Disclaimer: Night at the Museum still not mine.

Thank you to everyone who has followed, favourite and reviewed so far. I know I usually say more at this point but it's 4:00 am and a want this posted so I'll probably add it in later. Anyway, please review and I hope you like this one (more action in this, I promise)

Chapter 9: One Awake. One Arrested.

Ahkmenrah took in a heavy gulp of air as he woke up. The smells of fruit and dried meat made him momentarily confused as to where he was. He'd been moving so much lately that he feared waking up in a different place each evening would become a common occurrence. And then he remembered what had happened the previous night. The obelisk, the shrine…. his city. They were in Kheso. The young king had to give a slight smile to that. He sat up straight and looked about him. Everything was dark as he hadn't come down with a source of light, but he knew he was still in the cellar. Feeling the ground by where his head had been, Ahk found the rucksack with the tablet in. At least Hundra appeared to have not found him down here. Carefully, he stashed the bag between, what felt like, two crates, and then he pulled himself up to his feet shakily. The Pharaoh stretched upward, loosening the stiffness from his bones, and yawned. He halted, freezing in his stretching position. Had he just yawned? Yes, he had, he reflected, dropping his arms to his sides. Additionally, he felt a slight drowsiness effecting his eyes and suddenly found himself stifling another yawn. That was weird. He shouldn't be tired this early in the evening as the tablet's regenerative powers normally rejuvenated him come sunset. He'd just spent an entire day dead so what did he have to be tired about? Rubbing his eyes sleepily, bemused at this occurrence, he carefully made his way to the steps in the dark. Bracing his palms against the trapdoor, Ahkmenrah steadily shoved it open, only to stumble back in surprise as orange light flooded through the opening. The trapdoor slammed shut, blocking out the sudden light.

That…that couldn't be…

Something inside his belly tingled and he felt his breathing quicken.

"It couldn't be…" he whispered to the dark. Then he opened the door once again.

The light met his eyes and, through the high windows, Ahk saw the light of dawn seep in.

"Sunlight…" he breathed, propping the trapdoor against the wall behind him absently. His lips twitched into a cautious smile. "It's the sun..."

His breath caught and he stumbled backwards a step, but he kept smiling. A sudden chuckle escaped his throat and he clamped a hand over his mouth, glancing around about him for fear of disturbing the building's residence. When it became clear that neither resident appeared to be near, he took his hand away and quietly laughed, the joy in his expression still evident. As he studied the little specks of dust dancing rhythmically through the light beams, the pharaoh felt his eye beginning to dampen. When he noticed this, he hurriedly brushed away the moistness and sniffed. He then looked down, patting himself experimentally. Yes, he was still whole, in all his un-mummified, winter coat wearing glory. How could this be real?

Oh, who cares?

"I'm awake… I… I'm awake," he looked up at the windows again, "I'm awake during the day,"

Adrenaline bubbled through his veins. This feeling built up to a point where he could not hold it, so he let it all out in an ecstatic jig. It was the sort of dance that you might do if that dreaded test you haven't studied for were cancelled for another couple of months, or if someone told you that some unknown relative had left you a mansion in their will. It was that sort of jig, only this four thousand year old teenager had spent the last few years perfecting his moves. And so, he stood there, on the steps of the cellar, artfully dancing too… maybe several songs in his head, and giving himself multiple mental high fives.

"AWAKE!" he announced triumphantly, punching the air. He then froze, hoping that his outburst hadn't woken anyone. It hadn't, thankfully. He suspected Hundra would find something suspicious, or at least a little odd, about one of her guests dancing in her cellar. He, instead, settled to whoop silently in his head, grin still on his face.

Humming happily, he clambered out from the cellar and shut the door behind him. He needed to show his friends. Oh gods, the looks on Nick and Larry's faces would be priceless.

Oh, this'll be good. He thought to himself, heading for the corridor. Then he glanced at the windows again.

"Ra…Lord Ra…" he muttered. "I have never been so happy to see your light,"

And with that statement, he dashed out of the room.

"RISE AND SHINE PEASANTS!" Ahk yelled happily, bursting into the others' room. The others had all been sleeping peacefully. Larry and Nick on one side of the room, while Jess's huddled form was curled up in the corner. With a snort, Larry sat up groggily, his shirt already developing pit stains from the new day's rising heat.

"Wha-"he yawned. He blinked his eyes open and squinted at his surroundings, as though he'd forgotten where they were momentarily. "Where are w-"

Then he spotted Ahk by the door.

"Pharaoh…" he mumbled, blearily. Then he frowned at the light streaming in through the windows. "Huh…"

"'Huh'?" Ahkmenrah repeated, disbelieving. He had expected a little more reaction, if he were honest. Perhaps an, OH. MY. GODS, IT IS DAY AND YOU ARE ALIVE! HAS MY REALITY IMPLODED?! "'Huh'?" he said again.

"You're awake," Larry continued, slightly dazed, blinking again.

Ahk sighed.

"Yes Larry, I'm awake," He sagged slightly. "I was hoping for more of a reaction,"

Larry grinned drowsily.

"Buddy, we're in Ancient Egypt. I can't imagine anything else will surprise me," He stretched and yawned again. "I'm guessing the tablet is a little jumbled. It would explain the immobile god statues,"

The young king shrugged, not really wanting to think about the tablet. He was up and alive during the daylight. If the tablet was jumbled, then let it stay so.

His thoughts were cut off by Nicky grumbling in his sleep, on the brink of waking. The younger New Yorker sat up and ruffled his hair dazedly. With a yawn, he glanced at the two.

"Morning Dad. Morning Ahk…" Then he frowned, and stared at the pharaoh. "Wait…" He blinked rapidly and rubbed his eyes. Then he looked at his friend again and his eyes widened. "HOLY CRAP!" he yelled, scrambling back from his matt. "Holy, crap! HOLY CRAP!"

"That's more like it!" Ahk grinned and made his way to the bed that had been intended for him. He sat down on it comfortably. Nicky was still staring at him, having now backed up against the wall.

"How-? What-?" He pointed at Ahk, and then at the sunlit windows. "How did-?"

The two just looked at him, waiting for Nicky to calm down. After a minute, the young man against the wall swallowed and nodded in acceptance.

"Ok," he exhaled, and then addressed Ahk directly. "So… how are you here right now?" he asked, confusion and un-sureness clouding his features. "Is the tablet… is it ok? I was getting worried last night when those statues didn't say hi,"

"I've checked the tablet," Ahkmenrah lied, not wanting to draw too much attention to the artefact. "It's in… perfect working order," He probably wasn't wrong.

I'll check on it later, he assured himself.

"Dude, this is… Awesome," Nick grinned, scooting back to his mat. "I mean, you can actually go places now."

Ahk matched his grin and would have responded, if he hadn't then noticed Jess's figure shifting slightly in the corner. Her body was curled up; an arm covering her head like her dreaming self was trying to block the real world out.

"Should we wake her yet?" he muttered to the others, nodding to her sleeping form. They looked at her and Nicky shrugged.

"You'd think she'd have woken up by now," he mused.

Before any of them made a move to wake the girl up, a knock came at the door.

"Hello?" Ahk heard Hundra call quietly from the corridor outside. He picked himself of the matt and headed to open the door.

"Good morning Hundra," he said quietly when the door was opened a crack. The woman smiled cheerily. She looked as rested as she could from only a few hours of sleep. She still looked a bit tired, having stayed up most of the night for Thuoris. She passed the pharaoh a bundle of clothes.

"It's going to get hot later. You won't be able to wear what you have now,"

Ahkmenrah glanced down at his attire, realizing that yes, in the royal garbs plus the concealing winter coat, he would likely roast like a lizard on a burning rock.

"Um…thank you," He accepted the clothes graciously. "We'll be out soon,"

She nodded and walked away, leaving Ahk to shut the door behind her.

"Right," he said, separating three garments from the bundle and chucking one each to the two other men. "New clothes. Put them on or you'll likely die of the heat later,"

As though this statement had just reminded him of the rising heat, Larry began flapping his shirt to create a draft.

"Ok," he muttered, holding up the piece that Ahk had thrown at him. "Put on skirt… got it."

The three got dressed at opposite corners, facing away from each other. By the time they all turned around to face each other, they were all clad in identical plaited white linen kilts. The two Americans' ethnicity painfully obvious, their chests practically snow white compared to Ahkmenrah's own bronze skin.

"You two are going to end up as lobsters by the end of the day, you do realize," he told them, worriedly. Nicky rubbed an arm self-consciously and shrugged.

"Hey, Ibiza was hot," he said, "I managed a week without sun cream,"

"You did not tell me that," Larry muttered to his son, irritably.

Ahk raised an eyebrow dubiously, but didn't press the issue.

"Um, Ahk?" Larry continued, this time addressing him. He was glancing at the pharaoh's neckline. "I think that has to go too,"

Ahkmenrah looked down and saw what he meant. He was still wearing his bejewelled collar. Hesitantly, he grasped it and carefully lifted the thing over his head. Immediately, he felt lighter, but that didn't necessarily make him feel better. This necklace, with the crown, was one of the main symbols of his family's power and right to rule. He had not felt comfortable leaving his crown back at the museum, but needs must when you're being chased by psychotic ninja impersonators. And now, he had to leave his jewels behind. He may have been dead for the past few millennia, but he had never had to abandon his heritage. He looked at the object in his hands thoughtfully. What would he be without his last reminder of his royal line? What would make him a leader… a ruler?

The young man scowled and gripped the trinket.

I'm not a leader, he thought, bitterly. I haven't been one for a very long time.

"I'll be back in a minute," he muttered, bundling up his shendyt and cape, the golden fabrics shimmering in the light from the windows. Without another word, he exited the room, leaving the other glancing after him, bewildered. He headed straight back to the cellar, grasping the door's handle and yanking it open. When down the steps he shuffled around a bit, looking for where he had hidden the tablet, and stuffed his royal clothes down to join it.

The teen then took a breath, clearing his head.

…Not in a very long time,

He clenched his fists.

Time to stop playacting a king in pretty clothes Ahkmen. Time to live a life.

And, with that, he left the cellar, fists still clenched and a determined scowl warping his features.

Waking Jessica turned out to be harder than it looked. First the trio had tried just speaking to her softly, coaxing her to wake up. Then, when that didn't work, Ahk tentatively shook her shoulder, lightly at first but then harder. All that achieved was a garbled mumble from under the arm covering her face.

"Jess," he carried on, shaking again. "Time to rise,"

"But I don't want to go to school," she mumbled in her dream stupor.

"Jess!" He said, a little louder.

"Hng?" Her arm dropped off her eyes and they flew opened. She blinked and focused on the Egyptian standing over her. "What're you doing up?" she muttered, squinting at the sunlight shining towards the ceiling above her.

Ahkmenrah frowned, ignoring her question and paying more attention on her appearance. Sure, he understood that not everyone looked their best after sleeping, but Jess didn't look too good. Her face was paler that usual and there were dark circles under her eyes, which drooped as though she hadn't got a wink of sleep for at least two days. Her face was covered in a thin sheen of sweat. He supposed it could have just been the heat, but this coupled with her skin's unhealthy looking pallor and tiredness did not bode well.

"Jessica, are you feeling alright?"

She frowned at him and sat up, swaying a bit as she did so.

"What do you mean?" she murmured tiredly.

"You look a little ill," Ahk replied, tentatively feeling her forehead with the back of his hand. "You feel a bit hot,"

The girl shook her head, gently pushing away his hand as she did so.

"We're in Egypt, genius. That could be why. I feel fine,"

"You sure?"

She shrugged.

"Maybe a little tired, but a lot's happened recently. You all look ridiculous by the way," she replied, noting their attire. She sniffed and began pulling herself to her feet. Ahk didn't try to help, doubtful that she'd appreciate it, even when she did stumble a little when she stood up. "Besides," she continued, "changing the subject a bit aren't we? What are you doing up and walking in daylight?"

The three shrugged in turn.

"Not really the strangest thing that's happened so far," Ahk said.

"Huh, so now I have to deal with you twenty four seven?" The girl tutted but gave a small smile. "And you'll be working like everyone else. Ok, I don't see a problem with that,"

Jessica still looked tired, but now the shadows under her eyes were beginning to fade, and the colour was beginning to return to her face, though that could have been the throbbing heat of the air. Oh, that reminded him.

"Here," he said, turning to pick up the last item of clothing Hundra had given him; one of her own dresses it seemed. He tossed it to her and she caught it deftly.

"What's this?"

"Clothing," he observed her current attire: blue jeans, red chequered flannel shirt and converse boots. "You are not going to find the temperature comfortable in those,"

She raised an eyebrow and examined the dress.

"Nope," she said, simply.

"Jess, you are going to fry."

"Nope," the girl repeated, dropping the garment on her mat.

"Jessica-"

"I'll be fiiine. You can stop mothering me now,"

Ahk went silent and left the point. If she burned, that would be her own fault.

Jess yawned and stretched, ruffling her hair with one hand sleepily. She frowned.

"Has anyone got a brush?" she asked.

Hundra's family, as it turns out, was indeed a little wealthier than most. They owned several fields close to where the river almost met the cliff face (apparently the four had circled closer to the mountains and Nile when dragging Thuoris back home last night), half a dozen oxen and a small flock of sheep. They also had five plump geese that lived in the yard attached to the house. When Ahk, Larry and Nick stood at the edge of the field, Ahkmenrah took in a deep, satisfied breath. The sun was still low in the sky and its rays caught the roof of the houses and waters of the river. The Nile glistened brightly as it ran round the city.

Breakfast had been a serving of bread, honey, salted fish and more dates. Ahkmenrah had enjoyed it, up until he'd tasted the bread and felt the grains of sand being chewed between his teeth. He had forgotten how much of the stuff would get amongst the flour in ancient Egypt. Thuoris had come down, looking wholly hung-over from the previous night. He'd mumbled a brief hello and sat down heavily while his mother brought in the food. While they ate, Ahkmenrah had translated Hundra's instructions for the day. Apparently, the boys would be working with a man called Menkhaf, a man who usually spent his time closer to the mountains, caring for the sheep flock they could see grazing in the field just beyond. She'd told Menkhaf that morning of her guests and had asked him to direct them while they worked in the fields. Jessica would be helping inside the house, and maybe feed the geese at some point.

I'm sure she'll enjoy that, he thought to himself, sarcastically. Thuoris would also be staying in and helping, as Hundra apparently didn't trust him with alcohol still in his system.

Ahk was snapped out of his thought stream by a voice sounding just behind them.

"You are Teos?" it said shortly, the voice sounding like crackling leaves.

The young man spun on his heel to see an aged sheep herder. The old man was bald, his wrinkles made his skin look like cracked leather, and the herder's beady eyes glared out from under heavy eyelids. He wore a ragged tunic that covered most of him (thankfully), his feet were bare, and he leaned shakily on a knotted staff several inches taller than his bent form.

"And you are Menkhaf?" Ahk reciprocated, folding his arms across his chest.

The old man gave him a grin, his distinct lack of teeth showing.

"Don't like answering first eh boy? Very well," He bowed his head in introduction. "Yes, I am Menkhaf." Then he nodded to the two Americans, who looked clueless over what they were saying. "Can't they speak?"

"They cannot speak our language," Ahkmenrah explained, "But I can translate any instructions you give us… that iswhy Hundra asked you to meet us isn't it?"

Menkhaf pursed his lips and nodded, then pointed his staff to gesture toward the field.

"First thing's first," he said, "Irrigation trenches. The river flooded only last week so, now that the soil is fertile, you'd better get started. This is field is supposed to be planted with barley. You dig the trenches, and then we'll see about sowing the seeds,"

Ok, trenches, Ahk thought….I have no idea how to dig irrigation ditches.

Of course, he'd occasionally seen fields with these channels, crisscrossing the earth, but as a prince, he'd never been expected to dig one.

Oh, this'll be fine, he chided as Menkhaf handed them shovels, and you're in the sun again. You can handle anything.

Now, you may think, 'Hey guys, it's only a little digging. People do that for fun on beaches'.

Well, you'd be wrong. As the old shepherd explained to the three, irrigation trenches had to be about three feet wide and more than a foot deep. Ok, not that bad, but these had to be dug with the flint shovels they had been handed; mere sticks with shaped rocks strapped to the ends. So digging the trenches, they found, was exceedingly difficult. After several hours working on one channel, Ahk's muscles began to burn, and sweat had already formed a sheen across his back and chest. The sun was higher in the sky now, but it was not even near midday yet. It would get hotter, he knew. He brushed a hand through his dampened her and found himself feeling thankful for all the combat training he'd had which had adjusted him to physical toil.

"Too hot," he heard Nick gasp somewhere to his left. The New Yorker was working on the middle of the current trench, chipping at the dried dirt half-heartedly. Looking exhausted, he straightened out to stretch and catch his breath.

"Come along!" called Menkhaf from the next field a few feet away, the sheep grazing peacefully. The man was perched on a large boulder and looking at them, amused. Ahk had a feeling he was enjoying himself. "Hop to it foreigners!"

"What did he say?" huffed Nick, now clutching his knees.

"He said good job," Ahkmenrah lied with a thumbs up, "Keep it up,"

Nicky scrunched his eyes closed, nodded, and resumed digging. Larry seemed to be holding up a little better, but, from the other end of the field, he too was looking worn-out.

Ahk was just about to suggest to the shepherd that they rest for a few minutes when a shout from the edge of the houses caught his attention. He turned his head to see Thuoris running towards them, waving frantically for attention.

"Thuoris!" Menkhaf called when he spotted the kid headed their way. "What has happened?"

Ahkmenrah could hear him now.

"Stranger," he kept saying, "Stranger!"

It took him a moment to realize the boy was addressing him.

Thuoris slowed and halted in front of him.

"Stranger," he said again, breathing heavily, as though he had run from the other end of the city. "Stranger, your friend… the woman," he gulped in air again and began to speak in rapid fire Egyptian, his expression full of panic. His sentences became a little jumbled in the middle, but he righted them and, eventually, Ahk got the message.

"What's happened?!" Larry called from the top of the field.

"It's Jessica!" Ahk hollered back, dread filling his chest. Both Larry and Nick dropped their tools and ran to him, worried looks on their faces. Menkhaf grumbled slightly, but slid off his rock to join them.

"What is it?" asked Nick, glancing at Thuoris.

Thuoris said something.

"Bottom line is," Ahk translated, anxiety constricting his insides like a python, "Jessica has been… arrested…"

oOo

Of course, that morning, Jess had never intended to get arrested. The day started oddly. Woke up in Egypt with their walking dead guy up and talking during the day. Even with the other weird stuff, she knew that this was odd, even for this lot.

After breakfast, while doing her best to dislodge the sand that had ended up in her mouth because of the bread, Jess had listened to Hundra explain to her what she was to do today. Her first job was to feed the geese in the yard attached to the house. For some reason, the noisy birds did not take a liking to her and insisted on snapping at her wrists as she tried to feed them.

"What is up with you?" the girl muttered as she was nearly bit for the fifth time.

HONK! Was all they said in reply.

From her spot in the yard, Jess could just about see the guys, who had already headed downhill towards the River. She hoped they would end up as tired as she felt by the end of the day. If she'd been honest with the pharaoh earlier, Jess would have admitted that she'd felt a lot more drained than she had said when they woke her up. I was weird, as though her sleeping hadn't done anything for her. In fact, the girl had woken up way more tired than she had been before she went to bed. Jess thought she'd slept at least a few hours, although her dream hadn't lasted long. And the heat didn't help. Yeah, Ahk had been right about her clothes. They did not work well in Egyptian temperatures, though the day she'd admit that to him was the day Dracula went vegan.

Honk!

The snap of another goose's beak brought her out of her thoughts.

"Hey," she snapped, flinching away, "I'm not trying to eat you,"

Someone tapped her on the shoulder and she spun to see the kid, Thuoris?, standing there. He looked about as good as she felt; only Jess hoped she wore it better. He looked tired, and it seemed like he had a headache too, judging by the way he constantly flinched at the honking of the geese.

"Morning," she muttered, throwing the last of the feed to the damned birds. The boy smiled half-heartedly and said something. Unfortunately it was in that infernal language of his. She shrugged helplessly. "Mate, I have no idea what you're saying,"

He frowned, understanding the problem. Then he tried repeating what he had said very slowly, pointing toward the city, as though that would somehow make her understand.

Jessica sighed.

"That. Doesn't. Help." She said, equally slowly. "Does. Not. Compute."

Thuoris rolled his eyes, as though catching her tone of derision. Then he gestured for her to follow him. The girl did so, letting him lead her to the front of the house, onto the street they'd dragged him up the previous night. Jess halted.

"Hang on," The boy turned, with and expression on his face that said 'What?'. She pointed to the house. "I'm meant to be doing… I dunno… house things for you mother. Where are we going?"

The boy looked clueless for a minute, then sighed, exasperated. He grabbed a leather pouch from his waist and shook it in front of her. Whatever was inside made a metallic chink, chink sound, like coins.

"Is that money?"

He ignored the question and proceeded to make a funny sort of gesture with his hands, wiggling it through the air, like a one handed Mexican wave. At that point, Jess reckoned he'd lost it.

"Wha-"

Then she noticed that the gesture reminded her of something she, and other kids, had done in nursery school when the teacher had told then to act like a sea creature. Most of them had only known about fish… or sharks.

"Wait… fish?" Jess asked, drawing a rough outline of a fish in the air. "Is that what you're saying?"

When Thuoris saw the outline she drew, he splayed his arms in triumph, as if to say 'Finally, she gets it,".

Jess raised an eyebrow reproachfully.

"Do you want a slap?"

The boy seemed to notice her mood as he immediately dropped his arms and shrugged, sheepishly.

"So we're…" She looked at the pouch again, "…buying fish?"

Thuoris simply gestured for her to follow him again, so she took that as a maybe.

He led her into the city, and for the first time Jess could appreciate the place's beauty now that she say it in the sunlight. It wasn't just squat square houses she could see now. As they headed deeper into the settlement, the buildings became more widely spaced. Now they were walking passed taller, neater buildings, some sporting painted columns in the architecture. Jess worked out quickly that, the closer you lived to the palace, the richer you likely are. Speaking of the palace, it could be easily seen, looming over the city in the distance. The structure reminded Jess of a picture she had once seen of an Egyptian temple, the Temple of Isis in… was it Philae? Only, this one looked to be at least three times bigger and had an outer wall rimming it. In the sunlight, it almost glowed. Near the top of the building, she could just about see what looked like balconies, or maybe open air corridors, lined with columns of limestone. The pillars, she thought, kind of made the place look barred up, like a prison. A very beautiful prison.

The city was pretty much awake now, and the two soon found themselves passing a few dozen people who were headed up and down the streets. A few, Jess noticed, gave her second glances; whether because of her clothes or skin colour, she didn't know. Probably both.

The further they went, the more crowded the streets became. The roads became chocked full of citizens, different classes all crowded in one place. Jess noticed that that there were those who simply followed others, mainly trawling behind the richest looking characters, their eyes cast down and trying to look as small as possible. One other feature these introverted people shared were the black leather cuffs encasing their wrists. The girl subconsciously found herself stepping forward, maybe for a closer look at one man who was timidly carrying a feather shade over a fat bald Egyptian guy, who way more rings than needed adorning his fingers, and more kohl lining his eyes than most Goths would wear. Before she could approach them any further, Thuoris grabbed her arm and pulled her away to head faster down the street.

"Who was that man in the cuffs?" Jess asked curiously, to which Thuoris did not reply. But, as they continued towards the city's centre, she began to realize the answer. They saw more men and women in these cuffs, some roaming the streets alone, but plenty following the rich. All had eyes cast to the ground.

Slaves, she muttered internally, with distaste.

Eventually they reached a wide open space of the city, rimmed with buildings that looked more official than the dwellings they passed earlier. This plaza provided plenty of space for the rackety stalls that packed the place. An entire battalion of mixed scents, of spices, incense, baked bread and herbs, overwhelmed Jessica's senses as the two bustled through the market. The place was overflowing with people, hustling in and between the stalls, some smelling the fruits on sale experimentally, some bartering for jewellery etc. Most were shouting. Their voices carried across the square, along with the sounds of the bleating and squabbling of various livestock in cages or tied to posts, and the barking of dogs. The fish stall was near the back of the plaza, attracting no noble men or women like the jewellery, bakery or trinket stands were. The girl vaguely recalled from some book or other that these nobles were unlikely to go near the fish, as they were considered unclean (or something stupid like that). The fish seller himself didn't seem to mind, his disposition cheery as he showed off crates of perch, catfish, carps, mullets and eels to Thuoris. The two spoke for a bit, possible haggling over the price, and finally they seemed to come to an agreement. The boy then took out his pouch again and emptied a small pile of silver lumps onto the scales the seller had.

While this was happening, the girl looked about distractively. Everything was so bright and alive, the spices and fabrics being traded showing off myriads and bold and vibrant colours, and small children ran through the sea of legs, laughing happily. One group was chasing a small cat.

She was just about to turn round to face the stall again when one individual caught her eye. Dashing across the square, clutching something to their chest, was a figure dressed from head to toe in black linen. Now, normally Jess probably wouldn't have found this phasing. I mean, she was in friggin ancient Egypt. Nothing should have stood out as odd at this point. But, as this figure neared her, something swinging from a golden chain round his neck caught her attention. It was a pendant and, it could have been her imagination but, it looked very much like an Egyptian feather hieroglyph lodged in a rectangle. The feather of Ma'at.

Again, it could have been her imagination, but as the stranger slunk down an alley leading out of the plaza, Jess found herself slipping away from the fish stall and proceeding to follow him.

This person was quick, darting across streets and through passages, as though he were being chased. It was all Jess could do to keep up with him and they both made their way through the city. The girl knew that if she lost sight of him, it was doubtful that she'd be able to find him again. So she sped up, trying to keep less than a few metres behind him. This did not help, however, as other people kept barging between them, heedless of her objective. It was after one particularly hefty man bumped into her that she finally lost sight of the stranger.

"Damn," she cursed, now opting to shove her way out of the crowed. When that was managed, she looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the mystery man. No such luck, that is, until she spotted a tail of black linen dart around a corner, into a narrow alleyway. She hurried to catch up; recklessly pushing passed anyone else to cross her path, and then darted after the stranger into the alley. The backstreet zigzagged between the buildings. It was after rounding a corner when Jess felt someone slam into her and pin her against the wall.

"Hey!" she yelled, kicking at the man who restrained her. It was the guy in black, the one who she'd been pursuing. When she tried yelling again, he pressed a hand over her mouth and hissed something in Egyptian. Jessica began to wish that she could do what she'd done in the museum, bust out some moves and render this guy unconscious. Unfortunately, one, she had no idea how she did that the first time and, two, even if she did she still felt drained from her not so helpful night's sleep. However, it never really had to get down to that, as the man suddenly snapped his head to the side, listening. Jess noticed it too, the shouts in the distance, a group of people heading closer. The stranger dropped her and backed away cautiously. It was then that Jess realized that he was being chased, and not just by her. The man hurriedly dropped her and spun to leave. It was only when that she noticed what he was holding, the corner of the object poking out through the rags it was wrapped in.

Is that…?

Yup, it is.

Jessica growled and darted towards the stranger, grabbing his billowing tunic and wrenched it back. The man tumbled to the ground, dropping the bundle, which skittered across the ground. The girl dashed passed the fallen figure and scooped up the object, and then she ran. The man began to bellow after her as she retreated, but she did not turn around. She could hear him start to pursue her though. She kept going, scurrying through the emptier alleyways, clutching the treasure in her arms.

She'd known what it was as soon as she'd seen the corner, and she knew, without a doubt, that it did not belong to him. She didn't glance back but she heard him shouting angrily for her to stop. His hollering became louder, and Jess knew that he could only be a couple of metres behind her now. Then she felt a hand land on her shoulder. The girl spun and shot out a fist, then felt it connect with her attacker's nose. He grunted, loosening his grip, so Jessica pulled free and started running again, dodging into another side street. As she sprinted passed a stack of crates, she kicked away the bottom one, sending the pile of boxes tumbling behind her, hoping it would be enough to slow the man's pursuit. After darting around a couple more corners, in the possibility that she'd be able to shake him off, Jessica only then began to wonder how the hell she was going to find her way back.

Good luck asking for directions Dumbo, the inner voice muttered.

NOT HELPING!

The girl risked a glance behind her as she ran, and saw that she seemed to have lost him… for now. She needed a place to hide. That was when she turned another corner and collided with a rough stone wall.

"Ow!" she yelled, rubbing her grazed cheek, staring up at the dead end. "Oh bugger," she muttered.

Jess backed up to peer back about the corner she'd just rounded, just in time to see the man in black come out of a street a good twenty metres away.

"Oh bugger!"

She quickly stumbled back towards the dead end, flattening herself against the wall, out of sight. He would find her, she knew it. The girl frantically glanced about her, looking for somewhere to hide.

Dammit, dammit, dammit…

Then she spotted a boarded up window a couple of metres up the wall of the building next to her. It still had a sill just wide enough to stand on and, with a pyramid pile of luck, it could possibly hide her from her pursuer. Hopefully he would only think to glance around the corner, rather than come up too close. Worth a shot.

She darted to the building and, with one shaky leap, she grasped the rim of the window sill. Using what little footholds she had available, Jess somehow managed to scramble up, ignoring the aching in her arms, and perch unsteadily on the narrow edge. The girl carefully stood up and flattened herself, and the bundle, against the wooden boards. Just in time too. From around the building, she could hear a pair of footsteps hurry up to the dead end opening. They stopped just at the entrance, Jess unable to see the one who made them from her hidey-hole. Hopefully that meant that he couldn't see her either.

Please don't come any further; please don't come any further…

The footsteps stood silent, and all Jessica could now hear was an angry snarl in Egyptian. Then the man began to hasten back down the alley where they had come. When his steps where drowned out by distance, Jessica let out a relieved breath and clambered down from the window. She took this moment to examine what she had swiped from the stranger and so unwrapped the rag parcel. What was left in her hands was a gleaming golden tablet. The Tablet of Ahkmenrah.

But there was something off. This tablet, while the bottom right corner and a little off the top where still missing, the edges seemed…less corroded. It was as though the fractures had not been made a few thousand years previously. Jess frowned, smoothing a hand over the gold. It could just be her imagination, she supposed, making her way out of the dead ended ally way. Her eyes were fixed so intently upon the heirloom, that she did not notice the stampede of new footsteps until they stopped just a couple of yards in front of her. She looked up and yelped in surprise. In front of her, there stood around half a dozen men in red leather armour, all glaring at her, all training spears at her chest. One of the men scowled down at the tablet and barked something in Egyptian. Jess followed his gaze, looking down at the tablet again.

"Ohhhhh," she said, the truth dawning on her. This wasn't their Ahk's tablet. It was the tablet from this time, and that man in black… these were the guys pursuing him. He must have… Uh oh. She looked back up to the guards, whose weapons were still aimed at her.

I have just been caught with stolen property, haven't I?

"Look," she tried, "This really isn't what it-"

The soldier who had spoken before cut her off with another bark, pressing his own blade right against her ribs. She shut up, and raised her hands immediately.

Another soldier walked round the first and took the tablet from her, while a third man roughly pulled her arms behind her back and lashed them together with rope. The man in front of her, still with his spear at her ribs, said something to her and she only looked at him, bewildered.

"I don't understand you," she said. He just shrugged and turned, gesturing for her to follow. Not that she didn't have enough encouragement with the two soldiers behind her, jabbing her sharply in the back with their spears.

The trek back through the city was a humiliation, to say the least. Jessica didn't often like being the centre of attention, and this was no exception. From everywhere, people lined the streets, making way for the guards and their prisoner, staring at the pale stranger with her foreign clothes. Most were silent, but enough were muttering intently with each other for Jess to get an urge to crawl into a hole and die.

"Worse than the year six nativity" she murmured, only to be given a warning knock on the head with a spear head. She turned and glared at the man who'd delivered it, who only jabbed her in the side again to get her facing forward.

Stupid guards,

She wanted to keep her eyes trained on the ground, but couldn't help but scan a few faces of the crowd. Some were looking on in amusement, but most were only gazing at her with curiosity, wondering what she could have done. Then she spotted a familiar face in the gathering.

Thuoris,

He was staring at her in disbelief, heaving a box of fish in his arms. She looked at him helplessly, trying to communicate with her expression that this had all been a mistake, that she hadn't done anything to deserve arrest. He caught her look but simply shrugged feebly, clearly unsure as to what to do. Well, he wouldn't be of any use. The boy then set his expression, his face now determined. He shoved the crate of fish into the arms of the man next to him, who Jess only now recognised to be the fish seller come to watch with everyone else, and said something to him. Then the boy took one last look at her as she was led away, and then backed away from the crowds to retreat down a side allay.

Jessica didn't know where he was going, but she hoped he was going for help.

The procession carried on through the city, leading closer and closer to the palace and the girl began having thoughts about having to defend herself in front of royalty. It was a royal treasure that she was being accused of stealing after all. She wondered if she would have to speak to Ahk's parents as it was likely they were on the throne. She didn't know much about them but, from the younger pharaoh's worrying about them back at the museum, they seemed like people nice enough to be concerned for. She hoped that nothing had changed in four thousand years. Then again, she may not be given an audience, and simply be locked away or executed without question. There had never really been much record on ancient Egyptian justice and all she could remember from her studies is that she may be about to suffer being lodged on a pike through the arse and displayed on the outskirts of the city.

Yeah, that did not sound like an appealing prospect.

Despite the graphicness of her impending doom, Jess couldn't help but let her mind wonder away from it as they approached the palace outer wall. On either side of the two hundred foot gates, there was a great stone figure of a god, a falcon and a crocodile headed man, carved into the walls. Horus and Sobek. Inside the gates, there were yet more buildings, these ones tall, clean and white. Their structures kind of reminded her of large square wedding cakes, like smaller buildings were placed onto the larger ones. Other buildings looked to be villas, standing out proudly from the rest with fountains and trees adorning their fronts, and Jessica realized that this was where the rich people lived. The wall must have been to keep the rich from the ruffians, which she would have found repulsive if the palace itself didn't have another wall running round it like a substitute moat. It was as though the royals were saying 'Yeah, you wealthy folk may be trying to keep the scum out, and that's exactly what we're doing". It seemed that there was, quite literally, nobody more important than the monarchy.

When they reached the palace, the guards led her through the second pair of massive gates and into a huge courtyard. The court was lined with a mixture of sycamore, date and palm trees, serving to shade the various fountains carved out from the walls. From where Jess was walking, she could see that each fountain spout was a crocodile head with water spewing out of their mouths into stone basins attached to the wall. The ground was paved with white stone and the path leading straight to the main entrance was lined with more palm trees. Looking at the majesty of the palace building itself made Jess want to run and huddle in a nice corner somewhere. Indeed, she was about to try before she heard the formidable Bang of the great wooden doors shutting behind her. The soldiers urged her on with the points of their blades and she obliged, really trying not to think about whatever fate would greet her. She hoped against hope that they wouldn't just kill here. She'd like a chance to at least plead her case.

They made their way to the entrance and one guard called out to a watcher up on a small balcony type structure of the palace to open the gates. She assumed that this was what he said as the watcher then disappeared through a door and, a moment later, the heavy doors began to open.

Ok, I am going to die,

Drama queen,

When inside, Jess let out a small gasp. The front hall was at least a hundred feet high and the walls stretched a good fifty metres to another set of doors. Braziers lined the hall at regular intervals an illuminated the Egyptian paintings and hieroglyphed columns in a flickering orange light. Those in Hundra's home were not nearly as grand as the images on these walls. These depictions of gods and pharaohs stood taller than any man and their eyes seemed to glare down at the girl as she was marched by. It certainly did not serve to make her any more comfortable.

When they reached the end of the corridor, another two guards, who had been standing guard, opened the doors for them and Jess found herself practically being dragged through, into a large throne room, as though the soldiers wanted to make it look as though they'd had to deal with her struggling all the way here.

"Hey, I was cooperating," she hissed, but the guards ignored her and threw her to the foot of a very uncomfortable looking ivory throne perched on top of a dais. It was empty at that moment, but she caught sight of a guard peeling off from the group and hurrying through a set of doors behind the throne. Despite the circumstances, the throne room looked a lot friendlier than the entrance hall. This room had windows letting the sun it, white translucent curtains draped over them, unmoving for lack of breeze. And, while it did have braziers lining the room, none were lit. Behind the throne, above the door, carved into the stone was yet another god. Ra, it looked to be this time. She was beginning to think these guys were a little obsessed with their deities. It was then that the doors behind the throne opened and a small procession of people began to file in, all in fine robes and expensive jewellery. They were likely priests or advisers; she thought and wondered who would be taking a seat on the throne. Before she could see the last people to enter, however, a hand suddenly forced her head to look down at the floor. She did so, grudgingly, vowing to poke the guy with his own spear in her afterlife.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a deep voice announcing something, or someone. Then came the shuffle of collective bowing and Jessica heard footsteps make their way to the throne. The man with the deep voice continued to announce and the girl began to find her mind drifting as the Egyptian droned on. She cast her gaze up slightly, just enough to see the foot of the throne. And then that hand forced her head down again.

Seriously?!

She grumbled internally but reasoned that when you're hands are tied and you find yourself facing judgement of royalty, don't growl at anyone.

The announcer was the cut off by a voice from the throne, who sounded irritable, to put it kindly. Then Jess realized that they also sounded like something else. Like someone else.

Oh, no,

This just got a little complicated.

Heedless of the guards still looming over her, Jessica shot her head up to look straight at the throne's occupant and found here gaze met by a pair of harsh green eyes.

Ahkmenrah, Fourth King of the… well, whatever he usually introduced himself as, sat proudly on the throne of Egypt, looking at the girl before him with cold curiosity.

Heh, heh, don't you just love cliff-hangers? As always folks, reviews make me write faster so get commenting :)