CHAPTER FIVE

Age of Gemini, about six thousand five hundred years ago on the grassy, but drying, Giza Plain...


The wind blew the remains of Khuta's hair back from her ruined face. Once she had been as beautiful as the deep green stones she wore around her neck. The stones were from under the sands on the eastern side of the great green river.

But the savannah fire had licked her face and had left thick purple scars. The fire had burned half of her hair off, and the scars on one side of her head were so thick no hair could grow there.

She had despaired of ever finding a mate but women were valuable, and so were the children they carried within their wombs.

Her father had told her she was to be married. Her womb would bring forth fruit, he told her, and ensure the future of this land.

Khuta was disinclined to believe her father. How could a child ensure the future of the land? Her tribe had walked for many moons, leaving behind the land in which she had buried her mother. One spring day Khuta had woken up and found her mother covered with tiny sores. Soon, her mother had died and one by one so did other members of her tribe.

So they had left that land, thinking perhaps evil spirits lingered there. And for moons they had walked eastwards until they came to a large plain. Here, Kysen said they would live.

And now she would marry Kysen.

A small wind roused the drying earth, and the earth formed a picture in the air. Khuta gasped! The earth was changing into the shape of a man--strong, with dark piercing eyes. The shape of his face reminded Khuta of how her own face had looked before the savannah fire had ruined the soft skin. The man was looking straight at her. Strange blue markings were tattooed on the man's face.

"He is a warrior," Khuta thought. "With those piercing eyes and that countenance, he is a warrior through and through," she finished and was startled when a male voice spoke.

"He is your descendent, Khuta. And yes, he is a warrior. He is needed in a future time to ensure the restoration of Ma'at to this land."

Khuta was startled at the words which came from the thin air and she wanted to run. But her curiosity got the better of her, so she asked, "What is his name?"

"Ardeth. He is the man your son's descendents will beget in a future time, near the end of the Age of Pisces. He will restore the Ma'at to Egypt and liberate a city across the Great Green and far to the northwest. You must take your son away when he is a year old, for the pitted scar disease will come to your tribe again and if you and your son do not go away until the flooding subsides, your son will contract the pitted scar disease and die," the voice answered and faded.

"Ardeth..." Khuta whispered. "You are my son..." she said as the dry sandy earth dropped back to the ground.


Nine months after Khuta's vision...

Oh sweet Isis! The pain! Could not even the shaman give something to help dull the pain?

Khuta's eyes glazed over and she felt something pressing between her legs. She grunted and was surprised when she felt something slip out of her.

"A caul!" exclaimed the shaman.

"It is a boy," Khuta said, panting. She made this as a statement, before seeing the child.

"Yes, a boy," the shaman said as he removed the caul from the infant's face. Both he and Khuta sucked in their breath.

"Those markings are familiar," Khuta murmured...'Ardeth!" she exclaimed as she remembered the face of her future descendant. In that distant time, the man in the sand had blue markings on his face very similar to these birthmarks the infant now bore.

"Ardeth is not one of our tribal names," the shaman observed. "Do you wish to call him Ardeth?"

Khuta thought about this a moment. She had asked Priest Tefibi about the Age of Pisces. He told her they were near the end of the Age of Gemini and the end of the Age of Pisces would not occur for at least six thousand five hundred floodings from now. He had been surprised at her question and she replied that she'd had a dream.

"Yes. A new name in honor of a new home," she said as the shaman finished cutting the umbilical cord. The shaman dried the infant, who merely looked at the shaman with his huge dark brown eyes. The shaman handed the infant Ardeth to Khuta.

--That's strange. Normally, babies' eyes are blue at birth and gradually darken to brown. I have known a green eyed infant whose mother had blue eyes and whose father had brown eyes--the shaman thought. --But for this infant's eyes to be brown at birth...this infant is destined, or his descendents are destined, for something special.--

Nestled in his mother's arms, the baby began to nurse when his mother offered him her breast.

"My son Ardeth, you will become a great warrior," Khuta whispered to her newborn son. She began to softly sing a lullaby as the newborn nursed.

"What is it, little one?
My good little one,
My brave little one
My dear little one
What is it, little one?
Be still, I will stroke your fingers
I kiss the sweat from your brow
I will stay near you
You and I belong together"

"A warrior in this life, or in a future life," the shaman added silently to himself as he watched Khuta nurse her newborn son Ardeth.



Age of Taurus, 2630 BC, Temple of Nuit, late summer, in the deep of night...


On the floor of Nuit's Temple, Imhotep was straining to keep the vision in his mind. He smiled to himself as he saw Khuta nursing the newborn Ardeth and heard the lullaby she sang. The same lullaby was used by the Medjai women in Imhotep's time and Imhotep knew that the lullaby's origination had been with Khuta.

Imhotep found himself becoming well versed in hearing the thoughts of those to whom he gave visions. He knew Khuta would protect her son from the pitted scar disease and take him away.

If only the pitted scar disease would go away, Imhotep thought to himself as he deepened his trance.

All of his strength would be needed to help the Restorer of Ma'at.

For Imhotep had discovered that Set was planning a nasty surprise for Ardeth, and Imhotep desperately needed Lostris' help. Strange that he couldn't find Lostris and Taita.