Note to Readers: This story is being written because of a suggestion made by TipsyLady who reviewed my first story: Silver Goddess. Thanks be to her :-). Now, without further ado...

Chapter One: Blood and Tears

She could feel the blood seeping out of her body, drop by crimson drop, onto the stones below and yet she did not move. Her body was broken but that was the least of her worries at present. As long as they preserved her properly and her name remained somewhere, the gods would find her. No, the sharp pains that seared through her chest were not as bothersome as the sight of her beloved's horrified and grief-sticken face staring down at her over the balcony. The same balcony she had thrown herself from after seeing her sister's husband and a concubine kill her father.

"Cursed whore" she thought, at the memory of her father's mistress Ankh-Su-Namun. She had always distrusted the woman but, before now, it had stemmed mainly from her late sister's warning that the woman was not, in fact, related to Amun in any capacity. "Keep your distance from her, Nefertiri. Her Ka is shadowed and, though I know not which god or goddess she serves, she is not of Amun in any way. Nor does she follow Isis" the eldest princess had said at dinner, on the fateful day that they had first met their father's newest concubine.

But Selkenauset had likely not taken into account the possibility that their father would ever be betrothed to the woman and that Nefertiri would, therefore, have to endure her continued presence in the palace.

Selkenauset. Even as she was dying herself, the mere name of her deceased sister still brought tears to her eyes and she wondered if she would see her in the underworld. "Of course" a voice inside her head told her "she was a true chosen, blessed by the goddess herself, and she died an honourable death, giving her life energy so that her daughter would live". Nefertiri winced and shuddered. The baby had been born with her mother's jewel-like eyes and piercing stare but had only lived for three years before dying of illness.

At least, they had thought it was illness. Nefertiri still suspected that Ankh-Su-Namun had not been nearly as uninvolved as everyone else seemed to think. The concubine had hated her sister with a passion. Not only for being the most beautiful woman in the palace but for being married to the man that more than half of the Pharaoh's concubines wished to even just be near.

"The murderer will receive her just dues in the Judgment Hall" she reassured herself then managed to turn her bruised and bleeding head just enough to see the face of her Med-Jai warrior as he fell to his knees next to her with a strangled cry.

"My love" she breathed as she felt his fingertips brush her cheeks and his tears began to wet her hair "I cannot stay much longer. My mother and sister await me. Please, live well and, gods be willing, we shall see each other again in the afterlife".

He could do naught but nod and she knew, from the look in his eyes, that he would obey. He had been devoted to her since she had first become a woman; though, for many years, he had been one of her sister's most trusted bodyguards. That was how they had met and, for a few precious years, lived without being discovered.

There was so much she wanted to tell him but not nearly enough time. Her breathing was becoming shallow and the cold winds of the judgment halls pulled mercilessly at her limbs. But she could not tell him about her diary or else everything would be in vain. Her sister's position in the temple had guaranteed her a swift and secret burial and even Imhotep had not known her secret. But Nefertiri had been one of perhaps three who had known and only the gods knew who would inherit her diary and all of that private information after her beloved died. So she could not give it to him. All she could do was tell him she loved him.

But her lips would not obey her mind's command to speak and, as she faded, a tear slid down her cheek. All of the emotions that raged through her heart manifested in that single drop then he faded from view and suddenly, on the wings of the smallest of breezes, she was gone.

Evelyn woke with a start, her hand flying to her chest, and she gasped for breath as daylight brightened her vision, chasing lingering traces of the dream from her mind. "Honey? Are you alright?" Rick's groggy voice nearby informed her that she was not the only one who had wakened suddenly and she turned to him.

"Yes, it was just a dream" she answered, seeing his brow furrowed with concern. But she knew better. She'd not had such vivid dreams since they had left Egypt after the wedding of Farsiris and Ardeth. However, the look in his eyes made her think better of telling him this and she tried to smile but Rick only raised an eyebrow, "then why are you crying?" he asked. Evelyn's eyes widened and she raised her hand to her face to feel a drop of water on her right cheek.

A single tear.

Everything in the dream came back to her in a rush of colours and sensations, none of them terribly pleasant but all full of meaning. She had to go back to Egypt.

She shook her head and her bottom lip trembled "I – I don't know. I had a dream about us...but not in the present. I was dying and you were there and there was a diary that I meant to tell you about but I couldn't because of my sister.."

Evelyn didn't have a sister.

"Selkenauset"

"Yes"

Rick groaned inwardly and cursed his incessant need to ask stupid questions. By now, he should have known that whenever Evelyn woke from dreams, they usually involved her past life. They also always involved Egypt in some way and usually occurred just when he thought that, finally, everything was getting back to normal. Even Jonathan could have bet on the chances of this happening and won.

As could be expected, this was not encouraging to Rick, whose idea of the perfect vacation did not include getting sand in his trousers, running from man-eating bugs, swimming in crocodile-infested rivers, and riding through the searing heat of the Sahara on an animal that could spit twenty yards from any given point and had an intense dislike of bathing.

His beloved Evy, on the other hand, seemed more at home in ancient tombs than in their comfortable mansion in London and so he hauled himself upright, ignoring his aching muscles, then wiped the sleep away from his eyes. He then contemplated the open suitcase that was staring expectantly at him from its temporary resting place in the closet and heaved a sigh of resignation. Only for her would he even think about going there again. But then again, he had done some pretty unbelievable things for her so far.

I would give anything to see her safe and happy, for she is dearer to me than my own life he thought then immediately became confused.

Where had that come from?

Deciding against contemplating it any further, he turned to his solemn wife "when do we leave?"

Her mouth almost dropped open and she gaped at him "what – how did you...?" she sputtered and he made a face "honey, every time you dream about your past life, a trip to you-know-where is always the end result. When do we leave?"

"We have to write a letter to Alex's teachers, get someone to come and water the plants, feed the cat, and check on the house from time to time, notify Ardeth and Farsiris..." she got out of bed, gesturing about with her hands as she rattled off the things that had to be done and Rick felt the dull ache behind his eyes that usually heralded the arrival of a migraine of epic proportions.

"Evy"

"Yes?"

"Again. When do we leave?"

She pursed her lips in an expression that was oddly endearing to him and thought for a moment then nodded once, more to herself than to him "two weeks sounds about right".

"Alright then"