The Blue Lotus

by Marisa Chenery

  "No."

  "You will do what I say. I will not be denied."

  "No.” He said again. “She is my mate."

  "Have you not learned from your past, Nefertem?” His mother growled. “A mortal cannot be your mate. It is only because she is the possessor of the pendant. I have rid you of your feelings for this woman once before, I can do it again."

  "Not this time. I will not allow you."

  "That, my son, is beyond your control. I will not allow you to be distracted by a mere woman. Let alone a mortal one."

  Nefertem tried to fight his mother's will, but in the end, she proved to be more powerful than he. Just before the memory of the past night spent in his mate's arms was taken from him, he shoved Kendra away.

  Deeply submersed in a haze of sexual arousal that Nefertem had woven around her, Kendra was unprepared when he pushed her away from him. One moment he was caressing her, next he abruptly stopped.

  Feeling the mattress move beneath her, Kendra rolled onto her back to see why Nefertem had broken contact with her. She found him sitting up, staring at her. “What's the matter, Nefertem?"

  When he continued to stare at her, Kendra felt a sense of unease travel through her. Something was not right. His behaviour was nothing like it had been during the night. Hoping to dispel her feelings of wariness, she reached out to caress Nefertem's face. He quickly batted her hand away before she could make contact with his skin. Giving her a warning growl, he moved slowly out of the bed. Kendra's feeling of unease quickly changed to fear.

  Moving with slow and easy movements, Kendra wrapped the bed sheet around her and went to stand before Nefertem. The expression he wore on his face was anything but kind. It was hard and feral looking. His upper lip curled into a snarl as she stepped closer.

  "Everything is all right, Nefertem. Calm down.” Reaching out with a hand that was none too steady, Kendra placed it on Nefertem's bared chest. Her touch had calmed him before, and it should work now, at least she reasoned to herself.

  Once again, Nefertem's reaction was not what she had expected. As soon as her hand made contact with his chest, he roughly grabbed a handful of her hair, pulling her head to the side, and growled menacingly. He yanked her hard up against him.

  Biting back a moan of pain, Kendra held up the pendant she still wore around her neck and showed it to Nefertem. “Let go of me, Nefertem. You know you can't hurt me as long as I have this."

  Nefertem's eyes slowly slid down to the pendant, he then gave her a snarl of disgust. For the second time he shoved her away from him. This time he used enough force to knock her off her feet. She ended up sprawled on the carpeted floor. Clutching the sheet tighter around her, Kendra looked up at Nefertem with hurt in her eyes.

  * * * *

  Ignoring the woman at his feet was easy. She meant nothing to him. The pendant was the only reason why he hadn't ripped her throat out with his teeth. He ran his tongue over his now fully extended, sharp canine teeth. It would have given him great pleasure to have sunk them into her soft flesh.

  Grabbing up the clothes he had worn the day before, Nefertem donned them. It was time to leave. His mother's call was echoing inside his head. Once fully clothed, he turned back to look at the woman. She was no longer on the floor. She stood before the only door that led to the outside world, as if her slight form could stop him from going through it. He shook his head and smiled, showing her his fangs.

  Kendra gulped in response. When had Nefertem's teeth changed? His smile was by no way reassuring to her, she was determined to stand her ground. She couldn't let him outside, not as he was now.

  Steeling herself for what was surely to come; Kendra tucked the sheet more tightly around her and held her two arms out on either side of her body to block the door more effectively. Nefertem only smiled again. He then did the unbelievable—he simply vanished before her very eyes.

  Blinking to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her, Kendra frantically searched the room. It turned out that they weren't, Nefertem was indeed gone. She let herself sink to the floor as her legs began to tremble. She had failed. Nefertem was gone.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  A sense of wrongness hit Mahes as they neared the halfway mark back to the hotel. He knew it could only be caused by something pertaining to Nefertem. He kept this to himself, just as he had kept silent about the information his father had given him, much to Tory's chagrin. If she had had her way, he would still be at his father's temple explaining what was said to him. Only his unwillingness to be brow beaten into talking had her grudgingly relent, and get into the taxi for the trip home.

  When they at last reached the hotel, Mahes made sure he was the first one to get out of the taxi. Not stopping for the others to catch up, he headed for the room where Nefertem was staying. He did not bother to knock on the door before he used the extra room key, which he had pocketed the night before, to let himself into the room.

  Pushing open the door he knew without even looking that Nefertem was no longer there. He next looked for Kendra who was easy to find. She sat on the floor not far from the door and appeared to only be wearing a sheet.

  Quietly shutting the door behind him, Mahes went over to Kendra. He crouched down beside her. “Are you all right?"

  Blinking, Kendra looked up to find Mahes next to her, his face clearly showing concern. “He's gone."

  Mahes knew whom Kendra meant. “I know. What happened?"

  "I don't know really. One minute we were about to...” Kendra blushed profusely.

  "I think I can guess what you and Nefertem were doing.” Cut in Mahes with a chuckle.

  "Well ... um ... one minute he was all loving and then the next he was shoving me away from him."

  "I had hoped you could keep Nefertem preoccupied enough so he could ignore my mother's demands. She must have been too persistent for Nefertem to be able to refuse her."

  "I am really starting to take a great dislike to your mother."

  Mahes chuckled again. “She does tend to engender that emotion in people at certain times."

  "Where did he go, Mahes?” Kendra asked quietly. “He acted as if he didn't even know who I was."

  Mahes wrapped his arms around Kendra and kissed the top of her head. “Nefertem has gone to my mother. As for not knowing you, she could have taken the memory of you from him."

  Kendra craned her neck so she could look up at Mahes. “How much time do we have left?"

  "Less than thirty-six hours."

  It wasn't nearly enough time, Kendra realized. “That's it? We need more time."

  Giving Kendra one last kiss on the top of her head, Mahes stood up. They both knew there would be no more time allowed. “I will leave you now to get dressed. Once you finish getting ready come to your brother's room. We have much to discuss."

  A short time later, feeling a little better after having a quick shower, Kendra made her way to Markus's room. Knocking on the door, she waited to be let inside. It ended up that Tory was the one who opened the door for her.

  Taking Kendra by the hand, Tory pulled her into the room and gave her a hug. “How are you holding up? Mahes told us Nefertem has left."

  "As well as can be expected."

  Releasing Tory, Kendra stepped away from her and went to sit on the bed next to her brother. “All right, Mahes, time to tell us all you know."

  Mahes nodded and waited until he had everyone's attention before he started to speak. “Our time has just about run out and what needs to be done to stop what will come is very risky at best."

  "I, for one, am willing to take that risk.” Kendra assured him. The others nodded in agreement giving their assent along with hers.

  "I didn't expect any of you to refuse now that we have come this far.” Mahes took a deep breath then plunged on. “It turns out, Scott, that you were correct in your assumption about the location of the library. It is indeed to be found beneath the Sphinx."

  Scott perked up at that. “So they were right about there
being a hidden chamber to be found in that location. This will be the find of the century. Only problem will be how to get permission to dig on such short notice."

  "That will not be necessary.” Mahes said woodenly.

  "I am afraid it is necessary. The Egyptian government will not look too kindly on us digging around one of their national monuments."

  "You do not understand. We will not be doing any digging, of any kind. I can gain access to the library using another method. One not so obvious and not so detrimental to the Sphinx."

  "Okay so you can somehow get us in with your special abilities. I guess after we accomplish the task at hand I can see about getting permission to dig at a later date."

  Mahes shook his head. “No."

  Scott scowled at Mahes. “What do you mean no? The contents of that library can't just be left buried there to rot away. It is a part of the ancient past and should be preserved."

  "I know that would be your greatest wish Scott, but in this case the library must remain hidden from the rest of the world. My father stressed that to me."

  "What exactly is this library that it must be kept as a close guarded secret?"

  Mahes nailed them all with a hard stare so they would know how serious this was. “It is the collected knowledge of the ancient Atlantians. What we need from it is only a very small piece of the whole. The Atlantians were a brilliant race, which in the end, was the death of them all. Within the library's works is the very knowledge that brought about their downfall. Ptah does not want that knowledge given to you mortals, or the same fate that befell the Atlantians will be yours."

  Absolute silence reigned as what Mahes had said sank in. Scott slumped down in defeat, finally accepting what he could not change. If an Egyptian god wanted the library kept out of the hands of mortals then there would be no way around it.

  Kendra felt some small measure of amazement that such a library and to whom it had belonged in the distant past, had remained a secret over the centuries, but that there was something in it that they needed held more of her interest. “Then what are we waiting for? We know where the library is now, and that we have access to it. We can go to it now."

  Mahes shook his head. “Sorry Kendra, it will not be that easy."

  Feeling no small amount of desperation, Kendra pounded the bed with her fist. “Why the hell not?"

  Mahes could understand Kendra's need to act now rather than later. He was worried more than he was letting on. “If I were not in my mortal form it would be no problem at all, but I am in my mortal form and my powers are limited. For me to get us all in the library I must be standing directly above it, or very close to it, which means we have to be at the Sphinx. What I have gathered, during the day it will be crawling with tourists. So we must wait until late at night when no one is around. Unless you know of a way to conceal the fact that five people can seemingly disappear in a blink of an eye before hundreds of onlookers."

  "But I can't just sit here and do nothing when Nefertem is god knows where. I just can't do it."

  Looking at the others, Kendra could easily read the pity they felt for her written on their faces. When Markus put an arm around her shoulders to try and comfort her it was almost too much to bear. She did not want or need their pity.

  Shrugging off her brother's hold, Kendra stood and began to pace the floor. Her agitation was apparent as she clenched and unclenched her fists that she held at her sides.

  She was soon brought up short by Mahes when he stepped directly into her path. “Don't do this to yourself, Kendra. I need you to be clear-headed when the time comes. We will be working against the clock."

  "What kind of time frame are you talking about here?” Markus asked him.

  "We will have until just before dawn two days from now. Once dawn's light hits the horizon my mother will come. If we haven't stopped her before that, there will be no way of stopping her."

  Kendra looked at the clock sitting on the one beside table situated between the two double beds. The number of hours until they could act was far too great. If those hours didn't pass quickly, she knew the fragile hold she placed on herself would surely break. Even now, she felt it slipping. Ruthlessly, she pushed back the urge to let go of her emotions and cry her heart out.

  * * * *

  Nefertem appeared before his mother. Now that the change within him was complete, he could will himself back to the immortal realm. He would also do whatever Sekhmet wished.

  Sekhmet sat on her gilded chair and looked down at her son. She raked him head to foot with her eyes. His attire she found in no way acceptable to her. With a mere thought, she stripped him of the offending garments and in their stead, she clothed him in a snow white linen kilt. She smiled at her handy work. Nefertem now looked the way an Egyptian man should.

  Standing up, Sekhmet went to her son. His earlier behaviour had displeased her greatly. He had never refused her until now. All because of a weak mortal woman. Had he not learned anything from his past? It had been a mortal woman who had doomed him to this existence in the first place. Giving Nefertem a kiss on the cheek, Sekhmet made a promise to herself to take steps to do away with what had distracted Nefertem from his duties to her. The mortal woman would be the first to feel her wrath. With the light of the new day two days hence, the pendant would no longer protect the woman.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  The intervening hours until they could go to the Sphinx ticked by slowly. They all ended up congregated in Markus's room, which had been silently nominated as their meeting place—to Kendra's great pleasure. She did not want to go back to the room where she had shared the night with Nefertem. It would have made the waiting unbearable for her. The memories of how she had spent that night would be too fresh, too new.

  The early evening arrived none too quickly for Kendra. If she could have managed it, she would have herded the others out the door and to the Sphinx, but she knew that was not going to happen. Right now dinner was the topic of discussion, weighing heavily upon the males of the company who only had food on their minds. Taking Kendra's anxiousness into account, room service was ordered instead of subjecting her to the crowd inside a restaurant.

  Supper conversation was light. Hoping to distract Kendra a little, Markus voiced an idea he had. “Perhaps we could leave earlier than planned and go see the sound and light show at Giza. It really is spectacular and is something everyone should make a point of seeing when in Cairo."

  Scott nodded enthusiastically. “That is a great idea. I have seen it, and more than once. I think Tory and Kendra will enjoy it. Even you will like it, Mahes."

  "I will look forward to it.” Mahes said. “I have seen the pyramids in the distance. I would like to see them up close. That they have survived through the ages says much for them."

  "Yes it does. To this day people stand in awe of them. But they are far from looking as they did after they were first built."

  Mahes nodded in agreement with Scott. “Very true, but they still are an impressive sight to behold."

  The picture of the pyramids, especially the Great Pyramid, in their former glory rose up in Mahes's mind. Khufu's pyramid had been a sight to see. Standing at four hundred and eight-one feet the Great Pyramid sat on nearly thirteen acres of land, where it stands to this day. The outside of the pyramid used to be covered entirely with Turah limestone, giving it a smooth surface. An enclosure wall and paved courtyard had been made from the same limestone. Now, all that was gone, just leaving the bare bones of the pyramid to stand throughout the ages.

  Markus elbowed Kendra who sat next to him. “So sis, are you game to go and see the show tonight?"

  Kendra smiled wanly at him. “If it will get us out of this darn room and closer to our destination, I am up for it."

  "That a girl. I knew you wouldn't disappoint me."

  * * * *

  Though most television documentaries give the feeling that the pyramids are situated in the middle of the desert, in actuality they are not. The truth is, the
great pyramids can be found near the city limits of Greater Cairo, just a short trip heading east on the Pyramid Road. With civilization encroaching so near, it was a real threat to the pyramids. Scholars, aware of that fact, were taking steps to prevent any damage to the ancient structures.

  Now that the sun was beginning to set, the heat was not nearly as bad as it had been during the day. It still was very warm, but not scorching hot, so many people took advantage of that fact and came to the nightly show at the pyramids.

  Blending into a crowd of other tourists, their group decided to split up and regroup when the show was to start. Scott and Tory moved off in the direction of the Great Pyramid. Holding hands, they looked like any other couple doing some sightseeing. Mahes, Kendra and Markus made their way over to the Sphinx, which was only a short distance from Khufu's pyramid.

  Mahes grabbed Kendra's hand, mimicking Scott and Tory. At Kendra's questioning look, Mahes gave her a saucy wink. “Relax, Kendra. It is only for those others around us."

  She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Are you sure? Or are you just using that as an excuse to hold my hand?"

  Shaking his head, Mahes chuckled. “Maybe it is a little bit of both. It was either hold your hand or hold Markus's hand. I much prefer to hold yours."

  "As would I.” chimed in Markus.

  Deciding not to join in Mahes's banter, Kendra asked, “What exactly are we looking for anyway?"

  Pulling her along with him, Mahes nodded toward the Sphinx. “Scott said there were security guards around, I want to see how many there actually are. Also I have to locate the exact location of the library chamber below. There is a chance there is more than one chamber beneath the Sphinx. I would hate to pick the wrong one. Who knows in what state the empty chambers may be in?"

  Kendra nodded in agreement. They could not risk that happening. She shuddered just thinking of what it would be like if they ended up in the wrong one and it collapsed on top of them all.

  The Sphinx did not sit alone. There was an old temple, from the New Kingdom era, as well as other smaller structures, but it was the Sphinx that dominated over them all. Sitting between the Sphinx's paws was the dream stele, the stone slab Thutmose IV had made. On the stele Thutmose described a dream he had while still a prince as he slept in the shade of the Sphinx after going hunting. In the dream, the Sphinx spoke to him, telling him to clear away the sand that engulfed it. If Thutmose did this task then he would be rewarded with the kingship of Egypt and become Pharaoh. And that was exactly what he did, and what the Sphinx had promised became fact. Thutmose did indeed become Pharaoh.