by Moni Boyce
“How are you enjoying Cairo so far?” Fukayna asked with a smile.
Willow, Mathilda, Zoriana and Morgana started making small talk with Fukayna.
Every now and then, Eli’s eyes would wander to Kek. The man picked at his food. Annoyance sat on Kek’s face like he’d eaten something bad. Sabra had yet to say anything other than hello. He was engrossed in his food.
Eli knew they were literally on a countdown before the shit hit the fan. This guy wasn’t going to just let this go. Twenty minutes later, Kek exploded just like he thought he would. “Nope. I’m not going to do it. I won’t just sit here and pretend to have a nice meal with these... these, this criminal.” He spat out and then threw his napkin onto the table.
Eli glared at him. Kek’s angry stare didn’t waver. For seconds there was only silence.
“You break the law and then come begging for our help...”
“And I answered for that.” He bit out.
“Yet here you sit... with her.” Kek sneered at him. “Thumbing your nose at us. How disrespectful of you to come here and ask for our help when you know this is wrong...”
Eli stood. “I’m not hungry anymore.” He was seething. There was so much more he wanted to say, but he didn’t want to give this man the satisfaction.
“Please, please, just sit...” Bakari gave Kek a dirty look, but it didn’t make him back down.
Phaedra spoke up. “Maybe it’s best if we go.” She placed her napkin on the table and stood. “We were told when we arrived that there were issues. We’re just here to locate something of importance. Gamal stated that we needed your permission... You asked us here so we came. We’re trying our best to be respectful in your coven, in your country...”
Kek interrupted her. “Respect? What do you know of respect? You bring this half breed in here...” He jabs his finger at Willow. “That’s showing us respect?”
Eli had had enough. If he stayed one minute longer he was going to leap across the table and beat the guy within an inch of his life. ‘Come on Willow let’s go.” Ulrik had the right idea not setting foot in this place. Their group started to get up from the table.
Sabra, Fukayna and Kek began arguing in Arabic.
Bakari followed them outside. He slightly wheezed as he tried to catch up with Phaedra. “Please... forgive... the bad behavior.”
Phaedra stopped so the man wouldn’t over exert himself trying to catch her. “I apologize for the insults you suffered in there.” He looked directly at Willow that time. She was doing her best to appear unfazed, but he knew Kek’s comments hurt her.
“That is not our way and I am embarrassed it happened.” The man wrung his hands. “What was it you said you needed again?”
Gamal spoke up. “They need access to the Sphinx and the Pyramid without the worry of tourists.”
Bakari nodded. “Yes, I will make some phone calls. Please... let me make amends for what happened.” He pleaded with Phaedra.
“Thank you. We appreciate that.” Her gracious manner lit up Bakari’s face.
“Okay. I will go take care of that and call Gamal when it is done.” He scurried back inside the house.
“I’m so sorry that happened.” Gamal looked appalled and embarrassed. Bright red blotches could be seen in the warm brown on the skin of his cheeks. Eli wasn’t sure because of embarrassment, anger or a mixture of both.
“You don’t have to apologize for other people’s stupid behavior.” Morgana consoled him.
“You okay?” Eli pulled Willow close. She nodded, but she wouldn’t look at him. He lifted her chin so she would have to look at him. “Don’t let what that asshat said to you get to you okay.” The word ‘asshat’ made her grin. “He’s just a small-minded bigot.” He was glad he made her smile. Leaning in, he pecked her on the lips.
Bakari must have really felt bad about what happened over lunch because they were ten minutes away from the apartments when Gamal got the call. He had the drivers change route to head in the direction of the Sphinx and the Pyramids.
The energy in the vehicle changed. Everyone seemed to be excited that they might finally find The Book of Prophecy. Willow was practically jumping in her seat with excitement.
It didn’t take them long to get there. As promised, whomever Bakari talked to had it cleared out. There were no tourists. In fact, no one was at the Sphinx or anywhere within the vicinity. The place was completely deserted. He wondered how that had gone down with the tourists being told they had to leave. What excuse had they used?
He couldn’t put too much thought into that right now. They got out of the vans and stood around trying to decide what should happen first.
“Let’s split into groups and walk around the statue. Look for anything that might lead to some hidden access: a button, lever, anything. Or if you see an area where someone could have hidden anything.” Phaedra laid out the game plan. Everyone broke off into groups of twos or threes.
“Please remember to be gentle. It is a piece of history.” Gamal called out to everyone’s back as they headed towards the statue.
His eyes wandered to the human face missing a nose before it raked over the lion body. Considering the myriad of supernatural beings that existed in the modern world he wondered if there had ever been a living, breathing Sphinx.
“Do you think we’ll find it here?” Willow looked up at the statue as she asked the question.
“I don’t know, baby.”
For the next forty-five minutes, they poked and prodded the base of the statue hoping to find a trapdoor, access panel or hidden compartment that held The Book of Prophecy, but nothing.
“I don’t think it’s here.” Willow said breathlessly, like she’d been running a marathon. She was disappointed.
Phaedra looked up at the sky. The light was beginning to fade from the day. “Let’s head over to the pyramids and see if there is anything there before it gets dark.”
Without hesitation, everyone rushed towards the pyramids. There were three in total. “We’ll take the Great Pyramid.” Max called out as he jogged towards the largest of the three pyramids.
“We’ll take the Pyramid of Khafre.” Anippe shouted and Gamal and Ulrik followed her in that direction.
“Okay...” He had no idea the name of the last pyramid. “We’ll take the last one.”
“Meet back at the Sphinx.” Phaedra yelled so her voice would carry over the distance.
Great.
He realized they’d been left with the pyramid that was the farthest away. They couldn’t lose the light. Since there was no one around to see him use magic, what was the harm? “Give me your hand.”
Willow looked over at him, out of breath with sweat on her brow. “What?”
He stopped running. “Give me your hand.”
She stopped and gave him her hand. Once she did, he teleported them closer.
“I thought...” She began.
“We don’t want to lose the light, right?” He winked and gave her a sly grin. She smirked.
They split up and each walked in a different direction around the pyramid. With the light waning, he wanted to make sure they had sufficient time to make it around the pyramid at least once before they had to call it. No matter how much he jabbed his hands and fingers here and there, into cracks, crevices or openings, nothing gave way or opened. He was beginning to believe they were about to hit another dead end. There hadn’t been any loud barks of discovery from any of the other groups either.
Time had slipped away from him, but by the time he looked up again, he could see he and Willow now explored the same side of the pyramid. As they drew closer, he saw the crestfallen look she wore. She shook her head once they stood side by side. “Nothing.”
It was certainly disappointing, but it had to be here somewhere in Egypt. They would find it. “Let’s rejoin the others.” He took her hand and teleported them back to the Sphinx.”
CHAPTER 19
Willow
After the search yesterday at the S
phinx and the pyramids yielded nothing she had to admit she was feeling a little annoyed. How many other landmarks were they going to have to search. Today they were headed to Saqqara. She hadn’t felt a connection to anything she came in contact with. There was no pull or tug towards anything. Max was right though, she was grateful she didn’t have to do this alone. Having the Protectors with her did make this easier.
It was early. She’d been unable to sleep any longer. The balcony off their bedroom had a magnificent view of the city. She stood out there in one of Eli’s t-shirts and bare feet. Her eyes were focused on the skyline. The sun was beginning to rise and she wished she’d brought her guitar along on the trip. Being so engulfed in all of this had kept her from her music. She’d never gone this long without playing or singing. It was partly what kept her sane. Her finger began to tap out a rhythm on the balcony railing and then she started to hum. Then the tune of the song took shape in her head and she started singing to herself, trying to keep it low so she wouldn’t wake him.
It was freeing and comforting to sing. She realized she was singing The Cures ‘Lovesong’ and she couldn’t contain the small smile that lit up her face. Suddenly, arms surrounded her and pulled her close. The brief jolt of shock dissipated the second she realized it was Eli. “Keep singing babe.” He whispered sleepily into her ear as he held her against his body. She could feel him nuzzling her neck.
She resumed singing and sang a little louder for his benefit. When she finished he kissed her shoulder and smiled into her skin. “You like that song, don’t you?”
“It makes me think of you.” As they stood there together, silent, she wondered what he was thinking, feeling, but she didn’t ask.
The sun climbed up the sky, bathing the day in a beautiful light. He held her tighter and kissed the top of her head. “I love you.” The words held such tenderness to them.
She placed her hand on his arm. “I love you too.” For a while they just stayed locked together. The moments like this are what gave her strength to keep fighting. This is what she was fighting for... more moments like this one, a lifetime of moments like this one. They had to find that book.
Once thoughts of The Book of Prophecy encroached upon her solitude she knew their moment was over. “Let’s shower and get the others up so we can get going.”
He kissed the side of her face and they went back into their room. After she showered and dressed she went across to the other apartment. She held up her fist to knock, but her hand hovered there in the air for a minute. Her nerves were rattling her. She pushed the feeling away and knocked on the door. A few seconds later, Phaedra opened the door.
“Hi.”
“Hi.” Phaedra responded. It wasn’t unwelcoming, but it wasn’t inviting either. As a matter of fact, she stood in the doorway and hadn’t asked her to come inside.
“Can we talk... out here?” Willow didn’t want anyone eavesdropping on their conversation. She realized how hypocritical it was of her to want privacy when she so often wanted and had listened in on conversations.
Phaedra stepped out into the hallway and shut the door behind her. She crossed her arms over her chest and stood staring at Willow with a blank expression.
She’s not going to make this easy.
Willow swallowed and squared her shoulders. “Listen, the day everything happened with Eli... I said some awful things that I didn’t mean...”
“Yes, you did.” Phaedra interrupted her, but there was still no emotion to her words.
“Well they were said in the heat of anger, that doesn’t mean that I really feel that way about you...” Now she sounded defensive. “What I’m trying to say is I’m sorry... I haven’t gotten to know you like I’ve gotten to know the others... and yesterday when you stuck up for me with Kek... Thank you for that...” She faltered and looked away for a second before looking at Phaedra’s face once more. “I realized I was so very wrong about you... I don’t know why we haven’t become friends yet, but I would like to try.”
It took nearly a minute before Phaedra responded. “Apology accepted.” She went to walk back into the apartment.
“Wait. What about everything else I said?” Willow was trying not to look shocked.
“We’re not going to become besties over night. Things will happen the way they’re supposed to.” She offered up a smile that included raised eyebrows that seemed to be asking if this was over.
“Okay.” Once she said the word, Phaedra went into the apartment and shut the door. Guess that’s the best she was going to get. At least she’d finally apologized like she should have right after it happened.
GAMAL, ANIPPE AND ULRIK arrived and they piled into the vans to head to Saqqara. It was the only place they had scheduled to search today. It was a bit of a process getting these places closed to the public so they could have their privacy. She couldn’t imagine how many looks and stares they would receive from people watching them poke around.
The ancient burial ground was deserted when they arrived. The day was still and no air or breeze seemed to whip around, which made the day even hotter. She wiped sweat from her brow as they spread out to begin the hunt. Besides the Djoser’s step pyramid there were ruins of the burial ground complex that had been excavated and preserved. They had quite a bit of ground to cover considering how many possible hiding places the complex offered.
They started with the pyramid and covered every area leading all the way up to the top. Examining every step for potential trapdoors and compartments that might unearth the book. In the hot sun with no shade, it was a grueling, sweaty process. Her fingers were caked with dirt from running them through the sand and earth.
It had taken over an hour to search the pyramid from top to bottom and now they needed to search the burial complex, which consisted of a lot of different areas. At this point they split into groups so they could cover more of the area quickly. She drank down the cold bottle of water Anippe and Gamal offered. They’d been thoughtful enough to pack a cooler full of cold water.
She ended up with Ulrik as a partner during the search of the ruins. They walked in silence under the roofed colonnade entrance that led into the complex. It was the first time she’d been somewhat alone with Ulrik. She ran her fingers along the stone pillars as they passed, wishing she felt some pull or connection to the building. Unfortunately, there was no voice beckoning her in a certain direction or an imaginary string that seemed to tether her to any place within the ruins. It was hard not to feel that they probably wouldn’t find the book here either.
She was deep in her own thoughts when his voice pulled her out of her head.
“You and Eli... was it easy for you to become lovers?” He looked her in the eyes as they walked.
The direct question was unexpected. She looked away and mulled over his words. She was sure the road to where they were now hadn’t been easy. “No, it wasn’t easy.” She mused over Eli’s strong sense of duty that kept them apart. “Nope... When I finally professed my feelings, he wasn’t ready.” Her gaze returned to his. “It broke my heart.”
They lapsed into silence once again as the long walk along the corridor ended and they found themselves in a hall that once held floor to ceiling columns.
In between each column, on either side, were smaller chambers. The search of this hall alone could take quite a bit of time.
“You take the left hand side and I’ll take the right hand side.” He suggested. She appreciated that he offered it as a way for them to work without making it seem like his was the only way. Since it made sense she nodded and stepped to the left. She got right to work, feeling along the walls and columns before she entered the first chamber.
After searching the first chamber she came out to repeat the process of pushing, poking and prodding the wall and a column before she entered the next chamber. She’d completed this process about four times when Ulrik spoke again. “You both inspire me.” He said the words while his fingers worked along a column, probing for a secret hideaway. Will
ow stopped what she was doing. “Since I’ve met you and seen the two of you together I am awestruck, which hasn’t happened in a long time. When you’ve been around as long as I have, you’ve pretty much seen everything. Nothing surprises you anymore.” He turned to her.
She was shocked by his confession.
“Surely, you’ve noticed there is more between Anippe and I than friendship.”
She wasn’t sure if he was looking for an answer because it didn’t exactly sound like a question, but she nodded.
“When I came here after being excommunicated I had no expectations.” While he spoke it seemed like his mind had drifted back to that time in his life. “I was never a man that had known true love and had figured that was something that wasn’t meant to be.” A large smile, like someone had awakened the sun transformed Ulrik’s face. “It wasn’t love at first sight, but what I felt for Anippe as I got to know her grew into a deep, passionate love for both of us.” As quickly as the smile was there, it was snuffed out by some dark memory.
“What happened?” She asked quietly, afraid that maybe she should have waited to let him speak again.
Sad eyes stared at her. It was several seconds before he responded. “Many in her coven were appalled by our relationship. I didn’t find this out until I sought Bakari’s permission for her hand in marriage...”
It was hard to keep the shock off her face. She could tell the two were in love, but hadn’t realized things had been that serious between the two.
“There were threats against me at first, which I could handle... but when members of her own coven threatened to strip her of her magic...” His gaze flicked towards Willow almost in an apologetic way. “When they threatened this thing... and said she would be forced from her homeland as well if we went through with the wedding, I could not go through with it.”
What he’d just told her made her so angry she wanted to go and beat Kek and whoever else had threatened the pair to a pulp. She was sure it had been the vile man from lunch that led the angry mob with pitchforks.