known the cool mystery of the night, when thoughts tend naturally to deepen. And what came to her now were images of other nights, of real palaces, resplendent with marble floors and pillars, and tables laden with fruit and roasted meat and wine in silver pitchers. Of Ramses speaking to her, as they lay together in the dark.
"I love you, as I've loved no other woman. To live without you ... it would not be life."
"My King, my only King," she had said." What are the others, but toys on a child's battlefield? Little wooden emperors moved by chance from place to place."
It dimmed; it moved away from her. She lost it as she had lost the other memories. And what was real was the voice of Alex stirring in his sleep.
"Your Highness, where are you?"
Misery like a spell had descended upon her, and he could not pierce the veil. It was too heavy; too dark. She sang to herself, that song, mat sweet song from the music box," Celeste Aida." And men when she turned and saw his face in the moonlight, his eyes closed, his hand open on the sheet, she felt a deep and soulful longing. She hummed the song, her lips closed as she approached the bed and looked down at him.
Tenderly she stroked his hair. Tenderly her fingertips touched his eyelids. Ah, sleeping god, my sweet Endymion. Her hand moved down, lazily, and touched his throat, touched the tender bones she had broken in the others.
Frail and mortal thing for all your strength, your finely muscled arms, your smooth flat chest, powerful hands that pleasure me.
She didn't want him to know death! She didn't want him to suffer. A great protectiveness rose in her. She lifted the white blanket and snuggled down into the warm bed beside him. She would never harm this one, never, that she knew. And suddenly death itself seemed a frightful and unjust thing.
But why am I immortal when he is not? Ye gods. For one second it seemed a great portal opened on a vast place of light and all answers were revealed; her past, who she was, what had happened, all those things were clear. But it was dark and quiet in this room. There was no such illumination.
"My love, my pretty young love," she said, kissing him again. At once he stirred; responded. He opened his arms to her.
"Your Highness."
She felt the hardness again between his legs; she wanted it to fill her again, to bruise her. She smiled to herself. If one cannot be immortal, one should at least be young, she thought ruefully.
Ramses had listened silently for a long time before he spoke.
"So what you are saying is that we must tell this elaborate tale to the authorities, that I argued with him, followed him inside, saw him take the mummy from the case, and then the soldiers apprehended me."
"You lied for Egypt when you were King, did you not? You lied to your people when you told them you were the living god."
"But, Elliott," Julie broke in." What if these crimes continue?"
"And they very well might," said Ramses impatiently," if I don't get out of here and find her."
"There is no proof that Henry's dead," Elliott said," and no one is going to find any. It's perfectly plausible that Henry's roaming around Cairo. And what is plausible is what they'll accept. Pitfield leapt at this nonsense. So will they. And they can hunt for Henry as you hunt for her. But Alex and Julie will be safely out of it by then."
"No, I told you," Julie said," I'll persuade Alex logo..."
"Julie, I can come to you later in London," Ramses said." Lord Rutherford's a clever man. He would have made a good King, or a King's wily adviser."
Elliott gave a bitter smile and drank down his third glass of straight gin.
"I shall make this poetry of lies as convincing as I can. What else must we discuss?" Ramses said.
"It's settled. Ten A.M. you must call me. By then I'll have a guarantee of immunity for you from the governor himself. Then you must come to the governor's palace and make your statement. And we do not leave without the passports."
"Very well," Ramses said." I leave you now. Wish me good fortune."
"But where will you begin to search?" Julie asked." And when will you sleep?"
"You forget, my beauty. I don't need to sleep. I'll search