Page 49 of The Guardian (Dark-Hunter 20)
When he realized no one else was amused, he sobered.
Sort of.
Lydia gave Maahes a chiding glare. "How long ago was that?"
Carson answered, "Second Dynasty."
And that meant absolutely nothing to her.
When she deepened her scowl, Maahes clarified the description, "Around 2686 BC."
She gaped at Seth, unable to comprehend how long Noir had kept him. How long he'd been tortured.
That was over forty-five hundred years. Forty. Five. Hundred. Years. She could barely get her mind wrapped around it. And she'd stupidly thought herself to be old. She was an infant in comparison. Good thing she'd never thrown that in his face.
"Dang, you're old." She'd been right. Seth did predate Rome.
By a lot.
"How long?" Seth asked.
Suddenly she felt bad for being even the least bit amused. "You really don't know?"
"You've been to Azmodea. You know it's always hard to tell the days apart, and then during my confinement ... I honestly have no idea."
Even Maahes sobered as he realized the horror of Seth's existence. "It's been over forty-five hundred years since Neferkare was pharaoh."
Seth couldn't breathe as that sank in. No wonder it'd seemed like an eternity.
It had been.
And he wasn't sure how to deal to with the knowledge. He was strangely numb. It wasn't like he'd expected to come out of Azmodea ever again, but ...
Lydia leaned into him. "It's okay, Seth."
Was it? He really wasn't sure about that. It was a good thing he'd agreed to having Maahes with them. He'd be all but worthless here.
Lydia exchanged a concerned glance with Maahes. "He's going to seriously wig when he sees what's out there."
"Wig?" Seth asked.
"Lose your mind. Wave it bye-bye."
He frowned. "I still don't understand most of what you say."
"And now I truly understand why. C'mon, Grandpa, we need to get going."
They started for the door.
"Wait."
Lydia paused to look back at Carson who was putting together a quick bag for them. One that held bandages, medicine, his wallet, and a cell phone that he'd kept in a drawer. He handed it to her.
"What's this?" she asked.
"In case you need it. Make sure you don't use your own credit cards or accounts. You don't want to create a trail for anyone to follow. There's enough cash in there for you, and feel free to use my cards." He picked the cell phone up. "This is a burn phone with my number already programmed into it. If you need a cavalry for anything, call me. I can get to you in a blink and I will bring as many soldiers as I can, and our army is by no means small."
His offer touched her. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. I can't stand to see anyone hunted. Good luck to you guys."
She inclined her head to him. "Thank you, Carson."
"Walk in peace," he said, stepping back.
Lydia took Seth by the arm and teleported him to the alley behind the house they'd been in. She and Maahes started for the street, until she realized that Seth wasn't moving.
Arching her brow at Maahes, she turned back to find Seth staring up at the sky with the most incredulous expression she'd ever seen on anyone's face. His features were filled with boyish wonderment and awe.
And it reminded her of his staring at the sun on the computer in his room.
He turned around in a slow circle while he tried to take everything in. The trees, the sky, the buildings, and what to him had to be all the alien sounds of faint jazz and zydeco, cars, and people talking and laughing as they went by on the other side of the brick wall.
Her heart breaking, she walked over to him.
"It's so beautiful," he breathed reverently. "And warm."
"New Orleans usually is."
"New Orleans?"
"That's the name of this city."
"Oh." He finally looked down at her, and she realized he was squinting to the point she was amazed he could see anything at all.
No wonder. He'd lived in darkness for so long, his eyes weren't used to light anymore.
She conjured a pair of sunglasses for him, then put them in his hand.
He scowled at them. "What are these?"
