Cursed Times - What Now?

Chapter 34 - With Fresh Eyes

It took Trueth a week and a lot of sun-flow to get Seisi back on his feet and shuffling around the temple. Metjen had told their visitor he was in a small local shrine, which according to Iseret would have been normal back then.

Rani-Ra helped with the in-temple patient care. She had hardly left her station since they brought Seisi in. Trueth was amused but not surprised. Their swimmer still had a cheesy face. Sunshine would quickly change that. Once he regained his strength and re-stocked on muscles, he could pass for Metjen's brother in terms of general build, more even than lanky Ranofer, who favoured the professor.

Trueth had been keeping a medical journal. She tapped the reed pen against her lips, ink dropped onto the floor and ran over her fingers.

'Shit. Have I got ink anywhere?' Trueth addressed Metjen's shendyt-clad front, which displayed his muscles to perfection.

He grinned, his teeth white in his tanned face. 'Ask me whether there is somewhere you haven't got it.'

She rubbed her finger on the pillow she was sitting on, gave up and rose. 'Seisi will need to see daylight or he will never heal properly, you do realise that?'

Metjen nodded, still grinning. 'We can take him home, nobody can overlook our garden.'

'It's a possibility,' Trueth said. 'You'll need to put a spell on him to keep him sedated on the drive home. Assuming your driving doesn't wake him up—'

Metjen blew her a raspberry.

'Can I continue? Thank you. This world is so different. The noise alone, the traffic, mobile phones going off, bloody aeroplanes above, once he's outside he'll get blasted. I mean, the guy is five thousand years old.'

Metjen played with the golden string of amulets around his neck. 'He's a priest, and he's got the Blessing. Another world should not come as too much of a surprise. We just tell him it's the demons at work. We're probably telling the truth, anyway.'

Trueth raised a warning hand, for Seisi entered the chamber; Rani-Ra in tow. Trueth wondered what he thought of his shadow; he kept a polite distance. Even that pink galabiya of Metjen's sister did not make him react, nor did he change his expression when she sashayed up to him and brushed against his hips. Those pale green eyes kept remained fixed on whatever he perceived on the wall. Or in Beyond.

Another stone statue, Trueth thought in disgust and wished Rani-Ra good luck. At least she had staked her claim, something that Trueth still did not dare to do with a certain somebody.

It was decided Metjen would tell Seisi how much time had passed and where he was. They had to do this soon, for he was the opposite of a fool and had worked out things were not quite as they should be.

'Warn him the professor will want to get a carbon-dating,' Trueth said.

'Won't work, chap's still alive,' Metjen said.