Misplaced (142 page)

“Fathe
r
Donat
o
woul
d
b
e
prou
d
o
f
you
.
An
d
h
e
woul
d
w
ant
yo
u
t
o
w
ea
r
this.
”
V
ictori
a
re
m
o
v
e
d
th
e
gol
d
chai
n
fro
m
around
her neck and handed it to Khara.

“
Y
ou
r
aunt’
s
cross
?
Certainl
y
not,
”
sh
e
declared
,
pushing
i
t
a
w
a
y
indignantly
.
“
Y
o
u
thin
k
tha
t
becaus
e
I
ga
v
e
yo
u
the
bracelet, you must return the courtesy?”

“No
t
a
t
all
.
Bu
t
i
f
wha
t
yo
u
sa
y
abou
t
Menefr
a
i
s
true
,
you’
v
e
earne
d
it
.
Besides
,
I
mean
t
t
o
gi
v
e
i
t
t
o
yo
u
earlier;
you
just
caught
me
off
guard.
T
ake
it—for
good
luck.
W
ear
it
to
remember
Father
Donato.
Heck,
I
don’t
care
why;
just
take
it
.
An
d
unles
s
yo
u
w
an
t
t
o
spen
d
th
e
res
t
o
f
th
e
tim
e
before
sunrise arguing about it, I suggest you put it on.”

It
w
as
too
dark
for
Khara
to
work
the
tiny
clasp,
so
V
ictoria,
who
had
remo
v
ed
it
thousands
of
mornings
before
her
sho
w
er,
fastened it.

“It’s beautiful,” Khara told her sincerely.

“
Y
ou
know,
there’s
e
v
ery
chance
that
nothing
will
happen
tomorrow.”

“Shh!
”
Khar
a
hissed
,
a
s
thoug
h
sh
e
w
a
s
afrai
d
someone
woul
d
hear
.
“
Y
o
u
wil
l
ne
v
e
r
lear
n
whe
n
you’
v
e
sai
d
enough.
Now get some sleep!”

Chapte
r
Fifty-One
Kha
r
a

I
t
w
as her
last
morning in
the
place she had once belie
v
ed to
be
the
Underworld.
Khara
rose,
stretched,
and
smoothed
her
hair
.
V
ictori
a
w
a
s
stil
l
slumberin
g
a
s
sh
e
crep
t
fro
m
th
e
sleeping
bag to the hot springs to purify herself for pra
y
er.

Lately
she
had
not
pra
y
ed
on
se
v
eral
mornings,
preferring
instead
to
spend
the
time
in
bed
reliving
the
touch
of
Oli
v
e
r
’s
hand
s
o
n
he
r
thighs
.
Th
e
w
a
y
sh
e
fel
t
after
w
ar
d
mad
e
it
impossible
to
think
pure
thoughts,
and
so
the
sun
had
begun
it
s
dail
y
journe
y
withou
t
he
r
exaltation
.
Egyptian
s
kissed
their
children
a
w
ake
and
ate
their
morning
bread
without
the
benefi
t
o
f
th
e
pharaoh’
s
pra
y
er
.
An
d
tha
t
brough
t
he
r
t
o
another
quandary
.
W
a
s
sh
e
t
o
pra
y
fo
r
th
e
natio
n
sh
e
ha
d
lef
t
behind
,
or
for Egypt in the present day?

Th
e
sprin
g
w
ate
r
w
a
s
seducti
v
el
y
w
arm
.
Removin
g
her
boots,
she
rinsed
her
hands
and
feet.
When
the
w
ater
w
as
still
again
,
sh
e
checke
d
he
r
makeup
,
touchin
g
u
p
th
e
blac
k
lines
around
her
e
y
es
with
a
piece
of
charcoal.
Soon,
V
ictoria
joined
her and
w
as about to splash her face.

“Don’t!
”
Khar
a
exclaimed
.
“I
t
suit
s
yo
u
to
o
w
el
l
t
o
w
ash
off.”

I
f
sh
e
ha
d
bee
n
mor
e
a
w
ak
e
sh
e
woul
d
ha
v
e
sai
d
something
to
the
contrary,
but
V
ictoria
just
shrugged
and
fetched
the
last
bit of food from the pack.

“I
t
i
s
unfit
t
in
g
fo
r
m
e
t
o
ea
t
unti
l
afte
r
pra
y
ers,
”
Khara
noted, “but there is no need for you to
w
ait.”

V
ictoria grumbled and crammed the bar into her pocket.

They
stood
at
the
ledge,
and
it
reminded
Khara
of
the
time
she
had
stood
at
the
edge
of
a
mountain
with
Nandor,
unable
t
o
sa
y
goodb
y
e
whil
e
h
e
spok
e
kin
d
word
s
t
o
he
r
a
s
though
she
w
ere
a
child.
T
urning
to
face
the
sun,
she
remo
v
ed
the
cuff
and
lo
w
ered
herself
to
her
knees,
bending
as
far
for
w
ard
as
the
stiffness
in her limbs would allow.

W
elcome, noble sunrise,
constant in your abundance
since the beginning of time

Nex
t
t
o
her
,
V
ictori
a
knel
t
i
n
supplication
.
Surel
y
th
e
god
s
o
f Egypt
would
be
gratified
this
morning;
her
friend
pronounced
eac
h
wor
d
perfectly
!
P
erhap
s
th
e
morning
s
sh
e
ha
d
misse
d
woul
d
no
w
b
e
forgi
v
en
.
E
v
e
n
Menefr
a
ha
d
ne
v
e
r
managed
th
e
entir
e
pra
y
e
r
correctly
.
Ho
w
coul
d
th
e
god
s
o
f
Egyp
t
not
b
e
s
w
a
y
e
d
b
y
thi
s
moder
n
woma
n
o
n
he
r
knees
,
speakin
g a language that no longer existed? Khara smiled and continued.

After
w
ards
,
the
y
at
e
th
e
las
t
ba
r
an
d
share
d
som
e
w
ater. Khar
a
too
k
onl
y a
bit
e
o
r
two—jus
t
enoug
h
t
o
pus
h
th
e
bile
back into her stomach as she
w
atched the hands on her
w
atch
cra
w
l
fro
m
minut
e
t
o
minute
.
Sh
e
helpe
d
V
ictori
a
wra
p
the
sleeping bags inside the bedrolls and secure them to the pack, which they hid in the crevice where they had spent the night.

“
W
e
won’
t
nee
d
it,
”
V
ictori
a
tol
d
her
.
The
n
the
y
scoure
d
the
are
a
t
o
remo
v
e
an
y
sig
n
tha
t
the
y
ha
d
bee
n
there
.
Finally
,
Khara
used the small piece of charcoal to freshen
V
ictoria’s makeup.

I
t
w
a
s
tim
e
t
o
begi
n
th
e
shor
t
hik
e
t
o
th
e
to
p
o
f
th
e
mesa.
To
hide
her
fears,
Khara
prattled
on
about
the
world
she
w
as
leaving behind.