Balance
Chapter 2
Disclaimers and info back in chapter 1
The night after, she was back there once more, walking the same cool, quiet hallway. Imhotep
joined her once again, but this time his hands were empty and he appeared more urgent than
before. Nefertiri's thoughts weren't with her tonight, the princess said nothing as he watched her
curiously, expectantly. With dawning realization she looked down at her body. She was walking
in Thebes as herself. Here she was as she had fallen asleep in the library, trying to find references
to his story of ancient evil. She wore her nightgown and robe, and carried a thick volume on the
Minoans of Crete.
"Why are you influencing my dreams?" She rounded on the priest, throwing her book at him. He
dodged, but not fast enough to avoid it completely. It struck a glancing blow off his shoulder,
leaving a bright red mark. "Tell me!"
"I have no power over your dreams!" He stooped to retrieve the book, looking at the photo plates
where it had fallen open. He touched a picture of the ruins at Knossos, and another of a bare-
breasted goddess with snakes in her hands. He shut it and held it out to her. Evy edged forward,
cautiously. Imhotep's face betrayed little emotion. Once close enough, she snatched it from him
and held it to her chest like a shield.
"I was here, in my dreams, last night."
"As was I, but I didn't bring you here." Imhotep took a step toward her, and she stepped back,
wishing she was armed. "They are all gone, aren't they?"
"Who?" She would have edged back a little further, but there was a wall at her back now.
"The Minoans." He gestured to her book. "The Sumerians, the Hittites. They are all gone, like my
Egypt is gone. They are all ruins for tomb robbers and treasure hunters to plunder."
Evelyn felt he was lumping her in with those two groups, and her hackles rose. She opened her
mouth to argue that she was an archaeologist (Well, archaeologist slash librarian) and
archaeology was a science. She was not a tomb robber or a treasure hunter, thank you very much!
In the end though, what she said was "Yes." To him there would be no difference. Both
scientists and looters broke into tombs, taking away grave goods, disturbing the dead. Both made
profit, in the end.
Imhotep's stern expression didn't change, but she read deep dismay in his eyes, and a slight
bowing of the shoulders. He had seen other parts of the world when Meela had resurrected him,
hadn't he learned how the world had moved on from her, or from Beni? Beni probably wouldn't
have thought of it, but Meela? Maybe it hadn't served her purposes to tell him.
"These dreams you blame on me...What have you seen?" His stare was intense and unnerving, as
always. She didn't want to tell him about the dreams. She hadn't even liked telling Rick, though
she'd always felt comfortable speaking to him about her problems.
"My husband says that I'm just reacting to all the bad news lately. The whole world seems to be
hurling itself towards war, and..." Evelyn trailed off.feeling panic clutch it's fist around her heart.
"The wraiths are real. Evil is rising and it's happening now..."
Imhotep's answer was a single, precise nod. His eyes never left hers, and she found it hard to look
away. The side of her brain that was reason said, 'Don't believe him, he's lying to you. This is part
of some elaborate plan to regain power, or rule the world or some such thing. For all you know,
he may be responsible for those wraith things.' The part that was instinct was much more direct.
It said, 'This is real, you've been dreaming them for a reason. Something is happening out there
and it has to be stopped, so hop to it Evy!' She really wished her brain would be a little more
helpful at the moment.
"Why have I been shown these things? Who by?" She asked, trying to keep a slim grasp on
reason's side.
He looked down, keeping his head lowered for a few moments. When he looked up, she saw
fright, ever so briefly, in his eyes. "We are being called; by whom, I don't know. Perhaps the
Gods," He said quietly, "Perhaps not." Evelyn shuddered as a cold knot settled in her stomach;
she felt sick and slightly dizzy. She slid down the wall to sit on the cold stone floor,
overwhelmed by the implications. Imhotep knelt, keeping a respectful distance.
"You are a scholar, are you not?" She nodded. "I am still a priest of Osiris, despite..everything.
Probably the only priest of Osiris there has been for hundreds of years."
"Thousands," Evelyn found herself saying, "It has been over three thousand years since you were
entombed."
This number shocked him, he seemed to pale just a little. "Truly?"
"Did no one tell you this?"
"No," He rose and walked away from her, "No. Three thousand..." He composed himself and
walked back to her. "I know where the crown is hidden. At Hamunaptra there were scrolls,
records made by the ancients that may tell us where to find the sword and the dagger, and what
we must do to find the conduit-"
"We?" Evelyn interrupted, standing to face him. "You say 'we' as if it were simple. How can 'we'
do anything together after all that has happened, all that you have done? Do you expect me to
drop everything and come to Egypt on your say?"
"When I hung between life and death in the pit of souls, you and your husband chose to save my
life, though I had tried to end yours. I owe you my continued existence, twice over, and I repay."
For the first time, she noticed that Imhotep looked...weathered, tired even. His robes were
tattered and there was a healing scrape on his hand. He was no longer immortal or invincible, just
a man with tired eyes and a hint of stubble on his jaw. "I would not harm you or yours."
"This has to be done." Evelyn said numbly.
"It must be done," He said, "or your world is lost."
"Then I will come." She could hardly believe she had said it, but there it was. "Where will I find
you?"
"Hamunaptra," He took a step back. He was fading, as was she. The dream world was fading, and
she could hear Rick faintly, calling her name, "Hamunaptra, where it began."
Chapter 2
Disclaimers and info back in chapter 1
The night after, she was back there once more, walking the same cool, quiet hallway. Imhotep
joined her once again, but this time his hands were empty and he appeared more urgent than
before. Nefertiri's thoughts weren't with her tonight, the princess said nothing as he watched her
curiously, expectantly. With dawning realization she looked down at her body. She was walking
in Thebes as herself. Here she was as she had fallen asleep in the library, trying to find references
to his story of ancient evil. She wore her nightgown and robe, and carried a thick volume on the
Minoans of Crete.
"Why are you influencing my dreams?" She rounded on the priest, throwing her book at him. He
dodged, but not fast enough to avoid it completely. It struck a glancing blow off his shoulder,
leaving a bright red mark. "Tell me!"
"I have no power over your dreams!" He stooped to retrieve the book, looking at the photo plates
where it had fallen open. He touched a picture of the ruins at Knossos, and another of a bare-
breasted goddess with snakes in her hands. He shut it and held it out to her. Evy edged forward,
cautiously. Imhotep's face betrayed little emotion. Once close enough, she snatched it from him
and held it to her chest like a shield.
"I was here, in my dreams, last night."
"As was I, but I didn't bring you here." Imhotep took a step toward her, and she stepped back,
wishing she was armed. "They are all gone, aren't they?"
"Who?" She would have edged back a little further, but there was a wall at her back now.
"The Minoans." He gestured to her book. "The Sumerians, the Hittites. They are all gone, like my
Egypt is gone. They are all ruins for tomb robbers and treasure hunters to plunder."
Evelyn felt he was lumping her in with those two groups, and her hackles rose. She opened her
mouth to argue that she was an archaeologist (Well, archaeologist slash librarian) and
archaeology was a science. She was not a tomb robber or a treasure hunter, thank you very much!
In the end though, what she said was "Yes." To him there would be no difference. Both
scientists and looters broke into tombs, taking away grave goods, disturbing the dead. Both made
profit, in the end.
Imhotep's stern expression didn't change, but she read deep dismay in his eyes, and a slight
bowing of the shoulders. He had seen other parts of the world when Meela had resurrected him,
hadn't he learned how the world had moved on from her, or from Beni? Beni probably wouldn't
have thought of it, but Meela? Maybe it hadn't served her purposes to tell him.
"These dreams you blame on me...What have you seen?" His stare was intense and unnerving, as
always. She didn't want to tell him about the dreams. She hadn't even liked telling Rick, though
she'd always felt comfortable speaking to him about her problems.
"My husband says that I'm just reacting to all the bad news lately. The whole world seems to be
hurling itself towards war, and..." Evelyn trailed off.feeling panic clutch it's fist around her heart.
"The wraiths are real. Evil is rising and it's happening now..."
Imhotep's answer was a single, precise nod. His eyes never left hers, and she found it hard to look
away. The side of her brain that was reason said, 'Don't believe him, he's lying to you. This is part
of some elaborate plan to regain power, or rule the world or some such thing. For all you know,
he may be responsible for those wraith things.' The part that was instinct was much more direct.
It said, 'This is real, you've been dreaming them for a reason. Something is happening out there
and it has to be stopped, so hop to it Evy!' She really wished her brain would be a little more
helpful at the moment.
"Why have I been shown these things? Who by?" She asked, trying to keep a slim grasp on
reason's side.
He looked down, keeping his head lowered for a few moments. When he looked up, she saw
fright, ever so briefly, in his eyes. "We are being called; by whom, I don't know. Perhaps the
Gods," He said quietly, "Perhaps not." Evelyn shuddered as a cold knot settled in her stomach;
she felt sick and slightly dizzy. She slid down the wall to sit on the cold stone floor,
overwhelmed by the implications. Imhotep knelt, keeping a respectful distance.
"You are a scholar, are you not?" She nodded. "I am still a priest of Osiris, despite..everything.
Probably the only priest of Osiris there has been for hundreds of years."
"Thousands," Evelyn found herself saying, "It has been over three thousand years since you were
entombed."
This number shocked him, he seemed to pale just a little. "Truly?"
"Did no one tell you this?"
"No," He rose and walked away from her, "No. Three thousand..." He composed himself and
walked back to her. "I know where the crown is hidden. At Hamunaptra there were scrolls,
records made by the ancients that may tell us where to find the sword and the dagger, and what
we must do to find the conduit-"
"We?" Evelyn interrupted, standing to face him. "You say 'we' as if it were simple. How can 'we'
do anything together after all that has happened, all that you have done? Do you expect me to
drop everything and come to Egypt on your say?"
"When I hung between life and death in the pit of souls, you and your husband chose to save my
life, though I had tried to end yours. I owe you my continued existence, twice over, and I repay."
For the first time, she noticed that Imhotep looked...weathered, tired even. His robes were
tattered and there was a healing scrape on his hand. He was no longer immortal or invincible, just
a man with tired eyes and a hint of stubble on his jaw. "I would not harm you or yours."
"This has to be done." Evelyn said numbly.
"It must be done," He said, "or your world is lost."
"Then I will come." She could hardly believe she had said it, but there it was. "Where will I find
you?"
"Hamunaptra," He took a step back. He was fading, as was she. The dream world was fading, and
she could hear Rick faintly, calling her name, "Hamunaptra, where it began."