A guard came to the door. "Need anything?"
The goddess shook her head.
"You have a visitor."
Her eyes went wide with surprise at the sight of her visitor. She had thought he would hate her.
He bowed his head slightly in greeting. "How are you?"
She began to cry. "I don't know what to do."
"I think you'll be fine," Aswad stated. "You always come through."
"I didn't think you'd come to see me," she said softly.
Aswad paused. "Has he?"
The goddess shook her head sadly.
"Was it worth it?"
The goddess contemplated the question. "Yes," she whispered.
Aswad smiled sadly. "Goodbye, Kanika."
*****
London
Rick woke late in the afternoon. He cursed as he got out of bed. He hated getting up late. Evelyn was supposed to wake him. He looked around. She wasn't in the bedroom.
Searching the house, Rick discovered his wife in her study. He had walked in angry, but looking at her now, he almost laughed.
The study was a mess. Books littered every available surface. Evelyn sat at her desk, frantically searching through one book after another.
Rick coughed. Evelyn looked up, smiled, and went back to what she was doing. "What's going on?" he asked.
"I know her name," Evelyn muttered, "but I can't find it anywhere."
"Who's name?"
"The girl from the dream."
Rick didn't even pretend he was up-to-date. "Uh, yeah. Is that why you didn't wake me?"
Evelyn glanced at the clock on her desk. "I'm sorry. I've just been so busy."
"You plan on cleaning up?" Usually he didn't worry about it but she didn't look like it bothered her in the least, so he thought he ought to.
Evelyn nodded absently. "Yes, yes. When I've found it."
"Found what?"
She glared at him and he smiled in return. He was messing with her. "If you're not going to help you can go away, you know."
Rick shrugged and started picking through books. With a sigh, he asked, "What name am I looking for?"
*****
Ancient Egypt
Once again the day found Anck-su-Namun visiting the temples. When she reached Isis' temple, she slid past the statue guarding the door.
She knelt silently for several minutes. When she was done, she stood and turned to leave. Her heart jumped in her throat. Anck-su-Namun hadn't expected anyone to be around. Here was Nefertiri, standing in the doorway and staring at that haunting statue.
Nefertiri noticed she was being watched and blushed, giving Anck-su-Namun an embarrassed nod. Gone were the dirty looks. Anck-su-Namun nodded back and disappeared outside.
Now curious about the statue, she appealed to Bomani, her Med-Jai protector of the day, to bring Asim to her chamber when they reached the palace.
"You called for me, my lady?" Asim said as he entered her room.
Anck-su-Namun said, "Yes, tell me something. You know the temple of Isis well?"
Asim nodded in reply.
"What is the statue near the door?"
He thought for a moment. "It is a sad tale."
"Tell it to me." Anck-su-Namun settled to listen.
"There was a goddess once who defied her peers. She did something strictly forbidden and was punished most severely for it."
Anck-su-Namun was interested. "What did she do?"
"She bore a commoner's child."
This was not what she expected. "Why was that forbidden?"
"Common children born of gods have no place in either world."
"But the Pharoah is the god's representative?"
"That is different. He is the messenger. These children simply have no place."
Anck-su-Namun bid him to continue. "What was the punishment?"
"The statue you pass when you worship Isis is not only a statue."
Confusion lit Anck-su-Namun's features.
"It is the goddess."
She gasped. She had always thought the statue was more lifelike than any other. "What happened to the child?"
Asim became quiet. "She was never found," he said quietly.
She?