Chapter 3

Ahkmenrah was perched atop his sarcophagus, slumped over pointedly away from her. "Pharaoh? My name is McKenzie, and I assure you, I'm only here to help you." Silence. He was one of those who seemed content to allow her to carry the conversation, apparently. Well, she could do that. Too well, according to her peers. "It appears we got off on the wrong foot, so to speak. Shall we start over?"

"I apologize for my rudeness. It is just... You remind me of someone. Strongly."

Ah. She'd pretty much figured that out when he'd stared at her with such evident shock. "I see. The person you saw a few nights ago, the stranger?"

"No. Believe me, I would not have allowed you to stay if I you resembled him," he replied vehemently.

"May I ask who, then?"

Ahkmenrah grew silent again.

"All right then, no. What is it exactly about me that reminds you of her?"

Your eyes, he thought, but aloud he declared, "Forgive me, but I would rather not speak of her."

This was off to a swimming start, she could tell. "All right then, we don't have to talk about her if you don't want to." Though I'd love to! Already, she could feel her curiosity overcoming her shock about the magic and his past, but she knew she had to restrain herself- if she interrogated him too much at once, he'd shut her out as firmly as his jackals had warned her away. "What do you wish to talk about, then? Mr. Daley said you're suffering from some trauma."

Larry would have told her that. "What did the Guardian tell you?"

"Frustratingly little. Only that you might be suffering from PTSD." Noting the puzzled expression on his face, she clarified, "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. After you've undergone a traumatic event, your mind relives it over and over again in flashbacks. I can help you overcome it."

"I do not believe I suffer from that, thank you."

"Denial is always the first sign."

This girl was mildly stubborn. All Ahkmenrah wanted at the moment was to be left alone! Was that too much to ask? "I assure you, I have not been reliving the fire in my mind."

"Fire? What fire?!" For the second time that night, McKenzie looked alarmed.

"Nothing. A fight with a former enemy."

"And this person is?.."

"Deceased. And I have no desire to speak about him tonight," Ahkmenrah replied firmly.

"Ah." So it was one of those situations- survivor's guilt. McKenzie stowed away this bit of information for future use, along with the rising number of questions inside her belly. "Well, we must discuss something! You won't recover until you talk about it. You said you weren't exactly reliving the fire, but I can tell from your hesitation that you're not being completely honest to me."

Sighing, Ahkmenrah forced himself to meet her gaze for the second time- and still got shivers down his spine from her unwavering eyes. They looked so much like... No, best not to think about her anymore. It was over. After what happened, he was amazed he was still able to think about her with any warmth at all, though much of that warmth, granted was eaten up by anger, confusion, and pain. "I do not exactly relive the night of the fire. The nightmares are not memories."

Finally they were getting somewhere! "Nightmares? Do they occur every night?"

"Yes." Clearly he wasn't going to elaborate without prompting. McKenzie was more than capable of that.

"Do you sleepwalk?" Ahkmenrah looked almost amused by the last comment, and it took her a few seconds to figure out why. "Oh, right, you're dead during the day. Sorry. Wait, if you're dead, then how can these be nightmares? You'd have to be-"

"Alive? I know. Unfortunately, I do not know what is causing them. They are not normal nightmares, and I have never been plagued by them before."

"Interesting. You're sure you have no idea what's triggering them?"

The pharaoh shook his head. He was confused; she was hoping he wasn't as messed up as she'd heard some patients could be. This was going to be a beautiful patient-client relationship. She could tell.

"Well, since this is getting us nowhere, let's move on to meet-and-greet, shall we? I've already introduced myself, your turn."

"I am Ahkmenrah, Fourth King of the Fourth King, Ruler of the Land of my Fathers."

"Quite the title! I must say, impressive. Do you call yourself that to all the young ladies?" She half-teased. He just stared, turned mildly pink- with his complexion, a rather mild fuchsia- and looked down at the tablet in his lap. I'm just terrible at this sort of thing, aren't I? She berated herself. "Sorry, really I am. I didn't mean to mock you or anything, honestly I didn't!"

"It is all right."

"If it helps, I really do think it's a neat title. Not too many people get to use it these days, you know!"

"Well, it was meant to be unique as well as impressive." For the first time, she saw signs of a small grin tucking up the corners of his mouth, though he was still slightly flushed.

"If you're not going to talk about your visions, maybe you could show me around the place? Mr. Daley gave me an abbreviated tour, but now that I know what's actually happening around here, I'd honestly love to learn more." This wasn't just an opener- she really did want to understand more about the magic that graced these halls, breathing everything to life. Not since she was a child had she experienced such wonder!

"I would love to my lady, but tonight I just... I cannot. I fear I would make a poor guide tonight, for I am not in the mood for company. Teddy is an excellent guide- he knows more about this museum than I could hope to show you in a lifetime. Perhaps you would like to see if he is willing?"

"You're the one I came to see, not President Roosevelt. But if you wish, I can leave." Still, she'd honestly thought she was getting through to him for a moment. Ahkmenrah merely looked down at his tablet in response. He did indeed feel surprisingly weary after their brief discussion- or interrogation, as the less generous part of him called it.

Sensing the interview was over, McKenzie rose and headed for the exit, unable to resist a backwards glance at her patient. Who was the man Ahkmenrah had confronted in the fire? How did the tablet operate? More intriguingly, who could she possibly remind a four thousand year-old pharaoh of? Most important, could she ever get through to the Fourth King of the Fourth King?


Teddy found the pharaoh brooding atop his sarcophagus later that night. "Evening, Ahk. Might I have a word?"

Ahkmenrah shrugged. Despite what he's told McKenzie earlier, part of him feared being alone, and he could no think of nobody whose company might sooth his anxiety more than the president. "Hello Teddy. It has been a while since we spoke."

"So it has. I suppose with the new program in place, we've had little time to just 'hang out,' as today's generation puts it. You alright?"

"I suppose."

"You're not. You're trying to fool yourself that you are, but you're not alright. Can't say I'm surprised- better men have fallen apart after such dark events!"

"Teddy, not now-"

"No, listen lad. I understand you've been grieving after your last interaction with your brother, so soon after the fire. I also know you have been blaming yourself again. If this girl can help you when the rest of us have failed to, then for the love of God, Ahk, let her! Let her in! It does you no good glaring at your tablet all night long- and don't pretend you're only trying to figure it out."

"What I feel has little to do with my brother now, or her. Lately, I..." he trailed off as he stared at a distant wall. "Lately, I cannot shake this feeling of dread. I do not know what is causing it, only that it is persistent and gnawing at my gut. This emotion took root in me when my visions began, and when I that man arrived yesterday, it worsened. Regardless what I do or where I go, it lingers. Sometimes when I look into my tablet, I can barely breathe."

"What does it mean?"

"The last time I felt something like this, I died. I doubt it can mean anything good."

Both men stared at each other, each lost in his own worries. Teddy made a mental note to discuss what Ahkmenrah had just told him with Larry, but felt his friend needed a distraction. "My dear boy, if nothing else, please remember what I said about McKenzie. Let her in a bit. Give her a week, at least, and if you're uncomfortable with her then, talk to me and Larry. Personally, I find her to quite amicable, if lonely. Why do you dislike her so? You usually reserve judgement with people."

"She strikes me as stubborn and intrusive."

Teddy chuckled at the comment. "In that case, she'll give you a run for your money! Yet we both know there's more to it than that. She reminds you of another, doesn't she?" When Ahkmenrah remained silent but flushed profusely, the president sighed. "I won't press you now, though one day I hope you'll be ready to tell me. Regardless Ahk, all I ask is for you to give her a chance."

Considering his friend's words. Ahkmenrah nodded. "I will try."

"Excellent! Now, this is our first night off in weeks. Shall we patrol the halls with Texas? It's time we reviewed your riding lessons!"

Grinning, Ahkemnrah followed him out of the darkness.


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