The lovers continued their journey to Johannesburg that day. Resting at one point in the day, Patrick had fallen asleep beneath a tree. In his head were dreams of an expedition in Egypt, paying off the debt Julie's dad owed Collins and being chased by the daeodon. When he said that the daeodon was the last and worst part of an incubus he had not been kidding. It occasionally returned as one for him more than Julie. The grazing of its teeth against his shoulder was something he felt every time he had that dream. The moment that daeodon's teeth grazed his shoulder he jolted awake and looked around.
Trees, grass, a small river where Julie was picking flowers... That was all he saw. Patrick brought a hand to his forehead and lied back down beneath the shade of the tree.
Julie watched as her beloved lied back down beneath the tree. She was aware of the nightmares he had, sometimes he would just wake up with a jolt, stay awake for a few minutes while looking around and then lie back down to sleep. The desire to help Patrick was strong but how could one help with nightmares?
Sighing, she continued to pick flowers. As she did she heard the cry of the Egyptian vulture. She found it strange since they weren't in Egypt, Patrick did too but unlike Patrick she hadn't spent so much time thinking about it.
The Egyptian vulture came flying down and landed right in front of Julie on the other side of the river. Julie looked at the vulture for a second and then returned to her flower picking. She had found it interesting at first but now she found it annoying. She had not even been doing anything earlier and it flew down and pecked her hand.
As Julie continued her flower picking, the vulture squawked at her. She didn't even turn to look at it. Again the vulture squawked and still she paid it no mind.
"A follower of Set should listen when a priestess of Nekhbet speaks." Came the voice of an old woman. Julie turned and before her was an old tribal woman wearing a robe of Egyptian vulture feathers. However due to a speaking a language that had not been spoken since the late 17th century Julie had no idea what the old woman was even saying. She only had an idea what was going on because of the less that friendly tone of her voice.
"Who are you?" asked Julie, frightened by the woman that had appeared out of nowhere.
The old woman raised a hand and began to speak some words. Although Julie did not understand them, it was from the tone and expression on the old woman's face that she continued to be frightened. If the tone and expression had been different, Julie would not have been as frightened as she would have been as someone who can appear out of nowhere was indeed someone to be frightened of.
The grass around Julie began to grow tall, wrapping itself around her tightly. Instinctively, she struggled but to no avail. The grass was so tight that she could not free herself. As it wrapped itself around her mouth, she let out one word. Not just a word yet a name.
The name was Patrick's.
He awoke and saw both Julie and the old woman vanish.