Marvel Family

The Vow

by Drivtaan

Prologue

Egypt-2000 BC Prince Amentep’s world came to an end because of a stick roughly three feet long, an arrow. He prayed to all the gods of Egypt that the odd-looking stick given to him by his uncle could give it a new beginning.

The prince, surrounded by his most loyal supporters, cradled the body of his one true love, Taia of Thebes, in his arms. The blood running down his arms and dripping onto the ground told him that their time together would soon be at an end.

Every few moments, Taia’s dark, pain-filled eyes would flutter open and she would gaze up into the face of her beloved. Each time, she found focusing much harder.

“Perhaps,” Taia said, her voice barely more than a whisper, “the gods will allow us more time together in our next lives. Farewell, my love.”

As her breath became little more than crimson bubbles on her lips, Prince Amentep gave hurried instructions to his friends.

With tears streaming down his cheeks, he turned his attention back to the dying woman. He kissed her forehead and spoke to her one final time.

“I don’t want to wait until our next life,” Amentep whispered.

Calling on the power of the Ibistick, Prince Amentep caused a deep sleep to come upon both Taia and himself. As his eyes closed, he felt her body relax in his arms. He knew that it wasn’t the limpness of death, but the peacefulness of rest, and he smiled.

Their prince’s eyes were scarcely closed before his supporters spirited him and Taia away.

According to Amentep’s commands, their bodies were purified for mummification. Because of the powerful magic laid upon them, all that would be needed once the purification was complete was for the body to be wrapped in the prepared cloth. Once the process was complete, the bodies were carried to a hastily prepared tomb to be sealed in, awaiting the spell’s end.

The final act of the followers of Amentep was to place the Ibistick into the bandaged hands of the prince.

Thus, for the next 40 centuries, Prince Amentep and Taia of Thebes slumbered, remembered only by those who buried them and their descendents.

Chapter 1 Egypt-1245 BC Two men knelt before Pharaoh Rameses II awaiting an answer.

The pharaoh listened patiently, and nodded often, as his magician verified most of the men’s story. When he finished speaking, Rameses turned his attention back to the men.

“I have heard your story and know it to be true,” the pharaoh said. “I will now hear your request.”

Relieved to hear this, the older of the two began to speak.

“For centuries, the descendents of Prince Amentep’s most loyal followers have guarded his tomb against desecraters. Two days past, a wizard of great power appeared and sought entrance. He was surrounded by an aura that shone as bright as that of Ra himself.

“My brothers and I are by no means great magicians, but we are not without magicks of our own. Even combined, however, our power was inadequate to deal with the wizard; we might as well been tossing handfuls of sand at him. When it became painfully apparent that our cause was lost, my brother and I escaped to seek help. It is probable that we are the only ones left alive.”

“So,” Rameses said, after several moments of thought, “you forsook your duty and fled for your lives.”

“No!” the younger man shouted. “Our brethren sacrificed their lives so we could seek help. If you will not give us the aid we need, then give us our leave that we may seek it elsewhere.”

The older man was certain that his brother had just forfeited their lives with his outburst. Even the guards drew their weapons and began to advance. With a wave of his hand and a smile, the pharaoh stopped them in their tracks.

“You have spoken well,” Rameses said. “Had you cowered at my accusation and said nothing, then I would have thought you were little more than thieves seeking to use my assistance in plundering Prince Amentep’s tomb. Your passion convinces me otherwise. You shall receive the aid you desire.”

Tears of relief began to flow down both men’s cheeks.

“Oh, mighty Pharaoh,” the older man said, “surely it was the wisdom of Thoth that led us into your presence.”

The pharaoh clapped his hands. “Bring these men wine that they may be refreshed after their journey.”

As handmaidens began to do as they were bid, Rameses turned to his magician. “Summon Teth-Adam.”

Chapter 2 Teth-Adam was every bit as impressive in person as the stories about him led the two men to believe. They had trouble convincing themselves that they weren’t in the presence of a god.

The man had the build of a warrior, no, the consummate warrior. His olive-hued skin stretched taut over muscles that seemed chiseled out of solid granite. His lack of body hair and attire, a simple linen kilt, no sandals, and golden torque, however, marked him as a priest. The torque, more than the man, caught the attention of the two men. It bore the symbol of no one specific deity, but, rather, a thunderbolt inlaid with lapis lazuli.

Teth-Adam’s kohl-lined eyes never blinked as he listened to the story the two men told him.

“The wisdom of Zehuit confirms the necessity of keeping the Ibistick where it is. Remain here and gather your strength. Your vow to protect the body of Amentep is now mine as well.”

The two men were still offering words of gratitude when Teth-Adam rose into the air and flew away.

As his speed increased, the air around him exploded. He was miles away by the time slaves on the banks of the Nile looked up in confusion at the sounds of thunder in a cloudless sky.

* * * * *

The wizard blasted away at an impenetrable energy force that had risen up to surround the final resting-place of the object he sought. Despite the setback, it wasn’t frustration that the wizard felt

“HA-HA!”

He felt the force weaken for only the slightest of an instance, then re-strengthen itself.

“If it had of been too easy,” the man said, “then I would have doubted the power of the item. This “Ibistick”, coupled with the other items I have collected from this world will have all of Cilia at my feet.”

“I don’t know where this kingdom of Cilia is,” a voice said from above, “but you will not add the Ibistick to your arsenal.”

The wizard looked up a split second before Teth-Adam struck.

Chapter 3 The Cilian was so confident in his power that he was completely unprepared for Teth-Adam’s attack. At the sound of the Egyptian’s voice, the wizard glanced around in time to see an olive-hued fist a hairsbreadth away from his jaw. Backed by the strength of Hershef, the punch sent him flying into the barrier surrounding Prince Amentep’s tomb.

Had it not been for the magic of the golden helmet the Cilian wore, he might have been severely injured by the attack. Still, he did not escape unscathed. The impact with the barrier knocked the helmet from his head.

“The time has come for you to pay for your crimes against the people of Egypt, murderer,” Teth-Adam said, as he advanced on his foe.

The Cilian wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth as he rose. He allowed his eyes to dart back and forth in hopes of finding the helmet nearby. Sensing the Egyptian drawing closer, he abandoned his search.

“You strike me with the blow of a coward and think you’ve won?” he said. “I am no mere human shepherd that you can intimidate; I am Nabu, destined conqueror of all Cilia.”

Teth-Adam was outraged at the wizard’s attempt to impugn his honor, but the wisdom of Zehuit kept his anger in check. He also realized that the taunts his enemy used could be his weapon as well.

“If you must skulk around my kingdom like a jackal seeking scraps of power, then Cilia has little to fear from Nabu.”

Without the wisdom of Zehuit to guide him, Nabu let his anger get the better of him. With a roar, he sprung at the Egyptian. A golden amulet hanging around his neck began to glow as he struck.

This time, Teth-Adam was caught off-guard. Despite his surprise, however, he would not allow himself to fall.

Nabu realized that he had never faced an opponent as powerful as the Egyptian. Although the man could not mount an offense of his own, the Cilian knew that he was wasting valuable time by continuing this battle. Fortunately, he had another weapon at his command. Calling upon all of his might, he struck again.

As Teth-Adam staggered back, he saw his foe pull a blue scarab from somewhere inside his robes. His ears still ringing from Nabu’s last strike, he couldn’t hear what the man said. What his ears missed, however, his eyes witnessed with amazement. The man’s once-white robes were now a deep blue, the same color as the scarab.

When Nabu struck again, it was with more power than Teth-Adam had ever felt in his life. This time, he did fall. A furrow in the sand one hundred paces long now measured the distance between the two combatants.

Teth-Adam staggered to his feet only to find Nabu waiting to hit him again. He felt his feet leave the ground as the wizard’s fist caught him under the chin. A dozen heartbeats later, he felt the weight of a sand dune collapsing in on top of him. For the next several minutes, the Egyptian was on the receiving end of every attack. Rising afterwards was becoming increasingly difficult.

As Nabu pulled his foe’s battered form up from the sand, he allowed himself a malicious smile. “My next strike shall surely be the end of your life. I have never faced a foe as powerful as you, and for that, I shall allow you to speak a final time.”

Mustering his failing strength, through blood-caked lips, Teth-Adam whispered, “shazam”.

Lightning struck both men, throwing them to the ground. The transformation restored the majority of Teth-Adam’s strength; Nabu, however, was not quite as lucky. His unconscious form lay in a twisted heap.

The Egyptian quickly removed the amulet and the scarab from the wizard’s possession and collected the helmet from where it lay.

“You have done well, Teth-Adam.”

“Shazam?”

Although the word was spoken as a question, the effect was still the same. Teth-Adam was transformed back into his more powerful form. He looked at the old wizard standing before him.

Shazam smiled at his champion. “The pharaoh has no place to hold the Cilian, so I shall see to his imprisonment. Give me his items.”

“Master,” Teth-Adam said. “Where is this Cilia? It is not a kingdom that I am familiar with.”

“Don’t fret over your lack of knowledge,” the old wizard said. “Cilia is a world beyond the farthest star.”

“Will you send him home for punishment?” Teth-Adam asked.

“No. A tomb has already been prepared for his internment.”

“What of the items he had?”

“They shall be hidden until such a time as they are needed,” Shazam said. “If he is ever awakened, he will surely make an attempt to reclaim these items, as well as make another attempt to steal the Ibistick.”

“Then,” Teth-Adam said, “if it is within my power to stop him if he is awakened, I make this vow to you now that I will.”

“And so you are bound,” Shazam said.

Chapter 4 Egypt- 1987 AD “Dr. Hall! Dr. Nelson! Dr. Garrett! Come quick!”

The three men, along with Dr. Nelson’s young son, rushed from the tent where they were pouring over maps of the region.

Outside, Ubaid nervously tugged at his chin. When he saw the men emerge, he began to point to the south.

“What is it?” Dr. Carter Hall asked.

Ubaid grabbed the man by the sleeve. “You must come with me. Hurry.”

Dr. Hall allowed himself to be dragged along. “Where are we going?”

The Egyptian pointed towards the south again. “Last night’s storm has uncovered something two kilometers to the south. It appears to be another pyramid.”

Daniel Garret and Sven Nelson looked at each other.

“But, there’s never been any mention of a pyramid in that area,” Dr. Nelson said. His colleagues knew that he was excited by the way that his accent began to thicken.

With Kent Nelson in tow, the three archaeologists climbed into Ubaid’s jeep. Ten minutes later, they were all standing in front of the mysterious pyramid. None of the three could guess the structure’s origins.

“Dad,” Kent called out. “Come see what I found.”

Dr. Nelson knew that, despite his young age, his ten year-old son was as observant as any college student he had ever taken on a dig. The boy also knew the dangers of a dig, so Sven seldom worried when his son wandered off.

Daniel and Carter both knew that many of their colleague’s finds could be, in part, attributed to young Kent’s alertness. They followed Sven.

“What is it, Son?” Sven asked. “What have you found?”

“Writing,” Kent said. “What does it say?”

Dr. Garrett began to translate. “Apparently, during the reign of Rameses II, a strange wizard from the stars came to our world seeking items of mystical power. He attempted to steal an item from the tomb of Prince Amentep.”

“Amentep?” The name seemed familiar to Carter.

“He’s the fellow who calls himself Ibis the Invincible,” Sven said.

“He actually calls himself “The Invincible”?” Carter asked.

Before Sven could comment, Daniel began to read again.

“The wizard was prevented from robbing the tomb of Prince Amentep when the hero, Teth-Adam, appeared and fought him to a standstill. A second wizard appeared, one allied with Rameses II, and sealed the would-be tomb robber in a tomb of his own.”

“Does it name this second wizard?” Sven asked.

“All it gives is a symbol, a lightning bolt,” Daniel said. “Oh, wait. There’s something else written here, just below the sand-line.”

“Can you make it out?” Carter asked.

“I’m not sure, but it looks like it says “Kaji Dah”.

The archaeologists, Kent Nelson, and Ubaid all jumped back in surprise as a small section of the pyramid began to sink into the sand. From the opening, a rush of stale air washed over the small group.

Although protocol demanded air purity tests be run before anyone entered a newly opened tomb, excitement over the archaeological find of the century clouded the better judgement of everyone. Without a second thought, they entered.

Chapter 5 Adam sat on a cracked throne of crimson marble, absent-mindedly tracing the edge of the golden lightning bolt emblazoned on his black shirt. He let his eyes wander over the ruins of what was once an opulent Martian palace.

Needing a place to escape the prying eyes of his successor, as well as the other heroes of Earth, Adam found refuge on the neighboring planet. It made it easier to plot and plan schemes of revenge without the constant worry that Captain Marvel or one of his do-gooder allies would come bursting in with ideas of incarceration on their mind. The deserted palace seemed to beckon to him from the first moment he laid eyes on it.

Bas-relief images of a war-like, shape-changing race depicting a history of violence and domination decorated the walls. Not for the first time, Adam wondered what it would have been like to have lived in this place during its height of power.

His musings were brought to an end when a faint sound reached his ears. In a place where he was the sole inhabitant, the only sounds that should have been present were the sounds that he himself created. He listened intently, but remained seated, confident in his own power.

The faint slap of ancient leather against ancient stone grew louder and more distinct with each passing second. Massive doors at the opposite end of the throne room slowly began to open, as if by their own volition, and Adam felt a wave of anger wash over him when an old man clad in white entered.

“How you found me, I know not,” Adam told his unwanted guest, “but, I am doing nothing that merits your attention.”

The ancient wizard smiled. “The power that flows through your veins, power that I helped bestow upon you, has brought me here.”

Adam wasn’t pleased. “I trust you haven’t come to exchange pleasantries,” he said, his voice little more than a growl.

“I came because you have a mission to fulfill,” Shazam said.

“What mission could I have to fulfill for you?” Adam asked. “I am no longer your lap dog.”

“The wards that have kept Nabu trapped for nearly three millenium have been disturbed,” Shazam said.

“What does this have to do with me?” Adam asked.

“You have a vow to fulfill.”

Adam began to laugh. “Why should I care about some ancient vow that I made back when I was Egypt’s champion?”

“Because,” Shazam replied, “ you made that vow with a wizard.”

In the blink of an eye, the long-deserted Martian palace was deserted once again.

Chapter 6 The moment the doors opened, ancient wards began to break down. Deep within the bowels of the pyramid walls began to shift and hidden things became seen.

Kent Nelson had grown up around archaeological digs for most of his ten years, so he knew that his place was in the back. He had taken the lead one time, and he learned then that the back was the best place for him. As he followed the men, he let his fingers trace the patterns carved into the passage wall.

Carter glanced back and smiled. “Hey, kid. Make sure you don’t set off any traps doing that.”

Kent pulled his hand away from the wall. Unfortunately, it was an action taken too late. In an instant, a literal blink of the eye, the boy found himself in a room with no visible way out.

One of the interesting things about young boys is that they possess nearly an equal amount of fear and curiosity. While Kent was definitely afraid, being the son of an archaeologist, he was also extremely curious.

Where was he?

How did he get here?

He guessed that he was still in the tomb; his reasoning being the fact that the stone that made up the walls of this room was the same as the stone he was touching in the passage. As to how he got here, there was only one logical answer—magic. For a ten year-old, the existence of magic was a concept readily accepted.

It took the boy a few moments to realize that, despite the presence of light, there was no visible source. Again, his mind turned to the only logical explanation—magic. Surprisingly, Kent found the possibility of magic being present strangely comforting.

“Choose.”

The voice was stern, but pleasant, like a grandfather. To the boy, the word was as much a request as it was a command.

“Choose what?” Kent asked.

“Choose,” the voice said again.

Still unsure of the choices before him, Kent was becoming frustrated. He wanted to yell at the stupid voice and tell it there was nothing to choose, that it was confusing him, but he didn’t. Instead, he decided to lash out at the voice and try to confuse it.

“I choose everything!”

There was a moment of silence, and then the voice responded. It was not the reply Kent expected.

The voice simply said, “Interesting.”

Chapter 7 Carter Hall was easily the boldest of the men, often taking risks his colleagues would never consider. They often joked that he thought he would live forever. It was even rumored that the movie archaeologist, Illinois Johnson, was based on some of Carter’s exploits. It didn’t take long for him to assume the lead.

The four men soon found themselves standing outside of what appeared to be a chamber. Ancient hieroglyphs lined the edges, the symbols acting as both a warning and a seal.

Dan pulled a notepad and pencil from his jacket pocket and examined the text. After several minutes of scribbling and erasing, tracing and retracing the text with his finger, the man announced his findings.

“Beyond this portal, bound by the word of Thoth and of Ptah, held in the embrace of the Lord of Dreams, awaits Nabu until the day of his judgement.”

Dr. Nelson rubbed his stubbled jaw. “I wonder how this connects to the name outside, Kaji Dah.”

At the mention of the name, the sound of stone brushing against stone filled the passageway. The hieroglyphs began to glow and a golden seam appeared, revealing the wall to be what the archaeologist had already expected; a doorway.

As the doors began to swing open, Obaid glanced around. “Dr. Nelson,” he said, “your son is gone.”

“Wherever he is,” Carter said, as he took a step backwards, “I hope he is safer than we are.”

Chapter 8 Since his awakening, Prince Amentep, the man the world had come to know as Ibis the Invincible, had seen some strange things, but never in his wildest imagination could he have been prepared for what he saw before him.

Neither could the patrons at the outdoor café in the heart of Paris.

“Noir Adnot.”

The name circulated among the Parisians in low, nervous whispers. They had all heard of this villain the Americans called “Black Adam”, and, as he descended gracefully from the sky against a backdrop of the Eiffel Tower, they couldn’t help but wonder how much of the City of Lights would still be standing when he was gone.

Ibis and Taia, his love of a thousand lifetimes, however, saw more than was visible to the terrified Parisians. Descending from the sky along with Black Adam was the ghostly image of a wizened old man.

“Shazam?”

For Ibis to say that he was surprised to see these two men together would have been an understatement. He knew of the tumultuous relationship between the fallen champion and his former master.

“You are in danger,” the ancient wizard said.

Taia stared at Adam. “And you have brought the enemy to us. Has this villain ensorcelled you and made you do this?”

“Hold your tongue, woman,” Adam told her, “or I shall remove it from your head. I am here to…help.” The final word was like bile on his lips.

Shazam smiled “Teth-Adam is fulfilling a vow made long ago.”

Ibis readily admitted his ignorance of such a vow, so the wizard explained.

“And you think this Nabu will attempt to take the Ibistick a second time?” Ibis asked.

“I do,” the wizard said.

Ibis turned to Adam and extended his right hand. “Then, I appreciate your aid.”

Black Adam looked at the man’s hand, then backhanded Ibis hard enough to split his lip and knock him to the ground.

“Do not believe for one second that I do this for your appreciation,” Black Adam said, with a low snarl. “Were it not for that accursed vow, I would leave you to this alien sorcerer’s mercy.”

Chapter 9 Dreams of Cilia’s domination beneath his heel began to fade as the magic that bound Nabu unraveled. While the nimbus of arcane energy that had held him in stasis for millennia released his body back into the flow of time, the Cilian’s eyes flickered open, and his lungs filled with the stale air of his prison.

Out the corner of his eye, Nabu noticed something that, for a very long time, he had seen only in his dreams. Movement.

Four men, one who looked very much like those Nabu had encountered a lifetime ago, were jabbering to each other in a language he had never heard before. He could see a mixture of fear and fascination in their expressions.

Remembering the trouble the dark-skinned folk had caused him before, Nabu ended the man’s life with a searing burst of energy from his eyes. Turning his attention to the light-skinned men, the Cilian exhaled, and a small cloud of noxious magic engulfed the head of one of the men. The man died gasping for air.

While Nabu found the deaths satisfying, he felt that they lacked the flare of his true mastery of the arcane.

“Let your deaths be of your own making,” he said, in a voice that either of the two remaining men could understand. Almost as an afterthought, he added, “And let them understand their actions.”

Both men screamed in excruciating pain as their bodies began to reshape. Within seconds, the transformations were complete. Instead of the human forms they were born with, them men now found themselves trapped in the bodies of a beetle and a hawk.

With a screech, the man-become-hawk leapt into the air, circled the chamber, then swooped down and snatched the beetle up in its talon. It screeched a second time, then disappeared back down the corridor.

Now free and alone, Nabu let his arcane senses expand as he searched for the artifacts he once claimed as his own. Great power emanating from somewhere beyond his prison prompted the Cilian to follow the direction taken by the hawk.

Outside, Shazam, Black Adam, and Ibis stood waiting.

Chapter 10 Kent had made his choice, and now he waited—for what, however, he did not know. He was starting to get impatient.

“Hey! Voice? Are you there?” he called out. “I’ve made my choice just like you wanted me to.”

Several minutes passed and there was no answer. The boy was beginning to think that he had imagined the whole thing. Maybe it wasn’t even magic that was providing him light. Maybe magic wasn’t even real.

“Magic is real,” the voice said suddenly.

This gave Kent little comfort. “I chose,” the boy said. “What do I get?”

The light began to fade, pushing Kent to the edge of panic.

“Fear not,” the voice said. “Only in the darkness shall you be able to see.”

Kent quickly learned that the voice spoke the truth. As the light began to dim, faintly glowing outlines appeared in the floor. He realized that he would have never noticed them if the light hadn’t faded.

Kneeling down, the boy began to trace the outlines. The first outline looked like a cross with a loop at the top. It was what his father had once called an ankh. Kent didn’t lift his finger until he had completely traced the outline. When his finger touched the spot he had started, the block in which the outline was carved vanished. In the now-visible hole lay a golden amulet. Carefully, he removed it from its resting-place and put it around his neck.

A second ankh was carved in the stone behind him. Repeating the tracing, Kent soon found himself holding a golden helmet. Without hesitation, he placed it on his head.

“Cool.” His voice echoed within the confines of the helmet. It makes me sound older, he thought.

The final carving was different from the first two. Kent studied it for a moment, then began to trace it. It, too, vanished to reveal an item. Reaching into the hole, the boy pulled out what appeared to be a large stone. When he got a closer look, he discovered that it was a scarab, a gem carved in the shape of a beetle. Unlike the first two items, which were gold, the scarab was blue.

Kent looked down at the amulet hanging from his neck. Raising the scarab to his chest, he tried to imagine which would look better. As the scarab neared the amulet, the boy was startled when the legs of the beetle latched onto the amulet. After tugging it a couple times, he realized that it wasn’t coming off. He didn’t have time to give it much thought, however, because the voice spoke again.

“Speak my name.”

“How am I supposed to know your…” Kent started to ask. When a name popped into his head, he left the question unfinished.

“Kaji Dah,” Kent whispered.

And everything exploded.

Chapter 11 Nabu realized, too late, that he had been lured into battle without his items of power.

With the memory of his defeat fresh in his mind, despite the passage of time, pure rage flooded his being at the sight of Black Adam and Shazam. The sight of Ibis, or rather, the Ibistick, however, filled him with a lust for power that he envisioned being within his grasp. Both feelings led to his downfall.

Despite the power at his command, Nabu was no match for the combined might of the three men. Upon his defeat, the old wizard began to weave spells of containment around the Cilian.

Black Adam and Ibis watched on, knowing that Shazam was focusing all of his concentration on the task at hand. At a critical moment in the incantation, Black Adam struck. With the speed of Anpu, the villain pulled the Ibistick from its owner’s grasp and struck him in the jaw.

Ibis felt his jaw shatter under the impact of the punch even as he was knocked several feet through the air. He hit the ground in a spray of blood and agony. It was only his magic that kept him from being killed instantly. Though his words were unintelligible, he couldn’t help but ask about the vow.

“Surely your mumbling must be an inquiry as to the vow,” Adam said, guessing what the man was trying to say. “I swore that vow to keep the alien from gaining the Ibistick; I said nothing about not taking the thing for myself.”

Black Adam turned towards the kneeling Shazam. “Since you no longer have the power to stop me, and that milksop Captain Marvel is a continent away, I shall finally put this old fool out of my misery. With his death, perhaps I shall finally be rid of the entire Marvel Family. I shall finally take my rightful place as ruler of the world.”

Ibis’ eyes were rapidly swelling shut. The last sight he saw was the outline of a man emerging from the tomb.

“Don’t count on it,” were the last words he heard before slipping into unconsciousness.

Chapter 12 Black Adam ignored the voice of the newcomer, knowing that he would never get another chance to rid himself of his former master. He was a mere handbreadth away from the old wizard’s neck when a bolt of eldritch energy struck him in the side and sent him sprawling.

“Cool,” the newcomer whispered beneath his golden helmet.

Egypt’s former protector picked himself up out of the sand and turned his attention to his attacker. He knew in an instant that this was not an enemy to be taken lightly.

The man before him appeared to be his physical match in all aspects. Even without the crested helmet that covered his face, Adam knew this man would be one of the few who could look him square in the eye. A bodysuit of blue and gold clung to his sculpted frame like a second skin. Around his neck hung the amulet that once numbered among Nabu’s possessions, the only difference being the addition of the azure scarab. Taking a couple of steps towards the newcomer, Adam could see that the blue of the man’s outfit appeared to some sort of scale mail. Another couple of steps and he realized that the scales were actually the hard, shell-like outer wings of thousands of beetles; instinct and divine insight told him that this armor was in no way as fragile as it looked.

“Tell me the name of the fool who opposes me,” Adam said, as he narrowed the distance between the man and himself, “that I might carve it on your tomb after I kill you.”

“I’m…” The man had given no thought as to what he should call himself. Suddenly, a thought popped into his mind. “I’m Captain Scarab.”

Boy, the man thought, that sounded a lot cooler before I said it out loud.

“Well, then, Captain Scarab, prepare to die.” Black Adam lunged at his foe.

Captain Scarab was surprised by the ferocity of the attack, but he reacted like a warrior born. Grabbing the man’s wrists, he crossed them as he stepped to the side. Adam went down like steer in the grip of a champion wrangler. His own momentum caused him to roll several yards. He let his roll carry him back to his feet.

Instead of charging his foe a second time, Black Adam dusted himself off and watched to see what his opponent might do next. He made a couple of false lunges at the man. Before each lunge was complete, the man was already in a defensive stance. Instead of wasting his energy on another useless attack, Adam slowly lifted into the air, then shot up into the stratosphere.

“This was too easy,” Captain Scarab muttered. “He’s up to something.”

Arcane words began to fall from his lips as he stretched out his hands. Bubbles of magical force formed around both the unconscious Ibis and the old wizard who still worked his spell of containment. The words continued, and a powerful sandstorm engulfed the area, obscuring everything.

Whether it was the magic that he commanded, or his own enhanced senses, Captain Scarab wasn’t sure, but he heard something slicing through the air from above.

Launching himself into the air, he burst through the upper levels of the sandstorm just as Black Adam was about to enter it. With magically enhanced reflexes, Captain Scarab caught the villain by the ankles and spun him around. Taken completely by surprise, Adam felt his own control of gravity slip from his grasp and the earth’s gravity reassert its control over his body. He was plunging through the sandstorm to the desert floor below.

The sandstorm vanished a mere second before the impact. A geyser of sand erupted into the sky as Black Adam slammed into the ground.

Before he could recover, a giant hand composed of pure magic plucked his barely conscious form from the hole. The next thing Adam knew, he had been tossed high into the air. He wouldn’t regain control of his own incredible abilities until long after he had passed beyond the orbit of the moon.

The corrupted wisdom of Zehuit told Black Adam that this was a battle to be continued at some other time. He was already planning his revenge when he was once again flying under his own power.

Chapter 13 Captain Scarab knelt down and picked up the fallen Ibistick from the sand as the bubbles that surrounded Ibis and Shazam faded. Glancing over from where he knelt, the man saw the mystically bound figure of Nabu vanish.

“Where have you sent him?” Captain Scarab asked, as he and Shazam stood up.

“Somewhere where he will be dealt with,” Shazam replied.

The two men turned their attention to the unconscious Ibis. Within moments, he was sitting up, although very much in pain.

“Speak my name.”

Captain Scarab looked at the two men, trying to determine which had spoken to him. He quickly realized that neither man had said a word, and knew what he must do.

“Kaji Dah.”

As the two men watched on, the blue of their savior’s outfit seemed to come alive and crawl into the scarab that now adorned the golden amulet. The remaining bits of gold, like water, flowed up the man’s body and into the helmet. His body itself began to shrink until the ten year-old Kent Nelson stood before them. The helmet, amulet, and scarab disappeared.

“Ah, the children of this world never cease to amaze me,” Shazam said.

A screech from above caused the three to look skyward. A great hawk circled overhead, then drifted down and landed lightly on the boy’s shoulder; a small beetle was clinging to the feathers on its back.

“What in the world?” Kent started to ask.

A quick spell revelation by the old wizard told the story of all that had happened in the tomb. When it ended, the little boy fell to his knees and began to weep over the deaths of his father and their friends.

“Can you change them back?” he said, looking at the hawk and the beetle.

“I’m afraid not,” Shazam said. “I don’t understand enough of the Cilian’s magic. I’m sorry.”

The wizard knelt and laid his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “I might be able to cast a spell that will allow you to communicate with them. Would you like that?”

“Please,” Kent replied. “They are all that I have left.”

“Don’t you have a mother?” Ibis asked.

The boy shook his head.

Ibis put his hand on the boy’s other shoulder. “It will be all right,” he promised.

Epilogue Nabu awoke to find himself chained to a wall.

“Where am I?” he demanded, although he wasn’t sure if he would get an answer. He was surprised when a Cilian voice answered him.

“You are back where you belong, Usurper.”

Nabu tried to summon his powers, only to discover he had none at his command.

“Your restraints will prevent you from doing any more harm.”

Slowly, the lights began to dim. Nabu’s scream was a mixture of rage and fear. He knew that once the lights were out, there would be no more contact and he would become the one thing Cilian’s fear the most. He would become one of the Forgotten.

* * * * *

Ibis stood quietly with his arm around Taia’s waist.

“Are you sure about this?” the woman asked.

“He will need someone to guide him as he grows,” the man replied. “He has lost so much.”

“But, are you sure?” she asked again.

Ibis glanced over at the large golden-brown hawk perched on the back of a chair, and at the small beetle that stood still on the dresser. He nodded.

“I am too,” Taia said, with a smile. She stepped out of her husband’s light grasp and bent down to kiss the sleeping boy on the forehead.

“I think it will be nice to have a son.”

The End