Meeting Hassan

Jade stood in the center of the grand tent, her posture tense as General Horus regarded her from across the wooden table. The room smelled of papyrus, oil, and the faint metallic scent of bronze. 

Morning light filtered through the fabric walls, casting shifting patterns around them. He studied her carefully, his expression unreadable.

"How are you faring?" he asked at last, his voice measured but not unkind.

Jade hesitated, surprised by the question. She had expected immediate interrogation, not concern.

"Better than yesterday," she admitted, folding her arms. "The food was good. The bed could use some improvement, though."

A flicker of amusement crossed his face before it was quickly masked. "You are fortunate to have either," he remarked. "Few prisoners are granted such comforts."

Jade swallowed. There it was—the reminder that she was still very much at his mercy. "I suppose I should be grateful, then."

Horus leaned forward slightly, his dark eyes sharp. "You should."

A heavy silence settled between them before he continued, his tone shifting back to its original neutrality.

"I have sent word to Pharaoh about you. Until he arrives, you remain under my watch. But I need to know more. You claim you were lost, separated from your companions. Who were they? Where were you traveling from?"

Jade exhaled slowly, knowing she had to tread carefully. "I told you the truth—I don't know where they are. I got lost in the desert. I wandered until I found this place."

Horus did not look convinced. "You expect me to believe that a woman such as yourself survived the desert alone? With no supplies, no mount, and no signs of distress besides obvious dehydration when you were found?"

Jade bit the inside of her cheek. She had no real way to explain it. If she told him the truth, that she had somehow fallen through time, he'd either think her a madwoman or a liar. Neither outcome would work in her favor.

"I was lucky," she said simply.

He watched her, unblinking. "Luck does not explain the unease you bring with you. My men whisper of omens. Some believe you are a sign from the gods. Others believe you are something far worse."

Jade's pulse quickened. "And what do you believe?"

Horus exhaled through his nose, leaning back in his chair. "I believe that the gods do not act without purpose. Which means you are here for a reason. Whether that reason serves Egypt or threatens it—that remains to be seen."

His words sent a chill through her. She was being weighed, judged. Whatever decision he made next could determine her fate.

Before she could respond, Horus reached down beneath the table, retrieving something heavy. With a deliberate motion, he dropped it onto the wooden surface with a dull thud.

Jade's breath caught. Her purse.

It was unmistakable—the small bag she had with her before everything turned into chaos. Worn but modern, out of place in this world. A deep discomfort settled in her stomach as she stared at it, feeling the weight of Horus' gaze drilling into her.

"One of my men found this where you were hiding," he said, his voice low, unreadable. His fingers traced the fabric with subtle curiosity, lingering over the zipper before nudging it open just enough to peer inside. He reached in and pulled out an object, turning it over in his palm—a tube of lip balm.

His dark eyes flickered back to her, sharp with suspicion. "What manner of things do you carry?" He placed the lip balm down, then retrieved a few more of her belongings—a pen, wallet with her identification, and a hair tie. Things so small, so mundane in her world, but impossibly foreign here.

Then he reached deeper inside and pulled out an empty plastic water bottle. The material crinkled slightly in his grasp, the transparency of it catching the morning light. 

Horus turned it over in his hands, his brows drawing together. "This is like no vessel I have seen before. It bends, yet does not break. It is lighter than any flask. What magic does it hold?"

Jade remained silent, her heart hammering as his hand disappeared into the purse once more. This time, he withdrew two granola bar wrappers, crinkled and empty. He flattened them against the table, running his fingers over the strange glossy material.

"And these?" he asked, his voice quieter now, edged with something unreadable. "What was inside them?"

Jade swallowed hard. "Food."

Horus' gaze snapped to hers, sharp as a blade. "Food? From where? These bear no markings of a merchant's stall, no seals of trade. And they are… unnatural." He pressed his fingers against one wrapper, testing the way it resisted his touch. "These should not exist."

Jade felt the blood drain from her face. The way Horus studied the objects made her insides twist. They were harmless, yet in this time, they were something else entirely. Unnatural. Unexplainable.

He picked up the pen, turning it between his fingers as if testing its weight. "This does not belong to any land I know. What are these strange artifacts?"

Jade swallowed hard, every instinct telling her to choose her next words carefully.

Before she could respond, the tent flap rustled. A soldier stepped inside, bowing low. "General, a message has arrived from Thebes."

Horus straightened, his grip tightening around the pen. "And what is it?"

The soldier held out a sealed scroll. "The Pharaoh is already on his way. He travels by royal barge and will reach us in no more than seven days."

Horus' expression darkened with thought as he slowly set the pen down. "So, he comes himself." His gaze flickered back to Jade, scrutinizing her anew.

A chill ran down her spine. If the Pharaoh was making the journey, this was no ordinary summons. Whatever he had read in Horus' letter, whatever conclusions he had drawn—he wanted to see her with his own eyes.

Jade clenched her fists at her sides. She had no idea whether that was a good thing or the beginning of something far worse.

***

Hassan stood outside the soldiers' barracks, idly watching as the camp bustled with activity. The desert wind stirred the sand beneath his feet, and the smell of morning fires still lingered in the air. 

He had heard whispers about the woman—the stranger who had been found within their camp, the one who had unsettled even General Horus. The men were wary, but curiosity had begun to spread through the ranks like wildfire.

Then he saw her.

Jade stepped out from the general's tent, flanked by two guards. Though she carried herself with careful composure, there was something in her eyes—something unsure, almost out of place. The garments she wore were Egyptian, yet she did not quite fit into them. It was as if she belonged, and yet did not.

Hassan's lips curled slightly in amusement. He had seen many travelers, traders, and prisoners pass through camps, but none like her.

As she passed, he took a step forward, inclining his head slightly. "You look as though you've stepped into the lion's den," he remarked casually, keeping his voice light.

Jade turned her head sharply, her eyes narrowing slightly as she assessed him. "Is that what this is?"

Hassan chuckled. "That depends on whether the lion plans to eat you." He glanced at the guards escorting her before meeting her gaze again. 

"I'm Hassan, one the of the General's soldiers, specifically his best friend" he introduced himself proudly. "And you are?"

Jade hesitated for a fraction of a second before answering. "Jade."

"An unusual name," Hassan mused, studying her. "But then again, you seem to be full of unusual things."

Her lips pressed together, as if suppressing a retort. Hassan merely smiled.

He gestured ahead. "Care to walk with me? Perhaps a little tour?"

Jade hesitated, glancing at the guards before exhaling. "I suppose I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

Hassan grinned. "Not really."

With a reluctant nod, she followed him as they wove through the camp, the weight of watching eyes trailing behind them.