Egyptian Timewave

Chapter 16

Nebetah-Anippe kneels down beside Abayomi and places a hand on her arm. "Abayomi Nahr? Are you well?"

Abayomi shrugs, sniffing. The falcon makes a crooning sound. "I don't know. How would you react to the news that you're several thousand years into the past?"

"Likely similar to how you're reacting now, Abayomi Nahr."

Abayomi blinks, looking up. "Just Abayomi is fine."

"Then you may call me Anippe." She pauses. "How do you think you arrived here?"

Abayomi shrugs, reaching up to touch the collar. "I'm not sure. I remember putting this necklace on, and then there was a scroll from the tomb that I took a moment to translate, and then I was here."

Anippe frowns, her eyes narrowing. "Tomb?"

Abayomi flinches back from Anippe's thunderous expression. "It's really not as bad as it sounds."

"It sounds to me like you're a grave robber."

"I'm an archeologist, actually. We excavate tombs and other sites to learn, not to steal."

Anippe is still eying Abayomi with suspicion, but she sits back on her heels. "Tell me what you've learned from this tomb, then."

"It's in the Valley of the Queens, and whoever the tomb belongs to is certainly female, and from this dynasty. We've found a couple of artifacts in the backfill after opening the first door, a seal ring, a couple of pieces of a necklace, and some pieces off of a senet board. We're speculating that they were dropped when tomb robbers tried getting in."

Anippe's gaze sharpens. "Did they get into the tomb?"

Abayomi nods, shifting. The falcon squawks at her in displeasure. "At least partially, but it doesn't look like much was taken, from what we can tell. And. . . before you get mad about the scroll I took to translate, it looked far too new to have originated inside the tomb. I think someone left it there, or dropped it, but I don't know why they would have something written in hieroglyphs." At Anippe's blank look, she elaborates, "Hieroglyphs are what we call the symbols of your written language, and we call the language itself a hieroglyphic language."

Anippe frowns softly, a bit pensive. "Do you have the scroll with you?"

Abayomi blinks. "I- yes. I think I do?"

She reaches into her pocket and pulls out the scroll, quickly handing it to Anippe, who unfurls it. The princess' frown deepens, her eyebrows furrowing.

"The wording of this is quite strange. I can almost understand it, but not quite. I think getting another opinion may be a good idea. But whom to ask . . ."

With her lips pursed together, Anippe taps on her knee with a finger. The falcon screeches at her, causing Anippe to look up. Her eyes widen, and her mouth curves into a faint smile.

"I see."

Abayomi frowns. "What do you see?"

"We should go to the temple of Amun-Ra and speak to the priests there. They may have the answers we need."

The moment Anippe finishes speaking, the falcon launches itself off of Abayomi's head, winging towards the window. The two girls manage to turn fast enough to see it sweep out, one wingtip brushing against the side of the window. Anippe makes a thoughtful, humming sound that draws Abayomi's attention back to her before she nods sharply.

"Well, we can ask about the scroll, but perhaps your necklace also plays a role?"

Abayomi shrugs. "It could, the woman at the market was certainly very intent on getting it into my hands. She said something about it 'satisfying my ka.'"

Anippe's head jerks up from where she had been kneeling next to a chest, rummaging through it. "What?"

"I don't think it meant anything! It was just strange. What was stranger was when it looked like she was overlaid with other people for a moment. But I'm sure I was just imagining things."

Anippe mutters something under her breath and turns back to the chest. After a moment, she plunges her arm into it and emerges with an "Aha!"

Dangling from her hand is a collar exactly like the one around Abayomi's neck. Abayomi blinks.

"Wha- How?"

Anippe just shrugs. "I had thought that collar looked familiar. It's just like mine. It was a piece that belonged to my mother. I have a few of them."

"Who is your mother?"

Anippe's face sobers for a moment. "Her name was Nebetah, she died not long after my birth."

"But Nebetah is your name."

"Part of it, yes. I was named after her." She shakes her head and reaches up to clasp the necklace around her neck. "Now, shall we go visit the temple?"

"Yes." Anippe steps towards the door and Abayomi jolts slightly. "Wait!"

"What is it?"

Abayomi touches a strand of her hair that had fallen into her eyes. "Do you have anything I could use to cover my hair? A scarf, perhaps?"

Anippe retrieves a linen strip of cloth, handing it to Abayomi. It's perhaps a bit wider than she's used to, but she can make it work. "Will this suit?"

"It will. Thank you."

"No thanks are needed, Abayomi. If it will make you comfortable, of course I will provide, even if I don't understand the intent behind it."

Abayomi explains as she winds the cloth around her hair into a hijab. "It's for modesty. I don't always cover my hair, I'm not at that stage yet, but right now I would prefer it."

Anippe gives her a reassuring smile and when Abayomi is done, motions to the door.

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What do you think? Will they learn anything at the temple? Tell me your thoughts!

Happy reading and I'll see you next chapter!

~ Goddess of Fate, signing out