The Ankh

By Ayce Dez

In a world of vengeance deceit and bitterness resurrected what they thought to be a salvation. Remnants of the Rosicrucian cult caused a greater tragedy to themselves and to those who bore the legendary ankh when their ancient ritual goes terribly wrong...Meet Claudia a perfect embodiment of a happy girl who gets ensconced into this curse enacted several years ago. In order to surpass the curse, she'll have to learn the pain of sacrifice, the agony of loss, the sorrow of shame and the worst of them all the torture of forgiveness...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ayce Dez
• Release date: Jun 24, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463970645

Ayce Dez

18-year-old Kenyan born Author. His real name is Quincy Macharia. He lives in Kenya and writes with the support of his mother and sister. He is currently in the University of Nairobi studying Law.

Book preview

RESURRECTION

That night a headless man entered our house killing my 5 months old sister and my parents. As though that is was not enough, he then went on and killed me and sliced me into pieces just so he can pass a messages to the 'Queen of all bitches', YOU! Tricia said in a somber mood.

Angela cringed still focusing on the road.

What do you mean he killed you? Angela asked her.

Oh! Didn’t I mention to you that I'm dead? Tricia asked before forcing a fear-striking laugh.

When Angela turned to look at Tricia she felt a quick chill go through her as all she saw was her white bathrobe drenched in blood and she missed a left eyeball. The flesh of her right cheek was hanging reaching her neck as it revealed her teeth which were red, dripping with blood.

Hail Mary...., Angela began to pray before she got cut short when Tricia grabbed the steering wheel and forced the car to sharply turn left.

The car was suddenly elevated and it landed on its roof then continued rolling seven times before stopping when the driver's side of the car was on the hard tarmac.

PROLOGUE

We have to complete the ritual to gain immortality, the man holding a red circle ruby in his hands said. 

    In front of him was an ankh which was placed on the altar. It was a medium-sized gold object.

   Read the instructions, the man ordered as another man with a cloak and a scroll came forward to read it.

Rosicrucian Cult

IMMORTALITY BY ANKH OF LIFE

*Take a virgin child around the age of 12

*Behead her and put her blood in the cup of truth

*Rip her chest open using the sacrificial Kris

*Take her heart and place the ruby inside to symbolize purity

*Put the ruby into the hole of the ankh 

*Take a sip of the blood

*Put the ankh on the head

*Recite the death poem

⃰⃰⃰ Failure to carry out this ritual correctly may result to death by the last sacrifice after the curse takes place

The man with the ruby nodded and slowly turned as he watched the lean little girl being dragged forward with masking tape covering her mouth. 

      Her hands had been tied with a tight knot which was causing the coarse rope to pierce through her skin, cutting them. She sobbed as tears went down her cheeks. Another lady with a robe hit the back of her knee, making her kneel and she held her hair backwards so as to clearly show her neck. She ripped the tape from her mouth allowing her to gasp and cough after choking on her own tears.

What are you doing mummy? the girl asked. Tears overwhelmed her mother, making her remove her hood to reveal her face.

      You told me you want mummy to live forever. Don't worry, this will be over quickly and mummy will never die, her mother said as she wiped her daughter's tears.

     The man put the scroll on the ground. He immediately took out a sword and slowly forced the sword through the back of her neck. She winced in pain and her mother pulled hair immediately to avoid her from removing her head before she later on began to scream for her mother. 

     The man with the ruby stepped on her back to restrain her from moving and finally, the room was quiet as the sword completely passed through her neck and her mother remained, holding her head. Another druid from the back came forth with a gold-coated cup which had some shiny clear diamonds inside. He lifted the body by pulling up the shoulder and let the blood gush into the cup and fill it halfway.

For my brotherhood, for immortality, for my cult. The Rosicrucian, the old man whispered.

He then pierced her corpse deep in the chest and watched as blood oozed out from it. He forced his hands through the chest and divided it through snapping some of the ribs. He then took the heart and used the Kris to cut the arteries and veins around it and watched as blood thrashed out. He held the heart with his hands as he rose up. The man with the ruby forced the sharp part of the ruby through the heart and out through the other side.

      He then placed the ruby into the ankh and held the ankh up high, it was glowing. He drank some of the blood and passed it around. All the druids knelt as the man holding the ankh went to the head which had been placed on the altar. 

     Before he could put the ankh on it, a man from the group of druids took the Kris and stubbed him on his neck then grabbed the ankh. Immediately, the ankh stopped glowing and everyone gasped while others put their hands over their heads.

     You fool! You have doomed as all! the little girl’s mother yelled.

The man ignored her and threw the ankh out the window. He tried to escape from the group but he was surrounded.

I had no other choice. No one deserves such power, he declared.

Suddenly, he was grabbed and thrown into a room. He was then cut on his arm and stomach with pocket knives from the druids before finally being locked inside the room.

     He yelled and cried as the creatures slowly fed on him as he banged the metal door. But he had to pay the price for betrayal by only one means ~death.

     In a trice, the corpse's head had reattached itself with its body before there was a sudden black out and she disappeared. The Rosicrucian in the room knew that their end was near.

To: My supporting mother and loving sister

1

Wake up Claudia, it's time for school, her mother's sweet voice could be heard as she was in deep sleep.

     She moaned as she pulled her bedding closer to herself and turned to face the other side. Her mother slowly entered her room as the door creaked open. She slowly tiptoed to her daughter's bed and sat by her then smiled at her cheeky daughter.

C'mon, baby girl, you are going to be late, she said as she gently put her hand on her.

Claudia sat up and immediately saw her mother's hazel eyes then got off her bed and dragged herself to the mirror to gaze at her smooth chocolate face -she was beautiful. She was wearing a vest and a loose green short. On her dressing table laid car keys to a Ferrari which she would use to go to school.

     From her room, she could smell the hypnotic aroma of her favorite breakfast meal- bacon and eggs.

    She reached for her Smartphone which was on the table and as usual, found thousands of texts from all her social media platforms. She then stared at her wallpaper which was a picture of her seven closest friends and her boyfriend.  The screen went off as her mother pecked her on the cheek and left the room. Claudia felt like it was going to be a normal first-day at school.

                                               ***

     Is the piece of crap still asleep? an old grumpy voice yelled in the old-looking house. 

     The paint of the house was worn out and had several holes on both the walls and the ceiling.

Arnold, can't you at least just be a little nice to her? a timid female voice begged from a far.

      The lady walked towards the next room where her daughter slept. She found her seated upright, gazing at the blank wall, neither blinking nor twitching an eye. She had blue eyes and pale white skin. She had long black hair whose tips laid on her back.

Chelsea, are you fine? Is it your father getting in your head? her mother asked.

Chelsea took a while before showing any emotion. Her mother sat beside her, putting her palm on the duvet.

I miss my father, I miss my mother, you are not my mother and the man in the living room will never be my father, Chelsea said as she tried to hold back her tears.

She remembered that fateful day that had turned her into an orphan......

She had gotten into the house late after attending her friend’s party. When she got home, she awaited to be given the usual lecture but when she entered the house, she at first got shook when she found the dark house being illuminated by candles in a star formation.

    She then heard whimpering of her mother on the ground. The candle did not show a clear image of who it was but she knew it was her mother.

   You signed an agreement, Madam Chelsea, a man wearing a cloak reminded her as he handed her a knife. 

   We were to help you get rid of your bullies in exchange for the life of your precious one, the man continued as tears slowly ran down her cheek. 

    Her heart pounded with guilt, sorrow and fear. She crouched besides her mother who tried to reach for her cheek but was unable due to the bondage she had been put in.

   Wh....wh.....Why Chelsea? Your father and I have always loved you, her mother whispered.

    She remained silent as she put her mother's head on her lap and looked in her eyes with pity, as she could clearly see the light of the candles reflect from her eyes. She then leaned in for a hug. As her left hand went around her neck, her right hand quickly forced the knife into her neck. Her scream was exchanged with a choking sound as she coughed out blood and her eyes went pale white before she finally stopped moving. Her mother’s blonde hair was soaked in the red blood along with her clothes. 

     The candles went out and she found her way from the sitting room and locked herself in her bedroom to cry herself to sleep. The next day when her father woke up, he found the corpse in the middle of the sitting room on the carpet. He knew he would have been blamed for the death.

      He then decided to take a paring knife from the kitchen before his daughter woke up. Hardly had he pricked his wrist with the tip of the knife than the red pigment -blood- had already started forming a tiny bubble. He then closed his eyes and forced the knife into his wrist, dragging the knife and moving it closer to his bicep. His hand became numb for a while and suddenly, he felt an unbearable pain. He knelt beside his wife before he finally got his wish -death.

Watch your mouth! her adoptive mother warned her, removing her from her deep thoughts, and why don't you ever change your clothes like other girls? Why aren't you like other girls?

You wear the same piece of jewelry over that turtleneck and that vest. You then wear the same old jeans you wore the first time you got here. Girls change clothes! her mother condemned her.

The only reason Elizabeth adopted Chelsea was because she was barren and had always wanted a child. Her husband hated children but decided to give in to his wife's demands for a child. 

      I am not like other girls, Chelsea murmured, I am special.

Elizabeth leaned closer to her with several thoughts running through her mind.

       What makes you special? Elizabeth asked her without losing her smile.

       I am the holder of the Rosicrucian's Ankh, Chelsea declared as Elizabeth still smiled.

       And what is Rosicrucian? Elizabeth asked, keeping her tone as calm as possible.

It's the cult I'm in, Chelsea responded.

      Elizabeth stood up and looked at her adopted daughter. Come here! she ordered.

Chelsea moved her blankets from her legs and began to hold the ankh which was hanging on her neck. Suddenly, she felt icy tingles of pain after getting a slap whose impact dropped her to the ground and left her with red lines on her cheeks.

You are an ordinary girl with a weird behavior! Now get ready to go to your new school, summer is over, Elizabeth hissed as she left the room.

Ok Elizabeth, Chelsea cried as she pulled herself together.

Once again, she was forced down with a kick to her shoulder. Elizabeth then pulled her hair as she dragged her and bashed her head to the floor several times.

I have told you many times, you call me Mum! Elizabeth growled before spitting on her then storming out of the room and banging the door as she left. 

      She took a

Reviews for The Ankh

[Ricky Elvis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyed the spontaneous drama in every chapter. I really love this book. Wonderful.

[Rosa Wachuka · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I remain amazed by the author's vast knowledge and beautiful imagination that left me yearning for more books from him.Ayce Dez surely remains to be one of the best young authors in Kenya.From the plot to the suspense, everything is epic!I,of course,cannot forget to applaud the remarkable twist of fate.Remarkable!

[Brian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved the plot in particular. It's quite a good piece.

[Elisha · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved it and would recommend it to my friends

[Ezra · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Quite an interesting story, it caught my attention the whole time I was reading.

[Robert Aziza · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A phenomenal book, the author just takes you beyond the ordinary life.

[Ronne Charles · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wrong genre but a really really great book. It felt more of horror but it was certainly a thriller. I love how the book has diagrams and illustrations making it more interesting to read and all. The ending wasn't what I expected but either way it was a good book.

[Diana · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really horrifying, sadly the ending didn't thrill me as per say although expected. Praise to the author for all the twists though. Overally a good book and I'd recommend it to anyone.

[kesarce · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A good book I must say but the editing is quite poor and also the ending was quite unexpected. Other than that, I love the work by this Author

[Ayce Dez · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A really amazing book. I'd recommend it to any horror lovers or readers who like the suspense

[Jezebel · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely loved it. Kept me wanting more and has an amazing build-up leave alone the suspense. Officially my favorite author is Ayce Dez.