Team of Seven Heroes Short Tales 4 Chapter 17

17.

Junior

Yukio sensed the young lad was riding next to her was silent but his actions spoke of the need to speak. She then looked over to him.

“Is your name Abraham?” The demure lady had changed into travelling attire of tunic and loose pants tucked into the knee-high boots. She had her hair tucked into a bandanna wrapped to the back. She had on her the set of swords used by her guardian with her own set wrapped and strapped to the saddle.

“Uh…. Yes, it’s.” Abraham unsure if he ever told her his name.

“My guardian is not really one but my grandfather. He told me to tell everyone that he is a guardian and I am a Princess which I am not. I am just a plain lady far away from her homeland.” Yukio replied. Her face was devoid of the heavy makeover and she looked plain like others.

“Me? I am on a trip here with my mother to settle a …. family issue.”

“Why are you then with us on this journey? I know of the Hidden City. Taro-san told me of it. I am here for a purpose too. I am to fight Imtep for it was responsible for the death of my father too. It possessed my mother and killed my father. I was saved by my grandfather who killed my mother. Madame Deauville is my grandmother on my mother side. She is my guardian now. She may know of this but what she does not know is that I have come to avenge my mother.” Yukio replied. “And Taro-san.”

“How … With no ….” Abraham struggled to find the words.

“Taro-san blade is not any blade. Its an ancient blade of the darker ages. It will slay demons.” Yukio displayed the katana on her waist belt. “It’s named Akuma Slayer.”
Abraham looked stunned then.

“It was no coincidence that my father will meet my mother. She came there to learn of the ancient texts on Akuma. She met my father who was an apprentice there under the mentorship of Taro-san. They had me before Tara-san can stopped their relationship. Due to that they were spared the punishment of death but the rule was I am not to call Taro-san as my grandfather. I was raised by Taro-san and taught the ways of the Samurai beside the arcane arts.”

“How did Imtep …”

“Imtep is recovering in the city but its evil deeds reached out far and into my mother. She was his student once before and in her struggle to set free, she was possessed. Taro-san killed her to remove the demon from controlling me.”

“I…” Abraham still struggled in his words.

“The dark clouds beckon us for it mean Imtep is once more at its peak of its power. We must stop it.”
Unknown to the young couple, Madame Deauville heard their conversation and then pulled the reins of the horse she was riding on. She soon found herself next to the English man.

“Major Chips, I presume once more.” The officer heard his name called out and turned to acknowledge the lady.

“Madame, I am honoured that you still remember me. After all, Shanghai was a distance memory for the elderly chaps like me.” Major Chips smiled.

“What happened in Shanghai remained in Shanghai.” Madame Deauville replied. “Although it was unorthodox.”

“More like a daily chore for me, Madame. I can assure you that I was delighted to have met you there. You were so out of place then and yet there was something mutually we enjoyed.” Major Chips smiled.

“I can say so. Its not every season we had vampires and demons calling at our doorsteps. If I could recall you were there to ,,,,,, excavate the ancient tombs.” Madame Deauville smiled. She meat the Major then at the ancient dig site.

“Excavate it was indeed. I was surprised to see besides you the beauty of the day, the demons were of a far away land appearing there. Most unusual and that was what made me curious of you. Did you attract them? Like me the foreign devil in Shanghai.”

Madame Deauville laughed at the Major. She had encountered Western demons in Shanghai and that even surprised her. She thought she had seen enough of them when she left them in Egypt but they had followed her to Japan and then to China. She decided to return to Egypt; it was her final calling.

“Tell me, Major. Why does the Hocus Pocus Section want with the Hidden City?”

“Hocus…. Oh, you meant M99; the section for the Occult. They could not give us a reference and settled on 99 for ease of remembrance. Yes, M99 is here on official call. The French are here and so we can’t be far behind. They acclaimed to have the key to stop Imtep. I am tasked to take it from them. It won’t be difficult for we done it before in Waterloo.”

“Waterloo was a fluke, if the French could correct you. Napoleon was unwell at the battle and his judgment was adjusted.” Madame Deauville pride herself of her heritage. “We are the world conqueror even before the Spaniards.”

“I won’t dispute that. I am after all a gentleman. We don’t countermand the ladies view. We may ignore it.”

“Spoken like one. I admired that. Be one when we meet Imtep.”

Hasnah was a distance to the right and heard everything. She recalled her meeting with the French lady was uneventful too.

“My Master awaits you ahead.” The French lady motioned to Hasnah and Abraham once they had stepped into the pyramid. The sight that greeted a chamber; a huge one with the major pillars to the side and with them, the grand chamber held its semi circular ceiling with the ornate drawings of the universe with its planetary layouts. What was most amazing were the from the ceiling were the long strings of human guts that at the end was the dead body. Or appeared to be for they were swinging as if a breeze was in the chamber.

“Oops I was wrong.” Madame Deauville then stepped into a hidden doorway and was gone. The Madame was wrong. Imtep was there standing at the far end. It was not the same for there was something uncanny on the figure.

“Father?”