Kiyani family. The other is Kiya’s mother.” He smiled. “But to get to the answers, you have to travel on the Great Journey. I can’t tell you how often Zahra bored me with looking at her map of that journey.” He took out his phone and pulled up a Google map of Maldara and the rest of northern Africa. “We sit right here above the Congo and directly northeast is Ethiopia, then South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt.” His index finger touched a destination on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt. “And here is the city of splendor that is no more. At least in its original state. Don’t you think it’s a fine birthplace for our Queen Zahra’s ancestors?” He smiled. “Now reverse it, and we have the Great Journey that’s now Kiyani history, whether or not it’s true.”
Eve looked at the city. “Alexandria? Zahra is claiming Egyptian heritage?”
“She will be soon. It serves her purpose right now to please the nationalists here in Maldara, but there’s a certain glamour to the stories connected to the Great Journey, and Zahra will want to take advantage of them. Maldara is a small fish compared to Egypt. I’d bet Zahra will start climbing as soon as she makes her position unassailable here.”
“The Great Journey.” Eve was frowning. “I don’t understand any of this, and you’re making my headache worse. Tell me what you’re talking about.”
“I’m getting there. I told you that you’d have to go back to Zahra’s favorite ancestress for clarity. Work it out for yourself. Who would Zahra accept as an acceptable predecessor?”
“I’m not ready to play games. You’re enjoying this too much.” But she was intrigued and thinking in spite of herself. “An ancestress who started her journey in Alexandria and traveled south to the jungle country of Maldara.”
“Go on.”
“Why would she do that? Alexandria was a queen city for thousands of years. It had the greatest library in the civilized world and the Pharos lighthouse, which was one of the seven wonders of the world. It had famous scholars and scientists.”
“Which Zahra would not appreciate as you do, Eve. What would make that city acceptable as a place of origin for her? You said it in that first sentence.”
Her eyes widened. “Queen city. The Pharaohs had their palaces on the bank of the Mediterranean.” She took the next giant step. “And the most famous queen was Cleopatra. Zahra actually thinks she’s related to Cleopatra?”
“By George, I believe you’ve got it. Not thinks, knows. She couldn’t be more certain.”
“She’s got to be nuts,” Eve said flatly.
“Perhaps. But you have to accept that she believes it, so you’ll understand who she is. All her life, she’s identified with the royalty of Egypt and particularly with Cleopatra VII. You can either call it bullshit or you can use it to manipulate her.”
“Which did you do?”
He smiled. “I did what I had to do at any given moment. But I’m afraid you’re too honest to follow my lead. Jill had problems doing it. Though she did become interested in the literary aspects of Zahra’s fantasy. But then, Jill’s a storyteller.”
“So I’ve discovered,” Eve said dryly. But she couldn’t deny that her curiosity had been aroused. “What literary aspects?”
“The Great Journey wasn’t only a map, it was a journal. It was passed down from generation to generation in the Kiyani family.”
Her gaze flew to his face. “Whose journal?”
He chuckled. “Not Cleopatra. Gotcha.”
“No, you didn’t. I’m not that gullible. Everyone knows how Cleopatra died. And it wasn’t on a Great Journey to this steaming jungle in the middle of Africa. Whose journal?”
“Does everyone know how she died? Zahra would disagree.”
“Gideon.”
“Just a little food for thought.” He grinned. “And a warning not to take anything for granted in this world. You’re right, it isn’t Cleopatra’s journal. But it was written by an ancestor of Zahra’s whom she viewed with a certain respect and tolerance. Her name was Kiya.”
“Kiya? That’s right, you mentioned Zahra respected her. You’re saying a woman made her way from Alexandria to Maldara and founded the Kiyani dynasty?”
“I didn’t say she was alone. She had slaves and at least one consort. That was in a day when a woman had to be able to use a man to get what she wanted. That was why Zahra had respect for her in spite of her many flaws. But Kiya was powerful enough to pull things together and set up her household and family to suit herself.” He paused. “And it was her name that