“Sen’s home!”
Xander came trotting down the stairs as Senemut came walking into the kitchen from the garage.
Senemut was carrying numerous brown bags which he sat on the counter.
The smell of spices and herbs radiated from the bags and wafted through the room calling Xander’s attention.
“What you got?” Xander asked rummaging through the bags.
“Dinner,” Senemut said.
“I decided that I was not going to even attempt cooking tonight.”
“Good choice,” Xander said as he took out a container.
“This is Thai.”
“Yes,” Senemut said matter-of-factly.
“We love Thai food,” Xander said suspiciously.
“Yes.”
“Okay, whatcha want?”
“Are you suggesting that I am bribing you with Thai cuisine?” Senemut asked with exaggerated shock.
“Yes, I am.”
Raylin and Xaria came walking into the kitchen.
“Mmm, something smells good!” Raylin said as she walked over to the bags.
“It’s Thai,” Xander said crossing his arms.
“Uh oh,” Raylin said looking over at Senemut.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s about our vacation,” Xaria said grabbing a container.
“Should I tell them or would you like to?”
Raylin and Xander turned their curious eyes towards Senemut.
Senemut sighed.
“We’re going to Egypt for our vacation,” Senemut said enthused.
“Okay that’s not so bad,” Raylin said.
“Wait for it,” Xaria said.
“Hatshepsut will be there,” Senemut mumbled.
“What was that?” Raylin asked.
“I do believe he said Sut will be there,” Xander said, amused.
“That’s what he said,” Xaria said taking a bite.
“But there’s a reason.”
“Who cares!” Xander said joyfully.
“I get to see Psycho-Hottie again.
I’m liking this vacation more and more.”
“What’s the reason?” Raylin asked crossing her arms.
“We are hoping to get a lead,” Senemut said leaning on the counter, “on whoever wanted Xander and Xaria.”
“We have to have Hatshepsut with us to do that?” Raylin asked.
“She actually came to me and requested my help.”
“And you said yes?” Raylin asked incredulously.
“Yes,” Senemut said.
“You do realize I have a purpose here on Earth.
I will have to look into this with or without Hatshepsut.
Cheer up.
Egypt will be fun.
Xaria, you have always wanted to see the pyramids.
Raylin, you will enjoy the museums.
Xander .
.
.
you will enjoy everything else.
Hatshepsut will not even matter.”
Raylin gave him a shoulder shrug as she grabbed her food.
Xander joined the girls at the table and began eating.
“You guys are okay with this?” Senemut asked.
“Definitely!” Xander exclaimed.
“I have no problems with it,” Xaria said.
She dramatically put her fingertips to her temples.
“I see a very interesting trip in our future.”
Xander and Senemut laughed.
Even Raylin cracked a smile.
“When Hatshepsut is involved,” Senemut said with a smile, “I don’t expect anything less.”
Senemut lay on the roof of the house, staring at the night sky.
He watched the thick clouds drift past the stars.
Senemut flicked his tongue to taste the air.
It’s going to rain.
Senemut continued to stare at the sky.
He began to chuckle to himself as his mind began to wander back to the events that had occurred earlier.
This is going to be a long trip.
Senemut breathed in the balmy air and relaxed his whole body and mind until he was one with his surroundings.
He sunk deep within himself, surrendering to his senses.
He could hear the twins’ slow breathing as they slept in their rooms.
He could hear Raylin tinkering with one of her numerous projects in the basement.
I swear that girl never sleeps.
Senemut began pondering on the behavior of witches he had known in the past and compared their habits to Raylin’s.
He was deep in thought when he heard movement in the woods.
Senemut instantly sat up and listened closer.
The sound wasn’t right for an animal, but too quick for a human.
Senemut closed his eyes and reopened them.
He scanned the area with his reptile eyes.
He could make out the silhouette of a woman.
It wasn’t Hatshepsut because her body heat signature was much lower, but it wasn’t human either, their heat signature was much too high.
Senemut silently leapt off the house to intercept the stranger.
He tasted the air.
Cherry blossoms?
Senemut silently weaved through the trees, quickly closing in on the unsuspecting soul.
Soon the intruder stopped.
Senemut stopped a few feet away.
“I advise you to stay where you are,” Senemut said, stepping closer.
“And turn around slowly.”
The shapely stranger said nothing.
They stood in uneasy silence when suddenly the intruder threw down some pellets and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
Senemut looked around, knowing they hadn’t gone far.
Suddenly, Senemut noticed movement over his head.
He held up his scaled arm in enough time to block his attacker’s blade.
The clouds finally broke allowing the light to flood through.
Senemut reverted to his human sight so that he could see his attacker.
She stood with her sword raised, ready to strike.
Her excessively long red hair flowed like a river of blood down to her calves despite the fact that it was up in a high ponytail.
She wore a black cat suit that covered her from neck to toe.
Her face was covered with a black mask.
“Who are you?” Senemut asked.
The masked figured responded by swinging her blade.
Senemut again used his scaled arm to defend against his attacker’s blade.
Senemut could feel his more primal side wanting to come out as both of his arms reverted to a more reptilian appearance.
His nails lengthened into claws as they fought on.
The air was filled with the sword’s clanging and Senemut’s hissing.
Their movements were inhumanly swift as they battled through the forest.
Senemut dodged the assassin’s blade and swiped at her mask.
Her mask flew up in the air revealing her face.
Suddenly they were at a standstill, her blade at Senemut’s throat and his razor sharp claws at hers.
He looked into the dark crimson eyes of his attacker.
Her skin was as pale as the moonlight that it bathed in.
Her full lips were bare with the exception of a single line of black down the very center of the bottom lip.
Her lips began to curl up in the most angelic expression.
“Hello, Senemut,” she said.
“I see you haven’t lost your edge.”
“Geisha?” Senemut said, shocked.
“What are you doing here?”
“Business,” she said, lowering her sword.
Senemut put his hand down.
He could feel his steel-like scales transform back to human-like skin.
“Business?” Senemut asked, crossing his arms.
“What type of business?”
“The type that is ‘none of yours’,” Geisha said as her sword meld into her arm.
“That’s not very nice.”
“Good,” she sneered.
“I wasn’t trying to be nice.”
Senemut rolled his eyes, annoyed.
“Geisha.”
Geisha released an annoyed sigh as she turned her glare towards Senemut.
“If you must know, I was tracking a murderer.
Their scent led me here.
It seems that you had a run in with them as well.
If I’m not mistaken, they caught the worst of it.” Geisha motioned in the direction of the broken trees.
“Yes, we had an unwelcomed guest.
They were trying to take off with two of my wards, but they were stopped.”
“Hmmm.”
“You said murderer,” Senemut said, suspiciously.
“Who was murdered?”
“My father.”
“What?” Senemut cried in disbelief.
“Yes, it is very hard to believe.
He was no weak man.”
“I know,” Senemut said, looking away from Geisha’s gaze.
“Ochiru was no push over.
He was the most powerful being I have ever encountered.
Are you sure the scent led you here?
Our attacker didn’t seem strong enough to go up against your father, let alone kill him.”
“I’ve been following the scent of myrrh and ice.
That is the scent I smell here.
It seems I missed her by a day.
Do you know what direction she went?”
Senemut hung his head down and stared at his feet.
“I guess it was the same person.
I followed her trail northeast, but I never could find her.”
Senemut could feel Geisha staring him.
He knew that she would be able to pick up on his nervousness if he wasn’t careful.
“IT WAS HER!” Geisha screamed.
“Who?” Senemut responded innocently.
“You know very well who.
The one you’re in love with, HATSHEPSUT!”
She said Hatshepsut’s name like it was a curse.
“Geisha,” Senemut said holding his hands up.
“You need to calm down.”
“Calm down!
She was here and you allowed her to escape!”
“She was here,” Senemut said, softly, “but I don’t know if she was the one that attacked your father.”
“Do you dare defend her to ME?!?” Geisha exclaimed.
“I’m not defending her.
I’m only saying that there could be circumstances that we are unaware of.
Neither of us knows what happened.
Hatshepsut is one of us.
Perhaps we should try to find out what happened first and make judgments later.”
“I don’t care about what or why.
My father is no more.
Now she must suffer retribution.”
“What does Touch have to say about this?”
Geisha rolled her neck uncomfortably as she clicked her tongue.
“He wants me to bring her back to him, preferably alive, but if that seems a bit too difficult, he will not mind if I bring her back in pieces.”
Geisha stepped up to Senemut until there was no space in between them.
She looked up into his face as he stared down at her, his 6’1″ frame slightly over shadowing her 5’9″.
“That is including anyone who gets in my way,” she continued.
Her alluring scent filled Senemut’s nostrils.
It shook him to his core.
He reached out to grab her but found restraint at the last moment.
“I have no intention of stopping you,” Senemut said, putting his finger under her chin.
“You’re angry and grieving.
You’re not thinking clearly.
Your father was too powerful to be defeated by Hatshepsut which means he allowed her to do whatever she did.
That means there was a reason he let all this happen.
Your father’s wisdom is sometimes hard to follow.
Besides, there had to be a reason why he didn’t have one of you by his side.
Requiem rarely leaves him.
He had to say something to make all of you leave him unattended.”
“Are you trying to say this is our fault?” Geisha said, slapping away Senemut’s hand.
“No.
I’m saying your father had a plan that we are unaware of.”
Geisha turned away from Senemut and wrapped her arms around herself.
“You’re right,” she said sadly.
“He knew what was going to happen.
He had sent us away that night.
He sent us away!
He told us that he needed us elsewhere and that it would take all of us.
He knew damn well she was coming for him!
Why didn’t he let us help?”
Senemut walked up behind her, turned her around and wrapped his arms around her.
“If you want to let it out, I’m here for you.”
“No,” Geisha said, pushing him away.
“I won’t let you smooth this over with a hug and a kiss.
I will not fall for your charms.
I’m going to find her and kill her.
Like I said before, if you chose to get in my way, I will not hesitate in taking you out as well.”
“I’m not going to get in your way.”
“Good.”
“But I am destined to protect her.”
“Maybe I should kill you now.”
“You are welcomed to try, but I really don’t want to fight you.”
Senemut stood staring at Geisha.
He could see the anger and hurt in her eyes.
It pained him to see her hurting.
Senemut wished there was something he could say to take the pain from her but he knew she was beyond words now.
Geisha turned from his gaze and looked at the looming clouds above.
The rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance.
“You have distracted me enough,” she said.
“I must go.”
Senemut grabbed her arm and looked at her with pleading eyes.
“Seitosa, I beg you.”
“You are not allowed to use my real name.
You lost that right a long time ago.”
“Fine, Geisha, give her a chance to explain.”
“You are hopeless.
She attacks your family, kills my father and you still beg on her behalf.
Can she do no wrong in your eyes?
Don’t you see?
You would be better off without her as will the rest of the world.”
Geisha snatched her arm away from Senemut and disappeared through the trees.