He shifted and leaned forward in the chair and I instinctively sat up straighter, pushing my back against the wall. But my head spun, and my hand reached up to grasp it only to find a deep gash across my forehead.
“You fainted,” he told me. “Then hit your head on the floor. I’ll send you over to the infirmary when we’re done here. But, to give you the obvious answer to your question, I’m your father, Andelyn.”
I shook my head, refusing to meet his gaze. “My father is dead.”
“I understand why you would think that,” he replied and then slid back into his seat before scooping up his mug and taking another sip. “I can’t imagine the life and world I left behind. And I want to explain everything to you, I promise. I would have done so sooner, but Eirik insisted you needed time to heal and adjust. To deal with the overwhelming confusion you must have.”
I brought my knees up to my chin and hugged them tightly. This was some sort of trick. Maybe even a dream. “Overwhelming confusion is an understatement. I assumed death would be a little less painful and messy.”
“Death?” the man said with a hint of offense. Then his pinched face softened. “Oh, Peach, you’re not dead and neither am I.”
“But what about–” it felt ridiculous to even think of the words, “Anubis?”
He chuckled. A familiar deep and rumbly laugh that made my heart squeeze. “Anubis is one of the many God-like creatures you’re going to encounter here in Egypt, sweetheart. You may as well get used to that.”
“Wait,” I replied as I fought with my biased disbelief. “So, this is Egypt? But…outside. The pyramids. The city…”
The man who resembled my father sat with a smug grin. “I told you all about that before, Peach. You watched me study natural energy for years.”
“Yeah, but I thought it was all a kooky theory.”
He set his cup down one more time before shoving off the chair and standing by the bed as he peered down at me. “I assure you it wasn’t. None of it was.”
I stared up at him, my eyes searching deep within his, looking for any sign of deceit. But I didn’t find it. I let my chin drop to my chest and I gawked at my upturned palms in a new light. “So…I’m not dead?”
The straw-filled mattress sank with his weight as he sat down next to me. His hand took mine in a loving way, holding it between both of his, the way my dad used to. The slight wrinkles around his chestnut eyes pinched together as he beamed at me.
“No, sweetheart. You’re not dead.”
My throat filled with tight bubbles as I allowed myself to believe him for a split second. To open myself up to that, to truly accept what he was telling me, it meant so much more than just being alive and the heaviness of that reality pressed in from all around me.
“But...I think…” My trembling hand moved to cover the spot where Howard stabbed me in the gut. “I think I did die.”
His salt and pepper brow creased. “What do you mean?”
I bit down on my bottom lip as I pulled the painful memory of Danes driving the knife deep into my flesh and tossing me to the bottom of the pit. But I summoned enough strength to utter a response.
“Howard,” I said shakily. “He stabbed me. Left me for dead.”
He released my hand and sat up straight, his nostrils flaring with a deep breath. “I wondered how you got those injuries.” His fists clenched on the raggedy quilt that covered the bed. “Damnit, Howard. I always knew he was mad with jealousy, but I never thought he’d be capable of murder. Especially of my own blood. He was like a brother to me.”
I couldn’t stop the tears that came. Like a dense wave of emotions, hot and fierce, flooded the surface of my being and spilled from wherever they could. I had no words and I found myself letting this man hold me comfortingly. My sobbing face nestled into the crook of his neck as he held me tightly, patting and rubbing my back while gently rocking back and forth.
“Shhh, it’s okay now,” he cooed. “You’re safe here. I promise, Peach.”
I let go and pulled away to look at him. Letting myself slowly believe the words he told me.
I wiped my runny nose with the back of my hand. “So, I’m real?” I ran fingers over the skin on my arm and watched as goosebumps trailed behind. “You’re real? You’ve been alive this whole time?”
He smiled under the greyed scruff that covered the bottom half of his face. “Yes. I’ve been right here. Trying to get back to you.” He winced as he watched the tears spill from my eyes. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t want to leave you. I didn’t want things to work out the way they did. But here we are, presented with the chance to make it right.”
“Dad?” my lips babbled.
He only nodded.
This time, I was the one to embrace him. I flung my flimsy arms around his neck and held him as close as I possibly could as my tears soaked into the itchy linen of his shirt. And he let them. He let me purge my emotions without a word and waited until I was the one to pull away.
My fingers were already drenched with tears, but I wiped at my eyes anyway. “I, uh, I think I’m the one who should be sorry.”
“Whatever for?”
“For everything,” I replied. “Those last few years before you left, I didn’t make it easy for you. I was difficult and distant. I pushed you away because I was angry at myself for not having my own accomplishments to stand on, and that wasn’t your fault. And then–” I blew out a tight breath, “you disappeared. I didn’t have the chance to make it right.”
“You don’t need to make anything right, Andelyn,” he assured me. “You’re my child, and I should have given you the space to figure out who you were outside of our life together. For so long, it was just you and me.”
Suddenly, a thought seeped into my mind and the words nearly spilled from my mouth before I had a chance to think them through.
“Dad?” I said. He hummed a response. I bit down the bile that rose and burned inside. “W-where’s…Silas? What happened to you guys?”
He shifted on the bed and cleared his throat. His face solemn. “We were foolish. Too eager to get down in the cave system. The team warned us to be careful, to steer clear of the pit. It hadn’t been properly excavated yet. But Silas was so sure.”
I watched intently as he removed his glasses and wiped them with the hem of his shirt. Such a simple action, but it stirred memories in my heart that I never knew I missed.
“We were down as deep as we could go when the cave-in began,” he continued. “We didn’t have a hope in the world of escaping in time. So, we huddled together as the rocks crumbled around us. Silas rushed to activate the portal, and we were pulled through.”
I nodded, taking it all in. “That’s exactly what happened to me. I mean, aside from the cave-in. I was snooping after hours–don’t,” I held up a finger in warning, telling my father not to jump into a lecture and he pursed his lips to hide the grin, “and Danes followed me. Demanded I hand over your private research. When I refused, he drove a knife in my gut and tossed me to the bottom of the pit. I bled out; all my bones broken. That’s when the portal activated.” I swallowed nervously. “God, I can’t believe I’m actually saying that.”
“A time travel portal in the middle of the desert isn’t the most interesting thing you’ll see here, Peach,” Dad replied with a chuckle. But I could tell, by the tinge in his voice, he was trying to detract from my original question.
“Where’s Silas, Dad?” I demanded quietly. “If he’s dead, just lay it on me. At the very least, it’ll give me some demented sense of closure.”
He looked at me with a calculating stare.
“Dad?”
His head tipped to the side in a pitiful way. “When we came through on this side, the colony wasn’t as you see it now. Osiris had started it thousands of years ago but never got the chance to finish. Anubis and I built it to be what it is today, we took in anyone who sought refuge from Horus.”
Impatience festered in my stomach. “That still doesn’t tell me wh
at happened to the man I love.”
“I’m getting to it.” He patted the back of my hand. “It didn’t take long for us to get captured by Horus and his men. I escaped, but…”
My eyes widened in fear. “What do you mean? Just you? Are you saying Horus has had Silas this whole time? For two years?”
My father was hesitant and shoved off the bed. I watched impatiently as he shuffled around the empty space of the room. “Yes, but it’s not as you think–”
I hopped to my feet, fighting through the dizziness that threatened to knock me down. “Then let’s go get him!”
“No!” he bellowed. “Absolutely not. It’s far too dangerous, Andelyn.” He paced in front of me and ran tight fingers through his overgrown grey hair. “Christ, don’t you think we thought of that? Tried it, even? We’re all working to get him back, I swear. Don’t you go running after him, you hear?”
I’d already retreated so far into my mind that I hardly registered my father’s words of warning. Silas was alive. All this time, after two wretched years he’s been here all along. Alive and within my grasp. My heart pumped blood and adrenaline through my veins and I bounced on the soles of my boots. Eager to run.
“Sweetheart?” Dad urged and grabbed hold of both my arms, forcing me to look him in the eye. “Promise me you won’t go looking for Silas.”
I chewed at the inside of my cheek, willing myself not to lie to him. He gave me a little shake as his eyes widened and he fixed his gaze on mine.
“Promise me, Andelyn.”
I stifled an eye roll. “Fine. I promise.”
But in that moment, I would have told my precious father anything, and my logical brain knew he was right. But my heart had already made the decision. I had to find a way out of the caves and save the man I loved.
Or I’d die trying.
Chapter Fourteen
The whole ordeal at my father’s took me well into the night and I tiptoed back to my room in silence as most of the colony slept. My concussed brain wanted so desperately to sleep but I was afraid to give in.
As I made my way through the winding halls of the cave system, I realized that now was a better time than ever to leave. My body ached for the peace of my bed where I could rest and process the rapid-fire events of the day. But how could I possibly sleep knowing that Silas was out there somewhere?
I knew the risks. Went over and over them as I detoured off route and headed for the exit. By leaving, I risked my own life as I formed a plan to make a beeline for Horus’ temple. By leaving, I also risked exposing the location of the colony and endangering everyone here in doing so. So, that left me with only one choice. Leave now, in the dead of night, and run across the desert under a blanket of darkness. Hopefully, if anyone spotted me, I’ll be long gone from the colony.
I entered the base of the Grand Entrance and climbed the steep stairs. As I neared the top, the torchlight from below had dimmed to nothing and I couldn’t see my own hand in front of my face by the time I reached the final step and shuffled onto the landing.
I stopped to grab my knife from my backpack and secured the leather sheath to my belt as carefully as I could in the dark. I still had half a bottle of days-old water from the airport vending machine and some beef jerky in my bag. It would have to do. I was leaving this place in search of Silas right now, and there was no one who could stop me.
I slipped inside the little tunnel that the two stone slabs created and emerged near the top of the rock face that overlooked most of what would be Cairo. I realized then that I had no real idea of when I was in the timeline. Nothing added up. Horus was worshipped the most around 2600 BCE, but the pyramids weren’t all built then, and it all meant nothing against the solid proof that beings from other worlds exist and the earth possessed a great technology long before our time.
But that didn’t matter right now. I had to save Silas.
I inhaled a long, crisp breath of air. The middle of the night was chilly and damp; a welcome change to climate for me. I was growing tired of the dry sandy spaces of the colony. The cover of stars twinkled above, and I waited for my eyes to adjust.
Soon, I could see everything around me, cast in the shadow of night. Outlines of trees and ponds mixed with patches of sand filled the stretch of desert between me and the city in the distance. Beyond that, three pyramids radiated a cool white light as that same energy filtered outward into the city below. Windows aglow, streets illuminated. I’d seen it before, but it still took my breath away.
I shuffled along the sturdy edge to the natural foot trail that descended the mountain but stopped when I heard tiny footsteps behind me. Shit. I spun around and kept my body pressed against the rock face. But no one was there. I narrowed my gaze and forced my eyes to focus on the dark outlines of the loose stone and tufts of greenery that stuck out of crevices in the mountainside. I spotted movement behind a bush and my heart settled when I realized who it was.
Or rather…what it was.
“Uh, hey, little guy,” I said softly as I knelt and held out my hand.
The creature that had rummaged through my bag and shared bread with me in the Great Hall poked its head out and curiously blinked at me with those massive black eyes. He scampered over and carefully wrapped its three tiny fingers around my hand, peering inside. When it saw that my palm was empty, it made a strange sound. Like a chirping noise but unlike anything I’d ever heard before.
“Do you have a name?” I asked it. The lizard-like creature cocked its head from side to side as it stared at me in wonder. “I’m betting you’re one of those non-verbal beings Eirik told me about, aren’t you?” It just continued staring at me as a weird cooing echoed in its chest. I stood up. “Okay, I’ve got somewhere to be, so you head back inside.”
I took a couple of steps away and the creature followed.
“No, no,” I whispered urgently and pointed back at the entrance. “Go inside. Go home. I’m headed somewhere dangerous, you can’t come.” I took a few more steps but the thing just kept shuffling toward me. I heaved a sigh and searched around. This was hopeless. I squat down again. “Can you understand me?”
The creature gave a rapid nod.
I chewed at my lip in thought. “Do you know the quickest way to Horus’ temple?”
Another chipper head nod as it scampered closer.
I considered it for a moment. “Fine. You can come, but the first sign of danger you run. Okay?” It just stared up at me, its obsidian eyes reflecting the moon above. “Okay?” I said again and the creature nodded happily.
But, before I could take another step, it let out a stream of chirps that had the tone of a question and it held out a hand while sniffing the air around the bag I had slung over one shoulder.
“Seriously?” I groaned and let it slide down my arm. “You can smell my food?”
I set the backpack down and pulled the drawstring open before reaching in for a stick of beef jerky. I tore it in half and gave one piece to the little guy. It snatched it from my hands and examined the foreign meat with eagerness. I watched as it devoured the snack in tiny bites, and I lobbed off a bite of my own.
“So, do you have a name?” I asked. The creature tipped its head to the side and one of its ears flopped over like a dog’s would. It blinked at me and, even though it couldn’t speak, I could almost feel its answer. As strange as that was to admit. “Well, you need a name if you’re going to keep hanging around.”
I pursed my lips in thought. I didn’t even know the gender of the thing. “How about…Lizzy?” When I was met with a disgruntled coo, I tried again. “Bob? Fred? Fluffy?” More dissatisfied sounds jittered from its mouth. “Well, what then? If you’re going to continue following me around like a little shadow, then I can’t keep calling you It.”
The thing hopped closer and laid a hand on my leg. I could feel a sudden warmth seep through the fabric of my pants as it beamed up at me like a little puppy. It made no other sounds, but I could almost…sense what it wanted, magnified by i
ts touch.
“Shadow?” I tested. “Is that what you want me to call you?” I felt a warm pressure on my leg and some part of me recognized that the creature was agreeing. I smiled. “Alright then. Shadow it is.” I glanced at the colony entrance a few feet away. “We have to go now, before someone finds us. Can you help me get to Horus’ temple without getting caught?”
Shadow scampered off down the rough footpath that wound to the bottom of the mountain and I hurried after it. It took a good long while, but we finally hit the level ground below and I immediately took cover near the edge of a treeline. But the lush oases that peppered the vast landscape wouldn’t provide total cover the whole way. I’d have to be extra careful when crossing the stretches of sand and prayed the sun wasn’t coming up any time soon.
But I vastly underestimated how much land I had to cover on foot, a fact I realized as Shadow and I walked along, and I eyed the glow of the city in the far distance. I’d be lucky to make it there in a few hours. But determination fueled me.
I had to find Silas.
Evidently, having a creature who couldn’t spill all your secrets was a welcome comfort as I told Shadow all about my life. My unconventional childhood, how the Wise Man was my father, and how I fell in love with Silas. I’m sure he didn’t understand most of what I rambled on about, but he listened intently anyway. Adding chirps and coos wherever needed. I did my best to decipher what Shadow wanted; his questions and sounds of enthusiasm. It was like walking with a dog who could communicate emotionally.
“And that’s why I can’t rest until I find him,” I said after ranting on for over an hour. “I spent far too long grieving his death, only to find out he’s alive. Silas is more than just someone I love. He’s a part of me, part of who I am. And, knowing he’s out here somewhere, suffering or dying by the hands of Horus and his men…” a shaky sigh rumbled through me and I shook it off. I smiled at my little friend. “Thankfully, I’m not alone. Who knows how long I’d be wandering out here without you?”
Ancient Hearts: A Time Travel Fantasy Romance (Kingdom of Sand & Stars Book 1) Page 12