The Orb (mypgems & Cowboy)

[HotTexasCowboy]

It began, some would say, with Napoleon. A man of physical stature that at best was average, but whose shadow loomed over the dawn of the nineteenth century like almost no other.

In 1798, his reputation as a general for the Revolutionary Directorate was already notable. His plan, approved by the Directorate, was to lead an expeditionary force to Egypt and the Levant, crippling the Ottomans and, of more import, cutting off easy access for Great Britain to its valuable colony of India. His army quickly seized Alexandria and Cairo, and then set out on a campaign to take Syria, one fortress city at a time. After three years of victories and setbacks, his supply lines cut by Nelson and the British navy, his troops suffering from plague, he retreated back to Egypt. His reputation and status with the Directorate at risk, he sneaked back to France and, amazingly, emerged as the new leader of the Republique, eventually to take the title of Emperor.

More importantly to our story, his soldiers in Egypt were accompanied by another significant army, 167 of the Enlightenment’s best thinkers, engineers, scientists, and archaeologists. Their discoveries, detailed to Europe in writing for the next twenty years, started a wave of enthusiasm for Egyptology and archaeology. They found countless artifacts of the Empires of the Pharaohs, including the famous Rosetta Stone, the keystone of translation of until then enigmatic symbols of the ancient Egyptian written language. When the remnants of France’s expeditionary force surrendered to the British-Ottoman armies that retook Egypt in 1801, over 500 artifacts were ceded to the British, which ended up as the seeds of the Egyptian wing of the British Museum, the largest collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts in the world (even the floundering Cairo museum had less for over a century.) The Rosetta Stone itself ended up there, and the Egyptian wing continued as one of the most popular destinations for the public and pre-historical study for the rest of the century.

Thus it was, in the early Spring of 1885, a young woman emerged from a Hanson cab, paid the driver, and strode confidently into a side entrance of the imposing building of the British Museum. She was elegantly dressed in the latest fashions, but seemed hardly aware of it as she made her way through the maze of exhibits. Her green eyes were determined and purposeful as she found a wrought iron staircase to the second floor, where the offices and work spaces were to be found. As she made her way toward her familiar work area, she was interrupted by a young man, a clerk of Lord Sherwood’s, who informed her that the director of the Egyptian wing wanted to see her on a matter of some importance as soon as possible.

Curious, and always accommodating of the director, she ducked into her workspace, unpinned her hat and left her umbrella at the hat rack, and made her way along the catwalks to the director’s office.

Lord Sherwood was a portly gentleman who treated his title rather cavalierly and was keenly interested in all things ancient Egyptian. He was seated at his rather cluttered desk, but stood politely as the young woman entered, as did his guest sitting before him. “Ah, Annabeth,” Sherwood greeted her with a friendly smile. Sherwood regarded the young woman with almost grandfatherly affection, after having “discovered” her in his museum a few years ago and encouraging her intellectual gifts and interests. He motioned to his guest. “I’d like to introduce you to a visitor, Ubamumti Gamal, from Cairo. He’s an archaeologist in his own right, fresh from his own fascinating discoveries in Upper Egypt. He’d like to discuss our progress, such as it is, with the Orb. Mr. Gamal, let me present Lady Anna Elizabeth Victoria Hampshire.”

Mr. Gamal bowed politely and doffed his bowler hat with a smile. His skin was a darker shade than most European men, and he looked perhaps a decade older than Annabeth’s 22 years, but his body, even under his well-tailored white suit looked trim and even muscular. His face was lean and handsome, with his dark black hair and a neatly trimmed beard giving him a slightly exotic appearance. He spoke with perfect, if slightly accented English, bespeaking an excellent education. “It’s an honor to meet you, Lady Hampshire. Lord Sherwood has been quite complimentary about your research into the Orb, and I’m hopeful that some of our discoveries recently can help with your efforts. With both our efforts, I may say, as we are as interested in the Orb as you. Have you any more information on where it was found?”

The director frowned at that. “We know that it was part of the hoard of antiquities discovered by the French during Napoleon’s endeavors, and turned over to the Museum after they surrendered. Unfortunately, it remained in our storage basement, since there was no provenance for it, and our scholars had little luck translating its inscriptions using the template of the Rosetta Stone. Lady Hampshire actually found it last year in the basement and had it brought up into the light for further study. It now has a place on the display floor, as one of the ‘mysteries of ancient Egypt.’ “

Gamal perked up at the news. “I would love to see it,” he said enthusiastically, and turning toward Annabeth, he asked, “Could you show it to me, please?”

Lord Sherwood coughed slightly and nodded, “We’d be delighted, Mr. Gamal. Annabeth, perhaps you’d like to lead the way?”

 

[mypgems]

Several times Annabeth had glanced out of the windows of the cab as it took her through London. Normally she enjoyed the view but this day she really didn't see it because her mind was preoccupied with the dinner she had had with Bruce, the man who was officially courting her, the previous evening. It was a match her family, including the uncle & aunt, she was staying with in London, were gently encouraging. You see, Bruce was wasn't just 'Bruce' he was The Right Honourable The Lord Bruce Osborne, Baron Godolphin, heir to the Duke of Leeds. The daughter of a duke marrying the son of, and the future holder of the title, another duke would be a plum match. Annabeth just knew her mother was already planning a lavish wedding, probably at Westminster Abbey with numerious members of the Royal family in attendence.

It wasn't that Annabeth objected to any of it. At her status level it was quite normal for the parents to take the lead in matchmaking. As was a lavish wedding. Bruce acted as a proper gentleman, was witty, and she did enjoy his company. It wwas just... Well at the dinner they shared she had lightly, and gently, broached the subject of her studies and her being a 'student' at the Museum. Bruce's response wasn't vicious or mean-spirited at all, it was that this portion of her life would be over. His wife would be expected to do the normal things a wife at her status would do: keep house, have babies, and plan parties. Oh her gift of languages would be usueful whenever they took a trip to the continent of course. In the back of her mind Annabeth had always known that this was her destiny but perhaps part of thought that the man she married would be different about it.

The stopping of the cab pulled her from her thoughts. After paying the driver she stood for a second and took a deep breath. What she learned last night was something that would happen in the future. At the moment she still had the things she love and therefore would enjoy them to the fullest. Taking another breath, Annabeth her heard and start walking into the museum.

The summons from Lord Sherwood did interrupt her plans for the day but she did smile when she told the clerk that she would be but a minute. Annabeth's work space was small but tidy with papers laid out in neat piles. Dominating the space was the complete rubbing she had down of the mysterious Orb's text. Stacked on a shelf were plaster replicas she had had made of the of the text. Being able to touch and trace a finger over the markings seemed to help visualizing them. After making sure everything was were it should be, she started on her way to the meeting.

At the sight of Lord Sherwood's guest she repressed the look of surprise. Annabeth had met a few Egyptians and Arabs in her time at the museum but never one who was an archaeologist. The others had mostly been business men or one looking to sell items to the museum. All had been Sherwood's age or older. None had been as young, or as handsome, as the man before her.

She felt her face blush slightly at Sherwood's comments about her. *Greetings and peace be upon you* she said in a lightly accented but perfect Arabic. Annabeth then smiled, *I am honored to meet you as well. I look forward to our discussions as well.* As she took her seat, the men did as well.

She smiled again and shook her head slightly at Sherwood's comments about her and the Orb. "His lordship exaggerates my role a little in how the Orb came to where it is now. He is correct in that we haven't a clue as to where the French originally found. We even asked the French if there were any records in their archives from the expeditions but haven't heard yet if they exist." For some reason she blushed ever so slightly when Gamel asked her to show him the Orb.

"It would be my pleasure to do so." As she rose, so did them men with Gamel reaching the door to open it for her. That was rewarded a nod of her head. "We are still attempting to translate the writings and have determined that they seemed to be much older than the hieroglyphics we know of. I.... I mean we may have found one that seems to have...evolved I would say into a later hieroglyphic and a still later one. Perhaps like how Latin letters and Greek are similar but different." Annabeth glanced back at Sherwood and saw him beaming in pride because that had been her discovery. They had met when he was pointing out a hieroglyphic for a group and she had gently corrected him about. That had led to a chat and still later a position as a 'student' but in reality a researcher.

"One thing is that I...that is to say we suspect that it is being used...well..differently in this form. Like...writing a line of cuneiform in Arabic." She looked at Gamel and shook her head slightly. This was her concept and hadn't told anyone but Sherwood for fear of being laughed at. "It does sound outrageous and its just a feeling on my part But I believe we have to look at the writing in a different. Unfortunately I am not sure how at this point. I written a few thoughts about it, perhaps..you might wish to take a look at them?" Then she realized that she might have been much too forward. "I mean, Lord Sherwood might wish to discuss them and others work with you."

"My apologies my lord, Mr Gamel..." She had to remember her position and such when with others. She wasn't in their world.

 

[HotTexasCowboy]

“Nonsense, Lady Hampshire,” Mr. Gamal smiled at her slight retreat from her discussion. “I welcome any insights or theories you might suggest toward interpreting the symbology of the orb writings. Please,” he reiterated with a gesture for her to lead the way as they headed out from the office, with Lord Sherwood following closely behind them.

“Indeed,” Sherwood piped in from behind them. “Annabeth has a shown a remarkable affinity for a number languages, including those of antiquity. I hope to enjoy her abilities and research here for as long as socially possible.” He left unsaid the general acceptance of her eventual role as wife and mother that would make such a presence unacceptable.

She led them out onto the wrought iron catwalk that skirted the edge of the offices above the main floor exhibits, where even now a number of Londoners were ambling along the somewhat convoluted pathways to observe the wonders of Egyptian civilization that were, even in the age of modern industry, barely surpassed. Obelisks weighing tons somehow erected without steam or coal power to lift them. Massive sculptures somehow created without machine powered cranes and carved without hydraulic jackhammers. How the ancients could have achieved their wonders was still a matter of theory and debate. The trio joined the main floor throng and made their way to a set of exhibits grouply labeled as “mysteries.” One platform, roped off by velvet sashes was titled “The Obsidian Orb.”

Abamumti gave a slightly mocking smile at the display title. “Obsidian?” he read with doubt in his voice. “That seems unlikely.”

Lord Sherwood harumphed uncomfortably. “The reference came from the original French designation in the packing crate. We assume that they made the observation from the black color of the rock and the unnaturally smooth surface of the object. We’ve since, of course, consulted with our own mineral and geology experts. They agree that pure obsidian would be far to brittle to have been shaped by the techniques available to the ancients without cracking or splitting off sections, much less survive unscathed for millennia. The attempt to carve any symbols into the rock alone would have likely fractured portions of obsidian into sharp fragments.”

“Indeed,” the Egyptian guest agreed. “Obsidian is practically a type of glass, we believe is formed by the heat of volcanic eruptions. We’ve found sharply pointed shards of obsidian used as spear and arrow points in prehistoric digs. And we’ve never heard of obsidian formed into perfect spheres such as this. Did your specialists have other theories?”

Sherwood looked as if he was somewhat uncomfortable. “There was quite the debate about it, actually. The closest thing to a consensus was the theory that the material may have been mixed with iron ore or granite in the lava state of its forming, and thus cooled into a much more resilient alloy. Frankly, we haven’t allowed them to attempt to take a sampling for chemical analysis, afraid that even such an attempt might form cracks to ruin or even destroy the entire orb.”

“A wise decision,” Gamal nodded. “Any chance of damaging such a rare piece of prehistory is hardly worth the risk.” He peered closely at the slightly flattened face of the orb which served as the base for the symbols somehow carved into the orb. “I imagine it is quite difficult to read the symbols, black on black, so to speak.” He turned to Annabeth. “I assume you’ve taken tracings to study the writings more easily?”

“Oh of course,” the director answered quickly. “Annabeth has a workspace with her tracings, as well as plaster casts of the inscriptions to study them in detail. We’ll give you a look when we’re finished here, if you’d like.”

“I would indeed,” the visitor agreed, giving Annabeth a respectful nod. “That would be most generous of you, Lady Hampshire.” He resumed his study of the orb. “So, I’m assuming that the orb is about 74 centimeters in diameter?” Lord Sherwood squinted his eyes as he attempted to convert the French-based metric scale into standard English. Abamumti noticed the director’s discomfort and quickly added, “Excuse me. That would be about 29 English standard inches.”

Lord Sherwood recovered from his aborted calculations and blinked at the Egyptian’s estimate. “You have an amazing eye, Mr. Gamal. That is quite correct.”

Gamal smiled triumphantly at the confirmation of his estimate. “And the weight of the object, I would gauge at about 400 kilograms?” Annabeth was more familiar with the metric system than Lord Sherwood and would be able to do the conversion much more quickly. Three hundred pounds was, indeed, the weight they’d measured for the orb. She and Lord Sherwood stared at their guest with a combination of awe and suspicion.

Abamumti only smiled at their expressions. “I see my perceptiveness has somewhat confused you. Let me add one more observation.” He gestured toward the base of the orb on the flat floor of the exhibit. “I see no trace of wires or ropes or a recessed base to support the orb in its display position. That would be dangerous should there be some disturbance to cause the orb of such weight to begin to roll out of position. However, if there were to be a notch in the base of the orb, something you could use to anchor it in position to keep it firmly in place, you could feel comfortable in its secure placement.”

He reached into a pocket of his jacket and took out a folded piece of paper, which he unfolded and handed, not to Lord Sherwood, but to Annabeth. “A notch shaped something like… this?”


View: https://loudlyfamousdreamland.tumblr.com/post/185944753504


The drawing matched almost exactly the “keyhole” notch in the bottom of their orb they used as the basis for mounting the orb in position in the platform they built for it.

Abamumti looked at the two of them and broke out in chuckles. “You should see the expressions on your faces. I assure you, I am neither a magician nor a clairvoyant. My coming here was beyond mere curiosity. You see,” he gestured to the orb, “this object is not unique. It has a twin my excavations have recently uncovered. There is another orb currently being shipped here to join its companion for combined study. I hope you’ll be pleased with this announcement. Both of you,” he added with a polite bow toward Annabeth.

 

[mypgems]

Annabeth's face blushed from the praise that her mentor Gamal had given her as they made their way through the narrow passageways. "You both are too kind. I simply love learning new things and then to share them with everyone else." Sherwood's last comment brought forward for a moment the thoughts that had preoccupied her mind in the cab. About how she would soon have to give all of this up. Before Annabeth tucked them back in their case a 'It's not fair!' was heard. Because of her gender and status she would never be able to be like Heinrich Schliemann and find her own Troy.

They ducked slightly to go through a tunnel like passage and then a turn they came to a huge room. "Our Egyptian collection," Annabeth proudly said and turned to Gamal with a smile. She let them stand there for a few moments before taking them to a cleverly hidden spiral steps that took them down to the main floor. Carefully undoing one of the sashes surround the orb, she and the men stood before the object.

Hiding a smile at her mentor's embarrassment Annabeth touched the orb as if to flick a bit of dust from it. "I have seen real obsidian glass so the moment I saw the orb I knew it could not made from it." At the questioning look from Gamal, she smiled. "My parents took me, and my brothers and sister, to visit Rome and other places. One of which were the ruins of Pompeii and Vesuvius. I think I puzzled our guides because I was speaking Italian in a Sicilian accent and I had never been there. You see, my tutor was from there and I learned it from him. Papa bought me a lovely copy of the Iliad. It must be read in the original Greek or not at all." That was the trip, when she was nine, that brought her linguistic talents to light. From Latin to Italian to French to Spanish and quickly to others. Even with all that happening Annabeth remained a proper and sweet-natured girl.

As the men's conversation started about the composition of the orb, she remembered the 'debates' that had happened and how voices were raised between some of the participants. Geology and metals wasn't a subject that Annabeth was well versed but she had been able to follow the basics of the debate. From a side room whose door was cracked open enough to hear. To her, the material didn't seem like granite because there were no grains visible. Of other metals she hadn't a clue but wouldn't they be too heavy considering the orb's weight? When Annabeth had spent time at her family's estate recently she had mentioned the mystery to a friend of her father's that happened to be there. The man was owner of a large steel mill and had puzzled over the mystery with no results either.

Just as she was about to speak, Sherwood answered for her which caused Annabeth to chuckle softly. "It would be my pleasure to show you. I do have to warn you that it is slightly cramped due to all the books I use," she said as she looked at the spot Gamal was looking at. "The carvings are perfectly done. There are no chisel marks when I looked at them through a magnifying glass." A slim finger traced the groves that made up the symbols before moving to the unblemished parts. "They were polished as fine as the rest of it. We had to make sure to put the orb in a place out of sunlight because the reflection is far too bright."

When Gamal handed her the paper, it caused a raised eyebrow at the slight breach of decorum. Then widened eyes of surprise at what the paper showed. Without a word, she handed it to Sherwood who blinked in surprise as well. There had been discussions about the particular shape of the notch but, as with everything else, no firm conclusions. Perhaps it was to make sure the orb pointed in a particular direction or it was mounted on a mechanism, like an orrery, to rotate it. Before they could react further, their guest laid out more surprises.

Annabeth knew her jaw dropped at the news but she didn't care. There was a second orb?! So many questions flashed through her mind in that initial moment she could barely choose just two. "Where did you find it and when does it arrive?!" she said in a voice so full of excitement that nearby visitors turned their head towards the trio. Sherwood touched her arm to calm her down a little. He might be as equally stunned but showed a little more control. Annabeth took a breath and closed her eyes for a moment.

*Pleased is an understatement Mr. Gamal,* she said in Arabic before switching to English. "So your orb is a twin to this one? Do you know if the inscription is the same or is it different?" If it was different that would mean more characters to decipher but at the same time it could make it easier. The chance of finding a descendant to a sample become just that much greater. She looked at her mentor who was shaking his head with a smile. "I have so many questions to ask but I know this is not the place to do so. Shall we retire to a place more suitable? If I know my Lordship as I do, I believe he has forgotten to offer tea with biscuits. Would you care for some? Annabeth smiled.

 

[HotTexasCowboy]

Abamumti smiled at Annabeth’s enthusiasm, and her offer. “Tea and biscuits,” he repeated with a nod of recognition. “It’s been many years since I had that offer, and I would relish it. Shall we return to private spaces for the treat and see what questions can be answered?” He motioned them to lead him again, heading back upstairs to the academic offices. “There is, Lady Hampshire, an area of the second orb flattened as a base for inscriptions, as yours is. I cannot tell you if the inscriptions are identical to yours until we’ve had a chance to study them simultaneously.” He was lying, of course, as he knew much more about the inscriptions than they did.

A few minutes later, as the tea and biscuits were produced, Gamal took a sip and a nibble with a satisfied sigh. “I spent three and a half years at Shrewsbury School, where tea and biscuits were a regular routine. That’s where I perfected my English, among other disciplines. You see, my father was a teacher of mathematics in Cairo, and tutor of the children of several British Attaches. His skill in math and ease with English came in handy for calculating artillery volleys for the British Expeditionary force there. He eventually came to work under General Gordon during his time as military aide to the Khedive as a translator and advisor. When Gordon resigned and returned to England, my father came with him to help in the writing of the General’s memoirs, and I had my chance for a proper British education. After a few years, of course, Gordon returned to the Sudan to face off with the Mahdi at Khartoum, and I went with him. After nearly a year of siege, the General ordered me to slip out of the city and meet up with the relief force, with messages and orders. He knew I would be able to pass through the country as a local. I was successful in meeting the relief, but alas, we were too late by two days to save Gordon and the rest of his forces.” Gamal gazed at the floor in the sad memory.

He put it aside with another sip of tea. “That was the end of my service with the army. I had seen some fascinating sights in the Sudan, things that excited me about our history in ancient times. I returned to Cairo and studied archeology. I specialized in pre-Pharaohic history, the time before Menes united the kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt in about 3000 B.C. I think it is clear that the Upper Kingdom was the more powerful, since Menes was the king of that region and was able to conquer Lower Egypt. With the great Nile united in a single powerful empire, the true age of the Pharaohs that we are more familiar with rose and flourished. I believe the orbs originated in a time before the unification.”

He paused for another sip. “But I am being impolite. Lord Sherwood, your reputation in this field is well renown. I have read several of your books on the recreated histories of the Pharaohs. But I must admit, Lady Hampshire, to find a young woman of your rank and tender age so immersed in the study. How have you come to this, may I ask?”

 

[mypgems]

Gamal's story was fascinating all by itself but her eyes widened at hearing at what she heard about Gordan. Gordon and the siege had filled the newspapers for weeks. The horror about fall of Khartoum had enraged Annabeth's father to the point of fury. He hadn't know Gordon and nor supported sending him to the Sudan in the first place. No, what angered him was the fact that the government had been so reluctent to send a relief force that when they finally did it was too late. In his younger days, His Grace had commanded a regiment during the Crimian War. Not in Crimeia but acting as marines for the Anglo-French fleet in the Baltic. He had told his daughter that commander, or Prime Minister, never leaves a command out to be slaughtered.

She found herself nodding in agreement about what Gamal said about Egypt and its history. Could there be connections with other groups and peoples? Recently she had read about discoveries in Crete near a place called Knossos. Almost nothing was know at this point other that it was very old and possibly quite extensive. Then there was all the ruins in the middle east.... Layers upon layers of civilizations. It was a concept that most couldn't possible grasp.

Then Gamal asked her about herself and in a way that made her cheeks blush slightly. "It was by chance that I have come here. Although his Lordship night say it was destiny." She gave Sherwood a smile and was rewarded with a chuckle. "You see, I have a...gift I suppose for languages. As I understand it, I was speaking coherent sentences before I was two and reading by the time I was three. I was introduced to Latin by accident which made French, Italian, and Spanish inevitable. Greek, so I could read the Iliad, and many more. I am fluent, speaking and written, in twenty languages and written in a further five." Annabeth said all of this in a shy tone of voice so neither of the men could think she was boasting about her abilities. While she liked her what she was able to do, they could also be a curse as well. Like forgetting which language she was suppose to be speaking in. Or waking with a start because of dreams, which she usually didn't remember, where languages were all twisted together into something else. Something that almost felt alive.

"Hieroglyphics though are my favorite. Probably because I was introduced to them as an infant. You see, the husband of my aunt was a French official in Egypt at the time working on the Suez Canal. They gifted me a figurine of the god Bastet that had, I learned later, a prayer inscribed on it. It had place of honor in the nursery." Annabeth smiled in remembrance of it. When she was a child, her nanny and parents were reluctant to allow her to handle the figurine for fear she would break it. That was unfounded because the child was very careful and usually had long, one-sided, conversations with it. It was found broken one day when Annabeth was twelve and had had her first menstrual cycle.
"Learning hieroglyphics was more challenging than most languages but a family friend was somehow able to provide me with a rubbing of the Rosetta Stone. How he got it I shan't ask," she smiled and got a wink from Sherwood. "I knew the text by heart so that day when his Lordship made several errors while was conversing with other experts I corrected him. Afterwards we talked and while I knew the language I didn't know as much about the rest of ancient Egypt. We made an agreement, subject to my parents approval of course, that I would assist with translations and be taught about Egypt at the same time. It has worked out most beneficially I should think." Because of her unofficial status Annabeth would share in any credits for discoveries like the rest of the staff could. While it didn't displease her, because she wasn't in it for the credit, it did frustrate her a little that no one would probably know of her work.

"That is how I came to this Mr Gamal. I...do not know how much longer I will be able to continue it though. As his Lordship mentioned, at a point I will be...required to put away what I do now and assume other roles." She quickly took a bite of a biscuit so that she could't speak further. There had been a tone of bitterness in the last sentenced that shouldn't have been there.

Just then there was a knock on the door that then opened to reveal the same clerk that Annabeth had seen earlier. "Pardon the interruption Lady Hampshire, Lord Sherwood, sir," he said nodding to each before speaking to Sherwood. "The gentleman that you were excepting have arrived earlier than planned." Annabeth raised an eyebrow at her mentor who quickly made his apologies and followed the clerk out. He had let slip to her the previous day that the Baron de Rothschild had agreed to a meeting in which possible donations of money and artifacts might be arranged.

"Well then... We should be off to my work space so I can show, what little I am afraid, I have found out so far about the orb." As she stood up, Annabeth gave a smile. "I know society says that I should not be alone with you but... For once I will disregard what society wants. Shall we be off?"

 

[HotTexasCowboy]

Gamal rose politely as Sherwood made his apologies for the interruption. “Of course, sir. I fully understand the varied responsibilities of holding such a distinguished and important post in a world-renown museum.” He turned his attention back to Annabeth. “I hardly think the morals of British society will be ruined by two academics consulting together on ancient topics. Please lead on, Lady Hampshire.” He politely motioned for her to guide him, and they walked along the hallways of the research space while he ruminated on things he had learned the last several days.

“Her speech known by all tongues,” he recalled a line of prophecy. “Born in the full shadow of the noonday sun,” was another. The curator of The Times’ archives, with the aid of a few pounds of inducement, had been most helpful in finding the story of her birth in Gibraltar. “Hair the glow of embers,” and “Purity reserved for the Gods.” Everything he had learned about her seemed to fit, but with time so short, he had to certain. Did she have the mark? Finding out would not be easy.

After a short walk, they entered her work space, as cramped and messy as promised, but the chaos hiding a certain dedication and order of her own making. He saw the tracing of the Orb writings pinned to a cork board on one wall, a desk full of opened books of Greek and Egyptian writings, and a bookshelf stacked with even more volumes in several languages. His attention was arrested by the tracing. He approached it and studied it intently for a minutes. “So…” he mused, then turned to Annabeth. “This tracing is to scale of the original?” he insisted. He pulled a roll of fabric tape from a pocket and set about measuring the tracing. “Of course it is. Twenty-eight by… twenty-three centimeters. Yes,” he added turning to her, “exactly the same area of the carvings on the Orb we discovered.”

He began counting rows and columns. The symbols were laid out as if on grid, and it was yet to be discerned if they were to be read right-to-left, left-to-right, or up or down. “Sixteen rows… by… nineteen columns. Again, a match to our own Orb. Each space for a symbol is about a centimeter and a half square, although most of symbols occupy less than half the given space, and irregularly so. Some toward the top of the space, some the bottom, some to the right or left. Almost as if they are… incomplete. I can see how you might be led to conclude that the writing may have been marred or damaged. But!” he turned back to Annabeth with an excited smile. “I would surmise that in your castings you’ve found no traces of sabotage, no traces of chisel marks or sanding. Yes?”

He turned her attention back to the tracing. “A few of the symbols are larger, filling more of the space allotted. Here, here, and here, for example.” He pointed to almost half a dozen such larger symbols. “Whatever the meaning of these symbols, they would indicate something of more importance - perhaps the symbol or name of a king or a god. In Pharaoic hieroglyphics, such important symbols were contained within a cartouche. I suspect this could be an earlier version of such.”

“If I may,” he added politely but unnecessarily, reaching for the small satchel he had been carrying with him with, Annabeth would assume, important papers. He unrolled a length of what looked like white tissue paper to show Annabeth a tracing similar to hers in size and shape. With it unrolled, he was able to pin it to the corkboard next to her own. She could see the area of tracing identical to the one from her Orb, with the same number of rows and columns. “You see, Lady Hampshire, this is the tracing from our Orb, the one we’ve discovered up river from Khartoum along the Blue Nile. The same arrangement of rows and columns, of the same size. But, side by side, the characters do not match, do they? Hmm.”

Together they studied the tracings side-by-side. While the symbols did not seem to be the same in each space, there were a few similarities. Annabeth would have noticed that there were a half-dozen squares that also seemed to have larger than average characters. Gamal joined her in comparing the symbols. “On your tracing, the larger symbol is on the fourth row, third from the right end of the row. On mine, same row, but third from the left end. Then, on the sixth row, there are two such larger symbols - on your tracing in the fourth and the ninth place from the right, while on mine in those same positions, but from the left.” They located three more larger symbols in positions that were on the same rows but seemingly reversed. Gamal was lost in thought for a few minutes. Then he raised his forefinger as if with an idea.

“I suggest to you another, possibly related mystery, Lady Hampshire. The two orbs are both perfectly spherical, almost unrealistically so, yet both share a flattened area where the symbols have been placed. Why would that be necessary? The placement of these larger symbols suggest that the two orb carvings might be meant to be… mirror images? Or at least… What if the two orbs were placed so that the symbols were against each other? Face to face, in some sense? That could mean… Could you assist me, please?”

He carefully removed the tacks holding his tracing in place on the corkboard and turned it around. Then he moved the tracing back onto the board and lined it up over her tracing of the orb in their possession. Working together, they carefully lined up the two grids so that the symbols on her tracing showed through the thin paper of his tracing. Once they had it aligned, they tacked his tracing in position, and smoothed the papers together, so that her tracing marks showed through his paper. In almost every grid square, the two tracings together formed new combined symbols, including the larger ones.

 

[mypgems]

With the two of them both in the space there wasn't much room remaining to work. Annabeth was able to pull a tray from a shelf above her desk and pull the cloth cover off to reveal the plaster castings in case Gamal wished to inspect them. As he studied the tracings, she studied him a little. Oh he was handsome and all that but that was quickly dismissed as unneeded. No, it was his attitude and seemingly open mind that Annabeth like. Gamal was willing to consider her an equal in regards to the research. Many men couldn't, or wouldn't, do that. She was a female so her brain of course couldn't deal with all these facts and figures. That was why any research she 'published' was always done under Lord Sherwood's name. Her own might be somewhere else. Usually about her being an assistant amongst others. She was finding that she liked Gamal.

"That was my suspicion at first," she said regarding the condition of the carvings. "But you are quite right in that there is no damage to be seen. Besides the casting, I used magnifying glasses, and even my own fingers to look for any damaged sections. Finding none, I noticed how perfect the carvings are in that there is barely sharp edge to them. Almost like a stylus had traced them before the material had hardened." Annabeth knew that was impossible of court. It did say much about the talents of those that had created the orb.

Annabeth nodded and his theory about the larger symbols. "I have been thinking along those lines as well. If this is a ancestor to hieroglyphics then you are most correct. The only issue is that that they don't seem to be the same style I think. Almost as if they weren't...finished." She stood there, staring at the tracings as if seeing them for the first time. Not destroyed but unfinished! A small gasp escaped her lips as she began sort out the possible ramifications. Then Gamal interrupted her train of thoughts with the new tracing.

For a moment, she just stared at the new tracings. "No...no the do not. They seem to have nothing in common with the markings on Orb A except is style. You would think that Orb B would have at least one in common...." Annabeth's voice trailed off as she stared at one tracing, then the other, then back again. She had never seen a pattern in the markings but there was one now but where? A finger went to Gamal's tracing "Sir, look at these here and here. Those are larger ones that we both suspect mean names. They are the same as the other ones as if they are unfinished. As if they were missing something!"

When Gamal pointed out the positions of the symbols, a memory trace popped into Annabeth's head. A memory about a game she played as a child with a mirror and paper that had writing on it. How the text was shown in reverse on the mirror and how she wondered about the people in 'reverse land' where everything was the opposite in.... Annabeth's eyes went wide as the words 'mirror image' popped into her head just milliseconds before Gamal said the same thing.

"Certainly!" she exclaimed when asked to help him turn his tracing. As they did so, the close quarter saw their bodies brushing against each other several times. Neither seemed to notice it though. When done, both stood back to observe the remarkable changes they saw. "Oh my....I had thought the symbols were damaged but they were incomplete! See this one? Its filled out more with better details. Oh! I know what I need to do. If you would be so kind?" Annabeth pulled a sheet of tracing paper from her desk along with a pair of glasses that had loups built in. With Gamal's help, they put another layer of paper over the two that were already on the corkboard. The faint lines barely shown the paper but with the loups she was able to see them clear enough to trace. "I shall make you a copy as well sir but only if you call me, as my friends do, Annabeth." She gave him a smile that said that she considered Gamal a friend.

"Can you tell me about Egypt?" she asked as she worked. "What it is like, the people, the food, the....smells?" The last was said with a soft chuckle "I have read so much about the history of Egypt but I know little of the actual place. I'm certain I would have enjoyed traveling there to see, not just the pyramids, but...everything. Like the libraries, the souks, to just sitting in the desert listening to the sand move. "I doubt that I will ever travel there myself even though I would dearly love so." Annabeth gestured for Gamal to take a seat in a chair that folded out from the wall while she worked. If Bruce & she did travel abroad after being married, she had fair idea that her husband would only go to places such as Paris or cities like that. Certainly not an 'expedition' the wilds of Egypt or India.

With delicate strokes of the pencil, she traced the markings without damaging the fragile paper as she listened. "My family has a bit of lore regarding Egypt, perhaps that is where I gained my interest in it." She turned for a moment to give him a smile. "You see, in my family's seat we have a tapestry that predates the arrival of the Normans by a fair amount. Its a story of the family history with the first element a Roman general. The banner behind him has the marking of a legion that Caesar took into Egypt. Later on, Augustus sent it to invade Britain. On the tapestry his figure is darker then the other figures. Its only a suspicion but perhaps he was a native levy that joined the legion in Egypt and rose through the ranks. Perhaps he took a wife in Britannia and fathered a child." Annabeth finished the tracing and laid it on her desk before sitting down. "Perhaps that is why I am so interested in Egypt. Or perhaps it is a fancy of a silly girl."

The pair looked intently at the new symbols as each pointed out something to the other. Annabeth eventually sat back and closed her eyes to rest them for a few seconds. "I wonder how they went about reading the text if we are correct about this. Perhaps brushing a version of 'ink' on the symbols and pressing a papyrus sheet on one, then the other? It would make it a convenient way to hide the text from anyone who didn't need to know. In that case it could be a prayer, a ritual, perhaps like the Book of the Dead? Perhaps....." She stopped and bent down to look at the drawing more closely before springing up to look at the tracing.

Annabeth gave a short gasp of shock as a hand covered her mouth before sitting down again. "Look?! Right here!" she exclaimed, holding a magnifying glass in one hand and using a pencil as a pointer in the other. "See? its a circle or disk and are those...lines angling away from it? Isn't that the symbol for Aten?" Aten just an aspect of the sun god Ra until it was raised as a the replacement, temporarily, for the Egyptian pantheon of gods by the Pharaoh Akhenaten. "How can this be Gamal? There has not been any trace of Aten as far back as we suspect the orbs to be. This....could potentially change a good portion of what we know about Egyptology!" Of course Annabeth knew this one inscription itself wouldn't do that. They would be much more information, confirmations, and years of analysis. Much longer then the time she had left. "What else was at the site where you found your orb?"

 

[HotTexasCowboy]

Gamal was pleased how the Englishwoman grasped the concept of the two mirror-facing symbols so quickly once exposed to the second orb’s tracing. Her enthusiasm was infections, embracing the excitement of discovery without any pretentious jealousy of sharing the revelation with him. He readily helped her position the third trace paper over the combined images of the original two, and watched as she set about the task of precisely drawing the revealed symbols. The glasses she put on with the built-in magnifiers made him smile, even as he recognized the convenience of them for close work. “I will do my best to call you Annabeth,” he agreed with a smile. Standing side by side and so close, a atmosphere of intimacy was hard to avoid. “But only if you will call me ‘Uba Mumti,’ or at least ‘Uba,’ if you will.”

“Ah, what can I tell you of Egypt?” he almost sighed. “Europeans think of us as Arabs, but in truth, Egypt has been a crossroad and mixing ground for millenia. Arabs, Turks, Nubians, Greeks, all the tribes and peoples of a thousand miles or more have come through and into the Nile valley, and brought with them their cultures and goods. A walk through the open marketplaces is like a tour of the world, chaotic and hypnotic, surrounded by aromas and and sights from all over. Spices and delicacies barely familiar to Western tastes, creatures of every type available to be cooked and offered for a sampling. It’s a vibrant world of my youth, before I was brought to England for my other education. I remember how my classmates struggled to understand the concept of Upper and Lower Egypt, when their maps had Upper as ‘down’ and Lower as ‘up’. We based our definitions on the flow of the Nile, for the Nile is everything to us. The source is ‘Up’ and the delta, where it empties into the Sea, is ‘down’ to us.”

He frowned. “Our cultural heritage has been plundered for centuries, even before the Europeans arrived in the last two centuries. Did you know the Cairo Museum of Antiquities was housed in an old warehouse on the banks of the Nile? It was flooded out in 1878. There is much more of our treasures in London than in all of Egypt’s cities. Our libraries? Once the Great Library of Alexandria was a world renown resource, but the Romans starved it, and by the fourth century it was gone. Nothing has replaced it. And the desert? I have known the desert intimately as a threat to life, not some poetic scene. Yet only a small portion of the Sahara is sand dunes. Much of it is defined by mountains and plains, still hot, still dry, but with incredible peaks and valleys. And if you want poetry, visit an oasis, where the shallow subsurface water supports an abundance of vegetation - palm and date trees, orange and other fruit groves, vineyards, wheat fields. Travel across the Sahara would be impossible without them. The seacoast is another area of neglected abundance. In my time in the military, I have seen them all. But the Nile… the Nile is still the greatest treasure, and the key that unlocks our past.”

He ducked his eyes with a trace of embarrassment. “Forgive my meandering, Annabeth,” he said softly, and listened as she recounted her family past and possible connection to Egypt. He knew the family gave tours of their estate, and had attended one just three weeks ago, paying close attention to what was said of the family tapestry. The connection was an interesting theory, yet even if it were true, he was still anxious to give her a more significant test of prophecy. One she could not know about yet.

“It is certainly an interesting question,” he echoed her about the symbols only being complete when they face each other. “What is the meaning of ancient text that only becomes clear when they cannot be read because they are hidden face-to-face? I suspect that the power of certain texts was not in being shared, but in coming into existence only when exposed to each other. The text may be designed as some mystical or holy or even magical incantation that only has power in itself, not in being read or shared. How long the orbs have been apart is something we can only speculate. Perhaps by being reunited, it was thought some great power could be unveiled.” He smiled. “So the ancients might have believed. Our modern world is too logical to place much credence in such nonsense.”

As Annabeth exploded with enthusiasm at her possible discovery, Uba took a magnifying glass and closely examined the symbol she referred to. He nodded speculatively. “The symbol could, indeed, be a precursor to Aten,” he gave her credit, but then added caution. “It would not do to jump to premature conclusions, however. The sun was a constant power for any people and culture of Northern Africa, for thousands of years. And the solar disk as a symbol of that power, either the sun or a sun god, is a likely creation for a variety of ancient cultures, even those on other continents. The idea is worth of exploration, but be careful in your conclusions.”

She was now asking for details about his discoveries related to the second orb, questions he was finding uncomfortable. “We have revealed little about our excavation, Annabeth. These discoveries are ancient and valuable, not only to history but thieves and criminals. Grave robbers were not just a problem for the ancients. Fortunately, the site is revered by a local sect, who have vowed to protect it for ages untold. I…” He hesitated, then suggested, “Perhaps, if you would accept an invitation to dinner with me this evening, I could reveal a few more details of our discoveries, as one colleague to another. I have rented a suite in the Hotel Appolyton for myself, my manservant, and my housekeeper. She is also an excellent cook, and could prepare us some Egyptian dishes. Of course, if you needed to bring a chaperone of your own to such an assignation, I would understand.”

She had finished her tracing, and they peered at it together, almost touching as they closely examined the symbols. Uba was particularly interested in the larger cartouches. “Interesting,” he pointed to a pair of symbols, “these two are almost exactly the same, with one small difference.”

“But then these two, very different symbols, are also nearly the same, with the same small addition.”

“That just leaves these two that don’t seem to match the pattern of the others. They are each dominated by a large disk of some kind, and other smaller disks, but they make for different patterns. I wonder, could these be astronomical representations? Perhaps constellations, or a planet with moons?”

 

[mypgems]

When he had tried to apologize for his descriptions of Egypt, Annabeth chuckled. "No apologies needed as I tend to meander too. I...would enjoy very much to experience Egypt as you have Uba," she said softly, not looking up from the tracings. "To travel and see and explore a place where so many different peoples have walked over the eons. Ones that we know and those whose footprints are dust in the wind. As I had said, I will never be able to go. Women...ladies are not suppose to do..." Annabeth's voice trailed off because it wasn't proper to express such things. She knew, of course, the faint stirrings of those that championed the idea of giving women the right to vote but she had never formed any opinion because it was so alien to her. Perhaps she was in favor of it but it was outside of the sphere of her world. Lifting her head so that she could smile at him she said, "I have imagined what the great library was like and all the knowledge that it once contained. I even...thought of myself as a Hypatia when Lord Sherwood invited me to work here. Although I wish not to experience her fate of course even though in a small way I will." Hypatia was a female scientist who was murdered by mobs at the library due to her sex and gift of knowledge. "Your Egypt is a beautiful place."

An eyebrow went up at Uba's suggestion about magic and the orbs. "Runic magic," said and smiled at the slightly puzzled look she got. "Runes, the writing system of the Vikings of Scandinavia. They believed that some of the symbols, used in certain combinations or way, could bring about magic. The largest source for runic magic is the Sigrdrífumál in the Poetic Edda. Wagner used much of it in his wonderful 'Siegfried' opera. Now I am meandering!" Annabeth smiled. "If your suggestion the Orbs being together is the case, it is an interesting question as to why they were removed from each other. Something happened with the 'magic' that someone wished to prevent happening again? Perhaps a natural phenomena that was misinterpreted."

"I shall keep an open mind but it is interesting nonetheless." she said with a nod at his admonishment about Aten. Their shoulders began to rub against the other as they leaned closer to the tracing she had completed. "The circular cartouches...I agree that its astronomical but I doubt its a planet and moon. The ones found around Jupiter for example, are too small to see without a telescope. They could have invented one but best to discount that until we have more proof." Her nostrils flared slightly at taking in his man scent without realizing it. "It is the sun or the moon with stars or planet in a certain arrangement. And this..." Her finger lightly moving his to the a part of the cartouche. "...is almost certainly a comet. Best not to speculate too further though," she chuckled softly. An idea popped into her head about the arrangement as a date or time of year. She wouldn't mention it to Uba just yet. Not until she was a bit more sure. "As to the other ones... The addition almost looks like a supplicant kneeling before a king...or god".

Their heads were so close that she only had to turn slightly to see his face. "Yes, I am keeping an open mind but it could be a lead to pursue." Annabeth smiled before leaning back to rest in her chair. Her mind was spinning with all the new knowledge and ideas so it took a few extra moments to process Uba's suggestion of dinner. The idea itself sound wonderful. They could go over their mutual information in much more comfortable surroundings. She supposed that she should have a chaperon because that was just the way things were done but why? Even though she had just met him, Annabeth singerly doubted Uba was any kind of threat. Besides, she was not a child who couldn't be trusted. Why would anyone think that she, Anna Elizabeth Victoria Hampshire at twenty-two years of age, would do anything stupid?!

"Uba, I will be quite delighted to join you for dinner this evening. Also it will be just myself and no other."

------------

Lord Jethro Alexanders-de Giordano had always felt that the Astronomy section of the Museum was treated as the neglected step-child. They didn't have the fancy displays, nor the attention given to all the other sections. In fact, people kept confusing 'astronomy' with 'astrology'! At least he had been allowed to choose the people who worked with him when the section was created. Having an uncle who was the Duke of Exeter and the grandson of King George III who was the sponsor did help matters a lot. The majority of the work he and his colleges did was recording keeping and the occasional task from another part of the museum. Like the one that Lady Hampshire had brought in this day.

He liked the young scholar. Probably because she reminded him of the tales told of his late mother Alexandra. She had been a self-taught astronomer who had written a paper describing bodies that were locked in a tug of war between the planet Jupiter and the Sun. It hadn't been 'officially' accepted as of yet but no one could find a way to refute it. Jethro thought his mother would have found the situation humorous. Lady Hampshire had that same curiosity and determination but also suffered under the fact that she was a women. There were, he disliked thinking of them as ‘gentlemen', men who made rude, sexual comments in whispers about her. He dared not correct and get on the wrong side of things because of his own companion that would cause a scandal.

As he reached for a book, Jethro quickly dismissed those thoughts to concentrate on the task at hand: identifying the nature of the drawings he had been given. Lady Hampshire hadn't told him where they came from but know her interests he had a fair idea. For most of the afternoon he had been looking for answers in the wrong area. There were no combinations in the time of the Egyptians that could fit the patterns. It wasn't until he was tiding up his desk for the day when a thought hit him: what if these weren't dates in the past but ones in the future? It took another hour, and several more books before he found the proper dates. Both were surprising because of how current they were. One had passed only a couple of decades ago and one...hadn't happened yet. That made Jethro sit back and then double check the calculations.

He wrote up short letter with the results and his calculations. Also asking Lady Hampshire to please meet with him the following day so they could go over things in person. After giving the sealed letter to a messenger to deliver to the young lady he left for home where his Patrick would be waiting.

------------------

"I shall be waiting up for you miss when you return," said Annabeth's maid as she circled around her charge to make sure the dress fitted properly. That included making sure the corset was seated properly to restrain the girl's generous bosom. Meg knew, even if the girl didn't seem to realize at times, men fixated on that certain area. It was a thin line between covering them up and inflicting undo pain on the owner. At times it had been a battle of wills between Meg and Annabeth but in the end the maid had won.

"You needn't do that Meg, I can just knock on your door so you can get some sleep," Annabeth said softly with a knowing smile her wish would be ignored. Meg was near twice her age and a widow who considered her to be almost a daughter. Annabeth's own mother was good and kind but the unspoken 'rules' said there should be a barrier between them. Meg gladly supplied the needs Lady Martha couldn't supply without harming maternal bonds as well. Wherever Annabeth went, Meg went with her. At the moment they were in the former dressing room of her cousin's. Her aunt & uncle were going to have her stay in the guest suite but she had declined the offer so it could be free for more important guests then her. Where they were might not be as fancy but it was comfortable enough. Meg had the room next door instead of one of the servant quarters in the floor above.

"What I should be doing is going with you! You, out and about in the London night by herself? Unthinkable! What has poor London ever done to deserve that?" Meg glared at Annabeth who glared back until they both started laughing. "Still..." She was silenced when the younger lady pressed a finger to her lips.

When Annabeth had arrived home just before tea she had told her auntie that Lord Sherwood had invited her to dinner at his house. It was to discuss some matters about the exhibits in the museum. That was all Annabeth had to say because her aunt knew it meant the strange 'hobbies' her niece was involved in. That his Lordship lived with his wife and had dined here so he was a known person meant a chaperon was not needed. Besides, the aunt & uncle had established plans to go to the theater that night prevented the aunt from accompanying her in any case.

It was all a lie of course. Annabeth was going to her new friend Uba's hotel to dine with him and discuss what they had learned that day. It was potentially scandalous that she would be in the company of a man, from another country no less, without a chaperon. Even though she knew she would eventually have this lie found out it would be amongst her aunt & uncle, probably her parents as well, and no other harm done. There was a thrill of excitement at being so...daring! "Now you hush... I am just going to dine with Lord Sherwood and his wife. I should be back even before auntie and uncle. You can enjoy yourself instead of listening to the dreary conversations I will be having."

------------------

Later, as she at in the handsome cab, she smiled because Annabeth didn't think it would be 'dreary' at all. Her and Uba had seemed to have gotten along very well when they had met at the museum. Meg was behind her so didn't catch the tiny blush that appeared on Annabeth's cheeks for a moment when the girl realized that she would be, for all intensive purposes, along with a most handsome man. She tried to dismiss it but she couldn’t help but compare her soon to be fiancé with Uba. They were both strong and handsome but her new friend had so much more: intelligence, a gentleman, and courage. Her Bruce couldn't be bothered to obtain, even a brief one, commission in a regiment or to do anything other than...

Annabeth shook her head to dismiss those thoughts. Instead, she looked down at the envelope that sat on her lap. A messenger boy had arrive just as she was stepping into the cab. All she had see of it was that it was from Jethro of the museum. Had had found something Annabeth knew! It was too dark in the cab to read what the message was. That didn't matter as she wanted Uba to read it as well when she did.

After being assisted out of the cab, Annabeth nearly bounded to the desk of the Hotel Appolyton and then up to the suite. A knock on the door and a "Good evening, Lady Hampshire to see Ubamumti Gamal" spoken in fluent Arabic to what could only be Uba's manservant. Soon enough, she was awaiting her dinner companion in the sitting room.

 

[HotTexasCowboy]

The manservant who answered the door was, well, towering. He had to be easily six and a half feet tall as he loomed over her. He was dressed in a clean blue full-body robe, covering him from shoulders to ankles, barely showing a pair of sandals on his feet. Around his neck was a darker blue scarf, and the top of his head was neatly encased with a light blue turban. His skin was a shade darker than Uba had seemed earlier today, with his cheeks and chin covered by a thin dark beard, neatly trimmed. He smiled and bowed to Annabeth, sweeping his arm in a welcoming gesture. “Ladee Hamsheer,” he greeted her slowly, his English heavily accented.“Pleeze.” He gestured for her to follow him to the sitting room, then motioned for her to have a seat before he left by a doorway to his master’s bedroom.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/13/f9/2e/13f92e0434dff7bc4c7f38bed7f38a4b.jpg

It was only a moment later as Ubamumti entered through the same door, followed by the manservant. He had changed for dinner into white tie and formal coat. He bowed to his guest and offered her his hand briefly in a warm greeting, “You look quite lovely this evening, Lady Hampshire, not that I was not already impressed with you earlier today.” he greeted her. “Did you not bring a chaperone?” he asked, slightly amused. “I would not wish to bring scandal upon your house, but I can assure you, my servant Azim would never allow harm to come to you.” Uba sat on a chair next to Annabeth as the manservant entered carrying a salver with two small wine glasses, bowing before Annabeth to offer her a drink. Uba continued, “Azim is from the Sudan. I met him during one of my excavations, and he has served me ever since. He is from a rather isolated tribe in the Blue Nile region. They speak a unique dialect that I am slowly becoming fluent with Azim’s tutorage.”

He took a glass after Annabeth did so. “I thought you’d like to sample a few delicacies from my home country. My housekeeper Is preparing us some Egyptian dishes for dinner. This is a local wine dating to the Muslim conquest in the 8th Century. It is called Nebit shansi, made from mostly raisins and honey, then cured in the desert sun, hence its name. Muslim culture discouraged the drinking of spirits, but this wine and beer continued to be brewed and served socially. A more traditional vineyard has been started just a few years ago near Alexandria, so we can have a red wine more to your custom with dinner.” He took a healthy sip from his glass.

Gamal was about to attempt polite social conversation about her distinguished family, when he noticed the envelop she was still holding in her lap. He raised a curious eyebrow and asked her about it. She told him how she had sent copies of the two astronomical symbols to a friend of hers at the museum, a member of the astronomy department, to see if he could interpret them scientifically for them.

“And has he had any success?” he asked, highly interested in what he may have found, as well as slightly worried. She explained the letter had just been delivered to her as she was entering her hansom for the journey to his hotel, and had not had a chance in the darkness to read it. Besides, she offered magnanimously, it was only fair that, if there was any news, they should share it together. She handed the envelop to him, and Uba thanked her and reached for a blade to slice open the envelop and take out the folded pages. “May I?” he asked politely, and she agreed with a sense of excitement for him to read it to her.

Uba cleared his throat and began to read, slowly and carefully:

 

[HotTexasCowboy]

“My Dear Lady Hampshire,

“I must thank you for the drawings you sent me today. They represent an intriguing puzzle for me to offer relief from my usual daily routine of astronomical minutia. They would seem to be in one sense crude representations of ancient sky observations, yet there does seem to be precision to the placement of the observations that require respectful contemplation of their significance. On the one hand, the ancient observers would have not had the advantages of modern telescopic enlargement of their observations, nor, in all likelihood, an understanding of the physical laws of gravitational celestial mechanics by which we can now reliably predict planetary orbits. On the other hand, their vision of the night sky would not have been burdened, as ours can be, by competing artificial light from urban concentrations nor by the increasing obscuring of our atmosphere from the emissions of coal burning industrial plants.

“I quickly dismissed the theory that the drawings represents constellations or other groupings of bright stars. The images don’t match any such groupings we can currently observe, and it is unlikely the shifting of stars even over a few millenia would have changed their appearance. My next theory was that the drawings represent what we currently term planetary conjunctions. The varied orbits of the known planets in our solar system sometimes appear from our viewpoint to bring two or more planets into close proximity. Of course, we know that these planets are still many millions of miles apart in their orbits, but as a question of perspective, they may appear close together in the night sky.

“Each drawing seem to indicate such a conjunction, their positions relative to one of the two large bright disks of our skies, namely the sun or the full moon. This allows us to position the possible positions of the possible conjunctions with a reasonable suggestion of accuracy. But it also suggests a rather significant conundrum. If the planetary conjunctions were, in fact, in the positions indicated so near to one of the bright disks, they would have been nearly impossible to observe, as the bright light of the full moon or the sun would have completely blinded observers from seeing the fainter planets in their aura.

“Nevertheless, I began to research the positions of planetary conjunctions, as calculated over the last eighty years by scores of dedicated astronomers, following the observations and calculations based on the giants of celestial mechanics, from Copernicus to Tycho Brache to Isaac Newton among many others. While dual conjunctions, the apparent nearness of two planets, can occur every few years, triple conjunctions, involving the approach of three planets at the same time, are much more rare. Then there is the matter of the position of the planets compared to that of one of the bright disks. Some of this research has carried the calculations back centuries, even two millenia, attempting, for example, to prove that the Star of Christ’s birth may have been a conjunction or some other predictable astronomical phenomenon (a theory still hotly debated.) I confess, my search to match the assumed positions of the conjunctions in the drawings with calculated events of the distant past has failed to find a definitive match. It may be that calculations have simply not been carried out far enough into ancient times, or that the drawings are not as accurate as I might have hoped.

“I had hoped to have better luck with the drawing of what might be a triple conjuction, but still had no success. However, “A fourth object in that drawing does resemble, as you noted, a possible comet. The current theory about comets is the suggestion that they are ice planetoids in highly elliptical orbits that take them for years or decades far into the outer reaches of the solar system beyond even Neptune. Then the orbits periodically bring one inward, close to the sun, where it whirls rapidly around it, melting its skin of ice that streams behind it as it begins to move back out toward the frigid outer regions. Sir Edmund Halley managed to chart one such comet through historical accounts to predict that it would appear every 75 years, a theory that has been borne out in observations. The last appearance was in 1835, with the next predicted for 1910. We haven’t been able to predict other comet appearances, and rarely spot them until they have passed close to the sun and are spewing their melted ice, at which point they can become a significant celestial event in our skies.

“I regret that I have not found definitive dates to match your diagrams. In the coming days, I can try to push the calculations further into the past, and see if I can find dates to match the drawings. I can strongly suggest that the two drawings represent two different events and two different dates, which would be separated by at least months, or more likely years, even decades. At this point, these are questions we cannot answer. It would seem that we must return the contemplation of these mysteries to your area of expertise, and wish you all good fortune in finding answers. If you wish any details or clarification of our findings, I invite you to meet with me tomorrow at your convenience.

“Your Servant,

“Lord Jethro Alexanders-de Giordano”

 

[HotTexasCowboy]

“Alas,” Uba said with a sigh, carefully folding the pages and returning them inside the envelop, “it appears his observations offer little help. He may be right in that our efforts to decipher and translate the mysterious symbols of the orbs will produce more in the way of understanding.” He politely handed the envelop back to her, watching as she slipped it into her handbag. Now was not the time for her to learn just what the astronomer had truly discovered; Uba’s reading had been edited to spare her certain details. The time for revelations would come soon enough, if his own discoveries panned out as he suspected.

Uba tried to turn the conversation to polite inquiries about her family and her quarters in London, but within a couple of minutes, the door to the kitchen opened and a young woman poked her head into the room. She seemed about Annabeth’s age, with dusky middle-eastern skin and brown hair tucked tightly around her head She was wearing a yellow sort of full length pullover, covering her from shoulders to ankles but leaving her arms bare. Over the pullover and covering her arms was a cover of white gauzy material, almost see-through but beautifully embroidered with patterns of flower blossoms. “Excuse me Master,” she greeted Uba, adding a friendly smile for Annabeth. “We are ready to begin dinner.”

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“Thank you, Kiyomi,” Uba answered her, and rose, offering Annabeth a hand to help her rise. He led her through an open portal to a small dining room. A table for two was elegantly set with china and silverware. Uba politely pulled out a chair for Annabeth and helped her to her seat, then took his seat opposite her. “Kiyomi is my housekeeper and cook,” he introduced the servant to Annabeth. “Given your interest in my culture, I asked her to prepare a few dishes native to Egypt. She has spent the afternoon in your markets, attempting to find the necessary ingredients and spices. I hope her efforts meet with your approval.” Azim entered from the kitchen with a decanter of red wine, which he poured to fill the two wine glasses at their places. Then he departed and Kiyomi entered, carrying two soup bowls which she placed before each of the diners before returning to the kitchen.

“This is Red Lentil Soup,” Uba explained as he took up his soup spoon and waited for Annabeth to sample her portion. “It’s a common light meal from my youth, and seasoned with split lentils, tomatoes, some sauteed onions, garlic, and harrisa spice to give it a nice kick. Every cook has her own recipe of spices, and this one might be unique, as Kiyomi had to substitute a few local ingredients for those we would normally find along the Nile.” He took a sip and nodded. “Just the same, she did quite well.”

After they ate a good portion of the soup, Azim entered to take up their dishes and Kiyomi returned with plates of some sort of casserole. “For our main course,” Uba continued his introduction, “we offer you some Kashary. This is practically a national dish of Egypt, and one of the most popular street foods. One of its amazing features is that it is meatless. The base is white rice and brown lentils, to which we add pasta, chickpeas, tomato sauce, fried onions, and a spicy sauce called dakka. It is an addictive meal among my people, but be sure to leave some room for dessert.”

After consuming most of the entree, Azim returned to clear the plates and refill their wine glasses, then Kiyomi entered with two small plates of some kind of cakes. “For dessert, this is bosbousa, a sweet cake made with semolina flour. It is Kiyomi uses a syrup of rose water and lemon, tops it with walnuts, and a powdered sugar icing. Enjoy.” All of the dishes were flavorful, either spicy or sweet. The strong tastes of each dish helped to mask the light taste of the powerful sedative Kiyomi had added to each helping. This, along with the wine, would be making Annabeth feel very woozy by the end of dinner, barely able to keep her eyes open.

 

[mypgems]

After being ushered in by, her standards, huge manservant she returned Uba's greeting. Hearing his comment about a chaperone nearly made her chuckle. Never would the young lady mention that it was just a bit of independence that she was allowing herself that night. Nor that she had lied to everyone as to where she would be. "I decided that a chaperone was not needed since this is just a dinner between two colleagues who are discussing a common interest," Annabeth said with smile. She couldn't help but notice that Uba looked quite handsome in his suit. Also how striking the difference in the colors of their skin when Uba had held her hand. Any lady would be most pleased to be seen with him at a restaurant or show.

She ordered her mind to stop thinking such things as it was disrespectful. Not to her, but to Uba. He was acting a complete gentleman with her. More so then some Englishmen that she had run across in her years. Perhaps, to her regret at thinking it, her future husband.

An eyebrow was raised when the wine was brought out because she knew the prohibition on alcohol. She should have expected it though since Uba seemed much more worldly. After accepting the glass, she held it up to the light to get an idea of the color Then a swirl of the glass before a sniff for the aroma. Finally a tiny sip held on the tongue before taking a larger sip. Annabeth had been taught that by a family friend who had a chateau and vineyard in Bordeaux. "It is...different but very enjoyable!" She smiled. "I had read in Plutarch's Moralia that the pharaohs did not drink wine nor offer it to the gods: "thinking it to be the blood of those who had once battled against the gods and from whom, when they had fallen and had become commingled with the earth, they believed vines to have sprung" This was considered to be the reason why drunkenness "drives men out of their senses and crazes them, inasmuch as they are then filled with the blood of their forebears". Fortunately there is no danger of that this night." She leaned forward a bit and then held up her glass.

"Permit me a toast? To the unlocking of secrets." Both smiled as they clinked their glasses together. It was then that Annabeth presented him with the letter...

As she had listened to Uba reading the letter, she had pictured dear Jethro writing it in that cramped, basement room his group had been assigned. Annabeth was fond of the older gentlemen. He had told her wonderful stories of growing up the English Regency era of his mother and the equivalent in Italy of his father. He also had a way of explaining the complex world of astronomy in a way that was simple for anyone to understand. He was slightly scandalous because he had turned down a spot in the Royal Society because of their refusal to allow women to join.

"It is not the answer that I had hoped," she said quietly when Uba had finished his reading. As she replaced the envelope in her bag she did smile a little. "Lord Jethro will not stop in his research of this though. When presented with a puzzle, he tends not rest until it is resolved. Perhaps tomorrow you could return to the museum and I can introduce you to him?" From nod and smile on his face, Annabeth knew they would defiantly see each other again the next day.

"Very pleased to meet you," Annabeth said with a nod when the housekeeper had appeared. Hopefully she would be able to chat a little with the girl later because there were questions to be asked. While she hadn't studied the Oriental languages yet, she did know the name 'Kiyomi' wasn't African or from the middle east. It was a Chinese or Japanese name. Kiyomi, however, spoke fluent Arabic as if brought up speaking it. The story must be quite fascinating and the young lady hoped to hear it.

Hearing what dinner was to be brought a wide smile from Annabeth. "You and Kiyomi need not have gone to the trouble but thank you very much." As a child, she had had exposure to foods other than what was available in Britain. Some through the travels she went on with her parents but also from the horse groom, named Joseph, who work at her at family's house. He had been rescued from slavery in the southern part of the United States by her grandfather. The man had a gift at handling horses and teaching his master's children how to ride. Every once in awhile he prevailed upon the cooks to make foods that he had had in America.

After the bowl of soup had been set before her, Annabeth had taken a sniff and immediately felt her sinuses clear. She then took cautious sip and somehow refrained from coughing. "Oh my! That does have a bit of 'kick' to it I believe a bowl of Mulligatawny I had once might compare very well." She smiled and in on the soup as the two had light conversations. When the main course arrive, she inhaled the aroma and began to eat with a relish.

As they ate, she gave a nod. "I can quite understand why it, as you say, is addictive." Several times Annabeth stopped eating and closed her eyes for a moment. When asked if there was something wrong, she would smile and say that she was committing the flavors to memory. What she didn't add was that she didn't know when she might have the likes of this again.

When presented with the bosbousa and Uba's command to enjoy, she said "I shall," and she bit into the cakes. They were as delicious as the rest of the meal had been! Although her wine glass had been refilled several times, she was being careful as to how much she drank. Annabeth had never had hard spirits except once when she was a child. Just the slightest sip of her father's whiskey had caused her to make a face that made roar with laughter. No, she stuck to wine and champagnes but even then perhaps a glass or too. A trick her a brother had taught her was how to drink without actually drinking. That was easy at a party but difficult at a private dinner. One thing she wasn't careful about was eating the cakes. Soon she was on her third one!

"Can you tell me a bit more about the location when your orb was found? Not the location as I understand your reluctance but were there any other ruins? Things that might give clues as to who built them?" Uba agreed and they began chatting but Annabeth began to realize her attention was drifting away from the conversation. Several times Uba called her name or she asked to have him repeat something. Each time, she focused on him and each time her thoughts drifted again. She thought she asked if she could have a cup of coffee or tea which Kiyomi brought a cup of. For several seconds, the young lady stared at the cup to try and remember what it was.

Things were becoming odd! When Uba called her name it was hard to lift her head to look at him because it felt so heavy. When she did, there were two or three of him with all of them moving in different directions. Was something happening to her? Annabeth's brow furled but the thoughts wouldn't focus. It felt like she was just floating and drifting. Not unlike a time when she had drank a touch much. Perhaps she should be concerned but Annabeth just couldn't be bothered about it. The images of Uba finally centered as one and Annabeth grinned. "You are....handsome!" she said with a girlish giggle. "I wish....I wish....I wish I had..you." Her eyes closed and her head nodded but she caught herself. "Marry you..you...not dumb...Brucie! Do me...what he do...Ubaaa...I..."

When her body began to fall to one side and off the chair a paid of strong hands gripped her shoulders firmly to hold Annabeth upright. While her eyes were closed it was apparent that she wasn't asleep due to the some coos and murmurs coming from her lips. Even a soft giggle at times. Occasionally a clear word or words but in another language other than English. Behind the closed eyes Annabeth's mind was swaddled in dark cotton that let her drift through blackness. It wasn't sleep or unconsciousness because she could hear things and, if her eyes were opened, she could see as well. It was that her mind just couldn't process what was happening to her.

Or what was being done to her.

 

[HotTexasCowboy]

Uba began to talk about his explorations as Annabeth was binging on the bosbousa. “Most of the excavations into ancient Egypt take place north of the joining of the Niles. Thebes, Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, and on down river to Giza. But I’ve been looking closely at the Blue Nile, which flows out of Sudan and Ethiopia. Many don’t realize that the Blue Nile supplies a majority of the water for the Nile, especially during flood seasons. One reason it is less explored is because it has some deep gorges along its path. Some of them rival world famous locales, such as the Grand Canyon of America. There are also dried valleys where the river used to flow before it shifted eons ago. The dry areas are marked by many steep bluffs and twisting rock valleys that the local tribes regard as holy places. I’ve found many glyphs etched into the bluff walls that resemble the symbols we eventually found on the orb. The tribes there, such as Azim’s for example, still speak in some of the ancient language, handed down by generations of holy men. They were the ones who led me to a sinkhole that opened up a cavern that was the start of our excavation. The temple is deep underground, you see.”

He would have said more, but Annabeth’s head was nodding, as she struggled against the effects of the drug they had fed her in her meal. Azim had had to hold her shoulders at one point to keep her from falling over. Uba called her name a few times, seeing that she could hardly focus on anything. He was satisfied that the drug had in her the state he needed her. “Come my dear Annabeth,” he spoke softly, almost like a lullaby. “I think the spices have had an effect on you. Perhaps you need a little nap.” He rose from his seat and came around to stoop down beside her as she lolled almost insensible on her chair. With an arm behind her shoulders and another cradling her knees, he lifted her from her chair (which Azim pulled back) and carried her carefully into the bedroom, while she leaned her head against his chest and mumbled sounds that made no sense.

Kiyomi was waiting for them in the bedroom as he lay Annabeth on her back on the bed. Uba had had plenty of experience with women in his bed, but the intricacies of Victorian fashions were still a mystery to him. “Your assistance, Kiyomi, please,” he said softly, as the maid began to find hooks and buttons to undo and loosen the form-fitting fashionable dress Annabeth was wearing tonight. With the dress unfastened, it took both of them to shift the helpless girl from side to side to pull her sleeves free of her shoulders and arms, then pull the top down so they could slip the dress portion down off her legs. Kiyomi allowed her master a few moments to admire the young woman in her corset and slip. Uba shook his head at the tighly laced corset. “How can they breathe in such a constraint?” he wondered aloud. “And why attempt to repress what is so obviously an asset?” Kiyomi herself shrugged at the silliness of English fashion, while suppressing a giggle.

They carefully rolled their victim onto her front, making sure her arms were not trapped under her torso but resting freely to the sides. Kiyomi gently slid a pillow under Annabeth’s cheek, while Uba took a seat on the bed near the rise of her bottom. The hem of the slip was at the small of her back; Uba slipped his fingers under the hem and pulled it down a few inches, enough to show the rise of her ass and the start of the valley between them. That was enough; he felt a rush of excitement as he saw the small mark in her flesh on the plump rise of buttocks. Kiyomi was already standing by with a hand-held magnifying glass, handing it to her master as Uba leaned over to examine the shape closely. He discerned it was a match to one of the symbols etched into the orbs. “She has the mark, as foretold?” Kiyomi said breathlessly.

“Yes,” Uba signed, trying to keep his own calmness, “but there is the final test.” He handed the maid the glass and exchanged it for a small glass tub of what might have been some sort of skin cream. He unscrewed the lid and dipped a fingertip into the milky white goo in the container before handing it back to her. Leaning again over Annabeth’s supine body, he stretched his hand out and carefully applied the fingertip of ointment to her birthmark. He gently rubbed it in to the black symbol, then drew back his finger. In a matter of seconds, the mark seemed to begin to sparkle, and then glow a shade of gold, the sparkles looking like some sort of minuscule flakes of gilded gold. Then Uba’s eyes darted to their subject’s face, as her lips parted and she began to sigh, then softly moan. Her hips began to shift gently, rocking from side to side and her ass rising and falling. Her lips parted and her tongue darted out to lick. The subtle but clearly erotic display lasted a couple of minutes, then the golden glow faded from the symbol and Annabeth’s body calmed back down to soft breaths of near-slumber.

Ubamumti rose from the bed, rubbing his hands together in excitement. “There can be no doubt. She is the chosen one,” he almost whispered in reverence. He turned to Kiyomi. “Let’s get her dressed,” he ordered briskly, but his first action was to untie the knot of her corset. He started to loosen the laces, but there were so many he impatiently drew a knife from his pocket and sliced through them up her back until the binding garment was completely undone. “Fetch the burqa,” he ordered as he completed the cutting, and Kiyomi returned with a dark gray full length robe that included a head covering. Together they lifted her shoulders to slide out the corset, then bunched up the cloth of the robe so they could begin at her shoulders to pull it down over the length of her body. Rolling her to her back, they straightened out the robe, and Kiyomi took on the task of tucking Annabeth’s long red hair into the lower part of the hajib, the hood.

Meanwhile, Uba fetched Azim. “Summon a cab and dispense with the driver,” he ordered him. Azim left the room to go to the entrance of the hotel and wave down one of the many hansom cabs that plodded along London’s streets. He waved the driver down from his perch and then lured him aside, into an alley, where a few seconds of a neck hold made the driver collapse into a coma. Azim left him to sink down into the shadows and took his ‘cap’ to wait beside the cab’s door. A few seconds later, Uba appeared, carrying the limp body of a woman almost completely covered in a modest Arab woman’s burqa. The only opening was for her eyes. Uba had applied a cloth to her face with a stronger sedative before leaving his room, so she was completely unconscious now, and appeared as a sleeping woman in his supportive arms. He placed her in the passenger compartment of the cab and gave Azim his instructions.

“Take her to the stateroom of the Cassandra and leave her on the bed. She should sleep for hours. Then accompany Ameen and his men in the wagon. I will meet you at the East loading bay of the museum.” Uba had prepared for this moment. The wagon had a crate specially designed for the orb, and Abu had made a copy of the loading bay door key. He had a cloth with him soaked with more narcotic to subdue the night watchman. While Azim and the crew of four men retrieved the museum’s orb, he would be in Annabeth’s office, removing all her notes and tracings. If all went well, they should be back to the freighter by one a.m. and depart by three. Once at sea, the crew would go to work changing all Cassandra’s markings so that she would be identified as the Malta Haven. Both ships had been registered with proper paperwork, but the Malta Haven had never docked in Great Britain.

 

[mypgems]

Something happened as Annabeth floated in the darkness.... A sensation like an itch on her lower back was felt that then raced up her spine. There was a gasp with eyes that glowed a faint red and were unseeing opening. A box in her young mind opening for micro-second to reveal eyes that glowed a blazing red.... A hand reached out briefly to flick drops of the bloody corruption that covered it into the girl's purity. A cackle of laughter, that eerily sounded like Annabeth's, coming from the box.

A bit of knowledge from the drops made her feel things that she had never dreamed of feeling before. Touches all about her naked body but especially in place at the apex of her thighs that was covered in soft, reddish fur. The once or twice she had dared to touch herself there had caused her to immediately pull her fingers away due to the sensations it caused. There was one time she hadn't and...things occurred. Ones that she could not remember.

Her body began to move as if in response to things that only happened in happened in her imagination. Soft cries at being filled by something that fit her perfectly and was so hard! Then something sweet & salty for her tongue to lick. Annabeth's body moved as if in response to real flesh instead of what only existed in her mind. More and faster until... Her mouth opened to a scream of pleasure that that no one heard. Slowly did Annabeth relax, with a gentle smile on her lips, from the second orgasm of her life.

-------------

None of jostling of the carriage or being carried about in the arms of men caused Annabeth to stir from her dreamless sleep. While Uba's potions certainly helped, her mind dealing with the aftermath of her 'dream' caused her to sleep. In any case, that she was asleep made it much easier for Azim to handle the girl. As ordered, he placed her on the bed of the stateroom designated for her before leaving to complete his other tasks.

Kiyomi heard the click of the lock being engaged when the huge man left. Azim and she had two of the three keys that unlocked the stateroom. Uba, of course, had the third. Her own orders were to act watch over Annabeth and act as her 'maid' once the girl woke. The first thing to do was relieve the girl of the bulky burka and into something more comfortable. The job would have been easier if Azim had stayed to help but Kiyomi was able to do it alone. Besides, as she looked down at the Chosen One's lush body, it would cause too much temptation in any man to see perfection that lay naked before her.

Before slipping on the nightgown that Kiyomi had bought earlier that day, she gave Annabeth a quick sponge bath and combed out her long hair to remove any tangles. After putting her in the satin nightgown, Kiyomi noticed that the girl's cherry nipples had hardened due to the fabric rubbing against them. She couldn't help but give one plentiful breast a tiny squeeze and her thumb over the nub. "Sleep well for you will have much to experience," the girl said softly, smiling at the gasp that had escaped The Chosen's lips.

-------------

A stray ray of sunshine that fell upon her face was what did it. As eyes moved behind a closed lid that opened for a moment before being squeezed shut. There was a groan that was muffled by the blanket which was followed the body turning away from the light. Nothing happened for a few moments until two arms stretched out and series of squeaks were heard. There were movements under the blanket, a few muffled words of alarm, and the Annabeth sat straight up with her eyes wide in shock. The fingers of one hand still grasped the satin fabric while the other covered her mouth to avoid a scream. Throwing off the blanket, she stood for a moment to take everything in before racing to one of the portholes where she stared at the open ocean for many seconds. Turning, she saw herself in a full-length mirror. The cut of the nightgown was much more daring than any Annabeth would have chosen for herself as it showed the deep valley between her full, upturned breasts.

Very slow did the girl walk back to the bed and sit down on the edge where she covered her face with her hands and fell into quite sobs. Surprisingly, those lasted only a couple of minutes before Annabeth wiped the tears away with the edge of the blanket and sat calmly with hands on knees.

"Now then, what is the last thing I remember?" she whispered to herself. "Museum...home....auntie....Meg....dinner.... I had dinner but I do not remember it. Posit: I was given a drug during dinner. Consequence: It rendered me unconscious and am at sea on a ship. Result: I...am at their mercy." Closing her eyes, she took several calming breaths. "Posit: I have no place to escape, no friends, no control. I do have my brain. Consequence: I watch and listen. I...endure. I have hope. Result: I survive." Simple words but they were enough to cling to for the moment. "They want me to be....comfortable. I would not have picked this but someone did. Some..." She stopped when she heard a key jungle in the door's lock.

"Ah! You are finally awake. I hope you are feeling rested," Kiyomi said with a smile as she carried in a cloth covered tray. Annabeth couldn't help but notice that the door was closed and locked by someone outside. As the girl placed the tray on the she pulled the cloth off before pointing out the various items. "I wasn't sure how hungry you might be so I prepared a light snack: Tea with lemon or cream. Sliced olives, cucumbers, and tomatoes with a bit of olive oil. Some sliced pears and dates. Pita bread that can be dipped in jam, honey, or hummus. That is..."

"....ground chickpeas, olive oil, lemon and several other spices. I have had it before and enjoyed it very much," Annabeth replied softly. She wanted to cross her arms over her chest to hide her bosom but she forced her hands to stay her knees. "Who...who undressed me? Uba?"

"I did milady. My master assisted because the clothes you had worn were difficult to remove. You will have to tell me how you can breath in such tight clothing!" Kiyomi was trying to keep the tone light but could see it wasn't working very well at the moment. Sitting herself down at the side of the bed, she looked at The Chosen in the eyes. "I swear to you though that other than that and to carry you no man, not even my master, gazed upon or touched you. I washed and dressed you while you slept. I had bought the gown you wear while in London. I apologize if it is not a style that suits you. I have no desire to embarrass you milady. My master will explain things but trust me in saying that you are an honored guest no matter how you came to be here."

The young lady got up to open a small closet and pulled out a cloth bundle. "Please, if you would?" Kiyomi unfolded the bundle to reveal that it was a robe made of a thicker, but light cotton with oversized sleeves for the arms. There were no fastenings, so it had to be held close. That would be easy since was oversized. As she helped Annabeth stand and slip the robe on she smiled as she brushed the red hair down the back. "There.... Later, I will show you some other clothes we have. They aren't the height of European fashion, but they are much more comfortable."

Annabeth didn't wish to admit it, but the nightgown combined with the robe were exceedingly comfortable. There were no signs of a corset and she wasn't sure about not having one, but she did feel more...free. Perhaps this would be good, for now. "To answer your question Kiyomi, you eventually get used to it. And thank you." Did she believe the girl when she had said she had undressed her and the rest? Her thoughts hesitated for a second, but she decided that yes, it happened that way. "Answer me this? How does an Egyptian have an Asian name? Oh and join me, please?"

"With pleasure milady. It is a very simple story I will say." Kiyomi pulled a chair out for Annabeth to sit and then found one of her own. "My father owns a trading firm in Alexandria. When my mother gave birth to me there was a problem that could have killed us both. A member of a British ship's crew that was in the store was not a British doctor, but he was a Japanese one. He cut me out of my mother and then healed her. My father was grateful to him for saving my mother and me and would have given him any reward. All the man asked was that I be named for a daughter of that died at birth with her mother, his wife." She felt Annabeth's hand reach out to squeeze her own. "I am very honored that to carry her name and her life. But now, let us eat and tell stories!"

She didn't think it was possible, but Annabeth smiled.

 

[HotTexasCowboy]

Under Annabeth’s questioning, Kiyomi revealed a bit more about her life. She had grown up in the milleau of her father’s trading company in Egypt, absorbing knowledge of lace, satins, and silks from the MIddle East, India, and China; foodstuffs, fruits, and spices from around the world and Africa; even exotic animals captured from the savannas and rain forests, caged and transported to zoos and private owners, all for a handsome markup. She also saw many antiquities, both real and counterfeit, stolen, bartered, sought and sold. There were rings of thieves, con men, collectors, and true believers, all seeking the most valued items. Some had concocted myths attached to them, with provenance difficult to confirm. Through her family’s business, she had met Gamal, whose expertise was useful, but his ambitions for discovery even greater. Entranced by his dreams, she joined with him, serving as housekeeper and much more, but with her own eyes toward the impressive antiquities of his vision.

Annabeth had her own history, which Kiyomi coaxed from her as they smiled and even laughed through their light luncheon. How was she unmarried at her age, Kiyomi wondered, and elicited a few details about her would-be beau, and Annabeth’s hesitations.

An hour passed before Annabeth had hardly noticed it, when there was a light tap to the outside door. Kiyomi raised her eyebrows but yielded to Annabeth to call out an answer. A familiar voice spoke through the wood. “Lady Hampshire, it is Ubamumti Gamal. May I have a word with you?”

Kiyomi looked to Annabeth to see her reaction. After all, this was the man who had abducted her to this prison. Kiyomi quickly interjected in a whisper, “He has his own key to the door, Lady Hampshire, but he asks your permission, and if you refuse him, he will leave.”

 

[mypgems]

As she listened to Kiyomi's tales Annabeth grew ever more fascinated and even a bit envious. There was a element of danger it seemed with some of the characters but still so much more exciting than her life! Not just from the girl's family but just from the slices of life Kiyomi mentioned in passing. Now Annabeth knew why many young men left Britain to go Asia, India, Africa, and other dangerous and wild places. Not just to seek their fortune but fulfill a hunger for adventure. Perhaps that was the part of her that she could never satisfy. The life she couldn't have.

When the talk turned to her, Annabeth didn't notice how her voice had lost some of the gaiety it had had before. She might not have noticed but Kiyomi certainly did.

"Oh, you should have heard some of the loud discussions mum and father had about the situation," Annabeth said as she described how she was marrying so 'late'. "It was not until my mother was introduced to the Duchess of Leeds who had an unmarried son that things changed." She described as handsome but also that he was not a very serious person and one who enjoyed being enjoyed. That caused her to soft admit to one of the things bothering her about Bruce: he was not at all interested in learning or education of any sort. When they were first introduced Annabeth had wondered if he could even read. Of course he could but only bothered with the newspapers and barely them. Eventually she would be a duchess with several children at least and running the household while her husband did.... whatever he would do. There would be no time for studies and learning and discovery. As for travel... That was a slight shrug of shoulders.

A stray comment about Bruce's interests at the moment caught Kiyomi's ear and a few gentle tugs gave her some knowledge. "I hear.... stories from friends when I choose to listen. I suspect he thinks me a prude compared to others he favors. I know those who are that and I am not." Annabeth wasn't a prude; she was just brought up to be a good girl and sheltered as other girls of her status. Of course, she knew about sex from books and spying on servants once but was dreading the wedding night with Bruce. That was because she expected it to be more of a rutting bull then something gentler.

Of course, Annabeth didn't say, or really hinted, at all of this but Kiyomi was smart enough to put things together.

Hearing Uba's voice and Kiyomi's whisper Annabeth was in a quandary for several seconds. He had taken her from her country and put her on a ship to who knew where. At the same time though, Uba had treated her with some respect and made sure she was somewhat comfortable. Annabeth also had to admit that there was a curiosity as to why this all happened. Oh, she had heard the lurid tales amongst her friends of 'white slavery' to the harems of Arabia. She was also smart enough to know that it was a myth. So why?

Taking a deep breath, she dabbed her lips with a napkin before standing and adjusting her robe. Kiyomi quickly took the hint and gathered the dishes back on to the tray.

"Please, do come in. We do have much to talk about."

 

[HotTexasCowboy]

The door eased open and Uba entered, standing beside the door as he closed it behind him. He was wearing casual slacks and a matching button shirt, both a shade of off-white, in a style that might have reminded Annabeth of pictures of hunters on the African savanna. There were a pair of white shoes with rubber soles, appropriate for use on the deck of a ship. He wore a white scarf carefully wrapped around the top of his head in Arab style. He bowed another greeting, “Lady Hampshire.” Obviously, they were no longer on familiar terms.

“I understand that you look upon me with distrust, Lady Hampshire. In your eyes, it would seem I lied to you, lured you into my power under false pretenses. All of that is accurate and true. But, in time, I hope to convince you that my deceptions are in a cause of great importance, and that your role in the events to come will interest and satisfy you.”

He sighed a bit, and tried to smile lightly. “I’m sure you have many questions. Let me try to answer some of them. You are aboard a freighter heading south along the Portuguese coast. Along with you is the orb formerly in the possession of the British Museum. We are taking it to be united with its twin in the temple where they belong. I trust I can satisfy you that no one was seriously harmed in the taking of the Orb, other than the use of some of the drug that was used on you to get you safely to the ship before we sailed. I also managed to gather up the research in your small covey. It is in a room being used as a study next door to yours, so we can continue to study the symbols during our voyage. Have you any other questions I can address for you?”

He bowed again. “Now, I suggest you may still be adjusting to the lingering influence of the sedatives you were given last night, plus the need to adjust to the waves and any possible sea sickness. I encourage you to take the rest of the afternoon and evening to rest. Kiyomi will remain as your companion and provide you with meals. Before bedtime, if you are up to it, I will have hot water brought up from the engine room so you can take a relaxing bath.” He pointed to a folding door leading to an adjoining bathroom, complete with a nice-sized bathtub. “Tomorrow, you will be given complete freedom to explore the ship or come to the study to continue to examine the Orb symbols. Until then, please relax and become as comfortable as you can. I will lock the door behind me, for your safety.” He bowed and gave her a salaam as he left.

Kiyomi waited until her master had left, then assured Annabeth, “I have a key to the door, Your Ladyship, so in an emergency I can let us out. Also, if you suffer from sea sickness, I have a few medicines that can help to settle your stomach. Just let me know. When you do feel ready for a bath, I can alert the Engine Room to bring up a couple of buckets of hot water to fill the tub. A hot soak can be so relaxing.”

 

[mypgems]

It took some effort for Annabeth to keep a calm expression on her face as she stood there and listened to Uba...no, it was Mr. Gamal now. That was more fitting with what he had done. The time for friendship was in the past. The knowledge that the Orb was cargo in the same steamer as she did raise an eyebrow. Return the Orb to where it came from but also pushing to solve the riddles it contains? He had also mentioned something about 'event to come'. Just what was to come? Annabeth knew enough not to try asking because he wouldn't tell her.

"I do have questions to ask you Mr. Gamal. Not ones of course that I suspect you would decline answering. They are more along the line to see how you think I would guess. "If I had brought a chaperon with me, what would have done to her? Brought her along?"

"If you had been accompanied by a chaperone, she would have shared your dinner, and would now be waking in my bedroom from the same drugs which put you to sleep."

Annabeth took a moment to think about the answer and then nodded slightly. It was good then that she hadn't brought Meg along. If only because she knew her friend would never have forgiven herself for not protecting her charge. Even if logic said that there was nothing that could've been done to stop it. No, the responsibility was on her alone Annabeth thought.

"I just have one question that I am curious as to what your answer is: The Orb is missing, I and my things are missing, and you are missing. I should think it likely the authorities would then determine you are likely responsible. Since you are from Egypt, they would alert the authorities there and perhaps the Royal Navy. The kidnapping of the daughter of a prominent Duke by a foreigner tends to sell papers which influences the politicians who influence the government. My father would not care about 'protecting a reputation' in a case such as this. You are quite the intelligent man I will freely admit. I am just curious how you anticipated anything such as this." His answer stunned her.

"Well, your disappearance is a bit more complex than you imagine. There was a letter left behind in your office. It is in your handwriting, or a convincing facsimile of it. It describes for Sir Sherwood how you feel it is a crime for the British Museum to have stolen an Egyptian treasure from its rightful owners, and how you've arranged for its return, with the aid of your Colored lover. I think your father, not to mention your fiancée, will think long and hard about calling on the full weight of law enforcement and the resulting scandalous publicity to this case. If the British Navy is called upon to scour the seas for the ship that was docked in port last night, they will find it has vanished. This ship has a completely different identity and markings."

For many moments after Gamal had finished speaking Annabeth just stared at him with her mouth slightly open. To hear how someone so casually destroyed someone’s life was just beyond belief. Would it work the way he thought it would? The sad answer was yes. Would they believe she was capable of doing what the letter said? No, they knew her too well to think she was capable of it. At the same time, they wouldn't dare draw any attention to what was happening. There would be discrete inquiries but without the weight of the government the 'trail', as it were would be impossible to follow.

"What kind of person can casually ruin someone for their own ends? Not someone I would ever care to do business with," she said, forcing herself to star at him. "But I think I would be told that I have no choice in such matters." After a few more words, Gamal left.

If Kiyomi had expected Annabeth to burst in tears she was sadly disappointed. The room was quiet as she went to sit on the side of the bed while the other girl finished gathering the plates, unlocked the door, and handed the tray to an unseen person outside. "Kiyomi? Are there any books I might read?" she asked and was shown in a trunk the books from her space at the museum that weren't regarding the orb. Also, a set of 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire', 'War & Peace', and even a few Jane Austen's. That gave Annabeth something to take her mind off things for the remainder of the afternoon.

Eventually it was time for the evening meal. Kiyomi and she ate together again with light conversation. When she was done, Annabeth glanced at where the tub was and then look at Kiyomi. No words were exchange but the other girl smiled and got up to get the hot water. When the tub was filled with steaming water, the girl assisted Annabeth with removing the robe and then, after a moment's hesitation, she slipped off the night gown to stand there naked. Kiyomi was looking in a different direction as the English slipped into the hot water with a deep sigh.

 

[HotTexasCowboy]

Kiyomi had spent the day since appearing in Annabeth’s cabin in a simple shoulders-to-mid-calves maroon shift that left her arms, ankles, and bare feet exposed. Her black hair fell straight down much of her back, and the soft fabric and straight lines of the dress whispered at times against her hips, her rear, and hinted at her breasts. She was still wearing this outfit as she assisted Annabeth into the bathroom and held a hand to steady her as she stepped over the high bath wall to immerse into the refreshing hot water. Kiyomi moved behind her outside the tub, and suggested, “You may lean back, Lady Hampshire, and I’ll move your hair so it doesn’t get wet.” With one hand gently on Annabeth’s shoulders, her other scooped the bather’s hair together and draped it’s tresses over the bathtub rim to fall loosely outside the water.

Annabeth was immersed to a depth just to her underarms and at the upper base of her breasts. Kiyomi moved along one side a bit, and held a bottle of scented oils over the surface. “If I may, your Ladyship,” she offered before pouring the liquid into the bath, filling the air with sweet, fruity aroma while adding some milky filminess to the water, allowing Annabeth to feel a slight sense of covering for her nakedness. Kiyomi moved away for a moment and returned to offer Annabeth a soft sponge and a bar of soap she could use as desired.

Kiyomi moved away, somewhere behind Annabeth, leaving the Englishwoman to fight the war between the desires to just relax in the heated water or to use the soap and sponge to clean what she could reach. Mostly that was her lower legs and feet, and her thighs just above her knees, her arms and hands, her shoulders, neck, and face. When it seemed she had reached a stopping point, she heard the maid’s voice behind her. “If your Ladyship wishes, I could wash your back,” she offered. She reached around Annabeth’s head to take the sponge from her, and a hand urged her to lean forward, leaving space between her back and the tub wall. Kiyomi dipped the sponge in the exposed water and lathered the soap into it. But just before she started her gentle rubbing, she also poured a thick dollop onto the sponge, of the same emulsion Gamal had used on her birthmark the night before. She began to soothingly use the sponge to spread the lather over her back, down to the small of her back, even dipping the sponge into the surface to reach nearly the base of Annabeth’s spine.

 

[mypgems]

Annabeth leaned back and closed her eyes as the heat of the water quickly began relaxing her muscles. The Japanese had large wooden tubs filled with hot water where you could soak for hours. She smiled at the thought of having one of those available whenever she wished. Meg normally would tie her hair up in a bun so it wouldn't get wet but fortunately Kiyomi took care of it. When the girl spoke, Annabeth opened her eyes to see the bottle before her. Instinctively, one her hands covered the mound between her legs before taking a sniff of what was inside. A small nod followed a deep breath to inhaul the sweet scents.

Looking at the sponge, she considered just shaking her to refuse it but then she heard Meg's voice in her head. About how 'cleanliness is next to godliness' and was usually followed by Meg throwing the rag or sponge in her face. So, Annabeth reluctantly began running the soapy sponge up and down her legs and arms before rinsing them off. The oils in the water were working themselves into her skin. The one place she was careful to avoid with the sponge was the nipples on her breasts. She knew from past experiences the texture of the sponge could cause her nipples to grow extra hard and therefore much more sensitive. Oh and of course she avoided between her legs too. That caused feelings that she would rather avoid.

As she rinsed the last of the suds off, she barely heard Kiyomi's offer but allowed the girl to take the sponge. A soft sigh came from her lips when she felt Kiyomi's firm hands not only washing her back but kneading the tense muscles into relaxation. Annabeth had never had a massage before but was addicted to them if they all felt like this! Then something like a shock raced up her spine with a startled gasp escaping her lips. So many new feelings! Ones she didn't think she had ever experience before but at the same time they seemed...familiar. Both her hands dripped the rim of the tub tightly while her breath increased. "What....what is happening?" Annabeth whispered as she began to feel a need that she didn't know of what.

Soon Kiyomi rinsed her back and with still soapy hands began to massage Annabeth's shoulders until the girl was nearly limped. It was then she whispered "Relax" very softly into the other girl's ear and began to massage her breasts. Slowly, gently did run her fingertips over the silky-smooth memories. Attempting to take hold was a failure for Kiyomi because her hands were too small to take in all the soft yet firm flesh. A few flicks of fingers brought the pink nubs into a hardness that nearly hurt. Each time she did that, Annabeth's fingers gripped the tub rim harder with her hips rocking back and forth as they look for something. "They are beautiful Lady Hampshire; do you not think so?" the girl said as she lifted the just out of the water into Annabeth's gaze. "What is it that you fear, really fear, on your wedding night?" she whispered again, as the first three fingers of each hand teased a nipple. "Please tell me so I may help you set them aside." Kiyomi's lips were close that each of her breaths on her ears sent shivers along Annabeth's spine.

"I... I have no experience and won't please him," she said after licking her lips several times. Why was Kiyomi doing this and why could she tell the girl to stop?! So much was happening that Annabeth couldn't even think properly. Suddenly she gave a loud cry as she felt a pain that she had never felt before. It lasted for several seconds until Kiyomi stopped twisting her nipples.

"The truth! You know with a body like the one you have you will satisfy any man no matter your experience. Your body was created for sex." Then her voice chuckled softly. "I know! It’s your innocence that you are terrified of losing, right? Giving into the feelings. Enjoying them. Becoming a... rutting pig like your dear Bruce. That is your fear. Do not fear it milady. GIVE INTO IT. Let yourself feel it all!"

A final caress of the nipples was enough for Annabeth to arch upwards and scream as her body tumbled into an orgasm. The others that heard it on the ship, knowing glances were exchanged. For Kiyomi, she felt and electrical charge through her hands and would tell Gamal later that the girl nearly glowed. Dropping back into the tub, her body shivered as her body was a riot of sensations and feelings that she had no idea how to deal with. Soft whimpers and coos came from her lips as she sagged back into the tub. Kiyomi released Annabeth's breasts and stroked the girl's hair. It hadn't exactly gone as planned but it was good enough.

Lips moved as if to form words, but none came out of Annabeth's mouth. She looked up as Kiyomi came into view and stared gob smacked as she saw that the girl was naked as she. Even more incredibly, there was no hair where there should be hair! Even though Annabeth knew she should look away, she could not as she had never seen another woman naked before. Kiyomi caught were her eyes were focused on and smiled but didn't say a word. She just helped Annabeth from tub to dry her soft towels.

From there, Annabeth found herself in her own bed but nude watching Kiyomi, equally nude, and putting out the lanterns in the room. Soon the stateroom was dark except for what light shown through the portholes. Still naked, the girl climbed into bed with her and pulled a light sheet over their bodies.

"Rest now milady. It will be getting warmer and this is a much more enjoyable way to sleep." Smiling, she placed a finger over The Chosen One's lips. "Sleep. Let yourself rest. Let yourself be free." Kissing Annabeth's forehead, she waited until the girl's eyes were closed and her breathing said she was sleeping before joining her.

Again Annabeth floated in the dark and again the box was forced open enough so more corruption was splatter about. "Soon...soon!" the voice that was hers but not her's laughed.

 

[HotTexasCowboy]

Kiyomi slept lightly, as she knew she had another part to play in the night’s rituals. She almost heard the soft click of the door lock being slipped and the door opening then closing quietly. A moment later, a gentle hand on her shoulder roused her fully, and she slipped from the bed careful not to waken the still deeply sleeping Annabeth. Gamal extended a hand to help her rise to her feet. He nodded his approval of her earlier ministrations with their guest, then he dipped his finger into another vial of thick ointment and began to run it carefully over her upper chest.

A few minutes later, a deck bell rang out three times to mark the hour, and with it Kiyomi whispered to Annabeth. “My Lady… My Lady…” she repeated until Annabeth opened her eyes groggily to see the two figures standing beside the her bed in the almost ghostly light of a deck lamp through her porthole window. One was Kiyomi, obviously, and the other was a taller figure, a man, probably Gamal, she thought through a curtain of fog that made the entire scene seem like a dream. Gamal was wearing a robe, sashed at his hips. He was turned at an angle from her, partly facing her. “Watch, and learn,” Kiyomi smiled to her as her hands rose to Gamal’s shoulders and slipped the robe down his arms. It dropped to his hips but was held up from falling further by the sash. Still Gamal’s firm upper body was revealed to his upper pelvis. Kiyomi dropped to her knees before the master, smiled toward the bed and Annabeth, then turned back to Gamal. Now Annabeth could see there were some symbols painted across the man’s upper pelvis in some sort of phosphorescent ink. Kiyomi put her fingers under the first symbol and slowly began to slide them across his pelvis, while speaking strange words.

“Fail,” she said under the first symbol, then “Os,” at the second. The next three symbols were, “Taten, Rune, Os.” Finally there was one of the cartouche symbols from the Orbs, and Kiyomi’s fingers stayed under it as she turned to Annabeth, saying, “FailosTatenRunos.” She repeated it twice, then leaned forward to place a kiss on the symbol.

Then, smiling, she stood, still naked as when she had gone to bed, but now Annabeth could see the symbols glowing across her upper chest, just above her pert breasts. Now Gamal glanced with a smile at Annabeth as he put his fingers under the first symbol and traced a path under each symbol. “Cleet, Os, Maten, Fook, Os,” he said slowly and carefully. Then the last symbol, another of the cartouche symbols. “CleetosMatenFookos,” he repeated three times, before he leaned down and placed a kiss on the cartouche.

Kiyomi smiled and leaned over the bed to lay a gentle hand on Annabeth’s forehead, sliding her hand soothingly over her eyes. “Now sleep, and remember,” she whispered. A moment later, after Gamal had used a moist towel to wipe the symbols off her chest, Kiyomi rejoined her sleeping partner under the sheet. Gamal slipped quietly out the door locking it behind him.

 

[mypgems]

As she leaned on her elbow and looked down at the sleeping form of Kiyomi, Annabeth tried to understand how she came to be in the same bed as the other girl.

When she had awoken, she was shocked to be in bed with Kiyomi but it for some reason it hadn't disturbed her. Even that they were both naked! Of course, she had shared beds with her sister and with Meg but never in the nude. In fact, since puberty only Meg and one or two dressmakers had seen her this way. Annabeth knew that she was more 'developed' then most girls and, according to a dressmaker, she barely needed a corset to have the perfect figure. She also knew her body did attract more than the usual attention as a few times with a grabby Bruce had proved. 'Good girls' didn't prance about naked even when alone. So, it was puzzling that she wasn't upset by this.

They had been covered with a thin sheet but with the room being warm one or both had kicked it off. Looking around brought her gaze back to Kiyomi whose brownish body was displayed in all its glory before her eyes. Annabeth hadn't seen a female body up close before, so she took her time studying it.

The brown of Kiyomi's skin and her own pale white was a huge contrast. Annabeth half wondered what she would look like after being out in the sun for a while. Perhaps a little color to her skin wouldn't make her stand out as much. With the red hair it would still be difficult. Compared to her softer flesh, Kiyomi looked more like one of her family's maid in that her muscles were a bit more developed. Kiyomi's breasts were much smaller than her own melons but were the brown nipples as sensitive as her own? A flash of a memory from the previous night caused Annabeth's cheeks to go red as she remembered Kiyomi's hands trying to encompass breasts and tormenting the pink nipples.

What was it they had been said? She couldn't remember the details clearly. There seemed to be a fog that blurred everything especially after they had left the bathroom. Oh! Annabeth remembered one this quite clearly: that moment of ecstasy Kiyomi had pulled out of her by just manipulating her nipples. What would have happened if her fingers had drifted.... down there. She never touched down there since.... Annabeth couldn't remember it, but the 'explosion' had felt so good, so powerful that something made her scared to do it again. She then remembered something else and looked downwards along that body until she saw it. Or rather, the lack of it. It had felt so...good though! At the same time, she felt shame for having lost control like that. A lady just didn't.... Annabeth shook her head slightly. No, 'proper' or 'improper' were stupid ways of thinking. Hadn't she always been fighting against them in terms of what she wanted to do? She now admitted to herself that she hadn't. Oh, she had thought about fighting for her own goals, but she always gave in. Perhaps...just perhaps what Gamal did break the chains holding her? Another shake of her head. No, SHE hadn't broken anything because she hadn't any control.

Kiyomi had no hair between her thighs where on Annabeth there was a patch of dark red fur. With the way the other girl laid, she instead, she saw the soft folds that hid their treasures within. She knew enough that just a finger or two could open them and let her study it even more. A hand was reaching out to do so when Annabeth swiftly pulled it back. What did she think she was doing?! She had to keep control, or she might be a rutting pig like her Bruce. She had to be in control/

Any further thoughts ended when Kiyomi began to stir next to her. Annabeth, surprising herself, gave no though to covering up. Instead she laid back down and whispered, "Good morning" and smiled as the girl's dark eyes opened and returned the smile.

------------------

They hadn't said much after Kiyomi had awakened. Just a few words of greeting and asking how the other slept. Annabeth had stayed in bed for a few extra minutes while her companion used the bathroom. When she herself had finished, she saw that Kiyomi had some new clothes sitting on the table. As she stood there, Annabeth could have sworn that the girl was studying her.

And she would have been right. Had there been no tests Kiyomi would've know that this was the Chosen One from the near perfect form Annabeth had. She was magnificent, like a goddess. Her long red hair that fell nearly to the base of her spine. The milky white skin and her intensely youthful looks could make Annabeth seem younger than she was. On her chest were truly impressive breasts. Ones that large usually sag to a degree, nursing exacerbated it, but Annabeth's hung just enough to give you a sense of their mass. They were full, proud, and ripe with tiny pink nipples surrounded by an inch-wide circle of a slightly darker color. Her body curved inward to a trim waist that a man could almost encircle with both hands. Then rounded hips with a patch of her that hid her true treasure and a round ass that seemed made for a man's hands to hold tight followed by long, shapely legs.

Again, Kiyomi agreed with her master about isolating the Chosen One from the men. The vision of her would send them into a riot of lusty desires.

Smiling, she assisted Annabeth into a simple, armless tunic like she wore but added an abaya A dull brown robe that hung from her shoulders that could be held closed. "There, it looks perfect. Cool but covering. If we were in Alexandria, we would tuck your lovely hair under the abaya and wear this. Kiyomi took a simple scarf, placed it on Annabeth's head and then wrapped it loosely under her chin and around her neck so just the face was exposed. "You have to agree that this is much more practical way of dressing, right?"

Annabeth looked in the mirror, turning this way and that before nodding with a smile. "I completely agree!" They both laughed as she pulled the scarf off and they settled into the simple breakfast of pita bread, humus, hard boiled eggs, and cheese. Oh, and very dark and sweet coffee.

-------------------

After the dishes were cleared, Kiyomi unlocked the door and stepped outside briefly before then motioning the other girl to join her. If Annabeth was expecting anything special, she was disappointed in the bare white corridor. It was empty but for the two of them but her blue eyes caught sight of a shadow of someone standing around the corridor. A look at Kiyomi, who was unlocking the door to another room, got a whispered reply. "My master's orders that no man gaze upon you for now so to protect your dignity. As I told you, you are an honored guest!"

Before Kiyomi locked the door to the workroom, a pot of tea and plate of biscuits was brought in by her. It was placed at the long table where all of Annabeth's thing that had been removed from the library was placed. There was twice.... no... three times more room then she had had to work with. With a porthole open, the air had the smell of the sea. "Let's get to work," she said softly and reached for the box containing the tracings.

A while later had several sheets of paper spread before Annabeth. Each contained a drawing she had made of the larger cartouches and the astronomical symbols. Unless Gamal knew an astronomer of Lord Jethro's caliber, they would never determine what they meant. So instead, she concentrated on the others. In a corner, Kiyomi was quietly doing needlework. A hobby she said she had learned from an English woman in Alexandria. When she looked at her charge, all she saw the redhead doing was staring at pieces of paper. Occasionally stretching slightly or consulting a book for a moment.

Annabeth still thought one of the symbols looked like a predecessor to the one Egyptians used for Aten no matter what... Something in the drawing caught Annabeth's eye. Picking up the paper, she rotated left and right to various degrees. Then she found the block that had the half of the symbol of her orb. Closing her eyes, she let her fingers trace the groves while imaging its counterpart being there as well. It seemed so clear in her mind! Then a finger traced a line but didn't follow it through. Instead, it turned into the imaginary grove from the 2nd orb and then into a different line.

The sound of Annabeth's gasp caused Kiyomi to look up and then walked over to touch the girl's shoulder. "Is there something wrong my lady?" She had smiled for a second before changing to a 'concerned' look.

"Four. Not one. Four. Four!!" Annabeth suddenly stood, turned, and kissed Kiyomi on the lips as she hugged the girl close. It was more than just a chaste kiss but slightly less than a passionate one. Still, both sets of eyes stared at each other in shock afterwards. Annabeth's cheeks turned red in embarrassment but then she started jumping up and down, laughing. "That's why I couldn't figure them out! The silly ninnies but four symbols in each to make one!"

Letting going of Kiyomi, Annabeth grabbed some paper and sketched four different symbols that up one. They looked so familiar but from where?? She closed her eyes again and let the symbols 'soak' in the mass of words and languages she knew. Her lips moved as she silently flowed through languages. "Os!" she whispered. Then a few seconds later, "Taten". Finally, after two more minutes, "Rune...Fail". "OsTatenRuneFail...no....Taten...FailosTatenRunos....FailosTatenRunos!!" Without stopping, Annabeth started to do the same thing on the other cartouche as she had the first. Within the hour, "CleetosMatenFookos". With that, Annabeth fainted

"I don't know what they are, but I know their names!" she whispered as she lay on Kiyomi's couch with her head resting in the girl's lap. A damp rag was resting on her forehead while Kiyomi lightly stroked her cheeks. "I know their names. Why...why do I know them?" she asked in the slightest whisper.

 

[HotTexasCowboy]

“Give her tea,” came a male voice across the room. Gamal sat on a stool in a far corner of the room. He’d been summoned by Kiyomi in concern after Annabeth fainted in a near frenzy. “You’ll be all right, Lady Hampshire. The emotional impact of revelation can be powerful. I know. My own was four years ago.”

Annabeth remained with her head on Kiyomi’s lap, letting her stroke her hair and occasionally her cheek. She supported her head to let her sip some tea, while Gamal continued his recollection. “You study, you research, you fill your head with so many facts and possibilities, and then, with just the right stimulus, something comes together like a lightning bolt that changes your life. My two companions and I were in a small boat, the motor fighting against the current to carry us up the Blue Nile through a deep canyon. I remember studying the steep cliffs on either side, feeling I must be nearing something after weeks of slow travel. Then I heard what sounded like a growing roar. The skies had been cloudy most of the day, but the flash thunderstorm must have been miles upstream from us. A flash storm that dumped torrents into the river, a flow that narrowed into a tidal wave in our canyon and approached us like a wall of water.

“Within seconds, our boat was swamped and then overturned, smashed to flotsam. My companions disappeared and I never saw them again. I’d found a piece of floating wreckage to cling to, certain I’d join them in a watery grave soon as the river kept rising along the cliffs. The current was sending me toward one of the cliffs, and I was feeling that I would soon be smashed against the rocks instead of drowned. But the wooden board I clung to snagged on some outcropping and the water level seemed to stabilize, and there they were before my eyes. Glyphs, symbols etched into the cliff face eons ago, ancient writings I’d sought as evidence of a earlier civilization before the Pharaohs. Those symbols were imprinted in my mind as the last things I felt I’d see before my passing.

“But I didn’t die. Hardly conscious, I clung to that board when the water level lowered back to normal. I was swept downstream to a plain beyond the canyon and washed ashore. That is where Azim found me. Azim is a name among his people that means “protector” and he became mine. He later told me that in my delirium, I made the symbols in the sand, and that marked me as someone to be saved. Water, dates, and lamb meat restored my health for the next week, and then he began to teach me the language of his tribe, a language tied to the glyphs, words passed down generation by generation, fathers to sons, for thousands of years, while his tribe was isolated from the world. They carved the glyphs into canyons and cliffs, holy writs that could only be exposed by and to the most dedicated. That’s how I learned. And how I will teach you.”

He rose and turned an easel toward her couch, bringing it near as he took a seat at the end of the sedan near her feet. The easel held an enlarged copy of the combined orb symbols they had created in her office back at the Museum. The combination of the smaller symbols and the cartouches were in their proper positions. “The symbols of the Orbs are read right-to-left, the opposite of what we’re used to in English and other Romance languages. So look at the symbols leading toward the first cartouche.” The first cartouche was a combination of partial circles above and below, with straight lines in the middle. “You know these symbols, but not their meaning.” He pointed to them one by one: “Fail, Os, Taten, Rune, Os. Altogether, FailosTatenRunos. Some symbols have multiple meanings, depending on the context. Fail can mean ‘man,’ ‘father,’ ‘son,’ ‘male.’ Os is an honorific; it elevates the meaning of what came before. So: ‘Lord,’ ‘Master,’ ‘King,’ or even ‘God.’ Taten, as you surmised, could be a predecessor of the Egyptian sun god ‘Aten.’ That’s a theory worth pursuing, but here it does mean ‘sun,’ but also ‘warmth,’ ‘heat,’ or even ‘fire.’ Finally we have Rune, which can mean ‘fighter,’ warrior,’ or ‘soldier.’ Again there is Os, the honorific, so it could mean ‘General,’ or ‘Conqueror.’ Put all together, Azim’s tribe regard this symbol as the Conquering God of Fire.”

He checked to see that he had Annabeth’s full attention. She was mostly recovered and was following his description intently. “Now this cartouche,” he pointed to the one that looked like a diamond with a small circle in one corner. “The symbols that lead up to it are Cleet, Os, Maten, Fook, Os. Cleet is a female symbol, with the full panoply of connotations: mother, daughter, wife, etc. With Os, that could make her Queen, Lady, or Goddess. Maten is a symbol that could mean ‘Moon,’ ‘glow,’ ‘pale,’ or ‘pure.’ Then Fook, which could mean ‘comfort,’ nurse,’ or even ‘lover.’ Add Os to that, and it could be ‘concubine.’ The tribe regards her as the Goddess of Purity and Royal Concubine of FailosTatenRunos.”

Gamal pointed to two other large cartouches. “You’ve noted that these two cartouches are identical to the God and Goddess cartouches, with the addition to each of a symbol that could be interpreted as kneeling figures. Indeed, this symbol appears at places alone in the text. The tribe calls these symbols “Akun” and interpret it as ‘worshiper,’ or ‘slave.’ Here it appears in the phrase, ‘CleetAkunOs,’ and here with ‘FailAkunOs.’ According to Azim and his people, these are High Priestess and High Priest. In this line, ‘CleetAkunOs’ appears leading to the astronomical cartouche of the large globe with two planets in conjunction.”

Gamal looked at his guest with some concern. “Is it too much? I don’t want to overwhelm you. I have one more sequence to show you, then you can rest. You’ve already been at this for several hours. Okay, look at the long sequence that leads to the other astronomical cartouche. Here is CleetAkunOs, then a new symbol, then FailOsTatenRunOs.” The ‘new symbol looked like two curved lines in horizontal symmetry. “Azim’s people call this symbol ‘eh-oosh’ and say it has no easy translation in our language.”

eh-oosh

“Following that is FailAkunOs, another new symbol, and CleetAkunOs. And then the complicated cartouche with three planets and a comet. This symbol, according to Azim, is ‘matehrun.’

matehrun

“Again, the translation is obscure, and tribal elders have been, frankly, coy in their lack of explanations. However, the whole thing seems to suggest some ritual or ceremony, involving the High Priestess, the High Priest, and the male god, perhaps at some special time indicated by the skies.”

Gamal looked out the window and then back at Annabeth. “It’s already well into the afternoon. You’ve had a lot to absorb today, Lady Hampshire, and your fainting spell lasted longer than you may have realized. I think you should rest before continuing. Perhaps you are feeling more sensitive to the wave motion than you realized. Kiyomi, why don’t you take our guest back to her room, settle her down and get her something to eat. It will be a few more days before we arrive in Egypt, and then the trip up-river, so you’ll have plenty of time for more study.” He rose and gave her a polite bow and a salaam. “Until later, my Lady,” he offered before leaving out the door to the passageway.