“I have no doubt of that,” Set said. He sat in the chair I’d vacated. “But a father . . . now that is another matter entirely . . .”
I smiled up at Marcus as he guided me out of the room with an arm wrapped around my shoulders. He led me to the bedroom that had been mine during the weeks I’d spent living in this house so long ago and shut a very modern-looking At door.
I studied the door for a moment. “Nekure?” I asked Marcus.
He nodded. “He’s been making his way through the palaces, fixing them up the best he can so our people can start living in them again . . . if they so choose.”
Glancing around the room, taking in the ancient, familiar At furnishings and scattered, modern elements, I smiled. “You’ve been staying in here, haven’t you?”
Again, Marcus nodded.
“But you didn’t know it was my room, not really.”
Moving in front of me, he ran his hands up my arms, over my shoulders, and trailed his fingertips up the sides of my neck. “No, I didn’t know.” He leaned in, brushing his lips first over one cheek, then the other. “But I felt you here, Little Ivanov. This was the only place besides your sanctuary where I felt closer to you. When I doubted that you’d ever find your way back to me—”
I gripped the belt loops at his sides and pulled his body flush against mine. “But I did find my way back to you. I’ll always find my way back to you.”
“Promise me.”
My eyebrows drew together, and I tilted my head to the side, my lips curving into a faint smile. “Promise you . . . ?”
“Swear to me that you’ll always come back. Always.” His eyes, so golden and heated, held nothing but demands. So many demands.
“But I can’t travel through time anymore,” I said, shaking my head. “Just a plain ol’ Nejerette. Why . . . ?”
“Just promise me,” he demanded.
I frowned, but I also gave him what he wanted, even if I didn’t understand why he was so desperate for such an unnecessary promise. “I swear it,” I said. “I will always come back to you.” And as I made the promise, some deep part of my mind wondered if maybe he knew something I didn’t, if maybe I’d locked away more memories within his mind—from more time periods—than even I knew about. I wondered if maybe my stint as a time traveler wasn’t actually over.
When Marcus’s lips touched mine . . . when he swept me into his arms and carried me to the bed . . . when he removed my clothing piece by piece, I seared the promise I’d made him into my soul.
Whatever happens, I will always find my way back to this man . . . always . . .
GLOSSARY
Akhet The first of three seasons in the ancient Egyptian year. Akhet is the inundation season, when the Nile floods, and is roughly correlated with fall in the northern hemisphere.
Ankhesenpepi Nejerette. Nuin’s eldest daughter and queen and consort to many Old Kingdom pharaohs, including Pepi I and II.
Apep (Apophis) Netjer or “god.” One of two Netjers responsible for maintaining balance in our universe, the other being Re. Apep was historically worshipped against as Re’s opponent and the evil god of chaos.
At Ancient Egyptian, “moment, instant, time”; The At is a plane of existence overlaying our own, where time and space are fluid. At can also be used to refer to the fabric of space and time.
Ankh Ancient Egyptian, “life”.
Ankh-At Nuin’s power. Includes (at least) the power to travel through time, to create and remove memory blocks, and to manipulate the At on this plane of existence.
Aset (Isis) Nejerette. Heru’s sister. Aset was worshipped as a goddess associated with motherhood, magic, and nature by the ancient Egyptians.
At-qed State of stasis a Nejeret’s body enters when his or her ba departs for the At.
Ba Considered one of the essential parts of the soul by the ancient Egyptians. In regards to Nejerets, the ba, or the “soul,” is the part of a person that can enter the At.
Bahur Arabic, “of Horus” or “of Heru”.
Blade A ruling Nejeret’s chief protector and companion.
Council of Seven The body of leadership that governs the Nejerets. The Council consists of the patriarchs of the seven strongest Nejeret families: Ivan, Heru, Set, Sid, Moshe, Dedwen, and Shangdi. The Meswett, Alexandra Larson Ivanov, is also an honorary member of the Council.
Dedwen A member of the Council of Seven. Dedwen was worshipped as a god associated with prosperity, wealth, and fire by the ancient Nubians.
Deir el-Bahri Located on the west side of the Nile, just across the river from Luxor in Upper (southern) Egypt. Several mortuary temples and tombs are located in Deir el-Bahri, including Djeser-Djeseru, Queen Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple.
Djeser-Djeseru Ancient Egyptian, “Holy of Holies”. Queen Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple in Deir el-Bahri.
Hatshepsut (ruled 1479—1457 BCE) Female Pharaoh during the Middle Kingdom of ancient Egypt. One of Heru’s many wives, and mother to the Nejerette Neferure.
Hat-hur (Hathor) Ancient Egyptian goddess associated with love, fertility, sexuality, music, and dance. According to the Contendings of Heru and Set myth, Hathor is the goddess who healed Heru’s eye. She is often depicted as a cow or a woman with cow ears or horns, and a sun disk is frequently cradled by the horns.
Heru (Horus) Nejeret. Osiris’s son, Nuin’s grandson, Aset’s brother, and former leader of the Council of Seven. Heru stepped down from his role as leader to function as the Council’s general and assassin, when necessary. Heru was worshipped as the god of the sky, kingship, and authority by the ancient Egyptians. He is often depicted as a falcon or falcon-headed.
Ipwet Human, Nejeret-carrier. Nuin’s primary human wife at the time of his death.
Ivan Nejeret. Leader of the Council of Seven. Alexander’s father and Lex’s great-grandfather.
Kemet Ancient Egyptian, “Black Land”. Kemet is one of the names ancient Egyptians called their homeland.
Ma’at Ancient Egyptian concept of truth, balance, justice, and order. To the Nejeret, ma’at refers to universal balance.
Men-nefer (Memphis) Ancient Egyptian city. Men-nefer was the capital city of Egypt during the Old Kingdom.
Meswett Ancient Egyptian (mswtt), “girl-child”. The Meswett is the prophesied savior/destroyer of the Nejerets, as supposedly foretold by Nuin upon his deathbed, though none actually remember it happening. The prophecy was later recorded by the Nejeret Senenmut.
Moshe (Moses) Nejeret. Member of the Council of Seven. Central figure in most western religions.
Neferure (Neffe) Nejerette. Daughter of Hatshepsut and Heru.
Nejeret (male)/Nejerette (female)/Nejerets (plural) Modern term for the Netjer-At.
Netjer Ancient Egyptian, “god”.
Netjer-At Ancient Egyptian, “Gods of Time”.
Netjer-At Oasis The ancient, historic home of the Nejerets, deep in the heart of the Sahara Desert.
Nuin (Nun) Netjer/Nejeret. One of two Netjers responsible for maintaining balance in our universe, the other being Apep. Also known as the “Great Father”, Nuin was the original Nejeret and the father of all Nejeretkind. Nuin was worshipped as a god associated with the primordial waters and creation by the ancient Egyptians.
Old Kingdom Period of Egyptian history from 2686—2181 BCE.
Order of Hat-hur An over 5,000-year-old, hereditary order of priestesses run by Aset and devoted to aiding the goddess Hat-hur (Lex) during her temporal journeys.
Osiris Nejeret. Heru and Aset’s father and leader of the Council of Seven until his murder a few decades after Nuin’s death. Osiris was worshipped as a god associated with death, the afterlife, fertility, and agriculture by the ancient Egyptians.
Pepi II (Pepi Neferkare) Pharaoh of the 6th Dynasty of ancient Egypt, 2284-2180 BCE. Final ruler of both the 6th Dynasty and of the Old Kingdom.
Peret The second of three seasons in the ancient Egyptian year. Peret is known as the season of emergence, during which planting and growth t
ook place.
Re (Ra) Netjer. One of two Netjers responsible for maintaining balance in our universe, the other being Apep. Re was historically worshipped as the ancient Egyptian solar deity.
Ren Considered one of the essential parts of the soul by the ancient Egyptians, closely associated with a person’s name. In regards to Nejerets, a ren is the soul of a Netjer, like Re or Apep, much like a ba is the soul of a Nejeret or human.
Senenmut Nejeret. Scribe of Nuin’s prophecy and architect of the underground temple housing the ankh-At at Deir el-Bahri. Senenmut was the “high steward of the king” to Queen Hatshepsut as well as Neferure’s tutor. Senenmut was killed by Set after the completion of the underground temple.
Set (Seth) Nejeret. Nuin’s grandson, father of Dom, Genevieve, Kat, and Lex, and member of the Council of Seven. Possessed by Apep, Set went rogue when the Council of Seven chose Heru as their leader after Osiris’s death around 4,000 years ago.
Shangdi Nejerette. Member of the Council of Seven. Shangdi is worshipped as the supreme sky deity in the traditional Chinese religion.
Shemu The third and final of three seasons in the ancient Egyptian year. Shemu, literally “low water,” is known as the season of harvest.
Sheut Considered one of the essential parts of the soul by the ancient Egyptians, closely associated with a person’s shadow. In regards to Nejerets, a sheut is the power of a Netjer, like Re or Apep, or the less potent power of the offspring of a Nejerette and Nejeret.
Sid (Siddhartha Gautama) Nejeret. More commonly known as “Buddha” to humans.
Wedjat (Eye of Horus) Ancient Egyptian symbol of protection, healing, strength, and perfection.
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MORE BOOKS BY LINDSEY FAIRLEIGH
ECHO TRILOGY
1: Echo in Time
1.5: Resonance
2: Time Anomaly
2.5: Dissonance (coming soon!)
3: Ricochet Through Time (coming soon!)
THE ENDING SERIES
After The Ending
Into The Fire
Out Of The Ashes
Before The Dawn
THE ENDING BEGINNINGS
Omnibus
I: Carlos
II: Mandy
III: Vanessa
IV: Jake
V: Clara
VI: Jake & Clara
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lindsey Fairleigh lives her life with one foot in a book--as long as that book transports her to a magical world or bends the rules of science. Her novels, from post-apocalyptic to time travel and historical fantasy, always offer up a hearty dose of unreality, along with plenty of adventure and romance. When she's not working on her next novel, Lindsey spends her time reading, planning her farm, and trying out new recipes in the kitchen. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her rather confused cats.
www.lindseyfairleigh.com
Time Anomaly: A Time Travel Romance (Echo Trilogy, #2) Page 38