Blessed Lands Egypt Chapter Twenty
Blessed Lands Egypt
Author: J Carrell Jones
Table of Content
Chapter 20
Honute, Akila and Ayruyi walked into the office. Theoris looked up, looked at her time piece. 9:05 am. She nodded at Akila. She looked at Honute and wondered how this humble priest was able to kill an entire camp of enemy soldiers. The conditioning had to have been powerful. “Morning Priest Honute, how are you?”
Honute bowed slightly. “Just plain Honute, please.”
Theoris smiled and said, “Okay, ‘just plain Honute.’”
After a second, Honute smiled, and then laughed.
Everyone in the room laughed. Ayruyi was a bit annoyed at a joke made at her master’s expense. But she smiled. It was witty and she liked Dr. Theoris. She stood up to Master Priest Ferruk where others would have caved in like a mud hut built on stilts in a hurricane.
Theoris tapped at her keyboard. “Today is going to be a full day. After lunch we’ll be measuring the bioelectromagnetic field around you Honute. My theory states that we should see measurements off the normal.”
Honute nodded, not really knowing what she meant, but he had to be polite.
Theoris continued, “Unfortunately, the equipment was not ready until now. I would have liked to have gotten a reading off you before we did the gene therapy.”
Honute nodded again.
“How do you feel? Notice anything strange happening?”
Honute and Akila looked at each other. The stare went for several seconds.
Theoris said, “You did, didn’t you?”
Honute hesitated.
Theoris said, “It is imperative that you report any anomalies.” She gave Akila a stern look. “Akila, I’m not supposed to be telling you this.”
Akila nodded. “Yes, Doctor, I know. It was something that could have been a coincidence.”
Theoris, impatient now, said, “Tell me.”
Akila took a deep breathe. “Just before we left the hospital. Honute said he had a feeling he could make the bed sheets billow.”
Theoris said, “Did he?” She looked at Honute, who shrugged.
Akila nodded. “Something happened. It could have been a draft. And when he tried it again, nothing happened.”
Theoris mused. “Interesting. What happened immediately before?”
Akila thought for a second and looked at Honute. His face was calm quiet. She looked at Ayruyi and said, “Honute had found out that Priest Ferruk gave Ayruyi to him for a week.”
“What?” Theoris exclaimed “That’s – that’s absolutely absurd. He can’t do that.” She turned to Honute. “And you accepted her?”
Honute shrugged, “It’s not my place to refuse his gift.”
Theoris erupted in a torrent of insults. After a moment she exhausted her vocabulary of bad words and turned to Ayruyi. “How do you feel about this?”
Ayruyi looked at Honute.
He nodded.
Theoris snapped. “I’m asking you, not him.”
Ayruyi not quite surprised by Theoris’ attitude stared at her. Ayruyi was born a slave. So were her father and mother and their parents and parents’ before them. Pharaoh, the embodiment of the gods had enforced it. It was not going away. “I do as I am told.” She bowed her head slightly.
“And if you were told to kill yourself, what . . .”
Ayruyi had been through this argument with so many well-wishers and do-gooders. To her, they all seemed dumb. It was those silly questions they asked, like the one Theoris just ask. “I’d kill myself.”
Theoris shut up for the moment. She had allowed herself to get derailed. Then she cursed Ferruk for getting under her skin. “Okay, we can skip that train of thought for the moment.” She looked toward Honute. “What did you feel when you heard the news?”
Honute thought for a second. “Upset, I believe. I thought I wasn’t worthy of this gift.”
Theoris, wide-eyed, bit her tongue. She counted to ten, waited, counted to ten again, then said. “Okay, you were upset. Then?”
“Then, for some reason I knew I could make the sheet move. It did, but not the second time. It just seemed to have disappeared.”
Theoris nodded to herself. Things were adding up in her head and she wasn’t sure she liked the outcome. “Honute, what do you remember of the war?” Theoris watched as rage and distorted madness flashed across his face. It was a split second, and if you hadn’t been looking for it you would have missed it. Interesting Theoris thought.
Honute answered, “Not much really. I try not to think about it. I’m not too particularly proud but I suppose I did some good things.”
Theoris nodded.
“But now,” Honute continued, “being a priest makes me happy. I like helping people.”
Theoris nodded again. Classic responses. ‘Damn!’ she thought. Conditioning is deep. She walked over to her desk and checked her email. She read the reply from Hypatia and pursed her lips together. Hypatia was going to be there. Not good, nor bad, but something would come out of it. She looked up. “Akila, how did you do on progressive hypnosis?”
Akila beamed. “I aced the class. Why?”
“Just a hunch, but I’m going to have you put Honute under.”
Honute swallowed hard. “Under?”
Theoris nodded, “Just a light trance. It’ll help with the test later this afternoon.”
Honute bowed his head slightly. “Okay.”
Theoris typed out an email to Ferruk. He had asked earlier about the progress. She suppose this was as good a time to show him something. Significant or not. She hit the send button and she had just committed herself, of a sort, to a man she hated, didn’t trust, and under a silly clause, worked for. She looked up. “How about some tea?”
Ayruyi bowed and started to move.
Theoris held up a hand and firmly said, “While you are in my presence, you will not fetch anything. Do you hear me?”
Ayruyi looked over to Honute.
Theoris gritted her teeth.
Honute nodded and Ayruyi nodded back to Theoris.
Theoris assumed it was some sort of victory. She would definitely play the wildcards when Ferruk arrived. He gave Ayruyi to Honute for a week. Technically, she shouldn’t listen to him, but she knew that wasn’t going to happen. He had too much a strangle hold on her psyche, and from personal experience he wouldn’t let go that readily. She got up and walked toward the door. A thought occurred to her and she stopped in front of Ayruyi. “Sit.” She said.
Ayruyi sat without hesitation.
Theoris looked at Akila. “Let’s make some tea.”
Akila followed Theoris out the door.
Honute, still standing, decided sitting would be a good thing. Tea may be a long time coming. He sat at the edge on the sofa.
Ayruyi coughed. “Master Honute –“
“Just plain Honute, please.”
Ayruyi didn’t continue. She stared at him.
After several seconds Honute said, “Yes?”
Ayruyi remained tight lipped.
Honute sighed, “Okay, you can call me Master.”
Ayruyi smiled, “Master Honute, may I get you something. Dr. Theoris is not here.”
Honute almost fell off the edge of the sofa. He wanted to laugh, but the situation didn’t seem to warrant it. “No, I’m fine. May I get you anything?”
Ayruyi froze. Master Honute must be playing with her. She was caught in one of those dilemmas about doing what you want to do and doing what is right, which was nothing. “I’m fine, Master Honute.”
Honute nodded.
Several minutes of silence ticked by before either of the two said anything.
Honute said, “Are you sure I can’t get you anything?”
Ayruyi froze again. The dilemma. “No, I’m fine Master Honute, but do you need anything?”
Honute said, “No, I’m fine too.”
Ayruyi nodded.
Silence ticked by again.
When Honute thought he may go mad from the silence, Theoris and Akila walked in. ‘Oh thank, Thoth!’ Honute thought.
Theoris and Akila walked in, each with a tray. A teapot and two cups sat on the each tray. Theoris and Akila walked over to a small table in the corner and placed the trays on top of it. Theoris handed a cup to Honute, Akila handed one to Ayruyi. The group sat in silence for a moment when Theoris said, “Honute, how do you feel about being a priest?”
Honute sat straight and beamed. His smile was almost frighteningly alarming. “I enjoy it a lot. I get to help people who appreciate the temple and the gods. Over the years, people have been moving away from the temples.”
“How does that make you feel?” Theoris asked.
An almost frighteningly disheartening frown appeared on his face. “My heart sinks and it troubles me greatly. Our youth are getting into trouble and our society is heading into the underworld without proper preparation. If I could show the world the power of believing in our gods and having faith in their decisions then I would have accomplished a good thing.”
“But, Honute, Pharaoh is the embodiment of the gods.” Theoris said.
Honute nodded, “Yes, but he is the embodiment of the gods. And he can’t hear all our cries. Pharaoh has powers to attend to earthly problems. He can’t solve problems of the heart and soul. He can’t help me find my way out into the light of hope and love when I have fallen and stumbled blindly into despair and depression. The gods can help guide us and keep a path of happiness and blessedness. We just have to open our eyes and hearts to get the message.” He took a sip of tea.
Theoris thought for a moment. “Pharaoh can’t do that? Help us out of despair and depression?”
Honute slowly nodded. “It was Pharaoh’s word that had us fighting the cursed ones.”
Theoris nodded. The Maya. She understood. “Do you trust Pharaoh?”
Honute took another sip. “He is the embodiment of the gods for all earthly affairs. That includes the mischievous gods as well.”
Theoris smiled. It had been a long time since, ‘no’ she thought it had never happened, since she had talked to a priest who sounded like he had a brain. Then the nagging thought of his conditioning stepped up. It shouted for her to consider that his answers may not be completely and totally his. But she thought, whom every conditioned him did a marvelous job. She’d take that person out to lunch if she could find him or her. She finished her tea. “Honute, I am surprised.”
Honute finished his cup. “Surprised?”
She nodded. “You seem to have a balanced paradigm for a priest and I like that.”
Honute bowed his head. “The compliment is most welcomed.”
Akila and Ayruyi watched the exchange. Both women, as if communicating mentally, got up and took the tea cups and placed them on the trays. Each woman sat quietly, lost in thought. Akila was thinking how she was falling in love with Honute and with Dr. Theoris’ approval the feeling deepened. Ayruyi thought how wonderful it would be to have Honute as her master forever. Earlier she resented him letting the doctor bully both of them, but in the last few minutes he said everything she believed all her life. And he seemed to value her worth. This would be a master to have.