ENG | The Cursed Scepter

Karnak Temple

Ignacio tossed the scepter onto the table and pressed a button. To her surprise, the scepter, which once fit in the palm of her hand, elongated and doubled in size.

"Here." He pointed to some hieroglyphs; she furrowed her brow. He knew she didn't understand anything of what he wanted to show. Egyptology and hieroglyphs were not what she had studied before. "Here it says there's a second scepter, Marco Antonio's, located somewhere in the vicinity of Karnak."

"You're not fooling with me, are you?"

"Jane." This time he used her correct name on a mission. "I can be many things, but when it comes to artifacts, I never lie. I wouldn't be who I am if I weren't reliable in that aspect. I even called the ministry and notified them that we have the scepter and are on our way to recover the second. They'll welcome us as soon as we arrive."

She was surprised. Ignacio had done exactly what she would do if she were investigating the discovery of famous artifacts. In fact, her role as a partner, supervisor, and liaison between agencies and him was exactly that.

"My assistant will stay in Cairo." He again sipped his tea. "The data center he set up there is powerful enough to assist us here in Luxor, and, to your joy, he stays out of the front lines."

Ignacio smiled at her and leaned in to caress her face.

"Never doubt what I do for you." His serious tone caught her off guard. "Never."

As the yacht approached the Safaga Port, which served all the cities along the banks of the Nile, Ignacio stood up and quickly disentangled himself, leaving her frustrated. When did he, of all people, become more responsible? Did the scepter affect him more than usual? Did the glow cause some personality change?

Jackie heard shouts chanting her fake name from the pier and began the descent, noticing how the small boats characterized the port, which looked more like a graveyard of ships. The cruises docked a bit further away, in their designated space.

They were promptly greeted by a brown and short-haired young man. A neatly trimmed mustache contrasted with the boyish face. He twirled an electronic pen in one hand while holding the tablet with the other.

"Fabian Aziz." He introduced himself and she shook his delicate hand. Probably some bureaucrat. "I am but a humble assistant to the secretary of the Ministry of Antiquities."

She had imagined it.

"Monsieur Cortez, mademoiselle Smith, please follow me." They were led to the back of a SUV where several open cases caught her attention. "You can choose."

Inside them were various heavy weapons, including submachine guns. Jackie tried to hold back her smile, but it was almost impossible to maintain a stoic face when she felt a customized Glock in the palm of her hand. There was also an attached flashlight.

She took the holster and strapped it to her right leg.

Ignacio passed behind her and purred in her ear.

"Beautiful."

Then he went towards Aziz to discuss the details of the mission, but nothing could get out of her mind that something bad would happen if they went to Karnak. Whether it was because of what happened while she was unconscious or because she had a slight feeling that Ignacio was lying to her, she didn't know.

He was different and hiding something. She was sure of it.

The two hours that followed were peaceful. Ignacio and Fabian got along well; the Egyptian even got the contact information of the recovery specialist. She, forgotten in the back seat, only wanted to observe the conversation of the man with whom she had spent several months.