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Bill led Luce quickly down the dark hallway, up a short flight of sandstone stairs, and across another hall lit by sures of hawks and hippopotauards turned into the hallway, but before they could see Luce, Bill pushed her through a doorway covered by a reed curtain

She found herself in a bedroom Stone columns carved to look like bundled papyrus ste A wooden sedan chair inlaid with ebony sat by an openopposite a narrow bed, which was carved of wood and painted with so leaainst the wall in case anyone walking by peered in Where are we? This is the coether that Bill meant Daniel, a woman parted the reed curtain and stepped into the room

Luce shivered

Layla wore a white dress with the same narrow cut as the one Luce had on Her hair was thick and straight and glossy She had a white peony tucked behind one ear

With a heavy feeling of sadness, Luce watched Layla glide to the wooden vanity and pour fresh oil into the lamp from a canister she carried on a black resin tray This was the last life Luce would visit, the body where she would part ith her soul so that all of this could end

When Layla turned to refill the lamps beside the bed, she noticed Luce

Hello, she said in a soft, husky voice Are you looking for so her eyes looked much more natural than Auset's makeup

Yes, I arab the girl's wrist, Layla looked past her toward the doorway, and her face stiffened with alarm Who is that?

Luce turned and saw only Bill His eyes ide

You can--she gaped at Layla--you can see hi about the footsteps she hears running down the corridor outside Better hurry, Luce

Luce swiveled back and took her past self's warasped and tried to jerk away, but then it happened

The feeling of the sinkhole opening in Luce's sto in focus was the girl standing before her Her inky-black hair and gold-flecked eyes, the flush of love fresh on her cheeks Foggily, Luce blinked, and Layla blinked, and on the other side of the blink--

The ground settled Luce looked down at her hands Layla's hands They were treht: There were footsteps in the hallway

She dipped to pick up the canister and turned away fro oil into the la but her job

The footsteps behind her stopped A warertips traveled up her arainst her back Daniel She could sense his gloithout even turning She closed her eyes His arms wrapped around her waist and his soft lips swept across her neck, stopping just below her ear

I found you, he whispered

She turned slowly in his arht of him took her breath away He was still her Daniel, of course, but his skin was the color of rich hot chocolate, and his wavy black hair was cropped very short He wore only a short linen loincloth, leather sandals, and a silver choker around his neck His deep-set violet eyes swept over her, happy

He and Layla were deeply in love

She rested her cheek on his chest and counted the beats of his heart Would this be the last tiainst his heart? She was about to do the right thing--the good thing for Daniel But still it pained her to think about it She loved hi, it was how ori It hardly seemed fair that she was forced to make this decision Yet here she was

In ancient Egypt

With Daniel For the very last time She was about to set him free

Her eyes blurred with tears as he kissed the part in the center of her hair

I wasn't sure we'd have a chance to say goodbye, he said I leave this afternoon for the war in Nubia

When Luce lifted her head, Daniel cupped her damp cheeks in his hands Layla, I'll return before the harvest Please don't cry In no ti back into ranates just like always I pro breath Goodbye

Goodbye for now His face grew serious Say it: Goodbye for now

She shook her head Goodbye, my love Goodbye

The reed curtain parted Layla and Don broke frouards with their spears drawn barreled into the rooirl, he said, pointing at Luce

What's going on? Daniel shouted as the guards surrounded Luce and reshackled her hands I order you to stop Unhand her