A Ticket to Ancient Egypt: Vintage Voyages, #3

By Ashley Holloway

Take a trip with us…

… to Ancient Egypt!

 

Cast your eyes upon the wondrous temple.

Take a stroll along the Nile.

Attend a festival in honor of Hathor.

 

But take care not to anger the goddess…

One wrong word could earn you a curse.

 

Join Vintage Voyages today with your Ticket to Ancient Egypt!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ashley Holloway
• Release date: Mar 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215055526

Ashley Holloway

While other kids played outside, Ashley Holloway spent much of her childhood devouring as many books as she could. By the time she reached junior high, she decided she wanted to learn how to create fantasy worlds and stories to share with the world, even going so far as to write to her favorite author at the time for advice. A few failed attempts and many, many years later, she has stopped ignoring the writer within to co-author upcoming sci-fi novel The Parnassus Initiative with Tom Chattle. Her interests range from sci-fi and fantasy to murder mysteries. When she's not trotting the globe, Ashley lives in Colorado. Her other passion is clogging - the kind with taps, not wooden shoes!

Book preview

Chapter 1

W hy are we here again? Zari yelled over the roar of the crowd. Although they’d managed to find a corner table tucked away from the bulk of the patrons, she could barely hear herself think, much less carry on a conversation.

Before he answered her, Nathan waved to the bartender and pointed at their glasses. The stout, bald man inclined his head and pulled out a fresh mug from beneath the counter.

Nathan leaned closer. I figured you could stand a night out. You’re so damn tense all the time.

"And you thought this would help?" Zari motioned to the packed room.

As if to prove her point, rowdy college students in navy-blue jerseys let out a collective cheer at the television hanging above the bar. Elated by whatever had happened in the football game playing, they shared high fives all around. Across the room, a group of orange-clad undergraduates scowled at them.

I have to admit, it’s not usually full of frat boys. Nathan twitched when someone behind him shouted at the TV.

Well, I, for one, am having a blast. Jessica pursed her lips around the straw and slurped the remnants of her frozen margarita from the bottom of her glass.

Despite Nathan’s insistence that he wanted her to relax, Zari’s shoulders felt stiffer than when they arrived. When Nathan had asked the pair of them to join him for a nightcap after another long day of scouring pictures in search of their mysterious man, she had initially declined, preferring to hurry home to a hot bubble bath and her new thriller novel. She had only caved after Jessica had begged her to come along. Although her friend would never admit it, Zari suspected Jessica wanted to spend the evening with Nathan but worried it would be too awkward with the two of them alone.

The corner of Nathan’s mouth twitched when Jessica blinked up at him with bleary eyes. That’s because you’ve already downed two margaritas.

Jessica gaped at her empty glass. No, I haven’t! That’s only the first one. Isn’t it?

Afraid not. Zari patted her on the back.

Eh, who cares? Jessica shrugged. It’s the weekend.

After the last few weeks, they had certainly earned a break. When the bartender set another merlot in front of her, Zari took a deep breath and rolled her neck in circles to loosen the knots. Whether or not it was her scene, she could at least try to enjoy an evening with friends.

At the counter, an angry yell caught her attention.

Uh-oh, Nathan muttered.

What’s wrong? Jessica followed his gaze toward the bar.

Nathan scooted his chair away from the table and perched on the edge of his seat. I have a feeling we’re in for a real show.

A pair of students faced off, their chests puffed out and practically bumping together. The one on the right glared down at his adversary. Their friends gathered behind them.

Nathan whacked Zari’s shoulder with the back of his hand. Shouldn’t you do something about this?

And get in the middle of that testosterone-fueled showdown? Zari scoffed. No, thank you.

His eyes flicked to her for a second before returning to the scene. Miss Law and Order doesn’t want to keep the peace?

Not my business, not my problem. Zari folded her arms over her chest.

The shorter frat boy, decked out in a navy-blue jersey, poked his fingers against the taller guy’s shoulders. His opponent in an orange jersey shoved him backward into his buddies. Whatever had kept the fight from turning physical broke. College kids on both sides rushed each other, surrounding the original pair of combatants.

The bartender shouted at them from behind the counter. Customers scrambled out of the way. From the safety of the sidelines, they raised their fists and cheered. A handful of onlookers pulled out their phones to record the altercation.

Despite her words to Nathan, Zari watched intently to make sure it didn’t get out of hand. While she had no desire to stop a fight involving a dozen intoxicated college students hyped up from a football game, she couldn’t stand idly by if it turned serious. Most bar fights ended before the cops could respond to a call, and she doubted anyone else had the police experience she did to disarm an aggressive drunk or pull an injured victim out of harm’s way.

Glass shattered beside the bar. At first, Zari thought a bottle had gotten knocked over in the scuffle. Her eyes skimmed over the fighters. Trapped against the counter, a bearded undergrad in an orange jersey gripped the neck of a beer bottle in his fist and swung the jagged edges of the broken end back and forth at his assailants.

Zari shoved her chair away from the table and leaped over Nathan’s lap, using her hand on the table for leverage. Ignoring the cries of surprise from her companions, she raced toward the unruly crowd. No one noticed her slip into the cluster. She let out an oof when an elbow jammed into her ribs.

Teeth gritted, she navigated between the hot, sweaty bodies, keeping her sight on the guy with the beer bottle so she didn’t lose him. When she shoved a stout frat boy out of her path, she expected retaliation. He didn’t even glance down at her. She had to admit, being short had its advantages.

By the time she reached the bearded bottle-holder, his cheeks were an angry red. Spittle flew from his mouth as he raged at the guy in front of him. He jabbed the bottle forward. Inches away from the intended target’s belly, Zari grasped the bearded student’s wrist and pressed her thumb against a pressure point.

He cried out and released the bottle. It smashed on the grimy floor. What the hell? Let go of me. His other arm swung around toward her.

Zari wrapped her hand around his forearm. With everyone crammed into a tight space, they barely had room to move. Still, his inebriated state allowed her to gain control of the situation.

Behind him, Nathan’s face bobbed as he scanned the sea of bodies. When he found her, he tried to squeeze between two guys twice his size. One raised his fist. Before she could warn Nathan, the undergrad’s elbow banged into his right eye. He doubled over and disappeared from view.

Zari raised her voice to its maximum level. Everybody, freeze!

Those who could hear her stopped and gaped at the tiny female who had a burly college student trapped in a hold. Zari suspected their compliance had more to do with shock than fear, but it worked. With half the fighters distracted, the spell was broken, and the brawl died down.

While she had everyone’s attention, Zari issued a final command. Either cut it out or take it outside.

Zari let go of the bearded guy’s wrist and stormed over to Nathan. Like the others, he stared at her with his mouth open, one hand resting over his injured eye. She tugged him away from the fighters toward their table, where Jessica stood and ushered him into his seat.

At the counter, the frat boys in navy jerseys settled onto their stools and nursed their remaining beer. The bartender slammed a bill in front of the center customer and jabbed a finger toward the door. After a glare at their rivals, the leader of the group in orange jerseys threw a wad of cash onto the bar top and led his friends from the building.

Jessica fished ice cubes from a water glass with a spoon, wrapped them in a napkin, and handed it to Nathan.

Zari stood behind her, arms crossed.

Nathan pressed the makeshift ice pack to his face and winced. I hate frat boys.

Chapter 2

On Monday morning, Zari opened the door to the conference room she’d shared with Jessica and Nathan over the past few weeks and found it empty, as usual. Old habits died hard, and she still arrived at least fifteen minutes early every day. At least it gave her time to grab a cup of coffee from the break room before dealing with Nathan. His ability to talk nonstop required both patience and caffeine.

Once she’d filled her Montgomery Enterprises mug to the brim, Zari settled in her cushy leather office chair and blew on the steaming liquid while she waited for her laptop to start. Her run-in with the Titanic passenger who resembled a guest she’d met in Medieval England had left her anxious enough. Add in their technical issue–and sudden resolution–with the portal, and she had no doubt that the man had traveled through time and tampered with their return to the present.

Everyone else had taken longer to convince, though. Only after Nathan and his team had come up empty in their search for a technical reason behind the chronoflare’s hiccup had Mason allowed them to consider sabotage as the cause.

Day after day, the trio had scoured historical documents in search of information on the mysterious man she’d spotted on the Titanic. After eliminating women and children, they cross-referenced the remaining first-class passenger list against public records and newspapers from the late 1800s through 1950. Since only a few contained photographs, they relied heavily on key data points to compare against Zari’s memory–height, weight, date of birth.

According to Jessica’s theory, if they found a match, they could cross him off as a time traveler and the culprit of their issues. With hundreds of potential candidates left to evaluate, Zari had no idea what she intended for their next steps if they couldn’t identify the man.

At first, the process had excited her, reminding her why she had chosen history as her major. It was like a puzzle–they only had to find the right piece and the whole thing would start to take shape. Then she remembered that college at least had deadlines and exams to put an end to a project. Zari inwardly groaned at the thought of another eight hours of squinting at blurry pictures to compare against the sketch she had drawn of the man on the ship.

At exactly eight o’clock, Nathan strode through the doorway, yanking Zari from her trance. She blinked and let out a snort when she spied the sunglasses perched on his nose. Rough night?

Something like that. Nathan flung his messenger bag on the table and rooted through it until he found the tablet he carried on their trips, which he connected to his laptop with a cord.

You’re not seriously going to wear those all day, are you? Zari prodded. It’s hard enough looking at grainy photographs without adding another filter.

At his grunt in response, Zari snatched up his coffee mug and headed toward the break room. Normally, he couldn’t keep his mouth shut for longer than two minutes. While it often made it difficult to concentrate, it had also saved her from going insane with boredom. Maybe caffeine would help his taciturn mood.

When Zari set the cup and two packets of creamer in front of him, his sunglasses lay on the table. Expecting bloodshot eyes from a night of drinking, she couldn’t help the bark of laughter that escaped from her lips at the deep purple and black bruise on his face.

It’s not funny! Nathan whined.

It is a little. Zari settled into her seat. I don’t understand why you’re hiding it, though. Don’t the ladies love a shiner? It shows how manly you are, or something like that.

His fingers gingerly touched the bruise. It felt a little weird to flaunt it at work. I wouldn’t want a potential client to think I go around causing bar fights.

Wow, I’m shocked. Zari raised an eyebrow. I must be rubbing off on you if you’re worried about professionalism.

More like I don’t want to get fired. After ripping off the foil, Nathan dumped the contents of both packets of creamer into his coffee. I love this job. When I’m not staring at blurry documents, anyway. I’d rather not lose it over some dumbass frat boys.

If Mason or a client sees you, Jessica and I will back you up, Zari assured him. You were only trying to defend me. Stupidly, I might add. But your intentions were pure.

Nathan’s gaze shifted to the empty seat beside Zari. Speaking of Jessica, where is she? She’s usually here before me.

No idea. Zari squinted at the door. I haven’t seen her all morning. Did she say anything about taking the day off?

Not to me. Nathan shrugged. Maybe she slept through her alarm.

Zari cocked her head to the side. Seriously? You know her better than that.

Fair point. He put his interlocked fingers behind his head and leaned back. I’m sure she’s around here somewhere. I don’t suppose we can wait for her to get started?

Nice try. Despite her reluctance to face another tedious day, the sooner they found a match, the sooner they could end their search. She pointed at the tablet. Besides, it seems like you brought your own entertainment today.

Time travel business. He grinned. Thank goodness. I do not envy you.

While Nathan fiddled with the tablet, uttering undecipherable expressions under his breath, Zari scrolled aimlessly through a digital database. A couple of hours later, she managed to cross one person off the list–the man’s lanky frame conflicted with the time traveler’s short, portly one. Zari noted her findings and moved on to the next name.

Her mind drifted. When she realized several minutes had passed while she stared blankly at the monitor, she scooted her chair away from the table and stretched. You’re boring today. Let’s go find Jessica.

No need. As if on cue, the Vintage Voyages researcher glided through the door with a journal in her hand. Jessica settled behind her monitor and flipped to a page in her notebook. Mason asked me to meet him in his office this morning for details on our next assignment.

At her words, Zari and Nathan both stopped what they were doing and shifted to face her. After their last two trips, Zari never thought she would want to travel through time again. Both assignments had left her with horrifying images she couldn’t shake. Weeks later, helped by the dullness of her current workday, she had come to appreciate the uniqueness of her experiences and longed to see more of the world.

Are you going to leave us in suspense all morning? Nathan’s knee bounced under the table.

A grin split Jessica’s face. You’re going to ancient Egypt.

Chapter 3

Goosebumps prickled along Zari’s skin. The ancient Egyptians fascinated her more than almost any other culture throughout history. Their adoption of advanced practices in science, mathematics, and medicine allowed them to prosper for thousands of years. Unlike other civilizations of the same period, women had the same legal rights as men and could even hold influential roles in society. Combined with their emphasis on living in harmony with nature and each other, Zari found their way of life more appealing than the present at times… until she remembered the forced labor.

Questions and ideas raced through her mind. She finally chose the one that would help them narrow down their research. What year?

Red creeped up Jessica’s neck to her cheek. With her stare locked on the scribbles in her notebook, she answered, You’ll visit one specific day in three different years during the Middle Kingdom.

Across from her, Nathan clicked his pen absentmindedly. Meaning we’ll have to use the chronoflare to hop forward?

Jessica nodded. Despite his previous insistence that their latest time travel device was perfectly safe, the news seemed to bother Nathan. Considering Zari’s initial reservations, the thought that her partner didn’t trust their technology twisted her stomach into knots.

Still, she knew from experience that once Mason agreed to an expedition, neither of them could convince him to change his mind. Not even her phobia of water, nor the fact that the ship sank, had swayed him to cancel a trip to the Titanic.

After what happened last time, don’t you think we should pick a spot and stay there? Nathan continued, his voice strained.

Jessica licked her lips. Not possible for the destination. You’ll attend a festival that only occurs one day out of each year. Since the clients thought they would get the most value out of a multi-day experience, you’ll have to jump twice after you arrive.

Zari’s excitement helped her push aside the fear of utilizing a device that had already failed them once. She tapped on the table between her and Nathan. This is worth it, Nathan, I promise. Egyptians held like fifty festivals a year. Each time, they pulled out all the stops to please the gods.

He frowned. Don’t tell me you approve of the destination.

I can honestly say I do. A smile crept across her lips. The historical significance alone will make it worthwhile.

Nathan chuckled. You’re such a nerd.

Says the person who learned how to sword fight because—

The sound of Nathan clearing his throat cut her off. When Zari frowned at him, he frantically moved his head from side to side and cut his eyes across to Jessica. Their coworker continued to type without acknowledging the abrupt stop to Zari’s sentence.

Anyway, Zari drew out the word, it’s an excellent choice for time travel, one I might even make myself if I had to pick only one era in history. Can you imagine the pictographs, still vibrant before they’re faded by centuries of sunlight? Zari’s fingers snapped in front of Nathan’s face. Are you even listening to me?

His eyelids had turned into slits while he studied Jessica. She’s hiding something. Suspicion laced his tone. No idea what it is, but I suspect whatever detail she’s left out would change your mind about this trip.

Color rose in Jessica’s face