by Diana Kirk
Seta folded her hands in her lap, bowed her head, and said solemnly, "You have made the great journey into the netherworld and back again, reborn as Alec, great Sinw."
Alex patted Seta's head. "Not exactly, but for now that's close enough. In my time, there are lots of fascinating miracles. Only they aren't miracles, just science."
"Science?" Her eyes widened.
"If I ever get back to the tomb, I've got some in my medical bag and I'll show you."
Seta's eyes gazed up dreamily as if an invisible scene played out before her eyes. "We all hope to make the great journey to the new time, the time of rebirth."
Alex finished drying and padded over to Seta, who produced a clean linen shift and slipped it over Alex's head. "There."
Alex ironed the skirt with her hands. "Yes. That's better."
"But Nafari will be angered."
"Don't worry about it. I'll take care of Nafari and Tarik, too, for that matter."
Alex pulled the filmy, gilded gown over her shift and cinched her waist with a gold rope. Seta plaited her hair with beads and gold twine. Sitting at the dressing table, she applied kohl and rouges to her eyes and lips. Selecting a highly polished metal hand mirror from the table, Seta held it in front of Alex.
"Wow!" she said. "I look like a real Egyptian."
"You look like Isis, herself."
Alex glanced at her friend. "Watch what you say! Won't you get in trouble with your gods?"
Seta smiled. "These are not my gods. My gods still protect Nubia. I learned many years ago they do not hear when I mock them. My gods laugh at Isis and her husband. It was they who took Osiris's body, dismembered it, and spread the pieces throughout all of Egypt."
"Is that so?" Alex smiled. There was so much to learn from Seta, Nafari, and Tarik. But that would have to wait. She had to find the tomb and the room bearing Isis's cartouch, her image, her song.
"Yes, Mistress." She stood back and smiled. "I will return to Nubia some day. And I will show you my wondrous lands, for you shall go with me."
"I'd like that. But first, I must get to the tomb."
"You must not speak of that tomb, Alec." Nafari's angry voice startled Seta, she dropped the mirror, and it clattered noisily on the floor.
"My name's pronounced Alex." She emphasized the `s' in her name.
"You will follow me. Now." She held out a hand staying Seta. "Alone."
"Why can't she go with me?"
"The Master has requested to dine with you alone." She bowed. "I obey."
"You might. But that doesn't mean I have to." Alex slipped her feet into small gilded sandals provided by Nafari. "He told me you raised him. Why aren't you giving the orders?"
The old woman's eyes were clear and bright with humor. "For all the years since his mother's death, he has done my bidding. When he became a great physician and took his dead father's place in the court of Mentuhotep, I vowed to obey. It has not changed since that time. For he is not just as my son, he is my master."
"I see." She couldn't argue with a mother's love. That too, it seemed, was universal.
"Come."
Alex followed Nafari down the same long hallway, but this time at the intersection, she turned to the left, bypassed the stairs and crossed the same open courtyard that had mesmerized her the night before. In the bright sunlight, the spot was still beautiful with its reflecting pools, statues, and gardens of brightly colored orchids. But it had lost the magic of the night and was now just a courtyard.
Still following Nafari, Alex climbed white alabaster stairs and entered a large room. In the center was a long gilded table. Typical of what she'd read about ancient Egypt, the table was only a few inches from the floor. At the end of the table Tarik lounged on massive, silken pillows.
She sucked in her breath. Hollywood hunks didn't hold a candle to this guy--his head was shrouded in a white nemes cloth adorned with horizontal stripes of bright Egyptian blue accentuating his dark, brooding eyes.
Glancing up, he smiled and his gaze brightened. "Ah, Alec, It is time for your first lesson and I will be the one to teach it."
"My name's pronounced Alex." Again she emphasized the `s' and approached the table.
Tarik, his torso hidden by the table, wore nothing but two gold bands circling his bronzed biceps and from his neck a massive pectoral of the winged Isis hung snugly against his well-defined chest. He raised his arm in greeting. "Come, sit at my right hand."
As if unseen strings guided her movements, Alex sank into the lush pillows. The table was covered with heaping platters, of figs, dates, breads, and grapes. In the goblet was a brown liquid she assumed was beer, the national beverage. For a brief moment, the urge to ask for a `Bud-lite' tempted her.
"Drink."
She picked up the goblet and took a cautious sip. It was surprisingly cool and refreshingly sweet. She took several greedy swallows.
"You have learned your first lesson well." He leaned back on his pillow, his gaze traveled the length of her.
"What lesson? I've done nothing."
"Do not spoil it with your speech. It is correct that you did nothing. For that is what you will do in Pharaoh's court. You will not speak, nor eat, nor drink unless he bids it."
She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Oh please."
"What is it you ask for?"
"I didn't ask for anything. I just can't believe you still think I belong to your king. Look, I thought we had a deal. I'll be your slave, if that's what you want. Okay? But I won't be part of anyone's harem. Not even yours."
"It is not for you to decide. Pharaoh will determine your worthiness. But we will teach you to be worthy of the king, and in the proper time you will be presented."
"Like a coming out party?"
He glanced at her quizzically. "What is this coming out?"
"Something we do in my time."
Tarik slammed his beer goblet on the table and stood kicking the pillows out of his way. "Your heart is addled. I was hoping the sleep would heal your senses. But now I will be forced to give you some of my medicines."
"For what?" She wouldn't take anything from him, especially some home-grown remedy. Who knew what could be in it? An ancient version of Spanish Fly, LSD, or worse?
"To cure your heart. You say you come from another time, but that cannot be."
"It is and I can prove it."
"How?"
"Take me to the tomb."
"You continue to ask, but you cannot go there. You are a thief and a liar. You cannot desecrate Pharaoh's holy place."
Now it was Alex's turn to slam the beer goblet on the table and kick the pillows away. "All right. Don't get your kilt in a wad. I'm not crazy. I know a lot about your world and what will happen to it. I know about all your special religious rites, where your kings are buried, and where your treasures are kept. I also know that your Pharaoh will fight with Lower Egypt and win."
"How do you know this, spy?" He stepped back.
Alex crossed over and stood facing him. "I just do--" She shoved his chest. "--and I'm no spy."
He grabbed her wrists and pulled them down next to her hips. "You will not touch me. It is disrespectful. I am your Lord and Master."
Alex struggled against his grasp. His nearness alarmed her in a way she hadn't counted on. Her heart fluttered against her rib-cage and she lost her breath. No. It wasn't fear of what he'd do, but something else.
She'd accomplished nothing by the direct approach. She needed to be subtle, more feminine, more alluring. But how? She'd spent her entire life eschewing the weakness of women, learning to do everything better than men and on most counts she'd accomplished her goal.
But here, now, wasn't the time or the place to practice equality. What she needed was some good old-fashioned feminine charm. She stopped struggling and pasted on a smile that, she hoped, was not just insipid.
Beneath his grip, Tarik felt her struggles cease. From the moment he'd touched her skin, the heat from her body radiated into him. Yet, he
would not be swayed by her beauty. What was she planning in that cunning heart of hers?
"Admit you are a spy."
Her blazing blue eyes gazed firmly into his for a long moment. Then her gaze dropped, shielded by the fall of her thick, silky lashes. For a moment, this woman appeared almost demure.
"Look, Lord Tarik, I'm no spy." She leaned close, so close the scent of exotic unguents and the dark Nile night enveloped him like a heady caress. Her voice softened. "Like you, in my country, I'm a physician and I'll teach you everything I know about the body." A soft smile crossed her full ripe lips. "And I'll tell you everything I know about Egypt. All I ask is that you keep an open mind and hear me out."
Had his idea of bringing her to court been a bad one? If she was a spy, he could never present her as a gift. He'd be forced to turn her over to the eyes and ears of Pharaoh, Lord Semet.
The words she said were so strange to his ears. Babbling on about the mind, and hearing her out? She certainly didn't speak like a visitor from the distant lands he knew. She must be from farther away. Of one thing he was certain, she wasn't from upper or lower Egypt.
He released his hold and she rubbed the spots where his hands had been. "I will not be hasty in presenting you to Pharaoh."
He moved nearer, until her breath mingled with his. "You will spend a fortnight with me and show me all your ways and secrets of your land."
Her gaze still locked with his, she smiled. "All right. I'll tell you everything. And if you're convinced I'm all right, then will you take me to the tomb?"
"I will make that decision after you have proved your worth. Do not ask me again."
He had no intention of taking her to Mentuhotep's tomb, not this month, not ever. Although she was comely, he would not be swayed by her charms. If she was a spy, he would have her executed on the spot. Even if she proved innocent, he would exercise extreme caution and disbelief when dealing with her.
Alex, eyes wide, stared at him in silence. What was she thinking? What would he do about her? Head down, arms behind his back, he paced the room, cursing the day he went for a walk at the tomb. The urge to keep her for himself was great and yet, already, word of his great find had traveled to Mentuhotep, his lord and pharaoh. He glanced at Alex and shook his head. Whatever happened, he feared now was the only time he would have to make sure the gift he was about to bestow was safe.
"Tarik?" The word was almost a whisper.
He swung around. In silence, she had watched his great debate with himself, the entire time.
"Will you take me to Giza?" A blush shaded her cheeks and brought out the Egyptian blue of her eyes.
"Giza?" His eyes widened in amazement. "Lower Egypt?" He threw back his head and laughed. "Whatever for?"
He strode over and bent down to her. "We have no friends there. They would murder our earthly ka and say their pharaoh, Khety, rules all of Egypt."
She smiled and softened her voice. "Oh, really? But I was there when I was a child. I wanted to see if everything was still the same."
He fisted his hands on his hips and shouted. "You are a Herakleopolian spy."
"No--I--I'm--not. A what?" She glared back at him and turned her back to him. "I--I only wanted to see the great pyramids."
His laughter filled the air. "As a child, you say? Hah! The great pyramids will never change. They are centuries old and will last until the end of time. But, still, I fear our enemies may destroy them."
She folded her hands in front of her chest and a single tear slipped down her cheek. "Please?"
His lips insinuated a cruel smile, and placing his hand on his dagger, he swaggered toward her. "I could kill you now. But you are pleasing to me."
She pursed her lips and smiled. A breathless whisper escaped her. "I am?"
"Against the judgement of my heart, I am agreeable to listen to your request." He frowned. "But what you ask is impossible. We cannot go there and be safe. I am not friend to their pharaoh."
"I was hoping...." She dropped her shoulders and turned her back to him.
A trip alone down the Nile with her was tempting, but a sense of foreboding nagged him. He was at a point where he desired to taste her delights. Days alone with her would be dangerous. Yet, it would give him time. Time to know if she was genuine. Time to make a decision of her worthiness. "I...do... have business in Thebes."
She whirled around. "Thebes? The Valley of the Kings?"
He watched her carefully. "The journey is long, several days by boat, and you have just begun to learn our ways--"
"--Nafari can go with. I'll learn on the way." She crossed her hands over her heart. "Please?"
"No. Nafari is old and the trip will prove too hard for her."
Alex pointed at him. "Then you do it."
He gave her a quizzical glance. "Me? Teach a woman the ways of the court?"
Alex took a deep breath and he heard her whisper of promises to come. "You can make sure I don't escape. You can even quiz me."
"What is this strange word, `quiz'?"
"To test...to interrogate...to learn what's in my head."
Tarik threw back his head and laughed. "I already know what is in your head. Nothing. There is nothing in your head but worthless jelly. It is what is in your heart, I must learn."
"Worthless jelly!" She stomped her foot and turned her back to him. "I'll show you worthless jelly--"
She covered her mouth with her hand as if to stop the flood of words. He squared his shoulders. It would not do to constantly wage war with her. Although she was wrong and seemed confused, it was of no consequence. He needed freedom to study her closely. To see if she was what she claimed, and to see if she continued to affect his loins. For the time being, he would show her the magnificence that was Egypt.
She turned back and smiled broadly. "All right, Tarik. You win. I'll bust my butt. Then will you take me?"
He paced, stopped, turned and stared at her for what seemed like an eternity. He strode to where she stood and placed both his hands on her shoulders. The heat from her nearness made him uneasy. How much would her request cost?
Slowly, he dipped his head and locked his gaze with hers. "When I am sufficiently pleased by your progress, I shall make this journey with you to Thebes."
Chapter Five
OVER THE COURSE of the next two weeks, time crawled. Yet, Alex kept her opinions to herself and was a model student. Finally, the day came to leave for Thebes.
Nafari entered the room, her arms laden with silks and linen, and placed them on the bed next to several neatly folded piles. "It is time. Here are more dresses Tarik wishes you to wear."
Alex frowned and pointed toward the door. "Take them away. I told you I won't wear anything see-through."
Nafari smiled and neatly folded and refolded each garment. "These are different, Mistress." She held one up. "These are of the lightest silk, yet you still cannot see what is beneath."
Alex took the dress and held it next to her skin. "It is soft...and the color--"
"--Finest Egyptian blue."
"--all right. You're the expert." She threw her hands up. "I'll take these." She pointed to the pile Nafari had just brought in. "And maybe this." She reached into another pile. "These aren't too offensive. If I didn't know he'd picked them out...."
Nafari glanced at her. "None of these garments should bring you offense. Master did not gather these cloths for you. It is not his place. I did. If you are displeased, I will--"
"No." Alex laid her hand on Nafari's arm. "I'm sorry. After everything you've done for me, shown me, taught me. I was thoughtless. These are beautiful dresses." She held the blue one against her. "Every one of them. I just thought--because they were so--sheer--that Tarik had chosen them so he could see--er--me."
"These cloths are traditional for ladies in the court of Pharaoh." She nodded her head. "And, yes, we all want to see you." She smiled. "Despite your strangeness, you are very pleasant to gaze upon. And you have spent much time learning what I had to teach." She waved
her hand across the bed. "You have worked hard to earn the journey and these garments."
"I am excited. A boat trip down the Nile." Alex gazed dreamily up at the windows and thought of the magical courtyard just beyond. Tarik had said things wouldn't change. But she knew differently. Oh, how they'd changed in four thousand years. What would Thebes look like all fresh and new? Regardless of her fate in this strange time, she'd see as much as she could before she figured out a way to return.
Return where?
"Aside from Tarik, you and Seta have treated me with such kindness and respect." She lowered her voice. "It's almost as if I was your friend and not a captive."
Nafari reached out and cupped Alex's chin. Her wrinkled hand shook slightly. "You are a friend."
"But I don't want to go to Pharaoh's court." She threw her hands up.
Nafari shook her head, clucked, and quietly went about her business sorting the clothes. During the last two weeks, Nafari had been both stern and caring. She was a masterful teacher, allowing her student to learn through examples, yet always remaining on task. She had shown Alex court etiquette, the hierarchy of the Egyptian caste system, and everything down to baking bread. In just a short time she'd come to understand the diversity of this ancient culture. Two weeks with Nafari were better than two years of archeology in Cairo. But she needed freedom to move around. To see if all the scientific speculation about Egypt was true. To see if it really looked like everyone thought. She'd see for herself, and then find a way to get back. She'd tell her father everything and he'd be a star among the very same archeologists who'd mocked him.
Nafari was kind and generous and had also attempted to teach her the art of patience. So far, she'd been unsuccessful. Alex waited for her stern look of admonishment.
Instead of countering Alex's remark, Nafari filled a goblet with wine and offered it to her. "It is a great honor. Not only for Tarik to present you as his gift, but for you to be presented."
"I know...." She reached for the goblet. "I know--it's just that--"
"Your Lord and Master awaits you, slave." Alex turned and faced Akiki, who frowned. "You are not ready? Lord Tarik said to fetch you." He glanced around the room. "Where is Seta?"
