I Fell In Love With A Pharaoh

Chapter 8

"Hebe! It's good to see you." Helena surprised Hebe by hugging her. Helena pulled back and looked at her friend from arms length. "You haven't changed in all the years that we've known each other."

Hebe laughed as she awkwardly hugged Helena back. "I have really good genes."

Helena snorted as she pulled back. "I think it's the fact that you eat really good food and get in your exercise."

"When I'm not buried in my work you mean."

Helena laughed. "Of course." Helena linked arms with Hebe as Hebe led her into Dante's impressive mansion.

"Would you like a tour?"

"Yes please. I am curious to see how the wealthy live."

Hebe played tour guide for the next few hours. She ended the tour in the Egyptian room. Helena looked about her in awe.

"I have never seen a private collection this big."

Hebe looked about the room with new eyes. "It's one of the biggest that I've ever seen." Hebe crossed her arms as she watched Helena wander about the room. "This is also one of the hardest projects I've ever done. Dante has items from so many different cultures and time periods that it's almost impossible to get them in any semblance of order."

Helena turned and looked over at Hebe. Helena reached out and lightly trailed a fingernail over the glass container protecting an object. "He seems to know what he's doing."

"It would seem so. Dante's family has been collecting antiques for decades, maybe even centuries."

"Are these the objects that you were telling me about?"

Hebe walked over to where Helena was standing over the mummified body parts. "Yes."

Helena leaned closer to look at them. "They seem to be in pristine condition. I wonder what happened to the body."

"That is the greatest mystery of all. All I can tell you is that the body those pieces belong to someone who was embalmed with care. I'm guessing they belong to an official, priest, priestess, a pharaoh or someone within the royal family."

Helena nodded as she straightened up. "They are unremarkable in that there is nothing with them." Helena looked at Hebe in concern. "I wonder what it means that you are having visions of this Pharaoh."

"It makes me wonder if I'm suffering from some medical disorder."

Helen scoffed. "You are healthy as a horse, Hebe."

"I know," Hebe sighed. "But the thought had crossed my mind."

"Has anything new happened since we last talked?"

"Yes." Hebe ran a hand through her loose hair in agitation. "I saw him again after I finished talking to you. I was in the library reading a book and he appeared before me."

"And." Helena prompted when Hebe quit talking.

"He touched me. He was sitting across from me and he reached out with his hand. I reached out to touch his hand thinking that my hand would go through his, but instead he shocked me. Then he touched me on the cheek. He disappeared after that."

"Oh. My. God! That must have been scary."

Hebe squeezed the hand Helena put on her arm. "It scared the bejeezus out of me that's for sure."

"And he just disappeared."

"Yeah, like he always does."

"Hmmm." Helena tapped her finger against her chin. "I am way out my depth here Hebe, but I know someone who can help."

Hebe perked up. "You do?"

Helena gave Hebe an impish grin. "You remember me talking about my quirky aunt, right."

"Yeah?"

"Well, she dabbles in the occult. I know that she'll be able to provide us with some answers here."

"All we can do is give it a shot. I want to know what's going on and that I'm not a little touched in the head."

Helena gave a peal of laughter. "Everyone knows that you're a little crazy. You crawl through ancient ruins and handle bones for a living."

"It could be worse." Hebe retorted. "I could be a mortician."

Dante interrupted them and Helena spent the rest of the day being fawned over by Dante. Hebe didn't mind. Helena was beautiful and Dante loved beauty. It didn't take Dante long to figure out that Helena was of Greek descent as well. He was excited when he found out that Hebe and Helena's families migrated from the same Greek village during the same time period.

Hebe left Dante and Helena to chat about medieval Europe after the evening meal. A long hot bath was calling Hebe's name and after today, Hebe needed one. Hebe was grateful that Dante went all out with his mansion when she sank down into the wonderful bathtub that could have comfortably fit four people. It was more of a bathing pool really, but Hebe didn't mind. She liked being able to float in the bathtub if she wanted to.

The water was warm and Hebe let her head fall back as she rested against the edge of the tub. The only noise to be heard was the faint pop and crackle of the candles that she had lit and the bird song that drifted in through the open windows. Hebe's eyes drifted shut and she let her mind drift wherever it wanted to go.

Hebe woke with a start a little while later. She had fallen asleep and the water in her bath had grown cold. Hebe let out a groan as she climbed from the bath and toweled off. She did her nighttime routine before she crawled into bed. Hebe was out as soon as she felt the cool sheets against her skin.