The Amulet of Amon-Ra (15 page)

He grinned and before anyone could stop him, he had grabbed Jennifer around the neck, from behind. He held her up against his chest and pressed the knife to her throat. Jennifer grabbed his arm, but he held her fast.

“That was foolish,” he said. “No one move. Or she will die.”

“What do you want?” asked Hatshepsut.

Ka-Aper laughed wildly. “Want? You know what I want.”

“You may not have it. I am still Pharaoh,” said Hatshepsut.

“Then say your farewells to this child,” said Ka-Aper. They stared at each other.

“Wait,” said Hatshepsut, rising. Ka-Aper twisted to keep her in view. All eyes followed her as she walked regally to where the Double Crown sat on the cupboard. She picked it up and held it out. “Is this what you desire?”

Bibi edged sideways.

Ka-Aper shifted his grip on Jennifer, eyeing the Crown. “For Thutmose, of course,” he said.

“Of course,” said Hatshepsut, walking around him with the Crown on her palms. He turned with her. “Very well.”

“No!” said Neferhotep. “You…you mustn't.”

“What choice do I have?” asked Hatshepsut. “One does what one must. Even if it is not popular. Release the child, and I will give it to you.”

“Oh, no,” said Ka-Aper. “I intend to keep a good hold on this hostage. Give me the Crown and then perhaps I will release her.”

Bibi had silently worked his way behind Ka-Aper. Jennifer reached up and tugged on Ka-Aper's arm, trying to pull the knife away.

“Too bad you are not strong enough to defeat me, child,” Ka-Aper purred in her ear. “I will have your life, sooner or later.”

“No, you shall not.” One of Bibi's arms snaked around Ka-Aper's and yanked the knife away from Jennifer's throat. His other arm clamped around Ka-Aper's throat.

Jennifer twisted out of Ka-Aper's hands, spinning to face him. The amulet flew up and tapped him on the arm. He hissed in pain and jerked back from it. Puzzled, she frowned.

Neferhotep started forward, his eyes narrowing. His gaze darted from Ka-Aper to Jennifer and back again.

Ka-Aper flailed in Bibi's strong grasp but couldn't break it. His face purpled, his neck squeezed by Bibi's other arm.

“May I kill him, your Majesty?” said Bibi.

Hatshepsut considered. “He deserves it. For this and other crimes. Because of Ka-Aper, Bibi's daughter suffered the same fate that you almost did,” she said to Jennifer. “To my shame, I was unable to stop him then. Bibi blinded himself so he would not have to see his daughter's body. His wife killed herself because of it.”

Bibi's hand tightened.

“Yes,” said Hatshepsut. “Do it, Bibi.”

“No!” said Neferhotep.

“Why not?” Hatshepsut asked.

“Your Majesty, killing this man would serve no purpose,” said Neferhotep.

“What do you mean? You were willing to let him go into exile,” said Hatshepsut, gently replacing the Double Crown on top of the cupboard, “where the desert itself would certainly have done it for us.”

“I…that was earlier.”

“So?”

“Your Majesty, I know you do not believe in demons,” said Neferhotep.

“With good reason,” said Hatshepsut, glancing at Bibi.

“I believe there is one here,” said Neferhotep.

“This child? Surely not.”

“No,” said Neferhotep.

“You think it's him, don't you,” said Jennifer, looking at Ka-Aper. “He isn't afraid to go out at night.”

Ka-Aper sneered.

“Yes. I think that Ka-Aper has been possessed,” said Neferhotep.

Hatshepsut's eyebrows rose. “Neferhotep . . .”

“When you proclaimed yourself Pharaoh, he was one of your supporters,” said Neferhotep. “I remember him as a good man, an honest one. He has changed since then.”

“True. But all men are human, and he was in a position to be tempted,” said Hatshepsut.

“You liked and admired him,” said Neferhotep. “Did you think he was the kind of man to stoop as low as tomb robbing?”

Hatshepsut looked long at Ka-Aper, who was struggling for breath in Bibi's tight hold. “No,” she said. “I did not. But Neferhotep…a demon? How can you prove it?”

“The amulet!” said Jennifer.

“Yes,” said Neferhotep.

Jennifer looked down at the scarab clutched in her hand. Although he had tried to get it away from her several times, Ka-Aper had never actually touched it. Ka-Aper had only inspected the amulet by holding it by the thong. A brief encounter with it had hurt him. What would happen if she held it against him for a longer time?

She looked at Neferhotep, who nodded.

“I can't,” she said. “He's been awful, but I don't want to hurt him.”

“If I am right,” said Neferhotep, “it will help him. Please, Dje-Nefer.”

Jennifer swallowed. “All right.”

She lifted the thong over her head and walked towards Ka-Aper, holding the amulet out in front of her. He watched it, his eyes going wide as she reached to touch him with it.

Ka-Aper's free arm snapped up and knocked the amulet out of Jennifer's grasp. Grandma Jo gasped as it flew upwards, spinning in the light from the lamps. It paused at the top of the arc, then began its descent to the hard stone below, where it would surely shatter. Without the amulet, there would be no way they could get home!

“No!” Jennifer choked out. She dived for it, sliding on the tiles with her hand outstretched. The amulet smacked into it. She closed her fingers around the smooth stone and gripped it tight.

“Yes!” said Grandma Jo, one arm pumping the air. “Good catch, shortstop!”

Neferhotep gave her an odd look, then kneeled to wrap his arms around Ka-Aper's legs. Bibi had pinned his arms. Jennifer rose and turned to face Ka-Aper again.

Wary of him, Jennifer reached out slowly, then pressed the amulet to the skin over his heart. Ka-Aper screeched, his tone rising upward to a high-pitched whine that she felt in her teeth and her bones.

A sudden whirlwind whipped at the hair of all those within. Grains of sand swirled upwards, spiraling around them, battering their skin. Jennifer couldn't breathe as the air was sucked away from her body by the storm.

Ka-Aper's body arched backwards, bending him almost in two. From his chest, a translucent black cloud rose and floated to the ceiling. Two glowing red eyes in the center of the cloud glared at them for a moment. Then it shrieked and shot out through the door to the courtyard. A foul stench of rotten garbage lingered.

The whirlwind came to a whispering stop. Ka-Aper closed his eyes and his body collapsed, seeming to shrink in on itself. As they watched, wrinkles deepened on his face, aging him years in front of them. He took a deep, shuddering breath. A moment later, his eyes fluttered open.

“Wh—where am I?” he said in a hoarse, weak voice. Bibi let go of his arms. Ka-Aper's gaze took in all those around him, staring. Hatshepsut's hands were at her lips. “Your Majesty?”

“Ka-Aper?” she said.

“Yes…at least, I think so,” he said. He blinked several times, then let his head fall forward. “Oh, dear. What has happened?”

“You were possessed by a demon,” Neferhotep said softly. He reached under Ka-Aper's shoulders to help him sit up.

“A demon! Oh, my,” said Ka-Aper. “I seem to remember…” He tried to rise, but his legs wouldn't hold him. He looked up at Hatshepsut. “I hope I didn't do anything too awful.”

She smiled down at him. “I am glad to see you back, my old friend.”

Hatshepsut sagged into her chair as Bibi led the old man away. Exhausted, Jennifer sank to the bench beside Grandma Jo. For a few moments, they sat in silence, their breathing settling into a quiet rhythm. Then Hatshepsut turned and gave Neferhotep a weary smile.

“I suppose I must believe in demons, now,” she said.

“I'm just glad it was defeated,” he said.

“Yes.” She glanced at Jennifer. “We should reassure your family that you are well. Your uncle will know where to find them.”

Neferhotep left but was back in moments with Meryt-Re, Ramose, Mentmose, and surprisingly, Tetisheri and her parents, Satyah and Hekhanakhte. They walked in, then stopped, startled, when they saw the Pharaoh. All of them immediately kneeled. Hatshepsut gestured for them to rise and come closer.

“Here is your daughter,” she said. “Safe and sound.”

Tetisheri ran to Jennifer and swept her into a hug. “Are you all right, Dje-Nefer? When that horrible man said you were a demon, I was so scared. And so glad when you ran away from him. Ra, but he was angry!”

“You didn't think I was possessed by a demon?” asked Jennifer, gently disentangling herself from Tetisheri's arms.

“Of course not!” said Tetisheri. “How could you be? I know you. And besides, Miw rubbed up against you, remember? A cat wouldn't do that if she didn't know it was safe.”

Meryt-Re and Ramose approached slowly. Jennifer stood and Meryt-Re peered into her eyes. “Dje-Nefer?”

“Don't worry, Meryt-Re, she is not a demon,” said Neferhotep. “She has not been possessed by a Walker of the Night.”

“Are you sure?” asked Ramose.

“The amulet is the proof. She can bear its touch, as Ka-Aper was unable to do.”

Meryt-Re sighed and stood straighter. “I was wrong to have doubted you, Dje-Nefer.”

Ramose smiled at her. “I, also. Can you forgive us, my daughter?”

Jennifer nodded. “Sure.”

“Neferhotep, I wish you hadn't made us worry so,” said Ramose.

“I was afraid for her. And for you.” Neferhotep paused. “However, there is something you should know.”

“What now?” said Ramose.

“This girl is not a demon. But she is not your daughter.”

Jennifer froze.

“What do you mean?” said Meryt-Re.

“Yes, Neferhotep,” said Hatshepsut. “Please explain.”

“I wish I could. There are too many things unexplained, your Majesty,” said Neferhotep. “I know my niece well, and I know she would never get lost in this city. There were other indicators. Meryt-Re, had you not noticed your daughter was acting strange?”

“I was not worried at first,” said Meryt-Re, spreading her hands wide, “but I began to be, especially when I recalled your mention of demons…”

“No.” Neferhotep paced closer to Jennifer. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. “No, not a demon, I know. What are you, child?” he asked softly.

Jennifer swallowed and looked at Grandma Jo. “Should we tell them?”

“Mutemwija?” said Meryt-Re. “What are you doing here?”

“I'm not really Mutemwija. My name is Josephine.”

“Mine is Jennifer. I…we…are time travelers,” said Jennifer.

Hatshepsut's eyebrows rose.

“Time travelers!” Ramose burst out laughing. “You are joking, are you not?”

“It's the truth,” said Grandma Jo.

“Time travelers,” Neferhotep said slowly, drawing out each syllable. Then he grinned, more widely than she had ever seen him smile. “Travelers through time! This is wonderful!”

Jennifer couldn't help smiling back. Of course he would believe her. At least she'd made one person happy. “I woke up here on the morning of the day we had dinner with Ka-Aper.”

“Ridiculous,” harrumphed Tetisheri's father, coming forward. “Majesty…”

Satyah looked skeptical too. “The child is telling tales.”

“No, I don't think so,” said Neferhotep.

Hekhanakhte started to open his mouth, then stiffened and swayed for a moment. He braced himself against the wall, giving Jennifer a penetrating stare. Puzzled, she turned away from him.

“But she looks like Dje-Nefer,” said Meryt-Re. “I would swear this is my daughter.”

“We exchanged bodies, I think,” said Jennifer. “Dje-Nefer is in my body, in my time.”

“Mutemwija, poor lady, is in mine,” said Grandma Jo. “We look similar, however. I was shocked to see something like my own reflection in a mirror.”

“But how can this be?” asked Meryt-Re. “How can someone be in another's body?”

“It may have something to do with their ka,” Neferhotep mused.

“Their life forces?” asked Ramose.

“Yes,” said Neferhotep, in a detached, almost scientific voice. “Or possibly the akh, the personality. But not the ba. That part is created after death, and you are not dead. Are you?”

“I don't think so,” said Jennifer. “Although sometimes I think I'm dreaming.”

Grandma Jo chuckled. “Me, too.”

“Dreaming…,” said Neferhotep. “I remember you mentioned you had dreamed of Amon-Ra that morning. Dreams are omens.”

“Perhaps…perhaps your holy father had something to do with this, your Majesty,” said Hekhanakhte. Satyah glanced at him, frowning.

“Amon-Ra?” asked Hatshepsut. “But why?”

Neferhotep shrugged. “Has not this child done you a great service?”

“Certainly.”

“Maybe he sent her,” said Neferhotep. “To help you.”

Hatshepsut leaned back in her chair and eyed Jennifer. “It could be so.”

“But…how?” said Meryt-Re.

Neferhotep turned to Jennifer. “Yes, exactly. How did you come to be here?”

Jennifer lifted her amulet. “It was this.”

“The amulet of Amon-Ra!” said Neferhotep. “It is his sacred symbol.”

“Wait,” said Ramose, shaking his head. “I don't understand. You said you woke up here yesterday morning.”

Jennifer nodded slowly. Had she only been here for two days? It seemed longer.

“But that means I gave you the amulet after you had, um, traveled through time,” said Ramose. “How could that be?”

“The traveling happened in the future, in my time,” she said. “I opened the amulet when I received it then.”

“That was—or will be—thousands of years from now,” said Grandma Jo.

Ramose flashed a white grin. “My work has lasted that long?”

“Yours, and the work of many others,” Grandma Jo assured him. “We have hundreds of thousands of pieces still from this time period.”

“Pieces?” said Hatshepsut. “Then this land of ours is no longer intact, in your world?”

“Oh, no,” said Grandma Jo. “It's still there. But in the grand scheme of things, we do not have much left of your civilization. A lot of it has been destroyed.”

“Even the pyramids?” asked Hekhanakhte.

“No, they are still there,” said Grandma Jo. “They are considered one of the wonders of our modern world. And we have other relics—statues, tomb paintings, pots and jars. Even some food and plants.”

“Food and plants? They are still recognizable, after all those years?” asked Neferhotep.

“Some. The mummified or petrified ones. Not everything survived.”

“Most of the temples are in ruins,” said Jennifer.

“Ruins!” said Mentmose. “But they are made of stone. How could they be in ruins?”

“Time is not kind to the works of man,” said Grandma Jo. “Nor is war or the movements of the earth. There have been earthquakes, among other things, over the last thirty-five hundred years. Some of your artifacts are reduced to rubble.”

“Thirty-five hundred years!” said Neferhotep. “So long a time…”

“It is good to know that we are still remembered,” said Hekhanakhte.

“Sure,” said Jennifer. “We even study your civilization in school.”

“School? You go to school?” asked Mentmose. “Why would you go to school? You are a girl, aren't you?”

“Of course she is,” said Tetisheri. “Don't be silly. She knows all about being a girl.”

“Everyone goes to school in my time,” said Jennifer.

“I must admit, I feel very odd being the topic of a history discussion,” said Hatshepsut.

“Oh, you're famous,” Jennifer assured her. “The female Pharaoh!”

“I hope my mortuary temple of Djeser-Djeseru still remains,” said Hatshepsut.

“It was destroyed,” said Jennifer. “But it's being restored.”

“Destroyed?” said Neferhotep. “How could anyone damage such a beautiful thing? It is one of the loveliest in all of Kemet.”

“It's not just your temple,” said Jennifer. “Everything. Your statues, your tomb paintings, your cartouches, your name. All gone.”

“Gone?” said Meryt-Re, with a gasp.

“But then…how…?” said Neferhotep. “How do you know she exists? Existed?”

“A few things survived,” said Jennifer. “Whoever did it didn't destroy your obelisks, just plastered them over.
We found them, and other items, fairly recently
.”

“Then I am not completely forgotten,” said Hatshepsut.

“No,” said Jennifer. “Although you were for centuries. We didn't know even your name until just recently.”

“Ka-Aper predicted this,” said Hatshepsut. “Who is it that carries out the destruction?”

“No one knows who did it,” said Jennifer. “Some people think it was done by Thutmose, after he becomes Pharaoh.”

“You are saying he will succeed me,” said Hatshepsut.

“Yes, and soon,” said Jennifer. “You did say you had already reigned for twenty years, didn't you?”

“Yes,” said Hatshepsut. “It has been that long.”

“Our archeologists have decided you were on the throne for about twenty to twenty-two years.”

“So my nephew gets his revenge.”

“We don't know for sure that it was Thutmose,” Jennifer reminded her.

“It seems most likely,” said Hatshepsut. “I know he is…disaffected.”

“He wants to be King,” said Neferhotep.

“He should be,” said Tetisheri. “He's been waiting long enough.”

“Teti!” said Satyah.

“Well, it's true,” said Tetisheri. “You even said so.”

“Pardon my daughter,” said Satyah, with a little gasp. “She doesn't know what she's saying.”

Hekhanakhte nodded, sweating a little.

Hatshepsut chuckled. “I think she does.” She rose and took a step towards Jennifer and Tetisheri.

“Your majesty,” said Satyah, “Please. She is young…”

Tetisheri fumbled for Jennifer's hand. Jennifer automatically held it and gave it a squeeze.

“So you think Thutmose should be on the throne?” she asked Tetisheri.

Tetisheri gulped, then nodded. Hatshepsut's face was expressionless, but Jennifer thought she saw a brief smile soften it.

Satyah dropped to the tiled floor, kneeling. “Your Majesty…Pharaoh…please don't hurt my daughter.”

Hatshepsut frowned at her. “I would not hurt a child.”

“But your soldiers…”

“As has been pointed out to me, my soldiers are acting without my orders,” said Hatshepsut. “I think perhaps they are no longer my soldiers. In any case, I would not let them harm her. In fact, I salute her honesty. I value those who speak their minds to me and do not pretend one thing and yet say another.” Hatshepsut turned her attention once more to Tetisheri. “Child, you may be right. I will think on it. You were very brave to tell me.”

Mentmose looked at Tetisheri, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Hekhanakhte helped Satyah to rise from the floor.

Meryt-Re stepped forward. “Pharaoh, what can we do to return my daughter to me?”

“In no way do I know how this situation could come to be,” said Hatshepsut. “Perhaps you should ask Neferhotep that question.”

“You said the amulet sent you here?” Neferhotep asked Jennifer.

“Actually, it was the dust inside it,” said Jennifer.

“Dust? What kind of dust?” asked Neferhotep.

“I don't know,” said Jennifer, shaking her head. “It was just dust. It smelled like the stuff you have in those storage jars that we found when we were hiding.”

“Myrrh?” said Neferhotep. “That's easily provided. But the dust could be anything.”

“I thought the dust in the amulet would send me back the first time I opened it here,” said Jennifer. “But it was empty.”

“Neferhotep was going to fill it,” said Ramose.

Jennifer slid her fingernail into the hairline crack around the edge. “There's nothing in there now…” She stopped, as the amulet's top flipped up. Inside, there was a small mound of ground up herbs.“Where did this come from?”