Passage to Queen Mesentia (16 page)

“Why should we care what kind of burial that monster has?” Wade asked. “He tried to kill us, and not to mention, he did murder Lilly’s parents.”

“I have known him since I was boy. He grieved every second, until your parents found Mesentia. He was grateful to them. He did not kill them, but he did blame himself. I did it. I killed them. It was a tragic misunderstanding in command.”

“They’re dead,” Lilly said, stepping out from behind Wade. “And there was no misunderstanding today. He was going to kill us!”

“Binpanek had lived far longer than any person should have to live. To him, life had no value. It was only a means to the end of his pain. Although, it is a shame that it had to end this way, I am still thankful that it is over and that he can finally rest. I will guard the tomb until my death, passing the secret of his burial to mine only. He is no longer a threat to you. Nevertheless, I will respect your wishes.”

Chapter 18

From the balcony of the hotel, Lilly snuggled in her bathrobe and drank her coffee as she watched three colorful hot air balloons. Tourist were admiring the work of the Egyptians from afar, unaware of Binpanek’s tomb that probably held a thousand secrets and answers to the ancient world. She knew her parents were probably rolling over in their graves at the thought of it being sealed up without discovery. Yet they had started this adventure and would’ve most likely ended it in the same way. Lilly didn’t really know how the Pyramidion Statuette worked, but she did know it was dangerous and the best place for it was buried.

She found herself wondering if Ben had found Mesentia. In a way, she hoped he had. Sure, Ben’s quest had been insane, but he had believed it. Lilly had to respect his determination to be with his lover. And she also respected his loyalty to the small group of Egyptians he had supported for generations. That was the reason they had handed over the statuette to Schelsteder… and because Wade had pointed out that there were a lot more of them. But they hadn’t stuck around for the ritual; they had driven out of there as fast as they could.

There was a first-aid kit in the back of limo, but they didn’t dress Wade’s burn until they were in the city.  Luckily, his hand was out of the fire before any major damage had been done, but he would be in pain for awhile.

They had stopped at the first hotel they had found, and Wade paid for two rooms. The rooms were right next to one another, and Wade had given her a kiss on the cheek before unlocking his door and going inside. After she had done the same, she saw the bed, fell into it, and didn’t think or dream. She had soundly slept until an hour earlier.

She had showered and was still waiting to get her clothes back from the laundry. They had been covered in sand and mud—but the maid hadn’t paid much attention to it. Lilly guessed she was used to dirty clothes from people exploring in the desert. Lilly was bruised and scraped and her shoulder hurt a little, but all of that would heal pretty quickly. What she was worried about the most was her relationship with Wade.  

As she went back inside, she wondered if he was up. She hoped that the separate rooms were no indication of the way he felt. After a good night’s sleep, would he scrutinize everything again and realize she wasn’t worth all the hassle? Perhaps he would think that now, since she was safe, she no longer needed him. But she did.

She sat at the round table in the room and daydreamed of her future. In her thoughts, she sat in a pink room, not unlike her childhood bedroom. She pulled the blankets up to the chin of a little girl with pigtails,
her
little girl. Her daughter said, “Mommy, tell me the story of Princess Lilly. Tell me how her handsome prince saved her from the evil snakeman.” After the story, Lilly would tell her, “One day your handsome prince will rescue you. He will sweep you off your feet and… ”

“No!” Lilly said and stood up. It was all wrong! It would be different for her little girl. She didn’t want her daughter blinded the way she had been. She didn’t want to put thoughts into her head about finding the perfect man. She knew her mom had meant well, but it wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right. “Fairy tales are wonderful,” she said. “But sometimes, Mom, it’s up to the princess to make sure there’s a happy ending.”

***

Wade shut the door after he’d tipped the man who had handed him his clothes. He let his towel drop and then got dressed, cursing the whole time about his hat. Sure, he had more hats at home but that had been his favorite. Going and searching for it had crossed his mind, but he decided against it. He didn’t want to spend any more time in this place. He was planning on getting the hell out of Dodge on the next stage that left at noon.

He also planned on giving Lilly some space. Even though he had been exhausted the night before, he had tossed and turned and had dreamed and thought about everything that had happened. He hated to admit the conclusion he had come to: he and Ben weren’t that much unalike.

Ben had done things he thought he was doing for love. But the truth was, he’d been obsessed. Over the years, he had completely lost the true meaning of love. In other words, love had turned him crazy. Even though Wade wasn’t planning on doing some weird five-thousand-year-old ritual, he felt like he had gone a little crazy, too. Everything he did he’d told himself he was doing for Lilly, but what he had actually done was push her further away.

He wondered if Lilly would’ve come to him for help if he’d given her the space she had asked for to begin with. He would never know because he hadn’t given her the chance. He’d been in her face every second.

He stood at the bathroom sink, finger-combing his hair with his left hand that didn’t have the bandage. “Not anymore,” he told himself. After they got home, he would find an apartment, and if and when Lilly was ready, then they could see about things. Because there was no telling how she felt now after everything she had been put through. So until then, he would wait. Patiently.

A knock at the door brought him out of his thoughts. He walked to the door and opened it to the man who had brought him his clothes earlier. He said something and handed Wade a piece of paper. The man didn’t leave, but Wade wasn’t about to give him more money, so he smiled and nodded and shut the door.

A few minutes later, Wade found the stairs that led up to the roof. It was a perfect morning.

A little walkway led to a covered patio, the lattice roof draped in bold colorful fabrics. A long table sat in the middle of the area, spread with breakfast foods. Beyond the table, Lilly stood beside the open balcony, the mountains behind her. She was so beautiful. Her already dark skin was now bronzed a little deeper from the Egyptian sun. She was fresh-faced, and her hair was wavy down to her shoulders, blowing slightly in the wind.

Wade rubbed his hand down his face when he remembered what he had been telling himself all night and all morning, but the smile just wouldn’t go away. And all he wanted to do was hold her close and stare into her dark eyes and tell her how much he loved her. Instead, he said, “Good Morning.”

She smiled as she walked over to him. “Are you hungry?”

He nodded, forcing his attention on the table instead of her. “This all for us? Or are we expecting guests?”

“Nope, I reserved it all for us. So we can be alone.”

His heart thudded a little in his chest as he turned his head slowly to look at her. “Are you sure we have time? I booked us on the next flight.”

She stood closer now and gently grasped his hand and she softly said, “Wade, I love you. I’ve never stopped loving you. I was lost, but now I realize I’m lost without you.” She bent down to one knee, still holding his hand and never lost eye contact.

“What are you up to?” Wade asked, but he knew and his heart jumped.

“Wade Roberts, if you’ll still have me, I would love to be your wife. Will you marry me?”

He grinned. “Ask me again so we’ll be even.”

“I love you, Wade. Will you be my husband?”

Wade pulled Lilly up to standing and then wrapped his arms around her, holding on tight. She felt so good. So comfortable. He had missed her so much.

“Is that a yes?” she asked in a muffled voice against his chest.

“I would love to be your husband.” He stepped back so he could see her smiling face and said, “But one thing, Baby. I’m afraid you’ve broken my new patience vow.” He arched his eyebrow and tried to control his breathing, hoping she felt just as anxious to be with him.

“What about breakfast and our flight home?”

“I’m not hungry and wherever you are, I’m home.”

“I’m really glad to hear that because I reserved my room for another night.”

“Is that right?”

“That’s right,” Princess Lilly said as she took her prince in her arms and kissed him.

And they lived happily ever after.

The End

Copyright

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Passage to  Queen Mesentia
Copyright © 2011 by Dorlana Vann. All rights reserved. No part of this text may be reproduced, electronically or in print, in any form.

A Pixie Punk Press eBook

Houston, TX

www.dorlanavann.com

Dedication, Acknowledgements, and Bibliography

For my husband, Don.

Thanks and gratitude to the following people for critiques, cover art, formatting and/or encouragement: Doria Vann, Don Vann, Theresa Laws, Chrissa Sandlin, Doris Roberts, Darah Vann, Dean Vann, and the Humble Fiction Café. I couldn’t have completed this book without any of you.

I would also like to give a big THANK YOU to the authors of the
Egypt
: Lonely Planet Publications
2006
. This guidebook was my main source for researching the modern day Egypt of 2005. Visitor ratings, reviews, and/or videos from the website
http://www.tripadvisor.com
and
www.youtube.com
were also used as references.

The following books were used in researching ancient Egypt. I have always been a huge fan of ancient Egypt, and I actually found all the books needed for my research on my own shelves. 

Wilson, Hilary:
Understanding Hieroglyphs
: a quick and simple guide. Brockhampton Press: 1993
 

Forman, Laura:
Cleopatra’s Palace
: in search of a legend. New York: Random House: 1999

Budge, E.A. Wallis:
The Egyptian Book of the Dead: (The Papyrus of Ani) Egyptian Text Transliteration and
 

Translation
by Dover Publications, INC. New York: first published in 1967 - Unabridged reprint of 1895 edition.
The Mummy: The secrets of Ancient Egypt’s funereal amulets and scarabs, Idols, and Mummy-making, and How to read Hieroglyphics
: New York: Macmillan Company: 1972.

The Editors of Time-Life Books:
Egypt: Land of the Pharaohs
: Alexandria, Virginia: Time Life Books: 1992.
The Age of the God Kings Time Frame 3000 -1500 BC
: Alexandria, Virginia: Time Life Books 1987.