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Rowan stood on the ridge of the sand dune, a lone shadow against a setting sun. He’d spent all day underground working in the cavern that had been hidden beneath the shifting sands. The team had discovered what appeared to be a hidden room behind a false wall. They had plans to open it in the morning, but he wasn’t quite ready to call it a day.
In the distance, he could hear the hum of an ATV approaching the site. As the four-wheeler slowed and came to a halt at the tent the teams had set up as a command post, he recognized the long braid that emerged beneath the helmet as she peeled it off. Startled by Lauren’s unexpected presence, he broke into a run and met her pulling her into his arms, swinging her around, then remembering himself as he sat her down. “Sorry,” he said, stepping back to admire the swell of her belly that had grown since he’d last seen her.
“It’s okay,” she said, pulling him into her to kiss him. “Mmm. I’ve missed you.”
Rowan beamed brightly as her companion came up behind her, peeling off his helmet. For a fleeting moment, Rowan felt a pang of jealousy wash through him. “Tomáš Kovač.” He stuck out his hand. “You must be Rowan.”
“In the flesh,” he said, sizing up the man. He was a handsome specimen, even Rowan had to admit, but he lacked the dimples Rowan knew his wife preferred. He’d put his dimples up against that Slavic look any day. “Thanks for bringing her to me.” Rowan put an arm around her and held her close.
“Wild horses couldn’t keep her away,” he said in his thick accent. “I understand you’ve had quite the adventure here. What did you find?”
“Well, we aren’t entirely sure,” Rowan said. “There is a burial in the last chamber, but we haven’t had a chance to collect enough data to know who it might be. What’s really fascinating is we found a hidden chamber. Honey, I can’t wait for you to see.”
“Well, let’s go have a look,” Lauren enthused. “I want to see it.”
He knew how she felt about caves. “It’s pretty spacious,” he reassured her. “It’s nothing like the cavern in Peru.”
She nodded. “I can do it.” She hoped she could.
* * *
“Watch your step,” Rowan took her hand and helped her down the ramp that had been constructed in the last couple of days. Once they reached the bottom, the two new visitors were introduced to Greg and his team. Light towers had been set up and the hum of the generators powering them echoed in the distance. Lauren stood at the bottom, with her hands on her hips, gazing up at the inscriptions on the walls. A look of wonder lit her features. He anticipated the response he knew would follow once she recognized the ancient markings.
Her hand went to her mouth as she walked towards the banner that seemed to stretch the width of the false wall. She hesitated, her knees threatening to give beneath her. Rowan caught one arm and realized Tomáš had the other. The two exchanged cautious glances in the brief moment before she turned to Rowan. “You aren’t going to believe it.” Lauren’s color rose in her cheeks, her excitement evident only to him in her placid features.
“What does it say?” Rowan asked.
“Mouseion of Didymus,” the words came out as a gasp as her hand clamped over her mouth, as if they were verboten.
Greg came over and caught her elbow. “Did you say Mouseion of Didymus?” He glanced up at the writing. “Are you sure?”
“It’s an ancient dialect of a proto-Byzantian language branch,” Lauren said.
“What does that mean?” Rowan asked. “Clearly it means something to the two of you.”
“Mouseion is an ancient word. The root in Greek is Muse,” Greg said. “It was part of a project first suggested by Didymus Phalerum.”
Lauren grinned brightly now. “A project known as a Universal library.” She turned to Rowan. “The Library of Alexandria was only one library in the universal library system in antiquity. This ...” She turned back to the entrance. “This is the entrance to the museion ... a library ...”
“Do you realize what that means?” Greg was feeding off her excitement.
“I do,” she said, glancing over Greg’s shoulder as a familiar form sauntered into from the smaller ante chamber. “Jean-René? What are you doing here?”
She broke out of Greg’s grasp and rushed to meet her old friend, holding out her arms to him. His hand went to her belly. He patted it as he drew her in for a hug, his camera on the other shoulder. “Getting fat, Boss. Better lay off the sausages.”
“Shut it, you.” She giggled. “Don’t make me flip you off in front of all these people.”
“Maybe some other time, then.” He laughed, hugging her a second time. “Bahati sends her love.
“Why didn’t she come with you?”
“Long story. Just call her,” Jean-René said. “She’s been missing you terribly.”
“I’ve tried,” Lauren said. “I thought she was mad at me.”
“We had orders from the Network to leave you alone.” Jean-René shrugged. “But that doesn’t matter now. I’ll explain later.”
“What are you doing here, though?”
“I had to go around Jacob and pull a little prank on your husband to get him here,” Jean-René said. “I had video he needed to see. Glad you could join the party. You need to see it, too.”
“Video? Hm. Sorry I’m late.” She grinned, hugging him again.
“Solve any great mysteries?” he asked her as Rowan, Tomáš and Greg came over to where they stood.
“Yeah,” she said, reaching into her hip pocket. She handed an envelope to Rowan. “I think this is another mystery you’ll be happy to have solved.”
Rowan took it hesitantly, not sure if this had something to do with the Codex Gigas, or the museion that she was convinced rested behind that false wall. He paused, looking at her, seeing the anticipation on her features as she bit her lower lip and looked at the envelope before looking at him impatiently. “So ... what is this?”
“Open it up, silly.” She nudged him. He stared at her for a long moment.
“Is this what I think it is?” he asked.
“You’re the one that always wants to know.”
Rowan’s eyes narrowed and he glanced back at her. He took the envelope and tucked it in his shirt pocket. “Let’s wait until the boys are there to hear it, why don’t we?”
That caught her off guard. She had expected him to rip the envelope open and shout it from the rooftops. Instead, Rowan’s eye went to her belly, then his hand followed as he dropped to his knees, pressing his ear to her stomach. He leaned in and turned to kiss it, then spoke into her belly like an antique telephone. “Hey, you! It’s your dad,” he said, glancing up at Lauren with a glimmer in his eye. “See ya in about five months, m’kay? Quit giving your mom a hard time.”
“I just realized something,” Tomáš said, out of the blue. Rowan rose and turned to him.
“What’s that?”
“Lauren hasn’t lost her lunch in three days now,” he said.
“That means you can finally wash your car.” Lauren laughed.
Rowan did a double-take with perfect comedic timing. “Huh?”
“I’ll explain later,” she said. “When are we going to crack this puppy open?” She turned back to the magnificent stone wall.
“Tomorrow,” Greg said. “First light of dawn.”
“Well, I guess we better get a good night’s sleep,” Lauren said. “I can’t wait to see what Didymus left for us to discover.”
“Speaking of books, did you find your missing page?” Rowan asked.
An angelic smile passed over Lauren’s features. She and Tomáš exchanged a knowing glance and she nodded. “Pages. Yes. We did.”
“I can’t wait to hear all about it,” Rowan said. “Congratulations.”
“Psh.” She waved her hand like it was nothing. “Just an ugly old book filled with mean pictures and boring tomes of forgotten lore. True knowledge is waiting for us right behind that wall. This ...” She raised her hands to the façade in front of her. “This is the real treasure ... I can tell.”
Rowan puzzled over this for a moment, glancing at his watch. “What the hell?” he started, looking to Greg for support. “Let’s crack this puppy open.”
Greg grinned, picking up a power tool with a wicked looking blade. “Somebody plug this bad boy into the generator. Everyone else stand back.”
It took hours to remove each block one at a time. The tool included a dust collection system and Greg had to stop every twenty or thirty minutes to clean out the filtration system. Soon enough, he had an opening just big enough for Lauren to get through. Rowan insisted they check the air and was glad they did. It was stale and lacked sufficient oxygen. After a few hours of pumping fresh air in, he finally verified it was safe to enter. Of course, by then, a few more blocks had been removed, and he and Lauren entered one after the other. Greg and the camera crew were close behind. Tomáš followed, too.
Long benches had been carved into the sandstone walls, and the shelves were filled with tablets, parchments, vellums, and earthenware vessels containing linen scrolls. More documents from antiquity were stacked in rows up and down the room, as if placed there in haste. Lauren studied the inscriptions on the wall over the shelves while Rowan and the others focused on documenting the initial positioning and conditions found within.
“Oh my goodness,” Lauren gasped, slowly panning the beam of the flashlight along the rows and rows of shelves. “It is a library!”
“What does that say?” Tomáš came up behind her, pointing to the engravings over the shelves.
“It says, Memento Alexandria. Scientia sit potentia.”
Greg turned, hearing the words. “Latin?”
“Yes,” Lauren said. “It says, Remember Alexandria. Knowledge is power.”
“Truer words were never spoken,” Greg mused. “I wonder if these were rescued from Alexandria before the library was destroyed.”
“Is that even at all possible?” Lauren asked.
“There were some legends that the keepers were able to spirit away some of the texts before they were all burned.” Rowan scratched his beard with his pinky.
“Henry’s going to be so excited,” Lauren said.
“Indeed.” Rowan put an arm around her. She leaned into him.
* * *
Shemi and Ahmose sat on the floor with the boys, cutting flowers, stars, and other pretty shapes out of tissue paper. The Pierce’s Egyptian household was festooned with streamers and bouquets of flowers. Ribbons curled at the corners of the doors. The essence of the exotic spices wafted through every corner of the house. Tima had spent the entire day cooking after she’d spent most of the night baking. A beautiful three-tiered cake sat in the middle of the dining room table. The vanilla cake had been covered in a thick layer of white frosting. The bottom section was layered with raspberry filling, the middle had the fig layer Henry preferred. Tima had found fresh apricots at the market and decided to fill the top layer with them. Marzipan fruits of all kinds had been used to decorate each layer.
“Mumma,” Ahmose said. “It’s almost eight. How long do you think it will be before they get here?”
“Any minute,” Tima said, plating the couscous and turning her attention to the pita bread dough that was ready to go on the griddle. “Boys, can you help set the table? Your momma and daddy should be here soon.”
John Carter and Henry both responded with the appropriate “Yes, ma’am.”
Tima had already set out the plates, and all they had to do was put them in place. Tima’s phone bleeped, and Ahmose snatched it up. “It’s Lauren. They’re just getting off the highway.”
“Perfect!” Tima said, pleased with herself. She’d have everything ready as they walked in the door. She hadn’t told them about the surprise celebration, just that she’d have the boys tucked into their own beds tonight so everyone could get a good night’s sleep and they could all be home together.
“Set everything on the table,” Tima said, flipping the first batch of pita bread, and preparing the second batch. “Boys run upstairs. Wash your hands and faces. Make sure your hair is combed and pick up your toys so your mom and dad will see what good boys you are.”
“Yes ma’am!” They chorused and hurried along to do as they were told.
* * *
“Are you serious?” Rowan finally said, after she’d briefed him on every moment of her trip to Prague and into Slovenia. He’d been driving, eyes fixed on the road while she spun the fantastical tale, not leaving out a single detail. He’d assumed, and she’d never corrected him, that Kovač had been with the museum and that he was helping her track down the missing pages. He didn’t realize that Tomáš was a detective with the police department in Prague. He chewed on the long hair at the bottom of his lip as he drove.
When he finally took his eyes off the road long enough to glance at her, they glistened in the fading light of day. “You faced Enlil.” It wasn’t a question. “Without me?” She nodded, not sure what else to say. His hand snaked over and caught hers, pulling it into him. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there.”
“I’m kind of glad you weren’t,” Lauren said. “I’d hate to think what could have happened ...” her voice trailed off. He could tell it was everything she could do to remain detached from her feelings. It’d taken her two days to get to the point where she could tell him all this. He suspected she didn’t want to rain on his parade either.
“So what happened with the last pages of the Codex?”
She didn’t want to tell Rowan about Henry’s involvement, but she decided he needed to know. “Henry? Henry returned the pages to Stockholm? He knows he’s not supposed to ... you know ... poof.” He waved a hand like he was casting a magic spell.
“Don’t be mad at him. He’s just a little boy.”
Rowan knew his son had ... abilities. His wife had abilities, too. “We have to find a way to keep him from doing stuff like this,” he said.
“I’ll work with him,” Lauren said. “You know, you need to thank him, right?”
“I do?” Rowan’s brow clamped down over the bridge of his nose.
A wistful smile crossed Lauren’s face. The lights of the city came up as the sky faded from pale blue to indigo. “Do you remember the cobra?”
Rowan’s features went slack, and he turned to cast a curious glare in her direction. “How do you know about the cobra?”
“Henry told me,” Lauren said. “Not in so many words, but ... I don’t always need words to communicate with my son. It’s just this sense of knowing.”
“Does John Carter do this?”
“No,” Lauren said. “It’s just Henry. I’m not sure why.”
Rowan shook his head. His hand tightened over hers. “After what happened in Africa, I tried to convince myself it couldn’t possibly be Henry. It took me a while to come to terms with your powers, and it’s going to take me some time to come to grips with his.” He drew her knuckles to his lips and kissed them. “I trust you ... both.”
“Now, that is faith,” Lauren said. A heavy sigh escaped her throat as the baby kicked against her stomach. Her free hand went to the spot, rubbing it. Rowan turned her other hand loose and let his join hers on her abdomen. “And this is love.”
* * *
He pulled up in front of the house and gave her a long glowing gaze. A wave of joy washed through her that was accompanied with a sense of profound peace. She’d been through Hell and back and knew there wasn’t anything they couldn’t get through without a lot of each. They had faith in each other and there was more love than any two people should ever know.
Rowan opened the gate for her, and they walked arm-in-arm up to the front steps. “I hope you’re hungry,” Lauren said pausing at the door.
Rowan puzzled. “So, you’re psychic now?”
“No, I can smell the cumin and the garam masala,” she said. “Tima’s cooking.”
“Well, you don’t have to be psychic to know that,” Rowan chortled.
The door was flung open and two little boys jumped up from the sofa and screamed, “Surprise!!!”
* * *
The festivities lingered long into the evening, despite Lauren and Rowan’s exhaustion. Tima and the girls took care of all the work, and John Carter and Henry were patient waiters, passing out plates of cake, each one had a small slice from each of the three layers of cake; a sampler.
Rowan made coffee in his Turkish press, and Lauren indulged in a small cup. Tima sprinkled spices over the cream-laced brew, which she knew Lauren liked.
“Which one do you yike better?” John Carter pointed his fork at her as he leaned his elbows on the table, sitting on his knees so he could reach.
“The raspberry is my favorite, but I like them all.”
“I tole you,” John Carter turned to Henry and gloated. “I tole you she yikes waspbewies.”
“How did you know I like raspberries?” Lauren tried to remember when the last time she’d eaten raspberries, probably in Virginia before John Carter was born, if her memory served her well.
“Do you remember how many quarts of raspberries you ate a day when you were pregnant with that one?” Rowan asked. A mischievous light made his eyes glow in the soft lighting.
“I wemember,” John Carter said.
“Raspberries and cream, raspberry crumble, raspberry jam,” Rowan said, taking a bite of the cake with the apricot filling.
Lauren glowered at her husband, then let her features soften as she turned to John Carter. “You really remember that?”
“Uh huh,” John Carter said.
“Huh.” Lauren huffed and shook her head, starting in on the fig-filled slice. It was better than she expected. She’d never had figs that she could remember, not before coming to Egypt. “I called Bahati before we left Tobruk,” Lauren said to Rowan. Thoughts of Virginia reminded her to mention it. “She and Jean-René are going to come for your graduation.”
“Oh, that reminds me,” Tima said. “I had the Bursar’s office run a degree audit for you, Rowan, dear.”
“A degree audit?”
“Turns out, all these extra projects you’ve taken on have counted for additional credit hours. All you need is a physical education class and you can graduate.”
“Physical education?” Rowan screwed up his face, glancing down at his stomach. He ran three to five miles a day. He ate a balanced diet. What more of an education did he need? “Like what?”
“Swimming, yoga ...” Tima started.
“Underwater basket weaving ...” Lauren chortled at her own joke.
“First aid/CPR ...” Tima finished.
“First aid/CPR? I’m an EMT for the love of Pete,” he scowled.
“He renewed his Instructor’s certification before we came to Egypt,” Lauren added. “He used to teach all the television crews’ refresher classes.”
“Do you have a copy of your certificate?” Tima said, lifting her brow.
“I can have the Network email a copy,” Rowan said.
“Get it to me and I’ll see if we can use that in lieu of the last class you need.”
“So, would that mean I can graduate at the end of the semester?”
“If the college will accept it,” Tima said.
Rowan turned to Lauren. “How do you feel about going back to work?”
“Now that I’m not throwing up every time I smell coffee or eat a cookie, I’m ready to go,” Lauren said. “We’ve got a couple of months before I’m as big as a house and have to take some time off, but I made it work when I was pregnant with Henry and John Carter. This one doesn’t have to be any different.”
“I guess Jean-René and Bahati will need to plan to visit sooner than expected,” Rowan said. “Hope the Network doesn’t give them too much grief.”
“They don’t have to know,” Lauren said. “While Dr. Masa might have been a wolf in sheep’s clothing, I checked the bank account before I left Prague ... the check cleared. We can afford to send them their tickets.”
A toothy grin spread over Rowan’s face and his dimples deepened. “That’s great!”
“Uncle Jean-René and Aunt Bahati are coming to visit?” Henry asked. “Are they bringing Nyota with them?”
“Of course,” Lauren said. “I’m sure they will.”
“That reminds me,” Rowan said, turning to the boys. “Do you want to know if you’re having a brother or a sister?”
“Do you know?” Tima looked up sharply. The girls looked to one another, and the boys began shouting. “Well, spill it.”
“Hey!” Rowan’s voice raised to a warning tone, and the boys settled. “Do you want to know?”
“Yes, please,” Henry said. John Carter nodded.
“In about five months, you’re going to have ... a new baby brother.”
Henry’s excited features faded. John Carter’s did, too. “Oh.”
“What?” Lauren asked, surprised by their reaction.
“I kinda wanted a sister,” Henry said. “I already have a brother.”
“Me, too,” John Carter parroted.
“Well, maybe next time,” Rowan shrugged.
All four of the women chorused, “Next time?”