The Rod and the Mage

Wow! I finally was able to upload the fourth part of the prologue! I think this is so much longer than I anticipated, but I have the Duel Monster cards in effect at the very end! Please tell me what you think of the story and a big thanks to Sin! Thanks so much for your review! It gave me the urge to keep going! Oy, it's 12:09 in the morning. Maybe I should go to bed. Maybe. :P

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Sunlight bouncing off the lightly colored sand greeted Teajuana as she exited the air port. Clutching her bookbag tightly, the young red head clad in black decided to walk around the city of Cairo before meeting with her employer. Bobby had told her about Egypt and the meeting times for her. All she had to do was match her digital watch with the numbers on the paper Bobby gave her.

Teajuana had a good feeling about this strange, new land. ::I can make a fresh start here. No one knows me, and I won’t be bothered.:: The young girl smiled briefly and moved away from the airport. The next thing she would see would change her life. . .forever.

A young boy, about five, ran quickly through the streets, a small piece of bread in his clutched hands. A group of older boys chased the young boy, shouting at him that they would kill the younger for stealing their stolen food. They caught up and proceeded to beat up the small child. Teajuana heard the boy’s cry and ran to the small alleyway, promptly throwing the older ones off. An instinct took over, and she stood in front of the child, protecting him the best she could.

One of the boys said something to her, sweeping his arm for her to get out of the way. The language seemed familiar to Teajuana, and she heard the words bitch, none, business, and move.

She grabbed the one talking to her by the shirt, pulling him up to her face, and said, “Say that again, street punk, and you’ll wind up six feet under!” The boys widened their eyes, and most scrambled away. The boy held by her struggled to be free, only to be slammed against the wall. The rest fled, leaving their leader behind. Teajuana stopped to think about the strange words that came out of her mouth. ::Did I just speak another language and understood it? How?:: Her thoughts were interrupted by a small tug on her pant leg.

“Thanks for saving me, ma’am,” said the little boy. He had dark hair and dark eyes to match. He was dressed in rags and looked as if he hadn’t ate in days.

“You’re welcome. . .I think,” she replied.

Teajuana picked up her bag that had fallen during the scuffle and started walking out of the alley, hearing small footsteps following. She turned around and saw the boy right behind her, smiling innocently. The teenage woman kept walking; the five year old followed. After about a few minutes of this, Teajuana turned around, placing her hands on her hips.

“Look, kid, do you have a home?” He shook his head from side to side. “Parents?” Another shake of his head. “Got a name?”

“My name’s Yonnie.”

Teajuana pondered for a few minutes. She reasoned that Yonnie would not be safe with the authorities, that and she didn’t trust them, and he most likely wouldn’t leave her alone. She also couldn’t just leave him anyway. He was very young as it was, and he wouldn’t be able to survive on his own.

::Looks like he belongs to me now.:: she thought. “Ok, Yonnie. My name’s Teajuana, and I’m going to take care of you.”

“You will? Thank you so much!” the young boy exclaimed, giving her a big hug. Teajuana was tempted to shove him off but decided to allow the child to do as he pleased. “So where’s home?”

“Wherever my employer is. You see, I’m a lot like you in that I have no parents or an actual home. My last place of living was at an academy. I. . .fight and protect others for a living,” she explained.

“Like the ancient goddess Bastet! My mommy told me stories about the gods and goddesses before she died,” he said sadly. Yonnie brightened and asked, “So can I call you Bastet?”

“Sure, kid. Come on. I’m gonna get you cleaned up and get you some new clothes. What do you say?”

“Ok!” Yonnie nearly bounced out the alley and into daylight with Teajuana following.

Suddenly, both heard shouts coming from one of the stores. Not caring how much Yonnie weighed, Teajuana scooped him up and held him as she ran toward the shouting. Once near, she put him down and told him to wait for her. She saw the same boys who had tried hurting Yonnie run out the store with arm loads of merchandise. Teajuana understood how the rules were for everything as Bobby had taught her and moved from the shadows, effectively stopping them.

“Oh, shit!” cried one. All tried scrambling away, but they didn’t get very far. Police cars pulled up just as Teajuana delivered the final blow. The thugs were rounded up, and questions were asked. The young woman walked toward Yonnie and was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. She was about to turn and knock the person down when the person spoke.

“Thank you so much, young lady,” came an old, male sounding voice, “My store would have lost thousands of dollars of merchandise if it weren’t for you.”

By this time, Teajuana had turned around and noticed the elder police officer and the older gentleman who spoke to her. “You’re welcome. . .sir,” she almost ground out.

“Bastet! Bastet are you hurt?” Yonnie asked as he came running up to her and wrapped his arms around her.

She looked down and placed a hand on his head. “I’m fine.”

The older gentleman’s eyes widened. “You truly are the incarnation of the ancient goddess. We are honored, Bastet.”

“Um. . .ok,” was her reply. Teajuana wasn’t sure what to make of this turn of events. ::Do they trust me? If they do, then this is an odd feeling.::

The officer seemed oddly familiar, and Teajuana narrowed her eyes. She felt a strange energy about the man, almost menacing like. She just couldn’t figure it out just yet. ::I feel as if I should know him. Why?::

“Come on, Yonnie. Let’s find a place to get you cleaned up. Maybe a hotel would work.” She led them to the nearest hotel and rented a room for a few hours. She decided to focus on the young boy for now and worry about the officer later. Once Yonnie was cleaned, they went to buy some clothes and other necessary items. Teajuana ever gave him a small backpack to carry hit things. She took them back to the airport and waited for the employer to arrive.

“Bastet, do you know what he looks like?” asked the young boy, sitting on his bag.

“No, I don’t. All I know is I’m supposed to meet him here.” Teajuana watched the cars go by and saw people being civil with one another. A jeep with an old gentleman with gray hair drove up to the two. The old man got out.

“Are you Teajuana?” he asked with a heavy Egyptian accent. Teajuana nodded. “I’m Yoseph Shinomori, the man who hired your services.”

“So you’re Yoseph. I thought you’d be younger,” she commented.

“Well, I was younger. . .a long time ago. And who is this young man?” he asked as he spied Yonnie.

“I’m Yonnie, sir. Bastet saved me from some bullies,” the little boy answered.

“Oh, I wasn’t expecting two, but that’s not a problem. Come on. I’ll take you two out to the digs,” Yoseph said as he went for the bags.

Teajuana pulled them away. “I can carry them.”

“I was just being nice. Please, just put them in the back,” the elder said while backing away. He started up the jeep as the others piled in. The old digger drove them out of Cairo to his recent dig site. All of the diggers raced up to the jeep once it stopped and hailed the three. Soon after, they went back to work.

“So you’re trying to dig up the graves?” Teajuana asked.

“Yes. There’s much we don’t know about the ancient culture, and we’re curious as to our history,” Yoseph explained.

“Well, the grave’s not there,” she stated.

“What do you mean? We’ve looked extensively and found this spot.”

“It’s not here. You’re looking for a grave. You’re sure this is the right spot. It’s actually a few yards from here. You’ll dig up a whole lot of sand for no reason.”

“How do you know this?”

“Call it a hunch, but go ahead and dig. Don’t believe me.”

“Why don’t we try it the way we were going to first? If we don’t find it, we’ll do things your way.”

Come to find out, Teajuana had been right about the tomb. Yoseph was just as surprised as the diggers. The tomb was cataloged and everything. It was soon time for bed, and Yonnie started out sleeping with Yoseph since they were males. During the night, while Teajuana couldn’t sleep, Yonnie made his way to her tent and slept, cradled in her arms. Teajuana just couldn’t understand why she even cared for the boy as she hadn’t seemed to care about anyone else before, but she just couldn’t see Yonnie get hurt in any way. ::I want him to have the childhood I never had. I. .wantwant that for all children.::


For a few months things went just fine. The people of Egypt honored Teajuana as if she had been protecting them for years on end. That same older police officer kept appearing at every crime that Teajuana had stopped, and he was beginning to get on her nerves. The officer didn’t seem like an inviting man to her, and he tried to act like he was, which annoyed her more. Soon, everyone was getting on her nerves. . .even Yoseph who had become a friend.

“Leave me alone, Shinomori! I don’t want to talk about it!” she exclaimed as she went to her tent.

“Bastet, please. You have slept or eaten in days. What’s wrong? We’re concerned about you. That’s it,” he tried pleading.

“I don’t want your concern or pity! Just leave me be!” If she had a door, it would have been slammed.

Yoseph didn’t know what to make of her attitude. Everything was just fine. In fact, he had expected this kind of behavior when they first met, not now since they had been living together for a few months. Even Yonnie was distraught. Teajuana stayed in her tent the rest of the day and most of the night. Fly, ly, she decided to walk out, seeing Yoseph with a sleeping Yonnie in his arms. Both were by the fire.

“Sorry. . .about today. Things just got. . .rough,” she said as she sat by the fire.

“I see.” Yoseph tried to let her come out into the open and say what was bothering her.

She sighed and felt as if she had to explain herself. “Look, today was just not a good day for me. . .too many bad memories.”

“Really?” the old man asked. He wondered what she was talking about and waited for her to continue.

“Yes. All my life. . .I’ve lived through nothing but pain and today marked the beginning of the horror.” Teajuana stared into the fire, waiting for him to say something.

Yoseph was speechless. “So today was your birthday?”

“. . .Yes.”

“Teajuana, would you be willing to tell me about it?”

“I don’t want to relive it.” She looked away. A hand touched hers in a gentle manner. “Fine, I’ll tell you.” She ended up telling everything in great detail; Yoseph nearly didn’t believe had it not been how she reacted to it all. Every few minutes, she would shudder involuntarily and took to hugging herself. Eventually, she stopped talking and stray tears fell, and Yoseph held her close. He had been the first ever to hold her.

“I wish I could have saved you, Bastet. I can’t believe someone would want to do that to any one, much less someone like you. I almost hate to say it, but if it weren’t for the bad times, you wouldn’t be a strong as you are now. You wouldn’t be here with us, and Yonnie would have been hurt extremely bad if those bullies had their way,” he explained.

“Though I hate to admit it, you’re right. Had it not been for how I was treated, I would try to help others. It doesn’t make sense, but it’s true,” the redhead agreed.

“If you want, you can always take it out on tomb robbers or thieves,” the elder suggested.

“I’m not sure that will work, but ok. How many robbers do you think there are?”

“A lot.”

Teajuana nodded and decided to try to get some sleep. Sleep didn’t come easy nor did it stay for very long that night as every time she closed her eyes, Teajuana would see images of the orphanages and foster cares. And they were getting worse. Her mind would play out scenes where she was fully grown and able to fight, but she wasn’t able to fight against everyone who ever harmed her. It would be as if she was a little kid again, and they just beat her. These nightmares decided to come whenever she was able to get some sleep, and so she stayed awake for a few days before giving into her body’s needs. Her eating habits went back to how they were at the academy, even though they hadn’t changed too much for the better after her arrival, but it was noticeable to everyone.

Teajuana had done her share of keeping tomb robbers away from the tombs and thieves away from businesses, but that officer kept appearing every time she did something good. It was beginning to annoy her, but most of all, it made her wary of this man. He just felt evil to her, but she couldn’t understand why. She could feel her anger rise every time she saw him, but why, she didn’t know.

During one save at a dig site, Teajuana was offered a reward for her services. The dig had been a group project, and all the heads of the dig thought she should have something. They allowed her to have any artifact she wanted. Teajuana glanced through what they had dug up so far and saw a beautiful gold-sheathed dagger. It had a golden handle with an eye etched into it which looked like the Eye of Ra except it didn’t have legs to it. The dagger sort of confused her to say the least, but the hieroglyphics on the dagger itselre are amazing. Teajuana translated it, and it said, “For the one who will protect Egypt forever.” She didn’t think she would protect the land forever, but she felt as if it was meant for her.

“If I can have something, I want this,” she said, pointing to the dagger. Though they didn’t want to give it up, they did say she could have whatever she wanted, and so the leaders gave her the dagger.

Teajuana took the blade out and was shocked to see it was like brand new. The outer shell had dust and sand on it, but the blade was strong and still in tact. In fact, the dagger had a ruby on one side of the blade and a sapphire on the other.

“Those are your colors, Bastet,” Yonnie observed as he watched the dagger gleam in the sunlight.

“You’re right, Yonnie, but I don’t understand how.” She ran her thumb lightly over the sharp edge and sucked her thumb as it started to bleed. “It’s still very much sharp too.”

“Wow!”

“Shouldn’t you be doing your schoolwork, kiddo?” she asked.

“Yeah, I just wanted to see your new toy. After I get finished, can we go to Cairo for a bit? There’s a new game It tot to look at.”

“Alright, but after your schoolwork.” Teajuana, with Yoseph’s help, got Yonnie some schooling even though they were out in the middle of the desert. Yonnie was a smart boy for his age and already passed three grade levels in one year. That’s right, Teajuana had been in Egypt for one year already and was glad that things were going fine. By this time, her name had been changed for Egypt, and she was called, “Bastet Nefertiti” after the warrior guard who used to protect an ancient pharaoh. She was told that this warrior had the same hair and eye color and was extremely strong, just like her. The warrior was famous because of her looks and of her fighting abilities. Teajuana didn’t dare hope to actually claim the title, but the Egyptians insisted, and she caved, allowing them to call her by that name. Teajuana had learned to use a cell phone and had gotten her motorcycle license by a sheer miracle. She couldn’t read so she took the test orally and passed with flying colors. Teajuana bought a beautiful black Nighthawk and drove it around everywhere they went. She was also big on safety and so had a helmet for her and Yonnie to wear.

It wasn’t but a few months later, on her birthday, that Teajuana decided to get a tattoo. Yoseph had cringed when he found out where she wanted to place the tattoo and what kind she wanted. When she had come back from town, Teajuana wear an Eye of Ra tattoo on her right eye with the “R’s” legs going onto her cheek. Yonnie thought it was cool, and Yoseph was worried about the pain. Teajuana had told them that it didn’t hurt as much as she thought it would, almost seeming painless. As to why, she didn’t know and didn’t want to question it. So now, she was a fighter with a mark.


“Hey, Yonnie, what do you have there?” Teajuana asked as she looked at the cards in the little boy’s hands.

“These are called Duel Monster cards, Sis. I’m learning how to play so I can play in local tournaments,” he replied.

“Well, how do you play?” She seemed drawn to these cards for some reason. Yonnie taught her everything he knew and helped her with the cards effects written on the cards. About two hours later, she was playing as if she had done this her entire life. Yonnie just didn’t understand it. He’d been playing longer than her and was getting his butt kicked!

“Wow, Bastet! How’d you do that?!” the young Egyptian asked in awe.

“I don’t know. It’s like I knew what I was doing all along. I don’t understand that,” she replied, scratching her head in confusion.

“Maybe you played Duel Monsters in a previous life?” Yonnie suggested.

“Maybe. I just don’t know.”


That night, Teajuana’s dreams got weirder than they have ever been. She dreamed of a land so ancient and alive with magic that it almost didn’t seem real. She saw cardcards that she had played with, only they weren’t in card form. They were in human form and size. One in particular came up to her and touched his black staff to her forehead. Teajuana nearly backed away from the dark sorcerer with the wild black hair and piercing gold eyes, but something, perhaps from him, told her to stay. The sorcerer touched her tattoo gently and smiled.

“You armagemage,” he said in thoughts. His voice was deep and wise and sounded as if he knew her. “Young Bastet, we will be your cards soon enough, and you will know every secret there is to know about the game of Duel Monsters. Do not be frightened for we will always be by your side to help you. You will find us all very easy, and your deck will be the strongest ever.”

The chaos magician tapped his staff lightly against her forehead again, and Teajuana fell into a peaceful slumber for the first time in weeks.