Song of Isis

by Diana Kirk

  "Do not anger her," she whispered as if needing to give one last reminder.

  Alex sighed heavily. "You might as well tell me not to breathe."

  DARKNESS BLANKETED the dunes in a carpet of silence. Mentuhotep's armies, driven by the force of their victory against the Herakleopolis and from their Pharaoh's welcome joining, had reached Abydos just as Ra was about to be reborn. Pharaoh was emphatic about seeing Merikare pay for his insolence and for the grave insult he had dealt Tarik in stealing his wife. Tarik's thoughts were entirely different. But first, he would see his wife safe. Then, he would seek his revenge.

  Within a night's journey the armies hovered just below a dune near Tarik's home.

  "It is time. We will kill that son of a cobra and take back your woman," Mentuhotep said.

  "Yea, Lord Pharaoh, but if it pleases you, I would do this alone," Tarik replied. "I mean no disrespect, but if my wife is still...still alive, I wish to repay Marikare, myself."

  "He will pay," Kensu said, checking his dagger's harness against the edge of his thumb. "With his blood."

  Mentuhotep's eyes narrowed. "There is the matter of Tem. She also must pay for her treason." A victorious smile crossed his face. "For now, I will grant you this request, my friend. But at the first sign of battle, we will join you."

  Tarik nodded and Mentuhotep waived his hand. A servant rushed forward, arms laden with food enough for a feast. "Kensu, since we can do naught but wait for our Lord Tarik to return, let us sup together."

  RESPLENDENT IN a spun gold and linen dress, Tem lounged against the bier. Upon her head a golden disc bearing the image of Isis reflected the lamplight. As Alex entered the room, Tem smiled a cold, hard smile that didn't reach her heavily kohled eyes.

  "Ah, it is the mistress of the house, Lady Alex. Welcome back to your humble home."

  Alex bowed slightly and managed a tight smile in return. She wasn't in any mood for games.

  "Come closer, wife of Tarik. There is something I wish to show you."

  "Oh?" Alex arched a brow. What did the vicious bitch have on her mind now?

  "I--ah--was searching for a linen wrap and happened upon this odd piece of papyrus in one of your husband's chests."

  "My husband's chest?" An angry burn heated her cheeks. "You found what?"

  Tem produced a scroll from beneath her bed of cushions and held it up for Alex to see. "It tells of travels from many different worlds, of a great healer who sings the songs of Isis. Do you not know this?" She smiled coquettishly. "Is this not the same my servants say you have searched for all these many months?"

  A cold, hard fist of fear knotted in her abdomen.

  Tem unrolled the papyrus, held it up to the light, and slanted her gaze at Alex. "Yes, I do believe it is the one you seek."

  What the hell was going on? After all this time. It couldn't possibly be the scroll from the tomb. Not in Tarik's room. A cold realization chilled her blood. He'd helped her search, brought her sample after sample. Alex thought of the morning Tarik brought the armload of scrolls to her, all bearing the same words to the song of Isis. None of them were the scroll. It wasn't the fact that they were new or old, it was the magic that was missing. Anticipation quivered in her stomach. Now she could go home. This was it. Her ticket home. Had he had it all along? And if he did, why didn't he tell her? Why had he let her go on believing it was lost?

  "I don't know. Let me see it."

  Alex stepped forward hand outstretched, but Tem snatched the papyrus away.

  Her gaze met Alex's. She wet her lips and sang out in dulcet tones the familiar song. "Paif I merti, maa utat em."

  The words were identical. It was the papyrus that was different. Strangely new. No, this couldn't be the same brittle relic that brought her here. Again Alex reached out to touch the parchment. This time, Tem allowed it.

  From the moment Alex's hand drew near, an odd vibration welled up within her, a hot thrumming from somewhere deep inside that wound itself around her soul and lifted her outside of herself, though physically she hadn't moved so much as an inch. The scroll had a life of its own--this paper. Just like before. Oa ma, henk ab er nek sah an qem xerefu, akeru apt renpet er tetta.

  Abruptly the answer hit her: this was her scroll! Only here and now it was as fresh and as new as the day the scribe dipped his brush in the ink. Alex stepped back and its effects slowly faded. "Okay, you've got my attention. Where'd you get this?"

  An evil smile lit Tem's face. She stood and swept across the room. With some effort, she lifted the lid of a heavy bronze chest and placed the scroll inside. "As you can see, this is Tarik's greatest treasure."

  He'd kept this from her. Betrayed her. Used her. Tears welled up and filled her eyes, blurring her vision. She had to get out of here, fast. She'd never let this woman see her cry.

  "You don't know anything about my husband!" Alex stepped toward the door.

  "You forget, Lady Wife, that I have spent much time here before you."

  "Yeah, I'll just bet you have." Anger sparked from deep inside.

  "I meant you no harm, offering this to you," Tem's voice mimicked concern.

  Alex stopped in the doorway. "If you meant no harm, then why did you betray me to Merikare?"

  Tem's eyes darkened. "You are not of this world. Yet, there are those who would believe that you hold certain powers. You are a great prize to the Herakleopolis and they paid greatly for your capture."

  New resolve straightened her spine. She'd deal with Tarik's betrayal when and if they were ever reunited. Somehow, she had to get her hands on that scroll.

  "WHAT HAS SHE done to you, my friend Alex?"

  Alex entered her room lost in thought and the magnitude of her discovery. She didn't know how exactly, but with just a little effort, she could really go home. Not just home, but to her place--her own time, away from psycho princes and evil, wicked queens. Away from Tarik.

  "What?" Her gaze cleared and she focused on Seta. "Oh, nothing, I'm just tired, that's all." Alex removed her jewels and sat on the bed.

  "Alex, I--there is--he is--"

  "Not now, Seta. I need to think--I mean rest." Alex leaned back against the coverings, shading her eyes with her arm. A mixture of excitement and dread flowed through her veins. She'd wanted to find a link back to the future for so long, and now when she finally had the key to it all, she wasn't sure returning home was what she really wanted. Modern medicine, electricity, hot showers-yes. But these were empty comforts compared to a life without Tarik.

  Tarik's chiseled face appeared in her thoughts. Mentally, she caressed the ragged features, shaped the hard planes of his chest. She knew every dip and hollow of his body, every sculpted contour; knew the taste, the feel, the scent of his body. How could she leave him? She loved him beyond all comprehension. Okay, so he'd had the scroll all along, had deceived her, had hidden that stupid piece of paper and kept it from her. But his actions proved his love. If he had kept the scroll a secret, he must've had good reason. Besides, it only proved one thing. His love was so great he'd do anything to keep her here with him. Didn't she love him too? Enough to stay here, in his time, on his terms?

  Yes!

  Could she sacrifice never seeing her father, again? Could she bear the sacrifice of a life alone without Tarik? How could she choose between the two people she loved most on this earth? Two people who were separated by thousands of years?

  For herself, it really didn't matter if she saw the twentieth century again. Nothing more than a cold, sterile world of medicine waited for her in the future. A future without love or a family of her own. A future where even her medical colleagues thought her silly and incompetent. How long had it been since she'd looked at the mummy's x-rays and blurted out her CPR theory? Her breath caught in her chest. The x-rays. Was it Tarik's remains enshrouded in those linen strips? How could she go back? How could she go and never know what had happened, never know what he'd become, or what they could have become together? She didn't want to live in a world without Tarik.r />
  Tears slipped unbidden down her cheeks. It was simple. She couldn't leave him. Not now! Not ever!

  "A--Alex--" Seta called out. A rustle of agitated movement caught her attention and in the next second the door banged open.

  "What is it now, Seta?"

  "Is this how you greet your captor?" Merikare's deep, angry voice surrounded her and a new sense of foreboding gripped her soul. She scrambled up against the headboard, her gaze darting around the room, searching for an escape route.

  "Alex?" He reached out and pulled her to him. His fingers bit into her shoulders. He jerked her to her feet and slapped her back onto the bed.

  The shock of the blow stunned her into immobility. Tears of pain filled her eyes. She shook her head to clear the bright, hot stars from her vision. He loomed over her as dark and sinister as Anubis, himself.

  TARIK MOTIONED for Kensu to join him at the base of the dune. "Merikare's guard is many. Do you propose we storm them?"

  "Nay, Kensu, this is my dwelling. I know of many ways to enter undetected. Come with me."

  Tarik, Kensu, and a handful of selected men crept along the base of a marbled hallway that led deep into the base of the dune and ended in front of a large, golden door. "Here, friend. We will enter my home."

  "What is this place?" Kensu asked smiling. "Was this built for your forays as a child into the desert?"

  "My family has long lived between two kingdoms and we have protected our loved ones with a ready means of escape." Tarik slapped his friend on the back. "Now, it provides a means of entrance. Follow me."

  The men hurried along the dark corridor until they reached the bathing rooms. "This one leads to my quarters."

  He put his fingers to his lips and motioned for the others to follow. With quick, silent treads, they climbed the stairs and subdued the guards stationed in the hallway.

  "You and the others go on to Nafari's quarters," he whispered to Kensu. "I will find Alex."

  He slunk quietly down the hall until a woman's cries reached his ears. Not just any woman. The woman he loved! He burst through the door. For a moment, shock rooted him to the floor.

  Alex lay on the bed crushed beneath Merikare's sweating body. She thrashed and twisted, pulled her hand free and struck a glancing blow to Merikare's temple. It was then Tarik realized her cries were not of fear but of anger. The blow caught Merikare off guard, affording Alex the opening she needed to bring her knee up into his groin. A sharp yelp erupted from his throat, and he clutched himself, his face red with rage. Alex started to roll away but the prince wound his fist around a handful of her hair, jerking her back down beside him. She jabbed upward with her fist, connecting with his jaw. His fist sprang open and Alex leapt to her feet then kicked outward, knocking Merikare back against the bed. Never had Tarik seen a woman fight so. Pride welled up inside him. She was so small, so delicate, and yet she threw the mighty Merikare around like so much chaff in the wind.

  "You will be mine, woman," Merikare ground out. "And your husband will view my conquest of your body, or you will die before this night is finished." His hand shot out and seized Alex's arm, once again. Tarik unsheathed his dagger and stepped out of the shadows.

  "I think she will not. Let her go, desert scorpion or the only death we shall see this night will be yours."

  Recovered from his earlier rough treatment, Merikare swung off the bed, pulling Alex before him in a single swift movement. The gleam of Merikare's blade against Alex's pale throat stilled him.

  "That is where you are wrong, my old enemy. Drop it or the woman dies now." The honed edge pressed infinitesimally harder, nicking Alex's flesh. A pearl of dark blood slid down the deadly blade. Tarik tossed his own weapon to the floor. The taut hold on the knife relaxed but did not withdraw. Merikare's gaze met Tarik's and he smiled venomously.

  "Ah, Lord Tarik, you will enjoy the performance I have planned for you. She is a lively one, your wife. She brings you much pleasure, I think, as she will me. Her struggle will make my delight all the sweeter."

  Huge and blue, Alex's gaze met Tarik's. "Don't listen to him. You've got to get out of here. I can take care of myself. Just, please--"

  Merikare jerked back on a handful of Alex's hair, stilling her words. Tarik took a step forward but stopped short seeing the man's weapon move menacingly against his wife's wind pipe.

  Merikare laughed.

  "She has the soul of a viper, this one. Too bad for you both she has not the bite."

  The razor's edge moved slowly down the slender column of Alex's neck then back up again. Down, then up. A toying, deadly caress. Alex swallowed hard, the muscles convulsing. Tarik fought the impulse to storm across the room and plunge that dagger into Merikare's black heart, but he dared not move. He had no doubt the man would take ruthless pleasure in slitting Alex's throat.

  "I could snap your neck like a dry twig," Merikare said in Alex's ear, his voice pitched low in a silky tone. "But that would deprive me of my greatest desire--to have you writhing under me while your husband--"

  Alex rammed her elbow deep into Merikare's midsection driving the air from his lungs. In one fluid motion she stepped back and stomped on Merikare's toes, then grabbed the arm with the knife, bent, and flipped him over her shoulder like a sack of grain. He landed in an untidy heap in the middle of the stone floor, completely stunned.

  Or, not completely. He was on his feet in an instant making another lunge for Alex. That was it. Tarik had all he could take of this coward's ploys.

  Merikare scrambled to his feet and slapped her, hard. This time, she crumpled to the floor. Tarik ran forward, shoving the man away from her and knocked him against the wall.

  "Alex, flee!" He leapt onto Merikare and plowed his fist beneath his jaw. Merikare shook off the blow and reached for a small statue of Isis, bringing it down hard across Tarik's temple. For a moment, stars filled his vision and he wondered if the woman lying on the floor was, indeed, his wife.

  TARIK STIRRED, rubbed his forehead, and slowly opened his eyes. He was dusty and worn, bruised and battered, but he was the most glorious sight Alex had ever seen.

  Worried lines creased his brow and he reached up to caress her swollen jaw. "My beloved." His thumb stroked her cheek. "Did he...? Has he...?"

  She covered the hand nesting against her face with her own. "I'm fine. He didn't...he didn't touch me."

  He rubbed his eyes as if to wipe away the moisture that blurred his gaze. "You are Isis, come to take me away. But, I shall not leave my Alex, my love, my wife."

  She pillowed his head in her lap. "I'm here, darling. Right here."

  Tarik closed his eyes as if to clear his vision and opened them. He struggled to a sitting position. His gaze sharpened. In a moment she was in his arms. He pressed kisses to her lips, her cheeks, her ears, her neck in rapid succession. "My love, you are not harmed?"

  "No, I'm fine. I'm fine. It's you I'm worried about."

  He dismissed her concern with a wave of his hand. "My head still sits upon my shoulders, though it feels like it has been spitted on a pike. I'm well enough. What of that jackal, Merikare?"

  "Gone," she answered matter-of-factly. "Both he and Tem must have high-tailed it out of here when the soldiers arrived."

  A puzzled frown creased Tarik's brow.

  "Mentuhotep," she said in answer. "His men are all over the place. Merikare and the Queen must've gone to the tomb."

  "The scroll!" Tarik shouted and struggled to his feet. "I must get the scroll."

  He lowered his gaze unable to look at her. "I have had it all along. I found it in the tomb after you had searched for it."

  Alex stood next to him and wrapped her arms around his waist and breathed in the scent of him. "I know," she said softly.

  He buried his face in her neck. "I have dishonored you. Hiding the scroll from you was against my teachings and my oath of honor. But it was to keep you by my side, if for just a moment longer."

  Her heart labored against her ribs and need took control of her
senses. She turned her face to him and answered with kisses. "Tarik, I--I've missed you so."

  "I did not mean to deceive you. I only wanted to--."

  "It doesn't matter."

  "Tem and Merikare will say the words and go to your world. This cannot be, for they will slaughter all who stand in their pathway."

  "Father!" Alex shivered at the thought of Merikare's wrath turned against her kindly parent. "We've got to get to that tomb and stop them." Her body shook and Tarik hugged her tighter. "Before they figure out how the scroll works."

  She gazed up at him and shrugged. "Hell, I don't even know how it works for sure. Maybe that'll buy us some time." She clung to him and he to her as if they only had a few minutes left before eternity would separate them forever. She'd felt the thrumming of the scroll beneath her touch and knew its power. What if this whole thing backfired and she and Tarik ended up separated? Forever!

  Chapter Nineteen

  "LET ME GO, you filthy son of a jackal trader." Tem dug her toes into the sand and wrenched her arm from Merikare's grasp. "I am not a common thief stealing off into the night."

  He moved behind her and pushed. "We must hurry woman. It is now not just my life that will be spent if Mentuhotep's armies reach us. It will be yours."

  She stared in shock and placed her hands on her hips. "Did you not kill Alex? And what of Lord Tarik?"

  "You saw Mentuhotep's men coming to the entrance of the house as we left, did you not?" Tired of her queenly antics, he pulled her to him roughly. "Do not play the innocent virgin. You know as well as I their lives were spared. Hence, you professed to show me this wondrous scroll you have found. To do so unfettered requires haste," he sneered, "my queen. I am anxious to see this magical escape you have proposed."

  "It is no jest, Merikare. Alex wanted this too much for it to be a trick." She smiled. "We are a strange pair, you and I. Sometime ago, I would not dream of pairing with a rogue pharaoh such as you. But here we are, with our common needs, forcing us to rush unbidden into a strange unknown."