by Monica Burns
He didn’t know how or why, but something told him the discovery of the palace had raised the odds of someone trying to hurt her. Closing his eyes, he tightened his arms around her. Whatever it took, he’d keep her safe. He wasn’t going to let anything happen to her. He couldn’t. Without her—life was meaningless.
Chapter Seventeen
He was blind. Not even a thin line of light punctured the darkness. He waited. For what he didn’t know, but he waited. Then it came—a rush of sound that engulfed him like a huge wave. The stone. It was moving. He had to stop it. He couldn’t let it close. He leapt forward, but the stone settled into place with a deadly thud.
“Altair.”
Jerking upright, he stared around the dimly lit tent in confusion. Where was he? A gentle hand touched his arm. Alex. He was in Alex’s tent. He dropped back into the pillows with an inward sigh of relief. It had been a dream. Only a dream.
“You were talking in your sleep.” She snuggled into his side, one arm wrapped around him as if to ward off evil.
“Was I?” He didn’t want to think about the nightmare. Fear wasn’t something he was accustomed to, but dread slithered through him at the finality of the dream.
Overhead, a small slit in the tent roof told him it was almost dawn. He needed to go, but Alex’s warm body made him linger. He wasn’t going to leave until he had some reassurance she wouldn’t retreat from him as she had the last time.
“Alex.” He tipped her chin up so he could look into her sleepy eyes. “I don’t want to go, but I must.”
She opened her eyes wide and studied him for a moment. “Why?”
“I’ve told you before. I don’t wish to offend the tribe.”
“No, I mean why don’t you want to leave me?”
The question stole his breath. What could he say without making a commitment he wasn’t ready to offer yet? The way her eyes watched him clenched his heart. Her expression asked for nothing, but he could read the hope in her gaze. Unable to give her what she wanted, he lightly stroked his finger down the length of her nose.
“Because leaving you is like kissing the moon goodbye at the break of dawn. And you are the moon to me, emîra.”
A faint blush crested her cheeks at his words, and he winced at the disappointment he saw reflected in her eyes before she lowered her gaze. When she didn’t comment, he kissed her brow then scrambled to his feet. As he pulled his gambaz on over his head, he heard her utter a cry of fear.
Startled by the sound, he tugged his clothing away from his face and looked in her direction. The horror glazing her eyes as she stared at something behind him chilled his blood. His first thought was another snake, but Zada was sitting on top of the pillows as if she hadn’t a care in the world. Still, he turned his head slowly, prepared for the worst. The sight of a dark hand and arm pushed under the flap of the tent made him leap toward his utility belt and the pistol he always carried.
“Get dressed, Alex. Now.” The low-pitched violence in his command sent her scurrying as he stepped toward the tent exit. Stretching out his hand, he cocked his weapon as he slowly pulled aside the wool flap. A low groan echoed nearby. With a quick gesture, he threw aside the cloth doorway and flinched as he saw Medjuel lying on the ground beside Mohammed’s bloodied body.
“Damm gahannam.” Kneeling to check the pulse of the man at his feet, he knew Mohammed was dead before his fingers touched the traitor’s bloodied neck. Swiftly, he moved to his cousin’s side. The Sheikh pushed himself up into a sitting position, his hand pressed against his arm. “How badly are you hurt?”
“It’s a flesh wound. Nothing more.” Medjuel waved him aside. “I’m only grateful I saw Mohammed when I did. He was ready to enter Miss Talbot’s tent when I stopped him.”
Altair frowned. Any other time he would have heard a noise. Something—anything—telling him there was trouble. Even Zada hadn’t stirred. “I should have been more vigilant. I never heard a sound.”
“Why would you?” Medjuel paused as if guarding his words. “Mohammed moved with great speed and stealth. I am fortunate I was able to stop him.”
He’d misjudged his cousin. Medjuel had been watching Mohammed all this time. Now the man was dead. He wouldn’t be able to hurt Alex anymore. He laid his hand on his cousin’s shoulder.
“Thank you. Once again, you’ve saved Alex’s life. I’m in your debt, cousin.”
“I did what I had to. He was a threat to all I hold dear.” Medjuel gave an abrupt toss of his head toward the dead man. Altair glanced back at the body lying in front of Alex’s tent and frowned. There was a distinct edge of bitterness in his cousin’s response.
That wasn’t unexpected given Mohammed’s betrayal, but there was something else layered in his cousin’s voice. Something darker that he didn’t understand. There was no time to ponder his cousin’s thoughts as Alex stepped out into the early dawn air.
“Oh my God.” The color drained from her face as she saw Mohammed’s gambaz covered with blood.
“Gahannam, damm gahannam.” Dropping his pistol, he sprang toward her, catching her as she slid into a faint. Behind him, Medjuel groaned again as he stumbled to his feet.
“So the shagi emîra has a weakness after all.”
“What the hell does that mean?” He threw his cousin a blistering look. Had the whole world gone mad? A man had been killed right outside of Alex’s tent, and he’d not heard a sound. And all Medjuel could do was comment on Alex’s tendency to faint at the sight of blood. Why hadn’t he heard anything? And where in the hell were the guards who had been assigned to watch Alex’s tent?
“It means nothing. Nothing at all.” Medjuel sighed heavily. “I suggest you take Miss Talbot back into her tent. I’ll have one of the men tend to Mohammed’s body.”
“Where are the guards I ordered for Alex’s tent?”
“I’m sorry, Altair.” Medjuel shook his head with regret. “I pulled the guards three nights ago. Jemal and the others have lost several sheep to the hyenas. I needed the men to guard the flock.”
“You did what?” He stared at his cousin, dumbfounded. How could Medjuel have just pulled the guards without telling him? “Why didn’t you tell me? I would have stood guard myself.”
“I’m sorry. I meant to, it simply slipped my mind. I truly thought Miss Talbot was no longer in danger.”
“Your apologies would have been meaningless if Mohammed had gotten to Alex.” Furious, he swung Alex up into his arms and glared at his cousin.
Medjuel stiffened. Glancing away, he nodded his head. “I’ll see that Mohammed’s body is moved quickly.”
“Make sure you have my mother look at that cut.” Without waiting for his cousin’s response, Altair reentered Alex’s tent and laid her on the cushions.
On the other side of the tent wall, he heard Medjuel calling out for help. With a glance over his shoulder, he saw Mohammed’s hand disappear. Thank God, his cousin had stopped the man. His gratitude wouldn’t stop him from asking questions though.
His cousin had a lot to answer for. Alex was paying the tribe well for assistance with her excavation as well as protection. Returning his attention to Alex, he saw her eyes flutter. He gently stroked her brow as he met her troubled gaze.
“Altair, was that man…was he…”
“Yes, emîra, he’s dead. Medjuel stopped him before he could enter your tent.”
Another shudder ripped through her. “I…I’ve seen him before.”
“I’m not surprised. He herded sheep with my stepfather.”
“No.” She shook her head. “He followed me in London.”
“What? Why the hell haven’t you mentioned this before?”
“I thought it was my imagination. I haven’t seen him in the camp before.”
“Damn it, Alex. When are you going to learn to trust me?” He growled with suppressed worry. Her hand trembled as
she cupped his cheek, a smile of relief on her lips.
“I’m sorry, but at least the danger is past.”
“Perhaps, but I don’t want to take any chances. I’m going to follow your every move, emîra.”
“That sounds like a delicious threat.” The soft light in her eyes entranced him as he leaned forward.
“I never threaten, ana anide emîra. I only promise.” He kissed her hard. Raising his head, he smiled at the soft sigh she released. “I’m sure you’re eager to explore the palace, but I want you to wait here until I come back. I want to talk to Medjuel about what happened and make sure he’s all right.”
When she frowned, he kissed her again. “I promise I won’t be long.”
Alex emerged from her tent more than an hour later just as the sun made its full presence known in the sky. As Zada scurried past her feet, she looked down at the ground. Both the dead man and the blood she’d seen earlier were gone, which pulled a deep sigh of relief from her. Despite Altair’s strict orders to stay put, she couldn’t wait. Waiting wasn’t something she did well.
Besides the danger was gone, and it wasn’t as if she was really disobeying him. He’d just told her to stay put; he didn’t say she couldn’t go somewhere else and stay put. There’d be hell to pay when she used that argument. She shrugged, and a smile tugged at her lips. The making up would be wickedly delicious.
Would things always be this wonderful between them? What if Altair tired of her? Her heart skipped a beat at the thought. She would never weary of him. In fact, she could easily become domesticated. The notion shocked her. Until she’d met Altair, she’d viewed marriage as a prison to avoid at all costs.
Well, marriage wasn’t necessarily in the picture. Perhaps she was thoroughly wicked for thinking that way, but she’d come to realize that life was too short not to enjoy its pleasures. Altair hadn’t said he loved her, and he’d not mentioned anything about how long their relationship might last. She wanted it to last a lifetime. But even if it didn’t, she would treasure every minute of the time she shared with him.
Slinging the knapsack that held her tools and notebooks over her shoulder, she reached for the water bag hanging on the tent pole. The weight told her it was a full bag as she slipped the strap over the top of her knapsack. Altair must have filled it for her. She grinned. He’d known she wouldn’t be able to wait on him to explore the palace interior.
Eagerly, she hurried to the edge of the camp, where she found the dromedary she’d been using to go back and forth to the excavation site. She smiled at the young man tending the animals as she mounted the camel. Zada sprang up into the saddle with her, curling around the pommel as Alex urged the dromedary to its feet.
Eager to reach the palace, she rode across the sand, the morning sun beginning its blazing trail up into the sky. The molten hue of purples, blues and pinks had given way to a bright yellow that already held the promise of a scorching day. As she headed toward the ravine, Zada scrambled up her arm and wrapped herself around Alex’s neck. She scratched the animal’s small head as they traveled.
Last night had been even more incredible than the first time she and Altair had made love. Several times through the night she’d come close to speaking her heart. But each time the idea popped into her head, she’d held back. She was still so unsure of him.
He’d made no commitments, nor had he professed anything other than desire for her. Did he really care for her in the remotest sense? Gameela was convinced that he cared for her. And what if he did love her? What then? She had no wish for a marriage that would result in her loss of freedom to pursue her studies and explorations. But somehow she didn’t think Altair would expect that from her.
He was very much like her father. Not once had Altair treated her with condescension or ridicule. In fact, he’d been wonderfully supportive. The idea of being his wife filled her with pleasure. There would be long nights of passion without his leaving before the break of dawn. And children. Would he want children?
Oh, this was ridiculous. The man hadn’t even expressed his feelings for her. She needed to concentrate on reaching the city. The closer she got to the city wall, the more Alex hated to think about the time it would take the camel to reach the trail down into the ravine. It meant riding at least six miles out of the way, then another mile beyond that to get to the trail Altair had used yesterday to reach the plateau. From where she sat on the dromedary, she could see the large, rock formation where the men had found the palace entrance. It was only about a mile away from here.
She hesitated for a moment before making her decision. A mile hike would be easy enough, the heat hadn’t reached an intolerable level yet, and she had plenty of water. Besides, the thought of riding up the narrow path Altair had used the day before made her stomach lurch.
When those rocks had rolled off the side of the narrow path, she’d been certain his horse was going to fall. No, walking was much safer. Dismounting, she pulled her things off the camel’s back and made her way down into the ravine. Zada chattered angrily as Alex reached the hard floor of the trench.
“All right, all right. I’ll let you down.”
She bent over and allowed the mongoose to scurry down her arm. After a quick survey of the wall in front of her, she found a spot that offered her a foothold. As if aware of what she was about to do, Zada scrambled up her leg onto her back then leaped up to the flat ground over Alex’s head. Climbing the wall, she heard Zada chattering with what she could have sworn was encouragement. With a grunt, she pulled herself up onto the flat plateau.
Not moving for a moment, she lay still on the ground. Zada ran across her stomach to rise up on her hind legs. The quizzical look in the mongoose’s eyes made her laugh, which made the animal scamper away. Standing upright, she dusted off her clothes, and took in the wide expanse before her. Ahead of her, the rocky terrain under which the palace lay rose up into the sky.
Excitement made her strike out at a quick pace, and she quickly grew hot, despite the early hour. Reaching for the water bag, she opened the goatskin flask and drank a large portion of the liquid. If she became dehydrated, it would only give Altair another reason to restrict her movements. She winced at the slightly bitter taste sliding over her tongue. Whoever thought a goatskin would keep water fresh and tasty needed their head examined. She recapped the flask, and continued toward the entrance to the palace.
She’d walked more than half a mile, when she realized she was thirsty again. Putting the goatskin flask to her lips, she took another swig, ignoring the peculiar taste of the liquid. Water was one’s lifeblood in the desert, and to avoid drinking simply because she found the taste odd was courting disaster. As the sun filled the sky, the sharp rise in temperature had a lethargic effect on her.
Brushing off the sensation, she frowned. It wasn’t much farther to reach the palace, and the interior would be sufficiently cool enough to help her body rehydrate. With the thought of the cool, palace interior as added incentive, she pushed on, making good time toward the palace entrance. A short time later, she stood in front of the columns she’d seen yesterday. Her hand lovingly rested against the stone pillars. They were warm from the sunlight.
Removing her wide-brimmed hat, she rubbed her temples and winced. Her head had been throbbing for the past ten minutes, and it seemed to be getting worse. A thin wave of nausea tumbled through her stomach. Damn, she needed to get out of the heat. She wasn’t used to it, and she’d just hiked more than a mile in the sun-drenched desert. The way she felt she’d probably already developed a small case of heatstroke. She took a quick drink of water then pulled her candle lantern from her knapsack.
Lighting the lantern, she held it out in front of her and peered down into the hole. Satisfied she wasn’t going to fall into a bottomless pit; she scooted over the edge of the hole and dropped down onto the floor. From the edge of the entrance, Zada chattered at her. Reaching up, Alex pulled the little mongoo
se into her arms. She ruffled the animal’s fur.
“No need to get upset, I wasn’t going to leave you behind. I could use the company.” She set Zada on the floor as she retrieved the lit lantern and raised it over her head. The room she stood in was enormous. Pillars lined each side of the room, supporting slabs of rock that served as a roof.
Ahead of her, the darkness yawned on into cavernous depths. Icy chills of excitement curled down her spine as she moved forward. She was walking across the floor Ramesses II had trod. Her stomach lurched suddenly, but she ignored the uncomfortable sensation. Curiosity tugged her deeper into the dark depths of the palace.
Passing through the large room, she could see the numerous markings on the columns. It would take her months, years even, to decipher them all. But she had plenty of time. She walked into a wide corridor, her lantern high over her head to spread the light further.
Behind her, the entrance to the outside seemed small. The last thing she needed was to get lost inside the palace. Who knew how many passageways or dead ends there were in here? Quickly, she pulled a piece of chalk from her bag and marked her progress with a large X. She tucked the dusty marking tool into her pocket and reached into her bag for her notebook and pencil.
Marking her progress would help her find her way back more easily, but she would also save time later, if she sketched a map as she explored the palace. As she moved deeper into the interior of Ramesses’ great house, she continued to ignore the protests her stomach was making.
There was far too much to look at to take a rest. She ran her hand over a wall filled with markings, but she didn’t try to analyze them. There would be time for that later. Right now, all she wanted was to get a layout of the palace.
She traveled through several hallways and rooms, marking her way on the walls and in her notebook. At the end of a large corridor, she entered an enormous room, which contained what could only have served as a terrace before whatever cataclysmic disaster had buried this archeological treasure.