Misplaced (20 page)

“Y
o
u
hear
d
he
r
as
k
wh
y
th
e
Sphin
x
doesn’
t
ha
v
e
a
beard
and isn’t painted anymore.”

“Bah!”
Bells
rang
the
noon
hour,
and
a
glimmer
of
hope
shone
in
he
r
uncle’
s
e
y
es
.
“
Y
ou
r
aun
t
wil
l
b
e
her
e
an
y
minute
.
She
’
ll
know what to do.”

“No! Marta can’t know anything about this!”
Elias ran his hand through his hair. “
Y
ou
’
re right.”

She
ran.
By
the
time
she
’
d
brought
the
car
to
the
back
door,
Elias
w
as
w
aiting with Khara, still wrapped in the blanket.

“I
’
l
l
tak
e
he
r
fro
m
here,
”
V
ictori
a
said
,
openin
g
the
passenger
door
and
placing
the
bundled
Khara
inside.
“I
need
to get her home.”

Chapte
r
Ten
Vic
t
oria

Victori
a
helpe
d
Khar
a
ont
o
th
e
bed
.
“Goo
d
cat,
”
sh
e
said
to Dante, who had materialized. “Stay wi
t
h her while I ma
k
e some tea.”

Soon, with a steaming mug in her hands and Dante in her lap, Khara emerged from her shroud of disbelief.

“E
v
eryon
e
an
d
e
v
erythin
g I
ha
ve
e
v
e
r
know
n
ha
s
bee
n s
w
allo
w
ed by the ages,” she ackno
w
ledged as she stared past
V
ictoria. “In
v
ain, I struggled to understand how a civilization as great as this one could ha
v
e remained unknown to us. Now
i
t
make
s
sense
.
Di
d
Nando
r
know
?
O
f
course
,
h
e
mus
t
ha
v
e
.
He trie
d
t
o
w
ar
n
me
,
thoug
h
a
t
th
e
tim
e
I
coul
d
no
t
full
y
realiz
e
the
meaning
of
his
words.”
After
a
moment
she
a
s
ked,
“Ha
v
e
there been others like me?”

“Time-tra
v
elers
?
V
ictori
a
shoo
k
he
r
head
.
“Non
e
tha
t I know
of.
In
this
day
and
age,
something
like
that
could ne
v
er be kept secret.”

“This
is
an
offense
to
the
gods,”
Khara
muttered,
as
if
alone.
“How did I dishonor them?”

“Y
ou don’t really belie
v
e that, do you?”

“Now
I
understand
why
e
v
erything
here
is
so
unfamiliar.”
Her
voice
forced
V
ictoria
to
restrain
her
own
tears.
“This,”
she
said,
gesturing
to
the
face
of
the
clock
radio
on
the
nightstand,
“and
e
v
en
this
insignificant
thing,”
she
lifted
the
teabag
from
the mug, “is a wonder.”

“D
o
yo
u
ha
v
e
an
y
ide
a
ho
w
i
t
happened
?
What’
s
th
e
las
t
thing you remember?”

“I thought my time on earth
w
as o
v
er,” she whispered.
“
W
e
ca
n
tal
k
abou
t
thi
s
later
.
Righ
t
no
w
yo
u
nee
d
some
rest—”

“If you insist, though it will not help with what I must do.”

“What might that be?”
V
ictoria asked nervously.
“
I
ca
n
no
t
s
t
a
y
h
e
r
e
.
I
f
i
t
w
as
p
oss
ible
to
se
nd
m
e
h
e
r
e,
a
w
ay
ba
c
k
m
u
s
t
exi
s
t.
I
will
plead
with
the
g
od
s
f
o
r
f
o
rgi
v
ene
ss
,
pray
for their guidance.”

Sh
e
fel
l
int
o
V
ictoria’
s
arms
,
he
r
crie
s
expressin
g
th
e
despair
of a soul mistreated and clinging desperately to a lifeline.
Somewhere
on
the
shel
v
es
upstairs
w
as
a
compendium
of
worl
d
religions
.
Afte
r
retrievin
g
it
,
V
ictori
a
sa
t
a
t
th
e
edg
e
of
th
e
bed
.
“I
f
nothin
g
else
,
it’
s
a
plac
e
t
o
start.
”
Sh
e
turne
d
the
book
so
Khara
could
see
the
title.
“There’s
a
chart
of
Egyptian
Dynasties.
Y
our father is really the pharaoh?”

“He is—
w
as.
P
epy II, pharaoh of Upper and Lo
w
er Egypt.”

“Wh
o
rule
d
Egyp
t
befor
e
you
r
father
?
Usin
g
thi
s
char
t
of
dynasties,
”
V
ictori
a
explained
,
rippin
g
page
s
fro
m
th
e
book,
“
w
e
should
be
able
to
narrow
down
your
place
in
history.”
She
held the chart out with a last bit of hope that Khara’s story
w
as
th
e
re
s
ul
t
o
f
som
ething—anything—el
s
e
.
“
D
o
y
o
u
kn
o
w
his
predecessor?”

“As
Elias
is
your
uncle,
he
w
as
mine.
Sadly,
his
life
w
as
cut
short. His name
w
as Merenre.”
Whil
e
V
ictori
a
hunte
d
fo
r
th
e
informatio
n
amon
g
a
lis
t
of
nearl
y
identica
l
names
,
sh
e
inquire
d
nervously
.
“
Approximately
how long
w
as his reign?”

“Fi
v
e
y
ear
s
an
d
t
w
ent
y
days
.
Th
e
officia
l
recor
d
say
s
h
e
died
in his sleep.”
Locatin
g
th
e
nam
e
unde
r a
headin
g
marke
d
“Sixt
h
Dynasty,”
V
ictoria
felt
the
w
alls
closing
in.
That
w
as
o
v
er
four
thousan
d
y
ear
s
ago
!
Sh
e
cleare
d
he
r
throat
.
“Befor
e
him
,
it
seems
there
w
as
another
short
reign.”
A
faint
smile
appeared
on Khara’s face but, too quickly, faded.

“I
understand
the
necessity
of
this.
Before
Merenre
w
as
the
father of my father—
P
epy the First.”