originally published Cthulhu's Dark Cults, Chaosium, 2010
A strange woman walks out of the White Desert of Egypy, into a British reconnaissance camp. She is covered in blood - but its not hers. She carries an inverted ankh, which causes the Egyptians to shun her, declaring she and anyone who comes near her is under a death-curse. But Lieutenant Hennessy is fascinated by her.
The girl ends up back at Hennessy's place, where she stays. A neighbor's cat shuns her. She seems to know nothing of the world, or human emotions.
Hennessy is confronted by an Omar Shakti, who claims he has lost "something of his". Hennessy figures it's the girl, but says nothing.
From a scholar named Jamal Alhazred, Hennessy learns of a legend of the pharoah(ess) Nitocris, who bore a child to Nyarlathotep, but abandoned it in the desert. He is shown (apparently) a Necronomicon and another ancient book entitled The Masked Messenger. He also learns that he has run afoul of the Nyarlathotep-whorshipping cult of The Black Pharoah.
Hennessy attempts to flee with the mysterious woman. They are openly attacked by Black Pharoah assassins in a marketplace. Hennessy kills several of the assassins, but the woman transforms into a tentacled, pincer-d gloop monster and begins slaughtering people. Hennessy realizes she is the child of Nitocris, abandoned in the desert ages ago. He reminds her of the power of love, and talks her into leaving earth in search of her own kind, which she does.
Hennessy flees Egypt and drifts, forever hunted by the Cult of the Black Pharoah.
Well, this has to be the first Cthulhu story I've ever read where The Power of Love wins out!
Other than that - well-written is a somewhat purplish way. It builds really nicely but the payoff pulls the plug on it. Bummer.
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