by Paul Edwards
Chapter seven
The sun woke me up the next morning, it's bright light streaming through one of the open windows.
I had slept quite well other than being woken up by Peter in the middle of the night, he told me he was too hot. Thankfully I had put in separate temperature controls for each side of the blanket, I showed him how to turn his down.
Peter was still sleeping, I touched his side of the blanket, he must have boiling water running through his veins, I thought to myself, the blanket was freezing.
I felt someone watching me, no doubt one of Djoser's spies. I suspected this was just a routine invasion of privacy, Imhotep had probably told Djoser that I was just an old friend.
I rolled out of bed and walked over to my dress from yesterday, I had hung it over one of the small tables in the room. It stunk of sweat and mosquito repellant.
I gritted my teeth and put it on, then I put on my wig, the louse powder, thankfully, was odourless.
I walked over to one of the windows and looked out, I surreptitiously used my bracelet to send a message to everyone back at the City of Magic.
Possible nuclear bomb
Evacuate the city
Everything OK going to Nineveh
I had never updated my message spell, it simply made a trumpet noise next to the person I sent the message too, then a piece of papyrus would appear in midair with my message written on it.
I walked to the rooms entrance, the doorway's frame was over two feet thick, it enabled me to momentarily hide from the rooms many peepholes.
I turned myself ethereal then walked through the closed wooden door. I walked into the wide hallway next to our room, it was devoid of people.
I quickly walked towards where I thought Djoser's quarters might be, I knew I was on the right track when the doors started to be guarded by more and more elaborately costumed foot soldiers.
I entered one final door and emerged into the King's dressing room, there was Djoser and his queen being outfitted with all the paraphernalia needed by the typical narcissist.
I gasped involuntarily when I saw Djoser's queen, my god she was an ugly woman. I felt a bit guilty, beauty is in the eye of the beholder Kem, I thought to myself. I looked at her again, she reminded me of someone I had seen before, she had a protruding chin and her lower lip stuck out further then her upper lip.
I suddenly remembered a TV program I had watched about a powerful royal family in Europe, they had destroyed themselves by constantly inbreeding. They had shown a number of family portraits during the documentary, they all had the same features as her.
The things parents do to their kids.
I listened to the conversation the king and queen were having.
"You put too much faith in Imhotep... I do not trust him, that woman he has given quarters to, no one knows of her, I think she is a spy."
Djoser took a long swig from a cup he was holding, it was wine, I suspected this was his chosen method to try and beautify his wife.
"You think everyone's a spy... and Imhotep is the reason we were able to defeat the Canaanites so easily."
"He distracts you, there are other advisor's... replace him... then execute him."
Djoser could barely hide a look of absolute revulsion as he took another long drink from his wine cup.
"Sure... execute him, execute everyone, we can just sit here by ourselves."
"Mind your words Imhotep... remember you have your kingship because of me... my family wanted me to marry my brother."
"I have duties to perform, I must go," Djoser said as he stood up, he kissed his queen on the cheek then left the room. A servant walked into the room after Djoser left, he bent over to whisper into the queens ear. I leaned closer to hear what he said.
"She has disappeared my queen, she is like a cat, no one seen her leave her quarters."
"Hmm... she is like Imhotep, versed in the arcane arts."
"She sleeps with her manservant."
"And what did they speak off?" the queen asked, her eyes narrowing.
"They spoke in a language no one could understand."
"We must capture her, then torture her, she will reveal Imhotep's secrets, post a guard she will return for her manservant."
This woman was crazy, the result of all that inbreeding I guessed. I turned and ran back towards our room, I was soon standing next to the bed watching Peter sleep.
I activated the time stop spell then dispelled my etherealness.
"Peter wake up," I said as I shook him.
He rolled onto his back and rubbed his eyes.
"What's up?"
"They're going to try to capture us, we have to leave."
Peter got up and dressed, I dispelled our bed and replaced it with the original one. I arranged the pillows under the blanket to make it look as if Peter was still sleeping.
"Let's go," I said as I stood next to Peter.
I transported us back to the small temple we had arrived in while at the same time ending the time stop spell. They would talk about this for years, I thought with a smile.
"What now?" Peter asked.
"We travel to Nineveh," I replied.
"How?"
"We take a boat... I want to be careful not give ourselves away."
"I stick out like a sore thumb," Peter said.
"I will think of something, but first things first."
I walked up to the temples entrance then poked my head through it and looked both ways, the street was empty. I pushed the large wooden door shut then barred it, the temple grew dark.
I walked back to Peter, then conjured up a light and a large enclosed shower. Peter and I were soon stripped naked and cleaning ourselves in a luxurious stream of clean water.
