Shule finds the lioness about a mile from the dig site, she is atop of high mound of rock and screaming at the sky for Bast to come and face her. Challenging the 'Bitch Kitty' to face her as She Remembers what the Cow Shit Goddess did to her. In the night sky Shule can see the faces of the Gods looking down on the enraged woman, but none answer her challenge. Shule carefully approaches and finds Sarah and the wounded dogs at the base of the hill. Shule puts down Anwens belongings there.

She moves away from them and hopes she'll live through this. "Anwen ?"

Anwen turns, her claws on fire, ready for a fight, but pauses as she sees the Arabian dancer, "What do you want Shule ?"

"I knew you would be in pain after all you went through. I brought your belongings from the camp. I am here if you want to talk. Though I can pretty much guarantee that one," nodding to the heavens, "will not come to face you. Rapist are often cowards after all. I have seen very little to redeem the gods here. They showed you kindness only to use you. You are powerful true, but more than that you know about things yet to come. Any force in the world would want that power, that knowledge, to make themselves even more powerful. I think, mind you this is just a theory, that they did this to you to bind you to Egypt, make you feel like the land was part of you. Tried to trick you in to thinking you wanted this or allowed this. My own sire tried this with me. I still hate him for it and the coward has never faced me about it. Just told me he would return when I was willing to thank him for turning me in to a monster." Anwens fires die down and she comes off the rock, looking in to Shule's eyes, searching, seeing beyond the pretty face to the hurt woman inside her, to the strong woman she has become.

Reaching out and rubbing her face, "You are not a monster. Melidea is a monster, she is proud of that to. You are a survivor, you don't relish in your nature like the others. You survive and strive to be better, That is what I see in you. I am not a monster, I am a touch crazy, have to be sometimes. I have done bad things for good reasons, or so I tell myself. Looking back on things, I think I would have left Ulva and Orsa in the rocks had I known what they would have been like. Most of the rest of you are ok people. Evil sure, but ok none the less."

Shule grins and nods, "Nast'al thinks you’re a perfectly good ally, you do know what that means right ?"

Anwen nods, "He will want a favor or something at some point, he is a user, but he is at least honest about it."

She nods, "That he is. And he is nicer than most of the others. Kitten though she feels responsible for you, she will stand by you just based on that. She is that way."

Anwen sits and sighs, "If I could I would just leave, but I can't. I am bound to Althea and some unnamed quest. I only know the first part was to get them out of the Prison and destroy the prison. I did that part, but now I am stuck I don't know what I am supposed to do. Kitten is baffled to."

Shule looks thoughtful, "Have you thought to ask Althea, it's her quest after all, Not Kittens."

Anwen sits there for the longest time before face palming, "ok color me stupid. I just assumed as Althea is Kittens thrall that it would be Kittens mission to."

Shule pats her hand, "Common mistake. Want to learn what the mission really is ?" She ask as she stands, expecting to walk back to camp.

Instead Anwen goes and checks her pack, pulling up a really nice hand mirror. She looks at it then, "Show me Althea." The mirror turns in to a window showing Althea sitting away from the camp staring at the stars. She looks lonely and forlorn.

Anwen nods to herself and then points at the rock steps behind her. Althea appears there. It take Althea a moment she is not where she had been a moment before.

"Shule, what is going on, who is the giant flaming cat thing ?"

Anwen, "Cat thing, lovely name for me. It's me Anwen. Bast did this to me, much against my will. But that is neither here nor there at the moment. Shule pointed this out to me, what is the quest you summoned me for ? "

Looking up at the lion, "Maybe too late now. I needed you free of the local gods to do it. I needed you to steal something for Kitten, something she is forbidden to retrieve for herself."

"Look no riddles, just tell me what it is."

Althea shrugs, "A Canopic Jar, one with her heart in it. It's why she works for the Pharaoh and is not out in the world living her own life. Why the setites tried to kill you to. Killing or capturing the others would just be a bonus. If captured they would have their hearts stolen and made in to slaves for the Pharaoh and Kemet to. But as you are now, you can't move against them and well that's that. End of the mission in the worst possible way."

Anwen rolls her eyes, "Everyone is always making assumptions about me. Sure, the Cat can't move against Kemet, but there is more to me than this cat."

She takes out her staff, unscrews the top, pulls out a black marble and then puts the cap back on the cane. Then to everyone's surprise she shatters the marble.

The marbles crumbled remains swirl up and Anwen intones something in a deep voice full of thunder and the sound of mountains shattering.

The Magic is awesome, more powerful than any of the Gods would allow a mortal, but Anwen does it without fear or hesitation. Words of power, words to reshape worlds, words to free the prisoner that powered her staff.

When the dust settled a small man, barely over 2ft tall, wearing a tan cape and a tall green cap stands there. He stretched and bends and moaned happily. "Oh Thank you Anwen. I really was not sure you could say those words right. No one in a thousand thousand years ever could."

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Anwen shrugs, "No problem. In my home dimension that is a pretty simple rhyme really and what passes for the magical language here is my native language there. Why else do you think She put a translation spell on me."

The Gnomish man laughs, "Ah she did it and did it well. My one wish was to be free of that cursed place. Now then, what's the mission ?"

Anwen explains it and the fellow nods, "So that's what they are up to eh. Hmph not surprised, always grubbing after power. But first I think, yes I can do that. Kneel down here you giant kitty."

Laughing Anwen kneels before the old gnome and waits for his work. He pulls out a staff that looks like a reverse mirror of her own and taps her with it. Some 'Thing' rips free of her and runs toward the heavens, only to be sucked in to the Gnomes staff. "There now they have no more power over you and you’re your own person again."

Then he borrows the mirror and uses it to not only look for the jar but the other items of power they were using to try and control the world. With a gesture they vanished from where they were stored and appear on top of the mound.

The gnome finds the correct jar and hands it to Althea, "There you go my dear."

Shule and Althea are looking back and forth between the two, "Ah thank you sir. Um who are you ?"

He shakes his head, "Best not to say, to many listening now. But I can tell you I am a god. An old one. Ra and a few others trapped me and some others in various objects then let mortals have them thinking no mortal would ever be able to free us. They badly underestimated mortals. One thing happened that most never thought of though, Some of us found we did not want to be freed. That Cloak of Anwens for example is actually a sleeping god. He is Happy being a cloak, being useful and having someone who loves him for being him. Never had that when he was a normal god. Anwen knows his nature and they are good companions. Ra thinks adding more patches just locks him up further, but he actively teaches his chosen wearers how to create new patches. Some of them are not as useful as they should be, but no one said everyone is smart about choices."

Anwen nods, "Does explain a few things. Did not know he was a god, but I kind of guessed a god was behind its power. The dogs are from 3000 years in the future."

"Right the boys, got to see to them. Anwen let me borrow your Ankh for a minute."

Anwen hands it over and he does Something, then places collars on the boys and the kit and they start to perk up. He hands her the ankh back. Anwen nods, "Duplicated it's power did you."

He taps the side of his nose and nods. Anwen nods to, smiling.

Shule looks on in wonder and then tentively ask, "Sir, could you make me human ?"

He gives her a long look, "Why would you want to be human, they are big silly creatures."

Anwen grins, "She used to be human, now she is immortal of the blood drinking type."

He looks up at the giant cat, "I know that, much better that way. But no I can't you were made by another god and that would be breaking an old agreement. They were locked away to, so it maybe a while before you can move past what you are. But you are not a monster unless you want to be one."

Shule pulls Anwen down to her level, "I think he was locked away too long." Anwen smirks.

He looks around then up and Grins, "I am Back you old pile of stinky socks. I gave the girl her memories back to. You won't be able to control her any more. Freed her from your control to. So HA!"

He moves a bunch of the items (they vanish) and then returns to Anwen, "Your staff is just a regular old Staff of the Arch-Magus now I am afraid, left in the spell focus though. I wish I could do more for you, but well you know how it is. Places to go, people to see. Others to stick it to. Now you go follow that young lady and make sure she gets that jar to her lover. And remember. Have fun and locks are just an invitation to see what's inside."

And like that, he and the rest of the stolen goods are gone.

Shule looks at Anwen, "He is a god of thieves isn't he ?"

She shakes her head, "Creator of the Gnomish race actually."

She looks surprised at that and shakes her head.

They gather up the pets and Anwen's items and follow Althea back to camp and Watch as she returns Kitten her heart.

Kitten looks up in surprise, opens the jar, pulls out a black lump and then presses it to her skin under her breast, an old scar opens up and it is sucked inside of her. The line, looking like a chain going between Anwen and Althea becomes visible and then breaks, dissipating and freeing both from the other.

Kitten comes over and looks up at the big cat, "How ?"

"Had help from a friend of mine. Little God, lots of skill with locks." Kitty smiles with an arm around Althea and nods, leading her love away.

The other immortals and many of the slaves saw it all.

Brawn, "What just happened ?"

Shule goes over and tells them the tale how the mage freed a trapped god, with a little embellishment.

Anwen looks at Sarah who is caressing her new collar, "So now what Mistress ?"

"Now we have a world to explore my kinky pet." Sarah smiles.

The dig was abandoned. The slaves were set free (mostly) and given enough coin to give them a start on a new life.

Then using her power, Anwen and the immortals (and their respective pets) were all teleported out of Kemet and to a new land far away.

Most went their separate ways but Shule and Nast'al decided to join up with Anwen and see what wonders and adventures she would get in to from there on out.

End of Book 1