Mummy Boyfriend: Teremun (complete)

Ages ago, violent sandstorms plagued the Neith kingdom. What had once been a sprawling metropolis of the Rakshasa, Lizardfolk, and Jackal peoples was destroyed and buried under sand, scattering the three across the continent for generations. The great kingdom now lies buried under the desert, and I’ve been given the great duty of helping to find it.

Not much is left from the old days of Neith except stories, rotting books, and vague anecdotes that people have written down. The lost kingdom’s location is unknown, but many rumors circulate of its whereabouts. The Lizardfolk believe it is close to their borders in the west, while the Rakshasa claim it is further north. The Jackals speculate that the kingdom lies in the direct center of the continent, radiating out like a compass to the rest of the world.

Using old texts, I’ve been able to narrow down my search. Surprisingly, I believe the Jackals may have the closest understanding of the location, considering the Oasis of Bastat is close to the purported center. Neith is described as having lush vegetation and vast gardens to support the populace. 

I decide to start my search northwest of Bastat, taking into account all stories from each kingdom. The excavation is harsh to say the least, what with the horrible heat and blazing sun. The residents of Bastat have taken pity on us and taught us their ways of coping with the desert. Their ancestors came from Neith as well, and their curiosity is manifest. 

Sand is not kind to work with, but we finally managed to break through it. At first, it seems all we will find is bedrock, until one of the Bastat children tells us about the Dragon’s Cave just a little further north of the oasis. I thought it was just a name, but to my shock, there is an actual dragon living there. From him we learn that the cave goes further back and down, narrowing to where he can’t fit through a strange archway that looks manmade. 

Going deep into the cave, my team and I find the archway. It has inscriptions on it that are in the old language once used in Neith which, when the three tribes split, became the root of each of their languages. It’s a victory, an insight into the whereabouts of Neith. I decide I will go in first and see what lies beyond the archway. If anything should happen, better I suffer it than any of my team.

The archway opens into a narrow corridor, which leads into a forked path. One passageway has a grand arch, the other an old door. Both bear old Neithian inscriptions. I rush back to tell my team, and we celebrate the discovery. We make plans with the citizens of Bastat and the dragon Abbor to explore the cave. Once we have the all-clear to continue our research, my first goal is to translate the Neithian writing so we can understand what lies beyond the arch and door.

While my team prepares to dig and explore, setting up a more permanent campsite, I get to work translating. I’ve studied old Neithian since I was young, but it’s still so hard to work with, requiring me to learn the dialects of the Rakshasa, Lizardfolk, and Jackals. Eventually, I find the writing from the archway reads; “beyond me there is life, between me there is agony.” The writing over the door reads: “I am but passage. Neither end or beginning. What happens now is but a journey.”

“It sounds like Jackal funeral poems,” one of my teammates remarks, being a Jackal herself. “They call death a journey back home. Perhaps this is where it comes from.”

“It could be a crypt or catacomb,” I reply. “We may have just discovered the burial ground of the Neithian kingdom.”

I set on to work on the door, but I find the rest of the writings much more difficult to piece together. Some of the words I am not sure of, and some I’ve never seen before. But after a long period of stress, I come to the conclusion that the inscription is either a poem or a song. 

“What lies here may be eternal, what passes by may be fleeting. What once was great now is resting. The resting will wake in due time. Blood of kind and soul combined, will treat the great as tea sublime. Morning breath and drop of dew, will greet the great with life anew.”

I sigh heavily. “I have no idea what that could mean. Are they serving breakfast back there?” I’m frustrated at my lack of progress, and this verse is the best I can come up with. Everything else sounds like infantile babble, and I know that’s not what the Neithians intended. 

I sit before the door, staring at it, hoping for a miracle to instantly enable me to read it. I set my work aside and stiffen my back, rubbing my knees before I rise. 

Ever since I was a young boy I had dreams about a Neithian priest. He was handsome and kind, and would show me the stars in the sky. Even though he was just a dream, I fell in love with him. As I got older, the dreams changed. He became something of a fantasy for me, as such, in my dreams he would touch me more and hold my hand. He was a calming presence to me, one I felt I could relax and breathe deep around. Those dreams led me to becoming an archeologist. 

I sometimes still see him. He guides me through the stars, pointing me to a constellation before kissing me on the forehead. “We follow stars in order to find our way home. They are there for us as guides. Each light is another being who wishes us well in this world. Though they are distant and numerous, they take comfort in us,” he tells me. “They guide us towards happiness, and they show us where we belong. They give us a wealth of directions, but they will always point us home.” His voice is rich and deep, and it soothes me to my core. He kisses me again, this time on the lips. A surge of virile energy courses through my blood, and I taste cardamom upon my tongue. I cling to his body, feeling his strength bleed into me. Our bodies are naked, bare before one another, skin pressed against skin. I wake up feeling a bit lost and very aroused.

As I start to stand my hand hits a sharp stone, and the skin is sliced open. I cup my hand over the gash, but blood has already begun to spill along the ground. The sharp object that gouged me, I find, is a chiseled stone artifact, so I know I need to clean it. I hate blood - always have - and even the sight of my own makes me feel nauseous and woozy. 

I start to swoon backwards, hitting my shoulder against the door. It falls open, and I go tumbling through. I feel cold stone against my back, and as I stand I become aware of the thick scent of spices in the air. The dark starts to dissipate until I see that, all around me, there are images glowing on the walls. They’re like bubbling stained glass, forming mosaics of a man. Each tableau presents the same man, doing various tasks and services. I look further across the room, to where there is a great altar illuminated by a giant mosaic fanning out around the floor. In the center is a massive glass sarcophagus. 

From the looks of things, the man in the images is a king, or possibly a high priest. Whoever he was, he was highly honored and respected by the people. Offerings litter the aisle leading down to the sarcophagus - urns filled with wine and oils, piles of coins and gemstones, even stacks of old books.

I creep closer to the altar, where the glass sarcophagus is held aloft by statues of old gods. Inside is a body, and I become breathless at the sight of it. The corpse is huge, possibly almost eight feet tall. It’s covered in ceremonial garb and wears the mask of a priest.

The sarcophagus has no lid. As I lean over the side, a drop of my blood splashes on the mask. I recoil. I’ve sullied this place with my curiosity!

I try to wrap my hand up with part of my head covering to keep it from bleeding, but as I do, I hear breathing. I freeze in place, lifting my head to see the chest of the body inside rising and falling gently. The hands stir, rising from the corpse’s chest to grasp the mask.

I don’t stay to watch anymore. I run from the crypt. As I came barreling out of the cave, I fling myself into the arms of my colleagues - evidently, they were about to come looking for me - babbling in panic. “There was a mummy! In a crypt!” I shout. “It was alive! I saw it!”

My expedition members lead me away, while some venture back into the cave. Later they tell me when they went beyond the door, all they found was a rockslide that no one could get through. But I am certain to my core of what I have seen - the altar, the coffin, the giant body inside that was coming alive.

That evening I do not sleep. Instead, I sit outside my tent looking towards the entrance to the cave. I feel as though the mummy I saw in that crypt was coming for me. It sampled my blood. I see a glow from the mouth of the cave, and I jump to attention, but the light comes from a host of fireflies.

I furrow my brow at the sight, but as I rise and step forward I feel a tap on my shoulder. I sigh, thinking it’s a member of my team. “I’ll go to bed. I know I’m being ridiculous. But I know what I...”

I stop dead in my tracks as I turn. Standing there, almost eight feet tall, is the mummy. He quickly places his hand over my mouth and bows his head. 

“I’ve been waiting to see you,” he whispers. His voice is deep and rich, and were I not so frightened I would find it soothing. “Please, don’t be afraid.” His linen-wrapped hand pulls away from me. “Not of me, at least. You can be afraid of many things in this world, but I ask you not to fear me.”

“You… you’re...” I stammer to find the proper words to voice my fear and confusion.

His eyes glow golden, and what skin can be seen between the wrappings is a dark plum, almost black but not quite. He wears white burial robes with a red sash around his waist, and a golden circlet around his head. “I have been waiting so long to meet you in person,” he sighs in relief. “Our souls have been joined, even before your birth. When I was alive, I had visions of you.”

“I was...” I shake my head. “You are…” I can’t get a word out to save my life.

“I understand.” He lays his hand on his chest. “I have not the handsome visage that graced your dreams. I’ve not done my beauty regimen in some years.”

“The star priest,” I finally gasp out. “That’s you?”

“I am,” he says softly with another bow of his head. “You may call me Teremun. It would honor me to hear you finally say it.”

I furrow my brow as I look at him, my pulse still raging with fear of the unknown. “How is this possible? Am I still dreaming?”

He takes my hand and places it over his chest. Behind the robes and bone, I can feel his pulse thrumming. 

“How is this possible?” I ask.

“I used to have visions,” Teremun replies. “Since I was young and even to the moment of my death, I could see the future. I was told by my mentor that the stars were speaking through me, and I took it as my mission to guide people as the stars would. But visions of my future came to me, showing me your face, and a world I was not part of.”

I glance around, half expecting the others to come from their tents, but it is very late and I know everyone is exhausted from the long days of work we’ve put in. I feel Teremun’s eyes on me, making me nervous with strange excitement. He has been my literal ‘dream man’ for so long, I’m not sure how to react. 

“Your hand,” Teremun says quietly. “The one that’s hurt. Let me see it.”

I cautiously lift my hand to his and he takes it between his palms, running his fingers over the wrapping and gently down my wrist. I become aware of the blood flowing through my arm and hand. It’s warm and strong, pulsing through me and growing hotter where he touches. The sensation burns for a moment, then fades into a dull heat. Teremun removes the wrappings, and all that’s there is a faint pink scar. “Oh, wow,” I breathe in awe.

“You helped to awaken me. It is the least I can do.” Teremun glances up towards the sky. “How about we go for a walk?”

“Sure.” I’m breathless, almost uncertain as to whether I am dreaming or if this is reality. I follow along beside him, walking through the sands until there is nothing around us by sky. 

Teremun stands with his hands folded before him, watching the sky as his eyes glow behind his wrappings. “It’s been so long. So much has changed.” He looks down at the ground. “I remember how the market stretched from here to all the way in the horizon.”

“Neith was here?” I ask in excitement. 

He lifts his long arm and points into the distance. “The palace was just over there. I’m surprised none of its peaks are visible. I suppose time buried it more than the sands did.” He sighs and folds his hand together again. “Neith was too big. It was bound to fall eventually.”

“Can you tell me about it?” I step closer to him. “All my life I’ve wanted to find it and know what it was like. You were there. Can you tell me?”

Teremun touches my robes. “Dyes like these were precious.” He rubs the fabric between his fingers. “Such lovely patterns and bright colors of fabric only existed in the richest of homes, and even then they did not match this beauty.”

I know it might be a bit small for him, but I shrug off my outermost robe and hand it to him. “Here. You can have this if you like.”

Teremun lets out an excited laugh. “How wonderful! You do not need to give me anything. You’ve already given me so much.” He takes the robe and rubs his palm over the fabric. “Everything had a white glow to it,” he murmurs. “From the buildings to the sands, it was all so bright, like the stars above us.” He slips on the robe, and while it is a bit short he doesn’t seem to mind. “I always saw a world full of color, like a rainbow laid upon the earth.” He touches his fingertips to his chest. “I was excited for that moment.”

I ask my next question very carefully. “Did you place yourself in the crypt so you could see it?”

“Of course not,” he says with a chuckle. “I caught an illness and passed away. It was my students who interred me, although I did not want the grand display that they gave me.”

I bow my head and look at my hands. “From the looks of the place, it appears they loved you very much.”

“Neith relied on me to speak to the stars for them.” Teremun’s voice is quite sad. “I did not want to leave it.”

“You...” I start off uncertainly. “You can help the people now.”

He sighs heavily and rests his hand on my shoulder. “There are new guides now, and it is their time to shine.” He points into the distance. “Beyond the desert there is a queen who will give birth to a dynasty of guides. Through her, a new dawn will rise over the entire world.”

I look at him in confusion. “Then why come back at all?” 

His hand on my shoulder moves up my neck and cups my cheek. “Because I was made to love you.”

My heart sputters in my chest. I can barely take breath. “That doesn’t seem worth it,” I demur. “Look at me.”

“I have - many times,” Teremun whispers. “You and I have been bound by the stars since the beginning of time.”

I swallow the lump in my throat. “That’s a bit overwhelming.”

“I understand. It was a lot for me to take in at first, but standing beside you now, I feel at peace.” His fingers smooth back my hair from my forehead. “I don’t expect anything now, but in the future, I see your smile bright as the moon.”

I take Teremun back to my tent and before the sun rises and remove his wrappings. He has dark scales all over his body and spines down his back, but no tail. I don’t ask questions. I feel too nervous. 

Using Teremun’s knowledge, we begin excavating where he said the kingdom of Neith was. For weeks, he works alongside us, helping guide where to dig. 

Soon, we unearth our first ruins. I’m so excited that I jump up and kiss Teremun without thinking. After a moment of shocked silence, I kiss him again as we continue to celebrate. All the hard work my team and I have put in is finally paying off, and I have Teremun to thank.

That evening I take Teremun to the spring near Bastat. The waters are cool, and at the moment, no one is there as the team continues to celebrate the discovery. “Don’t you want to be with the rest of the team?” Teremun asks. “Rather than alone with me?”

I come up to Teremun and place my hands on his bare chest, slowly moving them down until I’m grasping his waist above the cool waters. “I owe you a lot. Without you, I don’t know if we ever would have found Neith again.” I tilt my chin up to look at him. “Finding you is still my greatest discovery.”

Teremun chuckles. “That's awfully romantic.” He places his hands on my shoulders. “Are you trying to tell me something?”

I nod nervously. “It’s a lot of pressure knowing that fate has put us together, but lately, that hasn’t mattered.”

“Fate shouldn’t feel heavy like a burden. It should be held as a gift.” Teremun dips his head down and nuzzles my cheek. I turn my head, meeting his kiss, and moan softly as our bodies press close together. 

It’s like my dream, only it’s real.

I move my hands lower, feeling his thighs and gripping his rear. The kiss grows deeper until Teremun suddenly pulls away. His hands are shaking, and he has the sweetest look on his face.  “I’ve been waiting so long,” he whispers. “I can’t hide any longer how much I want this, nor how nervous I am.”

I nod. “It’s okay. This doesn’t have to be perfect.” We go back up to the bank and sit on the blanket I’ve laid out. Teremun places himself in my lap, his legs straddling my thighs. I kiss his chest and shoulders, smoothing my hands over his dark scales. I catch the fragrant scent of warm, rich spices on his skin. He smells so delicious that I run my tongue down his chest.

“It’s warm,” Teremun moans.

“Lie down,” I coax him. “I’ll warm you up even more.”

Teremun lies down on the blanket, posing in a way that makes my head spin. I move between his legs, dipping down to kiss and lick his body. I kiss his thighs, reaching the mound on his groin. It’s starting to split open, and from inside his dicks emerge - two of them, both thick at the bottom and covered in ridges all the way up to the spear-like heads.

I kiss the base of one, listening to Teremun moan and whimper. He struggles to keep himself still, but his hips still buck. I take the glans into my mouth, sucking gently while I stroke the other prick. His voice comes out as a guttural cry, followed by raspy panting. I take him deeper into my mouth, tasting spicy cinnamon and aromatic cardamom. I moan against him, slowly lifting my head up and moving to the other shaft.

“I’ll come,” Teremun sputters. “I’ll come if you do much more.”

I sit up and crawl on top of him. I kiss him, grinding my dick into his stomach. I suck his tongue while he writhes on the ground. He pulls me up, placing me over his face so my shaft slides into his mouth. His tongue coils around it, stroking it while he sucks and moans. I thrust my hips, pushing against his face a little. His sharp fingers dig into my hips and thighs, scraping harshly against the skin.

I move away and sit down beside him, throbbing and aching for release. “I’ll come too,” I pant.

We lie together for a moment, breathing deeply, kissing and touching one another. I grind myself against his leg and Teremun reaches down to stroke me.

“I want you,” he whispers. “Please.” He rolls over onto his belly and lifts his hips. Reaching back, he gently tugs the fleshy meat of his thigh. “Here,” he moans.

I sit up, taking the oil I use to protect my hands during digs from my gear. I pour it between his buttocks and gently massage it in. I prod and poke at the tight anus, easing it open so my fingers slide inside easily. Teremun growls, grinding backwards against me.

Once he starts moaning I sit up and guide myself into place. I watch while he opens for me, taking my glans and shaft inside. He growls hungrily, burying his face in the blanket. Once I’m all inside, I relish it. All I can smell and taste is Teremun, and all I have ever wanted was this, was him.

I move slowly at first, taking my time to savor this delicious moment. I push all the way inside before pulling out, watching as Teremun writhes beneath me. I take deep breaths, trying to keep my head from spinning. I run my hands down his back, touching the protruding spines and then caressing his thighs. I’ve never felt such passion for anyone before, never such a need. The night wears on, and sas the stars begin to fade into a purple and pink sky, I melt into Teremun. My release is all-consuming, stealing my breath and senses. 

I come to with Teremun laying on top of me, his scales gleaming like amethyst in the morning sun. He kisses me, and I wrap my arms tight around him.

“My star,” I whisper to him. “Tell me, is this the beginning of forever?”

“No,” he said softly. “We are merely in the middle of it. But this is the beginning of us.”