Later that day...
Jayhawk had taken a refreshing shower, as had all of the others, to wash off the clinging dust and grit of the desert collected from the ride in the open bay truck. Yes, even angels needed a wash now and then when on earthly business.
He was walking down the hallway past Civis' room when his ear caught an untypical but not unfamiliar noise through the room's door...
Scrape...scrape...scrape...scrape...scrape...
The angel knocked on the door and it was answered straight away.
"Civis, may I come in?" The Roman's dour expression barely changed. "Of course, Jay. Come on in."
Civis said nothing more, walked over to a chair by a table, picked up a short bladed legionnaire's sword, an oilstone, and went back to work on the blade's edge.
Scrape...scrape...scrape...scrape...scrape...
"You're troubled, my friend," observed Jayhawk. Scrape...scrape...scrape...scrape... Civis stopped his labors and looked up. "I came here because you said Caesar, Rome and Akhensenamen were in danger. Unscrewing a bunch of Fokker engine bolts doesn't strike me as a great danger to anyone except victims like us in a winged chariot higher above the ground than a bird can fly. Where is Akhensenamen?!"
"Easy, my friend, easy. There is more you need to know and its time you were told."
Civis put his sword and oilstone down and gave his full attention to the angel.
"The scarab ring is powerful as I have said, but its power is dependent on two things. Since it was created of old by a human, it requires a human to wear the ring to unleash its power. Because it is Egyptian and ancient, it needs an ancient Egyptian to form in his or her mind the heiroglyphic symbol for the effect the ring is to produce. Then the ring can focus its power to create the ordered effect."
"Jay, what do ancient Egyptians know of time travel? You already said to me before this quest that even their mystics couldn't do it, unlike Titanicus in our time."
"That is still true," replied Jayhawk. "But we ourselves have made it possible for Imhotep to learn the secret. Remember our visit to the court of Pharaoh Tut-Ankh-Amun? Remember how they wondered who we were until we finally had to tell Pharaoh and his Queen the truth and explain how we appeared and disappeared almost at will and out of thin air (especially you, Jayhawk discretely left unsaid)."
"Yes, I remember," Civis agreed.
"Because of us, in Tut-Ankh-Amun's tomb as part of the depicted record of his life, a tradition of ancient Egyptians when entombing their kings, is painted a series of heiroglyphs describing our visit and one unique heiroglyph that depicts time travel. It exists nowhere else in the records of the era. Imhotep will recognize it when he sees it. After he sees it, the heiroglyph will be indelably recorded in his mind. It is then that Imhotep will be able to focus the ring and begin his plan of revenge through the paths of time. He will return to our time, find Akhensenamen and exact his revenge on her and others of us wherever he can find us or on any of our loved ones if he cannot find us in particular."
Civis' eyes opened wide, "Apolita!"
"Yes," said Jayhawk. "Apolita. I didn't want you to know beforehand because I feared you would somehow communicate this to her, accidentally, before we left. Now I think you completely see why we have selected this point in time and why we are here in Luxor near the Valley of the Kings."
"I do, my friend, I do...and thank you," replied Civis. Jayhawk rose to leave. Saying nothing more the angel left the Roman to his thoughts. He gently closed the door behind himself and listened. Shooossh....Sliiip! A sword slashed through the air and was slipped back into its scabbard.
Jayhawk smiled and walked down the hall to the stairway. Civis is ready, he thought to himself.
[This message has been edited by Civis Romanus (edited 03-10-2000).]