Ricochet Through Time (Echo Trilogy Book 3)
Page 37
I shook my head, ever so slowly, and smiled.
Marcus’s brow furrowed, and his eyes searched mine. After a few heartbeats, his brow smoothed and a broad grin spread across his face. “Little Ivanov? Are you saying—”
“I’m pregnant.”
His hand was shaking as he set the glass and bottle of wine on the ground beside him. He didn’t notice when the glass fell over, spilling the wine into the grass and dirt; he was too focused on me. He leaned across the picnic basket and took hold of my face, kissing me and laughing and possibly even crying a little all at the same time. It was pretty much the best reaction I could’ve imagined.
“How long have you known?” he asked when he finally released me.
“I received a call from the doctor’s office this morning, just after I got off the phone with Kat.”
Marcus shook his head slowly, wonder filling his golden eyes, making them glow like the sun.
“Mother? Are you there?”
My mouth fell open, and I slapped my hand to my chest, my fingers gripping the At falcon pendant hanging there. “Yes!” My eyes locked with Marcus’s. “It’s Syris,” I told him, chin trembling, then reached for his hand and brought it up to the pendant so he could hear our son as well. “We’re both here,” I said. It was the first time we’d heard from the twins in a couple weeks. They usually checked in every few days. “Where have you been?”
“I’m sorry, Mother!” Susie said. “It’s my fault. I accidentally created a time vortex, and …”
As I stared into Marcus’s eyes, listening to our divine children recount their most recent exploits in an entirely different universe, a swell of pure, unadulterated serenity rose up around me and I felt an intense sense of rightness. This was what it had all been for—all the pain and suffering, all the fear and worry and not-knowing. This perfect, joyous moment, on this hillside. It had all been for this.
And it was worth it.
The end
***
Thanks for reading! You’ve reached the end of Ricochet Through Time (Echo Trilogy, #3), and this concludes the Echo Trilogy, but Kat’s story is only just beginning. Ink Witch (Kat Dubois Chronicles, #1) continues Kat’s story. And don’t worry, Lex is in there, too. :)
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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 took 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 Co
nsidered 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
3: Ricochet Through Time
KAT DUBOIS CHRONICLES
1: Ink Witch
2: Outcast
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
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON LINDSEY FAIRLEIGH & THE ECHO TRILOGY:
www.lindseyfairleigh.com
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