Selkenauset lay next to her near the lake, her gently rounded stomach only barely visible beneath her loose linen shift, and gave a contented yawn as the fan bearers kept the air around them moving. It was imperative that the high priestess not grow too warm as it would not be good for the baby and so Nefertiri made sure that her sister was always shielded from Ra's pitiless glare and drinking plenty of fluids.

The day had dawned scorching hot and, unable to stand the stagnant air of their apartments, the sisters had relocated to the garden sanctuary that was accessible only to the royal family and their attendants. After indulging in a swim in the private lake, they had redressed and now lay on the blankets on the grass, speaking about trivial matters and about the new life that would soon join them. The pharaoh and his high priest were stuck in the council chambers and Rameses was still in his lessons, leaving the women with a few hours to themselves.

"Father will be in a terrible mood this afternoon" Nefertiri remarked and her sister shifted to look at her, green eyes glittering with amusement "wouldn't you be?" she snorted "it is hotter than a kiln today and those chambers cannot be any more pleasant than ours. Less so, given that he and my husband are stuffed in there with twenty other squabbling men"

They both cringed at the thought and the younger made a face "thank the gods that we are female" she muttered "on days like this, I really do not envy them". The elder grinned "enjoy it while you can, sister mine. When you are pregnant, you will have no respite. You sweat like a horse regardless of your surroundings and the morning sickness is nothing to look forward to" she remarked wryly.

"Still" Nefertiri rubbed her sister's belly fondly "it looks good on you and you will have a little one to spoil"

"We" Selkenauset corrected with a laugh "I doubt that anyone will dote upon him or her more than father. Gods help me, he is almost more excited about the child than Imhotep"

"Oh I doubt that. I have heard people say that they have never seen the High Priest look so alive"

The priestess began to laugh again "now just what is that supposed to mean? My husband is very much alive, believe me. Otherwise I would not be in this condition"

Nefertiri felt the blood rush to her cheeks " happy, I -I am sure they meant happy" she stammered

"Of course" her sister was still giggling and she was glad for it even if she was indirectly the cause of it. Selkenauset was having considerable difficulties with her pregnancy and the physicians who attended her always appeared concerned when they departed her apartments. They had said, among other things, that the priestess' slim figure would make childbirth extremely difficult and, therefore, dangerous.

However, the princess was sure that they had forgotten who exactly they were speaking of. Her sister was many things but weak was not one of them.

Just then, her attention was drawn to the gate of their little sanctuary where a Med-Jai had just entered and, when he looked over at her, her entire body tensed. It was him. She nodded in greeting then instantly averted her eyes, hoping that her sister had not seen her reaction to the guard, but her actions were in vain.

Selkenauset had composed herself and was now sitting up, her piercing gaze flickering between the her and the guard for a moment before she smiled slightly "little sister, is there something you should be telling me?"

Nefertiri's mouth went dry.

Evelyn sat up in bed, forgetting that she was naked, and was instantly alert. A quick glance at the window revealed that it was nowhere near dawn but something had awakened her. The most recent vision/dream had been relatively peaceful compared to the others. No blood, sex, stabbings or screaming. Only two sisters in a garden and the appearance of her then lover who she now knew as Nebi-ni-Heru. Why then was she so tense?

Struggling to see in the cloying darkness – one never realized what 'dark' truly meant until she/he was out in the desert with no light but the stars far overhead- she felt around for the chair that she had put her clothes on earlier. For some reason, she knew she had to get dressed and soon but did not wake Rick because she could not have explained why they needed to get up at this unholy hour of the morning. She put on her clothes, wincing internally at how she would look to anyone who saw her if she didn't have time – and light- to fix herself up, and had just gotten her pants done up when she froze suddenly.

Where had that noise come from?

In the next room, Farsiris was also awake and dressed but she had also awakened Ardeth and alerted him to the strange feeling she was having. The two of them were armed and listening carefully to their surroundings when a noise in the next room caused her head to snap up "we should go and check on Evelyn" she said quickly, very much aware that she had not mentioned Rick as well.

She sensed somehow that her cousin was in danger and that whoever was hunting her was not interested in Rick directly. Ardeth simply hoisted his gun over his shoulder and headed for the door with her close behind, her own gun in hand. He knew better than to question her intuition because it had never failed either of them before and, despite the early hour and peaceful surroundings, he didn't dare think it would now.

Suddenly there was a muffled thump followed very quickly by another, as though something or someone had been struck and they ran from their room. Ardeth turned swiftly, busted open the door to Evy and Rick's room with one swift lunge, and went inside then swore loudly, causing Farsiris to go in after him to find out what was wrong.

But, as soon as she stepped across the threshold and Ardeth lit the lamps to reveal the room, the hair on her neck rose. There was no one there.

Rick's clothes from the previous day had been thrown across the chair but Evelyn's were nowhere to be seen and their suitcases had been opened and dumped on the floor.

"Thieves" Ardeth hissed but she shook her head, feeling a strange tingling in her fingers and scalp "no" she said quietly "it is a set-up to make us think they were robbed. If it was a real robbery then Evelyn and Rick would still be here. Perhaps unconscious or tied up but still here"

A twinge of pain in her temples made her wince but she recognized the feeling as similar to that which she had felt when she had offered her body as a vessel to Selkenauset. "Ancient magic has been used in this room recently. But I am not sure why" she muttered, rubbing her head as Ardeth went over to the window and peered out. "Could it have been Evelyn?" he demanded, turning back to regard her uneasily and she thought for a moment then dismissed that possibility. "No, she would have needed a spell of sorts and there is nothing here..." she motioned to the belongings, mostly clothing, strewn across the floor "to indicate that she had any such thing. Did Rick mention anything to you?".

"He said only that Evelyn had been having visions again and was looking for something she had owned in her previous life that would answer her remaining questions about her past" he replied and a chill went up her spine.

"Her diary" she said heavily and cast a wary look at the window "however, even if that was what she was looking for, I do not see why that would a be a cause for someone to kidnap them".

"There was nothing outside, no vehicle or even a person in the street. So how they could have gotten them away from here without us seeing them is truly puzzling. Perhaps we should wait until morning, when there is light enough to examine outside"

"Indeed, my love. In the meantime, we should look around in here and see if we can find any clues. Something tells me that they have been taken farther away than we think" she said, already inspecting the mess at her feet.

Ardeth agreed and went to look in the bathroom but it was a small room and there was nothing there either. His heart was beating swiftly like a frightened rabbit's and it was not because of what he knew , but rather what he didn't.

He was concerned about his friends, there was no doubt about that, but the main reason he felt so tense was because of his wife. He watched as she sifted through Evelyn's things, noting the way the light played across her elegant cheekbones and made her dark hair shine, and his insides quivered. She looked so fragile and yet she was one of the strongest people he knew. Still, part of him wanted to send her as far from this place as possible, even though he knew full well that she would never comply.

"If anyone harms so much as a hair on her head...they will die, one way or another" he thought fiercely, setting his jaw in anger. She looked up at him then, her green eyes dark with a mixture of fatigue and worry, and rose to stand, "Ardeth...?" her question was interrupted when he stepped over the scattered clothing and pulled her to him, holding her tightly as if he were afraid that she, too, would disappear without warning.

She slid her arms around him and returned the embrace, grateful both for the strength of his arms around her and the warm solidity of his body against hers. No matter where they were or what happened around them, she always felt completely safe when he held her. "We are going to put their things back in their cases and return to our room until morning. I have a feeling that there is nothing here and the longer we stay, the more I fear for your safety" he murmured against her forehead.

She only had time to nod her agreement before a strange blueish-grey light in the window caught her eye and slowly morphed into a face. A face she recognized all too well. "Ardeth...the window" she cried then there was a sudden flash, a searing pain in her head, and darkness closed in.