Sands of Time (Out of Time #6)

by Monique Martin

  “So how did you come by that?” Jack asked.

  “That was a mistake,” Nico said quickly. “Clearly, that—”

  “Save it, “ Jack said.

  Diana walked over to Nico and stood above him in the bath. He pulled his legs close to his chest and hunched over them and shivered.

  “You’re going to return all of that, “ Diana said, nodding toward the suitcase.

  He started to protest, but when Jack took a step closer he reluctantly nodded.

  “And then you’re going home,” Diana continued. “Today. Do you understand?”

  Nico looked from her to Jack who scowled down at him.

  Nico nodded.

  Simon didn’t believe the man would do it, but now that he had the watch back, he didn’t really care. In an odd way, he owed the man a debt. If it hadn’t been for the thief, the watch would have been taken by Vale and added to her collection.

  “Good,” Diana said and turned toward the door only to stop and turn back. “And if you have second thoughts, Alexi’s men would be happy to convince you.”

  Nico swallowed hard and nodded again. “I understand.”

  Simon and Elizabeth walked to the door, but turned back as Nico spoke.

  “I’ll see you in Italy,” he said boldly.

  Diana frowned and shook her head. Jack put his foot on the side of the tub and shoved. It tipped over spilling the water and the naked little man out onto the floor. He spluttered and tried to cover himself.

  “Have a safe trip, Nico.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  With the watch now in hand, the group split up. Jack and Diana went to find out what they could about Vale’s mysterious deliveries and Simon and Elizabeth headed for the hospital.

  True to his word, Jouvet had taken care of Hassan, even arranging a private room for him. They entered quietly. Hassan looked to be sleeping. As much as Simon hated to wake him, God knew the man deserved his rest and more after all he’d done for them, there were questions that had to be asked.

  Hassan lay in his hospital bed, an enormous white bandage wrapped around his head. It would have been comical if Simon hadn’t known how he’d suffered his wounds or why. The risks this man, this relative stranger, had made for them, were humbling.

  Despite Hassan’s obvious need for rest, Simon called out his name, softly at first, but then a little louder.

  Elizabeth laid her hand on Hassan’s arm. “Hassan?”

  The man’s eyes opened slowly and he looked at them, hazy for a moment, before wakefulness and clarity came.

  “How are you feeling?” Simon asked.

  Hassan’s hand lifted to touch his bandage and he groaned. “I am all right.”

  He closed his eyes and shook his head, but grimaced and stopped. “They came up too quickly to warn you. I am sorry—”

  “No,” Elizabeth said quickly. “We’re sorry we got you mixed up in all this. How can we ever repay you?”

  Hassan smiled a little. “I have been well paid.”

  Simon shook his head. “Hardly, but you will be, I promise you that.” When this was over, every pound they had left would go to him.

  “You can get more dance lessons,” Elizabeth said.

  Hassan laughed lightly and then winced.

  “I hate to bother you with this now,” Simon said, “but it’s terribly important.”

  Hassan nodded.

  “When you were asking around Cairo about Katherine Vale,” Simon continued, “you said that she was planning something. Do you have any idea where?”

  Hassan frowned as he thought. “I do not think so. I am sorry.”

  Elizabeth squeezed his hand. “It’s okay.”

  “I wish I could do more to help you,” he said.

  Simon put a hand on Hassan’s shoulder. “You’ve done more than enough.”

  Elizabeth leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “Thank you for everything.”

  Simon waited for Elizabeth to come around the bed, but she stopped midway and turned back to Hassan. Simon’s interest shot back up when she asked, “Didn’t you say that she arrived in the middle of a ceremony?”

  Hassan looked up, trying to remember. “Yes.”

  “Do you know where it was?” Elizabeth said hopefully.

  Simon leaned forward. Yes. She was brilliant. He’d forgotten that. If they knew where that had happened…

  Hassan’s brow wrinkled as he thought. “The vizier,” he said. “They said it was near the tomb of the vizier.”

  “What vizier?” Simon asked. If they could narrow it down, they might be able to find Christina in time.

  Hassan blinked as he thought, clearly struggling to put his thoughts together. “I am sorry. I am unsure.”

  Simon ignored his disappointment and smiled. “It’s all right. You’ve been more help than you know.”

  “Thank you,” Elizabeth said and kissed his cheek again.

  He smiled. “Trust in Hassan.”

  ~ ~ ~

  “November 24th,” Whiteside said as he consulted his notes. “As near as I can tell, that’s when the Ninth day of Tybi should fall and be the Day of Offerings to Sekhmet.”

  “Tomorrow?” Simon said.

  Whiteside closed his notebook and nodded. Elizabeth sat down next to him. “It’s good that we know.”

  “Is it?” Whiteside said, looking old and lost, not that Simon could blame him.

  “There’s still time,” Elizabeth assured him.

  In spite of being bone tired, Simon couldn’t sit and paced the room as they spoke. “We know the when, now to figure out the where. We spoke—”

  A knock on the door interrupted him and he answered it.

  Jack and Diana came in.

  “Any word?” Diana asked Simon softly.

  He shook his head and she nodded. “You were right about the deliveries,” she said to Elizabeth. “They were outgoing and not incoming.”

  “Any idea where to?” Simon asked as he closed the door behind them.

  “Cairo,” Jack said. “Where they went from there, we don’t know. They were picked up at the depot.”

  “All right,” Simon said. “The cult centers were sacred places.”

  Whiteside nodded.

  “I think those are our best bets,” Simon continued. “We have three possibilities: Leontopolis, Fayoum and Memphis.”

  Two lines appeared between Diana’s eyes. “If it were Fayoum,” she said, “she wouldn’t have everything shipped all the way to Cairo when she could just ship it straight to Fayoum.”

  Simon agreed. “That leaves Leontopolis and Memphis.”

  “Can’t we check out both?” Jack asked.

  Whiteside shook his head. He pointed to a map on the table. “Leontopolis is here, about ninety kilometers northeast of Cairo. Memphis is here,” he said, pointing to another spot about two inches away. “Thirty kilometers south of Cairo. With the Day of Offerings being tomorrow…”

  Simon’s jaw tightened. They’d be lucky to get anywhere in time, much less be able to be in two places.

  “Hassan said that he’d heard about a cult meeting near the tomb of the vizier,” Elizabeth said. “Does that ring any bells?”

  Whiteside almost smiled. “Yes. Aperel, the vizier to both Amenhotep III and Akhenaten is buried in Saqqara. That’s where the necropolis is, the tombs and pyramids for the ancient capital—Memphis. There are undoubtedly other tombs of viziers he might have been referring to, but…”

  Simon felt a surge of anticipation, excitement and dread. “Well, then…”

  Jack grimaced and flexed the hand of his injured arm. “It’s taking an awful risk, rolling the dice on one place,” he said. “Maybe we should split up?”

  “No way,” Elizabeth said. They’d been there one too many times and nearly bought the farm each time.

  “Whatever those supplies were,” Diana said. “There was enough for an army.”

  “And it seems that’s just about what she’s raised,” Simon muttered. He gl
anced up at Diana. “Up to thirty cult members, at least.”

  “I guess we’ll need an army of our own then,” Elizabeth said. “Where’s Ahmed?”

  ~ ~ ~

  “You what?” Whiteside said angrily as he strode toward Ahmed. “You rode with bandits? Kidnapping!”

  Normally, Simon would have happily let Whiteside have his way with the boy, but there were more pressing matters. “Arthur—”

  The young man lifted his hands. “I am sorry, Mr. Whiteside. I would never do anything to endanger Christina. You must believe me.”

  Whiteside grunted.

  “That is why I told her we should not see each other. I did not want her involved in such things.”

  “And yet here you are,” Whiteside bit out.

  Ahmed shook his head helplessly. “I love her.”

  “You—” Whiteside started, but Simon intercepted him.

  “There’ll be time for all this later. Right now, we need to know if you can get those men to help us.”

  Ahmed frowned. “I do not think so. To risk their lives to save an English girl does not help the revolution.”

  “Money does,” Diana said.

  Whiteside looked at the boy with disgust, but swallowed his feelings. “I will give them everything I have if it will help save my daughter. I can have a draft sent—”

  Ahmed looked at him with sorrow. “They do not take checks, Mr. Whiteside.”

  Whiteside was desperate now. “I can sell the estate, but it would take time.”

  Ahmed shook his head. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I, too, will offer all I have, but I am afraid it will not be enough. Not for what we are asking.”

  Diana sighed. Everyone’s attention turned to her and she offered Whiteside a smile. “I might have something. Back in a minute.”

  “We have a thousand pounds or so in the bank in Cairo,” Elizabeth said.

  Ahmed shook his head. “That might get us a few men, but none that I would trust.”

  “There has to be something we can do,” Whiteside said. “What about the army? The British army?”

  “It would difficult to explain to them and there’s far too much red tape for them to get through even if they if they did believe us,” Simon said. “There just isn’t time. I think we’re on our own.”

  “Maybe not,” Diana said as she came back in and set something heavy and wrapped in brown burlap down on the table. She untied the ropes that bound it and pulled the wrappings off.

  “Holy moley,” Elizabeth said.

  A golden statue of Horus as a falcon glimmered on the table. It was at least a foot tall and with green jeweled eyes and red jeweled feathers.

  “Are those—” Elizabeth asked.

  “Emeralds? Rubies?” Diana filled in for her. She nodded, a little sadly. “Yeah.”

  “Is that what you were picking up last night?” Jack asked, his voice suitably tinged with awe.

  “Been looking for it for two weeks,” Diana said.

  Jack picked it up. “Must weigh sixty pounds.”

  Diana sighed again. “Solid gold.” She turned to Ahmed. “Will that do?”

  Ahmed was too dumbstruck to do anything but nod for a moment. Then he cleared his throat. “I think so.”

  “Diana,” Arthur said, but she stopped him.

  “It’s just a thing.” She looked at it sadly. “A beautiful, nearly priceless thing, but just a thing.”

  “What will you tell your client?” Whiteside asked.

  “That I nearly had it, but it got away from me,” she said.

  Whiteside hugged her. “Thank you, my dear. Thank you.”

  Simon turned to Ahmed. “Well?”

  “It should be more than enough,” he said and then frowned. “Now, I just have to find them. And hope we are not too late.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  Elizabeth dealt herself another hand of solitaire and stared down at it. It was a losing hand, she could already tell. She thought about just dealing the cards again and sighed.

  “You should try to rest,” Simon said as he stretched out on the bunk in their train compartment. His legs were so long, his feet dangled over the edge.

  He was right of course. They’d spent a mostly restless night waiting for the morning train. She’d never wished for more mass transit, but she did yesterday. After the whirlwind of discovery, they’d had their legs cut off. They knew where and when, or at least they thought they knew, but they couldn’t do a darn thing to get there fast. There were no planes to charter, no cars to rent. They could only take the train and pray they made it in time. It would be close.

  Assuming they were right about everything they’d guessed about, which was nearly everything.

  Elizabeth shook her head. “I can’t sleep.”

  Simon checked his watch. He’d been doing that a lot lately and not just to see the time.

  “We should arrive in Bedrashin in thirteen hours,” he said. “That would give us four hours to get to Saqqara before midnight.”

  Midnight. Another of their guesstimates.

  “Right,” she said and looked down at her cards. It was an ugly deal, but she decided to play it anyway. “After this hand.”

  Simon humphed and rolled onto his side. Pushing himself up onto his elbow, he frowned at her and then at the cards. He gestured toward the play with his index finger. “Red seven on the black eight.”

  Elizabeth smiled and moved the card. Solitaire was always more fun with someone.

  ~ ~ ~

  The train bumped to another stop and roused Elizabeth from sleep. Learning the rhythm of the train, she’d grown accustomed to the frequent, short stops. This one, however felt more abrupt than the others. She lifted her head and blinked in the darkness of their compartment.

  She could hear a few voices, but couldn’t make out what they were saying. Careful not to wake Simon, she slipped out of bed and tiptoed over to the window. Pulling back the sash, she peered out into the darkness.

  Nighttime, she thought. They couldn’t be far now.

  But something was wrong. They’d stopped, but she couldn’t see very far in the dark. There were no lights or buildings. No town, no station.

  She walked over to the door to their compartment and stuck her head out.

  “What’s the matter?” Simon said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

  “We’re stopped,” she said.

  Simon sat up. “Bedrashin?”

  “No, I don’t think so. I don’t think we’re at a station.”

  A porter came toward her down the aisle between compartments and she stepped out. “Is there something wrong?” she asked.

  “A minor delay,” he assured her. “We will be underway soon.”

  Elizabeth had that sinking feeling. “How soon?”

  “An hour,” he said. “Two at the most.”

  An hour or two they didn’t have to spare.

  Simon appeared behind her. “Let’s talk to the others.”

  They sent Ahmed off to find out what the delay was and gathered the rest in the dining car. Whiteside looked like a man who hadn’t slept in two days, and she was sure he hadn’t. His face was pale and dark circles hung under his eyes.

  “If we get underway within the hour,” Simon said, “we should still be able to find transportation and get to Saqqara well before midnight.”

  Arthur nodded, but she could see he was already beginning to grieve. She couldn’t imagine what he must be going through.

  “We’ll make it,” Diana said to him.

  The door to the dining car opened and Ahmed came striding in. “Something’s wrong with the tracks,” he said. “They think they’ll have it cleared up in an hour, but…”

  “Where are we?” Jack asked.

  “About ten miles south of Bedrashin,” Ahmed said.

  Jack looked out of the train window. On this side of the train, there were a few lights; it looked to be a small village. “Can we get off here, find horses and ride the rest of the way?”
>
  Ahmed shook his head. “Not for so many. There are probably not six horses in the entire village.”

  “But one?” Simon said.

  Ahmed looked at him curiously and then his eyes widened with understanding. “Yes. One.”

  Their timeline has always been tight, but Ahmed’s was nearly impossible. He had to ride south to find the bandits, convince them to join him and then ride back north to Saqqara, all within hours. Maybe this delay was a blessing? They were closer now to where he hoped they were camped than they would be later.

  He turned to Whiteside. “I will give my life to save your daughter.”

  Whiteside’s eyes were red and glassy. He cleared his throat. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, my boy.”

  Ahmed nodded and looked at the rest of them once more before hurrying away.

  “Good,” Jack said. “Now, if we can just get this train moving.”

  It did, but nearly two hours later. They arrived in Bedrashin at nearly ten o’clock and spent another precious hour finding horses.

  They rode west toward Saqqara with no idea what they’d find or even if they’d find it. Thankfully, they managed to gather a few weapons. Diana had surprising friends. But even the guns were iffy—one WWI rifle, an old colt and an antique dragoon. It was all they could manage on such short notice, but it would have to do. Not that Elizabeth wanted to use any of them, although, she would if she had to. She still remembered what it felt like to shoot that man in Natchez and she’d only winged him. She had the feeling it would take more than that to save Christina.

  They left the fertile lands that clung to the Nile and ventured out into the desert. The moon was nearly full and very bright in the clear night. They rode in silence. And, Elizabeth thought, silence in the desert at night was a whole new kind of silence. There were no sounds at all except for the soft tread of their horse’s hooves on the sand and their own hearts beating.

  They slowed as they neared the ancient necropolis. The outline of a ragged step pyramid just ahead on the horizon.

  “There should be a slight ravine and temple ruins on the far side,” Whiteside said, his voice dry and cracking. He was clearly terrified, both for himself and for his daughter. “That-that’s the most likely spot.”