Straightening, I tried to flash back to my seat at the head table. Nothing happened. I tried again. Nothing happened, again.
So, I smiled at the people sitting on either side of the scandalized French Nejerette and turned to glide back up to my table. I was more than a little relieved to find Dominic approaching, several paces away.
“Might I escort you back to your seat, Meswett?” he asked, doing a valiant job of hiding his amusement.
My plastered-on smile melted into something genuine, and I nodded. “I’d like that, Dom. Thanks.”
He took my arm and led me away, smiling and nodding at certain people as we passed. Low enough that only I heard, he whispered, “If there’s one thing we can be certain of, it’s that we’ll never be short on entertainment when you’re around.”
“Ha. Ha. Very funny.”
Letting his French accent grow heavier, he murmured, “I was being completely serious.”
Grinning, I settled back into my seat. “Thanks, Dom.”
“Rescuing you is quickly becoming my calling.”
Marcus cleared his throat. Dominic had been there to save my sanity when Marcus left, and it had been Dominic who’d rescued me from Set, not Marcus. For some reason, a new tension had developed between the two men, and it seemed to be increasing.
Dominic slipped away, graceful as a dancer and deadly as a viper, to his seat on the other side of Neffe.
Leaning in, Marcus whispered, “I love it when you do that.”
“What? Embarrass myself in front of hundreds of people?”
“No,” he said. “I love watching you assert your claim on me. The second time was just as good as the first. Maybe better. It makes my hunger for you fathomless, every time.” He reached for my hand and guided it under the tablecloth to his groin so I could feel the evidence of his hunger.
I blushed and withdrew my hand before we caused a scene. “Oh … well, that’s what every girl wants to hear.”
“Mmm … but you’re not every girl, are you?” There was a slight, unexpected edge to his tone. “I think you just showed us all that.”
Cringing, I thought about how I’d just inadvertently used Nuin’s power to shift from one place to another, as I’d done in the temple … when Marcus had died. “Right, about that …”
“Yes, Lex, let’s talk about that.” He shifted in his chair, letting the server place a bowl of creamy yellow soup in front of each of us, and demanded, “Tell me everything that happened in the temple.” I raised my eyebrows at the haughtiness in his words, and he added a delightfully sensual, “Please?”
So I told him … almost everything, leaving out the part about tweaking the timeline … about him dying … about killing Set. I whispered as quietly as possible, hoping only those nearest to us could overhear.
“It doesn’t quite make sense,” Marcus said after I finished. “If Nuin held all the power himself, why did it need to be split into male and female halves when he passed it on?”
“I know!” I agreed. “And why did he have to pass it on in the first place? He looked perfectly healthy at first, but near the end he seemed a little, I don’t know … wane. It was like getting rid of his power made him weak. You were there … how’d he die?”
Frowning, Marcus said, “It took some time, but he gradually weakened until he died. There was a woman—the Nejerette wife I told you about before—she took care of him until he drew his final breath. Some believed she somehow caused his death … maybe poisoned him. I don’t remember much about her, other than that she was his only Nejerette wife and that I knew she hadn’t harmed him—that she had loved him as we all had. Nobody knew how old he really was, so I just thought his wasting sickness might be what happens once Nejerets reach a certain age.”
“I think … do you think he might have died because he gave up his power?” I blinked rapidly at the welling of tears in my eyes. “Did giving me his power kill him? Did I kill him?”
Marcus shook his head. “He gave us his power, Lex. Us. And Nuin never did anything without a very good reason, so if he gave us his power and that killed him, it was what had to be done.”
Some of my worry eased as I stared into his golden, tiger eyes. And then I registered his words. “Us? Are you saying you definitely have the male half? But you said the amulet was still glowing when Set took it.”
“It was still glowing,” he interrupted. “But it was faint. I’m certain I absorbed some of the male half, though I have no idea how much or what that really means.”
“So Set at least has some of the power, too.” I frowned, thinking. “Has anyone checked on the Nothingness?”
He nodded. “It’s still there, but a little less … dense. Like a fog that has thinned.”
“Damn,” I said with a sigh. “Maybe controlling the Nothingness is part of Nuin’s power? Maybe that’s the part that Set absorbed?”
Marcus snorted. “I honestly haven’t the slightest idea.”
“Do you think Set knows about the two halves? That I have half of Nuin’s power roiling inside me?” I asked.
“Probably. He did see you do your disappearing act in the temple.” He squeezed my thigh under the table before picking up his spoon. “Eat. You must be famished.”
I was hungry, but not starved like I’d been the last time I’d used my regenerative abilities to heal. “I’m surprised I don’t look like I’m eighty years old,” I joked. When he said nothing, I became suddenly worried and asked, “I don’t look eighty, do I?”
He laughed, “No, Little Ivanov. You just look tired … and hungry. Eat.”
I took a spoonful of soup, and then another … and then another. “Oh, wow. This is amazing!”
“Enjoy it. We’ve got thirteen more courses of amazing,” he told me, and my eyes widened.
Out of nowhere, I laughed. It was bubbly and throaty and full of happiness.
“Care to share?” Marcus asked, glancing at me sideways.
“I just realized something—we have more than half of Nuin’s power. Set has less than us.” I grinned, my eyes full of wonder. “We’re going to be okay, aren’t we?”
Marcus brushed a stray strand of hair out of my eyes. “Yes, my darling, I think so.”
EPILOGUE
Set
Heru thinks he knows. He runs around with my daughter. Mine! And he thinks he knows how this will all turn out. But Heru has always thought just a little too highly of himself. Where he captures power through strength and charisma, I use knowledge. He thinks he knows everything he needs to know, so he doesn’t seek.
I seek … listen … learn … know.
I know about her. I know about him. I know about the power. And I know about Nuin, what he is and what he’s planning. I know, so I have the power.
APPENDIX
GLOSSARY
At Ancient Egyptian, “moment, instant, time”; The At is the actual fabric of time.
ankh Ancient Egyptian, “life”.
ankh-At Nuin’s power. Includes (at least) the power to travel through time, to create and remove memory blocks, and to fashion objects from the At.
Anubis Ancient Egyptian god (Anapa) associated with cemeteries, embalming, and the afterlife. Anubis is often portrayed as a jackal or jackal-headed.
Aset (Isis) Nejerette. Heru’s sister. Aset was worshipped as a goddess associated with motherhood, magic, and nature by the ancient Egyptians.
At-qed State of stasis a Nejeret’s body enters when his or her ba departs for the At.
ba Considered one of the three essential parts of the soul by the ancient Egyptians. In regards to Nejerets, the ba is the part of a person that can enter the At.
Bahur Arabic, “of Horus” or “of Heru”.
Council of Seven The body of leadership that governs the Nejerets. The Council is headed by the patriarchs of the seven strongest Nejeret families: Ivan, Heru, Set, Sid, Moshe, Dedwen, and Shangdi.
Dedwen A member of the Council of Seven. Dedwen was worshipped as a god associated
with prosperity, wealth, and fire by the ancient Nubians.
Deir el-Bahri Located on the west side of the Nile, just across the river from Luxor in Upper (southern) Egypt. Several mortuary temples and tombs are located in Deir el-Bahri, including Djeser-Djeseru, Queen Hatchepsut’s mortuary temple.
Djeser-Djeseru Ancient Egyptian, “Holy of Holies”. Queen Hatchepsut’s mortuary temple in Deir el-Bahri.
Firenze Florence, Italy.
Hatchepsut (ruled 1479—1457 BCE) Female Pharaoh during the Middle Kingdom of ancient Egypt.
Hathor Ancient Egyptian goddess associated with love, fertility, sexuality, music, and dance. According to the Contendings of Heru and Set myth, Hathor is the goddess who healed Heru’s eye. She is often depicted as a cow or a woman with cow ears or horns, and a sun disk is frequently cradled by the horns.
Hatnofer Carrier. Mother of Senenmut.
Heru (Horus) Nejeret. Osiris’s son, Nuin’s grandson, Aset’s brother, and former leader of the Council of Seven. Heru stepped down from his role as leader to function as the Council’s general and assassin, when necessary. Heru was worshipped as the god of the sky, kingship, and authority by the ancient Egyptians. He is often depicted as a falcon or falcon-headed.
Ivan Nejeret. Leader of the Council of Seven. Alexander’s father and Lex’s great-grandfather.
Kemet Ancient Egyptian, “Black Land”. Kemet is one of the names ancient Egyptians called their homeland.
Middle Kingdom Period of Egyptian history from 2055—1650 BCE.
Meswett Ancient Egyptian (mswtt), “girl-child”. The Meswett is the prophesied savior/destroyer of the Nejerets, as foretold by Nuin upon his deathbed.
Moshe (Moses) Nejeret. Member of the Council of Seven. Central figure in most western religions.
Neferure Nejerette. Daughter of Hatchepsut and Heru.
Nejeret (male)/Nejerette (female)/Nejerets (plural) Modern term for the Netjer-At.
Netjer-At Ancient Egyptian, “Gods of Time”.
Nuin (Nun) Nejeret. Also known as the “Great Father”, Nuin was the original Nejeret and the father of all Nejeret-kind. Nuin was worshipped as a god associated with the primordial waters and creation by the ancient Egyptians.
Old Kingdom Period of Egyptian history from 2686—2181 BCE.
Osiris Nejeret. Heru and Aset’s father and leader of the Council of Seven until his murder a few decades after Nuin’s death. Osiris was worshipped as a god associated with death, the afterlife, fertility, and agriculture by the ancient Egyptians.
Senenmut Nejeret. Scribe of Nuin’s prophecy and architect of the underground temple housing the ankh-At at Deir el-Bahri. Senenmut was the “high steward of the king” to Queen Hatchepsut as well as Neferure’s tutor. Senenmut was killed by Set after the completion of the underground temple.
Set (Seth) Nejeret. Nuin’s grandson, father of Dom, Genevieve, Kat, and Lex, and member of the Council of Seven. Set went rogue when the Council of Seven chose Heru as their leader after Osiris’s death around 4,000 years ago. Set is determined to secure the ankh-At as his own to wield.
Shangdi Nejerette. Member of the Council of Seven. Shangdi is worshipped as the supreme sky deity in the traditional Chinese religion.
Sid (Siddhartha Gautama) Nejeret. More commonly known as “Buddha” to humans.
Wedjat (Eye of Horus) Ancient Egyptian symbol of protection, healing, strength, and perfection.
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MORE BOOKS BY LINDSEY FAIRLEIGH
ECHO TRILOGY
1: Echo in Time
1.5: Resonance
2: Time Anomaly
2.5: Dissonance (coming soon!)
3: Ricochet Through Time (coming soon!)
THE ENDING SERIES
After The Ending
Into The Fire
Out Of The Ashes
Before The Dawn
THE ENDING BEGINNINGS
Omnibus
I: Carlos
II: Mandy
III: Vanessa
IV: Jake
V: Clara
VI: Jake & Clara
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON LINDSEY FAIRLEIGH & THE ECHO TRILOGY:
www.lindseyfairleigh.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lindsey Fairleigh lives her life with one foot in a book—as long as that book transports her to a magical world or bends the rules of science. Her novels, from post-apocalyptic to time travel and historical fantasy, always offer up a hearty dose of unreality, along with plenty of adventure and romance. When she’s not working on her next novel, Lindsey spends her time reading, planning her future farm, and trying out new recipes in the kitchen. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her rather confused cats.
www.lindseyfairleigh.com
Echo in Time: A Time Travel Romance (Echo Trilogy, #1) Page 37
