Daughter of the Nile

Chapter Twenty-Four

Italics = Latin
Bold = Ancient Egyptian

The next evening, Ahk approached Larry, his shoulders slumped as if he carried a great burden.

"Guardian?"

"Yeah, Akh; what's up?" Larry asked in concern.

"Is it your....nephew?" Teddy, who stood beside Larry asked softly.

"Yes," Ahk nodded. "M-My tablet.....He....." Ahk broke down, leaning against the nearest wall for support. "It brings him back like the rest of us..............."

"Oh, dear lord..." Teddy breathed.

When sundown came, Octavius found himself thrown from his exhibit, and *flash* turned to human-size again. Battling back the headache and nausea, he pulled himself to his feet and stumbled to the Egyptian wing.

There, he found Bek cradling the little coffin once more, humming a (presumably) Egyptian lullaby as tears silently rolled down her face.

"Mea domina," he gasped, leaning on the doorframe to her tomb exhibit for support.

She whirled around to face him at the sound of his voice. "General!" She ran to him without hesitation. He quickly untied and removed his helmet, allowing her to press her forehead to his when she reached him, her hand not holding her son's coffin to her chest coming to rest on his shoulder.

"Will the gods never dry your tears?" he murmured, dropping his helmet in favor of thumbing her tears away.

"Not until my son can have peace," she whispered.

Octavius frowned "Bektamunet?"

"He's a mummified corpse, just like me and Ahkmen."

The Roman's heart broke yet again. "O, deii......" The miscarried child was being brought back each night only to die again from being out of the womb too early. "Cannot the Pharaoh adjust the Tablet to exclude Nahk-amen?" he asked.

Bek smiled through her watery eyes at Octavius' remembering her son's name. "I do not know."

"Let us find out."

Larry, Teddy, Sacajawea, Atilla, Bektamunet, and a full-sized Octavius carrying a still miniature Jed stood in Ahkmenrah's tomb watched him pace and mutter in Ancient Egyptian to himself as he pointed to different symbols on the tablet in his hands.

Octavius kept one arm around Bek's waist as she still held her son's little coffin.

"....I......I think I've got it......" Ahk finally said, turning to face his friends and family. Bek took a few steps forward to meet Ahk in the middle of the tomb. He turned two the tiles of the Tablet, speaking in Ancient Egyptian as a tear slid down his face. The coffin in Bek's hands glowed golden for a long moment, then faded. Ahk quickly folded his sister in his arms as they grieved the child that neither of them would ever get to know.

"He won't suffer anymore, Sister," Ahk murmured. "The gods will surely welcome him into the afterlife. Thoth will judge our Nahk-amen true. Hathor will greet him with open arms, and Isis herself will take him into her care."

"I know," Bek sniffed with a nod.

The others stood near the entrance of the tomb in silent support, ready to move forward the moment there was any indication they were wanted or needed.

O, deii = Oh, gods