Tari closed her eyes and sighed once more as she leaned her head against Nkosi's strong back, the horse they were riding together on trotting at a calm pace. A thousand thoughts were raging through her head right now, and she could not for the life of her figure out which one to dwell on. The scene at the slave market shook her up a little, but it wasn't just that. If it was true she was thousands of years past in ancient Egypt, she had no clue as to how to get back home. She tried to figure out what happened that sent her here, but it was so fuzzy! The last thing she remembered was Set grinning evilly at her, remembering the worse possible night of her life, then finally falling into a black oblivion that seemed to go on forever and ever, her body filled with pain.

Now she was stuck here, and unless she found anyone here that knew the gods in this time or how to send her back to her own time, she would be here for the rest of her life. And little Alim...what would become of him? Did Set already get to him? She didn't even get a chance to tell the other gods of where she thought Alim might be at. And she was close, so very close. She could feel it! She then thought about her family. What about them? Surely her father would know by now she was missing. And her mother? She would be worried sick. She then thought about her little twin brother and sister, Jake and Jessica. They would be devastated. She knew she meant a lot to them, and for her to just disappear like that....well, she couldn't begin to imagine how it would affect them.

She gave more more last sigh and wipe a tear from her eye. Nkosi turned his head and looked at her, concern in his eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked softly.

"Oh! I'm...I'm fine! It's just...I have a lot on my mind right now. I'm so far away from my home, and I was just wondering how I'll ever get back." Tari said a little sadly.

Nkosi nodded and looked her deep in the eyes. "Please don't worry, tomorrow we will go see the king. He is a wise and fair ruler. He knows about many kingdoms and lands near and far, so he must certainly know yours, and he will make sure you get there safely." He smiled reassuringly at her, then he looked her deep in the eyes. "This I promise you."

Tari smiled back, but she also caught just a glimpse of sadness in Nkosi's eyes, as though it would be very hard for him to say goodbye when the time came. Tari's heart skipped a beat, but just as quickly as the look came, it was gone, and Nkosi spread his arm across the area. "But in the meantime, you are more than welcome to enjoy our kingdom. We have just united with the Upper Kingdom, and we are more prosperous for it, thanks to our king." He smiled proudly as he surveyed the land.

Tari finally picked her head up and looked around her, and her eyes widened at the beauty she saw. They were nearly at the Nile River, and already she could see activity going on in the late afternoon. Beautiful Egyptian palm trees swayed and bent gently in the wind, their green leaves fanning the sapphire blue skies above. Sandy brown hills and mountains dotted the horizon in the distance, as majestic as a crown on a king's head. All across the hills and banks of the river were people with their goats and mules headed to and fro, getting their work done before it got too late. Laundry hung on lines and flapped gently in the cooling breeze. In the Nile River, long and short boat sailed lazily on the water, their white sails bending and flapping in the air. On the boat, Egyptian and darker-skinned African men...obviously from the south, cast large fishing nets in the water, hoping to catch a full load. Fat and bloated hippopotamuses paddled lazily in the water, only their nostrils and the tops of their heads showing. Alligators sunbathed in the mud and marsh on the banks. In the sky, cranes and other large and small birds flew in flocks, their sounds carrying far in the wind.

Tari smiled, then took in a deep breath of fresh air. She couldn't believe just how CLEAN everything was! Never in her life had she experience the air, the water....the sky so pure. It was intoxicating. Then she thought about how the environment was in her time. It saddened her to think that in the future, nothing would be this clean again because of over progress and pollution by a society that barely cares. Wow, I wish everyone in my time could see how it was here, Tari thought wistfully.

Whatever more she was going to think was interrupted when Nkosi looked back at her with a smile. "Do you like it?" he asked, a twinkle in his eye.

"Oh yes, it's amazing!" Tari said, grinning. "It's beautiful here! Everything is so clean and natural. It would be an honor to stay here. Umm..that is, until I have to leave, and..." she stopped, unable to say anymore.

Nkosi reached down and placed his hand over her clasped ones on his midsection, he smiled and was about to say something comforting, to let her know she was welcome to say as long as she wanted, but was interrupted when a figure came up and overshadowed them, blocking them from riding any further.

They both looked up, and Tari gasped as she recognized the slave traders that almost took her. But they were not alone. With them were a few more men, about eight or ten, and they all looked mean and ready for revenge.

"What is this?" said Nkosi, his hand on the hilt of his sword at his side.

"I told you that you would pay for interrupting our business." the obvious leader said, his wig almost falling off his head because it was a size too small. His large belly sagged over his dirty white kilt. "Now hand over the girl, I have a lot of money to make up for!"

"I'm not going any damn where with you!" yelled out Tari, her hands balling into fists.

The other trader, skinnier but just as ugly, drew his sword and sneered at her. "Sorry girlie, but I don't think you have a say in this!"

Nkosi calmly climbed down from his horse and stood protectively in front of Tari. Before she could say anything, give any warning, the men jumped off their horse and were on him, slashing and thrusting with their swords.

"Nkosi!" Tari reached out to him, and was about to climb down from the horse, but in the middle of blocking a sword strike, Nkosi looked up and yelled "No, stay there! Don't move!"

But the group of men proved to much against just one man, and they soon overpowered him. One of them lunged forward and slashed down on Nkosi's arm, leaving a nasty-looking gash. The young man fell to the ground with a painful yell, and the men made ready to finish him off.

"NO!" Tari jumped from the horse and rushed over. She helped him sit up, but that only made the blood from the wound gush out more, and he grunted in pain. Anger rushed through Tari then, and she looked up at the men with narrowed eyes.

"That's it, I'm gonna show you how we kick butt where I come from!" Tari yelled. She stood, crossed her arms over her chest in an "X", and shouted "Powers of the ancient, I summon thee!" But to her horror, instead of the familiar power surging through her, the confidence flowing through her veins and her clothes changing...nothing happened. Tari blinked in surprised and looked around her, completely confused. What...what happened? Why isn't it working? She looked down at her bracelet in expectation, but it only glinted in the sunlight, nothing more. She looked back up and watched as the men advanced towards her. She looked back down at her bracelet. Come on, work! You better do something or we're in big trouble here!

"Heh heh, looks like no one is coming to save you, pretty little girl!" chuckled the large leader.

"Leave her alone!" screamed out Nkosi. He painfully got to his feet, but was immediately knocked to the ground by another of the thugs.

One of the men lunged and grabbed her in his arms, but Tari jabbed him in the side with her elbow hard, and he went down with a howl. "Back off, creep!" she shouted, going into a fighting stance.

"You'll pay for that, you little...!" Another thick-muscled trader never got to finish his rant as just as he rushed her, Tari lifted her leg and kicked him right in the groin...hard. Then man let out a high-pitched screech and toppled sideways to the ground. But her victory was short.

"Tari!" Nkosi screamed as he tried to fight off his opponent.

She barely had time to turn and listen to Nkosi's warning before a pair of large and meaty arms wrapped around her, pinning her arms to the side. "I got you!" the fat Egyptian man chuckled. "Oh, you're going to make me A LOT of money, yes? Girls like you are always valuable. Perhaps I should have a sample of you myself before I..." Suddenly, the man's body jerked and he stopped talking. A wet, throaty gurgle escaped from his lips as his eyes went wide, and his arms went slack, letting Tari go. Just as she stepped away, the slave trader crumpled to the floor in a heap. When Tari finally let herself look, she saw an arrow embedded deep in his back. He gave one final jerk, and was still.

There was a shout in the distance, and when Tari and looked up, another large group of men was riding fast towards them, but they were younger and wore leather chest armor. Leading them was the one who shot the arrow, his quiver and bow slung across his back and his bow clutched in his hand.

"The palace guards and soldiers!" shouted one of the trader thugs. He looked at Nkosi, the truth dawning on him. "He must be one of them too! Let's get out of here, before we're dead!" Quickly the evil men jumped on their horses and rode away, not even bothering with their fallen leader.

When the palace guards reached Tari and Nkosi, the leader reached up and took off his helmet, then pointed at the fleeing men. "After them! Don't let them get away, they're wanted!" The guards nodded and saluted, then rushed after the slave traders on their horses.

When they were gone, the young man jumped from his horse and looked them over. "Nkosi, are you okay?" he said, going over to him.

"Yes, I'll be fine Atsu. It only looks worse than it is." Nkosi looked down at the gash on his arm. "Just a lucky strike for them, that's all." He then looked up at his friend. "How did you know where I was?"

"I came over to your house to check up on you, since you haven't been on duty for so long, and Salih said that he saw you leave with the beautiful woman you found, headed to town. I asked around, and people said they saw you headed here, and that you were followed by the men the king was looking for. I thought quick and gathered a few of our buddies. I had a feeling you might be in trouble." He looked at Tari and winked as he grinned at her. "Salih wasn't exaggerating when he said she was a beautiful woman."

Tari rolled her eyes in annoyance, but couldn't help feel a blush on her cheeks.

"Oh, you were checking up on me? Or was it that you wanted to see her for yourself?" Nkosi said with a small smile.

The young man just grinned wider and shrugged his shoulder in an exaggerated way, as if to say "Oh, you know me!" Nkosi gave him an annoyed look as was about to say something, when Tari interrupted.

"Err..excuse me, if you're both finished talking about me as if I'm not here, don't you think we should go now? In case more of those jerks come around?" She looked at the dead body beside her, then put her hands on her hips and tapped her feet.

"Ahh, of course my beautiful maiden!" Atsu said. He bowed, then moved forward to take Tari's hand. But Nkosi was faster and took Tari's hand before he could. Tari couldn't help smile slightly at the comical and exaggerated look of disappointment on Atsu's handsome face. Soon they were off back to Nkosi's house, just as the sun began it's slow trek down the horizon in the late afternoon.

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Tari squeezed water out of the cloth she was using into a bowl, and gently dabbed the wound on Nkosi's arm. The young man was right in saying the wound was actually not that bad, but it was still a cut, and given what Tari read about how life was in ancient Egypt, even small cuts could very easily lead to death, as they didn't have the antibiotics or medicines in her time, and she wasn't about to let Nkosi die while she could do something about it. After they had arrived, Salih was the first to rush over to Nkosi's house, worried sick. After giving another wink and smile to Tari, Atsu left them in Salih's fussy hands, knowing full well that the healer would find some way to blame him too.

When she washed away the last of the dried blood, she looked up at him. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, looking at him worriedly.

"Oh he'll be fine!" said Salih, walking up to them and bending down to sit beside them on the floor. He set down the tray he was carrying and picked up a bottle of dried ointment. "Besides, that's what he gets for not listening to a healer when he says to allow a certain young lady some time to rest!" He frowned at Nkosi and gently began to massage the ointment to the wound.

Tari blushed in embarrassment, thinking it was her fault, but Nkosi looked at her and winked. "Sorry...I just wanted to show her around." he said with a smile.

"Yes, well...sorry doesn't heal wounds, does it?" Salih said grumpily. "But still....you'll be fine. The wound wasn't very deep, and I've seen worse." The older man sighed and put away the bottle of ointment, then stood up.

"And as for you young lady, you can't just go around with just this young buck for a guard. There are dangerous men around that are exceptionally cruel to young ladies they capture for slavery. Thank the gods the king is finally cracking down and trying to rid us of them."

Tari's eyes widened. "The gods? You mean you all worship the gods here too?"

"Why yes, we have quite a few gods we pay allegiance to. Some are our own, and some from other lands." The healer smiled and nodded at that.

A surge of hope raced through Tari's heart then. Could she dare to think? Could she dare to hope that somehow......?

"Listen, about that...you see, I was hoping that somehow, there could be someone that would, umm..know about the gods, and maybe help me find a way home and...."

"Oh yes, Nkosi and I talked about that when you were sick." Salih nodded. "That is why it is important for us to take you to the king tomorrow. He would know about that. He's the one closest to our gods. And besides..." He smiled softly at her, forgetting his anger at them for a moment. "There's a celebration, and I don't think you'd want to miss that."

Tari was about to say something more, but the healer raised a finger to his lips. "Now, no more of that. It's been a long day, and before I leave, I want to make sure you have a good dinner and go to bed for some rest."

After shushing all protests, Salih made them a quick dinner of honeycakes, dates, roasted duck, and pomegranate juice. Tanya...not realizing how long it's been since she ate and now starving, devoured the small dinner, bring a smile to the older man's lips. When it was finally dark and the stars twinkling in the clear skies, the healer made his way home, and Tari and Nkosi were left alone, feeling shy and awkward.

"Umm...Salih..he's really nice. He sure takes good care of you," Tari said, raising her knees against her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs.

Nkosi nodded, giving a small smile. "Yes, he and my father were very good friends, for a long time. My...my parents died of sickness when I was very young..my ninth year I think, and he's been taking care of me since then."

Tari lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry about your parents." she said quietly, thinking about her own and the possibility of never seeing them again.

"It's fine, really. It was a long time ago, and I know they did everything they could to keep me from the sickness." He closed his eyes for a moment at the memories of his mother and father, then looked back at Tari. The two sat in a shy silence for what seemed like eternity until he was the first to speak up.

"I'll...I'll sleep out there, and you can take my room," the young palace guard finally said, running a nervous hand through his hair.

Tari nodded, then got up and headed for the bedroom in the back. She stopped at the doorway and turned back to him. "Nkosi...thanks for saving my life...again. And...goodnight." She smiled softly, then entered, leaving him alone.

The young man sat there for a moment, spellbound by her smile, then felt small smile turning up his own full lips. "Good night, beautiful Tari," he whispered back, staring at the place she stood just a moment ago. Somehow, he felt she wanted to say more to him, but something was holding her back. Was he mistaken, or is it that sometimes when he looked into her eyes, he saw...pain? He didn't know, but he hoped to find out...and hoped to let her know that she could trust him, and he would sooner die that cause her pain. He nodded, vowing to let her know that as soon as he can.

************************************

Inside, just as Tari laid down on the soft floor bed, she raised her arm and looked at the bracelet on her wrist. Once again confusion washed over her, and looked at the bracelet closer. "What happened today, why didn't you work?" she asked it, baffled. But the bracelet only continued to shine from the light of the stars and half moon outside.

She then remembered Isis saying that the bracelet has the essence of the gods in it, that was what allowed her to chance. So then if she couldn't change...does that mean that they don't exist here? Fear made her heart beat faster. If that's true, then who could she go to for help to get her back home? If the couldn't get back, then her time...her world would be destroyed! But there was a small hope...Silah mentioned there were gods that they worshiped here, and there could be a chance they could help. If they exist in her time, then they did here. She just hoped they were good, and not like Set at all. That thought made her shiver. Well, she would just have to be patient and find out what will happen when she met the king tomorrow.

With that comforting thought, Tari finally let sleep claim her, the light from the half moon coming from the carved out window giving a soft glow on her beautiful face, Nkosi's smile her last image before closing her eyes peacefully.

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To Be Continued......

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