Absolute Chaos
Chapter 23.

Lykus took the long way back to Otamia, cutting through the westside of the sand dunes and over the vast plains, as far away as he could from the sleeping animals.

After he had seen Araphel, he retrieved the rib from his hut, then made his way to the Nile. Here he paced for some time, lost in a flurry of nerves before making his way back to Otamia.

Climbing the long trail that led behind Otamia’s mountain, he slipped away from any prying eyes. As he walked, he dreamt of the women and riches that Araphel had offered him in their deal, trying desperately to ignore the guilt that had began to bubble up from his soul. He could not grasp what had come over him while he poured the poison into his water skin and handed it to his best friend.

An unbelievable urge had overcome him, he had been consumed with a momentous force that pushed his soul into sin. All his thought was stolen in this one moment, he had no mind for his friend, only caring for the exquisite rib Raijen held.

Finally reaching the top of the hillside, making his way around the fig trees and pomegranates that Araphel had the slaves planted around the city walls, Lykus came to the back gates, two guards stood to attention on either side, Lykus not recognising either of them.

“As Salaam Alykum.” Trying to compose himself, Lykus didn’t realise how much his voice shook until he spoke these few words. The guilt was flooding in, Raijen should be dead by now, the blue lily water and opium would have seeped amid his blood and consumed his very soul.

“You are up late my friend, why do you approach the back gates.?” The taller of the guards asked Lykus.

Smiling nervously up at him he slowly stated.

“Araphel is expecting me,...he asked me to come this way.” The two guards briefly glanced at eachother before asking,

“What is your name?.”

“Ah...Lykus.” He stammered, desperately wanting to bolt in the opposite direction, however the guards nodded towards him and opened the heavy gates.

Merkha was on the other side casually eating a large pomegranate, leaning agains a giant fig tree. Looking him up and down with something akin to disgust, he escorted him behind the vast caverns to Araphel’s caves door, knocked loudly, Araphel’s voice growled from inside.

“What!?.” Was all he said, nevertheless it gave Lykus icy chills down his spine. Merkha opened his Kings door and spoke quickly.

“Lykus has returned, my King.”

“Good, good...send him in.” The urge to turn on his heels and run now gnawed even deeper at his core, Araphel had always scared and intimidated him.

Running his eyes over Lykus yet again, Merkha left him with the ‘great’ King of Otamia, whom approached him with fierce determination.

“Well Lykus,...how did you fare?, did you retrieve the rib you spoke of.?” The Kings eyes drilling holes into his, the fierce intense stare making him shift them to the floor.

Lykus cleared his throat before he replied.

“Yes my King.” He pulled the sleek silver rib from his wrap, holding it before Raijen’s father.

Araphel’s beady eyes rapidly darted to the strange silver object, they shone with awe and amazement.

“And where is my son?.” His eyes still not leaving the sleek bone as he asked.

“I....I gave him a little something in his water,..just to help him sleep.” The half truth rolled off his tongue easier than he thought it would. Huge beads of sweat were sliding down his back and chest, drenching his linen wrap and plastering it to his skin. There was no way he would tell his King of the fatal dose he had given Raijen, he didn’t know what his reaction would be.

Not aware it humanly possible, Lykus’s heart rate climbed higher, it bolted ahead of itself like a spooked arabian steed.

Araphel eyed him suspiciously, attempting to catch a glimpse of his soul, then tried to snatch the sleek rib from his grasp, although Lykus was quickly able to pull away from him.

Frowning deeply, Araphel’s eyes filled with fury.

“You dare to not show your King, Lykus!?” The panic folded inside, yet he could feel the ribs power pulse into him, he wanted his riches before he handed Araphel his great treasure.

“I am sorry my King,...but I would like my payment first.” The words seemed to flow from his tongue, not realising he had the nerve until they came from his lips.

Lykus watched Araphel weigh up his request for a few moments, surprised when he only laughed.

“Hahahaha....well well, you have grown a pair in the last few minutes boy!,...hahahaha.” Patting him on the shoulder heartily, Lykus unwisely began to relax, letting out a small sigh of relief and an instant sign of weakness, this one small action been his undoing.

Otamia’s ‘great’ King leapt at the opportunity, feeling Lykus’s sudden shift of weakness, he rapidly snatched at his wrist, spinning him like lightning, ripping the sleek treasure from his shocked, sweaty hand.

“Merkha, Sabaf!.” Araphel’s voice boomed through his cave, the two guards immediately throwing open their Kings door and stormed rapidly inside.

Lykus was confused at first, however when Merkha slammed his fist into his stomach knocking the wind from his lungs, he realised how stupid and naive he had been.

As Lykus slumped to his knees, trying to breathe the air back into his bruised lungs, he was suddenly kicked from behind, his head splintering into fragments of excruciating pain before the blackness took him away.

***

Shards of sheer agony splintered his mind, Lykus awoke with a shattering headache, sitting up from the cold hard ground and rubbed at his dark eyes. He was surprised to replace himself on the outskirts of Otamia, not chained in the fetid dungeons built underground the city, or worse, dead.

Stripped naked and beaten badly, yet he was still alive. Having no idea what now to do, he had lost his best friend because of his selfish greed and he had now also lost his sleek treasure.

Slowly Lykus stood, legs wobbling beneath him, he propped himself against a large rock and scanned his surroundings.

Lykus limped into the dark cool air heading towards the mountains springs. He began skirting the base of the great mountain when he heard a low growling, it sounded like it was coming from a small cavern from were he just passed.

Tiny goosebumps rose over his dark skin, littering his flesh with icy fear, his painful pace picking up a little as he staggered further up the mountain.

The growling now turned into deep snarling, Lykus swallowed hard, darting his frightened eyes all around him.

The cool Egyptian breeze turned icy, fear skated upon his dark soul and from the corner of his startled eye a huge oversized jackal now stalked towards him, followed by a pack of wild jackals and other dogs.

He knew this was Am-heh, it was the insane jackal he had seen tearing into the winged God with the fair skin.

Lykus froze, all the air flew from his lungs. Am-heh circled him, his fangs bared, blood and saliva drooled from his snout in thick sticky clots.

He tried desperately to back away from the huge putrid creature and his smaller friends, yet they crouched low, stalking towards his slow retreat. Lykus had quite liked the jackals that roamed the vast prairies, however now he dreaded them.

Sweat pooled over his naked flesh, panic had taken over his entire mind. He could not think, nor breath and dared to dart from Am-heh and the other jackals, but alas, did not get very far at all.

He was immediately gripped by the leg, Am-heh’s huge jaws slicing through his calf, ripping Lykus to the hot sand. An intense burning snatched blindly at his flesh, the agony swimming into a living nightmare.

His screamed out in terror, blood spurt rapidly from his leg, soaking the sand, muddying it with foul crimson pools.

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, Am-heh released the deadly lock of his jaws and stood over him. He smelled of urine and faeces, his foul odour making Lykus heave with the rank intensity.

“Where Is MY CHAOS!?” The foul jackals voice filled his ears with horror.

“I...I...I do not have it.” Trying to crawl away from Am-heh he slammed his huge paw onto his back and smashed him back to the ground.

“WHERE IS IT!?.” Am-heh boomed into the morning light, his patience now non existent.

Lykus could barely form the words, stammering ahead.

“Araphel.....the...the King of Otamia...he has it.” Curling tightly into a ball, he squashed his knees against his chest, his calf bleeding profoundly, staining the sand.

The putrid beasts beady small eyes dove into his soul, moving his snout rapidly over his hot sweaty skin, sniffing his dread as he went, the vile jackals blood and spittle sticking to his skin.

Lykus was sure he would kill him and then eat his dead flesh, however Am-heh surprised him, he took one last sniff of his terror and took off into the night, his pack of rabid dogs following closely at his heels.

Lying very still for some minutes, Lykus desperately attempted to calm his racing heart.

His pulse had barely slowed, when it picked up its pace again, now feeling a searing heat move throughout his blood, starting from the deep gash in his calf and travelled in slow circles from there.

A great flood of terror twisted over Lykus’s spirit, he felt his bones breaking, bending unnaturally beneath his scalding skin.

He looked upon his limbs, transforming in front of his very eyes. Sharp black claws tore through his fingertips, inky black fur covered his splintered bones and mangled his flesh.

The Earth was swirling beneath his foul form, his spine lengthened and cracked and a long tail now pushed through his rear.

Lykus could not voice the agony that engulfed his essence, it scurried amidst every nerve ending and fibre in his entire being.

And with one last ear splitting ‘crack’, the fetid beasts neck snapped backwards and his head changed. A grotesque snout grew from his face and huge bloody fangs protruded from it.

Lykus stretched his furry limbs, shaking the dark stench from his coat, splattering his foul blood into the darkness, then stalked out from the deep shadows.

The midnight moon spied the jackals great shame, slithering out through the grey clouds for a peek at the disgust that had stained poor Mother Earth.

Lykus lifted his head, his bloody snout opening towards the black dome above and howled his sinful, yet mournful tune.