by Katie Clark
Guilt burned through her. She might be able to convince herself she was OK with people ignoring her, but holding bitterness in her heart toward them wasn’t doing her any good. What if she’d given in to forgiving Philip in the past, when he’d reached out to her? Could their friendship be stronger now when they needed it most?
The cart jerked as it rocked over a hole in the dirt road, and she crashed into Philip’s side.
“Sorry,” she muttered.
He smiled again and shrugged, and she settled against him and let her tired mind wander. She drifted in and out of sleep, and each time she jerked back to consciousness, she hoped to be back in London.
That never happened.
They only stopped once, and Skye guessed it was at some sort of ancient police check point.
Ezekiel’s voice boomed in the clear morning air. “What a fabulous festival Saul put on last night, wouldn’t you say?”
“Hear, hear!” the guard’s jovial voice bled through. “Off so soon?”
“Only to deliver supplies to the others. I’ll be returning by nightfall for more of the festivities.”
The guard tapped the side of the cart, and Ezekiel restarted their momentum. They were on their way to Ezekiel’s villa, but Skye’s mind buzzed.
Ezekiel had said he was taking supplies to “the others.” Who were these others? And was she the thing he was delivering?
PART THREE
Genesis 11:6-8
“And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.”
18
Philip sat on edge as they rolled out of the city. He couldn’t believe he’d managed to sleep at all while they waited for dawn. Leah still slept soundly, curled in the corner of the cart. Skye had laid her own head back, but she was obviously still awake.
He watched her in the dim light of the cart. She’d taken off her head covering at some point while he slept, and her hair was a mess. Her expensive-looking silk robes were a wrinkled pile of emerald material. And yet, she looked beautiful. She hadn’t fallen apart over the last twelve hours. Instead, she’d proven she was strong.
Again, beautiful. He didn’t need to think anything about Skye’s beauty. She’d feed him to Saul herself. He’d tried rekindling their friendship over the years, at least once or twice. She’d made it clear she wasn’t interested. He needed to deal with the fact that once they got home, things might go back to the way they’d been.
Until then, though, he’d keep working on showing her he cared. And while they were trapped in Sumer he would be stuck to her like glue. No crazy city leader would be sacrificing her under Philip’s watch.
His gaze moved back to her, and his throat tightened. She was so headstrong she’d always made for a great ally. A great confidante, and the perfect person to vent to about Dad, and how he’d dictated every move Philip made.
Want a new car? Jump through his hoops. Want to go to college? Pick the one he chose. Want to spend any time with me? Come along on a trip where he’d be working eighteen-hour days.
The cart hit a bump, and Philip flew up before landing with a hard thud.
Leah fell over with a cry. Then she scrambled to push herself back into a sitting position.
Skye helped her. “Are you OK?”
Leah glanced between them but didn’t speak. She hadn’t said a word since they’d left Saul’s.
Skye looked to him. Her eyes widened. “Do you think anyone heard that?”
He couldn’t help laughing at her. “No, I doubt it. Are you OK?”
She relaxed and then shrugged. “Sure. I was having a good dream though.”
He stretched his eyebrows up. “A good dream? Here?”
In the darkness, it looked as if she blushed, but he couldn’t be sure. “I dreamt we were back in London at that pub the other night.”
His throat tightened again. He swallowed hard, forcing his voice to sound normal. “That made for a good dream?”
She glanced at him, but then her gaze darted away. “Sure.”
He didn’t say anything else about it. No reason to embarrass her. “I’m sorry I got mad about that Seth guy. It surprised me, and I reacted badly.”
He had reacted badly, but he didn’t like the familiar way Seth had acted toward her—as though they were old friends. They didn’t even know him.
She took a second to say anything. “It’s OK. I got the feeling he had some sort of weird crush on me. He wanted to take me on a walk in the gardens, and he looked at me like some kind of lovesick puppy. But I’m pretty sure he’s harmless.”
Philip didn’t like hearing her confirm what he suspected. Add Seth to the growing list of people they hoped they could trust.
“Since Ezekiel already knows you’re not Hebat, I was thinking we should ask him about finding a way home.” Philip had no idea if it would pay off, but he was hoping.
The cart stopped before Skye could answer, and Philip tensed. Hopefully, they weren’t being stopped by guards.
A moment later, Ezekiel’s jolly laugh came from outside the canvas.
Philip relaxed.
“My little papaya!” Ezekiel said. “How I’ve missed you!”
“Papa!” a small voice said with a giggle. “You’ve only been gone one day.”
“But one day is far too long to be without my papaya.”
Skye smiled in the dim light, and Philip smiled at her smile.
Girls.
A few minutes passed, and Philip was beginning to think Ezekiel had forgotten about them. But then he lifted the flap of the canvas and pierced them with his gaze. “You will be left in the cart and taken to the stables. I will meet you there. You must stay hidden until I come.” He dropped the flap before anyone could reply, and dread crept into Philip’s mind.
“Wait for him?” Skye shook her head. “How long will he be?”
“I don’t know.” Philip didn’t like this. “We won’t wait forever, but let’s give him the benefit of the doubt.”
Skye bit her bottom lip and nodded.
A few seconds passed when the cart jerked into motion. Philip stayed quiet. He had the feeling Ezekiel had gone inside with his family, and a servant was taking them to the stables.
The cart stopped and then jerked again as the servant unhitched the mule. The cart was rolled backward this time before coming to a bumpy stop against a wall.
Footsteps sounded as the servant left to care for the mule, and they could hear hee-hawing from a few stalls over.
“I think we’re alone,” Philip whispered. “Do you want me to check?”
Skye shrugged then turned to Leah. “Leah, does Ezekiel know who you are?”
“Yes.” Her voice was timid. “I grew up here. I am allowed to visit my mother once each year.”
Skye nodded and leaned back against the cart. She watched Philip in the dark.
He began to squirm. “What?” he finally asked.
“Nothing. I just don’t know how to feel about any of this. We’re so lost.”
He was working on that. Giving a half smile, he shrugged. “Not so lost, just finding a way.”
She returned his smile. “Whatever.”
He lifted the flap to the canvas and peeked out. They were in a large stall with two other carts. The floor was packed dirt, and the air reeked like mules. “It’s clear.” He ducked back inside the cart. “I think we should just get out. My legs hurt.”
She grimaced. “Yeah, mine too. Should we take turns? Keep watch?”
“No, let’s do it together. Then, if we have to run, at least we’ll be together.” He reached out a hand to her, and she didn’t hesitate.
The weird throat-tightening thing happened again as soon
as she placed her hand in his. He liked Skye. Liked the way she looked, even in her black skinny jeans and lacey tops. Liked the way her long, blonde hair blew in the wind when she walked to school every morning. Why was it getting so easy to admit it to himself?
She climbed out of the cart behind him and then groaned softly as she stretched the kinks from her legs. Then, she helped Leah out. They glanced around, and she frowned. “This place is disgusting.”
It was. The back wall was stone, which he assumed meant they were against some type of rock wall or cave, but the stall walls were built from rickety wood. Animal noises drifted from the other stalls. He picked out the sound of pigs, donkeys, and maybe ducks or geese. Probably others, he just couldn’t differentiate between them all.
“So you think Ezekiel’s as rich as Saul?”
He shrugged. “Probably, but in different ways.”
She nodded, taking in the large stall. Saul helped run the city; Ezekiel helped provide for the city.
“Hopefully, Ezekiel knows the way out of here. Saul has to have figured out we’re gone by now,” he said. “He’ll be looking. The sooner we catch a wormhole out of here, the better.”
Her face tightened with fear. “How on earth did we fall through time?” she whispered.
He’d hardly ever seen her afraid. Never, actually, unless he counted the day she’d told him her dad had left her mom. He hadn’t been able to deal with it then. He wouldn’t fail her this time.
He took her hand, gently at first, but then tightly. “It’ll be fine.” He had no idea if that was true, but her shoulders relaxed, and it seemed to ease her mind.
She paused and looked around as if making sure they were alone. “So, you think Ezekiel will know how to get us home?”
“I have no idea, but we have to ask someone for help. Why not him?” Besides, Ezekiel had known without a doubt that Skye wasn’t Hebat. He had to know they weren’t from Sumer.
“Why didn’t we ask Saul for help?”
“Because he was bent on keeping you hidden and then throwing festivals in your honor. He obviously didn’t want to help you get anywhere.”
She smiled. “Right.”
He sighed and moved back to the cart, lifting a flap. “We better get back in before someone finds us.”
The soft, relieved face that Skye had worn for the last few minutes dropped. “I’ll get in there for a while, but I’m not staying much longer. He can’t keep us caged up in a stable.”
Philip turned to Leah. “Are you OK to get back in?”
She moved toward the cart without hesitation, and Skye climbed in behind her. Philip crawled in last. He didn’t like it either, but he couldn’t deny he liked being stuck in a small, dim space with Skye.
He rolled his eyes at his own thoughts. He couldn’t treat her like he’d treated Mari and his other girlfriends. Not that Skye was his girlfriend, but she was a girl, and he did want her to be his friend. He’d have to be careful to give her the respect she deserved. He needed to work on giving everyone the respect they deserved. It would be part of his resolve to not be like Dad.
Once they’d situated themselves in the cart, he leaned back and waited.
They sat in the dark for long moments. The temperature slowly rose, and sweat beads popped up on his forehead. He tried stretching out his legs, but they were stopped by the barrels lining the cart.
“He can’t keep us here,” Skye whined. “It’s inhumane.”
“I don’t think they know that word,” he said, trying to smile. But seriously, he had to get out of this cramped space. Sweat dripped into his eyes, and his vision had blurred.
“Should we just go?” Skye whispered. “We could probably make it by ourselves in the city.”
She would think that, being Skye, but he wasn’t too sure. “Let’s give him another few minutes.”
As he finished the sentence, heavy footsteps pounded across the dirt floor outside the cart. Philip grabbed Skye’s hand. “We may have to run!” he whispered.
Skye clasped Leah’s hand and nodded, her eyes wide.
The footsteps drew closer, and a moment later, the canvas was thrown back. Light blinded Philip for a moment, but then his eyes adjusted.
Ezekiel stood before them.
19
“You are ready to climb out, are you not?” Ezekiel stared at them with a smile on his face.
Skye glared. How dare he leave them out here for so long? But she took her cues from Philip and climbed out without complaining.
Leah scrambled out behind them.
“Forgive me,” Ezekiel went on. “I did not want my family to see you. It would put them in danger should anyone come asking.”
Skye’s anger fizzled out. He’d been protecting his family—his papaya. That kind of devotion to his family was admirable. She wouldn’t know anything about that.
Taking a deep breath, she worked to calm herself. She had to stop thinking like that if she was to work on forgiving Mom and building a new relationship. She forced a smile. “Ezekiel, thank you for helping us. I have to be honest, I want to find a way home. Can you help us with that?”
He raised his eyebrows, glancing between Skye and Philip until his gaze landed on Philip. “Home? And where is home? This one, she knows she is not Hebat, no?”
Philip didn’t laugh, even though it was obviously a joke. Instead, he swallowed hard and glanced at Skye. He’d been telling her all along to play the part, but what, exactly, was her part when it came to Ezekiel?
Her stomach twisted, and she shifted on the dirt-packed floor. “Forgive me, Ezekiel.” She forced the words out, hoping they sounded contrite instead of annoyed. “I don’t mean to demand, or offend. I am nervous, especially after the information you gave us at Saul’s villa.”
He smiled a kind smile. “I understand, Mistress. May I call you that?” He paused, and she nodded. He went on. “You are not from around here, no? And you do not know how you arrived?”
Skye’s mind reeled. How did he know these things? “That’s right.”
He sighed deeply, turned, and began leading them from the stable. “Come. We have much to discuss.”
She threw a worried look Philip’s way. He shrugged but motioned for her to follow Ezekiel. Philip brought up the rear.
Ezekiel led them from the stable that had been built into the side of a cave. The air was cooler outside of the city, and it smelled better but still bad—the animal smell was still strong, but the odor of unwashed bodies was less.
Green hills rolled for as far as she could see, reminding her of the land around Stonehenge. Behind her, she could make out the city in the distance. They weren’t too far, but not too close, either. That was good. She definitely didn’t want to be close.
Ezekiel led them down a small, dirt path that wound through a tree orchard and ended at a short, squat hut. A few paces to the left stood a sprawling villa, bigger than Saul’s. Skye stared at the main house. How did they build such enormous houses without modern technology? Vines ran through trellises on the sides of the home, and she counted windows on first, second, and third floors.
Obviously, people had been building houses like this forever, but it was jarring to see it firsthand. She had seen smaller, more modest homes as they’d ran through the city. The rich were the only ones with homes that could be called villas.
Again, Skye wondered at Ezekiel and Saul’s places within the city government.
Ezekiel opened the door to the hut and bent low to enter.
“Mistress?” Ezekiel’s head popped out from the hut, and she smiled nervously.
“Coming.” She ducked inside, and Philip followed.
The inside of the hut was exactly what she had expected. Dirt floor, rough dirt walls, and a little light let in through a hole in the ceiling. The animal smell was strong inside the hut, and Skye spotted a mother cat washing her kittens. In one corner, a cluster of hens pecked. As soon as she saw them, they started clucking and scratching, flapping their wings and generall
y freaking out at the disruption to their lives. The mother cat hissed.
Skye couldn’t help smiling a little. She hadn’t seen chickens since she was a little girl on a school field trip.
Ezekiel led them to a crude table. Thankfully, this one had chairs around it. She didn’t really want to sit in the dirt, even if there were cushions involved.
They sat willingly, but Skye had the feeling they should be asking more questions. What if Ezekiel was the one waiting to sacrifice her? He could tie her up with barely a fight.
Resolve formed deep inside. She would do whatever she had to do to return to safety. She wouldn’t let anyone stop them. She was thankful for the time she’d spent at the soup kitchen, mingling with people who slept on the streets—some of them violent, and often telling their stories.
“So.” Philip’s voice drew her back. He sounded sure, not wavering as she had felt a moment before. “Ezekiel, you seem to know a lot about who we are and where we came from.”
Ezekiel smiled kindly, a look he seemed to have perfected. “Not at all. You see, I only know that you are not from Sumer and that you are not Hebat.” He directed the last comment to Skye.
She wanted to ask how he knew these things, but really, it wasn’t too hard to figure out. They’d shown up in jeans and t-shirts.
Philip glanced at her, as if silently asking permission to say more. She nodded. If they were to make it home, they had to trust someone. Why not Ezekiel?
“We don’t know how we ended up here,” Philip admitted. “We were somewhere else, very far away. We seemed to have fallen through…fallen through time.” His voice lowered when he said the last part.
Ezekiel didn’t seemed shocked or outraged, acting as though it was as normal as staying for dinner. “It is as I suspected.”
His calm words surprised Skye. She leaned across the table, shaking her head. “How? How did you know to even suspect such a thing?”
Her questions didn’t upset him. Instead, he sighed and leaned against the hard chair back. “It has happened before.”