Page 153 of Blue Moon

“Your mother? Did it belong to your mother?”

“My mother was…troubled.” Guess it ran in the family. “A neighbour stepped in at a particularly difficult time in my life. She tutored me, gave me a place to stay, and taught me a lot about the past. It was she who painted the murals on the walls in the Egyptian wing.”

The necklace glinted when the light hit it. “I recognise the design from the bracelet you sent me. The Eye of Horus?”

He looked pleased. “Yes, you remember. Although the bracelet was a modern trinket, and this is the real thing.”

“Like, it’s ancient?”

“Around three thousand years old.”

Wow. It was a little scratched but in pretty good shape for something older than Jesus.

“It’s cute.”

“This is his healed eye, the one that was stolen by Seth and restored by Thoth. It symbolises the power of regeneration, and it protects whoever wears it.”

“Uh, thanks?”

“Let me put it on you.”

He stood, and I didn’t miss his stiffness as he walked around the table or the way his hands trembled as he tried to open the catch. Screw it. He was quite mad, but not malicious. If I sat here for two days and watched him slowly die, probably in pain, then I was as bad as he was.

Hey, maybe I did have Stockholm syndrome after all?

But I also had morals.

“Are you okay?”

“I think I picked up a cold while I was in Las Vegas. So many sick people. Tourists would rather cough on others than waste a moment of their vacation.”

“You’re sure that’s all it is? Your leg looked sore earlier.”

“Your dog has sharp teeth.”

“He’s very sorry.”

“It’s a good thing I’m the forgiving type.” Mark Antony hobbled back to his seat. “I should get an early night.”

“Maybe you should get checked out at the hospital?”

“For a cold?”

“I meant the bite.”

“That’s really not necessary. I’m using honey. Its antibacterial properties are nothing short of miraculous, and it was the most popular drug in Ancient Egypt, did you know that? They also used it for embalming the dead.”

So he was just getting a head start?

“But don’t you think things have come on a bit since then, medicine-wise?”

“Yes, but sometimes the old remedies are the best. Although the big pharmaceutical companies will never tell you that, of course. They’re all about building value for their shareholders.” He offered a genuine smile. “But thank you for your concern, dimidium.”

Well, I’d tried. My conscience was clear. It wasn’t my fault if Mark Antony wouldn’t listen.

43

RYDER

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