The Jackals of Sakhmet - Kasha's Plot: Part Five

      "Aye, my friend… I know more about Kasha then you'd like to know…"

      Lee stared nervously at Lycos through the hole. Suddenly, she wished none of this had ever happened. Lee didn't understand any of what was going on! So many things were happening! Where's Cole when you need him? she thought…

     * * *

      "Let me go! What have you done to Omar?!" Cole shouted, banging against the door, which Niger was locking at that very moment. Niger looked at the door, smirking, and replied, "The same thing that's going to happen to all Cybunnies in a few minutes! Once our necklaces are done selling, there'll be no stopping us!"

      What necklaces?! Oh no! Did he mean the necklaces Cole had witnessed being sold earlier? What did the necklaces have to do with anything…? Cole banged harder on the door.

      "Omar, whatever he did to you, don't listen to him! You don't belong with him!"

      "I don't belong with you either…" said Omar quietly from behind Niger. Niger let out a bored sigh.

      "Enough chit-chat… Come, Omar!"

      Niger and Omar left the building and everything went quiet. A few minutes later, Cole could hear the footsteps of Kasha as she had emerged from the backroom and followed them outside onto the streets of Sakhmet. Cole gave one last bang on the door before he fell to his knees, furious at Kasha at Niger.

      He didn't understand what was happening! Where was Lee? What did the necklaces do? And then there was that Aisha, Lycos… Where was he supposed to find Scarab? What was in whose staff? What was Kasha and Niger planning? What did they do to Omar?

      "I'm sick of it!" Cole yelled, kicking the door. "I'm sick of getting in trouble, I'm sick of all these questions, and I'm sick of not knowing!"

      He kicked the door so hard, that he had made a large hole in it. There was a short moment's time, in which a soft creaking noise could be heard, and then, PLOP! The door's hinges came loose, and the door fell to the ground. Cole eyed the door in awe for a moment, but then remembering his circumstances, ran out of the closet and into the backroom.

      Luckily, he'd find something that could help him there. Luckily, he could find Lee there… Cole entered the backroom, which really wasn't a room at all. There were giant shelves that had to be at least twenty feet tall, and boxes everywhere, each labeled NECKLACES. Cole could tell, by just looking at them, that Kasha and Niger were planning something big, and it had to do with these necklaces.

     * * *

      "What do you mean?" Lee asked nervously. "What do you know?"

      Lycos sighed once more, and then looked up at Lee solemnly.

      "I will say this once, and once only, so listen carefully. It all started a while ago, I'd say about a week ago. Kasha, Niger, Scarab, and I were all together at a campsite built by a league of desert thieves called the Dunes…"

      A desert at night is like heaven. It's peaceful, quiet, calm… That is, unless you're camping out with a band of thieves. A stern-looking Cybunny emerged from a tent that was aligned with many others. He was followed by another Cybunny and an Aisha.

      "Niger, give ma a report," the other Cybunny ordered. Nodding to Kasha, Niger pulled out a piece of papyrus and began reading off it.

      "We're short on silver, and the, err… the special gem you were searching for…"

      Kasha waved a paw in the air, silencing him. She nodded to Niger and Lycos, and then pointed to the group of thieves gathered around the fire at the very heart of the camp. The three pets walked over to the campfire, taking seats in front of everyone. Many of the thieves were in deep conversation, others were sharing stories.

      But Kasha had eyes for only one pet, a cloaked Bori by the name of Scarab. Slyly, Kasha slid over to where Scarab sat. He did not say anything, or move at all, but merely stared at the dancing flames of the fire.

      "You have what I need," Kasha whispered, staring at the flames as well.

      "Only if you have what I want…" he replied coolly. Smirking to herself, Kasha reached into her robes, and then pulled out a brown sack. She dropped it in front of Scarab, who quietly took it. He shook it up and down gently, feeling around for the contents.

      "5000 neopoints…" Kasha spoke. "All yours if you give me what I need…"

      Without a word, Scarab reached inside his own robes, and pulled out something shiny and red… red as a ruby.

      "Rubite, finest in the entire desert," Scarab muttered. Kasha snatched it away from him and examined it. She tapped it lightly on her paw, and smiled mischievously at him.

      "Tempting, but that's not what I need…"

      Scarab raised a bushy eyebrow, staring at her suspiciously.

      "Oh?"

      "Yes, indeed. I don't need it now; I need to know where to get it… How do you get your Rubite?"

      Scarab chuckled, placing the bag of money in his cloak. He stood up, wrapping a cloth around his head, concealing his face. He started walking to the edge of the campsite, gesturing for Kasha to follow. Once they were out of earshot from the others, Scarab started speaking again.

      "I can't tell you where to get Rubite… Rubite's rare… and valuable. If I told you where to find it," Scarab came to a halt near the very edge of camp, and turned to face Kasha. "Then who's to say you won't steal it all from me?"

      "What, you don't trust me?" Kasha said sweetly, placing a paw on his cheek. "Scarab, old friend, we've known each other for quite a while now…"

      "Which means I know enough about you to know that you'd steal from even your friends," he cut in, gently removing her paw. He smiled at her, reaching in his cloak once more. This time, he placed a bag in Kasha's paws, untying the small ribbon that was on it.

      Ruby red light emitted from the bag, bringing light into the dark, starless night. It shone brightly in Kasha's face.

      "This is ten times the Rubite I gave you the week before," said Scarab. "I believe you have a way to make one item become more than one, right?"

      Kasha nodded, staring eagerly into the bag. Scarab chuckled, pacing behind her. He came up and put his paws on Kasha's shoulders, as if massaging them.

      "Then think how much Rubite you can receive from making all of these… become more… Much, much more…"

      There was a moment in which the two exchanged glances at each other, and then, with a self-satisfied look across her face, Kasha started laughing. She laughed with joy and glee, gazing into the bag.

      "Thank you my friend," she smirked. "Thank you for making my dreams comes true…"

      Lee's mouth hung open as she listened to Lycos's tale. All the while, Lycos wore a solemn expression, mad at herself for having to bring such news to a young child.

      "What is Rubite?" Lee asked.

      "It's a type of gem with the power to control… to control the minds of others. Kasha's put them into her necklaces, and she's made it so they only work on Cybunnies!"

      "But why," Lee said earnestly. She was on her feet now, staring into the hole to see Lycos better.

      "She did it because she's crazy, Lee. I mean really crazy! Do you know what she did to Scarab afterwards?"

      Lee shook her head, but she had a feeling she didn't want to find out.

      "She had him shut up in a tomb. She locked him in, stole all his Rubite, and silver as well, and that's when she made up this crazy scheme to rule all of Sakhmet!"

      "WHAT!!"

      Lee jumped up and down, gazing at Lycos nervously. Lycos nodded, looking scared and depressed at the same time.

      "She's selling those necklaces now, hopefully thinking that all the Cybunnies in Sakhmet will buy one, and then she's going to lock all the other pets away in here and use them to make more necklaces so she can sell them to all of Neopia!"

      Lycos and Lee fell silent, both lost in their own thoughts. Lee looked up at Lycos with a blank expression, and then she glared at Lycos, furiously.

      "Why were you with her?" she whispered, still glaring at Lycos. The Aisha was taken aback by this question.

      "What do you mean?"

      "Why were you at the campsite with Kasha and Niger?"

      "Lee, don't take it the wrong way! Scarab and I were tricked, fooled! But I managed to get contact with Scarab, don't ask me how…" she added, seeing the suspicious look on Lee's face.

      "We have our ways of talking, but before I had led Niger here, I talked with Scarab… He said he wanted me to find out how Kasha was going to control the Cybunnies, and I found out! It's just that before I could go tell him, I was kidnapped and thrown here…"

      Lee still wasn't satisfied.

      "Why did you help Kasha in the first place?"

      Lycos stared at the ground in shame, as if she were hiding something. This made Lee angrier.

      "ANSWER ME!"

      Lycos continued to stare at the ground, but quietly said, "Because she's my sister…"

To be continued...