Monsters Under Mistletoe

1. Anubis

Chapter 1

Anubis

C aitlin had to stick to her decision. There was no going back now. On with the crawling along the limestone shaft she went. The space was claustrophobic and made her nose itch, but it was putting distance between her and the trigger-happy tomb robbers. Better to be sneezing from ancient dust than getting a hole in the head.

The masked stranger she was following had yet to utter a single word since rescuing her. Caitlin could only hope he was leading the way to an alternative exit from the ancient Egyptian tomb.

The flashlight in her hand illuminated his jalabiya-covered behind. The wide black robe added to his air of the Egyptian god whose mask he was wearing. A jackal-faced deity guiding one’s soul to the underworld, whom Caitlin had been fascinated with since childhood. The way the stranger had sounded upon telling her it wasn’t safe to leave, fit Anubis too. Or at least, how she had always imagined that god’s voice would be: deep, rich, and seductive.

No wonder she had decided to trust the masked man, who had appeared just in time to save her from the raiders. One wave of Anubis’ gloved hand, and Caitlin had chosen to follow him rather than go back up the ladder to the surface. It was only after he had opened a hidden shaft of endless darkness that she had begun questioning her sanity.

“Where does this shaft lead to?” she whispered for a second time since crawling inside. The entrance had closed on its own behind them, but she kept her voice down in case the criminals were on the other side of it.

Anubis did not reply. It wasn’t because he couldn’t speak English: he had spoken it perfectly earlier. He either didn’t want to talk just yet, or didn’t want to answer because he had nefarious intentions. After all, he had been hiding inside a tomb archaeologists were yet to officially present to the public. That made him a robber, or a creep. Had he saved her from those baddies only to hurt her himself?

Before her mind could supply various chilling possibilities for a 34-year-old woman, Caitlin saw light ahead. A moment later, Anubis got out of the shaft through a square opening. He extended a hand, but she ignored the offered help. Squeezing out of the tight space, she took a look around.

Anubis had not led her out of the tomb. He had taken her into its most precious part: the treasure chamber. Caitlin had believed the greatest treasure to be the painted sarcophagus in the burial chamber where she had run into the raiders, but this room was the real deal. Hidden so cleverly inside the tomb that no one knew about it. Well, no one except Anubis. And now her, provided she lived to tell the tale.

Caitlin looked at her guide. He was standing to the side, arms relaxed, big body unmoving. Watching her through the two small openings on his mask. Too curious by nature, she risked taking her eyes off him to admire the treasures.

Lit by several torches and golden disks reflecting the light, the chamber left Caitlin awestruck by its splendor. Items of gold, silver, bronze, alabaster, and quartz were stacked by the walls to the left and right of the entrance. She marveled at the furniture, weapons, and statues of various sizes – all beauties that needed to be displayed in a museum. And they would be, if Caitlin got out of here to tell her boss about the treasure chamber.

The wall opposite the entrance was a work of art, vibrant colors depicting the life of the person buried in this tomb. A wealthy merchant, by the looks of it. Caitlin also recognized passages of the Book of the Dead. Rested against the base of that wall was a black backpack, and next to it were a smartphone, a water bottle and a work light. Anubis must have been hiding here earlier.

She was about to ask him when she noticed a transparent pale-green orb. It was hovering over the empty space in the center of the room. Levitating right under the high ceiling with air vent openings here and there, the orb wasn’t casting any light. Its purpose appeared to be the preservation of what was visible inside: a branch of mistletoe, looking as fresh as if it had grown yesterday. A plant that many ancient cultures valued for its healing properties.

Caitlin couldn’t believe her luck. Not only had she stumbled upon an ancient mistletoe on the eve of the holiday season, but she had also found a magic orb. Her mission was a success!

The global organization Caitlin worked for made sure ancient civilizations’ magic artifacts remained a secret. In these times of conflicts, governments would immediately try to weaponize magic. So, whenever the intelligence unit of Magic Under Wraps learned of a newly-found ancient site anywhere in the world, an agent was sent to sneak in. Since she had a degree in Archaeological Heritage of the Middle East and spoke Arabic, Caitlin often got sent to Egypt to retrieve magic objects and bring them to the MUW headquarters in Sardinia for safekeeping.

Taking the orb out of this ancient tomb before robbers or archaeologists got their hands on it was thus her priority. The question was, would Anubis let her take the magic device?

Cailtin looked his way. While she had been distracted, he had moved to the entrance and was now sealing the chamber shut with a huge stone. That square piece had to weigh at least 400 pounds. Was Anubis that strong, as his broad shoulders suggested, or was he one of them ?

He turned to face her and slowly, as if to not startle her, reached for the muzzle of his jackal mask. In a flash, Anubis was gone. In his place was a dark-red face with scales on the cheeks and golden eyes.

The face of the guy she had spent the best night of her life with a month ago. Only to wake up alone in bed and robbed.

“Hi, Cait,” the half-dragon said with a fangy smile. “What a nice surprise.”