Egyptian Timewave

Chapter 50

The khopesh lowers but the prince doesn't release Abayomi's hair, not until Anippe rushes forward and pushes him back. When they are finally separated, Abayomi can see that the prince is still holding a clump of her hair, but Abayomi finds that she doesn't really care. She's alive, after all, and thank Allah for that.

Anippe as well, for distracting Amenhotep. The princess pushes Abayomi behind herself. Still trembling from fear, Abayomi reaches up to check the back of her head, only to see the gash on her hand still freely dripping blood. She doesn't even feel it. Must be the adrenaline.

Shakily, she tears a strip of fabric from the bottom of her dress and wraps it around her hand as tightly as she can. Prince Amenhotep hasn't moved in that entire time, presumably shocked. But it only takes a few moments for him to snap out of it, a shadow crossing over his gaze as he does. It's a strange shadow, a winding band that doesn't cover his full eyes.

"Anippe, I don't think you understand. She's dangerous, and no one else will see it."

"Uncle you refuse to see reason! Grandfather proclaimed her innocent and she's only being watched as a precaution. You may be the heir but you aren't Pharaoh yet, Amenhotep. You must follow Grandfather's wisdom just as the rest of us do!"

"I will not wait for Pharaoh to see the truth when I see her for what she is! Release her to me!"

When Anippe fails to move aside, the prince lurches forward as if he would push her aside himself. Behind him, his shadow rears with his movements. Like the one in his eyes, this shadow is strange. It's round and mainly just a blob, but there is a darker patch in the center. As he jerks forward, it gains more definition.

At the same time as he touches Anippe to push her aside, it becomes fully clear. The center of his shadow looks like a striking snake. Abayomi cries out at the sight of it, darting to the side and away from the khopesh as it is brandished towards her. Something stings on the back of her neck as she rushes towards Anippe.

As she does, she bats the hilt of the khopesh aside as Prince Amenhotep tries to bring it back around. It goes flying suprisingly easily for a girl who didn't expect that to really work against someone who has presumably been handling this weapon his entire life. She'd honestly expected to just move it aside enough to not get slashed enough, not to send it into the wall. Still, it worked. She grabs Anippe by the shoulders.

"Anippe, something's wrong."

"I can tell!"

"His shadow, it-"

She cuts off when a blue glow washes over Anippe's face and Abayomi glances down. The lapis stone in her necklace is glowing. The last time this happened was- was when she came back. She can't go home now! She has to warn Anippe!

She grips tighter, her words tumbling out in a rush. "It's him! He's the corruption, look at his shadow it's a-" The world turns white and when she can see again, the word "-snake" is spoken to an empty room.

Abayomi sags onto the bed with a sob. She's what, supposed to just guess if Anippe is fine? She's supposed to figure out that whatever corruption the priests were looking for is inside the crown prince and then not do something about it? Why would she even go back if that's all she has to do? She didn't even get time to really warn Anippe, so gaining that knowledge is useless. So why? She lets out another sob and curls into a ball, clutching her bandaged hand to her chest.

When she stirs, she strips from her dress, somehow no longer bloodstained or torn - probably some influence from the time travel. She unwinds the makeshift bandage to find that the gash is completely healed, if scarred. It was a deep wound based on the scarring across her palm, which considering the fact that it came from a sword, was expected.

Abayomi reaches up to the necklace, touching the clasp. Her fingers don't slide off of it the way they have for the past several weeks, but she finds that she can't unclasp it, if only because of a mental block. She sighs and twists around. She can see her laptop sitting on the desk, waiting for her to open it up and continue working once more, like she had been planning before the time travel.

But right now? She only feels a lump in her throat at the thought of trying to read those hierogyphs again, Anippe's words about the excavation echoing in her head. Tomorrow, she can save reinserting herself into her own time until tomorrow. She's drained for today. She leans forward, holding her head in her hands, only to freeze at the sight of a nai.

It's leaning against the bed from it's position on the floor, still in her bag. Abayomi reaches for it, pulling the instrument out. A tear drops onto the wood, staining it, and Abayomi sniffs them back. After a moment of hesitation, she raises the instrument to her mouth and blows into it, carefully beginning the song Anippe had been teaching her. If nothing else, she can do her best to honor the time she spent there and the friend-sister she made.
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What do you think might have happened to Anippe? Why do you think Abayomi might have been sent back now? Tell me your thoughts!

Happy reading and I'll see you next chapter!

~ Goddess of Fate, signing out