There's A Fine Line Between Coincidence & Fate ✓

Chapter 5

*Two hours later*

I barely felt like I slept at all when I heard Jack whispering for me to wake up from the opening of my tent. Dazed and slightly confused, I fixed my shirt to make sure it was covering everything, and I quietly exited my tent. My twin must have a death wish because he took one look at my hair, in all its messed-up glory, and decided that laughing was a good idea. I punched him in the gut as I walked past. He stopped long enough to tell me I was waking Daniel's next before walking over to his tent and crawling inside to sleep until sunrise.

I walked over to the entrance of the city and hopped over the wall. Looking out across the desert I didn't see anything out of the ordinary, so I sat down, back against the wall and propped my brother's gun up against my leg. I took a couple moments just to make sure there wasn't anyone sneaking up on us before I pulled my journal out of my boot, along with a pencil. I leaned back and started detailing the events of the day.

"Today we arrived at Hamunaptra. I had been separated from my brother after an attack on the boat that we were using on our journey to the city. He is here and all was mostly well. We lost three of our diggers to a salt acid booby trap set up by the ancients who once lived here. And then we lost more when our camp was invaded by a local desert tribe, demanding that we leave. I got into a mild infraction with the one who I'm assuming is the leader before one from the other group of explorers decided he was going to threaten to blow us all up with a stick of dynamite. He intrigues me, this leader. When we fought on the boat, he was hesitant, like he didn't want to hurt me, which sounds preposterous. We were fighting on opposing sides, why wouldn't he want to hurt me? Why can't I stop thinking about him? Probably because he is gorgeous, with the deepest brown eyes I've ever seen. And his voice, oh my goodness. Snap out of it Peggy! Now is not the time to develop a crush on the most unavailable guy ever."

I was startled out of my inner musings by the sound of an approaching horse. Placing my journal on the ground, I stood up and grabbed the rifle next to me. I saw a single rider approaching me from the side. Aiming my gun at him, I waited until he was within earshot before saying, "If you're here to threaten us some more, I'm afraid you won't get too far."

He seemed amused by this, or at least I guess he was because he had the audacity to laugh at my statement. Ok, I didn't think I was that funny asshole. "We saw you sitting out here. Do your people always let women stand guard?"

"Excuse me?" I couldn't believe this guy. "You came and attacked our camp and you're shocked at what we're doing? Yeah, my people let a woman stand guard."

"I am sorry. I meant no offense. I haven't met many American women before."

"Well, I'm not a typical American woman." I had to give him that one. Unless you grew up on the frontier, girls weren't always as rough around the edges as me and my sisters were. "What is your name? It's not every day that I'm almost killed and then insulted by the same person." I said jokingly.

"Ardeth Bay. What is yours?" Ardeth Bay, that name suited him. Powerful, yet mysterious.

"Margaret Henderson, but everyone back home calls me Peggy."

"I would say that it is nice to meet you Margaret but considering the circumstances..." Goodness, the way my name sounded on his lips, I was going to get myself into some serious trouble. "But I must plead with you. Leave this city, before it's too late. There are older, fouler curses within these walls than just salt acid traps," I was shocked that he knew about that. "Please, for your safety and the safety of your friends, go home."

Something in his voice startled me. The raw emotion maybe. He was serious. "What's out there? What curses?"

"I cannot say. But please, before you don't have a choice, please leave."

"My brother and friends are stubborn people. And no one is as stubborn as that damn Egyptologist they hired. They're not going to just walk away empty handed."

"You must convince them. We aren't the biggest threat out here." And with that, he rode off, leaving me with more questions than answers, more doubts that this wasn't what we should be doing. I finished out the rest of my watch and woke Daniels before crawling into my tent and letting sleep claim me with dreams of mummies and curses and plagues. What was going on here?