by R. D. Brady
“He was entombed there?”
Victoria nodded. “As was Agamemnon.”
Jake jolted. “He was a Fallen?”
Victoria nodded. “Yes. There were many during that time that came together. Most on the opposite side of humanity.”
“So if the war wasn’t about Helen, what was it about?”
“Oh, it was about Helen, just not about her beauty. She was the general. She pushed back the Fallen.”
A tremble ran through Laney. A general. “The Egyptian word for bull is ka. Which is pronounced exactly the same as another ka which is interpreted as a person’s double and holds their creative energy.”
Victoria nodded.
Laney continued. “So a tomb created for sacred bulls would be the perfect hiding place for the energy of a person’s double. A perfect place for the ring.”
Victoria nodded. “Yes. It’s there.”
Victoria said it with such confidence that Laney believed her.
“But . . .” Victoria drew out the word.
“But? But what?” Jake asked.
Victoria looked at Laney. “The ring is in the Serapeum. But I do not know where in the Serapeum it is located.”
Laney pictured the archaeological site. It was huge, consisting of both the newer section and a much older section. And maybe there were even more sections that had never been uncovered.
Another thought struck Laney. “The renovations.”
Her uncle nodded, concern on his face.
“What renovations?” Jake asked.
Patrick answered. “The Serapeum underwent an extensive renovation from 2001 to 2011. Radon gas had been found in the underground necropolis and walkways had collapsed. During the renovations, crews created walkways and metal skeletons for each of the granite sarcophagi. People were all over that place for over a decade.”
Laney looked at Victoria. “Is it possible the ring isn’t there? Could it have already been found?”
Victoria shook her head. “No. It’s still there. It’s hidden in a place known only to the ring bearer.”
Laney swallowed as all eyes turned to her. She shook her head. “Well, I don’t know where it is.”
Victoria smiled. “Yes, you do. You just have to remember.”
Laney’s eyes flew to Victoria’s. “Remember?” Her conversation with Patrick came back to her. “How can I remember something from someone else’s life?”
Victoria’s voice was gentle. “It wasn’t someone else’s life. It was yours. You do realize by now, the ring bearer is always the same person.”
“No, I hadn’t realized that,” Laney countered.
Victoria’s voice was gentle but insistent. “The dreams aren’t dreams. They’re memories. You just have to open yourself up to them and you’ll know all you need to know.”
“But I don’t want to know.” Laney realized with a shock that she had said the words out loud.
Victoria nodded. “You never do. But eventually, you always accept your destiny.”
“Always?” Laney asked, still hoping there was a way to avoid what Victoria was telling her.
Victoria’s voice was firm. “Always.”
CHAPTER 47
After Victoria had finished with her “you just have to remember where the ring is” speech, she’d told them she’d have the plane ready to leave early the next morning. Laney had wanted to leave immediately, and just get this over with.
But it would take at least twelve hours to reach Egypt. If they left right away, they would arrive in the morning and have to wait almost a full day before they could safely go to the Serapeum without detection.
So, they’d all trooped off to bed. Laney had slept a little, but every time she began to dream, she’d yanked herself out of sleep. She just couldn’t handle another dream from her former selves.
Laney stared at the ceiling as Jake slept quietly next to her. Was this all possible? Was she the ring bearer? Had she been alive multiple times before? Or, from the way Victoria explained it, had she always been alive?
She rolled onto her side, crushing a pillow to her chest. Shouldn’t she be better prepared, then? If this were true, shouldn’t it be less impossible to believe?
Her doubts assaulted her throughout the long night. At five, she crawled out of bed and headed to the airfield with everyone else. From the looks on everyone’s faces as they boarded the plane, she didn’t think anyone had gotten much sleep.
Laney stared out the window of Victoria’s Gulfstream G550. It was a lot like Henry’s jet. Idly, she wondered if Victoria and Henry had gotten a family discount.
Patrick was asleep a few rows behind her. Henry was sitting with his mother a few seats ahead, talking quietly. And Ralph was up with the pilot. Laney tried to sleep, but it eluded her. Her mind was simply too full of questions to shut down.
“What is it?” Jake mumbled from next to her.
She glanced over at him. His eyes were still closed, a blanket pulled over him. “I thought you were asleep,” Laney said. It always amazed her how Jake seemed to be able to fall asleep at the drop of hat.
“Nah, just resting my eyelids. So what’s going through that pretty little head of yours?”
What wasn’t? Destiny, Helen of Troy, the triad, the Fallen. You name it, she was thinking about it. But right now one thought was taking center stage: Victoria’s comments about her previous lives. “Helen.”
“Helen’s always been a fascinating character,” Jake said.
“You mean because of her beauty?” Laney asked.
Jake shook his head. “Not just that. From the very beginning her story is enigmatic. Even her birth.”
“Her birth? How?”
“Well, according to the tales, Helen was the daughter of Zeus, as was Pollux. But in the story, Leda, Helen’s mother, wasn’t impregnated by a man, but by Zeus in the form of a swan.”
“A swan? Seriously?”
He smiled. “Yup. And Pollux and Helen had company. Because Castor and Clytemnestra were also alleged to have been conceived that same night, but by Leda’s actual husband, Tyndareus.”
“Quadruplets?”
Jake shrugged. “According to the tales. And all of them were born from actual eggs. So I guess hatched is a better term.”
“Huh,” Laney said as she leaned back against the couch.
Jake squinted over at her. “Okay, I know that look. Your wheels are turning. What are you thinking?”
“I guess it’s the question Clark asked a few days ago about the relationship between genetics and human development. Biology has been marinating in the back of my brain since then.”
Jake smiled. “And?”
“Well, think about it. If someone asked you to explain the difference between identical and fraternal twins, what would you say?”
His eyes got larger. “I’d say fraternal twins came from different eggs, while identical twins came from the same egg.”
Laney nodded. “Maybe the story of Helen and her siblings’ birth just got confused by a storyteller who didn’t understand science.”
“So, what? They understood the science of reproduction thousands of years ago?”
Laney shrugged, thinking about what Victoria had said about civilizations being destroyed over and over again. “Why not? After all, we know that civilization existed much earlier than we realize, probably predating 10,000 BC. And we think that those people may have even had aerial power. Is it really that crazy to think that they understood biology as well?”
“I never thought about that. Whenever you guys talk about earlier civilizations, it’s always their advanced technology that you mention. I guess it stands to reason that if they were advanced in one area, they’d be advanced in other areas. But we’re talking about the Bronze Age, right?”
Laney nodded. “Yes. The Bronze Age extended from around 3,300 BC to around 1,000 BC, give or take.”
“And the ancient civilizations we’re talking about predate that time period by at least seven tho
usand years. So is it really possible they were talking about the science of reproduction?”
“Who knows? Maybe someone who had already lived some previous lifetimes was there.” She smiled. “Apparently that’s a thing.”
He took her hand. “So I hear.”
“And maybe that someone explained the science to everyone else.”
Jake leaned over and kissed her.
“What was that for?”
“I love how your mind works.”
Laney snuggled into him, needing his warmth. “You know what Victoria said about me remembering?”
Jake nodded.
“My uncle said the same thing earlier. He thinks my dreams aren’t just dreams. He thinks they’re memories of my past lives.”
“What do you think?”
All of her doubts crowded into her words. “I think if that’s true, they’ve got the wrong girl. If the women I’m dreaming about were previous ring bearers, they didn’t just defend the ring; they led nations, armies. The world went to war. Is that what I’m supposed to do? Is that what’s going to happen next?”
“I don’t know, Laney.”
She looked into his eyes, searching for something, anything to tell her it was going to be okay, but that comfort wasn’t there. It couldn’t be.
She leaned into his side. “Ever since I spoke with my uncle I’ve also been thinking about the War Scroll.”
Jake raised an eyebrow. “Because of the stolen folio?”
“In part. The War Scroll was written by the Essenes. They were this apocryphal cult that existed around AD 30.”
“Okay.” Jake drew out the word. “So what about has you thinking?”
She played with his hand, tracing his fingers with hers. “It tells of the final battle between the Children of the Light and the sons of Belial.”
Jake glanced down at her, his eyebrows raised. “‘The Children of Light’ sounds awfully similar to Cayce’s Children of the Law of One.”
Laney nodded. “And from the description, they are the same. There are more religious overtones in the Scroll, followers of the rules of God, et cetera. But the concept is the same: the good versus the bad.”
“Okay, so why is this scroll in your mind?”
Laney clutched Jake’s hand to her chest, her head leaning into his shoulder. “Helen was part of a world war that lasted ten years. And in Homer’s telling, that war involved gods, who were probably the Fallen or nephilim. Joan of Arc led an army in France, part of the Hundred Years’ War. What if another time of war is coming? What if I’m expected to lead an army of the Children of Light?”
“Then you’ll lead it. And you’ll defeat anyone who gets in your way. I’ve seen you take down every obstacle in your path when it comes to doing the right thing. Add in a little superpower, and you’ll be unstoppable.”
Laney nodded, looking away. There was no doubt in Jake’s voice, but all she had was doubt. She closed her eyes, snuggling a little closer to Jake. But her thoughts were aimed a little further away.
God, if you’re listening, and there’s any chance you could, could you please pick someone else to do this?
CHAPTER 48
Cairo, Egypt
AD 645
Amaris stood in the prow of the boat, looking for her first glimpse. The waves were rocking it from side to side, but she had gotten used to the motion. After three weeks at sea, the movement of the Nile was nothing. But she’d still be happy to have her feet on solid ground.
“Anything yet?” Gaius said as he came to stand next to her.
She smiled up at him, again amazed at how she had once feared this man. When Hypatia had handed her over, she had thought she was being sent to her death.
But Gaius had proved over and over again to be a good friend. In fact, he had become like the father she’d never had. Just as Hypatia . . .
Amaris shied away from that thought. It was too painful. Even now, three years later.
They had set sail that very night across the sea. Word of Hypatia’s death had reached them almost as soon as they set ashore. She had cried for a week straight, barely eating.
Gaius had finally shaken her from her misery. “This is not what she wanted for you. She wanted you safe. She wanted you to live. Do not repay her kindness by tossing your life away.”
His words had penetrated her cocoon of despair. Hypatia had taught her to focus on the good and to know that this was only one life. We lived many. She would see her teacher again.
And more importantly, her teacher had entrusted her with a mission. She would not fail at it.
She took Gaius’s hand with a smile. “Just waiting for a glimpse.”
Gaius gestured toward the shoreline. “There it is.”
Amaris looked over, seeing the tip of the Great Pyramid cresting over the water. In no time, the Great Pyramid was joined by the lesser two.
She let out a sigh. “We’re almost there, Hypatia. It’s almost safe.”
CHAPTER 49
Cairo, Egypt
They arrived in Cairo just before dark, although after her dream about Amaris, Laney felt like she’d already been here. Out the car window, she watched the streets of Cairo fly by.
They were going to go to the Serapeum at dawn, when they were less likely to run into anyone. Which meant they needed to hole up someplace for the night.
Henry was driving, Patrick in the passenger seat, with Jake and Laney in the back of the Range Rover. Ralph and Victoria were in the Mercedes in front of them.
Laney glanced out the window. It had been years since she’d last been in Egypt. Something about the place always felt ancient. As if the whole country held the keys to an unknown knowledge.
People packed the sidewalks in the residential parts of the city. Some wore western clothes. Some were in traditional dress. Most women were modestly dressed, a few wearing full burkas—although colorful ones. Men wore long shirts over linen pants.
It was hard to make out any of the buildings out in the dwindling light, but Laney noticed when they started to be more spread out. And larger. They were entering Maadi, one of the more affluent areas of Cairo.
For a few minutes, Henry wound his way through the narrow streets, then they finally left the residential area behind and moved out into the desert. Up ahead, Laney could just make out some lights. It looked like a little town up on a hill.
As they drew closer, Laney realized it wasn’t a town but a house—a very large one. It was three stories tall, with two large extended wings and a tall iron fence surrounding it. Balconies with curved archways lined each floor.
“It looks like something out of Arabian Nights,” Patrick said. “Who lives here?”
“A friend of my mother’s,” Henry said.
“Friend?” Jake asked.
Henry shrugged. “That’s what she said.”
The Mercedes in front of them stopped. They waited for only a few seconds before the gates swung open. Then Ralph hit the gas and they followed him up the long windy drive, arriving at a large, round cobblestoned driveway in front of the mansion’s massive front doors.
Laney stepped out of the car, wondering yet again who Victoria was. And how on earth she had made friends with whoever lived here.
Jake came to stand next to her. “You okay?”
She took his arm with a smile. “Yup. Just trying to keep my head from spinning off my shoulders.”
Jake placed his hand at the small of her back as they walked toward the front door. “Well, please do. I rather like it perched up there.”
They stepped through the front door and into a giant foyer. The ceiling was three stories above them. A giant chandelier adorned with crystals of varying colors dominated the space.
“Wow,” Laney murmured.
Victoria was up ahead, and looked back over her shoulder. “This way.”
They all trooped behind her. Victoria stopped at the foot of the double staircase. “There are six bedrooms on the second floor. Everyone can pick one. Le
t’s meet back down here”—she pointed to an immense sunken living room to their right—“in about fifteen minutes. There are still some things we need to discuss.”
Laney hefted her backpack onto her shoulder, struggling not to sigh.
Twenty minutes later, she sat on the sleek, pale yellow couch in the large living room. She shifted, trying to get comfy. The couch looked soft and cushiony, but it turned out it wasn’t very comfortable. Whoever lived here didn’t seem to spend much time on it. It was stiff as a board.
Victoria had found them one heck of a safe house. The last safe house Laney had been in had had bowed walls and a couch that was a mouse hotel. This place had solid gold faucets and toilets that spoke to you. Above the couch was a painting by Salvador Dali—and Laney had no doubt it was an original.
Laney glanced around the room. “Living room” seemed too normal a name for it. The room was bigger than Henry’s office. A full-sized grand piano—not a baby grand—sat in one corner, and it looked right at home. In fact, it was dwarfed by the space. Laney shook her head. How did people live like this?
The sound of male voices pulled her attention to the arched entryway. Jake and Patrick walked in together. Laney smiled at the camaraderie between the two.
Jake took a seat next to her. “Man, this is not a comfortable couch.”
Laney laughed. “I was just thinking the same thing.”
Henry walked in, Victoria and Ralph behind him. He took a seat to Jake’s right.
Victoria smiled. “Good. Everyone’s here.”
“Okay, so what exactly is the plan?” Jake asked. “The site is going to be guarded.”
Ralph nodded. “Yes. But at night, there’s only one guard who covers the entire necropolis. We have a better chance of running into thieves, or some tourists out for an illegal stroll, than guards. But don’t worry about the guard—I’ll take care of him.”
Patrick leaned forward. “‘Take care of’? What does that mean?”
Ralph put up his hands. “Nothing lethal. Hopefully, I’ll just keep an eye on him. If he gets close, I’ll just make him take a little nap.”
