Page 29 of Glass Wings
“We are strong. We both give so much. Maybe we will both make it through. Maybe history has changed since you’ve revealed it. I made a drastic choice, one that maybe wasn’t a part of the future you saw,” Allienna said.
“I hope so,” Reign responded, hugging her friend, filling herself up with love and admiration so that Allienna could take the feelings with her for her journey home.
Allienna walked a few steps back, smiling before turning around and running while her wings pulsed out of her back and shredded her sweater.
“You can pay me back for that,” Reign yelled, amused as Allienna glided off the ground, narrowly missing a few stubborn grazing cows until she got her wings under her and took off into the sky.
Once Allienna landed backon the peak of the mountain, her chest bare and feet buried in two feet of deep, powdery snow, she had no doubt that she was ready. This night would change the course of her life. This night would bring more love and change into this worldthan she could ever hope to create. She had been counting the days and now it was time.
She opened the latch to the temple to see Arryn opposite the door, waiting for her. His eyes glowed with hunger, scanning over her body, the fire under his veins begging for her touch.
“I missed you,” she said and jumped into his arms. His hands stroked her bare back, her wings, and then he placed his lips on hers. He kissed her feverishly, desperately, while burning erupted through her body.
Allienna wrapped her legs around his waist as he walked them both back down the hallway towards the bed. She had every intention of riding him until he ran out of seed.
9
Djoser | Cairo, Egypt | Late 1900s
The sun boredown on Djoser’s exposed neck. Sweat soaked through patches of his thin, white, long-sleeved shirt, evidence of the long hours he was putting into this project.
“Hey, Djoser,” called his professor. “Water break.” The woman threw a plastic water bottle toward him from the top level of the site. It hit the ground a few feet away from him, rolling until dirt had completely stuck to all parts of it.
“You know, a few other Ph.D. candidates have a bet against you,” she continued. This woman was the head of the archaeology department at Columbia University. Djoser had little interest in leaving the country he founded and saw that she was here on a dig over the summer. He volunteered immediately. With master’s degrees in anthropology and political science, he was quickly accepted.
“Yes, a few candidates think this dig is a waste of time. That I shouldn’t have let some hotshot Egyptian local come in and spend amassive amount of our financial resources on something that was not planned,” she continued.
Djoser smiled up at her, taking the moment to grab the dirt-covered water bottle and clean off the cap with his already ruined shirt. He had spent hours writing research papers on why they should dig here, on this site, searching for the Book of the Dead. It was all for show, considering that he had known where it had been for thousands of years.
“Hey, no worries, we’ve got this, Professor,” he shouted up at her. She smirked, pulling her sunglasses down to reveal her eyes.
“Don’t make me regret this, kid,” Professor Skiog said before walking away. The other eight adults in the dig site kept their heads down, rolling their eyes underneath hats and covers that protected them from the day’s torturous sun.
“I didn’t realize this was a fucking popularity contest,” he scoffed loud enough, feeling too ready for confrontation. “Fucking Americans.”
“I’m from Australia, mate,” said the skinny blonde male closest to him, who was a few shades too red.
“I’d double up on the SPF,” Djoser replied, sighed, and turned back to his work.
With no dynasty to help rule from the shadows, this was now what he did with his time. After the last political uprising in the country, he had decided to try his hand at acting like a citizen, and had so far found it dull.
Djoser returned to his stone, picking up his large yellow bristle brush and continued to push back material gently. He was surprised to discover how much he liked digging. It provided an easy magic release without any loss of life.
Anyone looking closely would be able to see that much more was uncovered with the stroke of a brush than should be expected. Djoser did his best to work slowly, pulling atoms apart in the exact corner of the site that should reveal the Kingdom Cemetery.
He found what he was looking for. The material moving forwardwas neither limestone nor sandstone, so he pushed around it, mimicking his magic by picking up his pace with a brush.
“What is it? What did you find? Oye, the Egyptian found something!” The Australian shouted as the entire staff and group of interns up above jumped into the site to crowd behind Djoser.
“Alright, alright, back it up,” the professor shouted, shoving her way through until she stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him. “You know what to do from here?” she asked him point blank.
He nodded, wiping the sweat off of his brow.
“Give them hell, kid.” She winked.
Whatever that is supposed to mean.
“Looks like I won this bet. The Egyptian was not wasting our time. I want everyone working on this wall. You will be delicate. When the day is over, if you owe me money, you can pay me in cash or coins. I’ll also take a pint at the tavern,” Professor Skiog yelled, clapping her hands with authority. “Let’s get moving!”
