Muscle Memory
You’d think gods would learn some manners after a few thousand years.
Though Steven had missed having control of his body, he certainly hadn’t missed Khonshu and his cutting remarks that came with the territory each and every time he fronted. Zara shot a glare at the god of the moon, but Khonshu didn’t even flinch. “That worm could be our best bet at stopping Ammit when – not if – she is raised.” Steven flushed as she glanced back at him, his heart fluttering at the sight of her. She smiled at him warmly. “It’s good to see you again, Steven.”
“You too, Zara,” he murmured, both unable and unwilling to stop a smile from tracing his lips. “It’s been a bit of a ride, hasn’t it?”
She laughed a little, and butterflies seemed to take off in his stomach. “That’s one way to put it.”
They locked eyes for a moment, before Khonshu interrupted yet again, apparently having absolutely no time for their measly human conversation. Well, worm?
“Just ignore him,” Marc’s voice sounded in his head, and Steven was surprised at how comforted he felt by him. “The old bird doesn’t really like anyone.”
Steven slowly sat down on the couch, and Zara followed suit, watching him expectantly. Khonshu bristled, impatient as ever. Get on with it!
Zara scowled at Khonshu again, and he couldn’t help but feel a flare of appreciation. She clasped her hands in her lap, turning back to Steven. “When we were in the chamber, Sekhmet told me other gods had been imprisoned. Powerful gods, greater than Khonshu – ” her eyes flicked to the deity with disdain. “Imprisoned in stone.” She inclined her head questioningly, her voice gentle. “Do you remember who you saw?”
“It…it was hard to see,” Steven admitted. “My eyesight’s not the best, but I saw these little statues, in a chamber of their own off to the side. The room was dark.” He flicked his eyes up to Zara somewhat apologetically, but she just nodded encouragingly. “I told Marc to go over, to have a little peek. But I only caught a glimpse before Yatzil – Hathor’s avatar I think, lovely lady – came to find Marc.”
And? Khonshu urged. Hurry up and say your piece, worm, and then let Marc back –
“Khonshu,” Zara seethed, glaring daggers at the god behind them. “You are not helping.”
And he is? Khonshu rose, indignant and clearly shocked by Zara’s annoyance, and her apparent willingness to defend him. He’s babbling nonsense!
“You are the one who keeps derailing this conversation,” Zara hissed. “Let Steven speak.” Steven stared at her in awe, and he heard Marc chuckle in his head. Zara sat back, facing him again. “Go ahead.”
“Well, I have a feeling that the room shifts through the pyramid from time to time, because it wasn’t there when we left – the corridors looked all different.” He explained. “It would make sense, I guess. Makes it harder to steal stuff.”
Zara nodded, deep in thought. “We’d probably have to search for it.”
“Maybe,” Steven agreed, his mind working. “Depends on how far it’s moved by the time we get there. Could be close by, could be all the way up the other bloody end.” He grinned, the giddiness of his love for mythology threatening to override the seriousness of the conversation. “But I definitely saw some gods in there, in their little stone statues.”
Zara sat forward, meeting his gaze intently. “Who did you see?”
“Well, I’m pretty sure I spied Heryshaf in there somewhere, or maybe Heqet.” Steven shifted so that he sat forward, as if confiding in her. “But the one I’m almost a hundred per cent certain I saw, was Anubis.”
Anubis? Khonshu stood, his shock coming off him in waves. They imprisoned Anubis?
“Seems like it, yeah.”
“Wait – ” Zara turned to Khonshu, then back to him. “As in, the one who weighs the hearts against the feather of Ma’at? On the scales? That Anubis?”
The same, Khonshu confirmed, suddenly much more tense. If Anubis is imprisoned, that could have been why Ammit got into this realm in the first place.
Steven turned to him. “You mean like – Anubis was imprisoned, so Ammit decided to start making her own judgements?” He shook his head, reeling. “That’s insane. I mean it’s plausible, but it’s insane.” He clasped his hands together, his mind working overtime. “If Anubis was imprisoned, that would mean there was no one to weigh the hearts of the dead. Ammit was the one who ate the hearts of sinners. If he’s not there to feed her anymore, she probably got hungry and started on some godly rampage. If Anubis wasn’t there to judge people with his scales, maybe she made her own and fancied herself right to take on his job.”
Zara was staring at him. “I think you might be on to something, Steven.”
He blinked at her, surprised. “You do?”
“Yes,” she confirmed, her eyes full of light. Steven suddenly wondered how he’d never gotten lost in them before. “Finding and releasing Anubis could be our answer.”
You’re forgetting something, Khonshu reminded them, ever the optimist. You have to get into the chamber of the gods in order to find that statue.
“And another thing,” Marc’s voice piped up in his head. “If we’re going up against Ammit and Harrow, I’m gonna need to know you have my back in there.”
“I do have your back,” Steven replied internally.
“No, I mean literally. If something happens when we’re up against them and you have to fight – ” Marc explained, insistent. “I’m gonna need you to know what to do. We can’t afford to mess this up.”
Zara was watching him, clearly trying to decipher what was going on in his head. She raised an eyebrow. “Something up?”
“Yeah, uh,” Steven grimaced, scratching the back of his head. “I think Marc wants me to learn how to fight.”
She grinned. “Now that’s an idea.”
* * *
“It’s all just muscle memory, innit?”
Steven shook his arms, trying to loosen his limbs enough that he wouldn’t injure himself. Or worse – make a fool of himself in front of Zara. She bit her lip, clearly trying to hold in a laugh. “I mean, kind of. You do have a built-in coach to help you out, so that’s a bonus.” She rolled her eyes. “Even if he is a bit of a hard-ass.”
“I can’t believe she just called me a hard-ass,” Marc grumbled in his head. “Like she’s one to talk.”
“She’s not a hard-ass, you’re just in denial because you like her,” Steven retorted internally. “And anyway, this was your idea.”
“Listen – ”
“Okay,” Zara’s voice brought him back to the situation. “The first thing you’re going to want to do, is summon your suit.”
“Oh, right, okay,” Steven muttered, jolting his arms forward in a futile attempt to summon the armour. “Suit. Aaaaaand – suit!” He looked up at her, then back down at his body. “Bloody hell Marc, how do you do this? All I can think of is a tuxedo.”
“Just breathe into it,” Marc replied. “Imagine the suit wrapping around you, see it happen in your mind. The suit will follow in real life.”
And so he did, very aware of Zara watching him as he closed his eyes. “Just think suit thoughts,” he murmured to himself. “Just think of the suit and it’ll come.”
And it did.
“Oy, Steven, what are we wearing?” Marc’s voice was incredulous as Steven opened his eyes, taking in his form. The suit was indeed a literal suit – three piece, all white, with a mask that covered his entire face. “When I said suit I meant the ceremonial armour of Khonshu, not psycho Colonel Sanders.”
Zara’s hand was covering her mouth. “Steven,” she gasped. “You look – ”
“Pretty sharp, right?” Steven queried, walking to the mirror in the bedroom to take in his reflection. “Ooh, yes. I think I look pretty sharp indeed.”
“I was going to say different,” she called after him, and he came back into the room. She looked slightly flushed, and the sight made his chest flutter. “But yes, it looks amazing.” Zara smiled, glancing up at him. “You look amazing, Steven.”
“She’s so much nicer when she flirts with you,” Marc muttered in his head, and Steven almost barked with laughter. “What’s so funny?”
“Maybe if you hadn’t been a right twat from the start, she would’ve been nicer to you,” Steven reasoned with him, trying not to sound too triumphant. “And besides, I thought you liked the banter.”
“I never said that,” Marc retorted, but it was so transparent Steven almost laughed at him again.
“You didn’t have to.”
“What does Marc think of it?” Zara queried.
Steven adjusted the cuffs of his sleeves. “He thinks I look like psycho Colonel Sanders.”
Zara burst out laughing, and Steven knew her reaction made Marc flare with pride, even if he wouldn’t admit it. She cleared her throat, composing herself. “Okay, okay – time to learn to fight.”
Steven nodded, glancing around. “So how does this work? I just swing around and pretend while Marc tells me what to do?”
“Why would you do that?” Zara cocked her head to the side, perplexed. “You have a perfectly good teacher right here.” Steven flushed as she strode forward, now barely a metre from him. Her eyes shone with mischief. “Hit me.”
He stepped back as if she’d pushed him. “Sorry, what?”
“I said,” she stepped forward, closing the distance again. “Hit me.”
“I’m – I’m not going to hit you,” Steven stammered. “I would never want to hurt you.”
“I was trained in the Red Room,” she reasoned, reaching for his wrist. “You’re not going to hurt me.” Steven’s breath caught in his throat as she took his hand, closing it into a fist. “Tuck your thumb like that, so you won’t break it.” Zara raised his arm, tilting it on a slight angle. “And if you’re going to block, make sure you do it with this part of your arm.” She ran a finger along the outside of his forearm, leaving goosebumps in her wake. Her eyes met his over his arm, and she lowered her voice. “Hurts less.”
She was close, close enough that he could see the little flecks of green in her hazel eyes. She stepped back, releasing a breath. “Okay, now hit me.”
“I – I really don’t want to do that,” Steven grimaced. “I know you know what you’re doing and I trust you and all that, but I just really don’t want to hurt you.”
“I know,” she said, and her expression softened. “I know you don’t want to hurt me. But we’re going to be going up against some powerful people. And Marc is correct – you need to be able to protect yourself. And him, if necessary.”
Steven knew Zara was right. He knew Marc was right, too, and he knew that Marc was secretly glad that she agreed with him. He knew that Marc liked her, and Steven knew he liked her too – and if it came down to it, they would all want to protect each other – even if Marc and Zara would never admit it, stoic and stubborn as they both could be. He raised his hands. “All right,” he relented. “All right. But whatever you do, don’t let me hurt you.”
Marc chuckled in his head. “I don’t think we’re going to have to worry about that.”
“I’m going to tell her you said that,” Steven retorted, and Marc bristled.
“Do not tell her I said that – ”
Suddenly Zara came at him. Steven just managed to dodge her initial strikes, staggering backward as her kicks edged him into a corner. She wasn’t hitting hard – her strikes were more like a little tap, if anything – but Steven was instantly stunned by the speed at which she moved, swift as a viper – and she probably wasn’t even trying. Before he knew it he was cornered, and she relented. “Okay,” she breathed. “You did some good blocks there, but you’re going to have to actually strike back if you want a chance at winning.”
“Just relax into it, and breathe,” Marc reminded him internally. “Muscle memory, remember?”
“And don’t hold back,” Zara inclined her head, locking eyes with him. “You share a body with Marc, and he was a mercenary. You’re both the avatar of Khonshu. Marc is strong, and so are you. Work with it.”
Steven felt himself flush, and although Marc wasn’t fronting he would’ve bet a million pounds that her compliment would’ve gotten him blushing, too. He nodded, bracing himself, and then she came at him again. This time Steven did more than just dodge – he blocked and parried, even countering some of her strikes with his own. He couldn’t land any, of course – but that was no issue. He didn’t really want to.
“Use your legs,” Marc instructed, and Steven obeyed. “She’s fast, so you’re gonna wanna use your reach where you can. Aim under the guard and – ”
“Oof,” Zara suddenly staggered back, and Steven realised with abject horror that he’d just nailed her in the stomach with his foot. He instantly dropped his hands, running forward.
“Oh my days, Zara, I’m so sorry – ”
“That was a good one,” she stood upright, dusting herself off, grinning wildly at him. Steven stared at her in disbelief, and she merely chuckled. “You went straight under my guard, which means you saw a weakness. That’s a good thing, Steven.”
“No, no, I didn’t mean to actually hit you – ” Steven stammered, feeling absolutely awful. “I didn’t think it would actually land.”
“But it did,” she reached out a hand, resting it on his arm to comfort him. “Don’t worry about it. Think of it as your free shot.” She winked at him, and his heart almost launched itself out of his chest. “I even let Marc get one when we first met on that roof.”
Marc was incredulous. “What does she mean, let me get one? I got that takedown fair and square – ”
A sudden grinding noise filled the house, and both Zara and Steven snapped to attention. “What the bloody hell is that?” He exclaimed.
Zara had stilled, listening intently. “I think it’s coming from outside.”
* * *
The side of the house had opened up.
The bricks separated, a portal opening in the wall. Zara and Steven glanced at each other. “This can only mean one thing,” Zara shook her head. “He’s found Ammit.”
Steven’s expression faltered as he looked away from her, and when his gaze returned, it was Marc’s voice which left his lips. “I’ll go in,” he said, and Zara stared at him, incredulous. “I’ll go in with Khonshu and keep them busy. You find the statue.”
“No,” Zara protested. “You’re going to get yourself killed. Neither of us can face them alone. I can’t let you – ”
“You can, and you will,” Marc’s voice was hard as stone, but his eyes were soft. “Find the statue. Break Anubis out. Don’t worry about us.”
It was the best call, and as much as she hated it, she knew he was right. Zara pursed her lips. “You know I can’t promise that, don’t you?”
Marc smiled, and she couldn’t tell if he was happy or sad. “I know.”
Grey strands wrapped around his body, the shimmering moon materialising in the centre of his chest. Marc threw his head back as Khonshu’s armour emerged around him, leaving only his head free. He looked at her one last time, his dark eyes shining, nodding once. “See you on the other side.”
Then the armour of Khonshu covered his head, and he disappeared through the portal.