THOTH Talking about pyramids

 

CONTINUED

HORUS I am the Lord of the Sky. I will enter the celestial waters -- Horus TRANSFORMS back into a Falcon and redoubles his efforts, again thrusting into the CLOUDS... ...until, with a final burst of strength, he BREAKS THROUGH -- EXT. RA’S BOAT The Falcon LANDS on the deck, TRANSFORMING back into Horus. What looks like a man in his 50s sits sharpening his SPEAR on a GRINDSTONE... Sparks spit and pop off the shining blade. Battle-scars mark his sinewy body. Deep crows-feet line eyes fierce as a storm. He is RA Lord of the Cosmos. Majestic and mighty, moral and wise. He does not look up as Horus drops to a knee and bows. HORUS Hail, thou Great God Ra. RA Normally when a bird lands on my boat uninvited I kill it before it can shit. HORUS Forgive me, grandfather. I would only ask something of you... RA In that case I’ll stop what I’m doing and heed your bidding. HORUS I mean no disrespect -- RA You don’t know the difference. Ra’s keen eyes plumb the SHADOW brewing on the HORIZON... RA Sit and be silent. I have work to do. Ra CRANKS a massive WINCH... Letting out miles and miles of the mighty chain...

The Sun, thus released, DIPS below the horizon... Ra’s boat passes into NIGHT... A chill wind whips the sails... Horus finds his knees weakened by dread... A SHADOW uncoils from the abyss, size beyond imagining... APOPHIS Rises like a thunderhead... The Demon of Chaos. Defined by blackness, its gargantuan silhouette is REPTILIAN... Ra stands tall on the ship’s bow... and readies a SPEAR glittering with cosmic power. Apophis ROARS -- The demon’s TAIL, wide as a cyclone, SMACKS the hull -- Horus is THROWN against the mast, grabs on for dear life... Ra answers with stabs of WHITE FIRE from his spear. Apophis’ head opens like a mile-long red chasm... revealing a MOUTH wide enough to swallow Ra’s boat... It seems to Horus, wide enough to swallow the whole world... Ra stands his ground, STRIKING the beast in the darkness. Apophis’ ear-splitting HOWL rocks the boat as their duel SHAKES THE FIRMAMENT... RA Crawl back to shadow, you stinking worm. A final jab of his spear... and Apophis SHRINKS BACK into the black primordial sea... RA You shall not feast on creation. (beat) Until tomorrow, at least. Ra leans against his spear, tired... As his boat SAILS on, a beautiful canopy of STARS envelops them. Ra uncorks a jug of wine and drinks with gusto. Enjoying the taste of life the way only one who faces death can. Horus shows his respect with silence. RA You know when to keep quiet. HORUS There are no words for that. We see how heavily Ra’s burden weighs upon him. RA How different things would be if I could dwell amongst my children in the garden of the Nile... Instead it is my burden to fight the demon Apophis night after night. So that Egypt is not destroyed by chaos. (pointed) There are things worse than Set. HORUS you’re wrong. RA You’d say that? Even after what you’ve just witnessed? HORUS That demon isn’t the one who murdered my father, your son. RA They are both my sons. Speak to me in that tone again boy, and I will slap you into the abyss. HORUS Allow me to fill my flask with these waters. RA (considers this) the waters are not mine. Horus leans over the side of the hull and dips his flask into the WATER OF CREATION. Water, but not water... Air, but not air... It sparks with life as it flows into the container... RA You plan to quench the desert fire? Bold. But if you kill Set, you will be king. How will you rule? HORUS I don’t plan to rule at all. Ra frowns. RA How did you get your eye back? HORUS A mortal. RA Intrepid of him. HORUS He had the gall to strike a bargain with me. But I need him to break into Set’s Temple of Sand. RA He will surely die there. HORUS There are many sacrifices on the path to vengeance. RA Does he know he’s one of them? HORUS He’s a mortal. He doesn't know anything. RA I had hopes for you. But all you want is revenge. Ra turns away from Horus in disgust. RA I do not approve of Set or how he rules Egypt. But I don’t know that you would be much better. (terse) Now get off my boat. EXT. FOREST - DAY Bek RUNS for his life through THICK FOREST... Mnevis and a gang of FOUR BRUTISH BULL GODS (in their human form) are hot on his tail. Bek ZIGZAGS through trees... but his pursuers CUT HIM OFF... Mnevis SEIZES Bek, dangles him inches from his slimy snout... MNEVIS (sniffs him) Found you. Where is the Eye of Horus? BEK Up your behind, alongside the goat you keep there. Mnevis slams Bek against a tree. MNEVIS I’ve seen all the ways a man can die. Fast, slow, dirty, clean. Mnevis presses the tip of a NASTY BLADE under Bek’s ribs... BEK I choose fast, but I’ll settle for clean. MNEVIS Where is the Eye of Horus? HORUS (from off-screen) Right here. Horus walks into the middle of the Bull Gods... Holds his spear like a bolt of lightning. MNEVIS (surprised) I thought you were crawling sightless in the mud somewhere. Mnevis RELEASES Bek. The Bull Gods exchange uneasy glances... Even five against one, this is Horus. MNEVIS (mustering his courage) Cut him down. The Bull Gods CHARGE Horus, blades drawn -- Horus JABS at Mnevis, but something’s off. He’s not as fast. Mnevis BRINGS HIS SWORD down on Horus’ spear shaft -- KNOCKS the weapon out of Horus’ hand. Surrounded, Horus ROLLS to recover his weapon -- DEFLECTS two strikes, but a third SLASHES HIS RIBS... Gods don’t bleed, but their wounds shine, raw and real. Horus WINCES... MNEVIS See, brothers. Without his other eye he is weak... Bek watched Horus bring down a stone temple like it was made of twigs. What’s wrong with him now? Horus backs into a defensive stance BETWEEN TWO TREES. The first Bull God attacks, overeager -- Horus SHOULDERS him against a tree trunk, PINNING HIM as -- A second Bull God strikes... Horus spins the second attacker into the first. A WET SLICING SOUND... and both COLLAPSE. Horus made them stab each other. Horus levels his gaze at Mnevis and the two remaining Bull Gods, who feel cold fear spread through their guts. HORUS Even if I was blind... Horus TRIPS the Bull God to Mnevis’ left, who SLAMS flat on his back -- Mnevis’ sword stroke MISSES Horus... HORUS Deaf... Horus THRUSTS upward two-handed, delivering a LETHAL BLOW to the Bull God on Mnevis’ right -- HORUS And bereft of limbs... BELLOWING, Mnevis SLASHES at Horus again, hitting only air... HORUS ...I’m still a match for you. Horus JAMS his SPEAR through Mnevis’ chest. ANGLE BEHIND HORUS. The last surviving Bull God GETS UP... Because of his EYE PATCH, Horus can’t see him coming -- BEK (warning him) Horus -- Horus WHIPS AROUND and SLAYS the last Bull God. BEK You have a blind spot. There’s no “thank you for saving me” forthcoming. HORUS I told you to do one thing. Stay alive until I got back. BEK Last time I saw you fight you were knocking down pillars like they were nothing. Now you need me to keep you from getting skewered? Are you sure you can do this? Horus turns on Bek in fury... The troubling implications of his newfound weakness are not something Horus wants to face. HORUS The only reason I saved you, mortal, is you are useful to me. Don’t test my patience. Bek sees the hypnotically swirling Water of Creation in Horus’ flask... BEK That’s really Water of Creation? HORUS Yes. BEK what would happen if I drank it? HORUS You would be refreshed. And then you would die. BEK It doesn’t seem right that the Water of Creation would kill. HORUS I would kill you. For wasting my water. BEK Now that we’ve got it, let’s go get our answer from the God of Wisdom. We only have two days left. HORUS We may have less time than that... Worried, Horus scans the world for miles in every direction.

HORUS the roads will be watched now... (off Mnevis’ body) And Set will send better hunters. INT. SET'S PALACE - DAY Set sits on his throne. Hathor at his side looks bored. Dead Mnevis and the Bull Gods are lined up on display. ANAT and ASTARTE Poke at the bodies, examining the wounds... Two warrior goddesses. Exotic beauties, 20s. Quick-tempered Astarte wears a wicked helmet topped with the horns of a bull. Anat’s clad in panther skin, battle axe at the ready -- she’s calculating and sadistic. ANAT (off the bodies) This one dropped his guard... This one must have misjudged his speed... This one badly missed a side-stroke... And these two killed each other. ASTARTE Too bad for them you didn’t summon us sooner. ON SET. Brooding on the return of his enemy. SET I didn't know Horus had his sight back. HATHOR (to Set, off Anat and Astarte) Why bring this trash into your home? They’re only worshipped by cannibals and rapists. Astarte kicks her spear to Hathor’s exquisitely shod feet, inviting a fight. Hathor toes it away, declining the offer. ASTARTE As I thought. SET (to Hathor) The desert is my home.

(to Anat and Astarte) Find Horus and you may keep his remaining eye. I have the only piece of him I need. ANAT We will deliver him to you. SET No. Incinerate him, along with the thief. ON HATHOR. A distressing thought, but she can’t let it show. SET (to Hathor) Unless you want to see his face one last time? HATHOR Good hunting, ladies. EXT. FOREST - DAY ON HORUS, WALKING briskly over rough ground and underbrush... HORUS We should be at Thoth’s library soon if... Horus stops, realizing he’s talking to nobody. Bek’s LAGGING BEHIND, breathing hard. BEK I need... to rest. HORUS We’ve only been travelling nine hours. Bek SITS, exhausted. BEK You can fly. HORUS I can. Can you? BEK Couldn’t you carry me? Horus doesn't dignify that with an answer. Horus impatiently waits for Bek to recover... HORUS’ P.O.V. Locking onto a SAPLING a half a mile away. From this distance invisible to the human eye. Horus hefts his spear, AIMS AT THE SAPLING... But his vision isn’t crisp like it was. It wavers now, unstable... Horus lets the spear FLY with such speed the SONIC BOOM knocks Bek flat on his back -- The spear MISSES the sapling... ATOMIZING a massive tree. Bek doesn’t know it was a miss. BEK You don’t have to keep trying to impress me. HORUS Wasn’t even close. ON HORUS. Doubt. A new feeling for him. He hates it. Horus sits straight-backed on a rock near a STREAM. He hands Bek a CUP from his belt... BEK What’s this? HORUS So you don’t have to bring me water cupped in your hands. BEK I’m not your slave. HORUS My father taught me it was unworthy of a god to smite a man. BEK He should’ve taught you to get off your ass and get your own water. Horus BACKHANDS Bek INTO THE STREAM with a splash. HORUS (to the North Winds) Sorry, Father. As Bek CLIMBS OUT OF THE STREAM... the SMALL FIGURINE of Horus falls from Bek’s pocket. Horus considers the falcon-headed statue’s likeness... HORUS The brow lacks majesty and the beak is crooked. (shrugs) I’ve seen worse. BEK It’s not mine. ON BEK. A stab of emotion as he thinks of Zaya... BEK Let’s go. We’re losing time. Horus can see Bek’s still exhausted... HORUS You look weak. BEK I’m fine. HORUS (it occurs to him) I think you need food. Humans need food. BEK What do you know about humans? Bek stubbornly keeps moving... HORUS I insist. (gesturing) This land is bountiful. Eat. Bek relents. Not because he’s tired and hungry -- which he is -- but because he can’t help but be amused at this god who doesn’t understand the first thing about men. BEK We don’t eat trees. EXT. ELSEWHERE IN THE FOREST - LATER A blur through branches... something moving fast... A CHARIOT pulled by a pair of HORSES with the speed of gods. Astarte yanks the reins to halt the beasts -- the violence of the stop cuts a trench beneath their hooves. Anat steps from the chariot to push her hand into the earth. They’re tracking Horus and Bek... ASTARTE What do the worms tell you? WORMS wriggle to the surface in a line, pointing the way to a SMALL CITY ahead... ASTARTE He’s close. Anat puts a wooden FLUTE to her lips. Plays a shrill NOTE... Far away, a chilling sound like a LIVING WINDSTORM ANSWERS... INT. KING’S QUARTERS - SET'S PALACE Hathor and Set recline on cushions, sipping wine... Discrete Musicians play captivating MUSIC, promising sensual delights. Hathor takes another hearty sip. Half-drunk. Trying to forget the past, anxious to reach sweet oblivion. SET You’re thirsty this evening. HATHOR With wine this good, no excuse is necessary. SET Your wine is always good. Set leans in to kiss her... Hathor smells something on him: HATHOR (teasing) Who is she? SET What do you mean? HATHOR I can smell her on you. SET Jealous of my hunters? HATHOR (shakes her head) I know that scent... Feathers and linen. Bland and boring. (realizing) Why would you go see your former wife? SET I haven’t seen Nephthys since the night she left me. ON HATHOR. She knows he’s lying. Her questioning was all in fun -- but now she’s stumbled on something more. If Set suspects her, she’s dead. HATHOR (quickly covering) My mistake. (laughs it off) I can smell a woman on a man years later. Drives me crazy -- and my men too. Set nods, amused. Hathor gets up... HATHOR I’ll light incense -- SET (pulls her back to him) Later. INT. HALLWAYS - PALACE - LATER Hathor slips from Set’s bedchamber... Pads down the halls... careful to stay out of sight from patrolling Guards... INT. FORGE - SET'S PALACE Hathor ENTERS silently... Eerie shadows play off WEAPONS forged by Set... Hathor’s gripped by a wave of foreboding... as she sees the ARMOR Set has been fashioning. The HELMET with Horus’ eye in the VISOR... and a BREASTPLATE with a JEWELED HEART. SET Did you find what you were looking for? Set stands behind her, blocking the exit. SET (off the breastplate) Osiris’ heart was never recovered. 53. CONTINUED: HATHOR (CONT'D) (CONTINUED) HATHOR That’s why Horus couldn’t kill you... Hathor backs away from Set... and collides with Nephthys’ golden WINGS... She recoils from the dismembered parts... HATHOR You’re waging war on the gods? Set SEIZES her arm -- his touch starts to DECAY HER FLESH... A jeweled BRACELET on Hathor’s wrist GLIMMERS SUPERNOVABRIGHT. Her skin HEALS as Set’s curse is repelled. Set shields his eyes -- the bracelet’s too bright to look at. Hathor SPRINTS out the door. She’s got a good head start, but she better keep running... EXT. SMALL CITY - DAY Horus CONCEALS HIS FACE under the hood of a cloak... as he and Bek WALK through narrow, quiet alleys. Here and there, SOLDIERS of Set keep watch... INT. TAVERN - DAY Bek and Hooded Horus ENTER a working-class tavern. HORUS (off Bek, to the Barkeep) Bring him some food. The BARKEEP raises an eyebrow at Horus’ imperious tone, but doesn’t recognize the god beneath his hood. BARKEEP To drink? HORUS Your finest beer. Quickly. BEK (to the Barkeep) I guess two. The Barkeep moves off... BEK (to Horus) That’s not how mortals talk if they want good service.

HORUS I am used to more than service. I expect worship. Bek eats the food provided. Horus drinks from his cup. BEK (to Horus) Do you even get thirsty? HORUS I like the taste. Horus wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, raps his fist on the table. Satisfied. HORUS (to the Barkeep) this place pleases me. Ask, and find me generous. BARKEEP It’s called paying. Horus pats his waistband... He has no money. Why would he? HORUS I, uh... BEK (irritated) I’ve got it. EXT. OUTSIDE THE CITY - DAY Bek and Hooded Horus cross a FIELD dotted with ROCK PILES. This is where the poor are buried. They happen upon a POOR MAN’S FUNERAL. His linen-wrapped body is lowered into a simple pit. His WIFE weeps. The man may not have been rich, but he was loved by many. HORUS (to Bek, confused) what is this? BEK You’ve never seen a funeral? HORUS I have. Not like this. This man takes nothing with him to the Afterlife.

 (beat) Without treasure, he won’t be granted entry. BEK (terse) not everyone has treasure. A grand funeral PROCESSION passes through, disrupting the Poor Man’s memorial... headed toward a city of low brick buildings: MASTABA TOMBS for the wealthy dead. Dozens of NOBLES and their SERVANTS transport a Rich Charioteer in his SARCOPHAGUS. They also carry a dazzling display of gold and jewels. The RICH CHARIOTEER’S WIFE is infuriated that their passage is being inconvenienced by the poor man’s funeral. RICH CHARIOTEER’S WIFE (to the Poor Man’s Wife) Only dogs lack the sense not to run out of the way of a chariot. At least my husband will not be troubled by dogs in the Afterlife. The Poor Man’s Wife absorbs the insult. Horus is troubled. He approaches the POOR MOURNERS with his hood pulled low. They have no idea he is a god... HORUS What happened here? POOR MOURNER Our friend was selling fish in the market, when a Rich Man’s chariot came galloping down the street -- didn't care who was in his way. He struck our friend and died himself when he was thrown. EXT. MASTABA TOMBS - DAY Horus and Bek WALK ON... Mastaba Tombs in every direction. Bek’s surprised to see Horus introspective... HORUS His murderer journeys to the Afterlife, but the poor man does not... BEK This is the way things are down in the dirt with us mortals. Better to be a gold-plated bastard than a beggar full of charity. Dying’s a rich man’s game. (beat) Why do you think I’m a thief? When I die -- many, many years from now by the way -- I plan to stroll into the Afterlife like him. Bek points back at the Rich Charioteer’s funeral procession. ON HORUS, none of this seems quite right... The quiet is broken by the sound of the LIVING WINDSTORM... BEK (with a chill) What is that? Horus knows. He pulls Bek behind cover... HORUS Get down -- or your plan to live many years will be ruined. HORUS’ P.O.V. Far-off, Anat and Astarte’s chariot... cutting like a streak across the horizon. HORUS (grimly) Anat and Astarte. Set’s hunters. In the distance, a SPRAY OF FIRE rakes the farmers’ fields... A huge SHAPE UNDULATES WITHIN THE SMOKE... The source of the terrifying windstorm sound. HORUS A pet of theirs. I can’t withstand its fire. (off his missing eye) Not as I am now... ON HORUS. At a loss what to do... BEK Then I guess we should run. HORUS Run?

BEK Mortals do it all the time. Horus and Bek ZIGZAG through the grid of SQUAT TOMBS... A hushed city of the dead, enfolding them like a maze... BEK We’re going in circles. The WINDSTORM fills their ears, louder now... The pursuing creature getting closer... Bek and Horus hurry down a ROW OF TOMBS... A STREAM OF FIRE suddenly BLOCKS their way, close enough to curl the hair of Bek’s eyebrows. They’ve run out of options... Horus and Bek hear ROCK SCRAPING ROCK behind them -- It’s Hathor, standing in the DOORWAY of a SECRET PASSAGE. Bek can’t help but be captivated by her beauty. BEK Hello, my name is -- Horus’ good eye shoots daggers at Hathor. HORUS You. HATHOR Just shut up and come with me. Horus TURNS BACK to face the oncoming creature instead... BEK (to Horus) I thought we were running away from the thing that burns up gods... HORUS Its company is preferable. HATHOR (off Horus’ missing eye) You know you have no choice. You’re half the god you used to be. ON HORUS. She’s right and he hates it. Horus FOLLOWS her INTO THE SECRET PASSAGE HATHOR (over her shoulder) Lucky those bitches don’t know the history of this place. While he was constructing the tombs, the architect built a hidden passage here... so he could have secret liaisons with the Queen. They reach an UNDERGROUND RIVER. Hathor DIVES IN... BEK Uh, how long do I have to hold my breath? Horus DIVES IN, too. A BLAST OF FIRE cooks the passage. Bek JUMPS IN after them -- EXT. LAGOON - DAY A coughing, waterlogged Bek trudges from the water... The underground river led to a SECLUDED LAGOON. Horus and Hathor wait on shore in chilly silence. Neither offers Bek a hand. BEK Don’t worry. I’m still alive. No response. Bek flops down to rest. Hathor dips an empty wine sack in the WATER and magically TRANSFORMS it into WINE. HATHOR (off Horus’ missing eye) I think it makes you look roguish. It’s sure to become a trend. Hathor offers Horus some wine. A peace offering. He doesn't take it. Bek reaches out his hand -- he’ll have some wine. Hathor ignores him like he doesn't exist. Typical. HATHOR (to Horus) You’re welcome for saving you. Horus finally looks at her, furious. HORUS Explain yourself.

HATHOR Don’t talk to me like I’m your wife. HORUS So while I was crawling blind through a forest, you consorted with the god who pulled out my eyes? Hathor’s fingers trace the length of her curvy frame... HATHOR Why would I waste this on someone who can’t see? HORUS You’re a demon. HATHOR (playing with her hair) So you’ve said. For years. HORUS I don’t know why you even bothered rescuing me. Bek looks back and forth, trying to figure them out... HATHOR He tore the wings off Nephthys... It was horrible. He’s forging some kind of armor. (after a beat) He kept your father’s heart. Horus takes in that appalling revelation... HORUS And now my eye. (gravely) He’s making a full suit of it then. HATHOR Why? He already has everything. HORUS He wants to finish what he started. To humiliate and destroy all who championed my father. (beat) Once Set finishes his armor, he’ll be too strong to stop. 60. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED) BEK Does that change our plan? HORUS No. (to Hathor) We’re breaking into Set’s desert temple to kill him once and for all. Hathor’s shocked. No one’s ever tried to do that before. HATHOR How were you two jesters planning on getting in? Horus nods toward Bek... HATHOR (off Bek, it’s ridiculous) Him? HORUS After we see Thoth. HATHOR (unenthusiastic) Why would you ever do that on purpose? HORUS Can you answer the riddle of the Sphinx? EXT. MARSH - DAY Bek, Horus and Hathor SLOG thorough a SWAMP of tall, reedy PAPYRUS PLANTS... Hathor lags, fatigued. She sips from her wine sack... HORUS Not the best day to be hungover. Horus scoops her up and CARRIES her. Hathor doesn't complain. Bek smiles to himself. Horus won’t show it... but it’s obvious how much he cares about her. HORUS You drink too much.)

 HATHOR I’m the Goddess of Too Much. There’s plenty I’ve given you you’ve never found excessive. Horus can’t argue with that. HATHOR (to Bek) So why are you here? Are you seeking treasure? BEK I used to. HATHOR Never stop. (to Horus) When am I getting some? HORUS Look to your wrist, if the effort is not too great. There you will see the Bracelet of Forty-Two Stars, one for each of the demons I slayed in the getting. To keep you safe from any curse. (pointed) To remind you of the one who gave it to you. Hathor admires her BRACELET. So does Bek. It sparkles like the Big Bang. HATHOR This old thing? Hathor drains the last of her wine... Still thirsty, she beckons Bek... Her eyes are mesmerizing... HATHOR Be a dear and fetch me something wet. There must be a pool of clean water somewhere. BEK (not seduced) You’re all the same, aren’t you? Hathor stares quizzically at Bek, who braces for her temper... But instead a genuine smile spreads over her face.

HATHOR (intrigued, excited) What’s her name? BEK Who? HATHOR I can make any man, woman, god or beast do my bidding -- unless their heart belongs to another. You’re in love. HORUS He is? BEK (after a beat) Her name’s Zaya. HATHOR (chin cupped in her hands) Tell me everything. BEK We grew up in a nothing village. Maybe if we’d had more, the way people in the city do, I wouldn’t have noticed the little things... Like how just before the sun hid behind the mountains the light would catch her eyes... It was prettier than your bracelet. Hathor sighs, transported by Bek’s words... HATHOR That was the first time you kissed her, wasn’t it? (backhands Horus) Why don’t you ever talk about me that way? Bek looks off, barely containing his emotion... ON HORUS. He’s risked death beside this mortal... and now realizes how little he knows him. HATHOR (hinting, to Horus) I’m still thirsty. Hathor WAVES AWAY Horus: give her a minute with Bek alone.

 Her gaze seems to plumb the depths of Bek’s heart. HATHOR What happened? BEK We thought we needed more. So we ran away from home. Stupid. We had no idea how dangerous the world was. (beat) We were captured by slavers and crammed below the deck of a boat. I tried to break us free... But there were too many men with too many swords. I went overboard, left for dead. Zaya stayed on the boat, in chains. HATHOR Now she’s one of the thousands building that hideous obelisk, no doubt. BEK This time, I’m going to save her. HATHOR I believe you will. HORUS NEARBY Has unearthed a spring. He kneels, filling Hathor’s wineskin with water... Bek approaches... HORUS I didn’t know about your woman. BEK You didn't ask. (an awkward beat) With your eye, can you see her? Horus gazes at the horizon... HORUS’ P.O.V. Miles away, AT THE OBELISK... Zaya puts all her strength into inching a heavy stone forward... An OLDER WOMAN SLAVE next to her drops in exhaustion... Zaya kindly helps the Older Woman to her feet before a CRUEL OVERSEER notices. The Older Woman is thankful. They muster their strength to keep working...

BACK TO HORUS AND BEK HORUS She has courage. Bek’s relieved Zaya’s alive. But he’s still afraid for her. BEK We have what, two days until Set sacrifices Zaya and all of them -- Why? Some piggish gesture? HORUS She’ll be freed in time. I promise. BEK (sincere) You know, seeing her from so far away doesn't do her justice. You can’t hear her voice. Right now, she’d be saying “I told you so.” (off Horus’ questioning look) She’s the one who told me to trust you. Bek WALKS BACK to Hathor... ON HORUS, ALONE. Feeling guilty for using Bek, Horus pounds the ground in frustration. Looks up at the sun... HORUS (speaking quietly, to Ra) What would you have me do? I have no choice. I need him. A thicket of papyrus reeds PARTS -- A BABOON sticks his head out and SHRIEKS in surprise... HORUS I guess we’re here. EXT. THOTH’S LIBRARY - DAY Busy BABOONS harvest papyrus, cut it into strips, beat it with mallets, press it under rocks. They’re making PAPER. THOTH’S LIBRARY stands beyond this assembly line. Stark, clean, and modern, it’s known as the “House of Life.” The DOORS are small as the baboons who stream in and out...

BEK I thought I was short... HORUS The doors are for the baboons. Thoth never leaves. They bend down and SQUEEZE THROUGH the under-sized doors... Horus’ shoulders barely fit. He swears under his breath. INT. THOTH’S LIBRARY - DAY No windows -- just shelves lined with billions of SCROLLS. Baboons CLIMB up and down, organizing all the world’s knowledge... THOTH Hunches over a chaotic mess of scrolls. 20s, eccentric, socially awkward, convinced of his own genius. Fingers black with ink, Thoth rapidly inscribes hieroglyphics... Baboons come and go, rolling and unrolling scrolls in front of him... HORUS Wise Lord of the Sacred Word, we come before you seeking counsel -- Thoth silences Horus with a raised finger... Finally, he looks up, impatient. Thoth shields his eyes from Hathor... THOTH (to Hathor) You. Turn around. HATHOR You prefer the view from behind? THOTH (flustered) No, I... Yes. You know I can’t lie. I’m not going to risk looking at those tricky eyes of yours. Thoth turns to Horus, giving him his priceless attention. HORUS I need -- THOTH The answer to the riddle of the Sphinx.

 (off Horus’ surprise) A child could deduce why you’re here. Thoth leans back in his chair, fingertips pressed together. THOTH I’m feeling magnanimous, so I’ll help you. Horus and Bek share a look. That was easy. THOTH Go asks the riddle, then come back and relay it to me. I’ll solve it. HORUS Uh, one of us would have to die... THOTH Draw lots. HORUS Come with us. The notion actually makes Thoth laugh. HORUS Are you afraid you’ll get it wrong? THOTH Playing on my vanity? This is the cleverest strategy you could devise? HATHOR (still facing the wall) One night. I’ll give you one night. HORUS (to Hathor) No, you won’t. (turns back to Thoth) Set is forging some kind of armor made from the stolen essences of gods... What little vulnerability he has shrinks by the day. Thoth snorts. But behind his eyes, this information impacts.

HORUS Set must be stopped before he eradicates us all. You see the wisdom in that... (no answer) Don’t you? THOTH (under his breath) I made a deal with him. HORUS What? Horus’ anger starts to SMOLDER... THOTH Set doesn’t bother me, I don’t bother him. (explains) Study requires quiet. Set may keep the peace at the edge of a sword, but it is peace. HORUS Cockroach. I’ll snap your neck. THOTH (back to his studies) I have work to do. Horus’s uncontrolled rage sets scrolls on FIRE... Baboons rush to douse the flames... THOTH Get out. Bek sees this has turned into a disaster. BEK I know something you don’t. THOTH (noticing him) I thought you were one of the baboons... BEK (continuing) But you have to come with us to find out what it is.

THOTH I can recite the true names of the stars. I’ve seen the world created from sand and water. You think there is anything you know that I don’t? BEK what does the sun feel like on your shoulders? ON THOTH. He doesn't know. EXT. THOTH’S LIBRARY - DAY Thoth looks up at the SKY... Dreary clouds hide the sun. THOTH (grumbles, off Bek) It’s not even sunny... pfft. EXT. DEAD FOREST - DAY A FOG settles... Horus, Bek, Hathor and Thoth WALK through a graveyard of once-great trees. The ground is grey, ruined forever. RUINS emerge from the fog like spectres... A giant statue of OSIRIS lies on its side, its decapitated HEAD big as a whale. To Horus, it feels as if his father’s eyes are judging him. Bek keeps pace alongside Horus, indifferent to the ruins... BEK Your temper almost cost us back there. HORUS My anger has helped keep you alive. What was that worth? BEK Not much if it costs me Zaya’s life. What do you have to be angry about? Thoth and Hathor look at Bek. Doesn’t he know where they are? THOTH (quietly, to Bek) Here is where Osiris fell.

BEK (looking around) Set salted the earth? HORUS It wasn’t Set. It was my mother’s tears. BEK I think it’s more than his murder eating at you. HORUS I don’t care what you think. BEK Even with one eye, you complain about being weak. Weak is not throwing spears for miles. Weak is not flying up to the sun. Weak is not winning when you’re outnumbered five to one. HORUS I did not choose a path of revenge. I did not choose to be king. I chose none of this. (beat) So you tell me -- what kind of power do I really have? BEK You sound like a mortal. Tough to feel powerless, isn't it? They all hear the “living windstorm” blow out of nowhere... Horus, Bek and Hathor know this sound... THOTH The wind sounds alive... HORUS It is. Horus readies his spear. They all peer into the fog... Ahead, a giant FALLEN PILLAR blocks their way. THOTH That pillar was not there before. The pillar MOVES... RISING UP -- It’s a GIGANTIC BLACK COBRA.

The Cobra towers over them. The “wind” is its vicious HISS. BEK Run? HORUS It’s too close. HATHOR So what do we do? Horus doesn’t know. His confidence is shaken... But Bek realizes Horus is their only chance... BEK Is strength all that makes you a god? Horus gathers himself, holding forth his spear... HORUS Serpent, depart from us now or I will divide your head in two. The Cobra’s HOOD FLARES, preparing to strike... Horus squints his good eye, aiming... lets his spear FLY -- The spear GRAZES the Cobra’s scales... but MISSES. Horus curses. Now his weapon is gone, lost in the fog. A SECOND COBRA, this one WHITE, rears up to join the first. BEK Well, its head is divided in two. The Cobras bare FANGS like ivory scimitars and SPIT streams of BURNING VENOM like napalm -- Horus raises a flat CHUNK OF STONE to SHIELD them. The marble DISINTEGRATES under the onslaught of burning venom... HORUS (to the rest of them) Now run. Bek, Hathor and Thoth SPRINT into the fog... Horus is alone with the monsters. A SLURPING sound as the Cobras draw more venom, reloading... They SPIT -- Horus DODGES twin annihilating sprays. He knows he can’t outrun this doom...

Horus CIRCLES BACK... straight at the Black Cobra. The Cobras abort their attack to avoid burning each other. But now Horus is close enough to be bitten. He barely twists OUT OF THE WAY as fangs scissor the air... BEK, HATHOR AND THOTH Take cover behind some ruins... Hathor sees a STREAK cutting a trail through the fog -- HATHOR (shouts to Horus) Look out! THE CHARIOT Speeds toward Horus, pulled by supernaturally swift horses. Almost too fast to see. Astarte AT THE REINS. Anat beside her, teeth bared in blood lust, swings her BATTLE AXE at Horus as they ZING PAST -- Horus DUCKS, feels the blade whistle past his ear... ANAT ON THE CHARIOT PLAYS a series of notes on her wooden FLUTE... THE BLACK COBRA obeys the musical command. GRABS Horus in a coil of its tail... ON THOTH. He hears the FLUTE... Realizes their method. THOTH Of course, the tones... Thoth scans the ground... THOTH Now to find a suitable branch and carve a simulacrum. Crouched nearby, Hathor rolls her eyes. Typical Thoth. Bek BOUNDS UP a broken ramp of stones, on a mission... HORUS Trapped in the Black Cobra’s embrace... He struggles to free his arms as the serpent’s JAWS OPEN...

ANAT AND ASTARTE Circle back on the chariot, relishing Horus’ predicament... ANAT He’s no falcon. ASTARTE Leave a piece for me. Astarte HANDS THE REINS to Anat... and DISMOUNTS at a run... Astarte HEADS INTO THE RUINS after the others, using her own FLUTE to call the White Cobra to her... HORUS Pulls one arm FREE as the Black Cobra STRIKES -- Horus HAMMERS the Cobra’s FANG with his FIST. The force of the blow SNAPS OFF the giant tooth. The Black Cobra RECOILS, leaking venom from the broken stump. Horus sees Anat steer the CHARIOT around for another run... He can’t DISENTANGLE from loosened coils fast enough... Anat raise her AXE. This time she’ll have Horus’ head... BEK JUMPS from a high wall ONTO THE MOVING CHARIOT -- Death defying. Bek shoulders Anat’s arm, so that she MISSES Horus with the axe... Anat SLICES at Bek... Bek GRABS THE REINS and PULLS -- The HORSES dig in. The Chariot BRAKES HARD -- Anat and Bek are both THROWN FREE... HORUS Finally ESCAPES the Black Cobra’s coils... Picks up its BROKEN FANG... BEK Lays on the ground, stunned. Anat gets to her feet, unfazed by the tumble. Raises her axe high over Bek... ready to separate his head from his body...

ANAT (to Bek) Be honored. I’ll keep your skull as a souvenir. Suddenly Anat looks down: the Cobra’s FANG protrudes from her chest. Anat FALLS DEAD. Horus stands behind her holding the fang like a sword. One goddess down. Bek and Horus catch their breath. It’s obvious to both that they make a good team... but being men, neither say anything. BEK (pointing behind Horus) Um -- The Black Cobra REARS UP over Horus, its malice bent toward the one who hurt it. Horus ZIGZAGS into the ruins, the giant serpent in PURSUIT... ASTARTE AND THE WHITE COBRA Nose through the fog... Find Hathor, alone. Unarmed. Seemingly helpless. ASTARTE Pretty girl. You don’t belong in battle. Astarte blows a sharp tone on her FLUTE... The White Cobra bares its fangs, dripping liquid fire... ASTARTE Burn her. Hathor STARES into the reptile’s eyes... HATHOR (to the Cobra) What a beautiful creature you are. The Cobra’s pupils WIDEN, hypnotized. Astarte frantically BLOWS the Flute, but the White Cobra isn’t listening now... ASTARTE (to the Cobra) Burn her -- HATHOR No.

The giant snake FREEZES in place, in Hathor’s control. Astarte CHARGES Hathor in a fury -- Hathor defiantly holds her ground. We’ve never seen this side of her. Strong. Angry. Powerful. HATHOR You think I’m not a fighter? I just don’t like getting my hands dirty. Hathor flicks a finger as if she had a speck under the nail -- At Hathor’s command, the White Cobra VOMITS AN INFERNO on Astarte. She desperately blows into her Flute... It’s BURNED AWAY a second before she is. The White Cobra then rakes a stream of fire across its own skin. INCINERATES itself to please its Mistress Hathor. One cobra and one more goddess down, but Hathor collapses from the strain... HORUS Scrambles up onto the giant stone head of Osiris... as the Black Cobra hunts him through the fog... Horus LEAPS ONTO the Black Cobra’s WRITHING BODY, gripping the scales. The Cobra furiously thrashes, trying to shake him -- while Horus CLIMBS hand over hand onto its HEAD... As he’s whipping around, Horus spots his SPEAR -- it’s punched through a monolith of stone, STUCK TIGHT. Its sharp point sticks out the other side... Horus STRIKES a blow between the Black Cobra’s inky eyes. Dazing it. Horus wrestles the Cobra backwards... A controlled fall, guided by Horus -- STRAIGHT ONTO THE TIP OF HIS SPEAR. The Cobra’s own weight drives the spear through its skull, which BURSTS into a bubbling mass of fire... Horus drops to the ground. Tired, dirty, victorious. HORUS I am Horus, son of Osiris, and I will never be overthrown. Thoth RUSHES UP, playing a HOMEMADE FLUTE he carved from a branch... Then he sees the battle is over.

THOTH Oh. (off his flute) This would have worked. HORUS (concerned) Hathor? THOTH Fine. Tired. She killed the other one with greater ease than you. Horus shrugs as he wrestles his spear out of the rock... THOTH And your mortal? HORUS Capable, as always. THOTH Yes, about that. I was thinking -- HORUS Always thinking. THOTH ...if we do vanquish Set, all the artifacts his power has raised up will fall down. HORUS Good riddance. THOTH Set’s pyramid is made of sand. We’ll be standing under it. HORUS So we’ll dig out. THOTH How will the human survive? Horus avoids Thoth’s gaze. THOTH Evidently you’ve already considered this. WE REVEAL BEK, listening from the other side of a statue... Neither of them knows he’s there.