100 Days

Prologue

Day 100.

He looked down at her, and his heart broke once more. 1

He'd lost count of how many times he'd had to witness her death. He'd thought the first time was gut-wrenching, enough to break a man into a million irretrievable pieces, but that was so long ago now that he could hardly remember the pain of watching her die right in front of him. All he could remember now were all the times that followed. The time that she was skewered with a spear. The time that she was turned to stone. The time that she caught the Black Death before he could even reach her. The time that she burst into flames. The time when they got so, so close, and they killed her before he could do anything. And now, when she was brought down by the most simple and disgustingly human killer of them all: a bullet.

All those times were so much worse than the first time, for one single reason: they were his fault. He was responsible for her death, over and over and over again. Not only that, he had to live with that knowledge, with knowing and remembering that every time she died, it was because he failed her.

That was the real curse.

He hears a soft sound from behind him, and when he turns around there's a familiar man standing silently behind him. Like every other time, he's accompanied by his favourite dog, who sits next to him as silently as his master, and is as black as the night shrouding the two figures.

The man arches an eyebrow when he takes in the scene before him. "A soldier this time, are we? That's a little on the nose considering your predicament, don't you think?"

He rocks back on his heels and slowly gets to his feet, very deliberately choosing not to respond. The man, as per usual, finds this incredibly amusing.

"The silent treatment?" The man chuckles, crossing his arms over his chest. The taut muscles in his forearms bulge as he taps his fingers against his bare skin, repeating the same sequence over and over again. Tap tap tap. Tap tap tap. The torturous drumbeat to accompany the equally excruciating events that he knows is about to follow. "That's cute and all, but you do know that you legitimately can't ignore me, right?"

Still, he doesn't respond, instead choosing to divert his attention to the girl lying motionless on the ground in front of him. His jaw clenches as he tries to look anywhere but at the ragged bullet-hole that so callously ripped her life away.

Again.

The tan-skinned man follows his gaze, and his eyebrows shoot up even higher. "A bullet this time? That's.... Boring. Now I owe Horus a phoenix."

"Boring?" He echoes, finally meeting the other man's gaze. He speaks in a low tone. "You bet on how she would die? Is this amusing to you?"

"It certainly isn't uninteresting." The other man shrugs nonchalantly. "What can I say? My job tends to be more bereft of life, and a little curse of death like this really livens it up."

"'Livens it up'?" Fury starts to boil in his veins, sparking in his gaze. "We have to live out this curse, this unrelenting hell we have been damned to suffer because of you all, and you find it entertaining?"

"Careful. You may be immortal, but your immortality will not protect you from a god's wrath, should you continue to throw around such crass words." The man warns sternly, and the dog next to him starts growling lowly, his hackles rising. "Your fate was determined by Ma'at; I am just here to see it through. You know the rules. If she dies, you get sent to your sarcophagus for a century and wait for the next cycle."

"This isn't fair." He snaps, and the other man sighs exasperatedly, almost like he's talking to a petulant child that is on the brink of an explosive tantrum.

"We go through this every time. The fact that she was killed by a bullet instead of a roc or a javelin does not alter the situation. If you wish to break your curse you must complete the tasks Ma'at set you." The other man replies calmly, his eyes flashing in the moonlight. "Your bemoanings about the fickle concept you call fairness are falling on deaf ears."

Around them, the still night stirs restlessly, the rhythmic drumming growing louder. A light breeze that had previously been dancing gracefully around them starts to buffer viciously, stirring up the sand underfoot. His heart clenches painfully in his chest.

It's beginning.

He glances down at her, her body already disappearing into the whirling sandstorm that the god standing in front of him has stirred up. He knew what was going to happen next. She was going to disappear into the earth; her life, her existence forever forgotten by all but him. And he was going to disappear into the earth too, but in a completely different and far more torturous sense, until he woke up in one hundred years time, and this would all happen all over again. He would live, just to see her die. Over and over again, without relent. His own personal duat on earth. And he would be forced to endure this for the rest of eternity, unless he managed to break the curse. Unless he managed to stop her from dying and save her.

The other man clears his throat, his expression one of perpetual boredom. He clicks his fingers, momentarily halting the drumming so he can motion at him.

"I grow tired with your tedious fortitude. Stop mourning the girl's death; you have witnessed it before, and you will undoubtedly witness it again." The man bends his finger, motioning him forward. Next to him, the dog stills, his eyes trained on the defeated Egyptian solder standing in front of his master. "You are only delaying the inevitable, and you are wasting my valuable time. I do not have all day to do this, you know." 2

His fingers curl into fists at his sides, and he clenches his jaw to prevent the fiery outburst from tearing through his lips at the god's callous indifference. He glances down at her one last time, his vow reaffirming in his mind.

Next time, I will do it. Next time, I will break the curse. Next time, I will not fail you. I swear, with Hapi and Horus as my witness, next time, I will stop this.

"Are you ready?" The other man asks, and he nods, finally meeting his gaze. A smirk twists up the god's lips, and without any further hesitation he clicks his fingers, tearing them away from the sandstorm and back to a place he was all too familiar with. He eyes the large sarcophagus next to the god with hostility, the familiar etchings on it filling him with unadulterated loathing. The other man extends his arm, pointing almost mockingly at the sarcophagus as wrappings appear in his other hand.

"You know what to do." Anubis smiles, his black eyes glittering mischievously. "Let us begin, my favourite little reincarnation."

Chapter One 1

Day 0. +

"Kiara!"

I jolt at the sound of my name, looking up from my phone. The barista catches my eye, holding my cup of coffee up in the air. "You going to just stand there and stare at me, or?"

"It's nice to see you too, Zach." I roll my eyes, pocketing my phone as I head over to the counter. "Isn't it a little early in the morning for that kind of sass?"

"Isn't it a little early in the morning for a coffee this size?" He quips back, raising his eyebrows as he hands me my jumbo cup of coffee. I wrap my hands around the warm cup and take a big sip, a contented smile lazily spreading over my lips.

"It is never too early in the morning for coffee." I sigh, and Zach chuckles at the gratified look on my face. "Especially this early in the morning."

"It's almost eleven o'clock." Zach replies ruefully, and I shrug non-committedly. He motions towards the camera hanging around my neck as he prepares to make the next customer's coffee. "Let me guess. You're off to the Smithsonian?"

"No. Haven't you heard? It's the latest fashion trend." I joke, tilting my head to the side and lifting my camera up by its strap. He raises an eyebrow at me, and I crack into a grin. "Okay, you got me. Yes, of course I'm headed there; I'm meeting my father. He said he's got a surprise for me, so I figured I might as well make a trip of it and take some photos for my blog while I'm there." 1

"You're a weird one, Kiara." He chuckles, shaking his head. "I think you're the only person I know to willingly spend the entirety of her summer break before starting college in the dusty halls of a museum." 2

"It's better than spending it in New York, listening to my mother berate me into going to law school." I reply dryly. "I'd rather fall off the ends of the earth than hear another word about why I'll be 'a failure to the Collins dynasty' if I follow my passions instead of following her orders."

"Touche." Zach winces. "You know, our friendship may only be reserved for these fleeting summer visits, but I still cringe for you every time I hear that."

"I cringe every moment I'm around her, Zachary." I reply, lifting my coffee cup up in salute as I head out. "I'll see you later."

"So, about four o'clock, right?" He calls after me, and I laugh, poking my tongue out at him as I back out the door.

The sharp, brisk air of the summer morning hits me like a slap to the face the minute that I step outside the warmth of the cafe, and I squeak, burying my face in my thick green scarf. Even though we're already well into summer, I still get absurdly cold every single damn morning. I must be designed for the life of an Italian, or a Hawaiian, or an Egyptian I swear; even on the mornings like today, where every normal person is already considering changing into shorts, I feel the chill right down to my bones. 1

Pathetic, right? I like to think I'm a rare breed of human. Possibly with strictly reptilian ancestors.

I look up just in time to see the lights changing, and press the pedestrian light just in time. Seconds later, the pedestrian man lights up green, and I scurry across the road as quickly as I can, still completely lacking any faith in American drivers.

What can I say? You almost get hit so many times before you start to literally fear crossing the streets.

Just as I make it across to the other side I feel my phone start to buzz in my jeans pocket, and when I finally manage to fish it out, I realise it's my best friend FaceTiming me. Grinning, I accept her call and hold my phone up in front of my face as I continue walking.