Jacki smiled. "It was time to come home. Egypt is fascinating, but it's very stressful there these days."
"How so?" Kian asked.
The political situation in Egypt had been tense for years, but he hadn't heard of any specific threats to tourists lately.
"It's just the general vibe. We needed a cadre of bodyguards with us at all times. It became rather oppressive after a while."
"The Brotherhood's influence has grown there," Kalugal added in a lower voice. "I had to keep a low profile and use my Professor Gunter disguise."
"It was still an incredible trip," Jacki said. "Despite the security concerns, it felt like a treasure hunt. The digs were fruitful, and the markets were a treasure trove! I found several pieces that set my intuition humming."
Jacki's psychometric abilities made her uniquely suited for archaeological work. Her ability to touch an object and glean its history was very useful, but it also potentially exposed her to things she would rather not see, so she was discriminating about the objects she allowed herself to touch.
"We brought some interesting finds back with us," Kalugal said. "I can't wait to show them to the family."
Kian's curiosity was piqued. "What kind of finds?"
A mysterious smile played across Kalugal's lips. "I'd rather keep it as a surprise for later. I don't want to compete with your birthday celebration."
Kian raised an eyebrow but didn't press the matter. Kalugal enjoyed drama almost as much as Annani, and Kian had no problem letting his cousin have his moment.
"As you wish," Kian said. "By the way, have you met our guest Din yet? He's an archaeology professor at the University of Edinburgh. I thought you two might have a lot to chat about."
"I haven't had the pleasure of meeting the professor yet."
"Let me introduce you," Kian offered. "He's mentioned something about some artifacts from predynastic Egypt, but I might be mistaken."
"Predynastic?" Kalugal's interest was immediately captured. "That's an era that's always fascinated me. The transition period was when early Egyptian culture was still forming its identity. This is when the gods' influence was most prominent."
Kian scanned the crowd, finally spotting Din and Fenella sitting at a table near the dance floor.
"There they are," Kian said, pointing them out. "Let's walk over and I'll make the introductions."
