Chapter 9: The Perilous Journey

The sun had yet to bath the stone pillars of the temple in tones of gold and pink when Selkenauset awoke and carefully extracted herself from the embrace of the still sleeping Imhotep. She didn't want to wake him or any of his men in her search for the Book of Amun Ra but something told her that his men didn't know about the book in general, much less that it could suck the immortality out of their leader. That said, Imhotep was always careful about such things and she knew that he would have kept the book close to him, meaning that it would be in the tent somewhere. "Good gods" she thought as her back cracked "I'm getting old" then when she was standing she considered her surroundings for a moment and almost laughed at herself.

"Save the hysterics for later" she thought soberly "right now you have to find that damn book before your beloved husband wakes up and decides to tie you to the boat and send it downriver" she crossed the tent and began looking through the bags, doing her best to be utterly silent, knowing that his hearing rivalled that of a nervous cat. After concluding that the book wasn't in any of those bags she stood up again and looked at him, wondering how many places there could possibly be in a tent for someone to hide a book made of gold. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the glint of metal but it wasn't gold, she had placed the silver Isis statue at the foot of the make-shift bed so that it would watch over her as she slept and remind her husband that one wrong move would put him in the clutches of Anubis once again. She didn't mean to be so cruel about it but she knew that with the influence of the evil Set still hanging over him, she couldn't afford to take any chances.

However, the statue was no longer staring at the bed but at the far corner of the tent and Selkenauset shivered imperceptibly at the sign. There were only two reasons that the goddess would have abandoned her watch, the first being that Philae was very close and the second being that she was trying to tell her daughter something. Perhaps that the book of Amun Ra was hidden in that corner. However the only thing in the corner was a canvas sack that was very close to Imhotep's elbow, too close for her not to be nervous about waking him while she dug it out. She was contemplating the methods that she could use to get the sack when Imhotep stirred and brought his arm up across his chest as if attempting to defend himself against some unseen enemy.

This enabled her to move close enough to grasp one corner of the canvas and drag it very slowly towards her. It was very heavy which was a good omen and she smiled, satisfied, when she removed the bag and the gold cover of the book shimmered in the low light. Thanking Isis for her good fortune, Selkenauset moved away from the makeshift bed and murmured a spell that quickly unlocked the book and she seated herself on one of many cushions on the floor. The low light played on her features, the round curves of her breasts, the slim contours of her long legs, and the perfectly balanced slopes of her high cheekbones, but was shamed by the light dancing in her emerald eyes when she found the right page.

If Evelyn had been correct, Osiris had arrived in a chariot with quite a bit of fanfare and ripped Imhotep's immortal soul from his body the last time the spell had been used. This sequence of events was troubling to her because the success of this mission required him to be both mortal and unaware of his mortality. This meant that her immortal father Osiris would have to be extremely quiet and persuasive in removing Imhotep's immortality this time around. She had no doubt that if her husband awoke to find she had betrayed him, he would do something awful to her, not necessarily to kill her but something that would most likely cause her pain. So, to solve the problem, she began to pray to her father, the husband of her mother Isis, and the ruler of the dead "Osiris, my father, use the same silence now as that which you have used to intervene previously in my affairs, and restore my husband's mortal soul, for the sake of my child and I" she whispered. She then read the spell from the book in a low, almost musical, voice and once done, waited.

A glow began to form on the side of the tent, subtle at first, but then intensifying and suddenly she saw a grey cloud beginning to leak from Imhotep's nostrils, slowly taking the shape of a man. Her heart pounded in her chest and she felt her child stir in response to her unease, she knew she was seeing the very evil that Anck-Su-Namun had put in her husband and she placed her hands protectively over her stomach. The shadowy man was plainly angry and she saw the malice in his red eyes but as he opened his mouth to scream he was quickly sucked into the glowing portal which then disappeared in a flash. Thanking her parents profusely, she closed the book carefully, her hands still shaking, convinced that even if she lived for eternity as was promised, that evil staring face would be etched in her memory.

Evelyn bolted upright, sending the blanket flying onto her unsuspecting husband who yelled in surprise. Ardeth nearly fell out of his bed, having been ripped out of a nightmare of his own, and Jonathan made the most of the situation by looking scared shitless in a way that only he could. Initial reactions aside, all had the same puzzled expression on their faces when they saw that Evelyn was smiling, and all wondered if the events of the past couple of weeks or so had resulted in dear sweet Evelyn O'Connell finally losing her mind. After all, there were only so many homicidal mummies, kidnappings, camel rides, lost family members, ancient visions, and impromptu Nile swims that one could handle before something had to give.

"He's mortal!" she announced excitedly "she did it!", Ardeth breathed a sigh of relief and relinquished his hold on the scimitar at his bedside. It was rather amusing to Evelyn as she looked them all over that though Rick, for the most part, refused to acknowledge his ancient Med-Jai past; his reaction to her outburst had been the same as Ardeth's. Although Rick's choice of weapon had been his trusty rifle, not a sword. "Bloody good show" Jonathan muttered before reassuming the classic sleeping position of a crumpled heap, accompanied by near-deafening snoring. Ardeth cringed and glared at Rick "how is it that you let him live this long?" he inquired, half smiling and Rick rolled his eyes "it's a family thing" he said and looked at Evie, who was gently arranging their son's hair. Alex had come out of his ordeal mostly unscathed and Rick hoped that Farsiris lived if only so that he could thank her for doing her duty.

Ardeth shook his head and laid back down, wincing at the pain in his side, and thought about Farsiris. She had made the creature – Imhotep mortal again without being killed. At this point he had to wonder why all of the safeguards had been bestowed upon the priestess, yes, she was the guardian of the heart of Isis and, yes, she was the high priestess and the Goddess's daughter, but Selkenauset had died in childbirth and Farsiris could die without anyone ever knowing where the ancient artifact resided. The answer lay in his own past, one that he would not relinquish to anyone. Before Imhotep had gained the princess's affections, and even afterwards, there was another who had loved her. The bodyguard who had been trusted to protect her, even if it meant sacrificing his own life, had had feelings for her.

However, they had remained hidden beneath protocol and a deep seated fear of betraying trust. The pharaoh would have had him removed from the palace had he known and that was not acceptable to the Med-Jai whose traditional place was at her side, ensuring her safety. Now, several of those feelings had surfaced again and Ardeth, a man not accustomed to dealing with feelings beyond the sense of duty that was kept closer to him than his family, didn't know what to do. That was the main reason he rarely allowed himself to be in the company of Farsiris, the beautiful and intelligent woman was dangerous in more ways than most could guess.

The aforementioned priestess was bathing in the temple of Philae as her sisters prepared the altar and her husband for the ceremony that was to come. The boat ride had gone uneventfully and Imhotep had warned his men not to disturb them while they were in the temple. Selkenauset had been walking on eggshells ever since that morning, he still had not yet figured out that he was mortal and she needed it to stay that way, she couldn't stand to tell him that he would have to leave her again even though it would only be for two and a half weeks. She knew better than anyone how a short amount of time could turn into an eternity when one was waiting for one's beloved.

As she climbed out of the water; one of the younger women approached her timidly, her eyes wide, and asked softly if she could touch her stomach. Selkenauset smiled benevolently then took the young girl's hand and placed it on her swollen stomach where she had felt the baby move earlier that morning. The girl smiled broadly "he already kicks" she said and the older priestess smiled "yes he does, he's going to be a strong one" she agreed. The young woman's gaze turned pensive and as she pulled away she gave Selkenauset a shy smile "just like you" she said and then left towards the altar.

An hour later the time came. Selkenauset approached the altar, dressed in clean linens and her beloved silver jewellery, and observed them all with a small smile "you all know what the goddess expects of you, but I thank you for taking care of me and agreeing to do this. My gratitude, and that of my husband and child, is endless. Goddess bless you all" she said then turned to Imhotep, who was dressed as a priest in a clean white kilt, sans jewellery. His eyes met hers and she saw the worry, the despair, "my beloved, I will see you again soon. I love you dearly and my absence will be short. However for me it is a small price to pay for an eternity with you" she said then embraced him and kissed him once more before turning and making her way to the middle of the circle of women and laying out the puzzle pieces: her signet ring, a sacred papyrus from the Philae temple, a figurine of Isis and Osiris, a single jasmine bloom, and oddly enough, a bracelet that the princess had been given by her Med-Jai bodyguard with an Eye of Horus engraved in each of the small oval shaped links.

"I call upon Isis to protect my child on this perilous journey and I call on my brother Horus to guide me to the underworld. Heart of Isis that lies within me, let your light shine into the kindred souls who have blessed you with their love and devotion. Let your kindness bring peace to Egypt and end the suffering of countless generations. Mother Goddess, daughter of Ra, let your light shine" she recited and suddenly the floor tile that she was standing on began to glow. All eyes went to the place where Selkenauset's body had been buried three millennia and the realization dawned on them. The Heart of Isis was not an artifact in the sense, it was a woman. The woman whose duty had been to protect the heart, wasthe heart.

A brilliant flash of light filled the temple and when it subsided, the hieroglyphics on the walls glowed and pulsed with the rhythm of a human heart. Selkenauset laid down on the altar and placed her hands over her chest and the priestess under her in the temple began to pray. When another priestess put flowers in her hands then began to shake the sistrum, they all kneeled and turned their eyes to the heavens then began to sing. Imhotep struggled at first to remember the words of the sacred prayers but his head was suddenly filled with his wife's voice and they came back in a rush. He began to sing with the women, kneeling at her side and suddenly the gold glow of the hieroglyphs shot into her body and the colour of her skin faded. The test had begun.

Back at the Med-Jai camp, Evie had prepared everything, her linens, some food, some water. Alex had a pile of cushions to rest on and everyone else had been directed not to disturb her until she emerged. The only interruptions were to bring in bath water for her and food. Until her older sister Selkenauset had completed her journey, Neferitiri would stay here and pray "I will not let her down" she thought as she kneeled and when she heard the haunting song begin in her mind, she began to sing as well.

The soft lilting tones of Evie's voice could be heard throughout the Med-Jai camp and Ardeth found himself saying some prayers of his own to the ancient gods, that most had ceased believing in a thousand years ago. He was surprised that he even remembered the prayers being as since he hadn't heard them since his mother had died ten years earlier. She had believed in Isis, though she had kept it hidden from the rest of the women and men who were of Muslim faith, and he had heard her saying her prayers before, mostly on his behalf as her child. He was glad he had listened then and now he prayed. For Farsiris, for his princess Selkenauset, and for the child within her.