Eyes of Jade

By Sarah J Dhue

From a young age, Egyptian culture fascinated Michael. Now, studying at the University of Cairo and having nearly acquired his Master’s Degree in Archaeology, along with longtime fellow Egypt enthusiast girlfriend Susan, the future is looking bright for Michael – especially when an ancient tomb is discovered, and they find out they will get to attend the dig as part of their degree programs. But that all changes when Michael is contacted by the spirit of an ancient Egyptian princess, claiming that he is her long-lost lover finally returned to her. And after waiting several lifetimes to be reunited, she is not willing to lose him again.

Includes Arabic language and Egyptian glossary of terms used in the book!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Feb 28, 2022
• ISBN: 9781458377920

Sarah J Dhue

Sarah J Dhue is a fiction author from Illinois and has been writing since she was in elementary school. She writes predominantly Horror, Paranormal, and Sci-Fi fiction, but has branched off into Romance and plans to try to her hand at other genre departures. In addition to books, she also writes poetry, short stories, and songs. She loves networking with other writers and artists of other media. Some of her other interests include coffee, photography, graphic design, social media, animals, art, travel, music, and animation. Sarah currently resides with her family and cats in southern Illinois.

Book preview

Dedication

To my family, for their never-ending support: my sister whose knowledge of Ancient Egypt helped when trying to keep this piece as accurate as possible, and my parents for their support and editing assistance.

To my editors, Deborah and Max, for helping this second edition come together.

To Alexis Heacox, winner of the ‘Title My Book Contest!’  Without her, this piece would still be untitled.

To Joe Carnegie / Libyan Soup for the use of his photo on the front cover.

To Maeva’s Coffee, for an environment which fosters creativity and keeps me properly caffeinated.

And most of all, to you, my beloved readers.

Prologue

Anubis! ten-year-old Michael exclaimed excitedly when he saw Tom’s shirt.

Yeah, sure? Tom replied.  Got it at some museum my family went to over the summer.  I thought it looked kinda cool.

You bet it’s cool; Anubis is the god of the Underworld! Michael was excited; he always got excited when he got to discuss Egypt with his friends.

Yeah yeah, cool.  Tom brushed him off, but suddenly perked up, Hey Michael…  At that museum I saw a mummy.  Is…  Is it true what you said about their brains being turned into a milkshake before they wrap them up?

Well, not a milkshake, but yeah, they turn it into mush and scoop it out through the nose with a special tool.

That’s so cool! Tom exclaimed.

Yes, most of the boys liked hearing Michael tell them all the cool and gross facts about mummification, and all the girls were repelled by it; they thought it all sounded pretty icky.  But at ten years old, Michael and the other boys did not care about girls.  As a matter of fact, they enjoyed grossing the girls out with facts about mummification and flesh-eating scarabs.

~*~

Michael sat at the public library table, large volumes and a few select paperbacks stacked around him.  His eyes were glued to the page in the book he was reading, his hand absently doodling in his notebook next to the open book.  He looked over to his notebook and tweaked the collection of hieroglyphs he had been drawing.

He ran his fingers through his shaggy, unkempt hair, his forearm muscles flexing as he scratched his scalp.  Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Tina sitting in one of the comfy chairs watching him.  It was not the first time he had caught her following him to the public library after school.  She seemed nice enough, but she had absolutely no interest in history or culture, yet still seemed to find Michael interesting.

He returned to his work.  Being at the top of his history class and so close to graduating, he had to focus on his studies so he could receive enough scholarships to go to the college he wanted.  And, even if he got more than enough scholarships, he would have to be accepted to the University of Cairo.  He could not imagine Tina following him there.

Chapter 1

Michael walked down the hall of the University toward the dorms.  He was a handsome young man with short, dark hair, stubble, and striking green eyes.  He not only had his good looks going for him, he was intelligent – quite possibly the smartest in his course of study.  Michael was very close to acquiring his Master’s Degree in Archaeology with a focus on Egyptology.

He unlocked the door to his dorm room and dropped his messenger bag on the sofa.  He walked out onto the small balcony, stretching.  As usual, it was a hot day, but Michael liked it hot.  He looked out over the city, the Great Pyramids of Giza visible, distant on the horizon.  As he breathed in the hot air, he did not hear the door open.

Two slender arms wrapped around his waist from behind, and a familiar voice breathed, Hey, in his ear.

I didn’t hear you come in.  Michael took her hands, smiling as he turned around to look at his girlfriend, Susan.  She was pretty, with long, blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail and brown eyes; Michael loved looking at her. They had met shortly after he had arrived at the University and had instantly connected, since Susan was majoring in Egyptology, with a minor in Archaeology.  One thing had led to another, and they had been an item for several years now.

How was your day? she asked, smiling at him.

Long.  He turned back to look at the pyramids, I’m ready to start seeing and discovering new relics, not just reading about them in books.  That’s where I belong…  His voice trailed off.

I know, she stroked his hand that was holding hers.  Soon.  A sly grin spread across her lips, But for the time being, you could always explore something else.

He turned back to her, Oh, like what?

She bit her lower lip and shrugged, Oh, I’ve heard it’s a real gold mine in this dorm room – if you know where to look.

He smiled and suddenly swept her off her feet, Show me.

~*~

The room was dark, cool night air blowing in through the open window.  Michael could hear Susan breathing next to him, asleep.  He lay there in the darkness, staring up at the ceiling, letting his mind wander.  Sleep eventually overtook him.

Michael felt he was looking through a fog.  He could not see anything; he was somewhere dark and cold and musty.

Uāmirtntmājkia, a woman’s voice called out in the distance.  Uāmirtntmājkia, closer now.  Come back to me.  She was not speaking English, yet Michael could understand her.  He also did not recognize the name, but knew she was speaking to him.  Uāmirtntmājkia, I’ve been waiting for so long…  Come back to me.  A woman’s face began to materialize through the mist.  He squinted to see her better, but the fog was just too thick.  Uāmirtntmājkia…

Michael’s eyes flew open, and he realized he was in his bed.  He was bathed in sweat, the first rays of sunlight shining through the open window.  The woman’s voice still echoed in his mind; it had seemed so real.  Come back to me…

You okay? Susan asked groggily.

Yeah, fine.  Michael had to keep reminding himself it had just been a dream, Just a weird dream…  He sat up, grabbing a button-up shirt from the floor and pulling it on.

Where’re you going? Susan squinted at him with tired eyes, The sun’s barely up yet.

Library, he said, buttoning his shirt.  I wanna check something.

Okay, she rolled over, obviously not ready to get up quite yet.

He leaned down and kissed her cheek, Love you.

Love you too.

He swapped out a couple of books in his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and headed for the library.  When he arrived, there was no one else there this early, except the librarian and one other student lying face down in his book; he had probably studied too late and ended up spending the night in the library.

Michael sat down, opening one of his books and trying to focus on reading, but his mind