Shadows of the Nile

by Jo Franklin

  Aline was glad to see her go. Everything she’d said was threatening and true. Both she and Thoth were vulnerable to any evil influences Nephthys might have retained. But she meanwhile had nothing.

  She turned and gave a little cry. For behind her was an enormous cobra. ‘Watch your back.’ Nephthys’s last words had been mocking her. She must have seen the snake before she left and assumed Aline no longer had any power.

  She dared not move. The snake was very close, its head poised, its eyes unfriendly. ‘Oh no,’ she thought. ‘Am I about to lose everything I have just fought for?’ The snake couldn’t have come from Nephthys. She didn’t have the power.

  Aline held out her hand. “I am the servant of your great Goddess,” she said gently. “She would not want me dead. You must not attack me.”

  The snake looked about to strike. Then it slid backwards slightly. Aline started to walk towards it. She took a step. It hissed at her. She still held out her left hand. She could feel her heart pounding. She was apprehensive. But there was something she had to do. Very slowly she knelt in front of the snake. It still held her gaze, and then it opened its mouth. Aline took a breath. This was it. But it did nothing. From under it something rolled towards her. It glistened in the sunlight. It was her ring!

  “Thank you,” she breathed; she put it back onto her middle finger. She held her hands together and bowed her head. It had been given once more to protect her. As she got to her feet the big snake slid away.

  *

  “You were quick,” Jan said on her return to the cafe. “I’ve only just finished my coffee. If it’s okay with you I think perhaps we should go back.” She took Aline’s hand. “Oh, you’ve got your pretty ring on. I didn’t notice it earlier, but then I’m not very observant. I do like it. I must try and get one like it when I get home. Do you think someone might give me one – like a handsome hunky fella? Well you never know, do you? Come on, darling. Let’s go home.”

  She put her arm round Aline’s waist and held her close as they walked very slowly back to the cruise ship.

  *

  It was the very last evening in Egypt. Aline had packed her cases in readiness for the early start the next morning. She dressed in something special for dinner and went to wait for Edward near reception. As soon as she saw him she ran to him.

  “I never want to let you out of my sight after this moment,” he said, holding her tightly. “After your assignment is finished, will you transfer to a post within the company over here? I can arrange it easily, of course. I need to be with you all the time and keep you close.”

  “Oh, my darling,” she responded with a passionate kiss. “I love you so, so much. I never want to be away from you. I will come back as quickly as possible and stay here with you.”

  He held her at arm’s length. “You’re very beautiful. What a sexy dress! It’s like one of the long white shifts from thousands of years ago. It hides everything, and yet everyone can guess at the exquisite body concealed beneath it.” He fingered the gold necklace which was tied at the back of her neck. “This, you know, looks like one of the necklaces I would have given you as Thoth, and yet it can’t be, can it? The precious stones look real and yet they can’t be, I presume. Where did it come from?”

  She gave him a mysterious smile. “The dress, like the shawl, was given to me by you when I first arrived – although you thought it was a dream.” Edward looked shocked. “Yes, my darling, it was real. On the other hand the necklace has always been with me, from the moment I was born. It was found beside me in my carrycot, and of course my dear parents kept it for me. No one knows where it came from and I’ve never worn it until now. The necklace is said to be worth a lot of money, but I’d never part with it, and I think – like the ring – no one could ever take it from me.”

  Edward looked thoughtful. “Strange. Both echoes from another time, maybe.”

  He suddenly noticed the ring.

  “You’ve got the snake ring!”

  “Yes. It was returned to me.”

  “When? Why?”

  “It was brought to me by a snake in one of the temples earlier today. It’s a protection against any evil which is left. Once again it’s secured to my finger. I think it will be there forever.” She stroked his face. “I’m still the servant of the Snake Goddess and destined to be with you. She protects me and through her I’ll always protect you and yours.”

  Edward smiled and took her hand.

  They met Jan coming down to find them.

  “What a gorgeous couple you make,” she murmured. “And look at you, Aline; I’ve never seen you glow so much. How beautiful you are! Like an Egyptian Princess. Wrong colour of course! Oh, and look at this absolutely handsome man you’ve found,” she went on. “I love to see dusky men in open-neck white shirts. They look so sexy.”

  Edward took her hand and bowed. “You’re a very charming lady,” he murmured.

  Jan giggled. “If only I was a few years younger,” she said, and winked at him.

  Achmed appeared, and introduced himself, smiling. “I’m very pleased to meet you. They tell me you’re a successful businessman. I think you will make it to the top. I will enjoy talking to you.”

  “He could certainly give me advice,” Jan laughed.

  Having heard the chatter, Gerald and Cheng came out of the dining room. Cheng smiled, and gave a little bow, holding his hands together in a prayerful way. Gerald stood quietly in a very solemn way and looked as if she was about to bob a curtsy. She backed off shyly.

  Not so Peter.

  “Well I’ve always told young Aline she’d get herself the top man,” he boomed. “She always knew exactly who she wanted. She’s one in a million, I can tell you, but I think you know that, young Edward. You’re worthy of her and you’ll have a great life together. Maybe not quiet. Full of passion, but it’ll all be fun.” He put his arms round him and gave him a great big bear hug, which was accepted with grace and humour. “Now come on everyone, let’s go and sit together and eat just one more time. Edward can tell us all about himself and Aline can say whether or not she’s finished her work. And of course, Aline, you must now write a romantic novel.”

  She smiled. “I’m a very practical person, Peter. I’m not certain if I’m good at romance.”

  Peter gave a deep sigh and spread his arms out in a gesture of mock despair.

  “My dear Aline.” Everyone laughed.

  Aline sat very close to Edward. Every so often she could feel his hand on her knee. She noticed how relaxed he was with everyone. Peter asked him many questions about his business which Edward deftly answered, and he in his turn fired questions back at him. Jan continued to flirt madly with him.

  Aline got up just before coffee, excusing herself. Gerald jumped up and followed her.

  “Aline, I do so like Edward. You two seem so suited, as if you’ve always been together. I’m glad we’re sitting together on the journey home. We can talk about our holiday, and you know I do look forward to reading your travel articles. Will you illustrate them? Do some nice drawings?”

  “Maybe,” Aline answered softly. “And it won’t be the last time we see each other. We will meet again, you know.”

  Gerald gave her the most beautiful smile. “I’m sure we will,” she murmured.

  As Aline left the room she glanced back. Edward looked as if he was holding court. Everyone was hanging on his every word. Even Peter was quiet, as he puffed away on one of his favourite cigars. The scene gave her great contentment.

  *

  She climbed the stairs to the top deck. It was very quiet, with only a gentle breeze, which played softly with her hair. The sky was full of stars. The moon gave out a peaceful white glow over the Nile. In the distance she could make out the Valley of the Kings. It was tranquil; the shadows from the past were now gone. Thanks to Anubis and the Snake Goddess they had moved on.

  She hoped Nephthys had lost her evil powers; but if she hadn’t she’d fight her once again, using the powerful snake ring.
She wished she still had her beautiful shawl, decorated with the snakes, but it was buried deep in the sands. Or was it? Her ring had been returned to her. Was it possible if she searched hard enough she might once again find her shawl?

  Thoth was safe; nothing could touch him. Their children would be protected by her powers as a servant of the Snake Goddess and as the daughter of the High Priestess of the Stones.

  She heard a step on the stairs. She turned. Her ring was loose on her finger. There was no threat.

  “Aline, what are you doing up here?”

  It was Edward.

  “Looking at the stars and waiting for you to come to me.”

  “Aline, you say you’re not a romantic, but I think you are. Oh, my darling, we are together now and always can be.” He put his arms round her. “See how distant the tombs are. We are finished with them and all the hurt against us. Those events are thousands of years ago, and tomorrow we’ll start our new life.”

  “Edward,” she said gently. “You must know how fond I am of this country. It’s where I was born. My mother brought me here to do the will of the great Goddess. I love the temples and the tombs and the Nile, which continually changes with the elements. There’s always something special in the wind which I can’t find in any other country; maybe it’s because the land goes back to the beginning of time. We can read of things which happened thousands of years ago; where else can you do that? And of course we lived here when the earth was so much younger.”

  “My darling Aline, you are such a passionate woman and that’s why I love you. Remember I was born here too, and I agree with you about the history. But also we have so much in the present and future to think about. We have to move on. Now give me your hand, turn away for now from what’s gone before, and come with me.”

  She put her hand in his. He was her life.

  “I do love you so very much.”

  “You mean everything to me, Aline, and thanks to the powers that helped us we can now live as ordinary people in an ordinary world.”

  As she followed him her ring lit up momentarily in the moonlight, sending her a message.

  They might be two people very much in love, but they were no ordinary people, and never could be. The ring was a reminder of their destiny.

  About the Author

  Jo Franklin is the author of many successfully published short stories both here in the UK and in the USA in women’s magazines and short story books.

  She has won prizes for short stories through the prestigious David St John Thomas competitions. Also by Jo Franklin, Jo’s Tales, a book of short stories. Shadows of the Nile is her first novel to be published with Matador. She has a second novel Cytherea’s Island which she hopes to publish with Matador next year. She is a full member of the Society of Authors, and lives in Berkshire.

  www.JoFranklin.com