Pharaoh’s Curse Pt. 08

"And the silly titles you're saying?"

"It is wise not to speak her name. She is older than all of creation. To speak her name is to call upon her, and that is how Gods of old gained their power, so it's forbidden from speaking her name," Samuel answered, giving it to Andrew in a way he could understand.

"Ah. And you can do what he said about you?" Andrew asked; he wasn't going to turn down the help, not if that increased his odds.

"About keeping you alive? Well, sure, but it won't last for long, given me and a holy place... don't mix. Twenty-four hours is my limit; if we're not out by then, well, Ira's going have to hide for eternity," Samuel said sinfully at how that put fear into his friend. Ira knew who he was talking about.

"You wouldn't?"

"I would," Samuel retorted, savoring the fear on Ira's face.

"And you call me sadistic!" Ira snorted.

"So, what's this, Nu?" Samuel asked again.

"To put it in layman's terms?" Andrew asked, getting a nod from Samuel. "Sort of the start of everything."

"Ah, and you're going to go steal something that powerful and old from him?" Samuel inquired, testing Andrew's sanity.

"Yes, come or don't doesn't matter to me; I'm going regardless," Andrew said, seeing the futility of his choice on Samuel's face.

"Okay, but why is it so important?"

"Surely, given who you work for, surely you have had to see the signs?" Andrew stated, noticing how Samuel was studying him again.

"I might; what's that have to do with anything?"

"Simple, with Nu, I can reforge the link," Andrew uttered, not giving out everything so someone he just met.

"I see, and whatever it is, is the linchpin of your plan. Am I getting that right?" '

"Yes, as long as I can get it out of Heaven, the Gods will do the rest, whether I survive or not, that's another matter, but I knew that the moment I set this plan into motion. While if you are as strong as Ira says, I would gladly accept the help, but if you feel this is fool-hardy, then I understand if you back out.."

"Let's hold off on that for now since it appears you aren't ready yet. When the day comes, I'll let you know." Andrew could only nod at that, given if Samuel joined him, he would be signing his death warrant.

"Well, it's been real, Andrew, but it's probably best to get you back to the others," Ira said, knowing they were out in the open for too long.

"Yeah, I can already see the foaming at the mouth part already," Andrew grumbled as Ira's wings encased them.

******

"Andrew, just where are you?" Carla said in awe as she, along with Alex and Anta, clustered around the tablet they each were holding as they stared out onto a dark city with few lights to pollute the sky.

"NeoHierakonpolis, staying the night here..."

"What!" Alex roared, ripping the tablet out of the other's grips. "Baby, you knew how much I would have enjoyed that?!"

"Again, I must remind you, you're on the job," Andrew said offscreen. "Relax, there'll be plenty of times to come here and do whatever crazy thing that's going through your head," he teased, getting a huff and her famous pouty cheeks as Anta and Carla took hold of the tablet.

"Andy, you promise, right?" Anta asked, wondering if she had chosen anyone else.

"Of course," Andrew said, bringing his phone around to him. "So, how's the dig going?"

"Honestly, not much to do here other than the pavilion; no significant finds have been made. I don't think the site will be open for much longer if there's nothing forthcoming by the end of the week. Or that's what my gut is telling me," Alex said, shrugging her shoulders.

"So, where are you staying in the village?" Carla asked, wondering about the nights she would be sharing with him under those clear stars.

"Oh, the people built me this place while we were gone; I'm using it until my Palace is complete. Not bad for a mud-brick, plaster-covered house; you'd so love it, Mom, totally Egyptian up in there. You should see the hieroglyphics, the paintings, the crafts one would need for a fancy house back in 2000 BC."

"Baby? Why are you being so cruel to your Queen?" Alex asked, gently swaying her bosom in the camera of the tablet to fluster her son. "I thought you were supposed to love the woman you fuck?!" she purred, the last word low.

"Anywho," completely ignoring his mother's question, "you should see the model Mel made; Bast seemed to like it," Andrew said, looking at Anta, who was the one that wanted the cat garden.

"Really?!" Anda sucked in a loud gasp when she uttered a single word. "Did she like the garden?" she asked, praying that Bast did.

"Oh yeah, should have seen her, got her nose all up in it," Andrew joked. "What? You did; why lie about it?" he asked, looking offscreen.

"Andy, what happened to your beard?" Carla asked; she sort of liked how it tickled her kitty.

"Oh?! Nofre-it cut it off for me; he's the guy who's with me," Andrew answered when they looked at him, wondering who the man was. "Remind me to bring razors next time," he said, trying not to think about the straight razor against his throat.

"How are you getting along with them?" Alex asked in a motherly voice.

"They're fine, I guess; they got a little weird when they learned Bast was the Bast, but other than that, they're fine. Not like I need the bodyguards; Bast takes care of that," Andrew said as he stood on the roof of the home Pilous and the others had made for him. Feeling how solid the building was as he gazed out onto the other rooftops in his city. An evil thought appeared in his mind as he pulled out the laser pointer he used to torment Bast with. Grinning madly when, the memories of her trying to catch it and the commentary that went along with it played out in his head as he pointed the laser at the closest rooftop. Keeping from keeling over as he watched how two of his guards tried to catch the little red dot. "What about the men there?"

"Oh, they're fine, pretty professional, given how secret their order is. They're keeping a very close eye on Bill," Anta informed him. Wondering what he was doing when she noted the amusement in his eyes.

"Good, listen, I should get off here; they're going to start laying the foundation tomorrow morning."

"You are going to show your wives what this Palace, where we will be residing, aren't you, baby?" Alex asked, giving her son a look he knew all too well.

"Yeah, I'll send you pics when we get back tomorrow."

"You better," Alex stated, each one of them blowing Andrew a kiss before their connection was cut.

Chapter Eight

Andrew knew his mother was going to lose her mind, maybe the other two, if or when they watched the stoneworkers at work. He knew he clearly did; it was one thing to know how they moved such stones; it was another thing to watch it in action. The sight of the men laying the first stone of his foundation played out in his mind as they sailed down the Nile back to Cairo around lunchtime. Standing out on the bow like he always did, to show the people that he was strong enough to brace the torrent of the Nile's current as he contemplated on how he was going to test Halima's order. After all, the man said to test them, just not in how to go about that; then his mind combed his memories for one of his closest temples. If he was going to test their loyalty, why not have the God of deceit judge their trustworthiness. They might be able to lie to him, yet not to a god.

"Pilous?!" Andrew called out to him as the soft breeze of the Nile played along his clothes as he turned to look at the man.

"Yes, my lord?"

"We're going to stop at Abydos just for a visit," Andrew instructed, knowing it was around the bend so they would have time to slow the barge down.

"Yes, my lord," Pilous uttered, calling out orders for his men to make the ship ready to dock.

"My lord Pharaoh, where are you going?" Halima asked as Andrew stepped onto the dock that was used for tourism boats.

"Wait here, have to speak with a god, best to do that alone," Andrew informed them, not to keep what he did secret, just what the Gods required was rather embarrassing. "Won't be gone long," he stated before starting off down the dock.

As half an hour approached, Halima and Nofre-it used that time to get to know the ship they would always be on. Also, speaking to the crew about their lives, learning that when Ba'al had trapped them. They all heard the stories growing up in Punt about the Pharaoh, so when they saw the light and heard the hum of the pyramid, they raced toward it. Thinking that the Gods had finally heard their prayers, Halima looked to Nofre-it, when it seemed to them they did think this was 2000 BC. While their little chats didn't last long, nevertheless, they were able to suss out that the crew was a good sort and Andrew was right to keep the modern world from them.

"Nofre-it, what do you think we should do?" Halima whispered low to him.

"We protect the Pharaoh, that's what we're going to do," peering over at the awning, noting how Bast was watching them from the shade, "I have no wish to be hunted by a goddess, as for the rest, I can't say," Nofre-it mumbled.

"Yeah, but I was talking about our order," Halima said with a little smirk on her lips.

"Oh," feeling slightly embarrassed, "that I can't say; hopefully, we can talk Mido and the others out of their plans," Nofre-it stated, scanning the area around them. "Have you given any thought to what Egypt is going to look like from what Menes has spoken?" he asked, nodding towards the temple's direction.

"I've tried, I can picture some of it, just not all of it, to think what he must have wandering his mind at any given time of the day. I don't envy him," Halima said truthfully.

"I agree, I can understand if this was back in the past, yet now, I think Andrew's just a little too young to be bearing such responsibilities. Yet the Gods are wiser than I," Nofre-it said in reverence.

"Nofre-it? Have you noticed how Menes doesn't sweat?" Halima asked, wiping her own from her brow.

"I have," Nofre-it nodded.

"What do you think is the reason he doesn't? A medical condition, you suppose?" Halima mused as they stood in the shade of the awning.

"Could be," Nofre-it mumbled as he nodded along, yet he had a different idea as to why Andrew didn't do such a thing as he slyly glanced at Bast. Tapping Halima on her shoulder after an hour of waiting as he noted Andrew's exit from the temple. Holding the gangplank steady as he neared it.

"How did your talk go?'

"It was interesting," Andrew mused as he passed them. "Pilous, break out our lunch; no sense in having your crew starving; you two are hungry, right?" he inquired as he peered over at them.

"Yes, my lord, lunch on the Nile sounds very pleasant for a change."

"I'm going to ask this once and once only and never bring it up again. Who do you serve? Me or yourselves?" Andrew asked in an authoritative voice, waiting for Halima and Nofre-it to respond. Not feeling the item Set had given him vibrating in his pocket like he had told it would if there was no hint of deception within them.

"You and Egypt, my lord Pharaoh," they answered as one.

"Good enough for me, come; the comfort of my awning will keep some of the sun off of you," Andrew stated, leading them across the deck.

Once their lunch was over, Andrew spent the rest of the time searching the land of Egypt with his mind. Paying no attention to anyone as he just stood there with his eyes closed and his hands behind his back. He knew he was going to need a way to pay for all this, let alone the temples that would be built over the years. While taxes would cover most of the public works, an influx of gold never hurt anyone. Now that he knew there were some untapped gold mines in Egypt, the question was how he was going to mine them.

******

Andrew smirked from the backseat when Nofre-it and Halima sighed loudly once the A/C kicked on after Nofre-it started up the Rover. He wondered just how hot it was for them when they waited on the ship. He was so glad he didn't have to sweat his butt off anymore. Wondering how hot Egypt will be once it all gets sorted.

Smiling down at the model, pondering how they were going to act once they saw it. He could already see Anta racing around in her quest to decorate the place. Giving Nofre-it his mother's apartment address as the man backed out, waving to Pilous and his men as they made ready to sail up the Nile. His eyes moved along the bank of the east side of the Nile, looking for the right place to put his other Palace when he was in Cairo. He knew it was going to have its own dock, so it had to be somewhere around that area. How he was going to acquire the land, he had no clue.

"Halima," Andrew spoke as his eyes moved over the people as he passed.

"Yes?"

"There wouldn't be someone in the real estate business in your order, would there?" Andrew asked offhandedly.

"I... don't know, but I can ask if you like..."

"Andrew is fine in the car or in the privacy of my homes," Andrew cut in.

"Andrew," Halima's voice softened when he said his name, "I'll get right on that for you, sire."

"Thank you," Andrew said, returning to his harmless gazing. Pondering when their next meeting was and should he crash it or not.

"We do, two in fact," Halima said happily once she got a response on their group text.

"Good, have them bring what they have as listings for the area along the east bank of the Nile from the dock we just left and upwards to my mother's apartment. If they have any, if they do not, then bring the paperwork I would need to do in order to acquire said properties," Andrew instructed.

"Yes, my lord," Halima nodded, not that she wasn't happy Andrew was calling on her. She would just have thought Nofre-it would be his go-to guy since he was older.

"Nofre-it, since it's unlikely you two would leave my side, I'll let you set the rotation of the guards at the door for the evening," Andrew said, letting Nofre-it handle the tedious work, given he knew the man wasn't going to betray him. The item Set gave him would have detected that, and it had been calm throughout their voyage.

"Of course, my lord," Nofre-it said with pride. "Pharaoh?"

"Yes."

"I understand you're reasons about those people, yet you will need a place outside your city. I know you have those... guards, yet that would only cause a fright in the masses. Have you thought about having some mortal guards in view to keep those who think you defenseless from thinking it," Nofre-it said, hoping to be put in charge of his security.

"Good point," Andrew muttered, knowing that was exactly what he was going to do.

"I know this great restaurant near here; I'll just pop down and pick us up some dinner," Halima offered, keeping her pleased look contained as Andrew rattled off his order once he knew the name of the place. "I'll only be a minute," Halima said, taking Nofre-it's order before rushing out the door.

Halima's head was on a swivel as she walked down the hall, smiling and greeting the people who lived on that floor of the building yet keeping her eyes open for any trouble. A goddess might be watching over Andrew, but that didn't mean she was going to get complacent in her duties. She was going to live up to her claim that Andrew could trust them. Smiling at Nofre-it when he opened the door for her after she knocked, only to hear the voice of two women on the air. Watching Andrew getting to his feet at the sight of her, laying the bag down on the counter, hearing Andrew thanking the two women for coming and telling them he would meet them at eight in the morning as the front door closed and locked.

"You two watch tv. I have a call to make," Andrew said, rolling his mother's bedroom doors closed once their dinner was over. Snapping off pictures of the model with and without the roof on and sending them to their phones. Laying on the bed, waiting for when they blew up his phone. Smiling when it didn't take long before his skype app rang out. "So, hello," he greeted, waving to the three faces on his phone.

"Andy, is that how it's going to look?" They asked as one.

"Pretty much, minus the paint, but that's just the one for NeoHierakonpolis," Andrew said factually.

"Andy, does that mean you're building a Palace in Cairo?" Carla asked; Andrew wondered where she was on the dig site from what little he could see of the background.

"Already in the works on buying the land I need; I'll give them a fair price for it," Andrew stated when he got that look from Anta and Carla. "Now, how it will look, I haven't a clue yet."

"So you don't have an architect in mind?" Anta asked, wishing she was back in Cairo and on that bed, recounting all the fun things they did on it.

"Not at the moment," Andrew admitted. "But it will be modern-ish," he informed them.

"So then we're going to have a nice, big, private room to ourselves?" Alex asked in a husky tone as she allowed the collar of her shirt to hang up, showing off the tops of her braless breasts to her son.

"Of course, think I'm into having people watch us? Hardly," Andrew teased his mother.

"So when are you coming back?" Alex asked, sucking her lip at what they would do the moment they were free.

"Thinking the day after tomorrow, have something to do in the city," Andrew said ominously.

"Okay, but you better be safe, hear me?" Anta uttered sternly, with her worry very clearly in her eyes.

"I will, I promise."

"What about that Halima woman? Surely you're okay with her work since you're using her design, why not have her design you one, since then you don't have to give your reasons why you're wanting it to look like a Pharaoh's Place," Carla cooed, she couldn't wait to spend the night's marking every surface in their Palace.

"Oh, stopped by your family's place yesterday; I meant to tell you about it," Andrew said, looking at Anta, totally forgetting to last night.              

"I know; they called me an hour or two after you left. I don't know what you did, but you should have heard my father going on about a new boat," Anta replied with a knowing grin on her face. So very pleased he would do that for her family, and also pleased to learn about how much he did love her.

"What about the other one?"

"Oh, Papa already talked to the drydock place; they can fix it, he thinks."

"Good, glad to hear it," Andrew nodded, noting the quivering eyes Anta was giving him.

"Baby, what are you going to do? You know this site won't stay open for much longer, and you know the moment your father hears about it, he'll be calling and then coming to get you if you haven't answered," Alex said, knowing that was exactly what her ex-husband would do.

"I know, thinking of something as we speak," Andrew lied; he had no earthly idea how he was going to explain all this to his father.

"Well, you better think of something because you know how your father is when it comes to you," Alex stated in a sweet voice as she gazed lovingly at her son.

"Alright, I'm going to see about a design," Andrew said, waving goodbye to them after speaking for two hours.

******

"Do you think you can build the Palace I told you about here?" Andrew spoke, gesturing to the thirty-plus acres of city blocks that were once at the heart of Memphis until the modern world spread out around it. Now the land was left to rot in its disuse due to the abandoned buildings that laid out before him.

"I take it this will be the site of the future Palace grounds?" Halima mused as she peered around the area. Her mind raced to what she could design in that large of an area.