Khant's awe and admiration of the raggedy corpse was about the only thing Lahmizzash could regard as evidence of this... Hierophant Khatep's power. The esteemed personage struggled vainly in Pellon's giant fist, screeching about indignity and hissing overly-intellectual insults at the heirotitan: ("You are as ignorant as you are igneous, you stone buffoon! Unhand me! I can create titans superior to you in every way, you obsolete oblisik! You- you- garbage golem!")

"This is the leader of the Mortuary Cult?" said Lahmizzash.

"Yes, he is the eldest of the elders. He awoke King Settra himself," said Khant.

Then if there were any answers to be found in the ruins of Nehekara, they would be in this Khatep's mind. "Pellon!" shouted Lahmizzash, "Lower him down, but don't let him go."

The heirotitan obligingly took to one knee, sending up a explosion of sand which hissed as it rained down upon the still and silent forms of Lahmizzash's undead army- still standing statue alike around the inanimate remains of Khatep's own army of animated skeletons.

Khatep's dessicated face turn to face them as he was lowered down to eye level. "Traitors!" he yelled, "Foolish servants of Nagash! You betray Nehekara even in death!"

Nagash. Lahmizzash's vision whited out. His head felt an intense pressure. Suddenly, the sun was very hot, and he realized he couldn't hear anything. He had no eyelids, but his brain sent signals for eye blinking- old habits- and his vision began to come back to color. Sound returned suddenly.

"-do not serve any Nagash!" Khant was saying, "Where is this nation? In which direction is this Nagash?"

Khatep laughed frantically. "A poor ruse, sir. Cowardly! Speaking with me through your relic instead of with your own mouth. Was your voice put in a jar- like your brain?"

"You mistake me," said Lahmizzash, finding his voice again- shaking off that weird.. episode he just experienced. "I serve King Settra of Nehekara, and no other."

"King Settra? The King of Kings? Settra, Bringer of the Light? Settra, Father of Hawks? Settra, Builder of Cities? Settra, The Great Keeper of-"

"Yes! Yes. King Settra. That one."

"Why would I believe that, betrayer?"

"I'm wearing his colors."

"Anyone can wear a color, fool! You don't convince me. Release me!"

"What is this.. Nagash? Why do you think I serve it?"

"Whom else would seek to plunder the Mortuary Cult? King Settra would not! It is his! He would simply come and take it!"

"He sent me to do that!"

"Lies! Your army was approaching for an assault!"

"My army was marching! That's how it gets to different places!"

"Exactly! For conquering!"

Lahmizzash felt the simmer of rage bubble up within him. This man potentially held all the answers he'd wanted since he awakened to this dead life. Why was Nehekara like this? What happened to them? What went wrong? Where was his family? This Khatep potentially knew it all. But the damned fool was entirely unreasonable.

He could inflict some reason upon him. Lahmizzash witnessed King Settra's creative use of torture upon the undead. That worked beautifully with the late King Ubaid. However, Ubaid was then discarded, his full value already extracted. This was the leader of the Mortuary Cult, the master of all their rituals, the insider of all the inside information. It would take ages to get even a fraction of the truly valuable information out of him, and the most important may never come out, because Lahmizzash would not even know what to question about. One didn't know what one didn't know.

But Khatep knew. Khatep's mind likely commanded a veritable index of information essential to Lahmizzash and King Settras. Khatep could access and reference it at the speed of thought. But only if he was willing to do so.

Lahmizzash fought his anger back down. No. This prize was much too valuable for a subordinate to handle- he'd been king long enough to know what vassals could do to make him exceedingly angry. So as the vassal now- he recognized this was one of those times when current events supercede orders given. That's what quality subordinates do: recognize the bigger picture and act accordingly.

"Enough! Keep your silence then. I'll take you to King Settra and he will ask the questions."

"The torture chambers of your master won't work on me! I'm already dead, fool!"

Lahmizzash didn't bother to respond. He pulled himself on top of Pellon's wrist. The heirotitan, understanding the general motion of events- stood up to its full height. Lahmizzash gazed down upon his army- thousands of skeletons gazed up at him with their empty eyes.

What to do with them? He wanted to move faster than these soldiers could move, but he couldn't just leave them here. Another rebel king could destroy them,or perhaps even steal them through some magic that he was unaware of. He could leave them in command of Khant and have him take control of the Mortuary Cult compound. But no, he wanted Khant to be there to listen to what Khatep said, and ask technical questions about things himself and King Settra would not understand.

But he also could not just leave the Mortuary Cult compound unguarded. And he could not stay himself and summon King Settra- the suspicious man would suspect another trap like with Numas. Nor could he send Pellon back with just Khatep, as then Lahmizzash would not learn what he himself desperately wanted to learn. He needed subordinates himself!

Subordinates. That gave him an idea. "Bodyguard!" he yelled. Then waited for the elite ten tomb guard which had accompanied him into Numas to assemble below him. He recognized a tall, thin one as the guard which stood always near his side. He pointed at that one: "I recognize you as captain! You are to command this army when myself or Elder Khant cannot!"

The guardsman saluted, hand over chest.

Lahmizzash pointed to the big, thick guard whom was always there to save his life. "That man is your second."

"Take the army to the Mortuary Compound and seize it- protecting it from all who would come except myself or King Settra! Go!"

The captain saluted again. Then the elite ten of the guard came together in a circle and stood facing each other. What were they doing? Were they conversing? Four of the guards broke off, the thick one and three others, and they approached Pellon's legs and began climbing up. Bodyguards! His captain was sending bodyguards to go with him.

"Stop! I don't need bodyguards! You need your lieutenants!," yelled Lahmizzash.

The four climbers paused in their climb. They looked back at the captain of the guard. But he turned away, gesturing to the soldiers, whom- reacting to some order, began shuffling into organization. The four bodyguards continued climbing.

Insubordination! And so immediately after he'd honored them! Well, in such matters, kings which listened to their bodyguards tended to be kings for longer. "Pellon. Take us back to Numas."

The stone giant strode off into the sand.