Blessed Lands Egypt Chapter Twenty Three
Blessed Lands Egypt
Author: J Carrell Jones
Table of Content
Chapter 23
Ferruk sat at Theoris’ desk. Theoris was furious. If it wasn’t for the bodyguard squeezed in one of the corners she’d kill Ferruk, possibly splay him and hang what was loose out the window. The old man had walked in with a tray. A coffee pot, cups and pastry was on top. The old man, Theoris later learned was Ayruyi’s father, placed the tray on the desk. He poured coffee into the cup and measured out an exact amount of honey and cream into one of the cups. He sipped at it, waited a moment, and then handed it to Ferruk.
Ferruk took it and took a swallow. He smiled at Theoris. “Are you sure you don’t want a cup? Arrutyi makes a very decent cup.”
Theoris said, “I’d like my desk back.”
Ferruk smiled and leaned back in her chair. “The years have been good to you, Theo –“
“You may not call me that, I gave –“
“You gave me nothing!” He flung the report at her head, but it missed. “I need something better to give to Pharaoh. This, this, this report you gave is written in incomprehensible gibberish. Pharaoh could not possibly understand.”
Theoris finished counting to ten. “Pharaoh very well could understand it, as he has understood many of the other projects this University has produced.” She poked at the air and toward Ferruk with her middle finger. “You can’t understand it.”
Ferruk slammed his hand on the table and swept the contents on the desk on the floor.
Theoris jumped up, but stopped.
The bodyguard had appeared at the edge of the desk.
Theoris sat back down.
Arrutyi walked over to the fallen contents and started to pick them up.
Ferruk, without moving his eyes from Theoris, said, “Leave them. Fetch me a fresh cup of coffee.”
“Yes, Master.” The old man said. The coffee appeared in less than a minute.
Ferruk sipped at the cup. “Tell me in simple words what happened.” He leaned back into the chair.
Theoris looked at her stuff on the floor, then the bodyguard, then Ferruk. “Honute changed the electromagnetic field around him. We don’t know how – well, actually we do but I can’t tell you in simple terms or of what importance this is. When the program started we didn’t know what would happen.”
“But you had some idea, yes?” He sipped his coffee some more.
“Yes. Maybe telekinesis –“
“That’s moving things from a distance?”
Theoris nodded. “Yes. Maybe, affect the magnetic field, as Honute has. Maybe able to change nearby ambient temperatures.”
“And this magnetic field changing? What could it be used for?”
“Maybe affect other electromagnetic fields. He might be able to direct a concentrated field –“
“Like a blue bolt?” Ferruk interrupted.
Theoris gave him an inquisitive look. She nodded. “We are still testing.”
Ferruk had an unfocused gaze. He seemed to have mentally wandered off. A moment later he returned. “After the alarms started going off, your lovely assistant said something to Honute. What was it?”
“She told him to relax.”
“And that was all.”
Theoris nodded.
“You know that Honute was a soldier.”
Theoris held her composure and nodded.
“A very successful, yet violent one.”
She nodded again.
Ferruk smiled. “Why would you give something as this to such a man?”
Theoris took a deep breath. “We didn’t know until after we began.”
Ferruk thought about that for a moment. He sipped at the coffee. A minute later a laugh started. It rumbled from deep within his chest and came out loud and long. It went on for a minute and slowly subsided. “You didn’t know? All priest are humble creatures. Was that it? If it worked he could be controlled? Is that what she did, gave him a hypnotic suggestion?” He laughed again. “That I totally understand. Let me think for a few minutes. Wait outside until I’m done.”
Theoris sat.
Ferruk looked over to her and frowned.
Theoris said, “This is my office.”
Ferruk smiled, “For the moment, no.” He looked at the bodyguard.
He nodded, walked over to Theoris. He hovered menacingly.
“You can either leave on your own, or you can leave by . . . .”
Theoris got up. She slammed her door shut on the way out. She stood by the doorway for a moment, fuming and plotting. Then an idea hit her. She burst into laughter but squelched it quickly and hurried to find Honute and Akila. She had a surprise for High Priest Ferruk, Friend of Pharaoh, Bastard to everyone else.