Passage to Queen Mesentia (7 page)

“Wait, wait, wait,” Wade said. “Hold it right there. Unas?” Wade asked Lilly: “Isn’t that the same guy your parents were talking about at their lecture and in the journals?”

She nodded. “The mummy they found was his lost queen. Queen Mesentia.”

The waitress came to the table and sat their drinks down. “Are y’all ready to order?”

“Can we have a few minutes?” Lilly asked. When she looked back at Ben, he stared blankly out into the restaurant. “You knew him? My goodness my parents… you and this story must have given them the thrill of a lifetime.”

“You don’t believe this crap, do you?” Wade said.

She turned her attention to Wade. She knew she had to calm him down or he would storm out of there like a little kid who didn’t win a board game. On the other hand, she didn’t want to offend Ben by calling him a liar. She gently said, “We gave him our word that we would listen to his story… remember?”

“But it’s so ridiculous…”

“Please,” she said.

Wade hastily took a bite of his apple while glaring at Ben. 

Lilly said, “What happened when you met with him?”

Ben’s glassy eyes finally blinked. He smiled at her as he nodded his head. “In a short while, we had identified a thief who had been skimming the shipments for his own profits and decided upon the appropriate punishment. Our business complete, I was shown to my chambers for a welcomed rest. My men were given hammocks and cots in the antechamber to a royal suite. I walked through their quarters to the cedar door—a piece of home—that opened to a lavish and comfortable room.

“Later that evening, Unas invited me to a feast. I drank beer, ate from overflowing platters of bread and fruit, enjoyed the entertainment, and talked with Unas about pleasantries. As I was preparing to retire, she walked in… the vision.    

“She had long, braided hair, rich skin, and mysterious eyes. I still remember how she made me suffer in that very instant. She must have felt my stare for slowly she turned her attention to me. I watched her take an impetuous breath before quickly averting her eyes to Unas.

“Unas introduced her as his wife, the Queen Mesentia.
His wife
. Every word afterwards seemed like blurred vision. She sat beside her husband, and even though she tried to pretend it wasn’t so, I had her attention for the remainder of the night. I also knew the instant and intense ache between us was incredibly dangerous.

“I went back home the next morning, but soon thoughts of her that I could not drown away with my own wives consumed my days and nights. Confused by my fascination, I forced myself to analyze why I would obsess over one woman who I had never even spoken to. Nevertheless, in the next instant, I fell back into my dream world. It had begun to affect my rule.”

“Are y’all ready to order… yet?”

“Bring us your special,” Wade said.

“Three specials…”

Ben had been staring into Lilly’s eyes, the contact so intense she felt like she had been taken back in time with his memories. She didn’t want the swept-away feeling to end. She had to know more. “What did you do?” she whispered. “Did you ever see her again?” She felt Wade fidget, but he kept quiet, so she kept her attention on Ben.

Ben continued, “I told myself if I could see her, or touch her, I would be cured of the curse her beauty had bound to me. I decided to accept an offer Unas had made to me on my previous visit, a hunting trip.

“After my arrival, and as I changed to go hunting, I heard raised voices in the next room followed by banging on my door.  It was my chief officer, Ganel who told me, ‘she insists on disturbing you.’ My eyes focused behind him. Mesentia stood, not with her eyes down in formal respect, but with a stare that met mine with determination. That time,
I
took the excited breath.

“I told Ganel it was all right, that I would see her. He tried to protest my decision, but I refused his advice. I stepped aside without hesitation, letting her enter my chamber. I shut the door but stood for a second with my back to her, my heart already pounding in anticipation of what I had done by welcoming her into my private room.

“‘Unas is ill and unable to hunt today,”’ she said from behind me. ‘He will remain in his chambers till the morning.’

“I turned and examined her, from head to toe. She did not wear any of the embellishments she had the night of my last visit: no wig, no make-up, and no jewelry. Her auburn hair hung loose to her shoulders, and she wore an informal sheer, white gown. I knew from the lack of sandals she had come to see me in haste, most likely before thinking it through.

“I asked, ‘Unas sent his queen to deliver this message?’ and then walked past her, inhaling the fragrance of cinnamon and frankincense. I stood on the other side of her, deliberately giving her free passage to the door.

“She softly said that she must go, however she did not; instead she slowly turned and met my gaze. I had dreamed of her, of that moment, and her eyes told me she’d had the same dreams. Consequences didn’t enter my mind as I stepped close enough to ensure my intentions were clear. Tears streamed down her cheeks as I reached out and caressed her face. The feel of her soft, delicate skin didn’t cure me as I had hoped; it only made my desire for her grow.  

“She closed her eyes and tilted her face up, inviting me in. Our lips touched, the burst of passion flooding my body and fueling my escalating cravings for her. As her garments fell to her feet, and I held my love in my arms, I didn’t care what I had to give up… as long as I had my queen.” 

“All right!” Wade said. “Really? Was all that really necessary? I mean, how many times have you told
that
story? Seems a bit rehearsed. I don’t see how anyone would actually… Lilly!”

“What?” she asked, but felt herself blush when she realized how intently she’d gotten into his story. She felt a little dazed and forced herself not to exhale loudly through her mouth. When she peeked at Wade, he shook his head, like he was disgusted.

Wade said, “I really don’t see what all this has to do with anything. So what? You had sex with this mummy, the pharaoh’s wife. Can’t say that I’m surprised. Now what does that have to do with anything?”

“Everything,” Ben said, his jaw tight and his eyes mere slits as he glared at Wade. “It had not been a casual affair. I loved Mesentia from the instant I saw her. A love so powerful it has lasted centuries. I understood our deep connection, even then. I found every excuse and opportunity to visit Egypt. Since Unas’ sickness grew everyday, we stole moments alone together as often as possible. Alone in my chambers, we were as any lovers, unaffected by the outside world, happy and mad in love.  

“However, it had become so easy to be together that we had become careless. One day slipped into night without us realizing, and we fell asleep in each other’s arms. I woke to shouting and someone pounding at my door. I heard weapons clanking, grunts, and the dying sounds of my men… defending my honor.

“‘Get up, Tia.’ My panic woke her from her happy slumber. I scanned the room in vain for a place for her to hide or to escape. She grabbed her clothes and had them against her when the door burst open. Bloody, Ganel tumbled in and fell dead on the floor. I knew he must have been the last to die, because of how quiet it had become. I leapt across the room, going for my dagger, as Unas’ men entered, followed by Unas.

“Unas stood at the doorway as he said, ‘Kill her,’ and walked out. By that time, I had my weapon in my hands, and I had begun to fight. Down went one man, and then another, but then I heard Mesentia scream my name before she screamed out in pain. I fought my way toward her, but there were too many men. As I fell to the ground, the weight of the men crushing me, I could only watch as they carried her lifeless body out. ‘Tia!’ I cried, and held my hand out to her, hoping she would call out to me again. She said nothing. They had murdered her. I felt the immense pain only for a second as my head was yanked up by my hair and then bashed onto the stone floor.

“When I opened my eyes, I recognized the painted ceiling, the colors still vivid in the dim light. I lay in Unas’ tomb. The scent of blood, sweat, and death, more foul than I had ever known, immediately invaded my mouth and nose. I caught a glimpse of a shadow to my right and then the creature came into full view: a human-sized jackal with tall ears, Egyptian eyes, and a black face. It startled me, until I saw a man’s eyes peering through two holes below the animal’s chin. When I tried to sit up, I found myself tied down to a table. I struggled with the ropes, but only for a second, because as soon as the masked man took a step back, I saw Mesentia lying on a table next to mine.  

Another one of these costumed beasts had his hands inside of her opened chest. I knew a good deal about Egyptian funeral rituals; we had adopted some over the years, and I knew they were preparing her for the afterlife—removing the heart that I had just felt beat against my chest. I turned my head and vomited, and then cried, ‘Unas! Kill me!’ The man in the mask walked back over to me and blew something from his open palm. I inhaled, sneezed, and gagged. The jackal chanted words that made no sense and held the golden pyramid in his other hand. Wind began to swirl the dust in the room. I felt fire, first on my feet, the pain surging up my legs to my stomach. I felt a swift but tremendous force, as if someone had reached through my skin and pulled out every organ at once. I then watched him drop the small statue in the same canopic jar as Mesentia’s heart had been placed. I cried out in pain and in triumph because I thought they were torturing me to death—and then I succumbed to complete exhaustion, content and ready to see Mesentia again.   

“When I woke the second time, I lay on the floor in the belly of a ship, the undeniable movement of the sea queazing my stomach. As I opened my eyes to darkness, I realized my hands and feet were bound. ‘Tia,’ was the only thing on my mind and the only words out of my mouth. Unas was there and reminded me that she was dead. I asked why he had spared my life but murdered his queen.

“I will never forget his words. ‘You are a serpent. You poisoned the Queen’s mind.
You
murdered Mesentia! You left me no choice. What kind of leader would I be if I had allowed such treason? Now she must suffer for her betrayal. Never will anyone speak her name in this life or another. Her grave goes unmarked. No one will ever know she existed, as I will try to forget. As for you, I only spared the next world a false king. I cursed you, from this night forward as Binpanek, the evil serpent, to roam this world in darkness… forever. You will never be able to pass over to the same place as my queen. You will never see her again, and you’ll never escape the curse of the Pyramidion Statuette. ’

“He went on to tell me how he planned to tell my people about the great battle we fought for Egypt, and how Ganel’s body would be prepared for the afterlife and then presented as me. They would accept the gesture knowing how important it is to preserve the body quickly. He assured me that ‘I’ would be paraded down the streets of Gubla for all to see how I had passed on and become a rightful deity.  He said, ‘You see, I put the peace and the welfare of all the people ahead of my own selfish desires… like a true king should.’

“I was shipped to Atlantis Island and sold as a slave. It wasn’t until the great volcano erupted and I found myself adrift in the sea for weeks without water or food that I realized I didn’t need any.  I also realized that since the entire population had become extinct, except for me, that Unas’ curse had been true. I had been so wrapped in grief, guilt, and despair that I had not even noticed a millennium had passed while on the island.

Chapter 9

The memories of what had happened in the park faded a little more with each passing minute. Now that they sat in a normal setting—no darkness, no guns being pointed at them, and their lives no longer in danger—thinking Ben an actual vampire seemed absurd. Wade had no doubt that Ben believed it; he had the fake accent, the long dark coat, he only went places at night, and he went around biting people… Wade couldn’t believe he’d bought into what this lunatic had said. Worse, since the beginning of the crazy conversation, Wade had watched Lilly’s reactions. Obviously, she thought Ben was the best thing since King Tut.

Ben appeared larger than normal in the tiny booth. He leaned forward, his bent arms the length of the table, holding eye contact with Lilly. “I realize what this must sound like,” Ben said.

“He’s delusional,” Wade said. “He’s probably some mental patient who—” he stopped because Ben had his knife. He hadn’t seen him take it. “Hey, watch it there!” Wade instinctively put his arm in front of Lilly.

Ben paid no mind, but proceeded to open the knife and then slice his own wrist. Both Wade and Lilly gasped and sat back in the seat. Wade waited for the blood to pour out of the large open wound but none came, and it completely healed in less than five seconds.

“Whoa,” Wade said. “Let’s go… now!” He grabbed Lilly’s arm and started moving out of the booth, but she sat firm.

Ben said, “I apologize for having to use such crude measures to demonstrate my truth. It is important to me that you believe what I have said. I assure you, Lillian, you are not in any danger from me.” He closed the knife and slid it across the table to Wade.

Wade hesitated for a second but then grabbed the knife and put it in his pants pocket before Ben got any more bright ideas. “Why should we think that, you blood-sucker?”

“I am not a vampire. I do not need blood to survive.”

“So that guy in woods?” Wade asked. “Just for fun?”

“I am cursed. I do not feed on human blood. I do grow sharp teeth like a serpent, and I can deliver a deadly poison straight to the blood stream. I did not drink that man’s blood. I only poisoned it. I need nothing to exist. I am not so simple that I can stop feeding and die. If so, I would have ended this torture centuries ago. My curse is immortality, and therefore I can
not
die.”

“Well what about the sunlight and going everywhere at night?” Wade asked. “If you want to die so bad, how come you don’t just step out into the sun and get it over with.”