NeferNeferi - Patience, my friend. She'll find out about Atem's true identity, but it'll take at least a few more chapters.
Proxima Centauri - I agree that Cairo wasn't the capital at the time Atem was Pharaoh.
I remember the anime mentioned several times that Atem was a Pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty, which meant the capital should have been Thebes, known as Waset at the time. But if his reign was supposed to coincide with the reign of Amenhotep IV (Akhenaton), the capital would then be at Akhetaton. (It's known as Tell el-Amarna now.) I highly doubt that Atem was Takahashi-sensei's idea of a warped version of Akhenaton though, so that knocks Tell el-Amarna out.
Memphis, or Mn-nfr, was important during the 18th Dynasty as well since you'd had to be crowned at Memphis in order to be accepted as the leader of Egypt. Even Tutankhamun ended up living at Memphis instead of Thebes ... but the problem is whether you believe Atem was Pharaoh before King Tut (the capital is at Thebes) or after him (the capital would be Memphis).
I'd better stop rambling before this becomes a history lesson.
I'll have to remember to mention this to Youlan but I highly doubt she'll be able to do anything about it. If I'm not mistaken, she'll probably tell me something along the lines of 'This story is a work of fiction so I can't be held accountable for the historical accuracy of it ... and I was young at the time.'
olifantje-emma - Thank you for reviewing and here's the next chapter.
Chapter 26
"Oh ... I'm dying!"
It was approaching noon when a yell was heard from the scorching desert. Shebi was lying bent over the horse's back, panting deeply due to the heat.
"Are you feeling well?" Tameri turned her head around to look at Shebi. "How can I be well ... it's all your fault ..." Shebi tried to lift her head but was too tired to do so. "Such hot weather ... don't you even feel like fainting?" She asked.
"How can that be possible? It's not that serious!" Tameri smiled. Oddly enough, she felt only slightly warm under the sun that could bake anyone to a crisp.
Unknown to her, it was because of her 'good lineage' in her blood. All you had to do was look at her ancestors. Each and every one of them were valiant Pharaohs, suited to the desert environment. They were most skilled in desert tactics, so they don't fear the heat one bit.
"... What a strange person ..." Shebi muttered to herself as she quickened the pace of her horse. "... I hope we can reach an oasis or Cairo soon ... if I have to stay here any longer, I won't be able to stand it!"
"Oh! You're going in the wrong direction! It's here!" Tameri moved to block her friend.
"What? It's not in this direction?" Shebi asked, confused. She remembered that the map clearly said ... "The map said that once you see a wooden pile, head to the north."
"... But my instints are telling me it's not there. We should go here." Tameri pointed in the opposite direction.
Five Hours Later
"Tameri ..." Behind her, Shebi's weak voice called out. "Are you really certain it's this way? I don't want to die here ..." She commented anxiously.
"Um ... We should be there soon ..." Tameri continued moving according to her intuition. After riding for a while, they discovered a group of camels in a caravan slowly approaching them.
"Excuse me ..." Tameri hastened her horse's pace to catch up with them. "Where are you from? We're a bit lost ..."
"Oh? We've just started out from Cairo."
"Just follow those ... " A man pointed towards some sparse lights in the distance. "You'll reach it if you just keep going on ahead."
"Thank you." Tameri gratefully thanked the man.
"What about you? Are you two travelling together alone?" The leader of the group asked.
"We came from a small village near the border." Shebi had caught up with them.
Tameri added, "We had just passed a place with wooden stakes sticking up and were worried we had gone in the wrong direction."
The leader thought for a moment for asking, "... Are you two headed to the South?" The two girls nodded.
"Fortunately you girls had chosen the right road or else you may have died in the desert ..." The foreman commented.
"What!" Tameri and Shebi were shocked. Shebi took out her map, saying, "But ... this map says ..."
The foreman glanced at it and answered, "This map is very old. You can't trust what it says anymore."
Another man added, "And those wooden stakes the map mentioned had been covered up by the sands over two years ago. The ones you saw were put up recently in a slightly different location from the originals."
"Yet you girls seem to have very good fortune. I believe the gods will always be quietly watching over you." The foreman smiled at them.
"What do you mean?" Tameri asked him.
"I guess you girls don't know about the dangers hiding in the desert." The two shook their heads.
The foreman began to explain. "The desert is a very dangerous place. Not only is the temperature high during the day, you may get hit by a sand storm or bandits. During the night, you have to be on your guard against animals that may attack you."
As the girls heard this, their faces turned even more pale. 'We've ... we've been very fortunate indeed ...'
The gaffer warned, "Right now, evening is quickly approaching ... you two better get on going towards the city ..."
"That's right. It's best to avoid the dangers if you can. Go on." Another echoed.
"Oh ... I am truly grateful for your assistance." Tameri thanked the men again. "I hope your journey is peaceful."
After both parties gave their blessings to the other, they quickly began to set off towards their destinations.
Author's Corner:
Youlan: ... I want to dedicate this chapter to my good friend who lost her life in the Ali Mountain incident -- Yifang ...
Posted on October 9, 2004.