About Eye of Ra
by AM Riley
26 pages
/ 10000 words
Available file types - html, lit, pdf, prc
Archaeologist Zachary has a few problems. Haunted by a dead lover, he faces dreams every night that make him dread sleep. Working a dig in Egypt with his partner, who disapproved of his young lover Ira, has become a daily challenge And Corporal Brian, part of his expedition's military escort, has become quite a distraction.
Add all that to strange amulet he and Ira found, and that he now keeps hidden, and you have a mess of godly porportions.
Ira speaks to Zack in his dreams, demanding the amulet to save him in the afterworld. Can he help his old lover while finding a new one and avoid all of the pitfalls and curses old magical items carry with them?
Sample
Gem of the Setting Sun
The Egyptians said that topaz was colored with the golden glow of the mighty sun god Ra. This made topaz a very powerful amulet that protected the faithful against harm.
In the Middle Ages, the Topaz was believed to strengthen the mind and prevent mental illness. A topaz was also believed to prevent sudden death, so men wore them into battle. If the battle went badly, the topaz was said to make the wearer invisible at times of emergency.
Justifying himself was not easy. Face to face with forty-two gods, the heart of the dead was weighed in the presence of the jackal-headed Anubis, god of the dead, against a feather, representing Maat, goddess of truth. Balancing the scale meant immortality. Should the heart not balance perfectly, Amemet devoured it, and Seth, murderer of Osiris, ate the rest of the body. It was little wonder then that spells, tokens, ushebtis, shabtis, amulets, and charms held such sway over the Egyptians.
Zachary Taylor knew he was dreaming again when the pottery shards in the tray beneath his hands reassembled themselves. He had time to see the glyph for ‘Ra’ take shape before the artifacts, the classification table on which they lay, and then the entire field tent vanished with a tiny sound, as if some small animal’s teeth clicked together.
Zachary found himself quite suddenly standing in the midst of the remote desert. The sand was dark and heavy as mud, the silhouette of the temples in the distance. The night was pitch black, yet the stars were like a million halogen bulbs hanging overhead. Zack blinked at his now empty hands, at their bluish outlines, wondering if this would be the good dream or the bad one.