The Guardian



KLOOONNNGGG!!

Umayma stirred from her dream, thought better of it, muttered, “Not now,” and tried to get back to sleep. She was just beginning to drift off again when she felt a light weight settle itself on her midsection. She sighed and cracked open one eye.

Nizsm, a grey tomcat, sat on her stomach regarding her disapprovingly. “Don’t you think you ought to get up and see who it is?” he asked pointedly.

Umayma sighed again and struggled to sit up in the confined space. “Damnable looky-loos. Can’t they leave me in peace?” she grumbled, attempting to brush Nizsm off her.

The cat resisted her attempt and instead walked down her leg, making sure to step on the space under her kneecap, then jumped gracefully to the floor. He regarded her slyly, a snide expression in his yellow eyes. “You’re the one who agreed to be the Guardian. Do you think I wanted to be stuck here?”

Umayma glared at him, though she knew he was correct. She hadn’t been forced into this job; she had wanted it, even been eager to prove herself…in the beginning. She rose the rest of the way up, groaning when her feet hit the chilly floor. “They could have at least put a few modern conveniences in here,” she griped, attempting to get her appearance in order without the aid of a mirror and ignoring the amused look on Nizsm’s face. “Well, am I all in order, then?” she asked, turning to face him.

The tom studied her intently for a moment. “Were you ever?” he finally replied. Umayma aimed a half-hearted kick at her furry tormentor, but he glided away as smoothly as usual. “Follow me, then, Mistress.” Umayma swore she could hear laughter in his throaty, sibilant voice.

Still grumping to herself, she followed the cat out of the room and through several twisty little passages. “Where the hell are they?” she whispered more than once, but Nizsm always shushed her with a jerk of his head and a warning look. After making their way through what felt to Umayma like a hundred rooms, they finally emerged into a large vaulted space. Nizsm flicked Umayma with his tail and led her behind an ornately carved and painted column. “What—” she started, but suddenly she heard whispered voices. Intruders. Ugh, she could almost smell them in their excitement and greed.

She crouched down next to Nizsm and peered around the column. Three of them—a man and two women. Umayma peered through the gloom, trying to get a clearer picture of the ones trying to violate that which she had sworn to guard.

The one closest to her was small and female, with long, flowing hair. Though the light from the intruder’s torches was scattered and unreliable, Umayma was fairly certain the female was dressed in a blue floor-length robe. She also seemed to be carrying some kind of crystalline device in one hand.

The next, the male, was tall and fit-looking. He was dressed in plain, sturdy clothing and carried a sword. Umayma guessed that he must be the females’ bodyguard.

The one furthest from her was clearly the leader. She was a very beautiful female, wearing long white robes similar to the other woman’s blue ones. Umayma rolled her eyes. The intruder’s robes wouldn’t be white for long, down here amid the dust of ages. This woman carried a long staff, clutched in both hands, and seemed to be inspecting the ancient pictures inscribed upon the walls.

Nizsm nudged her, then indicated the bodyguard with his eyes. He briefly touched his chest with a paw, offering to take out the tall swordsman so that Umayma could deal with the others. She frowned. She didn’t like the look of that sword, or of the device the smaller female was carrying. She shook her head slightly and returned her attention to the intruders. She and Nizsm would need to determine how powerful their opponents were before they formulated a plan.

“Well, can you decipher it or not?” the man asked eagerly, turning to the white-robed woman.

“Quiet, you big lummox!” she snapped. “How do you expect me to concentrate with you asking me a million questions?!”

The man took a step back, recoiling from the woman’s sudden fury. “Sorry, Lucy. I guess this place just makes me a little nervous…”

“Bret, you should know better than to interrupt Lucy when she’s concentrating!” the smaller woman declared, with an accusing glare at the man.

“Geez, sorry, sorry,” the man answered, shrugging his shoulders and walking away to look at another part of the room.

The blue-robed woman turned to the leader. “Oh, my gosh, Lucy! I wish we hadn’t had to bring someone who doesn’t understand how delicate a process this is. I mean, I know he doesn’t know anything about magic, but couldn’t he at least tell how important it was for you to concentrate on what you were doing? And did he think his interruption was going to help? I mean, my gosh, obviously if you had deciphered it, you already would have told us—”

“It isn’t Bret’s fault that he doesn’t understand magic, April. Not everyone can be blessed with the gift,” she said loudly, interrupting the other woman’s diatribe. Leaning in close to the woman, she whispered, “I didn’t really want him to come along, either, but the council insisted, and he does have his uses.” With a knowing wink at her confederate, she turned back to the inscriptions.

Umayma looked at Nizsm. With a jerk of her head, she signified to him that they were to retreat down the nearest hallway to confer. After they back up the tunnel a few paces, she knelt down to whisper to him. “So, what do you think of them?”

The cat considered for a moment. “The man is big, but big usually means clumsy. His sword looks well-tempered, though, and the women seem to have magic. Could be dangerous.” His eyes glittered in the shadowy tunnel.

“What happened to the good old days, when the tomb robbers were just traveling bandits or ignorant peasants?” Umayma complained.

“No challenge there,” Nizsm answered with a yawn. “Honestly, I’ve been getting a little bored. It’s time something stirred you up.”

She had to laugh. “This from the beast who spends twenty hours a day sleeping.” She put a hand on the back of his neck, and they shared a brief affectionate moment. Sobering, she asked, “So, what’s the plan? More observation?”

“Such beings are unworthy to contribute to the destruction of either of us. We must plan a fitting punishment, however. Let them take their report back to this council of which they speak, let them deter others from entering our tomb.” He stretched his legs, extending an impressive set of claws.

Umayma stretched too, rising to her full, though diminutive, height. She worked the kinks out of her back and neck, then limbered up her arms and legs. Finally, she cracked her knuckles, then silently slid back down the tunnel, Nizsm close behind.

The intruders seemed to have made a discovery. The white-clad one was gesturing impressively toward the inscriptions, while the blue-clad one was practically fawning all over her and the large man listened with interest. Umayma and Nizsm crept back behind the column.

“So, it’s here?” the man asked, eagerly. “The Pendant of—what did you call it?”

The small woman rounded on him. “The Pendant of Greater Dark, stupid! Only the most powerful dark magic relic ever created! Duh, oh my gosh, weren’t you listening all this time, first in the council meetings, and then on our whole trip here, and then when we found the pyramid, and when Lucy discovered the way in, and when Lucy was explaining about the inscriptions—”

“Okay, I get it!” the man cut her short. “So, Lucy, where are we headed now?”

The beautiful woman thought for a moment, tilting her head so that the torchlight reflected her face in the most flattering light. “I believe I can find the correct chamber, but I will need a few moments to draw up a map. April, assist me.” The small woman excitedly followed the other to a crumbled stone that was more or less at her waist height. The leader drew a blank piece of parchment out of the scroll case at her side and laid it on the stone. The blue-robe took out a quill and poised it alertly above the parchment, almost spilling her entire bottle of ink in her haste to please the white-robed woman.

After watching them for another moment, Umayma looked at Nizsm and frowned, placing her hand on the pendant hung by a chain around her neck. None of the other treasure seekers had ever mentioned this relic, and she had believed the knowledge of its location lost. She had hoped it lost.

Umayma and Nizsm ducked back down the tunnel. Nizsm paced, his tail twitching frantically. “Why did those fools give so many hints in the tomb inscriptions?!” he hissed anxiously. “The intruders know, and now it will be that much harder to ensure that they don’t return with a legion of cursebreakers and thieves!”

Umayma stroked the cat’s back, attempting to calm him. “The cursebreaker hasn’t been born who could destroy you and me. As for thieves, you’re right to be concerned. We cannot hold off a legion, at least not for long. And if the white-robed one can read the tomb inscriptions, even the traps won’t be of much help in thwarting an invasion.”

“So what can we do? If we kill them, others will come to find out what happened to them.”

Umayma leaned against the wall, considering. “Well, as I see it, we’ll just have to make them forget about the Pendant altogether. Then, after they’re gone, we can alter the inscriptions so no one else will ever know it’s here.”

Nizsm stopped in his tracks and stared up at her, shocked. “Desecrate the tomb? We can’t--!”

Umayma shrugged. “You said yourself the inscribers were fools. They might as well have posted a sign up outside saying ‘Pendant of Greater Dark Herein’! Besides, it’s by far the lesser of two evils.”

Nizsm hesitated, but at last he said, “Fine. But I’ll have no part in your punishment if one is forthcoming.”

Umayma sighed to herself. She was starting to worry that there one no one left anymore who could punish her. It wouldn’t do to tell Nizsm that—he was far too devout, even compared to other cats. She realized he was waiting for her. “Okay, then, let’s go.”

The tom moved in front of her, blocking her path. “Hold on. You haven’t told me what you’re going to do yet.”

She bent down and scratched him behind the ears. “What I always do. What I was made for.” He moved out of the way and allowed her to proceed down the hall for the third time that day.

As they reentered the chamber, Umayma could see that the two magic-users were almost finished with their mapmaking. The fighter stood off to the side, looking bored with waiting. He was examining the inscriptions, but Umayma had a feeling that they didn’t mean much to him. Even the pictograms wouldn’t mean much to someone unfamiliar with magic.

“Have you got that, April?” the white-robe asked.

“Yeah, I’ve got it. I mean I think so. I mean, there’s no way my map is as perfect as yours would have been, but I did everything you said. It just doesn’t look as good. But I think we can still follow it. I mean, I know we’ll be able to follow it, because I followed your directions exactly, and there’s no way you could have made any mistakes—”

“That’s just fine, April,” the leader interrupted, taking the map from the blue-robe. She pulled the smaller woman along in her wake as she strode over to the bodyguard. Standing between them, she studied the map in the light from their torches. The two of them looked over her shoulders, the woman eager for approval, the man curious about their route.

“According to my calculations, this room,” she pointed to the map, “is where the Pendant is stored. The inscriptions said something about a guardian, but I’m sure that’s just a legend they put up to deter tomb robbers.”

“Like us?” the man asked innocently.

The tall woman slowly turned to look at him, her eyes glinting dangerously. Before she could say anything, however, the other woman began berating the man at the top of her lungs. “How could you say something like that?! We’re scholars, not robbers!! Oh my gosh, I can’t believe you would ever call Lucy a robber!!! She’s the most talented magic-user ever!!!! We didn’t even need you on this trip, she was just trying to be nice!!!!!”

She paused, out of breath, and the taller woman cut in. “We’re not here to rob the tomb, only to recover the Pendant. It isn’t safe here where anyone could find it; we must take it back to the council so it can be protected by capable magic-users and kept out of the hands of ignorant peasants.” She tossed her head. “Now, if you’re quite through questioning my leadership, I believe we can be on our way.” She pulled the smaller woman behind her and pushed the man in front of her. “Down that tunnel.” She pointed to the tunnel from which Umayma and Nizsm had recently emerged.

With a quick glance at each other, the two of them fled back down the tunnel as quickly and quietly as possible. Nizsm led the way back through the maze of tunnels and chambers, finally reaching Umayma’s sleeping chamber. As she prepared to lie down and wait, she told the cat, “Go to the Chamber of Seeing and keep an eye on them. Make sure the traps are working. Return to me before they enter this chamber.” He nodded and ran off to follow her instructions.

Umayma lay down and attempted to compose herself to look as if she were inanimate. She couldn’t remember the last time intruders had come to desecrate the tomb, but she remembered exactly what to do. She just hoped it would work against the magic-users. The beautiful one seemed especially dangerous—she was able to cow the man into submission yet inspire such loyalty in the other woman at the same time. Unstable, charismatic leaders had always made Umayma nervous. Magic in the hands of such a person was an even greater cause for concern.

She felt the weight of the Pendant on her chest, slightly comforting in its familiarity. No mortal must possess the Pendant. She, as the Guardian, must guarantee that it be kept safe from the world. She breathed deeply, calming herself and settling more comfortably into position.

She waited for what seemed like hours. Finally, she heard a feathery rustling close to her head and felt Nizsm’s whiskers tickle her ear. “The intruders approach. As I was watching, I saw the blue one use her device on the traps. It disarmed many of them. The white one’s staff has some sort of power as well. It blinded or confused our servants somehow, and the warrior hacked them to pieces when they tried to defend themselves.

“I still think I can handle the warrior, Mistress.” Umayma stirred slightly. “I will not put myself in danger. At the very least, I can distract him long enough for you to take care of the magic-users.” Umayma, lacking any better ideas, acquiesced. She felt Nizsm brush by her once again and knew he was secreting himself elsewhere in the chamber.

Some time later, she heard the footsteps of the intruders as they entered her chamber. Once again, she could smell them, redolent now with fear and anticipation.

“Wow, look at this,” she heard the man whisper. The sound of his footsteps approached.

“Don’t touch it!” the leader commanded. “It could be trapped, like so much of this place.”

“Oh, but even if it is trapped, it won’t really matter, because my spell annihilator can break any curse, and your staff can get rid of the physical traps, and Bret can chop up whatever monsters come at us—”

“Still, it’s best to be cautious. It could be diseased, and…” her voice trailed off. “Oh, my,” she breathed, “the Pendant. This is it.”

“Are you sure?” the warrior asked.

“Of course I’m sure. It fits every description I’ve read of it, and it’s in the exact chamber that I deduced from the inscriptions.” Her footsteps approached until the smell of her ambition was almost overwhelming. “This moldy old thing must be the guardian. It doesn’t look like much of a threat now.” She laughed mockingly. Umayma rankled, but held perfectly still. She felt the woman bend over her, heard her whispering the spidery language of magic. The Pendant grew warm on her breast. Umayma tensed, waiting for the perfect moment. The woman’s hand reached out to touch the Pendant.

Umayma sprang up, grabbing the woman’s wrist and forcing it away from the Pendant. “Uuuuuuuh!” she roared.

“Gods!” she heard the man shout, then “Aaaaaaa!” as Nizsm sprang upon him.

Umayma struggled with the white-robe, attempting to pin her arms down so she couldn’t use her staff. The blue-robe swung her device at Umayma, uttering a word of command. Umayma released one of the white-robe’s wrists, catching the delicate globe and crushing it to powder. The blue-robe shrieked and drew out a wand.

Umayma released the white-robe completely and turned to the other woman. “Uuuuuuuh!” she roared again. The blue-robe quailed, fumbling the wand. Umayma knocked it out of her hand, sending it skidding across the floor and under a collapsed pillar. She touched the Pendant, then embraced the woman, drawing her close to her chest. With one hand, she pulled back the woman’s head and forced her to gaze directly into her eyes.

Easy does it, she thought, holding the woman’s terrified gaze and focusing her own power on the Pendant. Just enough… Tempering her desire to drain dry this foolish intruder, she instead siphoned off just enough of her soul that she would completely forget this incident and the location of the tomb.

Just as she sent the woman reeling from her, she felt something crack her on the back of the head. She whirled angrily and saw the white-robe brandishing her staff, some kind of shimmering magical shield surrounding her. A look of pure hatred distorted her lovely face. Umayma spared a glance for Nizsm, who was still keeping the warrior busy, then began to shamble toward the woman.

The magic-user uttered a long, tangled-sounding stream of command words. A bolt of white energy shot from her shaft and struck Umayma across the midsection. Searing pain tore through her as a large gash appeared in her wrappings. She moaned, stumbling a bit. The magic-user continued to glare at her, a look of cruel glee spreading over her face.

Feigning a critical injury, Umayma slumped against a stone. She once again glanced over to the corner where Nizsm did battle with the fighter. As she watched, the cat leaped from the floor onto the man’s head. He dropped his sword and flailed helplessly, trying to free himself from Nizsm’s stifling hold on his face. He stumbled, crashed into a wall, and fell to the floor, apparently unconscious. The white-robe’s determination cracked slightly, her expression wavering for a fraction of a second. Umayma could smell her terror returning.

Umayma lurched to her feet, moaning again. She waved her arms threateningly at the magic-user, attempting to distract her and prevent her from casting another spell. She surreptiously squeezed her fist and broke up some of the material covering her palm, creating a fine dust. Raising her arms over her head, she threw the dust onto the white-robe’s magical shield. It shimmered briefly, then melted away. Umayma could see panic forming around the edges of the magic-user’s eyes and lips. She grinned in what she knew was a terrifying way and shambled toward the lone woman.

The white-robe held up her staff, feebly trying to fend her off, but unable, in her fear, to remember any of her spells. Umayma touched the staff and it withered, turning black and crumbling to the floor. That bit of soul she had tasted had increased her power exponentially. She hadn’t felt this fit in centuries. Her fresh wound was already beginning to heal itself. Eagerly, she grasped the defenseless woman and held her close, entangling her desiccated fingers in the woman’s silken hair. She pulled the woman’s head back, gazing into her eyes, almost giddy with the smell of horror and outrage emanating from her. Umayma touched the Pendant and crushed the woman to her, drawing out her lifeforce. It was much more powerful than the other magic-user’s had been, and for a moment she was overwhelmed by its flow. She wished she could savor it longer, but with a resigned chuckle, she isolated the memories she wished to erase, then released the woman to stagger after her ill-fated colleague.

Reeling from the surge of power flowing through her, she sat down heavily against the side of her sarcophagus. “I’m fine. Thanks for asking,” Nizsm hissed from the corner of the chamber where he sat astride the unconscious man’s chest.

“I’m sorry,” she replied dizzily. “Give me a moment to regain my equilibrium.” She took a deep breath. “All right, then—you were wonderful, Nizsm. You really helped me out.”

The tom flicked his tail, not wishing to appear mollified. “What shall we do with this one?” he asked, indicating the felled warrior. “It would be fitting to use him as a replacement for those he so unconscionably slew.”

“Yes, that’s a good plan. You can take care of that after you’ve rested.” She noticed that he was watching her with a curious expression in his eyes. “What is it?”

“I was just wondering what their souls tasted like. You’ve often said each soul has its own particular flavor.”

“You know, it’s odd—not at all like I would have expected.” She paused, trying to formulate a description. “It was a bit like pig flesh, but much more salty and of poorer quality.” She dredged up a memory from long ago, of intruders who had once dropped a bag of provisions before fleeing back into the desert. “To be honest, Nizsm, they tasted exactly like Spam.”