Concept date: 3rd February, 2017
Status: COMPLETED
Version: EXTENDED.
Age recommendation: 15+
Average reading time: Approximately 45 Minutes.
Revisions: 3. [Last Edit: March 2019]
Angel-in-charge: Margret
Angel-in-charge: Margret
Team Assigned: Team 74
Human Time: 1320BC-0AH
Human Time: 1320BC-0AH
Mission: 116590 - 9 - 5561
Age 15+
Simhenta-Kara carefully placed the brightly painted chest upon the stone floor and looked about the room that he and his master; Sentus-Kasim had been provided by the Royal Chamberlain. He walked to the large open window, covered by two embroidered curtains and stared out. The city was sprawled out below the window; "Typical, we're at the back of the palace with no view of the river." He sighed and watched, as his master's two household slaves, started to unpack the personal luggage and set the room up.
The Royal magician; Sentus-Kasim would only allow his young assistant to move or handle the magic props. Lulha wandered in and also stared out of the window which dominates the room. "No bloody view of the river - great!" She muttered with some sarcasm in her voice. Simhenta watched her with envious eyes; the pretty young girl was the old Magicians slave of the bed chamber - Simhenta found it hard to stomach, that the old man bedded such a lovely young girl, just because he had paid gold for her.
He quickly adverted his eyes, when Sentus appeared and slumped in a newly placed chair and pulled the thick plaid wig from his head and cursed. He waved at Simhenta and groaned; "Some bloody emissaries have arrived from the Kadesh King and will receive audience with Pharaoh tonight - which means my performance will now be tomorrow night." Ghusan, the old magician's personal body slave, took the wig and placed it upon its stand and checked for new lice.
Lulha handed her master a cup of wine and said nothing. The old man ran his free hand up her thigh until it rested against her taught belly. "Still, it gives me more time to enjoy my new young bed slave." The old man grinned and sipped his wine, running a hand over the girls bum and between her legs; she didn't smile or react.
His groping's were ended by the arrival of the Pharaoh's personal secretary, who informed Sentus that the Pharaoh demanded his presence now. "It is not for performance, but council." The secretary reassured the near panicked magician.
Thus, Sentus and Simhenta, suitably dressed to greet Pharaoh, made their way to the King's personal apartments; both were impressed by the King's bodyguard - Nubian soldiers dressed in silver and gold tunic's with vicious looking curved swords - they were known to be totally loyal to the King.
They knew something was up, when they were shown into the King's inner sanctuary and were greeted by two naked young girls, bearing cups of wine. Simhenta smiled broadly at the pair and received quite a smile back; they were wearing nothing, but thick decorated collars and lotus flowers entwined in their long dark hair. "The King will be here in minutes." Dushan, the King's secretary announced and took a cup from the girls, then shooed them away; with a wave of his hand.
Dushan looked about and pulled the pair close to him; "What the King is about to impart could get you both killed, if you unwisely speak of it, to the wrong person." He then bowed quite low, as a dark curtain was pulled aside by a particularly fierce looking Nubian. Simhenta whispered to his master; "That's Talin, the Pharaoh's personal bodyguard, he never leaves the King's side, he never speaks; except with his sword."
Old Sentus-Kasim gulped and nervously smiled as Pharaoh Amenhotep stood before them; every one bowed quite low. Simhentra immediately noticed the physical difference between the new King and his late predecessor; Pharaoh Tutankhamen who had lain in his tomb, these past three years. Amenhotep was a powerfully build man with cold, cruel eyes of black. He was not known for his mercy. He had taken the throne of Egypt by marriage to the young kings widow and none defied him; he had commanded the Egyptian Army [at the time] and was a great warrior. He was also pious to the old Gods and had overthrown Tutankhamen's father's change, to a single God; the Aten, reverting the Kingdom to the religion of the ancient Gods.
The 'heritic' Pharaoh Akhenaten's name and very existence in Egyptian History had been obliterated from monuments and court records. Even his new capital had been deserted and was turning to ruins in the Armana desert.
Simhentra knew one fact, well known to every Egyptian; you didn't fuck with this Pharaoh. The Pharaoh pointed directly at Simhentra and spoke to Sentus; "Can this young man be trusted with Pharaoh's secrets?" The old Magician bowed even lower, well. as much as his age and back allowed him; "Yes my Lord, Simhentra is my trusted assistant and apprentice. He only speaks of matters that I allow him - I would trust him with my life."
The Pharoah smiled and grunted; "If your wrong in your trust Setus, then it will be your life." Simhentra saw the look of sheer fear upon his old master's face, but said nothing. The King folded his arms adding; "And your life as well." He indicated to Simhentra with another evil smile.
A young naked girl brought a tray with cups of wine and Simhentra noticed that the King's goblet was solid gold, encrusted with jewels, while they received plain silver cups. The Pharaoh gripped old Sentus's shoulder and spoke quietly; "My Captain, who guards the old tombs upon the Giza, discovered that a local family had indulged in some grave robbing. He had them all thrown to the God Hapi and the good God's servants [Nile crocodiles] devoured them. No afterlife for such villains." He grinned broadly and clapped his hands. The young girl disappeared with some haste - like her very life depended upon it.
"If any one here speaks, writes or even whispers about what they see; the God Hapi will have more tasty morsels for his children." Pharaoh nodded to Talin, who walked to the dark curtain and pulled it aside.
Two large Nubian servants carried in a heavy chest and placed it before Pharaoh, standing to one side, when indicated to do so, by Talin. Pharaoh patted the box gently and Talin carefully unlocked the chest, which was entirely painted black with no writing or symbols. "A funeral chest." Sentus muttered and wiped his face with a very nervous hand.
The big Nubian slowly opened the chest which contained bundles of black cloth and Pharaoh pushed his hands inside and slowly lifted a small, square shaped object that easily fitted into one hand. It glinted and sparkled in the light of the rooms lamps; Setus and Simhentra gasped as they could clearly see their reflections upon its strange surface, which also contained hieroglyphs they did not recognise or understand.
"This was robbed from the tomb of a long dead Magician, who served a great Pharaoh some thousand years before." He turned the object in his hands slowly, almost with reverence. He smiled a little, adding; "I've had several of my best and most educated servants and priests examine it. Four are dead and two simply vanished - gone, no trace of them found. Now I want you to discover how the thing works and what purpose it serves."
He placed the object into Setus's trembling hands and patted the old man; "It's our little secret my new friend, after all, no Pharaoh wants to be accused of receiving goods that were robbed from a tomb - now does he?"
Sentus nodded and whispered; "Of course not my Lord." He carefully wrapped the strange, and apparently deadly, object up in the cloth. Pharaoh pointed to the exit; "Go now and see what you discover. But remember, you cannot leave the palace without my express permission - on pain of death. Everything you require will be provided by my secretary Dushan; food, wine, gold and silver, girls, just ask and it will be done."
Sentus and Simhentra bowed and backed slowly towards the door, they were almost outside the chamber when Pharaoh called after them; "Oh, and please don't fail me, as that could have quite unpleasant consequences - for you." The King smiled broadly and walked away with Talin just steps behind him.
They both knew what Pharaoh meant by that - death; thrown to the crocodiles - if they were lucky and if Pharaoh was merciful that day!
And that's if the strange device didn't kill them first.
2. THOTH'S MAGIC MIRROR OF TIME.
The pair sat in the gathering gloom of night and stared at the object, now placed upon a small table before them. They both sipped wine and for several minutes nothing passed between them, until the old magician sighed loudly and allowed a few tears to fall; "I know what it is." He said simply and gulped down his wine, allowing Simhentra to replenish his cup.
Simhentra could see fear - real fear - in the old man's face and hear it, in his trembling words. "You didn't tell Pharaoh what you knew because he would have killed us. Once we're of no use anymore, that will happen and it will keep his dirty secret of receiving robbed tomb goods. I strongly suspect he kept all the gold and other precious items from those ransacked tombs, for himself." He whispered to the old man who nodded; yes.
Sentus pointed a shaking finger towards the object and spoke very quietly; "It was robbed from the tomb of the great and legendary magician; Tha. He died over a thousand years ago and his name and exploits are still known to this day. Whilst the many Pharaohs that have passed since then are mostly forgotten, with their temples gone and no one recalls their names. They have left history, but Tha lives on in peoples memories and hearts. A good man, kind and generous to the poor and a magician who almost equalled Thoth in talent. It was said, that he was able to part the Nile waters with simple words of power and Hapi didn't mind. He could cure blindness and leprosy with potions and magic. There is a story that he could even raise the newly dead - before the fucking undertakers and priests pulled everything from their bodies - and mummified the poor bastards." The old man sipped more wine and ran a hand over his face.
"Promise me Simhentra; that you will not allow them to disgrace my body in such as manner, but bury me according to the instructions I have left for you. I have no family to object or prevent such a burial. You will inherit what little I have - as the son I never had. Do you promise me this?" The old man gripped Simhentra's arm with hidden strength.
The young man nodded his agreement; "Everything will be done as you say Master." That made the magician smile and he rose and walked slowly to his bedroom and rather strangely - to Simhentra's mind - he turned and said quietly; "May your God's bless you and let happiness into your life and love into your heart." The old magician retired for the night, leaving his apprentice to ponder his words.
Simhentra knew his master practised a strange religion which declared just one God and grand stone tombs, mummification and offerings were not needed to enter paradise or gain its favour. He had also been an admirer of the heretic Pharaoh Akhenaten and often spoke about the religion that the Jewish slaves adhered to.
"A very complex old man, but he has always treated me well." Simhentra whispered to himself and knew that the real legacy, the old man had bequeathed to him, was the much acclaimed art of magic. He was the royal magician, because in a land full of magicians; he was simply the best. His only rival in talent and fame was probably the young Menes - the great magician from the North.
The old man's words about Tha made him recall what every magician knew, that part of the story kept from the adoring masses; that Tha had been visited by Thoth himself and given a mirror from the God's, which showed both the past and the present. The mirror also had the ability to carry it's owner to the 'hereafter' or back to the distant past. Simhentra actually shuddered, despite the heat of the night. He had just imagined what Pharaoh would do with such a device.
Simhentra recalled the old man's story, spoken in whispers; "As a young magician, I heard some of the stories about Tha. It is said that he travelled to strange lands and encountered unbelievable beasts, people whose skins were of many colours and even birds made of metal that roared and swept through the sky, where only God's should go. Tha served three Kings, but was murdered by a black hearted Pharaoh, who heard his story about the fall of the Egyptian Empire and how the God's were replaced by a single entity, who demanded nothing from his people but love."
The old man had slumped in his chair, muttering curses upon the device that lay before him. "We should smash it and flee for our lives." He had whispered and stumbled towards his bed, calling for Ghusan to attend him. "Hide it well Simhentra, let no other person be infected by its presence." Simhentra did as his was told and wrapped the device up and carried it to his bed, where he lay sleepless for many hours, until he finally slept and suffered a horrendous nightmare.
But it was Lulha shouting that awoke him just before dawn. He scrambled from his bed and ran to his masters chamber to find Ghusan kneeling and weeping by the old magicians bed. Luitha gripped Simhentra by the arm and whispered; "He's dead....but look at his face.....demons from the afterlife must have visited him!"
Simhentra approached the bed slowly and held a hand over his mouth; the old man lay face up and that face was contorted in pain and fear - the eyes and mouth wide open. "Fetch the physician." he spoke quietly to Ghusan and held Lutha tightly in his arms; it felt good.
The royal physician examined Sentus and pronounced that he had expired due to his heart suddenly stopping; "That would explain his contorted face and outstretched hands." The physician concluded and bowed to the Kings personal secretary, who nodded his agreement and acceptance of the good doctor's diagnosis.
Dushan stood by the bed and shook his head: "The Pharaoh will not be pleased by this turn of events." He sighed and told a servant to inform the king of the magician's untimely death. Dushan pulled Simhentra to one side and spoke quietly; "You will need to convince the Pharaoh, that you can finish the task assigned by him - despite the death of your master - and produce the results he wants. Do you understand me?"
Simhentra nodded; he understood all to well; what the King's Secretary meant.
"I understand that the old magician had no living family, so I will instruct the Priests at his local temple to find in your favour - you had served him for many years and was born a free man?" Simhentra nodded again. Thus Dushan would arrange for the Chief Priest, at the old man's temple, to declare Simhentra as sole beneficiary to Sentus-Kasim. This would mean, the young man now owned slaves [including Gushan and Lulha] a house in Thebes and a small country estate in Edfu. - and of course; the magic act - if he stayed alive long enough to enjoy his new fortune!
The Pharaoh; was certainly not pleased at the death of the magician, but was impressed enough with Simhentra to allow him to continue working on the strange mirror. As he walked from the King's private audience chamber, distant screams punctuated by wailing and crying, floated within his hearing. He stopped and stared towards the city wall that fronted the Nile.
He heard several splashes and more screaming, which continued for some minutes before silence. Well, not complete silence; the wailing of mourning women now replaced the screams of dying men - the children of Hapi had been fed again.
He slumped upon a chair in his rooms and stared out the window. There were now two Nubian guards posted to his quarters and they had orders never to leave the young magician alone. The King called them 'bodyguards' but Simhentra knew they were Wardens - looking after the prisoner before his execution.
He had arranged for Gushan and Lulha to be taken to the country estate, away from the King; out of sight - out of mind, well, that's what he hoped. Simhentra poured some wine and picked at the figs left out for him. Now he needed to apply his mind to the unusual funeral of his old master.
3. A COSTUME DRAMA?
Alex, at first, steadfastly refused to wear the outfit. She dug her heels in and said NO. But Jericho patiently pointed out that the clothes were totally appropriate, for a woman of high birth in ancient Egypt - particularly at the royal court of Pharaoh. They were very necessary to the mission and Jericho knew that Alex understood that and so pushed the point home. Finally, after some heated discussions, Alex reluctantly agreed - but still under protest!
She appeared in the study wearing a long dark trench coat, wrapped closely about herself, which drew some odd looks from the others. Jericho grinned and shook his head; "Come on Alex, we're in our costumes and I look a right twat in this skirt thing. You can't wear a trench coat in Ancient Egypt - besides you'll sweat to death!" He held up his hands, adding; "Best get it over with and you'll quickly get use to wearing next to nothing.- it may be very liberating - We are all good friends and professionals here, you know."
Alex slowly unwrapped and dropped the coat to the floor, Young Ruth gathered it up and tried not to stare. She had never seen an outfit that high born women of Ancient Egypt wore - well, almost wore - it was very revealing and would cause a sensation, even in the 21st Century.
"I didn't know, that by becoming a Temporal Detective, a condition of service was that I had to show my fanny and bum to anyone who cared to look." Alex said, with her arms folded , then dropped them to her sides. "Well have a bloody good look and get it out of your system." She spoke softly and didn't smile. Jericho and Wilson chuckled and said; "Well done Alex." but Owen said nothing, He simply could not take his eyes off Alex. Wilson slapped Owen on the back and laughed; "Take a good look boy; that is a real woman in all her glory. Most men would happily murder their granny to possess such a beauty." Even the normally reticent Jericho had to agree with that statement - Alex was simply stunning in her costume.
Alex was dressed as a high born women of the Royal Egyptian Court; with a full plaid black wig festooned with jewels, a long thin dress of the finest cotton which was almost transparent and gold covered sandals. Her arms had amulet's of gold and silver - she was completely naked beneath [as was the custom for such high born women]. She placed both arms upon her slender hips and stared at Owen; "Would you like me to do a twirl, so that you can see everything?"
Owen's eyes fixed upon her magnificent breasts and dropped slowly to her thighs. He took a very deep breath and felt giddy; his life in the monastery hadn't equipped him to deal with such a sight. He actually couldn't say anything and he simply couldn't look away - no matter how hard he tried to force himself.
She lifted her arms and turned around slowly. Poor Owen was already the colour of a tomato and he simply blurted out; "Sweet Jesus Alex! Your arse could drive demons mad!" But when he saw the look Alex gave him, he gulped and tried to apologise, but Alex actually smiled; "I'm joking Owen, I'm sure you didn't have many dealings with women in the Monastery, that your father dumped you in. I do know that you don't mean any offence by staring - fill your boots!" She did another little twirl and patted his shoulder, then walked to the table, picking up a glass of brandy - she really needed it - and no-one looked anywhere else but at her bum, moving from side to side with her little strides and Owen actually groaned quite loudly!
"Now you don't get an offer like that every day." Wilson chuckled and gripped Owen by the arm, adding; "Best put your eyeballs back in their sockets before they roll about the floor. But, by Christ, your right about our girls arse - it could easily drive dead men into a sexual frenzy."
Wilson turned to Alex, smiling; "Just one question baby girl - where the hell did you hide your mirror?" Alex grinned back and said softly; "Wouldn't you like to know!" she had recovered her humour, much to the relief of her colleagues. Owen kept looking at Alex and sipped his brandy with a strange look upon his young face. Wilson noticed it and whispered to Jericho; "I think our young apprentice detective has discovered what he missed - whilst he still breathed."
Jericho - still smiling broadly - clapped his hands and pointed to the door; "Let's go people and I hope you really like camels." The little group headed for the light room and jumped to Ancient Thebes in the year 1320BC.
They camped some kilometres from the city and sat about the fire, drinking brandy from silver cups and eating roast chicken and bowls of milky lentil's, garnished with herbs and a little spice. Angel Margret had provided servants and Nubian guards from the period, whilst Temporal Inspector Fabien Bisset had arranged for them to meet his human agent for this period.
Jericho recounted the brief he had received about the mission, they were now undertaking; "It was young Herbie the collector, that reported what the old man had told him, to his boss. Who passed it onto Angel Margret and now we must investigate and recover the damn thing."
Alex - happily wrapped in a thin cloak - nodded; she had heard the rumours about the missing mirror. Apparently it had gone missing from a member of Inspector Fabien's team, some thousand human years before this time. He had been investigating a breech in the Time-Line [someone from 1935 had arrived in 2350BC] when it disappeared. According to regulations, Inspector Fabien would not be allowed to investigate an incident concerning a member of his team and so tracing the missing mirror had been passed to Jericho and his team.
Owen added to the discussion with his research on the incident:
"It appears that whoever arrived from 1935 managed to steal the mirror and disappear. The suspect was an American called Russel Hudson who discovered a natural tear in the time-line and travelled back to 2350BC, where he attended the Pharaoh's court, using a magic act to fund his life here. He became a legend; still spoken about today [1320BC]. Unfortunately, he hadn't done much preparation about the period and upset a few powerful men by sleeping with their wives and daughters. He was murdered by a close friend of the third Pharaoh that he served, who covered up his friends crime. But his reputation forced the authorities to bury the magician with full honours. Inspector Fabien did search his tomb; but nothing was found."
"It was probably taken by thieves before the tomb was even sealed up - grave robbing was a full time business for some families around here." Alex spoke quietly and finished her brandy.
Jericho nodded at that and said softly; "Our mirrors have a defence mechanism which does not allow living humans to operate them. Should one try, the mirror will freeze them and their time period. Then send a warning message back to the Control Centre, who would arrange for Temporal detectives to attend. Since that did not happen, we can only deduce that the mirror is damaged - It has become a very dangerous object to leave around."
Wilson coughed and sipped his drink; "Herbie the collector was told by the old man - who was a magician himself at Pharaoh's court - about 'Thoth's Mirror' and realised it could be the missing mirror. It had resurfaced after nearly a thousand years. As Jericho said, the thing could be damaged, four people from here died trying to operate the damn mirror and worse; no souls were collected and the mirror sent no SOS - very odd. Two managed to open the travel app and they ended up in Brazil in the year 875AD - local natives killed and ate them. The pair had stupidly or in ignorance, left the bloody mirror behind - they couldn't get back and being out of their own time; no souls were collected. The Collector's called the finding of all these soulless bodies in. All the men were traced back to this period of history, but it was assumed that the group were playing around with yet another time portal, they had discovered locally. Only when Herbie the collector called the old man's story in, was it realised that the missing mirror could be the key to their soulless deaths." Wilson downed his drink and smiled a little.
"The old magician was murdered in his bed, by the slave girl that he raped on a regular basis; she suffocated him whilst he slept. It's a pretty good bet that the old man's apprentice knows where it is." Wilson added, refilling his cup.
"He's our target." Jericho said simply and allowed Wilson to refill his cup.
One of their guards shouted that a rider approached on a camel. "Our human agent, I do believe." Jericho smiled and they stood and awaited the arrival of Inspector Fabien's contact for this period and place.
The following morning, a very grand camel train entered the ancient city of Thebes. Crowds of people watched the convoy passing through the great North Gate and whispered amongst themselves that the train contained Northern Egypt's Governor's daughter; the Lady Isis, who was rumoured to be the most beautiful woman in the Kingdom and a devotee of the Goddess, whose name she bore and whose powers she could enact at will. No man dared to try and possess such a woman [without her consent] because of the protection the Goddess bestowed upon her Priestess - few pious Egyptians would risk the wrath of the Goddess Isis.
Most agreed that it was appropriate, that she was accompanied by the North's greatest magician: Menes. The caravan reached the royal palace of Pharaoh Amenhotep V by mid morning and were greeted by the King's personal Secretary; Dushan.
4. MENES THE MAGICIAN.
Jericho bowed low and introduced his personal servant and travelling steward to Dushan; young Ossan. "Don't be fooled by his youth my lord, his mind is sharp and quick......" But the King's secretary stared beyond them both, at the large, imposing Nubian bodyguard who towered above everyone. "I take it that this man - if indeed he is a man - is the Priestess Isis's guard?" Jericho smiled and clapped his hands for the six litter bearers to lower their burden to the sand. "My lord, may I present the flower of the North, Goddess Isis's own Priestess who bears her name and enjoys the Goddess's blessings - the Lady Isis!"
Two slaves pulled the curtains of the litter apart and the Priestess stepped from it into the warm sunshine. There were loud gasps from the crowds and many knelt down, Jericho heard several shout; "It must be herself!"
Alex walked slowly towards the King's Secretary, who simply stood with his mouth half open; the old man was transfixed. "By the God's Menes, she IS the Goddess in living form. No woman walking this earth could compare with her!" He actually bowed low himself and managed to mumble out an official greeting.
The crowds were cheering wildly; they knew that the priestess's visit would bring much luck to their city - and them. Alex thanked Dushan for his words and gave a small wave to the adoring crowds, some men in the throng were actually fighting to get a better look and city guards had to separate them, using their sticks.
Dushan escorted Lady Isis and the magician Menes into the state rooms of Pharaoh's palace where food and drink awaited them. Dushan whispered to a trusted servant to fetch the King - he knew that the King would wish to greet Lady Isis himself. Walking behind Alex, dressed a little more modestly, but still naked beneath her thin dress, was Thy, the Priestess's maid and the local human agent for this time. The difference in height between the two women was noted by all; Alex would be much taller than most grown females of this time because of human evolution - women had gained a little more height over the centuries and the difference was now pronounced.
But it added to Alex's mystic; the God's were much bigger than mortal humans and so that just confirmed her position, in the Goddess's blessings, to most citizens and palace staff. Owen and Wilson noted that the ladies of Pharaoh's court were dressed similar to Alex and there was some beautiful women amongst them - but none compared to Alex [they both agreed on that]. Owen smiled and whispered; "Best fill our boots as Alex says." Wilson chuckled and definitely enjoyed the views on offer.
Owen recognised that Thy was an attractive young woman in her own right and watched her swinging backside as she walked in front of him. Thy was the youngest daughter of the local magistrate and had received a good education for a woman of this period. Her father had signed a marriage contract with a certain captain in Pharaoh's army of occupation in Kush - the pair would formally marry upon his return in a year or so.
Alex was not surprised that Thy considered Wilson a very handsome man; her future husband was of Nubian descent himself and no one really cared about 'mixed marriages' around here - Thy was pale skinned with green eyes and that didn't matter to him either. "He's a good man and he call's me his 'Isis'." She had confided to Alex. Apparently Inspector Fabian also admired the big man; he was Fabien's man in Kush!
Both Alex and Wilson admitted they would really like to meet this army captain, who had quite modern idea's about his forthcoming marriage. They were now in the centre of the magnificent State rooms and could see, it was filled with dignitaries of Pharaoh's court.
The High Priest of the temple of Amen-Ra [the father of the Gods and Egypt's Principal Deity] stood watching with his own secretary. Kumanine was also the Pharaoh's Chief Minister and the second most powerful man in the Kingdom. He drew a heavy breath and turned to his man with a worried look upon his face. "In forty years walking this earth, I have never seen such beauty bestowed upon a mortal woman. There will be trouble in the King's harem when he casts eyes upon her. We both know his appetite for women - beautiful women." He sighed loudly and added; "Then we have the most urgent question of the succession, so this lady may be the answer to all the king's problems."
Then Kumanine hesitated and groaned a little; "Or be the cause of all the King's problems, if she refuses."
The young secretary nodded; Pharaoh's Queen was a sickly young girl, who by marriage had bestowed the throne upon Amenhotep - she had no choice in the matter - her husband was dead and she had produced no male heirs and still hadn't done so. The King's two chief Concubines had also failed to produce a boy, giving him three daughters. two of them already in their tombs. Infant mortality in the ancient world was common and affected rich and poor alike.
The King did have some twenty-one children by women in his harem - he had over a hundred women and girls - but none had the rank to be Queen or even produce a son that the Empire would accept as Pharaoh. The secretary stared at the Priestess and one thought passed through his mind; A real Queen - acceptable to all. but more importantly, able to have a son with a full claim to his father's throne.
The High Priest and his man exchanged glances, both knowing what the other was thinking; this woman had the sheer beauty to be Queen and her position as Priestess of Isis certainly gave her the rank to be Queen - there would be no argument about any son of her's sitting upon the Gold Throne - none whatsoever. But her position also created a real problem for the King - if she refused his offer of marriage and the throne - he could not just take her; that would be sacrilege and blaspheming in Egyptian law and could easily cause civil war amongst his nobility and Priests.
The High Priest wiped his face, terrified at his own thoughts. Such action would certainly incur the wrath of the Goddess and the people would not stand for that. The kingdom could be in bloody chaos and fighting in just weeks, in the event of a such disastrous decision by the King. Few Egyptians had forgotten the turmoil and trouble caused by the heretic Akhenaten, just a few years ago - Egypt could not afford another religious civil war. "If our prince so desires her, then she must be persuaded to submit - for Egypt's sake." He whispered and turned to the grand entrance - Pharaoh was here.
The King desired to see the magician Menes about a certain little matter and thus came straight away. But all thoughts about the mirror simply faded, when he was introduced to the Lady Isis. He eased himself onto a gilded chair and just sat staring at her; saying nothing.
The Lord chamberlain gave a nervous cough which broke the silence in the packed chamber; "Your majesty, maybe the great Northern magician will be allowed to entertain us?" The old man had to repeat his request twice before Pharaoh pulled his eyes away from Alex and mumbled a 'yes'.
Everyone in the chamber exchanged glances - but said nothing - they all knew their King was utterly captivated by the Priestess and each wondered if they were looking at their new Queen.
Menes stepped forward and bowed; "You Majesty, may I present a very humble performance called the 'empty chair?" The Pharaoh nodded and smiled broadly at Alex, who sipped wine with some grace from a golden cup. The King's eyes followed her body from its toes to her face [again] and felt his mouth dry. He actually muttered, which only Kumanine and the Lord Chamberlain heard and both winced at his words - especially one of them: 'Queen'.
A simple plain wooden chair was placed before Pharaoh and the audience shuffled a little forward to catch a better view. Menes unfurled a bright red sheet and showed it to everyone and then asked the Priestess to sit upon the chair, which she agreed and sat down. The magician carefully placed the sheet over the Lady Isis, covering her completely. She made the chamber laugh by complaining that the lamps had gone out. Pharaoh gulped down wine and leaned forward; "I trust the lady will come to no harm magician, for if she does, you may find yourself swimming in the Nile with some new friends." The King didn't smile.
Menes smiled and clapped his hands; the bright red sheet fluttered to the ground; the chair was empty.
There was silence for a few seconds, then huge applause and shouts of praise rang around the chamber. Pharaoh rose and walked to the chair lifting it slightly; like everyone else, he was totally amazed; the great lady had simply vanished. Disappearing in a packed chamber with no hidden traps or mirrors, that could have been prepared in advance.
Simhentra could not believe what he had just seen [like everyone else - well, except Wilson and Owen, who smiled to themselves] the magician had performed an incredible disappearing act with just a chair and a sheet, whilst surrounded by a packed audience. "It's totally impossible!" he whispered and couldn't even begin to see how it was achieved.
The King slumped back in his chair; he had seen many magic performances in his time, but this simple little act was the most incredible thing he had ever witnessed. He stared at Menes, who was taking bows from the crowd, and knew this was the man to prise open the secrets of 'Thoth's Mirror'.
Menes placed the sheet carefully back over the chair and called upon Thoth to return the Priestess, then slowly lifted the sheet high above his head; revealing the chair was no longer empty - the Lady Isis sat drinking her wine and smiled at the crowd; "Have I missed anything exciting?" She said and laughed, to the delight of the audience and particularly Pharaoh - who had already made up his mind about both the magician and his new Queen.
Simhentra eased his way through the excited crowd and introduced himself to Menes, who appeared quite pleased to meet the young magician. But the chamber fell silent as Pharaoh arose and gripped Lady Isis by the hand and ran a soft finger across her lips; "My Lady you are truly beautiful, intelligent, pious, funny and graceful. You are already judged a Queen, just by those gifts that the God's have bestowed upon you. Now you WILL be Queen in truth." Alex was caught totally unprepared, as he simply gripped her and placed a kiss upon her lips. The King was most reluctant to release her and Alex pulled away from him with some effort and stood back from the King; "I am no tavern whore to be handled and taken at will. I will retire for the night and hope your majesty will be in better condition come the 'morrow."
But the King grabbed her back with some force, causing her to yelp; "Yes, you retire for the night sweet lady and sleep well, for tomorrow you WILL become my Queen." He released the shaking woman, who was immediately attended by her maid; Thy. "No I will not sir." Alex said with real defence in her voice. The chamber was in absolute silence and many stood quite shocked by what had just happened. The stand-off between the Priestess and the King continued for a few painful seconds, then Kumanine, Dushan and the Lord Chamberlain diplomatically intervened.
"This great matter must discussed with your council your majesty, a Pharaoh cannot be seen to defy the laws of his brother and sister Gods. She IS the Priestess of Isis herself - she cannot be compelled to marry by threat or force - it will tear your kingdom apart - Remember the heretic Akenaten and those troubled times my lord." Kumanine spoke in a whisper and the Lord Chamberlain agreed with him, adding; "Let us persuade the lady with reason and argument - she is a very intelligent woman my lord - she will see sense."
Pharaoh grunted his agreement with their words; "Make sure you succeed, For she will become my Queen - regardless of what happens I will have her." He turned to Talin and ordered; "Escort the lady to her chambers and see that she has anything she wants." The King's personal bodyguard obeyed; Alex and Thy said nothing, but followed the soldiers. Alex glanced back at Jericho with a real expression of concern upon her face. Jericho nodded to her and found Wilson and Owen. "I think we may have over-egged the pudding this time. But I've made contact with the old magicians apprentice and he does possess the mirror."
"To quote a very wise man Jericho, I think we should grab Alex and Thy, then the mirror and get the fuck outta of Dodge City!" Wilson shrugged his shoulders and smiled, but he - like Owen and Jericho - were now concerned for Alex's and Thy's safety. They had seen that; the 'Dark Pharaoh' was quite capable of anything.
5. RUNNING TO STAND STILL.
Alex and Thy sat quietly in their rooms, which were spacious and comfortable, drinking wine and nibbling at figs and dates provided by members of Pharaoh's harem. "I'd bloody murder for a coffee." Alex muttered, sipped her wine and stared about the rooms; for the period, they were the ultimate in luxury with tapestries and pieces of 'artwork' - nearly all connected with some God.
Thy rolled her silver wine cup around in her hand and whispered; "I've tried coffee. It was really good, even if it was heated." Alex shook her head; "You can't have done Thy; it won't be around for another couple thousand years."
Thy leaned forward and grinned; "Mr. Fabien brought me some in a strange vase he called 'a flask' and let me try it." Alex did smile; "You like Mr. Fabien then Thy?" The young girl nodded and really did smile broadly. The pair were interrupted by the arrival of Menes the magician with Ossan and Lady Isis's guard close behind [that mean's Jericho, Owen and Wilson turned up] and Alex was really pleased to see them.
She noticed immediately that Jericho was not a happy man and he explained that the old magicians young apprentice had fled into the night - taking the mirror with him. So Pharaoh was not a happy king; ordering Talin to take several men and go after Simhentra. He had decamped because he knew the Pharaoh would replace him with Menes; and that 'replacement' would mean death - for him.
Jericho informed Alex that several members of the King's council would soon arrive to 'persuade' her to marry Pharaoh; to save Egypt from further turmoil and possibly - civil war. Alex shrugged her shoulders; "I knew this bloody outfit would be trouble; you can't walk about in public, showing your bits without some sort of trouble." Everyone chuckled and Jericho rubbed his chin and asked Thy, if she had any idea where Simhentra could have run to.
Thy nodded; "The old magician left him a small estate in Edfu and I'm pretty sure that Pharaoh doesn't know about that - yet." Jericho sighed and pulled his mirror out; "Let's locate the estate of the late Sentus - Kasim in this time period." Alex noticed that young Owen was staring at her - again. She smiled; "I thought you would have seen enough Owen." with no censor in her voice and folded her arms.
Owen openly blushed and muttered several apologies and pretended to study a piece of 'artwork' on a pedestal near the windows. Wilson chuckled; "I think our boy has fallen in lust with you." Alex nodded and Thy even agreed; "He hasn't taken his eyes off you in that gown." She hesitated and added; "Mind you, neither have any of the males we have met so far." Both women laughed quietly.
Owen was now intently studying the little statuette and turned the piece around carefully in his hands. He pulled his mirror from the satchel he was carrying and for some minutes concentrated on both. Alex asked him what was so interesting about the little piece of stone; a small fat man sitting upon a chair.
Owen tapped the rear of the small statue and pointed out the few hieroglyphs scratched upon the back of the seat. "It says that this is an image of Tha - the magician. But according to human records on Ancient Egypt, this statue is on display in the Cairo Museum as being the only discovered representation of the Pharaoh Khufu; the King who is credited with building the great pyramid. That piece has no name marked upon it. Interesting that."
Alex accepted the piece and showed it to Thy, who nodded; "That's an image of the magician Tha - everyone knows that, well everyone living here now."
"Modern archaeologists must have the issue confused." Wilson muttered and wondered why his young friend - who was staring at Alex [yet again] - found it as interesting as he now found Alex!
Jericho called for everyone's attention and tapped his mirror; "We're off to Edfu and pay a visit to young mister Simhentra. it would be a lot easier if he could just turn the damn thing on and we could trace him in a second." Thy pulled a beautiful dark cloak about Alex and she was more than happy with it. The little group disappeared and arrived in the metropolis of Edfu, which was dominated by its famous temple to the God Horus.
"He now has a large house in the street of the Baker's." Thy informed Jericho, as the group made its way through the quiet streets as night gathered in. "He's probably still travelling down the river, that would be the quickest way from Thebes to here. So we'll wait at his house." Jericho spoke quietly and smiled when Owen warned everyone to keep an eye on Lulha - she was a murderer - after all. They found the house after about half hour; a white washed villa with a roof garden. Thy pointed out the name given to the place; 'House of illusions.'
Ghusan was a little surprised to see the famous magician Menes [and rival to his old master] at the door, and even greater surprise at finding the Priestess of Isis standing there too. Simhentra had not yet arrived and Ghusan felt compelled to allow the Priestess to rest in his new master's humble abode.
Figs and wine were produced for the guests by Lulha, who bowed really low to the Priestess and asked if she knew when, her new master would return. Before Alex could answer, Owen stepped back from the doorway and said quietly; "Pharaoh's soldiers are in the street - heading this way."
The villa was suddenly full of soldiers; shouting and searching. Talin gripped her arm and demanded where the bloody magician was. Lulha couldn't speak for a few seconds and Talin could see the look of horror upon her face. "They just disappeared - into thin air - I saw them with my own eyes." She whispered and came over faint. Talin heaved the girl up into his arms and carried her to a nearby chair.
One of his soldiers shouted that the magician wasn't here; but the magician Menes and the Priestess of Isis - with their servants - had been here just minutes ago. "That's impossible; we have the villa surrounded." He muttered, then looked at the Lulha, who was drinking wine offered by Ghusan, and how she was shaking from fear. He wiped his face - Pharaoh will not be happy at this turn of events - especially now he has lost both the magic mirror and the beautiful Priestess. But he would definitely be interested in the Northern
magicians latest incredible trick.
Talin grunted and ordered his men out of the villa, after yet another search which yielded nothing, and headed back to their boat docked on the Nile. He would send a runner back to Pharaoh; especially informing him about the Northern magician Menes, making five full grown adults simply disappear in a room without windows and the only door had a serving girl standing in it!
That made him turn back to Lulha, who was sitting on the small chair; smiling at him - her legs open and arms at her sides - she was offering sex for protection. Talin rubbed his chin and reckoned that he would not hear from his master for some time. The big Nubian took hold of Lulha by the arm and marched her into the bedroom. The girl had only ever been with her old master and the 'big' Nubian came as quite a surprise; she screamed the whole time that he took her and when he left some one hour later; she lay half on the bed and half on the floor; wrapped in a blood stained sheet - sobbing.
Talin couldn't believe the girl was almost a virgin and smiled to himself, as he returned to the boat - her old master must have had a cock the size of a finger; he laughed out loud and was watched by Simhentra from a street corner - wrapped in a dark cloak - and full of hatred for the Nubian because of what he had done to Lulha. He clutched the mirror to his chest and headed for his boyhood friends house in the street of the sail-makers.
6. SMOKE AND MIRRORS IN STONE.
Pharaoh sat slumped in a little gilded chair with a gold cup in his hand, whilst a naked serving girl filled it with wine. He had received several messengers that night; the one from the Northern Governor made him throw goblets, overturn furniture and kick the Lord Chamberlain up the arse. He rubbed his face and stared at the floor, sipping his wine. The Northern Governor had informed Pharaoh that his daughter Isis was still at her Temple in Memphis - and the great Northern magician: Menes was performing at the very same temple - they had been nowhere.
"All fucking imposter's. but the magician was no fake." The King yelled at Dushan, who stood in silence - he knew how to handle the King's anger. Finally Pharaoh had calmed down enough to think clearly and make decisions; the Lord Chamberlain had no answers, when the King asked him; "Who the fuck were those people and where is the woman?" He had already decided that the woman [when found] would be a royal concubine, regardless of her current rank amongst women - he really didn't care; even if she turned out to be the fucking illegitimate daughter of a camel dung salesman!
The runner from Talin made the King pace the floor; "Where is the little bastard with my mirror?" He yelled at Kumanine who also said nothing. The King announced a large reward of gold for Simhentra's whereabouts and an even greater amount for the woman posing as the priestess of Isis. Just for good measure; he had all Simhentra's property and land seized, handing the battered and abused Lulha over to her new 'master' - Talin. He kept Ghusan [who actually was a very good servant] for his own household.
With no family or Simhentra to bury him, the old magician's body lay in the Temple mortuary at Edfu; until the smell forced the priests there to bury him without ceremony or mummification [which was expensive]. They felt little sympathy for the old man, as he was placed in a sand-pit grave and covered up - strangely enough, just as the old man had wanted!
Pharaoh knew that the lure of so much gold would produce results - he especially hoped, that it would in the case of the missing beauty; he really did ache for the woman. She had fooled them all with her believable performance. That thought actually made the King smile; a beautiful, intelligent, cunning and resourceful rogue! What a Queen she could have made - in his dark heart, he had already forgiven her.
The little group of camels passed quietly across the sand, heading for the city of Memphis, as the coolness of night approached. Jericho consulted his mirror and stared up at the darkening sky which was full of stars. His thoughts were disturbed by Owen, who rode next to him. "We can get a visit to the Great Pyramid, can't we?" Owen asked, desperate to see the structure as it was meant to be seen; before the outer casing was stripped away some three thousand years later and used to built a mosque.
Jericho had to smile and he nodded. That made Owen's day and he volunteered to cook for the group, when they camped that night just outside the city. Everyone chatted and ate, sitting around the campfire and Jericho briefed his team between mouthfuls of curry and sips of wine.
"Thy tells me that a close friend of Simhentra has informed Talin that the young magician has fled to this city. He has managed to avoid capture for nearly a year despite the large reward offered in gold. The same informant also confirmed that he still has the mirror in his possession - and that's our priority; get the damn thing back - by any means."
Wilson chuckled and spoke directly to Alex; "You know that horny old Pharaoh has offered a massive reward if you give yourself up to him. I mean, Thy says its huge and all in gold. You would be the wealthiest woman in Egypt bar the Queen herself." Alex smiled and ate her curry slowly; "I think, I'll decline the dirty old sod's generous offer and stay with the team - thank you very much."
Owen coughed and held up the little statue of the fat man sitting on a chair, that he had 'borrowed' from Pharaoh's apartments; "I think I've worked out what the real story is about, despite the confusion that surrounds this." Jericho was now interested; he knew that Owen had a quite powerful deductive mind; that's why he picked the boy for his team.
Every one sat in silence around the little fire and listened with real interest.
"Thy tells us that this little statue is actually of Tha - the legendary magician - and NOT Pharaoh Khufu who is credited with building the Great Pyramid. Why the confusion? Tha WAS King Khufu's magician and so is known to everyone at the time and even now, is still known. So here's something to ponder; Pharaoh wants a tomb that will not be robbed, so he builds a fucking massive structure right where everyone can see it and, most importantly, knows that the King's incredible fortune in gold and other precious stuff are sealed up inside. That's just plain crazy - every tomb robber then and now will try to get in and steal the stuff. It's staring them in the face!" Owen sipped his wine and pushed the statue back into the bag he was carrying and smiled.
Alex pulled the cloak about her shoulders and nodded; "Your right Owen; it doesn't actually make any sense, Pharaoh Khufu MUST have known about the robbery of the other royal tombs - even the ones that were hidden at the time. So why built a bleeding great tomb that everyone knows is full of treasure?"
Owen grinned broadly and said simply; "Tha."
Jericho started to chuckle and slapped Owen on the back; "Absolutely brilliant my young friend, fucking brilliant!" He looked quite amazed and shook his head in realisation of what young Owen had deduced. Alex actually clapped and stuck up a thumb; "That is just incredible - little wonder Tha is a legend."
Wilson looked quite puzzled and Owen grabbed his arm; "What do magicians perform all the time - in nearly every trick big man?" Wilson shrugged his large shoulders; "Deception, distraction and illusion?" He ventured, then what Owen meant, struck home and he started to laugh.
"It's the greatest piece of deception ever performed - smoke and mirrors formed from stone - the whole world believed Pharaoh was buried, with all his treasure, in a fucking huge lump of stone that everyone knows about. But it was a bloody big deception thought up by Tha and its simply brilliant. No-one would search for Khufu's tomb to rob - it was right there, staring them in the face. That's why its never been found. Simply brilliant - no-one has ever looked for it - making it the safest tomb ever created for a Pharaoh." Owen Chuckled and sipped his wine.
"So the cunning old Pharaoh still lays undisturbed after three thousand years - simply protected by the fact; that no-one ever looked for him!" Alex gripped Owen's arm with real pride; "Brilliant." She repeated softly.
"Rider on a camel approaching." Wilson said and stood up; "Its Thy." He added and walked over to greet her. Alex was well pleased to meet up with her 'maid' again and handed Thy a cup of wine, as she joined the little group around the fire.
Thy sipped her wine and spoke softly; "I have really terrible news. Simhentra was betrayed by his childhood friend for the gold reward. Pharaoh tortured him, but didn't find the mirror. They killed him just a few weeks ago."
Alex sighed; "A brave young man, I guess he knew what bloody Pharaoh would do if he regained the mirror and learnt how to operate it." Everyone nodded at that and Owen asked; "I take it, they made him swim with crocodiles?" Thy shook her head and looked quite sad; "No, his death was worse than that."
Owen sipped his wine and asked; "What could be worse than eaten alive by really big reptiles?" Thy took a deep breath; "They buried him alive. Wrapped him up in bandages, placed him in an old sarcophagus and entombed in some hidden place. Probably at Saqqara, where there are lots of old empty tombs they could reseal and hide."
They sat in silence until Jericho spoke; "We really must recover the mirror before that bastard gets his hands back on it." Everyone agreed with that.
7. IS HE DEAD OR ALIVE?
Thy had arranged for the group to stay at her father's estate in Memphis for the time being. It was a beautiful two story villa with a roof garden that backed onto the Nile.
Jericho sat in the roof garden, enjoying the smells of the plants and the cool breeze coming off the river. he was consulting his mirror and looked up and smiled when Alex joined him - dressed far more modestly, now that she wasn't playing a high born woman. She watched as Jericho expression changed to one of puzzlement, then real concern.
"What is it?" She asked and sat next to him, gripping his arm. Jericho tapped his mirror and his face was grim; "No soul was collected from Simhentra, no Collector was sent because Dispatches have no record of his death - yet - and the missing mirror logged an attempt to use the Travel App."
Alex was slightly confused; "But Thy is certain that Pharaoh put him to death in that bloody awful way." Jericho nodded and rubbed his chin; "There can be a couple of explanations. The first is Simhentra was out of his time [a time traveller] but why couldn't the collector find a body? The second is; he's still alive - but he's been buried for almost four weeks now - that's simply impossible. It really doesn't make any sense with no soul and no body. There always has to be one or the other."
Alex leaned back and stared at the Nile; "So he's appears to be alive - yet we know he must be dead. No one could be buried for four weeks without food or more importantly; water. So what is he: dead or alive?" Jericho admitted he didn't know - it was one strange set of circumstances. Then he stared down at the message just received from a Senior Time-Controller; he re-read the message a couple of times.
"This gets stranger by the minute. Time control has reported that someone attempted to use the missing mirrors travel App and was successful - well almost - they logged to travel to Egypt in 1970 but didn't arrive. They never made it which is impossible....." Jericho stopped speaking and drew a real full breath; "The poor stupid bugger - he's trapped between the two."
Alex asked Jericho, what he meant by trapped between two - two what?
Jericho folded his arms and said quietly; "He's trapped between the living and the dead - he's actually neither and there's no way we can help him. The bloody mirror is clearly defective and his soul is still with his dead body, which cannot be located because Dispatch Records still show him as living!"
"Poor bloody sod." Muttered Alex and the pair was joined by Owen and Wilson - eating of course - they loved the local figs. Jericho bought them up to speed on the fate of Simhentra, but added that Time Control had pinpointed where the mirror was operated from; and that's where they were headed.
"It was activated at Saqqara, where Thy believes they disposed of Simhentra just four weeks ago. He must have tried to escape by using it and the bloody defective mirror threw his soul into limbo and Pharaoh must have come across his lifeless body." Jericho looked quite puzzled and rubbed his chin; "If that's the case, why did Pharaoh bother to go through the whole 'lets bury the fucker alive' routine?" Everyone shrugged their shoulders - this case was becoming stranger by the minute.
"The city of the Dead." Alex said quietly, as they walked through some low stone walls and stared at the Step-Pyramid silhouetted by the moon, which was rising in the darkening night sky. "I thought that was Hamunaptra." Owen whispered and smiled. Wilson murmured; "You watch too many movies." and pointed towards a small stone compound which had lights showing.
Jericho checked his mirror and nodded towards the building; "That's where our mirror may be." Keeping low, they made for the compound and found some statues of a dog headed god to hide behind. Owen gripped Jericho's arm and pointed near the wall of the compound; "Jericho; there's a dead soldier on the ground and its so fresh, there's the bloody collector!"
Jericho waved Ali the Collector over - with the soul of the bewildered dead soldier in tow - They greeted Ali warmly and he bowed a little to Jericho, he gestured to the dead soldier's soul; "He said that tomb robbers are searching near the old temple wall, for some nobleman's burial. He was looking after the office, whilst his colleagues - six of them - have gone to the site, which is located on the other side of the complex. Then someone came up behind him and drove a dagger through his throat. He couldn't even scream, but he saw who killed him and he knew the man."
Jericho nodded and spoke to the soldier directly; "You say you know the man who killed you?" The soldier spoke softly; "Yes Sir, all soldiers know Pharaoh's personal bodyguard: Talin." Wilson drew a breath; "Do you think the so called Tomb robbers are also Talin's men and thus; Pharaoh's men?" Alex folded her arms; "They think they know where the mirror is." She said simply.
Owen pointed to the small whitewashed building; "Someone is still inside; it must be Talin." Jericho told Ali to take the man's soul and depart; which he did. Jericho spoke quietly to his team; "If you were a magician and needed to hide something really well; where would you hide it?"
"Smoke and mirrors." Muttered Owen and Alex wrapped her cloak around tighter against the chill of night. "In plain sight." She volunteered and then Thy chuckled quietly; "In Pharaoh's palace?" Jericho really did smile at that remark; "No, the mirror was activated around here - somewhere."
Alex held up a hand; "But what about poor Simhentra, shouldn't we try and find him and his soul?" Owen grunted; "No can do, I checked my mirror and he is not shown amongst the living anymore and worse; he's not shown amongst the dead either. We will not be able to locate his body or soul." Wilson waved a hand and said; "He's buried around here somewhere and no-one will come digging for antiques and mummies for another four thousand years. The poor bastard."
8. HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT.
Owen crept back from the compound's little office and re-joined the team by the low stone wall. "Talin is practically pulling the place to bits; he's even knocking holes in the bloody walls!" Jericho wiped his face and stared about the extensive cemetery of Saqqara; "Where would a magician hide the bloody mirror?" Alex and Thy were chatting quietly and Wilson was consulting his mirror.
Owen suddenly snapped his fingers and drew everyone's attention; "I know this sounds crazy, but what if Simhentra decided to be inspired by his hero; Tha. and like the Great Pyramid, come up with a wonderful distraction and hide the bloody thing in plain sight? or rather instruct his accomplice on where to hide the damn thing after he was dead?"
Wilson nodded, he liked that idea; "But where?" Owen grinned and jerked a thumb towards the North wall; "What about Tha's tomb, where it was originally stolen from?" Alex chuckled; "Now that would be really ironic if Pharaoh and his merry men are ripping the place apart and it's hidden in the last place they would even think of!" Thy folded her arm and smiled; "Its not such a crazy idea; remember they captured him in this place."
Jericho decided that since they had nothing else to run with, they would check out the old tomb of Tha the magician. The little group made their way quietly across the sand and stones of Saqqara. Some distance behind them they could see flaming torches; "Pharaoh and his men searching." Thy whispered, adding; "They can't be seen during daylight now they have Simhentra, they would have to explain why they're in the cemetery and what for. Pharaoh doesn't want anyone to know about the mirror, which was looted from a tomb."
Owen guided them to a quiet spot near a small ravine and the broken and derelict entrances to looted and abandoned tombs from the glorious 'Old Kingdom' of Egypt. "That's the one." He spoke quietly and the group disappeared into the dark recess, leaving Thy hiding in the entrance as lookout.
They stood back; "Well, he certainly lived up to his reputation as a bloody good magician, I have to admit that." Wilson eased the much sought after mirror from the recess in the wall and handed it to Jericho. "I wonder who the hell was Simhentrra's loyal accomplice in all this? I mean, they could have handed it over to Pharaoh and received a mass of gold - but they didn't. They probably carried out Simhentra's wishes - even after he was apparently dead. That's a real loyal friend."
Everyone smiled with relief at finally finding the mirror, then they heard Thy calling softly from the entrance. They made to the tomb opening and joined her, crouching low amongst the scattered stone blocks and mounds of sand.
"Tomb robbers." Thy whispered and they could see a group of men against the ravine wall opposite, emerging from a dark and shadowed clef in the ridge. They were carrying bags and boxes and worked in total silence, one old man carrying a wooden staff, appeared to be using hand signals to guide his fellow robbers. They disappeared into the darkness of the night without making a single sound. Thy leaned against the large stone and breathed deep a couple of times; Alex asked her what was wrong and Thy ran a hand across her face; "I know that old man and what I just saw could get me killed."
Jericho nodded and operated his mirror and the group found themselves back at Thy's fathers villa, where servants bought them wine and bread. Alex and Thy spoke together for some time before Jericho called everyone to order; it was time to return to the lighthouse and hand over the retrieved mirror to Angel Margret.
Everyone took their leave of young Thy and thanked her for all her assistance, especially Alex and the pair embraced like old friends. Then Thy was left alone in the house to contemplate what she had seen and the terrible consequences it could bring, if she ever revealed the identity of the old man who commanded the team of grave robbers.
Thy slumped upon her bed and sipped some wine, staring at the flickering lamps which illuminated her small bedroom. The scene she had witnessed earlier passed through her mind - yet again. She would have troubled sleep tonight and placed her wine goblet down and closed her tired eyes. Thy slept badly, turning frequently, wrapped in a single sheet.
Something made her wake suddenly and she sat up. Talin and three soldiers were standing at the base of her bed. She stifled a scream with a hand across her mouth and pulled the sheet around herself. Talin grinned broadly; "Well my little maid to a fake Priestess, the King would really like to speak to you." He gestured to his soldiers and they grabbed Thy, binding her arms and hands. She said nothing, but breathed deeply as they dragged her from her father's house into the dark night.
9. SAME PLACE - NEW PROBLEM?
Jericho placed the file down upon the desk and rubbed his face with both hands. He looked up as Owen stuck his head around the door; "Alex and Wilson will be back from Human Records in a few minutes." He informed Jericho and sat in a chair opposite with hands upon his knees. The message 'little Ivan' had delivered was not good news.
"They would certainly remember you and that dress." Wilson chuckled and accepted the file from Jericho. "Alex has a really good point there Jericho; how can we return without being recognised?" Owen accepted a glass from Mr. Harris and sat back in his chair, looking quite concerned. Jericho sighed; "Well, we certainly have to do something, we've all seen what the 'Dark Pharaoh' is capable of and there's no way we're leaving Thy at his mercy." Everyone nodded their agreement at that.
Owen placed both hands upon his head and stared at the ceiling. He then sat up; "Simhentra never blabbed about our involvement in retrieving the mirror, we know that because Pharaoh didn't link Thy with the disappearance of his precious mirror - just with our little deception. He certainly admired you as a magician and that could be useful."
Wilson sighed; "You seem to forget that Pharaoh's soldiers came to Simhentra's villa while we were there; the servants are bound to have informed Talin about that and then its no small leap to link us with him [Simhentra]. But I am puzzled why Pharaoh hasn't linked Thy to the mirror - she was Alex's maid after all and he would know, that Alex was at the villa with her."
Owen had to agree with Wilson's deduction and sat back in silence. Everyone turned to the door as Mr. Harris appeared and whispered into Jericho ear, which made him smile. "It appears that Inspector Fabian has arrived to thank us for recovering his team members mirror and update us on young Thy. He's just returned from there."
Mr. Harris showed the Temporal Inspector in and Jericho introduced Fabian Bissit to his team. He was a short plump man wearing a fine three piece suit with shirt and tie - but everyone noticed the bright red training shoes that he wore. Fabian sported a black 'goatee' beard and a red beret. He was regarded as a 'little eccentric' or slightly crazy; according to Owen. He was delighted to be invited to dinner and the team made for the dinning room, quietly chatting amongst themselves.
Wilson, with a little grin on his face, just had to ask Alex; "When Jericho did the trick with the empty chair that amazed everyone back there, Owen and I knew that you would simply operate your mirror and disappear; then return." Alex nodded; "Yes, quite simple really, so what bothers you about that?"
Wilson sighed; "Where the hell did you hide the mirror in that bloody skimpy outfit?"
Alex chuckled and pointed to her hair. Owen grinned; "Of course, you could get a dinning table in that bloody wig, never mind a little mirror!" Alex rolled her eyes; "Some bloody detectives you two are!" They laughed quietly amongst themselves until dinner was started.
Fabian sat smiling, as he anticipated the famed cooking of Mrs. Harris and the conversation turned to young Thy - he certainly had some good news on that score. He slurped his soup and between spoonful's explained that Thy's fiancé - the big Nubian Captain - had returned to claim his young bride and wasn't happy about Pharaoh keeping her prisoner, until she told him about the whereabouts of 'Lady Isis'.
So the brave young man broke into the palace one dark night and the pair escaped - after he killed a couple of guards. They fled to Kadesh, where the King there, granted them sanctuary and the captain became a Commander in the King's army. They are now married - quite happily it would appear.
Alex actually clapped at that statement and lifted her glass to the pair; Fabian and her team mates joined her for that toast. The relief amongst the Temporal Detectives was palatable and the atmosphere at the dinner table had changed completely. Fabian went on to explain, as the chicken in white wine was served, that Pharaoh's sickly young Queen had died and he still had no son's by his two royal concubines. He was not a happy man by all accounts - prowling the palace at night and drinking.
Alex asked if he had any news about poor Simhentra and Fabian sadly shook his head - nothing had been uncovered about the young magician's whereabouts, but he had some news about the slave girl Lulha. Apparently she had run away from her master - which carried the death penalty - and was in hiding; in Kadesh. He didn't drop the bombshell about her until the pudding course arrived.
"The poor girl gave birth in that country and unfortunately died from complications of the birth. There would have been no one to care for the infant, since Lulha had no family living there. The child was, of course, Pharaoh's man Talin's baby. The little boy was clearly of Nubian ancestry and was taken in by a kind young couple, who raised him as one of their son's.
Fabian grinned and lifted his glass; "The little boy fitted in quite nicely with his new family despite being of mixed blood because the couple was Thy and her Nubian husband!" Alex nodded with real delight at that turn of events, then came the bombshell as the biscuits and cheese was served.
"She may have bumped off her old master - I think she had pretty good cause to do so - but she must have felt something for her new master Simentra because after fleeing from Talin, the pair were on the run together for some time. She shared his poverty and fear, constantly on the move and hiding. She stayed loyal to him until death." Fabien helped himself to some blue Stilton Cheese and a couple of crackers, adding: "I take it you worked out that Lulha was the one, who hid the mirror in the old tomb; on Simhentra's instructions before fleeing to Kadesh. You have to give her credit for that sort of loyalty."
Owen grinned and whispered to Alex; "How the hell did we miss that one?" But the Inspector had one more little 'bombshell' to drop.
The dinner party broke up and Fabian took his leave, but not before informing Alex that she was almost a legend in the Temporal Detectives Department. She was quite puzzled by that and asked why.
He grinned; "That incredible dress that you almost wore; someone lifted a picture of you from the life tape of that time and copies are appearing everywhere. I even have one!" He bowed, kissed her hand and left the slightly shocked Alex standing in the study.
Owen and Wilson said a hastily good night to her and tried to head for their rooms - but she stood in the doorway; unsmiling and held out her hand: "Thank you boys, I will take them now."
Both sighed and very reluctantly handed the pictures over quite slowly, then sheepishly departed for their rooms in silence. Jericho sat by the study fire and allowed himself a small laugh. Alex bid him good night and ripped up the pictures; throwing them into the blazing fire and went to bed a little happier.
Jericho sipped his brandy and smiled, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled the picture out and studied it; "Very nice, but nothing on seeing the real thing." He whispered and laughed quietly - again. He sighed deeply and tossed the photo upon the fire, finished his drink and headed for bed.
He passed a happy Mr. Parker chasing a tennis ball down the stairs and stopped to pat the cat. "Alexandra and Elizabeth are much alike." He whispered and watched the cat disappear down the hall with his ball.
EPILOGUE:
"This mission twisted and turned, but was considered a success by Angel Margret; the missing Temporal Mirror had been recovered. Poor Simhentra-Kara would remain trapped between the world of the living and dead for nearly five thousand human years. He remains in the world of the living to this day; but remains dead! That is definitely another story!"
W.A.S.
CHARACTERS:
Simhenta-Kara [ the old Magician's assistant and apprentice] fate remains a mystery; Human Records still have him listed as 'alive', whilst Dispatches show him 'dead'. No soul has been collected and the matter has been drawn to the attention of Arch-Angel Peter himself. It appears that the young man is trapped between the world of the living and the world of the dead. The matter came to a head, when his body was found by Archaeologist Sir George Hadden in 1888 and his soul was still with it! - But that's another story....
Sentus-Kasim [the old Magician] who was murdered by the young woman [Luiha] he raped on several occasions, was the catalyst for Team 74's mission to ancient Egypt. His soul was collected and processed.
Lulha [the old Magician's sex slave] died from complications following the birth of her son and her soul was collected. She escaped any quarantine and re-joined the human life cycle immediately. It is understood that Jericho spoke up for her to Angel Margret, which may have swayed the Angel's decision.
Ghusan [the old Magician's servant] served his new master [the Pharaoh] for some years and was freed from slavery upon the death of that Pharaoh. He lived out the remainder of his life in Thebes, as a Temple servant of the Goddess Isis. He died aged 34 and his soul was collected and processed.
Dushan [the King's Scribe or Secretary] continued to serve the Pharoah until Amenhotep's death. The new King had his own scribe and Dushan found himself poor and unemployed. He went into the grave robbing business with his grandfather [at first] and became very wealthy and powerful. He died aged 63 [a staggering good age for the time] and his soul was collected and processed.
Pharaoh Amenhotep V [the Dark Pharaoh] was not a happy man; despite all the power and wealth he commanded. None of his numerous harem could make him really happy. He was too marry three more times and not a single wife produced a son - just daughters. Upon his death at the age of 44, the throne [through marriage to his eldest daughter] passed to Ramses I. No soul was collected upon Amenhotep's death and Inspector Fabien Bisset is currently investigating - with no resolution so far.
Talin [the Pharaoh's personal bodyguard] continued to serve his master for some years, gaining a reputation for violent deeds, indiscrete murder and further rapes. He was savagely killed by several men in the Royal Palace within days of Pharaoh's death. His soul was collected and placed in quarantine until the year 67.
Tha [the legendary magician of the Ancient Egyptian Old Kingdom] aka Russel Hudson? - produced no soul to collect. It appears he was a human out of their own time and his true identity remains undiscovered. Inspector Bisset has been tasked to discover who he was and from which time period he came - the case remains unresolved to this day.
Temporal Detective Inspector Fabien Bisset received a caution for his team member losing the mirror. But continues to police the 'Stone-age' for Angel Margret. This eccentric character is quite an expert on the period. Thy and Seti's grandson also became a human agent for him. Fabien continues to head team 42 to this day.
Thy [the Priestess's - Alex's - maid] had to flee with her husband [Seti] to Kadesh. She produced five living children during her marriage to Seti and her dependents are today scattered all across Africa and the Middle East. She was know for her kindness to the poor and sick. Thy died aged 31 and her soul was collected. She has not re-joined the human life cycle and firstly worked as a Collector for some centuries, before joining Team 17 as a Trainee Temporal Detective. Thy already is showing talent and commitment to her new role - she will go far in the Department. Her and Alex are very good friends.
Kumanine [the Pharaoh's Chief Minister and High Priest of the God Amen-Re] was dismissed by Pharaoh shortly after the visit of Team 74 and retired to his huge estate in Memphis. He frequently plotted against his old master but escaped being bought to justice. He died in the final year of Amenhotep's reign and his soul was collected and processed.
Rameses [the King's Chamberlain] was accidently killed in a hunting accident in the desert. He was hunting lions with the King when his chariot overturned. His soul was collected and processed.
Seti [the Nubian Captain and Thy's husband] enjoyed a privileged life under the King of Kadesh. He lead the King's army in several successful campaigns, including two against Egyptian forces. Seti was always merciful to prisoners he captured and wouldn't allow the looting of poor villages or towns. He died in his bed at 57 [a good age for the time] and his soul was collected and processed. But his career didn't stop with his death! Some four centuries after that; Seti was made a Knight of God. He still says to this day, that Thy would have been so proud of him - it appears that after nearly four thousand years - he still loved his wife.
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MISSION SUMMARY: "Pharaoh Amenhotep V's magician has been ordered to investigate a strange mirror that appears to show alternative versions of the future - apparently, the mirror was robbed from an ancient tomb which belonged to the legendary magician; Tha, who is said to have received it from the God Thoth himself. But the King is known as the 'Dark Pharaoh' and plans to use the device for his own benefit and alter the destiny of his ancient Empire - Mr. Tibbs is dispatched to protect the current Time-Line from change."
NOTES: This episode contains strong language and horror with very strong sexual references.
"This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead or actual events is purely coincidental." The Author.
"PHARAOH AMENHOTEP V AND THE MIRROR OF TIME."
1. ROYAL COURT; THEBES (LUXOR) PERET (GROWING SEASON) 1320BC.
Simhenta-Kara carefully placed the brightly painted chest upon the stone floor and looked about the room that he and his master; Sentus-Kasim had been provided by the Royal Chamberlain. He walked to the large open window, covered by two embroidered curtains and stared out. The city was sprawled out below the window; "Typical, we're at the back of the palace with no view of the river." He sighed and watched, as his master's two household slaves, started to unpack the personal luggage and set the room up.
The Royal magician; Sentus-Kasim would only allow his young assistant to move or handle the magic props. Lulha wandered in and also stared out of the window which dominates the room. "No bloody view of the river - great!" She muttered with some sarcasm in her voice. Simhenta watched her with envious eyes; the pretty young girl was the old Magicians slave of the bed chamber - Simhenta found it hard to stomach, that the old man bedded such a lovely young girl, just because he had paid gold for her.
He quickly adverted his eyes, when Sentus appeared and slumped in a newly placed chair and pulled the thick plaid wig from his head and cursed. He waved at Simhenta and groaned; "Some bloody emissaries have arrived from the Kadesh King and will receive audience with Pharaoh tonight - which means my performance will now be tomorrow night." Ghusan, the old magician's personal body slave, took the wig and placed it upon its stand and checked for new lice.
Lulha handed her master a cup of wine and said nothing. The old man ran his free hand up her thigh until it rested against her taught belly. "Still, it gives me more time to enjoy my new young bed slave." The old man grinned and sipped his wine, running a hand over the girls bum and between her legs; she didn't smile or react.
His groping's were ended by the arrival of the Pharaoh's personal secretary, who informed Sentus that the Pharaoh demanded his presence now. "It is not for performance, but council." The secretary reassured the near panicked magician.
Thus, Sentus and Simhenta, suitably dressed to greet Pharaoh, made their way to the King's personal apartments; both were impressed by the King's bodyguard - Nubian soldiers dressed in silver and gold tunic's with vicious looking curved swords - they were known to be totally loyal to the King.
They knew something was up, when they were shown into the King's inner sanctuary and were greeted by two naked young girls, bearing cups of wine. Simhenta smiled broadly at the pair and received quite a smile back; they were wearing nothing, but thick decorated collars and lotus flowers entwined in their long dark hair. "The King will be here in minutes." Dushan, the King's secretary announced and took a cup from the girls, then shooed them away; with a wave of his hand.
Dushan looked about and pulled the pair close to him; "What the King is about to impart could get you both killed, if you unwisely speak of it, to the wrong person." He then bowed quite low, as a dark curtain was pulled aside by a particularly fierce looking Nubian. Simhenta whispered to his master; "That's Talin, the Pharaoh's personal bodyguard, he never leaves the King's side, he never speaks; except with his sword."
Old Sentus-Kasim gulped and nervously smiled as Pharaoh Amenhotep stood before them; every one bowed quite low. Simhentra immediately noticed the physical difference between the new King and his late predecessor; Pharaoh Tutankhamen who had lain in his tomb, these past three years. Amenhotep was a powerfully build man with cold, cruel eyes of black. He was not known for his mercy. He had taken the throne of Egypt by marriage to the young kings widow and none defied him; he had commanded the Egyptian Army [at the time] and was a great warrior. He was also pious to the old Gods and had overthrown Tutankhamen's father's change, to a single God; the Aten, reverting the Kingdom to the religion of the ancient Gods.
The 'heritic' Pharaoh Akhenaten's name and very existence in Egyptian History had been obliterated from monuments and court records. Even his new capital had been deserted and was turning to ruins in the Armana desert.
Simhentra knew one fact, well known to every Egyptian; you didn't fuck with this Pharaoh. The Pharaoh pointed directly at Simhentra and spoke to Sentus; "Can this young man be trusted with Pharaoh's secrets?" The old Magician bowed even lower, well. as much as his age and back allowed him; "Yes my Lord, Simhentra is my trusted assistant and apprentice. He only speaks of matters that I allow him - I would trust him with my life."
The Pharoah smiled and grunted; "If your wrong in your trust Setus, then it will be your life." Simhentra saw the look of sheer fear upon his old master's face, but said nothing. The King folded his arms adding; "And your life as well." He indicated to Simhentra with another evil smile.
A young naked girl brought a tray with cups of wine and Simhentra noticed that the King's goblet was solid gold, encrusted with jewels, while they received plain silver cups. The Pharaoh gripped old Sentus's shoulder and spoke quietly; "My Captain, who guards the old tombs upon the Giza, discovered that a local family had indulged in some grave robbing. He had them all thrown to the God Hapi and the good God's servants [Nile crocodiles] devoured them. No afterlife for such villains." He grinned broadly and clapped his hands. The young girl disappeared with some haste - like her very life depended upon it.
"If any one here speaks, writes or even whispers about what they see; the God Hapi will have more tasty morsels for his children." Pharaoh nodded to Talin, who walked to the dark curtain and pulled it aside.
Two large Nubian servants carried in a heavy chest and placed it before Pharaoh, standing to one side, when indicated to do so, by Talin. Pharaoh patted the box gently and Talin carefully unlocked the chest, which was entirely painted black with no writing or symbols. "A funeral chest." Sentus muttered and wiped his face with a very nervous hand.
The big Nubian slowly opened the chest which contained bundles of black cloth and Pharaoh pushed his hands inside and slowly lifted a small, square shaped object that easily fitted into one hand. It glinted and sparkled in the light of the rooms lamps; Setus and Simhentra gasped as they could clearly see their reflections upon its strange surface, which also contained hieroglyphs they did not recognise or understand.
"This was robbed from the tomb of a long dead Magician, who served a great Pharaoh some thousand years before." He turned the object in his hands slowly, almost with reverence. He smiled a little, adding; "I've had several of my best and most educated servants and priests examine it. Four are dead and two simply vanished - gone, no trace of them found. Now I want you to discover how the thing works and what purpose it serves."
He placed the object into Setus's trembling hands and patted the old man; "It's our little secret my new friend, after all, no Pharaoh wants to be accused of receiving goods that were robbed from a tomb - now does he?"
Sentus nodded and whispered; "Of course not my Lord." He carefully wrapped the strange, and apparently deadly, object up in the cloth. Pharaoh pointed to the exit; "Go now and see what you discover. But remember, you cannot leave the palace without my express permission - on pain of death. Everything you require will be provided by my secretary Dushan; food, wine, gold and silver, girls, just ask and it will be done."
Sentus and Simhentra bowed and backed slowly towards the door, they were almost outside the chamber when Pharaoh called after them; "Oh, and please don't fail me, as that could have quite unpleasant consequences - for you." The King smiled broadly and walked away with Talin just steps behind him.
They both knew what Pharaoh meant by that - death; thrown to the crocodiles - if they were lucky and if Pharaoh was merciful that day!
And that's if the strange device didn't kill them first.
2. THOTH'S MAGIC MIRROR OF TIME.
The pair sat in the gathering gloom of night and stared at the object, now placed upon a small table before them. They both sipped wine and for several minutes nothing passed between them, until the old magician sighed loudly and allowed a few tears to fall; "I know what it is." He said simply and gulped down his wine, allowing Simhentra to replenish his cup.
Simhentra could see fear - real fear - in the old man's face and hear it, in his trembling words. "You didn't tell Pharaoh what you knew because he would have killed us. Once we're of no use anymore, that will happen and it will keep his dirty secret of receiving robbed tomb goods. I strongly suspect he kept all the gold and other precious items from those ransacked tombs, for himself." He whispered to the old man who nodded; yes.
Sentus pointed a shaking finger towards the object and spoke very quietly; "It was robbed from the tomb of the great and legendary magician; Tha. He died over a thousand years ago and his name and exploits are still known to this day. Whilst the many Pharaohs that have passed since then are mostly forgotten, with their temples gone and no one recalls their names. They have left history, but Tha lives on in peoples memories and hearts. A good man, kind and generous to the poor and a magician who almost equalled Thoth in talent. It was said, that he was able to part the Nile waters with simple words of power and Hapi didn't mind. He could cure blindness and leprosy with potions and magic. There is a story that he could even raise the newly dead - before the fucking undertakers and priests pulled everything from their bodies - and mummified the poor bastards." The old man sipped more wine and ran a hand over his face.
"Promise me Simhentra; that you will not allow them to disgrace my body in such as manner, but bury me according to the instructions I have left for you. I have no family to object or prevent such a burial. You will inherit what little I have - as the son I never had. Do you promise me this?" The old man gripped Simhentra's arm with hidden strength.
The young man nodded his agreement; "Everything will be done as you say Master." That made the magician smile and he rose and walked slowly to his bedroom and rather strangely - to Simhentra's mind - he turned and said quietly; "May your God's bless you and let happiness into your life and love into your heart." The old magician retired for the night, leaving his apprentice to ponder his words.
Simhentra knew his master practised a strange religion which declared just one God and grand stone tombs, mummification and offerings were not needed to enter paradise or gain its favour. He had also been an admirer of the heretic Pharaoh Akhenaten and often spoke about the religion that the Jewish slaves adhered to.
"A very complex old man, but he has always treated me well." Simhentra whispered to himself and knew that the real legacy, the old man had bequeathed to him, was the much acclaimed art of magic. He was the royal magician, because in a land full of magicians; he was simply the best. His only rival in talent and fame was probably the young Menes - the great magician from the North.
The old man's words about Tha made him recall what every magician knew, that part of the story kept from the adoring masses; that Tha had been visited by Thoth himself and given a mirror from the God's, which showed both the past and the present. The mirror also had the ability to carry it's owner to the 'hereafter' or back to the distant past. Simhentra actually shuddered, despite the heat of the night. He had just imagined what Pharaoh would do with such a device.
Simhentra recalled the old man's story, spoken in whispers; "As a young magician, I heard some of the stories about Tha. It is said that he travelled to strange lands and encountered unbelievable beasts, people whose skins were of many colours and even birds made of metal that roared and swept through the sky, where only God's should go. Tha served three Kings, but was murdered by a black hearted Pharaoh, who heard his story about the fall of the Egyptian Empire and how the God's were replaced by a single entity, who demanded nothing from his people but love."
The old man had slumped in his chair, muttering curses upon the device that lay before him. "We should smash it and flee for our lives." He had whispered and stumbled towards his bed, calling for Ghusan to attend him. "Hide it well Simhentra, let no other person be infected by its presence." Simhentra did as his was told and wrapped the device up and carried it to his bed, where he lay sleepless for many hours, until he finally slept and suffered a horrendous nightmare.
But it was Lulha shouting that awoke him just before dawn. He scrambled from his bed and ran to his masters chamber to find Ghusan kneeling and weeping by the old magicians bed. Luitha gripped Simhentra by the arm and whispered; "He's dead....but look at his face.....demons from the afterlife must have visited him!"
Simhentra approached the bed slowly and held a hand over his mouth; the old man lay face up and that face was contorted in pain and fear - the eyes and mouth wide open. "Fetch the physician." he spoke quietly to Ghusan and held Lutha tightly in his arms; it felt good.
The royal physician examined Sentus and pronounced that he had expired due to his heart suddenly stopping; "That would explain his contorted face and outstretched hands." The physician concluded and bowed to the Kings personal secretary, who nodded his agreement and acceptance of the good doctor's diagnosis.
Dushan stood by the bed and shook his head: "The Pharaoh will not be pleased by this turn of events." He sighed and told a servant to inform the king of the magician's untimely death. Dushan pulled Simhentra to one side and spoke quietly; "You will need to convince the Pharaoh, that you can finish the task assigned by him - despite the death of your master - and produce the results he wants. Do you understand me?"
Simhentra nodded; he understood all to well; what the King's Secretary meant.
"I understand that the old magician had no living family, so I will instruct the Priests at his local temple to find in your favour - you had served him for many years and was born a free man?" Simhentra nodded again. Thus Dushan would arrange for the Chief Priest, at the old man's temple, to declare Simhentra as sole beneficiary to Sentus-Kasim. This would mean, the young man now owned slaves [including Gushan and Lulha] a house in Thebes and a small country estate in Edfu. - and of course; the magic act - if he stayed alive long enough to enjoy his new fortune!
The Pharaoh; was certainly not pleased at the death of the magician, but was impressed enough with Simhentra to allow him to continue working on the strange mirror. As he walked from the King's private audience chamber, distant screams punctuated by wailing and crying, floated within his hearing. He stopped and stared towards the city wall that fronted the Nile.
He heard several splashes and more screaming, which continued for some minutes before silence. Well, not complete silence; the wailing of mourning women now replaced the screams of dying men - the children of Hapi had been fed again.
He slumped upon a chair in his rooms and stared out the window. There were now two Nubian guards posted to his quarters and they had orders never to leave the young magician alone. The King called them 'bodyguards' but Simhentra knew they were Wardens - looking after the prisoner before his execution.
He had arranged for Gushan and Lulha to be taken to the country estate, away from the King; out of sight - out of mind, well, that's what he hoped. Simhentra poured some wine and picked at the figs left out for him. Now he needed to apply his mind to the unusual funeral of his old master.
3. A COSTUME DRAMA?
Alex, at first, steadfastly refused to wear the outfit. She dug her heels in and said NO. But Jericho patiently pointed out that the clothes were totally appropriate, for a woman of high birth in ancient Egypt - particularly at the royal court of Pharaoh. They were very necessary to the mission and Jericho knew that Alex understood that and so pushed the point home. Finally, after some heated discussions, Alex reluctantly agreed - but still under protest!
She appeared in the study wearing a long dark trench coat, wrapped closely about herself, which drew some odd looks from the others. Jericho grinned and shook his head; "Come on Alex, we're in our costumes and I look a right twat in this skirt thing. You can't wear a trench coat in Ancient Egypt - besides you'll sweat to death!" He held up his hands, adding; "Best get it over with and you'll quickly get use to wearing next to nothing.- it may be very liberating - We are all good friends and professionals here, you know."
Alex slowly unwrapped and dropped the coat to the floor, Young Ruth gathered it up and tried not to stare. She had never seen an outfit that high born women of Ancient Egypt wore - well, almost wore - it was very revealing and would cause a sensation, even in the 21st Century.
"I didn't know, that by becoming a Temporal Detective, a condition of service was that I had to show my fanny and bum to anyone who cared to look." Alex said, with her arms folded , then dropped them to her sides. "Well have a bloody good look and get it out of your system." She spoke softly and didn't smile. Jericho and Wilson chuckled and said; "Well done Alex." but Owen said nothing, He simply could not take his eyes off Alex. Wilson slapped Owen on the back and laughed; "Take a good look boy; that is a real woman in all her glory. Most men would happily murder their granny to possess such a beauty." Even the normally reticent Jericho had to agree with that statement - Alex was simply stunning in her costume.
Alex was dressed as a high born women of the Royal Egyptian Court; with a full plaid black wig festooned with jewels, a long thin dress of the finest cotton which was almost transparent and gold covered sandals. Her arms had amulet's of gold and silver - she was completely naked beneath [as was the custom for such high born women]. She placed both arms upon her slender hips and stared at Owen; "Would you like me to do a twirl, so that you can see everything?"
Owen's eyes fixed upon her magnificent breasts and dropped slowly to her thighs. He took a very deep breath and felt giddy; his life in the monastery hadn't equipped him to deal with such a sight. He actually couldn't say anything and he simply couldn't look away - no matter how hard he tried to force himself.
She lifted her arms and turned around slowly. Poor Owen was already the colour of a tomato and he simply blurted out; "Sweet Jesus Alex! Your arse could drive demons mad!" But when he saw the look Alex gave him, he gulped and tried to apologise, but Alex actually smiled; "I'm joking Owen, I'm sure you didn't have many dealings with women in the Monastery, that your father dumped you in. I do know that you don't mean any offence by staring - fill your boots!" She did another little twirl and patted his shoulder, then walked to the table, picking up a glass of brandy - she really needed it - and no-one looked anywhere else but at her bum, moving from side to side with her little strides and Owen actually groaned quite loudly!
"Now you don't get an offer like that every day." Wilson chuckled and gripped Owen by the arm, adding; "Best put your eyeballs back in their sockets before they roll about the floor. But, by Christ, your right about our girls arse - it could easily drive dead men into a sexual frenzy."
Wilson turned to Alex, smiling; "Just one question baby girl - where the hell did you hide your mirror?" Alex grinned back and said softly; "Wouldn't you like to know!" she had recovered her humour, much to the relief of her colleagues. Owen kept looking at Alex and sipped his brandy with a strange look upon his young face. Wilson noticed it and whispered to Jericho; "I think our young apprentice detective has discovered what he missed - whilst he still breathed."
Jericho - still smiling broadly - clapped his hands and pointed to the door; "Let's go people and I hope you really like camels." The little group headed for the light room and jumped to Ancient Thebes in the year 1320BC.
They camped some kilometres from the city and sat about the fire, drinking brandy from silver cups and eating roast chicken and bowls of milky lentil's, garnished with herbs and a little spice. Angel Margret had provided servants and Nubian guards from the period, whilst Temporal Inspector Fabien Bisset had arranged for them to meet his human agent for this period.
Jericho recounted the brief he had received about the mission, they were now undertaking; "It was young Herbie the collector, that reported what the old man had told him, to his boss. Who passed it onto Angel Margret and now we must investigate and recover the damn thing."
Alex - happily wrapped in a thin cloak - nodded; she had heard the rumours about the missing mirror. Apparently it had gone missing from a member of Inspector Fabien's team, some thousand human years before this time. He had been investigating a breech in the Time-Line [someone from 1935 had arrived in 2350BC] when it disappeared. According to regulations, Inspector Fabien would not be allowed to investigate an incident concerning a member of his team and so tracing the missing mirror had been passed to Jericho and his team.
Owen added to the discussion with his research on the incident:
"It appears that whoever arrived from 1935 managed to steal the mirror and disappear. The suspect was an American called Russel Hudson who discovered a natural tear in the time-line and travelled back to 2350BC, where he attended the Pharaoh's court, using a magic act to fund his life here. He became a legend; still spoken about today [1320BC]. Unfortunately, he hadn't done much preparation about the period and upset a few powerful men by sleeping with their wives and daughters. He was murdered by a close friend of the third Pharaoh that he served, who covered up his friends crime. But his reputation forced the authorities to bury the magician with full honours. Inspector Fabien did search his tomb; but nothing was found."
"It was probably taken by thieves before the tomb was even sealed up - grave robbing was a full time business for some families around here." Alex spoke quietly and finished her brandy.
Jericho nodded at that and said softly; "Our mirrors have a defence mechanism which does not allow living humans to operate them. Should one try, the mirror will freeze them and their time period. Then send a warning message back to the Control Centre, who would arrange for Temporal detectives to attend. Since that did not happen, we can only deduce that the mirror is damaged - It has become a very dangerous object to leave around."
Wilson coughed and sipped his drink; "Herbie the collector was told by the old man - who was a magician himself at Pharaoh's court - about 'Thoth's Mirror' and realised it could be the missing mirror. It had resurfaced after nearly a thousand years. As Jericho said, the thing could be damaged, four people from here died trying to operate the damn mirror and worse; no souls were collected and the mirror sent no SOS - very odd. Two managed to open the travel app and they ended up in Brazil in the year 875AD - local natives killed and ate them. The pair had stupidly or in ignorance, left the bloody mirror behind - they couldn't get back and being out of their own time; no souls were collected. The Collector's called the finding of all these soulless bodies in. All the men were traced back to this period of history, but it was assumed that the group were playing around with yet another time portal, they had discovered locally. Only when Herbie the collector called the old man's story in, was it realised that the missing mirror could be the key to their soulless deaths." Wilson downed his drink and smiled a little.
"The old magician was murdered in his bed, by the slave girl that he raped on a regular basis; she suffocated him whilst he slept. It's a pretty good bet that the old man's apprentice knows where it is." Wilson added, refilling his cup.
"He's our target." Jericho said simply and allowed Wilson to refill his cup.
One of their guards shouted that a rider approached on a camel. "Our human agent, I do believe." Jericho smiled and they stood and awaited the arrival of Inspector Fabien's contact for this period and place.
The following morning, a very grand camel train entered the ancient city of Thebes. Crowds of people watched the convoy passing through the great North Gate and whispered amongst themselves that the train contained Northern Egypt's Governor's daughter; the Lady Isis, who was rumoured to be the most beautiful woman in the Kingdom and a devotee of the Goddess, whose name she bore and whose powers she could enact at will. No man dared to try and possess such a woman [without her consent] because of the protection the Goddess bestowed upon her Priestess - few pious Egyptians would risk the wrath of the Goddess Isis.
Most agreed that it was appropriate, that she was accompanied by the North's greatest magician: Menes. The caravan reached the royal palace of Pharaoh Amenhotep V by mid morning and were greeted by the King's personal Secretary; Dushan.
4. MENES THE MAGICIAN.
Jericho bowed low and introduced his personal servant and travelling steward to Dushan; young Ossan. "Don't be fooled by his youth my lord, his mind is sharp and quick......" But the King's secretary stared beyond them both, at the large, imposing Nubian bodyguard who towered above everyone. "I take it that this man - if indeed he is a man - is the Priestess Isis's guard?" Jericho smiled and clapped his hands for the six litter bearers to lower their burden to the sand. "My lord, may I present the flower of the North, Goddess Isis's own Priestess who bears her name and enjoys the Goddess's blessings - the Lady Isis!"
Two slaves pulled the curtains of the litter apart and the Priestess stepped from it into the warm sunshine. There were loud gasps from the crowds and many knelt down, Jericho heard several shout; "It must be herself!"
Alex walked slowly towards the King's Secretary, who simply stood with his mouth half open; the old man was transfixed. "By the God's Menes, she IS the Goddess in living form. No woman walking this earth could compare with her!" He actually bowed low himself and managed to mumble out an official greeting.
The crowds were cheering wildly; they knew that the priestess's visit would bring much luck to their city - and them. Alex thanked Dushan for his words and gave a small wave to the adoring crowds, some men in the throng were actually fighting to get a better look and city guards had to separate them, using their sticks.
Dushan escorted Lady Isis and the magician Menes into the state rooms of Pharaoh's palace where food and drink awaited them. Dushan whispered to a trusted servant to fetch the King - he knew that the King would wish to greet Lady Isis himself. Walking behind Alex, dressed a little more modestly, but still naked beneath her thin dress, was Thy, the Priestess's maid and the local human agent for this time. The difference in height between the two women was noted by all; Alex would be much taller than most grown females of this time because of human evolution - women had gained a little more height over the centuries and the difference was now pronounced.
But it added to Alex's mystic; the God's were much bigger than mortal humans and so that just confirmed her position, in the Goddess's blessings, to most citizens and palace staff. Owen and Wilson noted that the ladies of Pharaoh's court were dressed similar to Alex and there was some beautiful women amongst them - but none compared to Alex [they both agreed on that]. Owen smiled and whispered; "Best fill our boots as Alex says." Wilson chuckled and definitely enjoyed the views on offer.
Owen recognised that Thy was an attractive young woman in her own right and watched her swinging backside as she walked in front of him. Thy was the youngest daughter of the local magistrate and had received a good education for a woman of this period. Her father had signed a marriage contract with a certain captain in Pharaoh's army of occupation in Kush - the pair would formally marry upon his return in a year or so.
Alex was not surprised that Thy considered Wilson a very handsome man; her future husband was of Nubian descent himself and no one really cared about 'mixed marriages' around here - Thy was pale skinned with green eyes and that didn't matter to him either. "He's a good man and he call's me his 'Isis'." She had confided to Alex. Apparently Inspector Fabian also admired the big man; he was Fabien's man in Kush!
Both Alex and Wilson admitted they would really like to meet this army captain, who had quite modern idea's about his forthcoming marriage. They were now in the centre of the magnificent State rooms and could see, it was filled with dignitaries of Pharaoh's court.
The High Priest of the temple of Amen-Ra [the father of the Gods and Egypt's Principal Deity] stood watching with his own secretary. Kumanine was also the Pharaoh's Chief Minister and the second most powerful man in the Kingdom. He drew a heavy breath and turned to his man with a worried look upon his face. "In forty years walking this earth, I have never seen such beauty bestowed upon a mortal woman. There will be trouble in the King's harem when he casts eyes upon her. We both know his appetite for women - beautiful women." He sighed loudly and added; "Then we have the most urgent question of the succession, so this lady may be the answer to all the king's problems."
Then Kumanine hesitated and groaned a little; "Or be the cause of all the King's problems, if she refuses."
The young secretary nodded; Pharaoh's Queen was a sickly young girl, who by marriage had bestowed the throne upon Amenhotep - she had no choice in the matter - her husband was dead and she had produced no male heirs and still hadn't done so. The King's two chief Concubines had also failed to produce a boy, giving him three daughters. two of them already in their tombs. Infant mortality in the ancient world was common and affected rich and poor alike.
The King did have some twenty-one children by women in his harem - he had over a hundred women and girls - but none had the rank to be Queen or even produce a son that the Empire would accept as Pharaoh. The secretary stared at the Priestess and one thought passed through his mind; A real Queen - acceptable to all. but more importantly, able to have a son with a full claim to his father's throne.
The High Priest and his man exchanged glances, both knowing what the other was thinking; this woman had the sheer beauty to be Queen and her position as Priestess of Isis certainly gave her the rank to be Queen - there would be no argument about any son of her's sitting upon the Gold Throne - none whatsoever. But her position also created a real problem for the King - if she refused his offer of marriage and the throne - he could not just take her; that would be sacrilege and blaspheming in Egyptian law and could easily cause civil war amongst his nobility and Priests.
The High Priest wiped his face, terrified at his own thoughts. Such action would certainly incur the wrath of the Goddess and the people would not stand for that. The kingdom could be in bloody chaos and fighting in just weeks, in the event of a such disastrous decision by the King. Few Egyptians had forgotten the turmoil and trouble caused by the heretic Akhenaten, just a few years ago - Egypt could not afford another religious civil war. "If our prince so desires her, then she must be persuaded to submit - for Egypt's sake." He whispered and turned to the grand entrance - Pharaoh was here.
The King desired to see the magician Menes about a certain little matter and thus came straight away. But all thoughts about the mirror simply faded, when he was introduced to the Lady Isis. He eased himself onto a gilded chair and just sat staring at her; saying nothing.
The Lord chamberlain gave a nervous cough which broke the silence in the packed chamber; "Your majesty, maybe the great Northern magician will be allowed to entertain us?" The old man had to repeat his request twice before Pharaoh pulled his eyes away from Alex and mumbled a 'yes'.
Everyone in the chamber exchanged glances - but said nothing - they all knew their King was utterly captivated by the Priestess and each wondered if they were looking at their new Queen.
Menes stepped forward and bowed; "You Majesty, may I present a very humble performance called the 'empty chair?" The Pharaoh nodded and smiled broadly at Alex, who sipped wine with some grace from a golden cup. The King's eyes followed her body from its toes to her face [again] and felt his mouth dry. He actually muttered, which only Kumanine and the Lord Chamberlain heard and both winced at his words - especially one of them: 'Queen'.
A simple plain wooden chair was placed before Pharaoh and the audience shuffled a little forward to catch a better view. Menes unfurled a bright red sheet and showed it to everyone and then asked the Priestess to sit upon the chair, which she agreed and sat down. The magician carefully placed the sheet over the Lady Isis, covering her completely. She made the chamber laugh by complaining that the lamps had gone out. Pharaoh gulped down wine and leaned forward; "I trust the lady will come to no harm magician, for if she does, you may find yourself swimming in the Nile with some new friends." The King didn't smile.
Menes smiled and clapped his hands; the bright red sheet fluttered to the ground; the chair was empty.
There was silence for a few seconds, then huge applause and shouts of praise rang around the chamber. Pharaoh rose and walked to the chair lifting it slightly; like everyone else, he was totally amazed; the great lady had simply vanished. Disappearing in a packed chamber with no hidden traps or mirrors, that could have been prepared in advance.
Simhentra could not believe what he had just seen [like everyone else - well, except Wilson and Owen, who smiled to themselves] the magician had performed an incredible disappearing act with just a chair and a sheet, whilst surrounded by a packed audience. "It's totally impossible!" he whispered and couldn't even begin to see how it was achieved.
The King slumped back in his chair; he had seen many magic performances in his time, but this simple little act was the most incredible thing he had ever witnessed. He stared at Menes, who was taking bows from the crowd, and knew this was the man to prise open the secrets of 'Thoth's Mirror'.
Menes placed the sheet carefully back over the chair and called upon Thoth to return the Priestess, then slowly lifted the sheet high above his head; revealing the chair was no longer empty - the Lady Isis sat drinking her wine and smiled at the crowd; "Have I missed anything exciting?" She said and laughed, to the delight of the audience and particularly Pharaoh - who had already made up his mind about both the magician and his new Queen.
Simhentra eased his way through the excited crowd and introduced himself to Menes, who appeared quite pleased to meet the young magician. But the chamber fell silent as Pharaoh arose and gripped Lady Isis by the hand and ran a soft finger across her lips; "My Lady you are truly beautiful, intelligent, pious, funny and graceful. You are already judged a Queen, just by those gifts that the God's have bestowed upon you. Now you WILL be Queen in truth." Alex was caught totally unprepared, as he simply gripped her and placed a kiss upon her lips. The King was most reluctant to release her and Alex pulled away from him with some effort and stood back from the King; "I am no tavern whore to be handled and taken at will. I will retire for the night and hope your majesty will be in better condition come the 'morrow."
But the King grabbed her back with some force, causing her to yelp; "Yes, you retire for the night sweet lady and sleep well, for tomorrow you WILL become my Queen." He released the shaking woman, who was immediately attended by her maid; Thy. "No I will not sir." Alex said with real defence in her voice. The chamber was in absolute silence and many stood quite shocked by what had just happened. The stand-off between the Priestess and the King continued for a few painful seconds, then Kumanine, Dushan and the Lord Chamberlain diplomatically intervened.
"This great matter must discussed with your council your majesty, a Pharaoh cannot be seen to defy the laws of his brother and sister Gods. She IS the Priestess of Isis herself - she cannot be compelled to marry by threat or force - it will tear your kingdom apart - Remember the heretic Akenaten and those troubled times my lord." Kumanine spoke in a whisper and the Lord Chamberlain agreed with him, adding; "Let us persuade the lady with reason and argument - she is a very intelligent woman my lord - she will see sense."
Pharaoh grunted his agreement with their words; "Make sure you succeed, For she will become my Queen - regardless of what happens I will have her." He turned to Talin and ordered; "Escort the lady to her chambers and see that she has anything she wants." The King's personal bodyguard obeyed; Alex and Thy said nothing, but followed the soldiers. Alex glanced back at Jericho with a real expression of concern upon her face. Jericho nodded to her and found Wilson and Owen. "I think we may have over-egged the pudding this time. But I've made contact with the old magicians apprentice and he does possess the mirror."
"To quote a very wise man Jericho, I think we should grab Alex and Thy, then the mirror and get the fuck outta of Dodge City!" Wilson shrugged his shoulders and smiled, but he - like Owen and Jericho - were now concerned for Alex's and Thy's safety. They had seen that; the 'Dark Pharaoh' was quite capable of anything.
5. RUNNING TO STAND STILL.
Thy rolled her silver wine cup around in her hand and whispered; "I've tried coffee. It was really good, even if it was heated." Alex shook her head; "You can't have done Thy; it won't be around for another couple thousand years."
Thy leaned forward and grinned; "Mr. Fabien brought me some in a strange vase he called 'a flask' and let me try it." Alex did smile; "You like Mr. Fabien then Thy?" The young girl nodded and really did smile broadly. The pair were interrupted by the arrival of Menes the magician with Ossan and Lady Isis's guard close behind [that mean's Jericho, Owen and Wilson turned up] and Alex was really pleased to see them.
She noticed immediately that Jericho was not a happy man and he explained that the old magicians young apprentice had fled into the night - taking the mirror with him. So Pharaoh was not a happy king; ordering Talin to take several men and go after Simhentra. He had decamped because he knew the Pharaoh would replace him with Menes; and that 'replacement' would mean death - for him.
Jericho informed Alex that several members of the King's council would soon arrive to 'persuade' her to marry Pharaoh; to save Egypt from further turmoil and possibly - civil war. Alex shrugged her shoulders; "I knew this bloody outfit would be trouble; you can't walk about in public, showing your bits without some sort of trouble." Everyone chuckled and Jericho rubbed his chin and asked Thy, if she had any idea where Simhentra could have run to.
Thy nodded; "The old magician left him a small estate in Edfu and I'm pretty sure that Pharaoh doesn't know about that - yet." Jericho sighed and pulled his mirror out; "Let's locate the estate of the late Sentus - Kasim in this time period." Alex noticed that young Owen was staring at her - again. She smiled; "I thought you would have seen enough Owen." with no censor in her voice and folded her arms.
Owen openly blushed and muttered several apologies and pretended to study a piece of 'artwork' on a pedestal near the windows. Wilson chuckled; "I think our boy has fallen in lust with you." Alex nodded and Thy even agreed; "He hasn't taken his eyes off you in that gown." She hesitated and added; "Mind you, neither have any of the males we have met so far." Both women laughed quietly.
Owen was now intently studying the little statuette and turned the piece around carefully in his hands. He pulled his mirror from the satchel he was carrying and for some minutes concentrated on both. Alex asked him what was so interesting about the little piece of stone; a small fat man sitting upon a chair.
Owen tapped the rear of the small statue and pointed out the few hieroglyphs scratched upon the back of the seat. "It says that this is an image of Tha - the magician. But according to human records on Ancient Egypt, this statue is on display in the Cairo Museum as being the only discovered representation of the Pharaoh Khufu; the King who is credited with building the great pyramid. That piece has no name marked upon it. Interesting that."
Alex accepted the piece and showed it to Thy, who nodded; "That's an image of the magician Tha - everyone knows that, well everyone living here now."
"Modern archaeologists must have the issue confused." Wilson muttered and wondered why his young friend - who was staring at Alex [yet again] - found it as interesting as he now found Alex!
Jericho called for everyone's attention and tapped his mirror; "We're off to Edfu and pay a visit to young mister Simhentra. it would be a lot easier if he could just turn the damn thing on and we could trace him in a second." Thy pulled a beautiful dark cloak about Alex and she was more than happy with it. The little group disappeared and arrived in the metropolis of Edfu, which was dominated by its famous temple to the God Horus.
"He now has a large house in the street of the Baker's." Thy informed Jericho, as the group made its way through the quiet streets as night gathered in. "He's probably still travelling down the river, that would be the quickest way from Thebes to here. So we'll wait at his house." Jericho spoke quietly and smiled when Owen warned everyone to keep an eye on Lulha - she was a murderer - after all. They found the house after about half hour; a white washed villa with a roof garden. Thy pointed out the name given to the place; 'House of illusions.'
Ghusan was a little surprised to see the famous magician Menes [and rival to his old master] at the door, and even greater surprise at finding the Priestess of Isis standing there too. Simhentra had not yet arrived and Ghusan felt compelled to allow the Priestess to rest in his new master's humble abode.
Figs and wine were produced for the guests by Lulha, who bowed really low to the Priestess and asked if she knew when, her new master would return. Before Alex could answer, Owen stepped back from the doorway and said quietly; "Pharaoh's soldiers are in the street - heading this way."
Jericho pointed to the back room - away from the servants - and everyone quietly made their way there. "Well our magical friend won't be turning up here at any time in the near future. Not with Pharaoh's troops swarming over the city. Back to the office for now." Jericho spoke softly, as there was loud banging on the door and shouting. He operated his mirror and suddenly the room was empty. Lulha stood in the doorway and allowed the tray of cups to fall slowly from her shocked fingers and smash upon the floor.
The villa was suddenly full of soldiers; shouting and searching. Talin gripped her arm and demanded where the bloody magician was. Lulha couldn't speak for a few seconds and Talin could see the look of horror upon her face. "They just disappeared - into thin air - I saw them with my own eyes." She whispered and came over faint. Talin heaved the girl up into his arms and carried her to a nearby chair.
One of his soldiers shouted that the magician wasn't here; but the magician Menes and the Priestess of Isis - with their servants - had been here just minutes ago. "That's impossible; we have the villa surrounded." He muttered, then looked at the Lulha, who was drinking wine offered by Ghusan, and how she was shaking from fear. He wiped his face - Pharaoh will not be happy at this turn of events - especially now he has lost both the magic mirror and the beautiful Priestess. But he would definitely be interested in the Northern
magicians latest incredible trick.
Talin grunted and ordered his men out of the villa, after yet another search which yielded nothing, and headed back to their boat docked on the Nile. He would send a runner back to Pharaoh; especially informing him about the Northern magician Menes, making five full grown adults simply disappear in a room without windows and the only door had a serving girl standing in it!
That made him turn back to Lulha, who was sitting on the small chair; smiling at him - her legs open and arms at her sides - she was offering sex for protection. Talin rubbed his chin and reckoned that he would not hear from his master for some time. The big Nubian took hold of Lulha by the arm and marched her into the bedroom. The girl had only ever been with her old master and the 'big' Nubian came as quite a surprise; she screamed the whole time that he took her and when he left some one hour later; she lay half on the bed and half on the floor; wrapped in a blood stained sheet - sobbing.
Talin couldn't believe the girl was almost a virgin and smiled to himself, as he returned to the boat - her old master must have had a cock the size of a finger; he laughed out loud and was watched by Simhentra from a street corner - wrapped in a dark cloak - and full of hatred for the Nubian because of what he had done to Lulha. He clutched the mirror to his chest and headed for his boyhood friends house in the street of the sail-makers.
6. SMOKE AND MIRRORS IN STONE.
Pharaoh sat slumped in a little gilded chair with a gold cup in his hand, whilst a naked serving girl filled it with wine. He had received several messengers that night; the one from the Northern Governor made him throw goblets, overturn furniture and kick the Lord Chamberlain up the arse. He rubbed his face and stared at the floor, sipping his wine. The Northern Governor had informed Pharaoh that his daughter Isis was still at her Temple in Memphis - and the great Northern magician: Menes was performing at the very same temple - they had been nowhere.
"All fucking imposter's. but the magician was no fake." The King yelled at Dushan, who stood in silence - he knew how to handle the King's anger. Finally Pharaoh had calmed down enough to think clearly and make decisions; the Lord Chamberlain had no answers, when the King asked him; "Who the fuck were those people and where is the woman?" He had already decided that the woman [when found] would be a royal concubine, regardless of her current rank amongst women - he really didn't care; even if she turned out to be the fucking illegitimate daughter of a camel dung salesman!
The runner from Talin made the King pace the floor; "Where is the little bastard with my mirror?" He yelled at Kumanine who also said nothing. The King announced a large reward of gold for Simhentra's whereabouts and an even greater amount for the woman posing as the priestess of Isis. Just for good measure; he had all Simhentra's property and land seized, handing the battered and abused Lulha over to her new 'master' - Talin. He kept Ghusan [who actually was a very good servant] for his own household.
With no family or Simhentra to bury him, the old magician's body lay in the Temple mortuary at Edfu; until the smell forced the priests there to bury him without ceremony or mummification [which was expensive]. They felt little sympathy for the old man, as he was placed in a sand-pit grave and covered up - strangely enough, just as the old man had wanted!
Pharaoh knew that the lure of so much gold would produce results - he especially hoped, that it would in the case of the missing beauty; he really did ache for the woman. She had fooled them all with her believable performance. That thought actually made the King smile; a beautiful, intelligent, cunning and resourceful rogue! What a Queen she could have made - in his dark heart, he had already forgiven her.
The little group of camels passed quietly across the sand, heading for the city of Memphis, as the coolness of night approached. Jericho consulted his mirror and stared up at the darkening sky which was full of stars. His thoughts were disturbed by Owen, who rode next to him. "We can get a visit to the Great Pyramid, can't we?" Owen asked, desperate to see the structure as it was meant to be seen; before the outer casing was stripped away some three thousand years later and used to built a mosque.
Jericho had to smile and he nodded. That made Owen's day and he volunteered to cook for the group, when they camped that night just outside the city. Everyone chatted and ate, sitting around the campfire and Jericho briefed his team between mouthfuls of curry and sips of wine.
"Thy tells me that a close friend of Simhentra has informed Talin that the young magician has fled to this city. He has managed to avoid capture for nearly a year despite the large reward offered in gold. The same informant also confirmed that he still has the mirror in his possession - and that's our priority; get the damn thing back - by any means."
Wilson chuckled and spoke directly to Alex; "You know that horny old Pharaoh has offered a massive reward if you give yourself up to him. I mean, Thy says its huge and all in gold. You would be the wealthiest woman in Egypt bar the Queen herself." Alex smiled and ate her curry slowly; "I think, I'll decline the dirty old sod's generous offer and stay with the team - thank you very much."
Owen coughed and held up the little statue of the fat man sitting on a chair, that he had 'borrowed' from Pharaoh's apartments; "I think I've worked out what the real story is about, despite the confusion that surrounds this." Jericho was now interested; he knew that Owen had a quite powerful deductive mind; that's why he picked the boy for his team.
Every one sat in silence around the little fire and listened with real interest.
"Thy tells us that this little statue is actually of Tha - the legendary magician - and NOT Pharaoh Khufu who is credited with building the Great Pyramid. Why the confusion? Tha WAS King Khufu's magician and so is known to everyone at the time and even now, is still known. So here's something to ponder; Pharaoh wants a tomb that will not be robbed, so he builds a fucking massive structure right where everyone can see it and, most importantly, knows that the King's incredible fortune in gold and other precious stuff are sealed up inside. That's just plain crazy - every tomb robber then and now will try to get in and steal the stuff. It's staring them in the face!" Owen sipped his wine and pushed the statue back into the bag he was carrying and smiled.
Alex pulled the cloak about her shoulders and nodded; "Your right Owen; it doesn't actually make any sense, Pharaoh Khufu MUST have known about the robbery of the other royal tombs - even the ones that were hidden at the time. So why built a bleeding great tomb that everyone knows is full of treasure?"
Owen grinned broadly and said simply; "Tha."
Jericho started to chuckle and slapped Owen on the back; "Absolutely brilliant my young friend, fucking brilliant!" He looked quite amazed and shook his head in realisation of what young Owen had deduced. Alex actually clapped and stuck up a thumb; "That is just incredible - little wonder Tha is a legend."
Wilson looked quite puzzled and Owen grabbed his arm; "What do magicians perform all the time - in nearly every trick big man?" Wilson shrugged his large shoulders; "Deception, distraction and illusion?" He ventured, then what Owen meant, struck home and he started to laugh.
"It's the greatest piece of deception ever performed - smoke and mirrors formed from stone - the whole world believed Pharaoh was buried, with all his treasure, in a fucking huge lump of stone that everyone knows about. But it was a bloody big deception thought up by Tha and its simply brilliant. No-one would search for Khufu's tomb to rob - it was right there, staring them in the face. That's why its never been found. Simply brilliant - no-one has ever looked for it - making it the safest tomb ever created for a Pharaoh." Owen Chuckled and sipped his wine.
"So the cunning old Pharaoh still lays undisturbed after three thousand years - simply protected by the fact; that no-one ever looked for him!" Alex gripped Owen's arm with real pride; "Brilliant." She repeated softly.
"Rider on a camel approaching." Wilson said and stood up; "Its Thy." He added and walked over to greet her. Alex was well pleased to meet up with her 'maid' again and handed Thy a cup of wine, as she joined the little group around the fire.
Thy sipped her wine and spoke softly; "I have really terrible news. Simhentra was betrayed by his childhood friend for the gold reward. Pharaoh tortured him, but didn't find the mirror. They killed him just a few weeks ago."
Alex sighed; "A brave young man, I guess he knew what bloody Pharaoh would do if he regained the mirror and learnt how to operate it." Everyone nodded at that and Owen asked; "I take it, they made him swim with crocodiles?" Thy shook her head and looked quite sad; "No, his death was worse than that."
Owen sipped his wine and asked; "What could be worse than eaten alive by really big reptiles?" Thy took a deep breath; "They buried him alive. Wrapped him up in bandages, placed him in an old sarcophagus and entombed in some hidden place. Probably at Saqqara, where there are lots of old empty tombs they could reseal and hide."
They sat in silence until Jericho spoke; "We really must recover the mirror before that bastard gets his hands back on it." Everyone agreed with that.
7. IS HE DEAD OR ALIVE?
Thy had arranged for the group to stay at her father's estate in Memphis for the time being. It was a beautiful two story villa with a roof garden that backed onto the Nile.
Jericho sat in the roof garden, enjoying the smells of the plants and the cool breeze coming off the river. he was consulting his mirror and looked up and smiled when Alex joined him - dressed far more modestly, now that she wasn't playing a high born woman. She watched as Jericho expression changed to one of puzzlement, then real concern.
"What is it?" She asked and sat next to him, gripping his arm. Jericho tapped his mirror and his face was grim; "No soul was collected from Simhentra, no Collector was sent because Dispatches have no record of his death - yet - and the missing mirror logged an attempt to use the Travel App."
Alex was slightly confused; "But Thy is certain that Pharaoh put him to death in that bloody awful way." Jericho nodded and rubbed his chin; "There can be a couple of explanations. The first is Simhentra was out of his time [a time traveller] but why couldn't the collector find a body? The second is; he's still alive - but he's been buried for almost four weeks now - that's simply impossible. It really doesn't make any sense with no soul and no body. There always has to be one or the other."
Alex leaned back and stared at the Nile; "So he's appears to be alive - yet we know he must be dead. No one could be buried for four weeks without food or more importantly; water. So what is he: dead or alive?" Jericho admitted he didn't know - it was one strange set of circumstances. Then he stared down at the message just received from a Senior Time-Controller; he re-read the message a couple of times.
"This gets stranger by the minute. Time control has reported that someone attempted to use the missing mirrors travel App and was successful - well almost - they logged to travel to Egypt in 1970 but didn't arrive. They never made it which is impossible....." Jericho stopped speaking and drew a real full breath; "The poor stupid bugger - he's trapped between the two."
Alex asked Jericho, what he meant by trapped between two - two what?
Jericho folded his arms and said quietly; "He's trapped between the living and the dead - he's actually neither and there's no way we can help him. The bloody mirror is clearly defective and his soul is still with his dead body, which cannot be located because Dispatch Records still show him as living!"
"Poor bloody sod." Muttered Alex and the pair was joined by Owen and Wilson - eating of course - they loved the local figs. Jericho bought them up to speed on the fate of Simhentra, but added that Time Control had pinpointed where the mirror was operated from; and that's where they were headed.
"It was activated at Saqqara, where Thy believes they disposed of Simhentra just four weeks ago. He must have tried to escape by using it and the bloody defective mirror threw his soul into limbo and Pharaoh must have come across his lifeless body." Jericho looked quite puzzled and rubbed his chin; "If that's the case, why did Pharaoh bother to go through the whole 'lets bury the fucker alive' routine?" Everyone shrugged their shoulders - this case was becoming stranger by the minute.
Owen folded his arms and sighed; "How could he operate the mirror and end up apparently lifeless, when Pharaoh finds him and takes possession of the body - but no mirror is found on him?" Wilson whistled and ran a hand over his face; "Owen is right; Pharaoh should have found the mirror by the dead body - but we know he didn't, how could that happen?"
Alex wrapped her cloak about herself; "Someone else was there and witnessed the mirror apparently kill young Simhentra and cleared off with it, just before Pharaoh turned up. But who could Simhentra trust? Who could have been his accomplice?"
Jericho pushed his mirror back into his tunic and took a deep breath; "I asked Control to give me some details on what the defective mirror could have done to Simhentra and one possibility, may be the answer why Pharaoh still buried him alive - apparently. With his soul stuck between the living and dead, his body would appear just like a man in a coma. The Pharaoh probably tried a little torture to wake him, but with no success and so buried him 'alive'."
"The bloody mirror is still out there. Let's go people." Jericho added and pulled his mirror out again and tapped details into the Travel App and the team was gone.
"The city of the Dead." Alex said quietly, as they walked through some low stone walls and stared at the Step-Pyramid silhouetted by the moon, which was rising in the darkening night sky. "I thought that was Hamunaptra." Owen whispered and smiled. Wilson murmured; "You watch too many movies." and pointed towards a small stone compound which had lights showing.
Jericho checked his mirror and nodded towards the building; "That's where our mirror may be." Keeping low, they made for the compound and found some statues of a dog headed god to hide behind. Owen gripped Jericho's arm and pointed near the wall of the compound; "Jericho; there's a dead soldier on the ground and its so fresh, there's the bloody collector!"
Jericho waved Ali the Collector over - with the soul of the bewildered dead soldier in tow - They greeted Ali warmly and he bowed a little to Jericho, he gestured to the dead soldier's soul; "He said that tomb robbers are searching near the old temple wall, for some nobleman's burial. He was looking after the office, whilst his colleagues - six of them - have gone to the site, which is located on the other side of the complex. Then someone came up behind him and drove a dagger through his throat. He couldn't even scream, but he saw who killed him and he knew the man."
Jericho nodded and spoke to the soldier directly; "You say you know the man who killed you?" The soldier spoke softly; "Yes Sir, all soldiers know Pharaoh's personal bodyguard: Talin." Wilson drew a breath; "Do you think the so called Tomb robbers are also Talin's men and thus; Pharaoh's men?" Alex folded her arms; "They think they know where the mirror is." She said simply.
"This soldiers death will be blamed on grave robbers and their supposed appearance here will also cover Pharaoh's activities in the cemetery, quite clever really." Jericho grunted and stared at the small building; how could Simhentra hide the mirror in a building constantly used by Pharaoh's troops?
No, the young magician would hide the damn thing somewhere else - in plain sight? Jericho smiled at that thought.
Owen pointed to the small whitewashed building; "Someone is still inside; it must be Talin." Jericho told Ali to take the man's soul and depart; which he did. Jericho spoke quietly to his team; "If you were a magician and needed to hide something really well; where would you hide it?"
"Smoke and mirrors." Muttered Owen and Alex wrapped her cloak around tighter against the chill of night. "In plain sight." She volunteered and then Thy chuckled quietly; "In Pharaoh's palace?" Jericho really did smile at that remark; "No, the mirror was activated around here - somewhere."
Alex held up a hand; "But what about poor Simhentra, shouldn't we try and find him and his soul?" Owen grunted; "No can do, I checked my mirror and he is not shown amongst the living anymore and worse; he's not shown amongst the dead either. We will not be able to locate his body or soul." Wilson waved a hand and said; "He's buried around here somewhere and no-one will come digging for antiques and mummies for another four thousand years. The poor bastard."
8. HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT.
Owen crept back from the compound's little office and re-joined the team by the low stone wall. "Talin is practically pulling the place to bits; he's even knocking holes in the bloody walls!" Jericho wiped his face and stared about the extensive cemetery of Saqqara; "Where would a magician hide the bloody mirror?" Alex and Thy were chatting quietly and Wilson was consulting his mirror.
Owen suddenly snapped his fingers and drew everyone's attention; "I know this sounds crazy, but what if Simhentra decided to be inspired by his hero; Tha. and like the Great Pyramid, come up with a wonderful distraction and hide the bloody thing in plain sight? or rather instruct his accomplice on where to hide the damn thing after he was dead?"
Wilson nodded, he liked that idea; "But where?" Owen grinned and jerked a thumb towards the North wall; "What about Tha's tomb, where it was originally stolen from?" Alex chuckled; "Now that would be really ironic if Pharaoh and his merry men are ripping the place apart and it's hidden in the last place they would even think of!" Thy folded her arm and smiled; "Its not such a crazy idea; remember they captured him in this place."
Jericho decided that since they had nothing else to run with, they would check out the old tomb of Tha the magician. The little group made their way quietly across the sand and stones of Saqqara. Some distance behind them they could see flaming torches; "Pharaoh and his men searching." Thy whispered, adding; "They can't be seen during daylight now they have Simhentra, they would have to explain why they're in the cemetery and what for. Pharaoh doesn't want anyone to know about the mirror, which was looted from a tomb."
Owen guided them to a quiet spot near a small ravine and the broken and derelict entrances to looted and abandoned tombs from the glorious 'Old Kingdom' of Egypt. "That's the one." He spoke quietly and the group disappeared into the dark recess, leaving Thy hiding in the entrance as lookout.
They followed the roughly cut tunnel, bent low because of the ceiling, into a three chambered burial area. It appeared empty apart from broken stones, pieces of dried wood and rags. Wilson was admiring the engravings upon the walls, now faded with age and smashed in many parts. "I take it that this magnificent looking fellow was Tha. They certainly used a lot of artistic licence."
Owen chuckled; "He was small and plump in real life." He shone his mirror about; "Look for any thing that appears newly disturbed." Alex and Jericho took one wall and started to search away from it - Owen and Wilson started from the opposite. They searched for several minutes without success until they met in the middle of the abandoned tomb. Jericho sighed; "Nothing."
Everyone stood in silence and stared about the room, then Owen grinned and shone his mirror against the wall opposite; "That figure of Tha is holding something. It looks like a square box." Everyone headed for the wall and Alex ran her soft hands over the engraving. "There's something under the paintwork." She said softly and Wilson produced his 'Swiss Army knife' and started to scrape about the paint and plaster.
Everyone smiled with relief at finally finding the mirror, then they heard Thy calling softly from the entrance. They made to the tomb opening and joined her, crouching low amongst the scattered stone blocks and mounds of sand.
"Tomb robbers." Thy whispered and they could see a group of men against the ravine wall opposite, emerging from a dark and shadowed clef in the ridge. They were carrying bags and boxes and worked in total silence, one old man carrying a wooden staff, appeared to be using hand signals to guide his fellow robbers. They disappeared into the darkness of the night without making a single sound. Thy leaned against the large stone and breathed deep a couple of times; Alex asked her what was wrong and Thy ran a hand across her face; "I know that old man and what I just saw could get me killed."
Jericho nodded and operated his mirror and the group found themselves back at Thy's fathers villa, where servants bought them wine and bread. Alex and Thy spoke together for some time before Jericho called everyone to order; it was time to return to the lighthouse and hand over the retrieved mirror to Angel Margret.
Everyone took their leave of young Thy and thanked her for all her assistance, especially Alex and the pair embraced like old friends. Then Thy was left alone in the house to contemplate what she had seen and the terrible consequences it could bring, if she ever revealed the identity of the old man who commanded the team of grave robbers.
Thy slumped upon her bed and sipped some wine, staring at the flickering lamps which illuminated her small bedroom. The scene she had witnessed earlier passed through her mind - yet again. She would have troubled sleep tonight and placed her wine goblet down and closed her tired eyes. Thy slept badly, turning frequently, wrapped in a single sheet.
Something made her wake suddenly and she sat up. Talin and three soldiers were standing at the base of her bed. She stifled a scream with a hand across her mouth and pulled the sheet around herself. Talin grinned broadly; "Well my little maid to a fake Priestess, the King would really like to speak to you." He gestured to his soldiers and they grabbed Thy, binding her arms and hands. She said nothing, but breathed deeply as they dragged her from her father's house into the dark night.
9. SAME PLACE - NEW PROBLEM?
Jericho placed the file down upon the desk and rubbed his face with both hands. He looked up as Owen stuck his head around the door; "Alex and Wilson will be back from Human Records in a few minutes." He informed Jericho and sat in a chair opposite with hands upon his knees. The message 'little Ivan' had delivered was not good news.
Thy, their human agent had been taken by the 'Dark Pharaoh' who wanted to find out where Alex had disappeared to. Luckily, he did not connect her to Simhentra's theft of 'his mirror' and it only concerned his desires for the woman [Alex] who had played the Priestess of isis. Owen shook his head; "He's a persistent old pervert, I'll give him that." Jericho nodded and tapped the file; "This would never have happened to Thy in the original Time-Line. But because she assisted us and fell foul of Pharaoh, the Time-Line could now change and Margret wants it sorted out."
"We just heard about Thy; what's the plan Jericho?" Wilson sauntered through the door and dropped into a nearby chair and after a few moments Alex swept in and eased herself into her favourite armchair. "I really don't fancy meeting that dirty old Pharaoh again, but we do need to rescue Thy from his clutches - thank heaven he doesn't associate her with that bloody mirror." Alex accepted a brandy from Mr. Harris and sipped it slowly, adding: "But how can we do that? - everyone in that time and place would recognise us."
"We just heard about Thy; what's the plan Jericho?" Wilson sauntered through the door and dropped into a nearby chair and after a few moments Alex swept in and eased herself into her favourite armchair. "I really don't fancy meeting that dirty old Pharaoh again, but we do need to rescue Thy from his clutches - thank heaven he doesn't associate her with that bloody mirror." Alex accepted a brandy from Mr. Harris and sipped it slowly, adding: "But how can we do that? - everyone in that time and place would recognise us."
"They would certainly remember you and that dress." Wilson chuckled and accepted the file from Jericho. "Alex has a really good point there Jericho; how can we return without being recognised?" Owen accepted a glass from Mr. Harris and sat back in his chair, looking quite concerned. Jericho sighed; "Well, we certainly have to do something, we've all seen what the 'Dark Pharaoh' is capable of and there's no way we're leaving Thy at his mercy." Everyone nodded their agreement at that.
Owen placed both hands upon his head and stared at the ceiling. He then sat up; "Simhentra never blabbed about our involvement in retrieving the mirror, we know that because Pharaoh didn't link Thy with the disappearance of his precious mirror - just with our little deception. He certainly admired you as a magician and that could be useful."
Wilson sighed; "You seem to forget that Pharaoh's soldiers came to Simhentra's villa while we were there; the servants are bound to have informed Talin about that and then its no small leap to link us with him [Simhentra]. But I am puzzled why Pharaoh hasn't linked Thy to the mirror - she was Alex's maid after all and he would know, that Alex was at the villa with her."
Owen had to agree with Wilson's deduction and sat back in silence. Everyone turned to the door as Mr. Harris appeared and whispered into Jericho ear, which made him smile. "It appears that Inspector Fabian has arrived to thank us for recovering his team members mirror and update us on young Thy. He's just returned from there."
Mr. Harris showed the Temporal Inspector in and Jericho introduced Fabian Bissit to his team. He was a short plump man wearing a fine three piece suit with shirt and tie - but everyone noticed the bright red training shoes that he wore. Fabian sported a black 'goatee' beard and a red beret. He was regarded as a 'little eccentric' or slightly crazy; according to Owen. He was delighted to be invited to dinner and the team made for the dinning room, quietly chatting amongst themselves.
Wilson, with a little grin on his face, just had to ask Alex; "When Jericho did the trick with the empty chair that amazed everyone back there, Owen and I knew that you would simply operate your mirror and disappear; then return." Alex nodded; "Yes, quite simple really, so what bothers you about that?"
Wilson sighed; "Where the hell did you hide the mirror in that bloody skimpy outfit?"
Alex chuckled and pointed to her hair. Owen grinned; "Of course, you could get a dinning table in that bloody wig, never mind a little mirror!" Alex rolled her eyes; "Some bloody detectives you two are!" They laughed quietly amongst themselves until dinner was started.
Fabian sat smiling, as he anticipated the famed cooking of Mrs. Harris and the conversation turned to young Thy - he certainly had some good news on that score. He slurped his soup and between spoonful's explained that Thy's fiancé - the big Nubian Captain - had returned to claim his young bride and wasn't happy about Pharaoh keeping her prisoner, until she told him about the whereabouts of 'Lady Isis'.
So the brave young man broke into the palace one dark night and the pair escaped - after he killed a couple of guards. They fled to Kadesh, where the King there, granted them sanctuary and the captain became a Commander in the King's army. They are now married - quite happily it would appear.
Alex actually clapped at that statement and lifted her glass to the pair; Fabian and her team mates joined her for that toast. The relief amongst the Temporal Detectives was palatable and the atmosphere at the dinner table had changed completely. Fabian went on to explain, as the chicken in white wine was served, that Pharaoh's sickly young Queen had died and he still had no son's by his two royal concubines. He was not a happy man by all accounts - prowling the palace at night and drinking.
Alex asked if he had any news about poor Simhentra and Fabian sadly shook his head - nothing had been uncovered about the young magician's whereabouts, but he had some news about the slave girl Lulha. Apparently she had run away from her master - which carried the death penalty - and was in hiding; in Kadesh. He didn't drop the bombshell about her until the pudding course arrived.
"The poor girl gave birth in that country and unfortunately died from complications of the birth. There would have been no one to care for the infant, since Lulha had no family living there. The child was, of course, Pharaoh's man Talin's baby. The little boy was clearly of Nubian ancestry and was taken in by a kind young couple, who raised him as one of their son's.
Fabian grinned and lifted his glass; "The little boy fitted in quite nicely with his new family despite being of mixed blood because the couple was Thy and her Nubian husband!" Alex nodded with real delight at that turn of events, then came the bombshell as the biscuits and cheese was served.
"She may have bumped off her old master - I think she had pretty good cause to do so - but she must have felt something for her new master Simentra because after fleeing from Talin, the pair were on the run together for some time. She shared his poverty and fear, constantly on the move and hiding. She stayed loyal to him until death." Fabien helped himself to some blue Stilton Cheese and a couple of crackers, adding: "I take it you worked out that Lulha was the one, who hid the mirror in the old tomb; on Simhentra's instructions before fleeing to Kadesh. You have to give her credit for that sort of loyalty."
Owen grinned and whispered to Alex; "How the hell did we miss that one?" But the Inspector had one more little 'bombshell' to drop.
The dinner party broke up and Fabian took his leave, but not before informing Alex that she was almost a legend in the Temporal Detectives Department. She was quite puzzled by that and asked why.
He grinned; "That incredible dress that you almost wore; someone lifted a picture of you from the life tape of that time and copies are appearing everywhere. I even have one!" He bowed, kissed her hand and left the slightly shocked Alex standing in the study.
Owen and Wilson said a hastily good night to her and tried to head for their rooms - but she stood in the doorway; unsmiling and held out her hand: "Thank you boys, I will take them now."
Both sighed and very reluctantly handed the pictures over quite slowly, then sheepishly departed for their rooms in silence. Jericho sat by the study fire and allowed himself a small laugh. Alex bid him good night and ripped up the pictures; throwing them into the blazing fire and went to bed a little happier.
Jericho sipped his brandy and smiled, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled the picture out and studied it; "Very nice, but nothing on seeing the real thing." He whispered and laughed quietly - again. He sighed deeply and tossed the photo upon the fire, finished his drink and headed for bed.
He passed a happy Mr. Parker chasing a tennis ball down the stairs and stopped to pat the cat. "Alexandra and Elizabeth are much alike." He whispered and watched the cat disappear down the hall with his ball.
"This mission twisted and turned, but was considered a success by Angel Margret; the missing Temporal Mirror had been recovered. Poor Simhentra-Kara would remain trapped between the world of the living and dead for nearly five thousand human years. He remains in the world of the living to this day; but remains dead! That is definitely another story!"
W.A.S.
Simhenta-Kara [ the old Magician's assistant and apprentice] fate remains a mystery; Human Records still have him listed as 'alive', whilst Dispatches show him 'dead'. No soul has been collected and the matter has been drawn to the attention of Arch-Angel Peter himself. It appears that the young man is trapped between the world of the living and the world of the dead. The matter came to a head, when his body was found by Archaeologist Sir George Hadden in 1888 and his soul was still with it! - But that's another story....
Sentus-Kasim [the old Magician] who was murdered by the young woman [Luiha] he raped on several occasions, was the catalyst for Team 74's mission to ancient Egypt. His soul was collected and processed.
Lulha [the old Magician's sex slave] died from complications following the birth of her son and her soul was collected. She escaped any quarantine and re-joined the human life cycle immediately. It is understood that Jericho spoke up for her to Angel Margret, which may have swayed the Angel's decision.
Ghusan [the old Magician's servant] served his new master [the Pharaoh] for some years and was freed from slavery upon the death of that Pharaoh. He lived out the remainder of his life in Thebes, as a Temple servant of the Goddess Isis. He died aged 34 and his soul was collected and processed.
Dushan [the King's Scribe or Secretary] continued to serve the Pharoah until Amenhotep's death. The new King had his own scribe and Dushan found himself poor and unemployed. He went into the grave robbing business with his grandfather [at first] and became very wealthy and powerful. He died aged 63 [a staggering good age for the time] and his soul was collected and processed.
Pharaoh Amenhotep V [the Dark Pharaoh] was not a happy man; despite all the power and wealth he commanded. None of his numerous harem could make him really happy. He was too marry three more times and not a single wife produced a son - just daughters. Upon his death at the age of 44, the throne [through marriage to his eldest daughter] passed to Ramses I. No soul was collected upon Amenhotep's death and Inspector Fabien Bisset is currently investigating - with no resolution so far.
Talin [the Pharaoh's personal bodyguard] continued to serve his master for some years, gaining a reputation for violent deeds, indiscrete murder and further rapes. He was savagely killed by several men in the Royal Palace within days of Pharaoh's death. His soul was collected and placed in quarantine until the year 67.
Tha [the legendary magician of the Ancient Egyptian Old Kingdom] aka Russel Hudson? - produced no soul to collect. It appears he was a human out of their own time and his true identity remains undiscovered. Inspector Bisset has been tasked to discover who he was and from which time period he came - the case remains unresolved to this day.
Temporal Detective Inspector Fabien Bisset received a caution for his team member losing the mirror. But continues to police the 'Stone-age' for Angel Margret. This eccentric character is quite an expert on the period. Thy and Seti's grandson also became a human agent for him. Fabien continues to head team 42 to this day.
Thy [the Priestess's - Alex's - maid] had to flee with her husband [Seti] to Kadesh. She produced five living children during her marriage to Seti and her dependents are today scattered all across Africa and the Middle East. She was know for her kindness to the poor and sick. Thy died aged 31 and her soul was collected. She has not re-joined the human life cycle and firstly worked as a Collector for some centuries, before joining Team 17 as a Trainee Temporal Detective. Thy already is showing talent and commitment to her new role - she will go far in the Department. Her and Alex are very good friends.
Kumanine [the Pharaoh's Chief Minister and High Priest of the God Amen-Re] was dismissed by Pharaoh shortly after the visit of Team 74 and retired to his huge estate in Memphis. He frequently plotted against his old master but escaped being bought to justice. He died in the final year of Amenhotep's reign and his soul was collected and processed.
Rameses [the King's Chamberlain] was accidently killed in a hunting accident in the desert. He was hunting lions with the King when his chariot overturned. His soul was collected and processed.
Seti [the Nubian Captain and Thy's husband] enjoyed a privileged life under the King of Kadesh. He lead the King's army in several successful campaigns, including two against Egyptian forces. Seti was always merciful to prisoners he captured and wouldn't allow the looting of poor villages or towns. He died in his bed at 57 [a good age for the time] and his soul was collected and processed. But his career didn't stop with his death! Some four centuries after that; Seti was made a Knight of God. He still says to this day, that Thy would have been so proud of him - it appears that after nearly four thousand years - he still loved his wife.
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