The Anathema of Akhenaten (Book 3 of the "Patrick Malone Adventures" series)

Chapter Eight

"A magic scroll?" Enrico asked, sitting in a chair against the wall of the room. He scratched his neck and looked to the floor. The caracal Akhenaten was staring at him.

"Yes, Elizabeth said that with it she and Foster would rule Toronto, what she called the 'new Akhetaten." Julie explained, cradling Patch who was once again tugging at her hair. She looked at Akhenaten and asked: "Want the baby to pet you, kitty?" Akhenaten simply looked at Julie for a moment before looking once more at Enrico.

"The new Akhetaten?" Enrico asked, an incredulous expression upon his countenance. "They think that Toronto is that? They think Toronto is the new Akhetaten."

"Yes, Uncle." Patrick said. "I mean if Foster identifies as Akhenaten—" The caracal Akhenaten looked at Patrick, hearing his name spoken. Patrick looked at the caracal from the corner of his eye before again looking at his uncle. "Let me rephrase. If Foster identifies as Ikhnaton and Elizabeth as Nefertiti then it is only logical that they would identify Toronto, the city they currently reside in, as Akhetaten."

"And if this scroll actually has the power to make them rules of Toronto then it has to be destroyed." Julie added. "It is too dangerous."

"Terrific." Enrico uttered. "Then we just wait for Foster and Morgan to return here with the scroll. We take the scroll, destroy it and then we can go home!"

"Yes..." Patrick looked to the side for a moment. He saw Ay entering the room without knocking and he had some guards behind him. Standing up, Patrick asked: "Is it time to do my duty, my good lord?"

Ay looked to Akhenaten. The caracal was once more growling at him. He then looked at Enrico, "Antaeus", the Earth Giant, the Greatest Wrestler in all of Achaea. He then looked at Patrick and said: "The woman who claims to be my late daughter Nefertiti—"

"Has been executed, my good lord?" Patrick inquired.

"Has told me you are not to be trusted, Khaemweset." Ay finished. "She told me of your origins." Ay began to circle Patrick, glaring at him just as he was glared at by Julie and Enrico. Neither trusted him, why should a usurper be trusted when Horemheb was the rightful heir? "Told me whom your mother's family is and I did not believe it at first but I do see some sort of a resemblance."

Patrick raised one of his red eyebrows in curiosity. "My good lord?" He wanted to know where Ay was going with this.

"You are related to Horemheb and are in truth here to prevent me from taking the throne in his absence!" Ay exclaimed, stopping on Patrick's left and leaning in close to his ear.

Patrick could only crack an amused smile. According to the Book of the Taking of Ireland, the father of the Gaels had been born of an Egyptian princess. The father of this princess was the Pharaoh of the Exodus. According to Rabbinical Judaism, Moses had been born in 1391 BC and since Moses was eighty at the time of the Exodus, that made the year the Exodus happened 1311 BC at which time Horemheb sat on the throne of Egypt. That was clever of Elizabeth. There was a multitude of candidates for the position such as Thutmose I, Thutmose II and even Akhenaten himself as proposed by Sigmund Freud and Patrick had the luck, be it good or bad, to be in a time when Ay was aiming to steal the throne from Horemheb while he was on campaign in Asia.

Giving a chuckle, Patrick said: "I am indeed kin to Horemheb. I am to kin to Horemheb, the first two Thutmoses, Ahmose I, our great king Akhenaten and the Lords of the Double Kingdom who shall come after Horemheb."

Not finding any amusement Ay singlehandedly grabbed Patrick by the neck and snarled: "What talk is this? How can you be kin to all of these people you name? Who are you really? What are you?"