CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Blue-lidded daughter of dawn, golden lady of the mountains, carrier of her father's wisdom, let an old man rest in your arms. Let him look last on love's face, breathing love's breath. I live in light a million years. The sun rises or sets now—it matters not. Here is ecstasy in death and certainty in life. We are gods in the body of god, truth and love our destinies. Go then and make of the world something beautiful, set up a light in the darkness.

--"Hymn to Hathor", Egyptian Book of the Dead, as translated by Normandi Ellis

The golden light of the setting sun gilded the balcony where Eliana stood, watching as the quiet of evening enveloped Luxor. From where she stood, the city was arrayed out before her, stretching off to the left and right as far as she could see. Straight ahead, the last rays of sunlight painted the Nile in brilliant shades of red and orange, the swiftly flowing water sparkling like a stream of diamonds as it flowed on its way north to Giza and Cairo.

A warm breeze blew in from the desert, drifting through her hair and making her deep red robe billow around her ankles. She lifted her face to the sky, noticing the first stars of the evening as they began to appear. The comet, she noticed, was gone now, faded back, she supposed, into the vastness of the universe from which it had come.

Behind her, the sheer silk draperies parted, and a tall figure stepped through the open, glass-paned double doors to join her on the balcony. Eliana smiled as her new husband slid his arms around her, gently pulled her back to rest against him, and nestled his chin on her shoulder. Lifting her hands, she laid them on the powerful, silk covered arms encircling her and leaned back into his embrace.

They stood like that for some time, not moving, not speaking, until the sun had set completely, and night began to steal over the city. Finally, Eliana turned within Imhotep's embrace, looking up into his eyes and smiling at the bemused expression on his face. She could happily look into those eyes forever, she thought, feeling almost physically caressed by the warm light of love shining from the golden brown depths.

"Happy, my love?" he asked softly, smiling that crooked half smile that she loved. His arms were still linked loosely around her, still holding her against him.

"How could I not be happy?" she answered, laying her cheek against his broad chest and rubbing it against the cool black silk of his robe. Her arms encircled his waist and she pressed close to him, feeling his warmth and hearing the strong, steady beat of his heart. "Everything I have ever wanted is right here in my arms."

For a long while, they simply stood there, content to bask in each other's warmth and nearness. Then, with a smile, Imhotep leaned away from her, tucking a strand of auburn hair behind her ear with one long, elegant finger. "And what adventures do you have planned for us for tomorrow, my love? More museums, more libraries, more…" he trailed off, not even daring to guess what she might have planned for them. For the last week, they had spent almost every day on a continuous journey of discovery, Eliana's eagerness to show him all the wonders of the modern world only surpassed by his eagerness to see them. And together, they had explored the world of their past, as well, visiting the ancient sites, the temples, the tombs, both of them filled with reverence and nearly moved to tears by the crumbling but still magnificent remains of the civilization they had once called their own. By day, they explored and learned, exulting like children over each new marvel, each new adventure, and by night… Nights held their own journeys of discovery, even more pleasurable than those embarked upon by day.

"Nothing, actually," she admitted, looking up into his face with a small frown. "We only have a couple of days left, and then our honeymoon will be over, and we'll have to leave for Cairo. I thought we could just spend this last little bit of time in Luxor together, not doing much of anything…" Within days, their life would be chaotic. She would be starting her new job as a lecturer in applied linguistics at the American University in Cairo. She'd also need to start working soon with Akil Hamid, who had by now returned to his position at the Museum of Antiquities. The Ahm Shere site would be active for many months yet, but already its treasures were beginning to trickle out into the world. Soon, they would need to begin the tedious work of organizing and cataloguing the artifacts that the museum had managed to obtain for its own collection. Negotiations with the Sudanese government had been intense; but still smarting from the embarrassment of what had almost happened at the site, the Sudanese were a bit more accommodating than they had proven in years past.

And Imhotep himself would soon be busy, as well. In the weeks after her release from the hospital, he had returned to the site, helping out where he could, assisting in the translations of some of the more difficult hieroglyphs contained in the pyramid's vast tunnels and chambers. He and Akil Hamid had worked together closely, and the older man had been so taken with Imhotep's knowledge and patience in his work that he'd finally brought up the subject of a position with the museum itself. Armed with the paperwork that Connelly had produced for him in just a single day, the business of finding gainful employment was no longer a problem. He was officially, if not exactly technically, a citizen of the twenty-first century world. He would begin his work at the museum only a scant day or so after Eliana's job began. And there was still so much to do, so much to learn…

"My love, I would like nothing better than to do absolutely nothing, especially with you. Although I very much doubt," he teased, pressing warm lips to the curve of her neck, "that we will do nothing. I can think of an abundance of things that I would love to do with you, and to you, and none of them have anything to do with leaving this room." Laughing at the playful shove she gave him, he continued, "And if by some unlikely chance we grow tired of those amusements…" Another kiss, this time just below her earlobe, sent shivers down her spine. "…which I doubt we will, but…"

He leaned back, still holding her, but letting her heart rate return to normal, at least for now. "There is always my 'education' to see to. After all, I still have three thousand years of history to review," he reminded her, amazed as always that he had been given this extraordinary gift of living a life in a world millennia after he had been born, a world where men could speak to each other from opposite sides of the globe, travel enormous distances within hours while flying through the air, receive news from all over the world instantaneously, routinely perform miracles of medicine, and, perhaps most remarkably of all, actually walk on the surface of the moon.

Eliana had presented him with a laptop computer several weeks ago, along with Hebrew translations of several encyclopedias on CD. Although his mastery of the English language was progressing daily, and he was already able to use it with relative ease, he was still more comfortable with the older language. He had already read over half the information there, and the sheer volume of knowledge available to modern society staggered him. He had much to learn, but his clever mind and quick intellect was absorbing information at an amazing rate, and he had always been imminently adaptable. He would find his place in this new world—he had no doubts on that score.

But not right now, or tonight, or tomorrow, or even the next day. Right now, all he desired was to be right here, next to this woman, to whom he was now joined, not just by the bonds of love they shared, but by the laws of man and society. She was his, bound to him by ties that no one could refute, and he intended to spend every moment he had loving her and thanking the gods—her God, his gods, every god in the universe—for his good fortune. Somehow, by the grace of a benevolent deity, he had risen like a phoenix from the ashes of his own past, his own failings, his own destruction, and he would spend the remainder of his lifetime being grateful.

And the greatest gift of all—that Eliana was finally, absolutely, eternally his, and that in this lifetime, at least, he'd had to share her with no one—that gift was completely beyond price. Silently, he thanked fate for her capricious goodness, that streak of sentimental fancy of hers that made kings out of beggars, beggars of out kings, and sometimes, just sometimes, allowed a lost man to recover his own soul.

But there would be time for reflection later, much later, and time aplenty to count his blessings. Just now, there were other matters to consider, not the least of which was the very erroneous statement his wife had just made. Smiling, he pulled her more tightly against him, reveling in her feel, her scent, her touch. "And if you think that this—what is the word you used? Honeymoon? If you think that this honeymoon will be over in a handful of days, well…" He grinned wickedly now, his long, supple fingers moving lightly over the skin exposed by her loosely tied robe.

"…I do not think so."

Eliana gasped as pleasure shot through her like an electrical charge, making her skin tingle and her heart race. They had made love countless times in the days and nights past, each time more wonderful, more magical than the time before. She never failed to be amazed at her husband's creativity and imagination—or the wanton inventiveness he inspired in her. This day had been spent like the others, drinking in the history and beauty of the world outside, but now… Now, the night stretched out before them, endless hours in which to enjoy each other and give free rein to the desire that always simmered between them.

Returning his smile, Eliana took Imhotep's hand and pulled him back into the room with her, moving through the silk-covered doorway, but leaving the door itself open to the night air. As she led the way to the large, satin-covered bed, she asked,

"And just how long will it last, my love?"

"A lifetime, Eliana." His answer was a husky whisper, as he pulled her into his arms and bent his head towards hers. The love that shone from his eyes dimmed the stars. "A lifetime."

And then there were no more words.

"It is time, child," said the Voice, the light and fire of its being flaring into brilliance once more. "Are you ready?"

I am, said the tiny soul, the quivering excitement of its tone bearing silent testimony to how very long it had waited for this moment. A second chance; a new beginning. It had waited eons for its time to come again; it had lingered for a small eternity in this space between one existence and the next with a stubbornly impatient determination to start over, live its life, have its time. And finally, finally, the god had kept his promise, the wheel had turned, fate had grasped the soul's thread once more in her hand and prepared to weave it into the unfolding tapestry below.

As the light unfurled, slowly releasing its protective grasp on the little being it had safeguarded through the millennia, the soul spun outwards, racing for the shimmering portal that it saw had opened, a one-time rift in the fabric of space and time, growing from a tiny speck in the endless dark to a gaping, yawning gate through which the soul could pass.

"You are sure, little one?" the Voice questioned one final time, although it knew this bit of Creation very well, knew that there would be no last-minute change of heart. "Once past the gate, there is no way of returning, save the one…"

I want to return, it said, but its headlong flight had slowed, faltered, and to the great surprise of the Voice, it momentarily turned back. Please tell me, asked the little being, a tiny quaver betraying its anxiety, will they want me to return? Do they still want me as theirs?

The light flared into momentary brilliance, and a soft tendril of luminescence reached out, briefly enfolding the small entity in a comforting embrace of warmth and love. "They have never stopped wanting you," promised the Voice, the pure, beautiful music of its silent song reverberating through the space between the heavens. "They have loved you since the moment of your creation, longed for you through the ages. There would be no greater gift for them than to return you to them. You will make them complete in ways they could never imagine. You will bring them love, joy, hope, faith. You will be the means through which they—regardless of where they have sought it in the past—will truly achieve immortality. But still, the choice is yours."

I will go then, it declared, joy in every thread of the words. But once more, there was a small hesitation. But you…

"What, child?" queried the Voice. "What concerns you?"

If I leave you, will you be alone? The tiny soul sounded afraid, almost hesitant to ask the question, not wanting to be held back, but unwilling to let anyone linger in this nothingness without someone. I do not wish for you to be alone…

The Voice rumbled with a sound almost like laughter, and the shining light pulsated with a deep, rich vibrancy. "My dear child," it assured, "you have no need for concern. I will not be alone. I will be with you wherever you go, wherever on the Earth you roam, for the rest of your days. And one day, long from now, you will return to me, and I will welcome you back with great rejoicing. It is how it should be. You need have no fear for me."

And I will know you? asked the soul, not wanting to forget this benevolent being who had stood with it and safeguarded it for centuries. I will not forget?

"The memory of your time here will fade," allowed the Voice, a tinge of sadness in its ageless melody. "But this, too, is how it should be. In the beginning, the memory will be brightest, the clearest. As time passes, the remembrance will fade from your consciousness, but a part of you will still remember. A part of you will bear the imprint of my love for all time. It will never fade."

I am ready, then, said the little being, turning once more towards the beckoning gateway. It drifted nearer, and as it drew close, the shimmering radiance of the portal seemed to reach out towards it, enveloping it, embracing it, pulling it inexorably towards the opening through which it must pass. One last time, the soul looked back, but there was no hesitation now, just a simple, devout joy. Goodbye, it called to the Voice, as it bridged the gap between worlds. I will not forget you, it promised. I will remember.

The Voice watched as the gateway flared with the light of eternity, as the soul entered the passageway through which it would return. A twinge of sadness did flare briefly then, but was gone in seconds, as the light read the future with effortless ease, charting the course of this little being's existence in the earthly plane. A long life, health, happiness, and an overflowing abundance of love would mark its destiny this time. The light flared again, irrevocably sealing the gateway through which the soul had traveled. For a heartbeat, it pulsed with dazzling resplendence, then in another it had winked out, traveling back through the spaces inside infinity where it dwelt.

On the earth below, a single shining star shot through the heavens over Egypt, flaring with a momentary brilliance, then fading from view, leaving the midnight velvet canopy of night untouched once more.

A falcon's cry pierced the night air of the desert, as it wheeled over the sweeping expanse of sand. Crying again, it dropped swiftly through the sky to land on the leather covered arm of the horseman who sat atop the high ridgeline of an arid plateau.

The black robed rider caressed the smooth feathers of the majestic bird, whispering soothingly to it in a melodic Arabic dialect. From behind him, another rider gained the top of the ridge.

"Our job here is done, my friend," the second man told the first, gesturing out over the cliff's edge. Below him, the rocky cliff face dropped off for a hundred meters, and on the floor of the valley below, what should have been more desert, but was instead a lush, verdant carpet of emerald green, spread out in all directions as far as the eye could see. The Oasis of Ahm Shere was a beautiful sight, sparkling like a lost jewel in the vast ocean of sand.

Ardeth Bay looked out over the incredible green vista below, an enigmatic look on his darkly handsome face. Again he stroked the bird, soothing it with a simple touch.

"And yet I wonder, brother," he said softly, and his voice, deep and melodic, held a hint of wonder, and a shard of warning.

"The oasis is restored, and the Creature is no more. But the black book was never recovered. As long as it is out there, danger remains. True, it no longer holds the power to call forth the Creature, but it contains other secrets, some even more dangerous. No, friend, our job is not over, nor will it be, until the Med Jai are once again in possession of the book. Until then, we must remain vigilant."

The two men looked out over the oasis, and the vastness of the desert beyond, for several moments more. Suddenly, with a cry, the falcon beat its powerful wings and launched itself into the sky, rapidly gaining altitude and soon becoming no more than a speck far off in the blue-black canopy. Kicking their mounts, the two riders turned as one and rode off into the night.