Close Up the Sky (39 page)

"Yes, my
lord. There are no greater gods. He is the One God."

Ramses stood
quietly for a moment while he considered her reply. "The
Hebrews
also speak of such a god, but they have no images of
Him." He spoke softly, almost to himself. He walked back to the window and
gazed at the city for a moment. Finally, he turned, ascended the dais, and sat
down on his throne where he remained deep in thought. While they all waited in
silence, Nefertari went up the dais steps and sat down on a chair immediately
to his right. She reached out and placed her hand over his.

The pharaoh
finally looked up. "Are you aware of the battle I fought with the sea
people many years ago in the desert near the eastern sea?" he asked
Taylor.

"I have read
an account of the battle, my lord," she replied. "It is said that you
won a great victory there."

Ramses laughed and
shook his head. "So it would appear from the version written by my
scribes. But the truth is quite different. Not only was it not a great victory,
it was a complete defeat for the Egyptian Division, the pride of the Egyptian
army." He held out his arm and showed them a scar on his forearm. "One
of the weapons used by the sea people did this."

Taylor, who had
seen the scar before, looked at the king’s arm and said, "Surely a wound
as terrible as this was made by a mighty foe, my lord."

Ramses grew
impatient. He leaned forward and said, "Enough of this indirect talk. It
is time for truth, Taylor. If you wish my help you must also help me. This
wound was made by something that rode a column of fire across the sky. It
appeared to be a flaming arrow of enormous size. When it struck the ground in
front of my army the land shook with thunder.
We were blinded
by a light as bright as the sun
, and a mighty wind knocked my soldiers
and horses to the ground. My own chariot was overturned, and a piece of flying
metal tore the flesh of my arm. But in spite of all this, very few of us were
killed. It was as though the hand of a god had smitten us, but not to kill,
only to warn. Since that time we have feared that those who wield such power
might eventually destroy Egypt. We believe they are the sea people, and for
that reason no one has dared to offend them. Now you are here seeking the very
man who may be one of them.”

When Taylor heard
the description of the flaming arrow she felt faint. She turned and looked at
Summerhour with rising suspicion. He knitted his brows and shook his head,
warning her not to raise the issue in front of Ramses. A dark look came over
her face and she started to speak. “I think…”

"There is
more," Ramses interrupted her. "Before the great arrow came, another
mystery occurred. Chariots with whirling wings that carried men in their
bellies roared over our heads and spewed red beams into the sand in front of my
army. Dust flew up from the desert wherever those beams struck the sand. As one
of the flying chariots came close to the ground, a courageous soldier ran
forward and attempted to shoot it with his bow. The beams pouring from the
chariot struck him, tearing his body to pieces." He paused for a few
seconds. "In addition to these things, there are some caravan masters who
speak of huge ships that lie in the sea to the south of Babylon, but they are
unlike any ships that have ever been seen before. They also tell of giant metal
domes that dot the desert. It was from that direction that the arrow came. Tell
me what you know of these things, Taylor. Were they sent by your god to punish
us for attempting to reach the eastern sea and destroy the sea people?"

Taylor dropped her
head, trying to think. Something that she did not want to believe was forming
in her mind. After a moment she looked up and answered the king. "I am not
certain that I can explain them, my lord. But I do know that our god was not
responsible for what happened to your army."

Summerhour sensed
danger. Taylor was struggling to think of a plausible answer to Ramses’s
question, and he feared that if she did not respond correctly the whole story
might come out. He stepped forward and said, "May I speak, Your
Majesty?"

Ramses regarded
him with an icy stare. He was about to respond to the request when a gong
sounded. A soldier entered the room and knelt before him. He spoke a few words
that were inaudible to Taylor and the others. The pharaoh shot a narrow-eyed
look at them while the soldier was speaking. When he finished, Ramses spoke a
few words to him. He rose, struck his breast in salute, and departed. Nefertari,
who had heard what the soldier said, leaned close to Ramses and whispered
something in his ear. She looked at Taylor and smiled.

Taylor felt her
heart flutter.

Ramses leaned
forward on his throne. “It seems that the city guards have captured a man
believed to be a Trojan spy. Our judge attempted to learn his true identity but
apparently failed to do so. He has asked me to look into the matter. I am
having the man brought before me now." He looked at Summerhour and said,
"You wished to speak?”

"Yes, Your
Majesty," Summerhour responded. He turned and said something to Taylor and
Williams in a low voice; then, stepping to the foot of the dais, he addressed
Ramses. "First, I wish Pharaoh to know that we mean no harm to Egypt or
its people. Our mission here is to find the green stone that you gave to the
man in black clothing. After that we will depart from your land if you wish. Second,
the great arrow sent to stop your army was indeed sent by our people. It was
not meant to kill, only to deter you from reaching the base of those you call
the sea people. You have seen the mountains quake and the desert rumble before
our power. But as mighty as these things are, they are nothing compared to the
forces that might be unleashed if we do not recover the stone and return it to
our own land. If you will aid us in our search for this man and recovery of the
stone, I swear to you that we will do all that is within our power to protect
Egypt and its people from harm. As proof that I speak the truth, behold!" Simultaneously
he and Williams pulled the robes over their heads and threw them to the floor,
revealing the L-suits.

The king's
knuckles turned white as he gripped the arms of his throne. In one swift motion
the guards along the wall burst into defensive postures. Four of them rushed to
the foot of the dais and leveled their spears at the three foreigners.

"Hold!"
Ramses shouted as he and Nefertari jumped to their feet.

Summerhour stood
his ground, but his scalp tingled with fear as the guards lifted their spears
to strike. He knew their weapons could not penetrate the L-suit, but his head
was unprotected. He held up both hands, palms forward. "I did not intend
to startle you, my lord," he assured Ramses. “Please forgive me for
causing alarm.”

"Return to
your posts!" Ramses ordered the guards. They lowered their spears and
reluctantly moved away from their king. Ramses remained standing.

Summerhour did not
move until the guards had resumed their former positions. "If I may
continue?" he asked.

Ramses nodded.

Summerhour turned
to Taylor and spoke a few words in English. She bent over slightly and placed
her fingers over her face. When she straightened, the brown contact lenses were
gone, revealing the full power of her brilliant green eyes.

Nefertari gasped
and placed a hand over her chest. Both she and the king stood staring at Taylor
for what seemed an interminable time, then Ramses took Nefertari by the hand
and they stepped off the dais. They stood directly in front of Taylor,
seemingly mesmerized by her metamorphosis. When Ramses spoke, it was with a new
respect for the woman who had written his history.

"You have the
eyes of Amen," he said in a subdued voice. "They are the same as the
fiery stone you seek." He continued to gaze at her, trying to perceive if
the goddess of beauty, Hathor, lay hidden beneath her human exterior.

"Will you
give us the help we seek?" Taylor asked. For effect she dropped the title
of ‘my lord’ and spoke as an equal. Both she and the king knew they had arrived
at a critical juncture.

"How can I
deny you?" he replied, his voice strangely soft. "But tell me,
Taylor. Are you human, or are you Hathor who has assumed an earthly form?"

Taylor struggled
with the truth but knew she could not tell him who she really was. Ramses was a
man of great wisdom who ruled over the most powerful nation on Earth, but he
was as incapable of understanding the concept of time travel as the
Neanderthals had been of understanding the moon and stars they saw in the night
sky. For that reason she formulated the only answer she could. It was not the
complete truth, but it would have to serve in its place. She drew her shoulders
back and raised her chin as she spoke. Never had she looked more beautiful or
regal.

"To the
people of your time I
am
a goddess,
Ramses. I possess powers beyond the scope of your imagination, and have seen
wonders beside which the Great Pyramids of Egypt pale to insignificance. I am
the daughter of a mighty race of people who rule the entire world beyond the
western sea. Our influence reaches from where the sun god makes his bed, to the
land where he brings forth the dawn of each new day. In my world the spires of
our cities touch the heavens, and men have walked on the face of the moon. We
share the air with the birds, and the secrets of the oceans are revealed at our
command. As my companion has told you, it was our brothers who called forth the
flaming arrow that stopped your army. But as you have perceived, it was not to
kill, only to keep you away from the place you went to destroy. Yet with all
the great power at our disposal, we cannot find the one called Edward Leahy and
the Eye of Amen without your help."

Ramses was
astonished at her revelation. The goddess-woman who stood before him was far
more than he had ever suspected. He looked at the others with new eyes,
then
said to Taylor, "Ask anything you wish, and it
will be done; command, and it shall be so. But I will ask one thing in return
for my aid. You must guarantee that Thebes and the rest of Egypt will be safe
from attack by your people for a thousand years."

Taylor felt
empathy for the king. Before answering she thought of how this great man’s body
looked in its mummified state thousands of years in the future. Even in death,
he possessed a majesty that enthralled everyone who looked upon his
countenance. The powerful magnetism that made him the esteemed ruler of Egypt
would not fade with the millennia.

"It shall be
as you ask," she vowed. "You will govern Egypt for many years to
come, and your successors will rule after you until the Kingdom of the Two
Lands is worn away by the wind and sand." Taylor spoke from her heart,
knowing that history assured the truth of her promise.

Ramses nodded,
satisfied with her answer. Nefertari, the greatest queen Egypt would ever know,
looked at Taylor and felt her affection turn into gentle love. She reached out
and took her hand. A feeling of warmth and understanding that bridged the
centuries passed between the two women.

The gong sounded
again. The guard who had spoken with the king returned and bowed before him. "The
prisoner awaits your judgment, great one."

"Bring
him," Ramses commanded.

Taylor felt
butterflies in her chest.

Everyone focused
their attention on the door through which the guard had departed. Within a few
seconds he returned with a disheveled and dirty Matt Leahy, hands tied behind
his back.

Taylor's heart
leapt and she stifled a scream when she saw him. He was still wearing the
L-suit, but the boots were missing. In their place he wore the sandals that
were part of his contemporary disguise. His face was red and blistered, and dry
blood encrusted his nostrils. There was a cut on his lower lip, and the flesh
beneath his left eye was bruised from a blow received while fighting Memhotep's
guards. She rushed to him and threw her arms around him.

"What have
they done to you?" she cried in English. Tears welled up in her eyes as
she gently kissed his cheek. "I knew you weren't dead; I knew it! What
happened to you? Where have you been?" Her hands moved soothingly over his
face and hair. Williams and Summerhour had also gone to him and were checking
him over.

"It's a long
story, but I'm okay," he responded with a sheepish grin. "It looks
worse than it is. In fact, I feel better right now than I have for days. But
these ropes are starting to chafe a little."

Taylor whirled on
the guard, her tenderness turned to rage. "Release him immediately!"
she commanded.

The guard stepped back and looked at Ramses, who nodded. As he cut the
cords from Matt’s wrists, Nefertari moved to Taylor’s side and spoke
affectionately to her. “It appears the man we were searching for has been
found."

Later, after
Nefertari's personal physician had applied balm to Matt's face, and Taylor was
satisfied that he was not seriously
injured,
they
continued their audience with the pharaoh.

"The man you
seek, the one you call Edward Leahy, was placed aboard a barge bound for Ipu,” Ramses
told them. "The Eye of Amen was given to him as he boarded the ship. My
soldiers have instructions that he is to be protected from harm and placed in
the care of a caravan master bound for Babylon. They carry my decree that the
caravan is to divert from its destination and deliver him to his people at a
place as near to the sea as possible.”

"I think we
passed that barge on our way here," Taylor said to Summerhour. "It
was just after we embarked from the village. There was a man tied to the mast,
but his head was down and I was unable to see his face clearly. It must have
been Edward. By now they've reached Ipu and are preparing to cross the desert
to the Red Sea."