"Yes," Sam said, spitting the whole story out as the others tended his wound. Ellie stood away from the group, watching Gerhard dress the wound with his normal efficiency, her eyes flicking to the grotesquely posed corpse of her old family friend.
"I killed him. I killed Uncle Mourad. Oh, my God," Ellie sobbed, rubbing her hands furiously on her trousers. "Daoud and Alex! How will I ever explain what happened to their father? Tanta Mariam depends on him. What have I done? I murdered him..." She grabbed the antibacterial wipes from the first aid box and scrubbed her hands. "How will I ever live with this?"
Sam struggled to his feet with help from Ben and moved to her side. "Rohi, my soul, you didn't murder him. You protected us. Me," he whispered as he pulled her to him. "He gave us no option. May God bless his soul."
"No. I could have talked him down. I should have tried. He made me so angry. I shot him in anger. That's the truth."
"Oh, my darling, yes, you did, and you'll learn to come to terms with that over time, but you had no other option. He was a zealot. His religious convictions blinded him. Honey, he was seconds away from killing us. Luckily, you got the first shots in," he said, dropping a kiss on her head and wrapping his arms tighter around her, wincing. "The blame lays solely at Mourad's feet."
He gestured to Ben and Gerhard over her head, to dispose of the body as he rocked Ellie in his arms, whispering words of comfort. She didn't notice the gentle splash as they eased Mourad into the Nile to join the carcasses of horses, donkeys, and many of his comrades in recent days.
Reunion
Ellie stretched and smiled as the sun played on Sam's sleeping face. The soft slap of the waves sounded through the hull, creating a gentle lullaby in the cosy cabin. Ben and Gerhard had insisted they'd take the rest of the night shift to give Sam a chance to rest. For once, Ellie hadn't argued with them.
She and Sam had taken the double berth and spent much of the night holding each other as they talked about Mourad's betrayal and mourned the loss of their child together. It had been cathartic for Ellie. She'd woken feeling lighter than she had in years. Even with the craziness that surrounded her, she felt at peace.
Sam mumbled and turned in his sleep, his head falling into the crook of her neck. She stroked his wavy, black hair. "I do believe I may have found my way to heaven," he croaked, nestling into her neck and leaving a long trail of kisses from there to her waiting lips. "Morning, sexy woman."
She beamed at him as she leapt up and straddled him. "Morning yourself. I find I have a hearty appetite. How about you?" she said between passionate kisses.
"Hmm, now you come to mention it, I find my hunger is aroused too," Sam answered, taking proceedings into hand as he pulled her down to him.
Sometime later, they emerged, laughing and holding hands, onto the deck to find Ben at the helm and Gerhard preparing a makeshift breakfast.
"You two slept well?" Ben smirked. "Don't they both look refreshed and perky, Gerhard?"
Gerhard shook his head slightly and smiled at Ben. "Leave them be. They don't need your teasing after the night they've had."
Ben goofed, "I'd say that's exactly what they need after the night they had! So, the ice maiden melted at last," he said as he winked at Sam, who put a protective arm around Ellie.
"It took a little Egyptian warmth is all," he replied, laughing.
Ellie elbowed him in the ribs and cuffed Ben around the head. "She still has claws, so quit riling her," she snapped and then laughed.
Gerhard had prepared huge, fluffy omelettes dripping in butter from their depleted supplies. They each grabbed a plate and ate silently, enjoying every unctuous mouthful.
Ben wiped his plate clean with bread before sighing with satisfaction. "I needed that. Thanks, man."
Gerhard smiled and threw the tea towel at him. "You're washing up, then."
Ellie followed Ben into the galley and made coffee whilst Ben grumbled as he made his way through the dishes.
"Seriously, Ells, it's good to see you happy. Sam's a great guy and a very lucky one."
She turned her head and stared at him. "Did my ears hear right? Did the illustrious Ben Ellis just give me a compliment? Let me grab my phone, and you can say it again, so I can catch the moment for posterity."
Ben flicked bubbles at her and laughed. "Nope, never going to happen."
They carried the drinks on deck and sat sipping the coffee as they watched the green fields pass by. "It's odd. We're on our way to face God-only-knows-what for God-only-knows-why, and yet, I feel content," Ben said.
Gerhard nodded. "The calm before the thunder."
The other three laughed, spitting coffee everywhere. "The calm before the storm, Gerhard," Ellie said, leaning over to give his cheek a kiss. "I think maybe we should discuss the hot potato on the table," she continued.
"From everything we learnt last night and earlier, it's fair to say we are the descendants of this 'House of Scarabs' group." They all nodded. "Mourad and Hossam seemed certain it – and so, by default, us – is evil." More nods. "Could they be wrong? I mean, I don't feel evil. I'd never do anything to hurt anyone willingly, and I can't imagine either of you doing so either. I guess the big question is should we stop? Maybe run. Make certain that this final 'meld' doesn't happen," she said, fidgeting on her seat.
"Our choices are limited, liebling," Gerhard answered. "Can you imagine Khepri allowing you to stop? We'll find ourselves compelled to complete the meld. They will push us towards our final destination. I think we can only manage the outcome, not the journey."
"And you're happy with that? With some damn cat god jerking your strings?" Ben said, scowling at the Nile as he spoke. "I'm an archaeologist. This should be a dream come true for me. But I'm so over it right now. I'm being played by a frigging crocodile."
"No, of course not. Very far from it, but I'm being realistic. We haven't had a say since we first met. They have pushed and pulled us to this point, and I don't see a practical way of avoiding it. I'm merely assessing the data, not agreeing with it."
They looked at each other glumly. "So, onwards it is?" Ellie asked.
"As if we have any choice," Ben answered.
“I’ve been thinking about Karnak. There is no temple dedicated to Khepri or any link to him apart from the scarab pedestal. It seems it was dedicated by Amenhotep III, who also ordered the creation of 200 large stone scarabs that have been found across the breadth of the territory he ruled.” She waited for them to reach her conclusion.
“The pedestal is our destination?” Ben said staring into space. “It’s in an open arena. The perfect hunting ground.”
“Yep. We’re going to need some divine help and great disguises,” Ellie agreed.
"I don't like it, Elena. Not one bit," Sam said, twirling the wedding ring he still wore. "You could be killed. If this Guardian of Ankh get its way, you will be. We need to go to the government and get you protection. It's crazy knowingly walking into an ambush. You've been lucky so far, but luck only lasts so long."
Ellie put her hand on his, stilling it. "You heard us. We have no choice. If we go to the government, we could be placing ourselves into the Guardians’ hands." She stroked his cheekbone, cupping his face in her hands. "Believe me, habibi, I'd rather nothing more than to just walk away and leave this all behind me, but it won't go away. My mum's in danger. I must complete the meld."
He jumped from the loveseat at the front of the boat and twirled to face her. "Then I will come to protect you. Because wallahi, I swear to God, I will not stand by and lose you again. Don't ask me to!"
Ellie stared up at him. "Oh, honey, you're wounded, and we have the deities to protect us. You do not. Let me do this. Just this. Then I will return, and we can start anew. Besides, we need you to guard our escape route."
He closed his eyes, breathed deeply, and said, "So be it, Elena. So be it."
Subterfuge
"You stay close to Ben and Gerhard, you hear me?" Sam said, pulling Elie's collar up around her neck and se
curing the headscarf over her flaming hair. He lifted her chin up with his fingertips, placing a chaste kiss on her quivering lips before yanking her into his arms and holding her head tight to his shoulder. "Be safe, Elena, and go with God's blessings."
"That's the point in question, isn't it?" Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "But I promise I'll do my best."
They stared into each other's eyes, neither wanting to take the first step apart.
"By the Gods, you two had better look after her. I'm trusting you to bring her back, just as I've handed her off to you, with not so much as a rustled hair on her head," Sam said gruffly.
Ben wrapped him in a hug before cuffing him around the head. "Don't worry, buddy. We've got this. Just focus on keeping yourself safe and having this boat ready to blast off when we return."
It was a sombre trio that stepped off the boat onto one of the Nile cruisers tied in a long line away from the dock. They had moored next to the furthest boat and had to walk through the boats to reach the riverside dock. Walking through the luxurious receptions of the pleasure cruisers, all full of happy, sunburnt tourists, was a shocking juxtaposition to their situation. Life was going on as normal, with people laughing, toasting each other, and dancing, and yet, every step they took forward was a step towards death – if not theirs, then others’.
It had been a calculated move to dock in the chain of boats. They hoped the Guardians wouldn't risk the lives of so many foreign tourists and would bide their time. Gerhard had speculated that this would give them time to get to the Karnak Temple complex before facing their adversaries. It also helped to keep their boat hidden behind the much larger floating hotels.
They'd taken no chances though and were armed, as if fighting a war against a small nation, rather than a gang of rogue assassins. They tucked Ellie in between the two men so that any attackers would need to get through them first, as the Guardians had made it clear she was their main target. They'd donned new disguises, the holiday makers a little surprised to have a Roman Catholic nun and two priests walking through their receptions.
As they entered the last boat before the dock, Gerhard stopped them. "Although we met in the most peculiar of circumstances, it has been a great pleasure to know you both. You've rejuvenated me, and for that, I thank you."
"Oh, no, buster. You don't get to say the goodbye speech here. We will get to the bottom of this goddamn mystery, and tomorrow, we will have breakfast together and decide what's next. No one is dying. No one is saying goodbye," Ben said fiercely. "Now move your asses, and let's show these Guardian pussies what the House of Scarabs is made of!"
As they disembarked, they found a group of tourists formed at the end of the boarding bridge.
"Right, folks, we're going to enjoy the great temple of Karnak today. I'll do my best to bring the culture and history alive as we move around the various complexes. A few housekeeping rules today, okay?"
The group murmured their agreement.
"First off, follow the blue polka dotted umbrella as we move along," the tour guide said, brandishing a massive golfing umbrella in the air, "and make certain you keep up with the group. Please don't go wandering off alone. Secondly, you'll have free time to explore the delights of this wonder when we reach the famous scarab pillar. At that point, there is a basic café, and you'll have one hour to explore or sit and enjoy a cool drink and lap up the wondrous scenery. Please make certain you come back to the scarab promptly and we'll make our way back to the boat for the fancy dress party. Okay, everyone?"
The group nodded quietly.
"Come now, you can do better. Everyone excited?" the tour guide shouted, trying to get the boatload of English tourists to whoop and show a degree of excitement. They shuffled and murmured again as embarrassment consumed their English psyche.
"Quite so, very excited," said one man who held himself with the frame of a man used to marching in military formation. He'd decided to take one for the group and give the tour guide a satisfactory response. "Shall we proceed?" he suggested as he gestured towards the temple.
The tour guide, who introduced himself as Osman, was dressed in a flamboyant orange suit with a green shirt and tie, presumably to stand out and be a visible landmark to his group. He raised his umbrella, pointed in the general direction of the temple, and shouted, "Today's the day we will fight the tourists of Karnak and emerge victorious, my friends, enlightened by a vision of history so sublime, you'll remember this day forever. You'll tell your children and your children's children that today was the day you saw the most amazing sight of your life. That today was the day Osman enlightened you. Follow the umbrella, folks."
Ellie raised her eyebrows and smiled at Ben, who was trying hard not to laugh out loud. "I think he may have watched one too many Hollywood blockbusters," Ben said, "but he's right. Today may well be a day they live to remember, but not because of Osman's narration."
Gerhard chuckled. "Seems we've found our cover. Let's get lost in the middle of this group."
Osman proved himself a knowledgeable, if flamboyant, guide. He kept the party entertained, if somewhat embarrassed by his antics, as he acted out the battles and victories of the pharaohs who'd constructed the temple across its history.
"He'd be up for a Tony if he were treading theatre boards," a taciturn Northerner muttered under his breath to Gerhard as Osman writhed on the floor, acting out a poisoning.
The trio had kept themselves to the middle of the group and been busy taking photos and pretending to share them with each other. They scoured the shots for any clue as to the Guardians’ whereabouts, finding no obvious trace of them.
The group moved through the second pylon, into the stone forest of the Hypostyle Hall. Columns reached up to the skies, towering fifty feet above them, creating a patchwork of shadows and light rays so far below on the floor. No one could help but be entranced and awed at the sight. As the surrounding tourists stared, Ben shivered, seeing the hall as the perfect trap. The shadows were hiding places, and the rays, a spotlight searching for the three of them. He searched around, combing the hall for any sign of the Guardians.
Guardians of the Ankh
"Incompetence! You dare to come here and tell me you can't find them," Eurydice raged, throwing the cup of water at the deputy in front of her. "We've lost Tjati and the entire support team. We are the last line of defence, and we will not fail. Do you hear me?"
Kawab shook the water off and took a deep breath before patiently explaining, "Eurydice, the temple has ten large tour groups and endless smaller parties wandering around the complex. It's like trying to find one sheep in a flock of thousands. Impossible. We must close the temple. It's the only way."
"How, pray tell, do you plan to do that? Without Tjati, we have no influence in the Ministries of Tourism or Antiquities. Besides, it will draw more attention here, which we can ill afford."
Kawab looked her firmly in the eye. "We'll expose one of the explosives and proclaim terrorist interest. The Guardians will swoop in as an anti-terror team and take control of the complex."
She placed her hands on the campaign table. They'd reached a point of no return. She either threw everything she had at it, or they'd fail. She stared up at him. "Can it work? Do we have the manpower to control and search the people?"
Kawab nodded silently. "It is our only hope..."
Eurydice turned and faced the open flap of the tent, staring intently at the scarab pillar. "Make it so."
Explosive Forces
Osman had his group link hands around a richly decorated column to show the sheer size and magnitude of the architectural genius behind the temple’s construction. Then, suddenly, a scream bounced around the hall.
"A bomb! There's a bomb at the base of this column."
The group froze for a split-second before they ran in all directions, a random wildness to the pattern of their fleeing. Screams echoed, joining new cries as hundreds of voices joined in a crescendo of fear. Some more infirm visitors fell in the chaos and were
trampled under the feet of the panicked crowd.
They abandoned one old lady in a wheelchair at the base of the column, pleading for help. Gerhard bent down to her. "Madam, may I be of assistance? Would you allow me and my colleagues to push you to safety?"
"Oh, Father, thank you. Yes, please hurry." The woman beamed at them. "You're my guardian angels. Saved by God's own people."
"Sister Theresa, you push this dear woman, and Father Patrick and I will clear the path for you," Gerhard said to Ellie.
She nodded and grabbed the wheelchair handles, pushing the woman towards the side exit that opened to the sacred lake. She shouted across at Gerhard, "Should we meet at the café as Osman instructed us, Father Ernst?"
Gerhard pulled a wounded old man to his feet and dragged him along towards safety. "Yes, Sister Theresa. That would appear to be a prudent course of action. We should deposit our friends there before undertaking more of our dear God's work."
Ben scowled at them but also bent to help people to their feet and get them out of the hall as quickly as possible.
Ellie's trajectory faltered as bands of men dressed in black ghosted in and out of the columns, armed to the back teeth with belts of ammunition and machine guns strapped across their chests. She shouted to the others to hurry. They cleared the hall and broke out into the outer courtyard leading to the sacred lake. Ellie saw the café to the left and ran as fast as she could, encumbered by the weight of a wheelchair across uneven terrain.
"Stop there, Sister," said a muscular man with his gun pointing in her direction. "You need to move towards the exit in an orderly fashion."
She smiled meekly. "I'm offering God's sweet hand to this poor woman, who has been separated from her loved ones. She's organised to meet them here, should they get lost. It's terribly important she stays put. My colleagues and I have been helping the wounded."
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