Legacy: Delving

"My Grandfather would kill for these," Qadira gasped. "They remind me of the Heart and the Fire."

"I am unfamiliar with them." I said staring at the unearthly stones.

"They are glowing on their own," Violet purred. "They don't need lights."

"My Grandfather came into possession of two rare stones. They are called the Fire and the Heart of Assurbanipal and they glow like these do."

"Pretty," Violet said leaning closer until the guard grumbled.

We had circled around and the main room was relatively empty now. The mummy in this room was by far the most intact and impressive of the lot. I squatted down and noticed that the skin was in such good condition I could make out the tattoos on his upper torso. This guy must have been an absolute beast when he was alive. I paced off the table to get an idea how long the body was. In my best estimation, I'd say he was at least seventeen feet which was a good two feet longer than the others. The sound of music filtered from below us. The guard informed us that the dance was about to start. We were heading for the stairs when Qadira placed a hand on my shoulder and stopped me. She opened her slim black purse and withdrew a small faded envelope. The glue had long since dried up and it was only the pressure of her fingers pinching the paper together that kept it from opening. I took it from her as she offered it. Inside of the envelope was an ancient thank you card. The print was so faded I had to guess at the original design.

"Your father gave this to my uncle for safe keeping. He only gave it to me last week."

I opened the card and read the cracked script that was my father's handwriting. It was addressed to Qadira and it was startling. It mentioned that her mother had a vision and a part of that dream was a date, a time, and a place. It summed up to this museum on this night and an hour from now. She told me she begged her grandfather to come here tonight. She failed to tell him why. It was no coincidence and I felt the chain wrap around my neck. The links forged a lifetime ago were manifesting.

"I need a drink." I declared and headed for the bar.

They followed and I called for another bottle of tequila from the bartender. I wanted to drink directly from the bottle but my surroundings made that improper. I poured a shot and tossed it back. I was pouring another shot when a soft touch settled onto my shoulder. I snatched another shot glass and poured a shot for Qadira but it was someone else that took the offered drink. When I saw the milk white skin I turned to face the woman. She was stunning and smiled at my surprise.

"I thought you were another beautiful woman." I said and the albino blushed.

"If you weren't so handsome I'd slap you," she replied holding up the empty shot glass. "Pour me another and I'll forget your ill manners."

"Here," I said holding her hand and filling the glass. "You are dressed as a dancer. Are you the entertainment?"

"Yes, but not the kind you are hoping for," she said laughing. "They are playing my song. Stick around and I might give you a lap dance."

The music had changed from traditional Middle Eastern to a more tribal beat. I took the bottle and followed the dancer. Qadira and Violet joined me as I watched the albino start dancing. Violet informed Qadira that I had that look. I laughed and poured another shot as the dance unfolded. She was fierce bordering on animalistic. I wasn't the only male in the room staring at her. The albino gyrated, stomped, and leapt around dictated by the music. I felt like I was watching an ancient African fertility ritual. My foot was tapping in time to the music and I was being quite blatant about my attraction to the pale skinned dancer.

"She is something," Qadira whispered in my ear. "She is quite famous in South Africa. Her mother was a famed dancer as well."

"I feel captivated," I growled as I poured another drink.

"Good," Violet moaned in my other ear.

"I feel like I have been cornered by two lionesses." I said as I sipped my tequila.

"I'll go with that." Qadira said and Violet agreed. "Pity we are stuck here. Otherwise I would..."

"You would what?" I asked feeling my cock stirring.

"Suck you off and mount you like a slave boy." Qadira growled.

"I shouldn't have told you." Violet giggled.

"What did you tell her Violet?"

"How big you are... in very great detail..."

The dancer was covered in a layer of sweat as she neared the end of her first performance. She threw her entire being into the movements and held nothing back. The drums thundered as the song reached its climax. The dancer rose in a monstrous leap and landed with the final strike of drums. The applause was deafening. I was clapping and whistling as she left the stage. I felt Violet nudge me into motion and I followed her to her dressing room. She left the door cracked open and I entered as she began to undress. The costume fell to the floor and I stared at her pale nakedness unflinching. She stepped into a cold shower and asked me if I had enjoyed the show.

"It was very primal." I told her.

"Then you got it," she replied raising her voice over the sound of the falling water. "Most men simply see it as sexual. Which it is. But it is also more than that. Grab me a towel please, I need to dress for the ballroom."

"Of course," I said and walked over to her vanity and nearly dropped the bottle of tequila when I saw it. "You got one too."

I set the bottle down and picked up the ancient envelope. It was identical to the one that Qadira had shown me. I stumbled over and retrieved the towel and held it for her. I desperately wanted to demand where the envelope had come from but I restrained myself. I watched as she lathered up and washed the sweat from her athletic body. She stood there unabashed and even seem to enjoy my attention. Once her hair was washed she reached out for the towel and I handed it to her. She shut off the water and dried off. I grabbed a second towel and dried her back, ass, and legs.

"I am not used to a man like you being so helpful." She purred. "Ask, I can see it is really bothering you."

"Where did you get that card from?"

"Oh that," she replied her expression becoming serious. "I've had that since I turned thirteen. It was given to me after my mother died."

"Who wrote it?" I asked and she raised a pale eyebrow.

"I don't know. I suspect it is from my biological father. The fucking coward that left my mother pregnant, poor, and without family. Her family disowned her and if it wasn't for my real father we'd both have perished. I came here only because it is what my mother would have wanted. Besides I was curious. Do you know who wrote it?"

"I think I do." I said as I picked up the brittle envelope and retrieved the card within. "The handwriting is the same. It only lists the date, time, and location. Were you invited here tonight or did you request it?"

"I made an offer to the minister." She said as she dried off and began dressing in a contrasting black silk dress. "Heels or flats...?"

I felt a chill but shook it off. I told her heels but to keep flats in her purse. She told me I was brilliant. I ran a brush through her milky white hair as she sat before the vanity mirror. I hummed the same tune my mother would sing when she helped my sisters. It was a nameless tune but it was soothing and seemed to calm her. I was about finished with her hair when I laughed and realized this woman I had seen naked and dance so wonderfully didn't know my name. I introduced myself and she responded with her own. She was simply known as Snow since she was a child. It might seem a common name but in her country where even the rain had a season, snow was unheard of. My father had suggested it to her mother when Snow had been born. Was she his daughter and my sister? Her build was so like the others but her features favored her mother. She had been a native of South Africa and deeply spiritual. I wondered if her albinism was a gift from my father or just a genetic fluke. There was the note with my father's handwriting but it could just be a coincidence.

"You are done," I announced and she smiled.

"Will you dance with me?" Snow asked and I nodded.

"I have promised a few others too," I said as I took her hand and helped her to her feet.

"Of course you did, I saw them standing with you," she replied grinning. "Let's go."

Qadira and Violet were waiting outside and whistled when they saw the transformed Snow. We walked into the ballroom and we created quite a stir. The dance was already underway and with my sister's permission I gave Snow the first dance. It was a waltz and despite the cultural difference Snow was light on her feet and equally comfortable no matter the style. I danced with each of them and they patiently took their turn. I made them feel like they were the center of my world when I held them in my arms. I was surprised at how quickly and easily they formed a bond. A half hour into the dance we took a break and sat down for a snack and a drink. The chief minister did us the honor and sat down with us. I asked him about the serpent folk and the dig site. He informed me that Professor Donahue was still hard at work with a secondary location close to the first. He didn't go into detail but hinted that an even greater cache of treasures might be arriving soon. I congratulated him and he smiled as he got to his feet. Something tumbled from his pocket and I reached down to retrieve it. I felt that psychic chill when my fingers touched the card.

"Oh my god," I said holding it up. "Did he invite you too?"

"Thanks," the minister replied. "Yes, your father suggested I attend the gala tonight. I almost didn't since I have been getting over the flu. I couldn't disappoint him."

"Did he... are there others?" I asked and the older man nodded. "We have to go!"

"If you are sure," he replied but the rest was lost as harsh claxons sounded and the lights flickered and died. "What is going on?"

Bloody red emergency lights illuminated the ballroom. I grabbed Violet and Qadira by the wrist and ordered Snow to follow me. We began to head for the main exit as security measures fell into place. The metallic gates slid down cutting off retreat. I howled as we headed for the back stairs. We managed to reach the first floor but not before the main doors were inaccessible. I lead the girls further down to the basement. Whatever was going on I felt we didn't want to be out in the open so we went to ground. We stopped long enough for the girls to swap out heels for flats. I locked the door behind us and looked for a place for us to hide. There was a rear storage room and it was there that we sat and waited. The silence was maddening but it didn't last. The cries of alarm became screams of terror. I held them close as the massacre occurred above us. I didn't know what form it took but my father had known somehow. He had known and made sure we were here. Why?

"He knew," I whispered as we huddled in the dark. "I don't know how but he knew."

"Thomas... are we going to die?" Violet asked and I shook my head.

"I will protect you, all of you," I promised them. "We are family damn it."

"Who are they?" Qadira asked and I shrugged.

"Stay close, we are going to look for a way out." I said as the silence took hold above us.

The emergency lights gave us enough light to see by but no more. We clung to the walls seeking an exit. We searched the room we were in and found it was a storage room with quite a few wooden crates that were labeled and covered in dust. This was long term storage for the museum. The other rooms on this level were also storage. It wasn't long before we were dirty and covered in dust and grime but damn it we were alive. We were going to stay that way no matter the cost. We needed to know what was happening upstairs. I found a place for the girls to hide and I told them I was going to scout out just as far as the first floor. They argued but Violet assured the others I would be back. She took over allowing me to slip up the steps and listen at the door. The silence was deafening. My hand was shaking as I grabbed the knob and opened the door. I cracked it open expecting to see armed gunman but there weren't any.

I opened the door and staying low I moved to the nearest corner. I couldn't go much further because of the security gate that had fallen across the stairs. I moved close to try and make out the strange shape that was in the poorly illuminated corner beyond. I pressed close to the gate and squinted. It looked like a body had fallen but I could make out the regular breathing as the chest rose and fell. It was at that moment that the drop-down menu blinked. I clicked on it and suddenly the night vision kicked in. I was about to call out to the survivor but stopped. I saw the strange bulge and the unnatural way the bulk lay on the landing. I was trying to make sense of it when the eyes opened. I froze when I saw those sickly yellow orbs staring unseeing into the dimly lit stairwell. It was only then that I made the impossible connection. Those serpentine eyes closed and I retreated. I understood what had happened. The horror of what had unfolded above struck me. I heard a singular cry of fear as a survivor begged for mercy but there was no mercy from what was happening.

I returned to the basement locking the heavy metal bound door behind me. There had to be another way out. I found them clustered in a corner behind two stacks of crates. They saw my expression and asked but I shook my head. I crouched down and fought the urge to scream. What had happened above was far too terrible to share. If I did their sense of calm would be shattered and I feared the screams that would follow would doom us. I asked them if they had found anything. Violet nodded and pointed to the odd square depression in the corner where they were hiding. It looked like an old abandoned elevator. Violet pointed out a curious mark and I moved close and wiped the symbol free of dirt. I expected quite a few things but not what I found.

"That's a Greek symbol, it is Tau I think. What is it doing here?" I said thinking out loud.

"The Greeks ruled Egypt at one time," Violet said for the second time tonight.

"That is true but I don't get it." Qadira said and shook her head.

I pushed on the symbol and it moved. A moment later the inset door opened. A stone plate lifted revealing space beyond. The smell was strong and made my eyes water but it was a way out, I hoped. Once the space was revealed I crawled through to see what was beyond. A soft buzzing sound filled the air as a string of light bulbs flickered to life. I motioned for the girls to follow and they hesitated but slipped into the tunnel. The tunnel travelled in two directions as did the lights. I chose to go what I believed to be westerly. If this was an escape tunnel of some sort there were warehouses in that direction. My sense of smell adapted to the stench eventually. I tried to make sense of the tunnel and its makeup. The lightbulbs that illuminated our way were old. If they had been LED I would have felt better but they were circa 1970s.

"Any thoughts," I said softly not wanting my voice to carry.

"The stone that makes up the tunnel is different than the museum. I believe it is granite." Qadira offered.

I stopped and leaned close to the right side of the tunnel. I used my fingernail to remove the layer of crap covering the stonework. I heard a distinctive click and looked over to see Snow offering me an opened folding knife. She smiled as I took it and used the blade to clear a patch of stone. Qadira was right. The stones making up the tunnel were in fact granite. I was impressed. The skill that the granite had been quarried, cut, and polished was nothing short of masterwork. Granite is hard and difficult to work with. Someone knew their craft when it came to this tunnel. I wiped the blade clean and handed the knife back to Snow. I told them that whoever made this tunnel had great skill.

"Why," Violet asked. "Why build a tunnel down here?"

"Maybe it was part of something bigger," Snow suggested as we continued down the tunnel. "Maybe there was a temple here. Maybe the Greeks built this place. We got here following a Greek letter."

I saw a break in the monotony in the tunnel ten feet further down. We hadn't gone very far from where we entered the tunnel. The sewage made movements slick and dangerous. We discovered an iron rung ladder that led upwards. The individual rungs had been inset into the granite instead of simply anchoring a ladder down here. Maybe they couldn't fit one and settled onto the rungs. I tested the lowest one and it held my weight. I told the girls to stay put. We were likely still in the confines of the museum. I didn't want to go face to face with a serpent folk if I could avoid it. I climbed the ladder slowly. There was no guarantee that all the rungs were safe and secure. The rungs suddenly ended and I was facing a second inset panel that was in fact a secret door. I pressed on the Greek letter and the slab of stone slid upwards. The space beyond was dark but I could see a subdued patch of light off to my right. The night vision let me see even the darkest corner easy.

"Hey... are you okay?" I asked and the man flinched.

"Oh my god," he whispered as he moved into a crouch. "There is someone else alive! Are you alone?" He asked as he approached keeping the small flashlight he was carrying covered.

"There are others below. Are there any others besides you?" I asked as I slipped into the small storage room.

"I don't think so I haven't seen anyone," he said climbing out without hesitation. "I am getting the fuck out of here and you should too."

"Wait, what about the others," I said but he was already climbing down.

I moved to the door and listened to it. All was silent beyond it. I took a deep breath and prayed there wasn't a serpent man right behind it. I cracked the door open and realized I was looking on the room that held the jewelry from the dig but the female mummy was missing. The plastic case holding the body appeared to have burst from the interior. The pedestals holding the gems had been attacked but remained intact. Were there any other survivors? I had to at least look and see if I could help anyone. I carefully avoided broken glass and plastic on the floor. The outer side of the door was camouflaged behind a full-length painting. I was still crouching as I approached the doorway. The main room was empty but there were signs of violence and blood everywhere. The serpent folk had been busy. I heard a muffled cry and clamped a hand over my mouth to keep from screaming. I watched helpless as Qadira's brother and crowned prince was literally swallowed whole. Two third of his body was already trapped and I turned away before his upper torso and head disappeared into the maw of the restored creature.

I moved away and leaned against the bent pedestal holding the glowing gem stones. I couldn't tell you if it was rage or just a desire to strike back but I sang the unlocking spell and took every gem. I did the same with the display holding the strangely cut and polished jewels. I cursed them and knew it was time to leave and guide the girls to safety. I returned to the storage room and was halfway across the room when I heard the blood curdling scream. One of the things had discovered the stones missing. I raced through the hidden door and pressed the button to close the panel. I hung on the ladder watching the interior of the room. My last image just before the stone slab sealed was of the door imploding and the briefest glimpse of an enraged serpent man. I listened as it wrecked the room and eventually slithered away. I climbed down and found the girls alone at the base of the ladder.

"Where is he?"