Chapter 3

The Deal

Nirrana sat sobbing with her head in her hands, how could she have gotten into such a mess?

It had been two hours since the guards had left her, and she was now extremely thirsty. Nirrana’s hands were covered in deep cuts from where she had struggled to untie herself, to only cut herself on the sharp rocks surrounding her. She had been crying for half an hour, she knew it was stupid to do so as she was losing water but she could not stop herself.

“Why do you cry?” said a hoarse voice from deep in the cave. Nirrana lifted her head sharply “who’s there?”

“Just a lonely lost traveller looking for a friend” the voice replied.

“No, your not” said Nirrana, fear suddenly gripped her as she looked into the darkness “I’ve heard about the traps set by demons!”

“Yes, well looks like you don’t know enough, otherwise you wouldn’t have come in here” he said cackling. Nirrana struggled desperately to free her hands behind her back.

“I was brought here by the Pharaoh’s guards to die, because I learned something I shouldn’t have” Nirrana said shakily.

The Demon stepped nearer to the light, and Nirrana screamed at what she saw. The worst imitation of a man she had ever seen stood before her. It looked as if the Demon had been cursed by every god there was. Extra arms sprouted from his waist, and every inch of his hard skin was covered in boils and patches of dried blood. “Get away, Demon!” shouted Nirrana.

“Ah, that’s where you’re wrong!” said the thing. “I’m not a Demon, I’m a Pharaoh or was should I say, but that will be corrected soon!”

“What do you mean was a Pharaoh? Which land did you rule?” said Nirrana now panicking like mad.

“I used to rule your little village of Sirram, but soon I will rule all of Egypt! Ha ha ha! You see when I was pharaoh, I had the best sorcerers place an enchantment upon me so I could live forever! Each night whilst your village sleeps, I suck all the good dreams from their soles and feed upon them, leaving them with all the bad memories they posses.”

“So, that’s why I dream of my parents every night!” shouted Nirrana panic now replaced by the anger that was welling up inside of her, her fists where clutched into tight balls behind her back.

“Now, temper, temper, I don’t like my fresh meat to get aggressive!” laughed the Demon Pharaoh.

“What! Your not going to eat me are you?” said Nirrana, panicking once again, all anger forgotten.

“Yes” roared the demon Pharaoh, whose mouth had opened wide “goodbye!” he screamed.

………

“Wait!” shouted Nirrana. “I can help you!” she said her mind thinking so fast she could almost sense little cogs turning. “How?” asked the Demon Pharaoh?

“I can get rid of the current Pharaoh!” Nirrana said without thinking.

“Yes, true… but I have a better idea” he said grinning “all you need to do is get close enough to the Pharaoh to release this” the Demon Pharaoh held up a small scarab beetle. “Then I could control his every move! But! How do I know you won’t run away if I set you free?” asked the Demon Pharaoh thinking, whilst Nirrana shivered with fear.

“I know! If you wear this then it will tell me if you are deceiving me!” laughed the Demon Pharaoh, pulling out a gold bracelet set with beautiful jewels, putting it on Nirrana’s wrist.

“If you are being unfaithful the red jewel will glow, when you are doing as I wish the green jewel will glow.” He said. “Are you sure you want to do it?”

“Yes” replied Nirrana seeing that she had no choice.

“Good! Now about getting close enough to the Pharaoh to release the scarab, I have just the way!”