The jet touched the tarmac as gently as if it were a butterfly and not several tons of steel. But the slight motion still jarred me from my reverie, and Khepri pulled the hood of the burqa back over her light blond hair. The chadri was not comfortable at all, it being the most concealing burqa, but her father had insisted that she disguise herself as much as possible. The jet itself was also a disguise: A friend of the Maatkare had loaned it to them, and if anyone had been poking around and looking for information, they would only see that one of the Ahmed family of Saudi Arabia had flown to Tokyo. No one would know that Khepri, daughter of the Maatkare and keeper of the book, was aboard. Not the Kamenwati, and not Kaiba Corp.
"I am half a world away," Khepri murmured, peering eagerly through the veil over her eyes and out the window. Egypt seemed so far away at the moment, the rolling sands of the desert lost in her mind. Instead, she saw the brilliant lights of Tokyo past the terminal, glinting against the dark of the sky. And where were the stars? She could see nothing beyond the glow of the city. Even the moon was dull by comparison.
"Miss Khepri?" Khepri turned to see Awan, her father's butler of sorts. He was less of a servant and more of a family friend, simply because of his devotion to the family over the years. Her father had sent him ahead to ready their townhome in Domino, then meet her at the airport.
"Kaede, now," she reminded him gently. "Father insisted I change my name, for safety."
Awan nodded. Khepri noted just how shiny his bald head was. "Shall we deplane now? Your bags are being transferred to the car as we speak."
Khepri nodded. "Yes, and thank you, Awan." On impulse, she stood and hugged the older man, who had devoted his life to her family. How could his loyalty ever be repaid?
He patted her head through the burqa, and then released her. "Come now, let's get you to Domino."
Domino. Her father's hometown, her new home.
"Yes," Khepri said, straightening the burqa. "I'd like to go home."