In a room somewhere inside the pyramid.
“phew “. Harriet laid down on a bed placed in a corner.
“wow, that was… phewww”, she said spreading her arms.
“indeed, indeed”, acknowledged Ernest before sitting down on a chair beside her.
Suddenly standing back up Harriet complained, “why the fuck--
she glanced at Ernest, expecting him to interrupt her
–are all the furnitures made of stone”.
The contact of the floor, made of stone for a change, with her now bare feet made her shiver.
“I believe it is the Sakkarean tradition to provide the dead with sturdy pieces of furniture”, he answered distractedly.
“th...th-the dead?!”, jumped Harriet nearly knocking down a near-by vase. She looked around for the first time since the strange man teleported them. The room appeared quite lavishly decorated, the room was lit up by a warm yellow light making the various vases, urns, and statues cast longing shadows.
She inched toward an urn and reached ever so slowly toward its lid. Her fingers brushed the object, a chill starting to creep up her arm. She breathed in, breathed out and-- “I believe so miss Harriet”. It was only now that she realised, a dark shadow was looming over her. Her eyes shot open. Her breath quickened. She clenched her fist, and cried, “You mother-fucker Ernest, do you find this funny?!” before bringing it down on his head, half jokingly and half in anger.
“What do I find funny miss? This humble one is only answering your question”. A poker face hiding his emotions.
“Is that so? Humph, I wasn’t surprised by your little game anyway”. Harriet turned her back to him and dusted invisible dust on her sleeves. She ignored the annoying smirk she saw slip on his face the moment she started turning away
“why all the ‘mi--”
“Do you remember the fox you took home when you where five miss? I reckon you do miss”.
“Yes of course. I found him outside and tried keeping him as my secret pet, but dad knew about it the moment-- “oh”, she mouthed – the moment I stepped inside the manor.”.
Ernest smiled proudly.
“do you truly think…”.
“I do not know miss, and in front of the unknown one should always prefer caution to thoughtlessness”.
She nodded, now eyeing the walls a hint more warily.
~~~
A few kilometres above the desert.
Khafra furrowed his eyebrows, he had gone scouting for miles and miles and had found few signs of life aside from some bushes and lizards.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
He clenched his head between his head then groaned and growled in frustration.
A wave of heat started disturbing the air around him in a rapidly growing sphere. When the sand beneath him was struck by the heat, glass began to form before shattering. With each passing second the sphere expanded, making ashes out bushes and boiling animals alive. The circle grew to a kilometre before Khafra fell out the sky.
"idiot", he cursed before teleporting away.
~~~
Steps echoed through the silent corridor. Harriet wondered once again whether she was glad or bothered by their room's lack of door.
She made herself presentable while Ernest tensed. She envied the man, she was too spooked to be tense. Her hands were moist and her limbs felt like jello. The room was already creepy enough but after Ernest’s revelation, rest was out of her grasp.
“this fucker’s gonna make me lose 10 years of my life.”, said Harriet under her breath.
When their host arrived they were quite surprised. He had shed his strange silk bands and now only sported a white knee length skirt beneath his earlier jewels. They now could see his face. Unlike the corpse she imagined, he looked quite healthy, even slightly handsome. She only recognised him thanks to his gold mane and towering height.
His outfit made Harriet blush-- not my fault dad is such a mother-hen is it, she thought while fanning herself with her hand. She pinched her leg and brought her facial expression into control.
When he arrived in front of them she inclined hear head while Ernest bowed; The Pharaoh, as he wanted to be called, returned the gesture and inclined his head in greetings.
“did you have time to rest lady Harriet? I am quite sorry I took the afternoon, water was harder to find than I expected”. She hold back a wince at the use of ‘lady’.
“I did rest well lord Pharaoh”, she lied. “your accommodations have quite a unique comfort”.
“I am glad you appreciated”, he boomed. not that he was ever quiet, noted Harriet
“Please follow me to the dining room. Does your servant usually dine with you? I am not familiar with the customs of your land”
“yes”-”no” replied Ernest and her at the same time.
Their host ignored Ernest and looked at Harriet.
“yes”, reaffirmed Harriet, “he is an old servant of us, nearly a family friend”.
“you will both be my honoured guests then”, he said, laying a warmer gaze on Ernest.
They arrived at the dining room a few awkward minutes later.
~~~
“Your manor is quite sizeable lord Pharaoh”, said the dark haired girl after their long walk. While looking at her Khafra was intrigued by their attire. It was a garb that he had not seen before, his people wore very little clothing, but his guests' white clothes must certainly be helpful in the desert his kingdom has become.
“Indeed, while the building is indeed quite large its primary use require smaller rooms. I do prefer the cosier setting, pardon me if it inconveniences any of you”
“not at all my lord”, answered the silver haired old man this time, “My Master has a similar taste, it must make the little Mistress feel right at home.”
Khafra nodded, mentioned for them to sit down and crossed his legs to do so. The two appeared unaccustomed to his manner of sitting and unused to having a low table. They took his example and sat leg crossed.
He made plates and utensils appear from the kitchen and served his two guests. He first gave them water.
All of the food stored for his afterlife had long since rotten so he could only serve them the animal he took earlier.
The smell of the meat spread around the room and two growls of hunger came from his guests. His stomach too made itself known with a more modest growl.
Raising his glass, he exclaimed, “We have a lot to talk about, but before that I believe we are all in need of some good food. It would be shameful to let my guest starve! So please dear guests, honour my table and eat until your head falls!”.
They all drank in unison before eating with a light mood.