Chapter 20: The History of the Fever
Shahrazad’s calm, steady voice counted down. Remi woke up inside the Wall of Ether once more. This time, she wasn't just with Demir, but also with his twin brother, Samir. They were back in the past, at the court of Pharaoh Akhenaten. The two boys flanked the writer, who was a woman again. Each held one of her hands tightly.
"Where are we now?" Samir asked. "Is this the place and time where we were born?"
Demir looked at his brother sharply, then at Remi. He breathed in the hot, suffocating air deeply.
"Do you lot smell that?"
"It smells like sweet lotus essence, sacred incense—kyphi—and vinegar!" Mehyt’s voice rang out immediately. The black tomcat, who had been sitting quietly until then, trotted over to meet them. He had been waiting.
"Now three of you have come," he said. "Follow me! I don't get how you always ask for my help and then just vanish..."
"We won't stay long this time either!" Remi cut in. "We have a fever and I think..."
"You think you’re the only ones with a fever? Can't you see everyone else around here is suffering too? The servants, the royal family, the doctors... everyone is burning up. Only the High Priest has escaped it. Now he’s saying the sun god is angry with us and punishing us."
The three followed Mehyt. They could hardly believe that an epidemic from ancient times had caught up with them in the twenty-first century, making modern medicine completely useless.
The tall windows were covered with heavy sheets of wet linen to keep out the desert heat. Lit oil lamps threw shifting shadows on the walls painted with murals of the sun disc.
"Let’s go into Queen Meritmut’s quarters!" Mehyt purred. "Inside, you’ll see her sister, Meritbastet, and the Queen Mother too."
"Let’s hurry then. Today’s visit will be very short," Remi whispered. She pulled the twins along into the royal bedroom.
Inside, two Nubian maidservants stirred the heavy air of the room with large ostrich-feather fans. The rhythmic whoosh they made almost drowned out Queen Meritmut’s weak voice. She lay next to her one-year-old twins on the royal bed, which looked like a sailing ship in the vastness of the room. Her burning hand was held by the ring-covered hand of Queen Tiye, who still seemed untouched by the illness.
"Mother!" Meritmut struggled immensely to make herself heard. "I know the High Priest is your brother, but he can't be trusted. Believe me, Mother, he means harm to your son and my children."
"Don't exhaust yourself, my dear! Save your strength!" Queen Tiye replied. "I will watch over you lot. My brother is not a bad man. He has always advised my great son. Don't waste your energy!"
"Our mum!" Samir whispered, watching the heartbreaking scene. "She felt the danger, but it looks like their gran didn't believe her."
"Gran Tiye looks so much like Gran Shahrazad! Only her red hair makes her different," Demir added. "Look, see over there? That must be a Mirror of Time!" the boy said, pointing towards a round, massive bronze vessel sitting directly on the polished white limestone floor.
Next to the vessel, the white cat they had seen last time—Meritbastet—seemed to be guarding the mirror with her life.
"Let’s talk to her!" Remi said. "Come on, we have no time!"
The white cat had noticed them from the very moment they entered the royal room, but she had waited patiently.
"Can you see us?" Samir asked her. "We aren't ghosts. We’re those babies..."
"I know, Mehyt told me," the white cat replied. "You are from the future."
"Meritmut is right, the High Priest is dangerous," Demir added. "I wouldn't be surprised at all if he caused this sickness."
"The doctor in our time says it only heals with cold compresses and water. Drink plenty of water!" Remi just managed to say.
Then, the long buzzing of the sea-turtle clock pulled them straight back into the present.
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