New Orleans, LA
“Good morning class,” Senemut boomed as he looked at the rows of students.
He could hear a ‘good morning’ mumbled from a student here and there.
Of course, he really wasn’t expecting much enthusiasm from his 8:00 am class.
Some students were still in their pajama pants leaning droopy eyed on their hands.
This always entertained him.
“Okay, let’s turn to chapter 7 and get started,” Senemut said, turning to the long white dry erase board to write the subject.
“Today, we are going to discuss the rulers of ancient Egypt; a topic that I love to explore since I am Egyptian.
I would like to take my time and spend more than a couple of classes on the subject.
Now let’s see what you already know.
Can anyone name a ruler?”
Senemut looked around the room for volunteers but instead got fidgeting and diverted glances.
This only amused him more.
“I suppose I will have to call on someone,” Senemut said, walking in front of the podium.
“Let’s see.
Miss Sanchez, name me a ruler.”
“Um, King Tut?”
“You mean Tutankhamen.”
“Yeah, him.”
“That’s a good one.
Mr.
Knight, another one, please.”
“Ramses?”
“Yes, there were plenty of those.
How about a female ruler, Miss Green?”
“Nefertiti.”
“O-kay.
She mostly ruled alongside her husband, but still a good answer.
Mr.
Smith?”
“Cle-o-pa-tra!”
“Yes.
She was certainly one of the most infamous if not the most intriguing.
All of the rulers you have named, you probably heard from some movie or TV show or maybe even by reading a book, heaven forbid.
We will study these rulers along with some more obscure ones.
For instance, how many have heard of Queen Hatshepsut?”
A few students raised their hands.
“Okay, a few have heard of her.
Hatshepsut, also referred to as Maatkare, was the fifth ruler of the eighteenth dynasty.
She had one of the longest, most successful reigns of all the pharaohs, and that is how she was addressed, pharaoh.
Not queen.
She would wear the traditional goatee of the pharaohs and adorn herself in the garments of men in order to show her dominance, but that was not the only thing that made her stand out among rulers.
Let’s see if we can get a list going.”
Senemut walked around to the board but stopped.
He breathed deeply and quickly flicked his tongue.
“Myrrh,” he said under his breath.
An odd mixture of anger and lust flashed through him.
It took every ounce of self-control he had to not turn around, rip across the room and place his hands around her royal neck.
Senemut took a breath and turned back to the class.
“On second thought, I hate doing all the talking.
Read the chapter and we will have a class discussion next class.
Class dismissed.”
The students hurriedly gathered their things.
Senemut could hear some of them mumbling ‘Thanks, Dr.
Nemut’.
“I will expect class participation or there will be a quiz,” Senemut threatened as he turned to clean the board.
As soon as the last student walked out, he heard someone clapping in the back of the room.
“Thank you,” he said, turning around.
“I know how much you love to hear about yourself.”
“It was informative,” Hatshepsut said, walking down the steps.
“Of course, I have always believed that Cleopatra was overrated.
I am twice as beautiful and ten times the ruler she ever was.”
“Should you be speaking ill of the dead like that?”
“Only when it is true.”
Senemut laughed.
“Quite a bold move sneaking into a full classroom like that.”
“No, not really.
Quite bold of you to let your class out early.”
“No, not really,” Senemut said, mockingly.
“When did you know I was here?”
“When all I could taste was myrrh.”
Hatshepsut smiled.
The two stood in an awkward silence staring at one another.
Senemut let his eyes admire how Hatshepsut’s white strapless dress hugged her voluptuous breasts and flowed over her curvaceous body and stopped just above her knee with some strappy lime green heels.
She wore a white eye patch that covered almost the entire right side of her face.
Her shiny hair hung in waves around her face and slender shoulders.
She carried a green clutch that matched her shoes.
Senemut almost felt underdressed in his sweater vest and khakis.
He fidgeted with his fake tinted eye glasses.
Hatshepsut looked at him oddly.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Why the glasses?”
“For the tint.
The dark color of the lenses distracts from my unnatural eye color.
Plus, I think they make me look more professional.”
“I think you mean more .
.
.
what is the word?
Nerdy.”
“I am a college professor.
I’m trying to look the part.”
“Right,” Hatshepsut said with a smile.
“You are doing it very well.”
Senemut could only smile at her statement.
Hatshepsut looked away from his admiring gaze.
“How long has it been?” Hatshepsut asked uncomfortably.
“One hundred twenty-two years, eight months, one week, and two days, give or take.”
“What?
No minutes, no hours?”
“I thought that may be a bit obsessive,” Senemut said, gathering his papers into his satchel.
“Why are you here, Hatshepsut?”
Senemut looked up from his papers at Hatshepsut.
Her expression was somber.
“Yes, we do,” Senemut replied with same flat tone.
“But not here.”
“How about we go to my office?” Senemut asked as he motioned towards the door.
“I have some time to burn.”
They both began down the hall.
It wasn’t until they reached the floor where the professors’ offices were that they received wide-eyed stares and muffled whispers.
They stopped when they reached a door with the name ‘Dr.
Demond Nemut’ on the frosted window.
He unlocked the door, bowed his head and gestured towards the door with his hand.
“My queen,” he said, smiling.
Hatshepsut gave him an icy glare as she walked into the cramped office.
The mahogany wood shelves were full of neatly placed books and artifacts.
There was a large, mahogany wood desk that almost took up the whole width of the room with a tall leather chair behind it and two small leather chairs that sat in front of it.
Hatshepsut ran her fingers along the brass nails on the edge of one of the chairs.
She looked around at the various tribal masks that hung on the walls.
“Thanks to you, I will be the talk of the history department for weeks to come,” Senemut said, setting his satchel on his desk.
He took off his glasses and walked over to where Hatshepsut stood.
“No need to thank me,” Hatshepsut said, picking up an ornate dagger from one of the shelves.
“Is this not the dagger I gave you?”
“Yes, it is.”
“You still have it after all this time?”
“I have everything you’ve ever given me.
That is with the exception of your heart.”
Senemut stood behind Hatshepsut closely.
He could hear her breathe stop cold at his last statement.
She quickly replaced the dagger on his shelf.
“Dr.
Demond Nemut, huh?” Hatshepsut said, pretending to ignore Senemut’s last comment.
“What are you supposed to be a doctor of?”
“History and archeology.
I am one of the foremost authorities on artifacts in the country.”
“I am sure you are,” Hatshepsut said with a smirk as she turned to look at him.
Senemut noticed that she jumped a little.
Probably startled at how close he was.
“I take it that is only on paper, or you would have a bigger office.”
“I could have persuaded them to give me a bigger office, but why?” Senemut said standing almost chest to chest to Hatshepsut.
“Smaller spaces are more intimate.”
“I am sure your students appreciate that,” Hatshepsut said, pressing her back to the shelf.
Senemut stared down at Hatshepsut intensely with his green eyes.
Hatshepsut stared back fearlessly.
It would be so easy to .
.
.
Senemut immediately dismissed his thought.
He couldn’t use his powers on Hatshepsut like that.
That was unthinkable.
“I know you didn’t come here to discuss my degrees or lack thereof,” Senemut said, motioning towards a chair.
“No, I did not,” she said, as she moved passed Senemut to sit.
“You know why I am here.”
“I know why you are in this room,” Senemut said as he sat down behind his desk, “but not why you’re in this city.
However, I am very curious as to why you are here.
I’m happy to see that you were able to recover from your injury.
No doubt your friend that lives in the middle of nowhere behind tall walls took care of that.”
“Did you follow me?” Hatshepsut asked offended.
“I could feel your pain.
Surely you didn’t think I was going to ignore it.”
“I thought you could only feel my pain if I spoke your name.”
“Speak it or think it,” Senemut said leaning forward on the desk.
He grinned slightly.
“I must have crossed your mind.”
“You do not have to worry about me,” Hatshepsut said defiantly.
“You were released from that duty long ago.”
“How can you release me from caring about you?”
Hatshepsut shifted in her chair.
Senemut could feel that his statement made her uncomfortable, but that had been his intention.
Senemut found enjoyment in making Hatshepsut squirm.
She tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear as looked up at Senemut coldly.
“You are straying from the subject,” Hatshepsut said, irritated.
“I’m sorry,” Senemut said his grin growing bigger.
“You were going to tell me what yesterday was about.
If not, I definitely don’t know why you’re here.”
“I would like to apologize about that.
I did not realize the situation.”
“Tell me who wanted them.”
“I cannot,” Hatshepsut said as she diverted her gaze.
“Why not?” Senemut asked, becoming irritated.
“This isn’t some privacy clause you have with your clients, is it?”
“It is nothing like that.
I do not know who hired me.
I wish I did.”
“Did you come here to play games?”
“No,” Hatshepsut said defensively.
“Senemut, as I told you, I do not know who hired me.
I was told that I was to retrieve two children that had been kidnapped by a demon.
I will admit that I had my suspicions about the job.
The job I had finished just before made me think that my ‘client’ was using me to eliminate certain persons I should not be eliminating.
I thought if I went after the children that I would get closer to finding out the identity of my client.
I was not told that they had ‘talents’.
Whoever hired me was hoping I would be killed in the process.”
“You almost were,” Senemut said softly as her leaned back in his chair.
“How could you be so careless?”
“I have managed this long,” Hatshepsut said viciously.
“How was I supposed to know that you had a witch at your disposal?
Speaking of which, how is it that you are surrounded by such gifted children?”
Senemut looked at Hatshepsut with uncertainty.
He wasn’t sure whether or not she was genuinely curious or trying to get information.
This was the first time that he had ever questioned Hatshepsut’s motives.
“I swear, in the name of Amun,” Hatshepsut said, holding up her right hand, “I do not attempt deception.
I am not asking for a description of their powers.
I am intrigued about how they came under your care.
“I guess you’re right,” Senemut said, finally.
“I have taken care of the twins since they were five.
I saved them from a demon attack years ago, but I didn’t get there in enough time to save their parents.
I had planned to let the police handle the rest, but when Xaria had a vision that another demon would attack them, I took them with me.
I didn’t want to risk the lives of more innocent people.
I have taken care of them ever since.”
“You love them,” Hatshepsut said incredulously.
“Like they were my own.”
“And the witch?”
Senemut smiled at the way she said ‘witch’.
“She came later,” Senemut said.
“Raylin is a runaway.
I found her one night in an alley trying to defend herself from some demons.
I saw she possessed great skill and power.
I thought it would be better if she was with me than fall in the hands of someone that would use her for nefarious purposes.
I told her what I am and what I do.
She was all for it.
She’s been with us ever since.”
“How charming.”
Senemut leaned forward on the desk and looked at Hatshepsut.
“I’ve told you about my little family, now tell me about yours.” Senemut said.
“Who was that man with braids that aided you?”
Hatshepsut looked at Senemut with hesitation.
“I’m waiting,” Senemut said.
“A friend of mine named Roman,” Hatshepsut finally said.
“He is skilled in the dark arts.”
“I’m sure that is not the only thing he is skilled in.”
“That is none of your business.”
“Aren’t you defensive?
What’s going on between you two?”
“Nothing you need to concern yourself with.”
Senemut laughed as Hatshepsut looked at him with a scowl on her face.
Senemut leaned back in his chair.
“All joking aside, do I have to worry about you attacking my wards again?”
“Certainly not!” Hatshepsut responded outraged.
“Believe or not, Senemut, we have the same purpose even if I did not behave like it yesterday.
I came here for help.
There I said it.
I need your help.”
“We’re finally getting somewhere,” Senemut responded smugly.
“What do you need help with?”
“I believe I have ‘removed’ three guardians.”
“What?” Senemut asked in disbelief.
“Do not make me repeat myself.”
“Why do you think this?”
“Last night I had a dream that I was at Deir El-Bahri.
When I went to ‘our place,’ there was someone there.
He told me that he was the one that had hired me to kill guardians and that he was responsible for that night you killed me.
Then I awoke.”
“What did he look like?”
“I do not know.
I could not make out his face.
It was as if there was a permanent shadow over it, but his voice seemed very familiar.
I think it was someone from our past, but I do not know who.”
“When did you start sleeping?”
“Will you concentrate?
I was thinking that the dream was a vision.
I figured if we went to the temple then maybe we could find something that would lead us to the person that caused our plight and maybe even stop the event that my father foretold.”
“Why we?”
“Are you not curious about who put us in this situation?
Besides, it is your duty to find out.”
“Yes, it is, but that didn’t answer my question.”
Hatshepsut sighed.
“How things are going with me lately, I think I should have an escort.”
“An escort?” Senemut laughed.
“When are you going to start getting with the times?
I don’t know why you continue to talk so proper.
You sound too foreign.
Why don’t you learn some common phrases?
You could at least use a contraction every once in a while.”
“If I wanted to speak like these peasants and vagabonds, I would.
Now that you have criticized my language patterns, will you please be my ‘back up’,” Hatshepsut said throwing up air quotes.
“See.
That wasn’t so hard, was it?
But yes, I will escort you.
How about next week?”
“Why not now?”
“Unlike you, I have responsibilities.
The schools will be closed for spring break and we’ve been trying to decide where to go.
I think the kids will enjoy Egypt.
They have never been there and it has been quite a while since I’ve seen the pyramids.”
“Why didn’t I have a pyramid?” Hatshepsut asked with whimsy.
“You had me build you a temple, a tomb and only the gods know many obelisks you had commissioned.
Wasn’t that enough?”
Hatshepsut shrugged.
“Do you really think that it would be safe for them?”
“They nearly took you out.”
“Touché,” Hatshepsut grimaced.
“Do you think that the children will mind that I will be there?”
“I think I can convince them.”
“Fine,” Hatshepsut said getting up and grabbing a notepad off Senemut’s desk.
“This is my number.
When you get your flight plans together, give me a call.
I have a place in Thebes, well Luxor.
I will never get use to calling it that.
You all can stay there if you like.
I will pick you up from the airport.”
“Okay,” Senemut said taking the notepad from her, “it’s a date.”
“You wish,” Hatshepsut said as she walked out the door.
Senemut laughed as he watched her leave.