𝐈 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐀 𝐁𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐒𝐋𝐀𝐕𝐄, 𝙞𝙢𝙝𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙥 𝙭 𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙘

Chapter seven

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"Uncle, Uncle." A muffled voice sounded throughout my darkness and I felt someone shake me. I shot up after realising that it was my nephew in a panicked manner. "Alex, what is it?!" He just sighed in relief and hugged my middle. "Nothing. I just thought for a minute then that you were not going to wake." I patted Alex on the head and thanked him for worrying about me. "I'm glad you're ok." He sniffed. "Yeah. Me too. Did that bastard hurt you?" My eyebrow rose at my nephew's words. "Language." But nevertheless I chuckled. "No. Imhotep didn't hurt me. If anything he annoys me." Alex shifted until he was facing me with a curious expression. "How come?" I placed my hands out behind me and licked my lips, wondering where to start. "He acts strange. He acts as if he loves me. But I don't know if it is real love. It feels almost as if he wants me around because he likes the thought of me and him. But not really me." I looked up from the sand that I was staring at to the eyes of Alex. 

He looked at me with a sympathetic expression. "Do you like him that way?" I scoffed. It felt as if I was having a therapy session with my eight-year-old nephew. His eyes pressed into mine as if to persist with his question using silence. I groaned, running my left hand through my sandy hair. "I don't know." I stated. "I don't know what to think." Alex nodded slowly. "Do you want to talk to him? About it I mean." I shook my head. "No. I want space." I was sure of that bit. "Ok. Anything else you need to talk to me about?" I chuckled. "I wanted to say something about my visions but everything got a bit hectic." "Visions?" Alex's eyebrow's knotted together. I nodded. "I have dreams about Egypt. I was there. I was Pharoah Seti the first's adopted son. My name was Erebus and I believe that I was, or am, a decent of Anubis." He watched me with wide eyes. "Do these dreams feel real?" "Oh yeah. They're very real. But I got killed by the Pharoah's concubine. Anck-su-namun." "Snake lady?" I giggled and sent a nod his way. "Snake lady."

"I hate her." Alex said bluntly. "As do I. And I hated her back then too." "Nothings changed then." Alex said with a chuckle. But our convocation stopped dead as a man in red told us to stand and to follow him. I kept Alex close, protecting him with my body. The man led us to some camels and others were already on them waiting and packed with their things. Alex climbed onto one and I was about to follow him when a cough caught my attention. Imhotep was behind me on a camel. He held his hand out to me, fully expecting me to take it. "You will be riding with me, Eric." He said in a calm voice. And he called me by my proper name. I inhaled heavily and took his hand. I got onto his camel behind him and found out that I had to wrap my arms around his middle in order to hold on. I was hesitant in doing so due to his behaviour recently. When I did, I could feel his smirk pressed into my mind. I pushed the thought out of my head and looked over at Alex, who was currently reading a book and had a camel to himself. I smiled, knowing that he was unharmed and content, even if it was just for the moment.

"Are you ok?" Imhotep asked as we started off. When I gave no response, he spoke again. "I'm sorry. I just want me and you to work. 3000 years ago we didn't because of your feelings. Now is different." I huffed. "Yeah. It is different. This time I do not like you that way." I snapped, not fully aware of what I had said. It felt as if he was thinking for a moment. "Are you insinuating that you wanted us to be 3000 years ago?" His voice was confused and cautious. "That's not what I said." "Is to." He joked. I could feel him smirk. "Did your visions show why you did not say?" My mind thought back to the night when Anck-su-namun killed me. I knew Imhotep felt something for her and something inside told me not to interfere. I was not a bad person. I shook my head. "No." I muttered, hoping that he would not suspect anything. He hummed in response and the convocation seized. 

I felt as if a pair of eyes were burning through the back of my head. I turned around only to see Anck-su-namun staring straight at me with devil eyes. She mouthed the words, He's mine, before looking away, fuming. I looked back to my front, wondering what exactly I had been forced into. We arrived hours later to a river running through giant rock that loomed over the waters. There was a huge pebble bank where we all set up camp and it did not take long for darkness to turn up. Like the night before, I was to bunk up with the High Priest and his Snake. Alex was taken to another tent, escorted by several men in red. I sighed, sad that I could not see my nephew after the long day of traveling with Imhotep. I left him with Anck-su-namun because I craved some alone time. I walked towards the edge of the bank and close to the shimmering waters. I looked towards the water suddenly getting a great idea. I rolled back my shoulder blades and dived into the coolness. 

I swam and swam around, cooling off completely. I loved the water since I was a little kid. Every time I went to Egypt, it was all sand and no water. I thanked the Gods for giving me this opportunity this time. Minutes later, I heard a shout from the bank. I looked and saw Imhotep, standing without his robe and only his Egyptian skirt. I couldn't help but stare a little as this was the first I saw of him without a robe on his person. He was well built with a smooth physique. Not a lot of muscle but still in good shape. And he had a small ankh tattoo on his left rib. Strange, I didn't think Egyptians back then had tattoos. He shouted my name again breaking me out from my thoughts. "Eric. Come." He motioned for me to get out and join him. I did so, not knowing if I should rebel or not. "You called?" I questioned as I got to his side. "I've just had an interesting convocation with you child." I narrowed my eyes but nodded when I realised that he was talking about Alex. 

"What he say?" Imhotep huffed nervously. "Well. He wasn't really beat around the bush about it." I shrugged. "That's Alex." He looked at me before looking out at the water. "Alex, he told me of your strange feelings about me." My eyebrow shot up and I had to force my gaze away from him. "He said that I make you feel strange. That I make you feel confused. May I ask why?" I didn't have to look at him to know that his eyes were on me. I just had a strong feeling that they were. "Look. Um." I didn't know where to begin with my speech. "Eric, do I make you feel uncomfortable?" I turned to him, seeing his eyes drop to the floor. "No. Not uncomfortable." I slowly made my way to the pebble floor and sat down. "It's more, well, I'm just confused." He then sat beside me but his eyes looked down to his hands which he fidgeted with severely. "Do you not feel that way about me? At all?" Imhotep's voice faded a little and he didn't seem to like what he was saying. 

I suddenly felt guilty. This man beside me had waited and waited for me for over 3000 years. He had felt something for me for over 3000 years. "Imhotep." I started and my hands seemed to automatically moved over to his, grasping them in my own. "I have never loved anyone before. I have never trusted anyone before. And it scares me that I trust you. I don't know yet if I feel what you feel but I assure you that I do not hate you. Something inside me forbids it." I caressed his fingers with mine and intertwined our fingers. His eyes slowly found mine and they showed a slight happiness. "That is what I feel. That is the truth." I smiled and surprised myself when I leaned in to embrace him. My hands wrapped around his neck and I buried my face into the crook of his neck. I felt his arms trail up my back and wrap around my smaller frame. His breath was on my neck and I suddenly felt like everything was going to be ok. He gently traced shapes and symbols onto my back, causing me to feel drowsy. "Thank you." His velvety voice sounded close to me ear, making me shiver. I tightened my body against him. 

.·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·.