Warnings: HAU, M/M sex, humor, mild angst, things coming to life, scarab beetles, OOC, varying chapter lengths, Unbeta'd, blatant use of movie dialogue.
Rating: NC17 Overall Individual Chapters PG-NC17
Pairing: 100% S/X
Author: Naughty_Fae
Comments: Comment if you want to, though it would be nice to know someone is reading it.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, everything belongs to someone who is not me. I write for fun not profit.
Note1: The characters may have BTVs/ATs names but they are NOT necessarily playing their Sunndydale characters, hence OOC.
Note 2: My heartfelt thanks go out to my dear friend Bmblbee, for holding my hand through the writing and posting process. *Hugs*
Note 3: This is a plot driven story. What sex there is happens in the natural course of the plot and as part of Spike and Xander's relationship.
Note 4: This is a human/1920's Spike and Xander etc. and behave as such.
Summary: Over 3,000 years ago Angelus the high priest of Seti I, was given the assignment of preparing the recently dead for their journey into the afterlife. Angelus made one terrible mistake - he became smitten with Xan-uk-amun, the male concubine of the Pharaoh himself. Driven mad by jealousy and love, Angelus and Xan-uk-amun murdered the Pharaoh. Angelus's punishment was to be buried alive and suffer the torment of an eternal life in his wretched tomb. In 1925, a band of adventurers seeking fame and fortune - led by William (Spike) Barstow, an English expatriate who had joined the foreign legion, and Xander Harris, an amateur archeologist - find a previously unknown burial site in Egypt. The team starts to dig, hoping to find lost riches, but instead they disturb the tomb of Angelus, and soon the cursed priest rises from his grave to wreck vengeance on them and humanity.
Chapter 3/31 + Prologue
Rating: NC17 Overall
Chapter 3/31 + Prologue
Rating: NC17 Overall
The Curator's office was smart and comfortable, he sat at his ornate, oak desk wearing a jeweler's eyepiece, Wes hovered to his right, Xander to his left, he studied the papyrus. "It's a map," Xander almost bounced with excitement. "I've dated it, it's approximately three thousand years old," Xander continued. "and see the seal there?" He pointed, "It's the official seal of Seti The First." The Curator grunted. Wes looked up over the Curator's head. "Two questions, who the Hell was Seti The First and was he rich?"
"He was the last Pharaoh of the Old Kingdom," Xander answered excitedly, "the father of Ramesses The Second, he was said to be the richest Pharaoh of them all."
"Good, good," Wes grinned. "rich, I like this fellow very much." The Curator lifted the map and looked more closely. "See the hieratic's there?" Xander pointed again and inhaled deeply. "It's Hamunaptra." The Curator tensed and emotion flickered briefly across his face before he recovered his composure. "My dear young man," He said patronizingly. "we're scholars not treasure hunters. Hamunaptra is a myth, a legend told to gullible tourists to sell trinkets in the bazaar." Xander nodded. "I know, I know all that hokum about a cursed mummy guarding a vast treasure, but my research has led me to believe Hamunaptra actually existed."
"Are we by any chance talking about THE Hamunaptra," Wes interrupted. "the one where it's said the old Pharaohs hid the wealth of Egypt in vast underground treasure chambers?" Xander nodded. "Yes The City of The Dead, that's the one."
Wes paced excitedly. " Everybody knows the story. The entire necropolis was rigged to sink into the sand, on Pharaoh's command, a flick of the switch! And the whole place could disappear."
"That's about all we know, the City and all reference to it disappeared around 2,134 BC." Xander shrugged. The Curator gave a derisory snort and held the map close to the top of a flickering oil lamp. "Absolute nonsense, nothing but smoke and mirrors, fairytales!" The map began to smolder and then flickered into flame. "Oh my!" The seemingly startled Curator flung the map onto the floor. Wes and Xander both fell on the map and beat out the flames with their bare hands. Wes held up the mostly burned map. "You burnt it! The part about the City is gone!" He looked devastated. The Curator stood. "Really, it's for the best, men have spent their whole lives looking for that City, most never returned or were driven mad."
"You killed my map." Wes mumbled. "I'm sure it was a fake anyway, really Xander I'm surprised you were fooled by it." The Curator's hand reached for the puzzle box, Xander snatched it away, casting him a suspicious look.
The gate swung open and they stepped into the dusty prison courtyard a wooden gallows in the center and began to walk across. "Really Wes," said Xander impatiently. "you told me you got the box in Thebes."
"Well, that might have been slightly untrue." Wes squirmed. "Untrue!" Xander snapped. You lied to me Wes!" Wes shrugged. "I lie to everyone, why not you?" Xander snorted. "Because I'm your half brother!" Wes grinned. "That just makes you more gullible." Xander glared at him. "You bought it off a drunk in a bar, here in Cairo!"
"I didn't exactly buy it." Xander stopped walking. "What?" His eyes narrowed. "Wes, just how did you get the box?" Wes cleared his throat. "I may have lifted it from his pocket when he wasn't looking." Xander gasped. "You stole it!" Wes motioned with his hands for Xander to lower his voice. "If I hadn't someone else would have," he whispered. "Then what?" Xander questioned. "The police stormed in and arrested him, dragged him away." He paused. "Y'know old man, this might not be such a good idea, he might remember me."
Xander sighed. "He's the only lead we've got, we have to know where he got the box." A small uniformed man with a bald head, weasely, sharp features and large ears joined them. "Mr. Harris?, Mr. Pryce?"
"I'm Harris, he's Pryce." Xander explained. "Warden Snyder." The weasely man bowed a little. "This way." He led them to a small cage attached to a building behind. A man was dragged out by uninformed officers and thrown to his knees by the bars. He was dirty and disheveled, unshaven and long, sandy, blond hair hung down to his shoulders. "Is that him?" Xander whispered to Wes. "Umm yes." Wes tried to hide his face. Xander addressed the Warden. "What's this man done?"
"That I don't know exactly, but when I heard you were coming I asked him. He said he was only looking for a good time." A guard ran up and addressed the Warden in Arabic. "Excuse me a moment." He turned and left.
Xander and Wes stepped nearer. The blond appeared distracted. "Excuse me, hello." Xander smiled. The blond looked up at him. "Who the Hell are you?" He frowned. Wes stepped forward. "I'm umm a missionary type, spreading the good word and all that," he said nervously. "Wesley Pryce, this is my brother, Xander." The blond dismissed him and looked Xander up and down and leered. "Well I suppose he's not a total loss."
"What.. How dar..." Xander blustered. "Hey, don't I know you?" The blond cut Xander off and squinted at Wes. Wes shook his head. "I have one of those faces, everyone thinks they know me." The blond's eyes narrowed and he squinted harder, he crooked his finger at him and Wes lent closer to the bars. "Sure I do!" The blond cracked Wes on the jaw and he crumpled at Xander's feet, unconscious. The guards leapt forward and clubbed the blond a few times and then stood back. Xander blinked and stepped over Wes. "We found your, ummm puzzle box," he said nervously. "and I'd like to ask you about it."
"No."
"No? " Xander frowned.
"What you really want to ask me about is Hamuaptra." The blond grinned.
"Hamunaptra?" Xander said coyly.
"Oh c'mon, you know." The blond prompted. "Seti's place, City of The Dead, treasure vault of ancient Egypt."
"How, how," Xander stepped closer. "do you know the box has anything to do with," He looked round incase anyone was listening. "Hamunaptra?" He whispered. "Because that's where I found it." The blond replied. "Shhhh," Xander leaned closer. "You were actually there? You swear?"
"Every bloody day." Xander winced at the coarse language, the Captain rolled his eyes. "I was there, my whole damn garrison was there. The Colonel found an old map in an abandoned fort, without orders we marched through Libya and into Egypt in search of this damned City. We found it, the bloody Tuareg found us, far as I know I'm the only one got out alive." He shrugged.
Xander's eyes widened and he lent closer. "Do you think you could tell me how to get there?"
"Hamunaptra?"
"Yes." Xander lent closer.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." Xander was up against the bars. Suddenly the Captain reached through and grabbed his chin, lent forward and kissed him hard on the lips. The guards leapt forward and began clubbing the blond. He let Xander go and he recoiled blinking in surprise. "You want to know the way, get me out of here!" The blond snapped. Xander touched his fingers to his lips. "Just do it!" The blond yelled over his shoulder as they dragged him out of sight. Wesley picked himself up and began to dust off, not noticing Xander's stunned expression.
The warden reappeared . "Where, where are they taking him?" Xander stammered. The little man grinned maliciously. "To be hanged, apparently he had a very good time with several of the sheik's dancing boys."