A Mystery

The halls of the palace were eerily quiet, save for the rhythmic tap of Pharaoh Ramses' sandals against the polished limestone floor. 

The lingering scent of incense from the evening's offerings still clung to the air, mixing with the cool night breeze drifting through the high arches of the royal chambers.

Yet despite the stillness, his mind churned. 

Jade. 

Her presence unsettled something deep within him—something he could not yet name. And that was dangerous.

He had not expected the evening to spiral so quickly. When he called for dinner, he intended to ease the tension between them. 

To speak of what happened between them earlier—perhaps even ease the tension left hanging in the air. 

He had been with a lot of women, and even though he didn't remember half of their faces or names everytime he would remember a name like that.

A name so sacred and so beautiful.

Things were changing—rapidly, inexplicably. He hadn't expected it to unravel like this.

From the moment he first laid eyes on her, he'd thought he was finally one step closer to solving the mystery that haunted him. But instead, everything only grew more tangled.

It began with nightmares. Now, it was the enigma that clung to her—where she came from, who she truly was, and the name that had slipped from his lips when he was intoxicated by her presence.

Where did that name come from?

Satsobek.

He had known many women in his life—countless faces, forgotten names—but this one… this name… it wasn't something you just conjured in a moment of passion.

It was sacred. Ancient. Beautiful.

Such an unexpected and unwelcome thing to say when she finally was in his arms. And he was hoping to make amends tonight.

But then his previous mistress had arrived uninvited, and everything had unraveled. 

By the time Jade demanded him to help her go home, the night had slipped from his control entirely.

She wanted to leave him.

After everything—after the kiss, the connection, the fire still seared into his skin—she sat across from him and asked him to help her vanish.

Like everything meant nothing this whole time.

That wound still throbbed beneath his calm exterior. He had promised her aid, offered excuses about borders and foreign tensions. 

And she had believed him. But it was all a lie. 

A careful delay. He would not let her go. 

Not yet.

As he approached the entrance to a secluded chamber, two guards stepped aside, nodding in deference before pushing open the heavy wooden doors. 

Inside, waiting in the dimly lit room, stood General Horus.

The battle-hardened warrior held himself with rigid authority, his dark eyes sharp with scrutiny. 

The flickering oil lamps cast long shadows across his face, deepening the quiet intensity he carried. He bowed deeply.

"Pharaoh."

Rameses moved past him, his steps measured as he approached the large stone table at the chamber's center. 

Unfurled across it was a map of Egypt and its bordering territories, markers indicating the kingdom's forces and ongoing conflicts. 

But tonight, war was not their concern.

"What have you learned?" Rameses asked, his voice curt.

Horus straightened. 

"The woman—Jade. My spies have been watching her. She is unlike any we have encountered. Her speech, her mannerisms… foreign, even among outsiders."

Rameses' jaw tensed. "She claims to be from the lands beyond the great sea."

"And yet she carries no sign of her origins. No dialect that matches any known kingdom, no customs that align with our traders. Even her knowledge is strange. She speaks of things she should not know."

Rameses' fingers pressed into the table's edge. He had suspected as much, but hearing it confirmed sent a ripple of unease through him. "And her intentions?"

Horus hesitated. 

"Unclear. She does not behave as a spy, nor does she seem to have allies within our borders. She has made no attempt to send word to anyone. If she is an agent of another kingdom, she is either exceptionally skilled at deception… or truly lost."

The general retrieved a small bundle wrapped in fine linen, carefully unwrapping its contents. 

Rameses leaned in, his gaze sweeping over the peculiar objects. 

A small cylindrical tube with a twisting cap, its purpose unknown. A smooth, elongated tool that glinted under the firelight—possibly for writing, though unlike any stylus or reed pen he had ever seen.

Lastly, a flat, rectangular object lined with compartments, holding odd trinkets, paper-like currency… and something truly baffling.

A slim, black, glass-like tablet with a reflective surface.

Rameses picked it up, tilting it in the firelight. It was smooth, impossibly light, unlike any metal or stone he had encountered. 

He turned it over, frowning at the strange symbols etched into its back.

"This is no mere trinket," he muttered.

Horus nodded grimly. "It has no visible seams, no clear function. And yet… when one of my men pressed upon it, the surface briefly lit up with strange markings before darkening again."

Rameses' grip tightened. This was not something crafted by mortal hands.

"None of our scholars can decipher these symbols. Nor can our artisans determine how these objects were made," Horus continued.

Rameses studied the artifact for a moment longer before setting it down.

He had spent the day watching Jade, testing her reactions. 

She had shown no inclination toward deceit, no hunger for power, no hidden agenda—only a desperate desire to understand her place in this world.

And yet, she had unsettled him more than any adversary ever had.

"Continue watching her," Rameses ordered. "Discreetly. I do not want her to know she is being observed."

Horus inclined his head. "As you command, Pharaoh."

Rameses turned his gaze to the map, but the lines of war had blurred. 

His thoughts lingered elsewhere—on a woman who did not belong in his world, yet had somehow shaken its very foundation.

Who are you, really?