how to overcome the descendant of Set or who that may be. There’s one other scroll that we have found that’s important. It talks again about the coming of a Goddess from the house of Valor who will vanquish Set and be the ruler of all the lands, but it doesn’t identify the name or when, it only says that in the hands of the descendant of Ra lies the key to joining the Ba and the Ka.”

  “The vision I had of Ra told me to go to the Sphinx in Egypt. That sounds like as good of a place as any to start.” Sighing heavily as I wrapped up the damaged scroll, the only legible words on the scroll were just something about an all-consuming love that brings together two parts of one soul, the Ba and the Ka. The rest was damaged and illegible due to the scorched words. It was interesting how the burning only marred the letters and writing but the spaces between were still yellowed and intact. I was slightly curious ab
out the other scroll. “Solas, can I see the other scroll?”

  “Yes, it’s over here.” He floated through the air toward another part of the grand temple.

  As we made our way across the room, I couldn’t help but notice that the sound didn’t echo. It was eerie and silent as A’don and I walked and there was no clicking of our boot heels on the floor as we passed. The glint of light on a particular cartouche caught my eye as we came closer to the area Solas was leading us to. Stopping mid-stride, I turned toward the sparkling reflection making my way toward it. A’don had turned to follow me and I heard the slight sound of his clothing rustling behind me. A quick look over my shoulder confirmed he was there. Stepping up to the singular scroll, there was a picture of a magnificent dragon and the word, “Sol Duc” written below it on the cartouche. Placing my fingers on the image, my heart sang with recognition. It was my Duck, but suddenly I knew that the words meant “One Dragon”. Tenderly, I drew my fingers across the image and down to the solitary scroll. Pulling it from its space, I opened it carefully. Inhaling sharply as the scroll appeared to come to life in my hands.

  Collectively, we all sighed as Solas had joined us. My heart raced as I watched the beautiful Shalandria creating Duck. In her hand was a marble ball which she dropped into a fire. Within the fire she dropped river rock and other stones which looked like marble, jade, amethyst, and rubies and then added a drop of her blood. Plucking the stone from the fire, it glowed like an opal and she opened a flask which had a picture of the fountain at the base of the Tree of Life, she said a prayer asking the tree to forgive her. Finally, she spoke the words, “From light and life, I breath the fires of Isis into you. May you bring peace to those who need comfort and bind the chaos that threatens the worlds.” The image sputtered and swirled. A vision of Duck appeared. He was ferocious and snarling and much, much larger than he was even now. He stood over a large creature that looked like a giant dog. Blood dripped from his fangs. His image turned toward me and suddenly he calmed, “Mistress!” He whispered. Then the image dissolved. It was replaced with him flying through the air. Only this time, he wasn’t alone! There was another dragon next to him. It looked distinctly like it could be a female with its purple hues. A raven swooped out of nowhere and knocked her from the sky and then turned into a serpent with wings as it flew through the air. She plummeted end over end and Duck screamed in agony as he flew after her into a pillow of clouds. A cloaked figure stood at the top of a mountain and raised up the staff of Ra. A blinding light flew through the air and engulfed the entire scene. The vision ended with an echo of low anguished screeches and growls and that was it. As I exhaled swiftly, my heart hammered in my chest. I hadn’t realized I was holding my breath, but suddenly, I felt dizzy. Crumpling to the ground, I wished for peace from the images I’d just seen. Tears slipped down my cheeks. “What does this mean?”

  Chapter Four

  As I lay on the ground, reeling and feeling overwhelmed, the tears wouldn’t stop even though I wanted them to. Crying and wondering what I was going to do to protect my beloved friend, Duck, I couldn’t help but to wonder how it would all play out and what it all meant. Thinking about what I needed to still do, I decided that now was not the time to dwell on this. Determination coursed through me as I decided that I was going to do the best I could to save Jaxon right now and at some point, I’d find a way to save Duck and his companion. A’don had settled next to me to wait out my tears. Turning to look at him, I smiled. Dear A’don. So kind and thoughtful. I couldn’t help but reflect on how my opinion of him had changed. It seemed only a short time ago, I thought he was a little creepy, but seeing his concerned expression shifted my thoughts and I knew he was simply the most compassionate man I’d ever met.

  Wiping away my tears, I got to my feet. He stood next to me. Turning toward Solas, I took a deep breath to steady myself and asked in a firm and direct voice, “Where’s the other information. I feel like I need to get out of here as quickly as possible.”

  “Follow me.” He replied as his wispy form moved toward the end of the great cathedral. Stopping in front of a singular scroll, there was a cartouche that showed a picture of the great tree of life.

  Pulling the scroll from its sacred space and bracing myself, I opened it. The words jumped out of the paper at me as if they were swords trying to gouge my eyes out. My voice was steady as I read the scroll out loud. Reading out loud always helped me to remember and I knew now that reading it to myself would not only seal the information in my mind but would allow A’don to remember it as well. The words re-focused and my voice chimed softly, “Take heed child of Valor. The goddess of light and love will rise in a time of great pain. The lost tools of power will be found by one who would use them for innocent means. When all of the tools are brought together, a great battle will be lost and won within the arms of the lover who is the Ka to the Ba. A goddess of great power will come forth with golden hair and eyes of blue. She will reign over the lands for many years and her descendants will inherit a peace that is guided by the great God Ra. Be wary of the deceiver who will try to trick you on your journey. Let the light guide your path and all will fall into place.”

  My heart thumped wildly in my chest and I stared at the scroll, willing it to bring forth more information. Nothing happened. Rolling up the scroll and placing it back into the shelf, I said, “Well, I wish all of this made sense, but it doesn’t. I guess I have no choice but to follow my vision.” Turning toward the door, I shrugged and resolved to begin the task at hand. Glancing over my shoulder, I stated firmly, “Come on A’don, we have a long journey ahead of us.”

  “But Maggie, where are we going?” A’don asked excitedly with a glint in his eyes.

  “I’m going to Egypt. To the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Sphinx just like Ra told me to. If what I’m looking for isn’t there, I’ll just look around and see what clues are there.” Stepping outside, I was surprised that it was dark already. However, it wasn’t just dark, it was pitch black outside. No stars were in sight and the moon which had been almost full the night before was ominously absent. A’don stopped dead right beside me. “A’don, is that normal?” The words came out in a whisper.

  Shaking his head, he replied in a hushed voice, “No.”

  Solas joined us and for once, his voice wasn’t dripping with sarcasm. “You need to hurry.” He turned back and with a movement that resembled hands waving in the air, the shrine disappeared, turning into a rock facing.

  I was slightly stunned at first but then I remembered my purpose in coming here. As I started for the temple of the elders to retrieve Jaxon, Solas moved in front of me, “No, Maggie. I’ll protect him. You must go now.” Trying to get past him, he held me firmly. Glancing away from my intended path back to his wispy form, I was met with kind eyes and a stern voice. “Maggie, Stop.” He asserted.

  Bracing myself, I looked into his eyes and begged, “You don’t understand. I have to protect him. I promised Andrea and Kelsey.” Fear gripped my heart, and my skin was clammy as I again stared intently past Solas toward where Jaxon’s soul was being held in a glass box. All I could think of was getting to Jaxon and protecting him from whatever was happening. It seemed as if every Vardosian was calmly walking toward the temple hidden in the rocks at the other end of the village.

  Solas’ form contorted and twisted into a wise old man with a long flowing beard and twinkling gray eyes. “Maggie!” He almost shouted it. Pressure surrounded my shoulders where he was holding me and he spoke again in a calm, deep voice, “Maggie, my child, you must go. It is time for you and A’don to go. Please trust me. All will be okay.”

  A jagged breath tore through me as I stared intently into his eyes, willing the ability to see truth reflected back at me. Gentle eyes that glistened and twinkled remained soothing and comforting as he watched me. “Promise!” It was more of a request than a demand.

  Nodding softly, his eyes never left mine as he solemnly responded, “I promise I’ll do everything in my power to k
eep him safe.” Glancing over my shoulder, he made a motion toward A’don who stood behind me and reconnecting his gaze with mine, firmly pressed, “Now go!”

  Still caught in the grips of wanting to go rescue Jaxon’s soul, I stood there for a split second longer. Finally, I exhaled. “Fine.” Using my mind link, I called out, “Duck, we need to go! Now!” Almost as quickly as I’d finished my sentence, he was at my side with a large pack and my satchel held in his teeth. Turning to A’don, I said, “Get on!”

  A huge smile split his face. Turning to Solas, he hugged him fiercely, placing his forehead against Solas’ forehead, “Good-bye Father. Go with blessings. Tell mother I love her and both of you be safe.” My eyes widened with the sudden comprehension that A’don was Solas’ and Nelani’s son. He turned to me, “Let’s go!” As he jumped onto Duck’s back.

  Stopping right before getting onto Duck, I asked, “Are you ready?”

  “Yes, Mistress!” Duck stood tall and proud.

  “Good-bye, Solas. Tell Nelani I will do my best to bring her son back to her.”

  He scrunched up his eyes at me. “I will tell her. Goodbye, Little Hawk. Fly with the Gods.”

  With that, I closed my eyes and transported us to my home in Allyn. In an instant, I could hear the waves lapping against the shore and smell the tangy salt water in the air. Ahhh, my heart sang with joy. I’d missed the water. It was like a salve to my soul. As I slid from Duck’s back, I turned toward the house. Suddenly a kaleidoscope of emotions cascaded over me. As I stood right next to the opening in the earth where Daniel had plucked the tree of life from its place and left me with my battered heart and damaged soul, I sucked in my breath to keep the memories from drowning me and abruptly turned to the doorway leading into the house. Forgetting that A’don was there, I walked through the sliding glass door and flipped on the dining room light to come face to face with a beautiful Christmas tree adorned with a multitude of beautiful bird ornaments. Sitting on the table was a Christmas card from Sheriff Cooper and his wife Shirley as well as a letter from my best friend, Sherri and one other envelope that was upside down. I sat down in the chair. Tears welled in my eyes as I read the card from Sheriff Cooper and Shirley first.