Forever 21
9-The Queen
Sean assumed the cats were mine, and it wasn’t and illogical assumption on his part, especially the way they danced around my feet. But they weren’t mine. They were just there, and I couldn’t help but worry why as I made my way to the underground club…
Cats held a powerful spot in the history of Egypt. More then just a pet, they were sacred animals, held as one of the most esteemed deities. The punishment for killing a cat, even accidentally, was death. They were the protectors of the land and of my people.
The Goddess Sekhmet herself was half cat -a lion headed Goddess, who ruled over the fate of humanity.
I felt a shadow come up behind me as I prepared to step through the wall at the end of the alley. It was dark and she was quite a ways from me but I recognized her silhouette perched up on the steps instantly.
‘Ingrid.’ Her name fell in a hushed whisper from my lips and no sooner then I blinked she was gone, seemingly vanished into the night air..
I stood for a moment staring at the now empty steps before swallowing the lump in my throat and stepping through the wall. I made my way down the steps and across the dimly lit club to where Mortimer was sitting, waiting on me.
“Tsk tsk, youre late.” He scolded me. He was in a booth on the far end of the room. There was a devilish creature on the stage across the room, singing a deeply soulful ballad, and a candle flickered on the tabletop. It might have been romantic except this was not a social call. It was business.
“I never rush Mortimer.” I replied as he gestured for me to sit, “I do have all the time in the world.” I smiled slyly to him as I slid into the booth across from him.
“Ah that you do.” He returned the smile. “But I would’ve thought you’d be eager to see me again Nanu.” He lowered his voice down and reached for the bottle of wine he had laid out on the table. There were no glasses however. “1885.” He extends it out to me and I ran my eyes along the label.
“Was a good year.” I purposely avoided agreeing to a drink with him.
“That it was.” He retracted the bottle back and tilted his head back slightly as if he was recalling it in his mind.
“Why are we here Mortimer.” I said more as a statement then a question. “Certainly not to reminisce.” I tell him and he chuckled lightly.
“No sweet Nanu this is about the future, not the past.” He replied as he placed the bottle back on the table between us and I shifted slightly in my seat. His words were somewhat soothing. I had no desire to relive my past with Mortimer.
“A drink. Yes?” He offers me once more and I shook my head with certainty,
“No.” I had no desire of a future with him either. He seemed disappointed, but there was something else behind his eyes that I couldn’t quite get a feel for…
“Alright so to business then.” He declared and I nodded as he pulled out a manila folder from his briefcase on the seat next to him. “You’re familiar with Dr Wilcox I assume,” he says as he handed it to me. I opened the folder and thumbed through the pages inside it. There were many of the same images Sean had inside.
“Yes, but why are you?” I frowned as I scanned them over quickly.
“I have interests in many things, you disapprove?” He questions me as I dropped the folder down on to the table.
“You’re wasting your time with this.” I declared as I pushed the folder back towards him. “just trinkets.” I added and a small smile formed on his lips.
“You’re not looking hard enough.” He leant forward and whispered at me sliding it back towards me once more.
I sighed as I lifted the folder yet again from the table. I flipped through the pages a bit slower this time, studying the images a bit more carefully. They weren’t all exactly the same as the ones Sean had. Several were identical, but others weren’t. Different angles and degrees of focus. And then I paused at the last page. I could see Mortimers lips starting to curl up as I saw it, as he saw me see it…
“Where did you get this?” I ran my fingers along the image. It was the same tablet Sean had a picture of, but Seans picture was cropped, this one wasn’t. There was a second part to the tablet. A second part to the story of the immortal bride.
“Dr Wilcox has many benefactors supporting his expeditions, some even remain anonymous…” Mortimer chuckled slightly and I lifted my eyes up to his as he did it. Mortimers finances as well as his powers were only limited by the darkness. And with the current state of the world, it was pretty limitless right now…
“Mortimer.” His name passed from my lips softly perhaps because I couldn’t find any other words.
“Your people were very afraid of taking secrets with them Nanu.” He chuckled once more. “Why is that now?” He leant back in his seat almost in amusement of my culture.
“If your heart was heavier then a feather it would be fed to a crocodile by the Gods.” I found myself explaining absentmindedly to him as I thumbed back through the photos spread out on the table now.
“Ah then you can imagine the weight carried by the grave robbers discovering your tomb.” He winked as he said it and I lifted myself back from the images.
“Perhaps, but that’s all these are.” I shook my head slightly as I slid the images back into the folder. “Confessions of the past.” I added softly as that was all they were. For a brief moment when I saw the other half of the tablet I was filled with a glimmer of hope. But the markings on it was nothing more then a death bed confession of a tomb robber
“Might I offer you that drink now Nanu, you may change your mind…” Mortimer proposes to me and I shrugged in indifference.
He reached and lifted the wine bottle from the table, popping the cork with his thumb. I watched as he lowered his eyes slightly as he passed the bottle under his nose, taking in the scent of the fine wine with satisfaction, and then he paused. There were no glasses on the table. I smiled in amusement of the scene. Poor swift debonair Mortimer didn’t have everything planned now did he?
“Ill get the glasses.” I told him making no effort to cover up my amusement.
“Allow me.” He stopped me, waving his hand across the tabletop in an attempt to conjure them, but I wasn’t watching him. I caught a flicker out of the corner of my eye of Ingrid once more across the room. Perched up on the bar, staring intently at us. But as before it was just a fleeting image and I couldn’t be sure if it was real or not, it disappeared that fast…
I turned my eyes back to the table where Mortimer was just about done filling the second crystal glass with wine. He slid it towards me and I made no motion to lift it. I suddenly did not desire to drink with him.
“Not to your satisfaction?” He nodded towards it and I wasn’t quite sure what to say. I reached for it and ran my fingers along the delicate stem, debating to myself if I should drink it politely or just leave. “Perhaps you’d prefer your drink in a different cup?” I hear him say and I lifted my eyes to his. A chill ran down my spine as my eyes locked on his. There was something in them I never saw before and it almost scared me.
Mortimer waved his hand once more above the table top and I felt my mouth drop open at what appeared. It was a small bronze challis, and I didn’t even have to look at the markings to know it was the one. It was the one I drank the potion from. The one that sent me into that immortal slumber all those years ago. He had found it…
Mortimer seemed pleased with my shocked reaction and grinned a little as he lifted his glass, toasting it to me slightly before taking a sip.
“Long live the queen.”
Cats held a powerful spot in the history of Egypt. More then just a pet, they were sacred animals, held as one of the most esteemed deities. The punishment for killing a cat, even accidentally, was death. They were the protectors of the land and of my people.
The Goddess Sekhmet herself was half cat -a lion headed Goddess, who ruled over the fate of humanity.
I felt a shadow come up behind me as I prepared to step through the wall at the end of the alley. It was dark and she was quite a ways from me but I recognized her silhouette perched up on the steps instantly.
‘Ingrid.’ Her name fell in a hushed whisper from my lips and no sooner then I blinked she was gone, seemingly vanished into the night air..
I stood for a moment staring at the now empty steps before swallowing the lump in my throat and stepping through the wall. I made my way down the steps and across the dimly lit club to where Mortimer was sitting, waiting on me.
“Tsk tsk, youre late.” He scolded me. He was in a booth on the far end of the room. There was a devilish creature on the stage across the room, singing a deeply soulful ballad, and a candle flickered on the tabletop. It might have been romantic except this was not a social call. It was business.
“I never rush Mortimer.” I replied as he gestured for me to sit, “I do have all the time in the world.” I smiled slyly to him as I slid into the booth across from him.
“Ah that you do.” He returned the smile. “But I would’ve thought you’d be eager to see me again Nanu.” He lowered his voice down and reached for the bottle of wine he had laid out on the table. There were no glasses however. “1885.” He extends it out to me and I ran my eyes along the label.
“Was a good year.” I purposely avoided agreeing to a drink with him.
“That it was.” He retracted the bottle back and tilted his head back slightly as if he was recalling it in his mind.
“Why are we here Mortimer.” I said more as a statement then a question. “Certainly not to reminisce.” I tell him and he chuckled lightly.
“No sweet Nanu this is about the future, not the past.” He replied as he placed the bottle back on the table between us and I shifted slightly in my seat. His words were somewhat soothing. I had no desire to relive my past with Mortimer.
“A drink. Yes?” He offers me once more and I shook my head with certainty,
“No.” I had no desire of a future with him either. He seemed disappointed, but there was something else behind his eyes that I couldn’t quite get a feel for…
“Alright so to business then.” He declared and I nodded as he pulled out a manila folder from his briefcase on the seat next to him. “You’re familiar with Dr Wilcox I assume,” he says as he handed it to me. I opened the folder and thumbed through the pages inside it. There were many of the same images Sean had inside.
“Yes, but why are you?” I frowned as I scanned them over quickly.
“I have interests in many things, you disapprove?” He questions me as I dropped the folder down on to the table.
“You’re wasting your time with this.” I declared as I pushed the folder back towards him. “just trinkets.” I added and a small smile formed on his lips.
“You’re not looking hard enough.” He leant forward and whispered at me sliding it back towards me once more.
I sighed as I lifted the folder yet again from the table. I flipped through the pages a bit slower this time, studying the images a bit more carefully. They weren’t all exactly the same as the ones Sean had. Several were identical, but others weren’t. Different angles and degrees of focus. And then I paused at the last page. I could see Mortimers lips starting to curl up as I saw it, as he saw me see it…
“Where did you get this?” I ran my fingers along the image. It was the same tablet Sean had a picture of, but Seans picture was cropped, this one wasn’t. There was a second part to the tablet. A second part to the story of the immortal bride.
“Dr Wilcox has many benefactors supporting his expeditions, some even remain anonymous…” Mortimer chuckled slightly and I lifted my eyes up to his as he did it. Mortimers finances as well as his powers were only limited by the darkness. And with the current state of the world, it was pretty limitless right now…
“Mortimer.” His name passed from my lips softly perhaps because I couldn’t find any other words.
“Your people were very afraid of taking secrets with them Nanu.” He chuckled once more. “Why is that now?” He leant back in his seat almost in amusement of my culture.
“If your heart was heavier then a feather it would be fed to a crocodile by the Gods.” I found myself explaining absentmindedly to him as I thumbed back through the photos spread out on the table now.
“Ah then you can imagine the weight carried by the grave robbers discovering your tomb.” He winked as he said it and I lifted myself back from the images.
“Perhaps, but that’s all these are.” I shook my head slightly as I slid the images back into the folder. “Confessions of the past.” I added softly as that was all they were. For a brief moment when I saw the other half of the tablet I was filled with a glimmer of hope. But the markings on it was nothing more then a death bed confession of a tomb robber
“Might I offer you that drink now Nanu, you may change your mind…” Mortimer proposes to me and I shrugged in indifference.
He reached and lifted the wine bottle from the table, popping the cork with his thumb. I watched as he lowered his eyes slightly as he passed the bottle under his nose, taking in the scent of the fine wine with satisfaction, and then he paused. There were no glasses on the table. I smiled in amusement of the scene. Poor swift debonair Mortimer didn’t have everything planned now did he?
“Ill get the glasses.” I told him making no effort to cover up my amusement.
“Allow me.” He stopped me, waving his hand across the tabletop in an attempt to conjure them, but I wasn’t watching him. I caught a flicker out of the corner of my eye of Ingrid once more across the room. Perched up on the bar, staring intently at us. But as before it was just a fleeting image and I couldn’t be sure if it was real or not, it disappeared that fast…
I turned my eyes back to the table where Mortimer was just about done filling the second crystal glass with wine. He slid it towards me and I made no motion to lift it. I suddenly did not desire to drink with him.
“Not to your satisfaction?” He nodded towards it and I wasn’t quite sure what to say. I reached for it and ran my fingers along the delicate stem, debating to myself if I should drink it politely or just leave. “Perhaps you’d prefer your drink in a different cup?” I hear him say and I lifted my eyes to his. A chill ran down my spine as my eyes locked on his. There was something in them I never saw before and it almost scared me.
Mortimer waved his hand once more above the table top and I felt my mouth drop open at what appeared. It was a small bronze challis, and I didn’t even have to look at the markings to know it was the one. It was the one I drank the potion from. The one that sent me into that immortal slumber all those years ago. He had found it…
Mortimer seemed pleased with my shocked reaction and grinned a little as he lifted his glass, toasting it to me slightly before taking a sip.
“Long live the queen.”