Daughter of Ra {Ardeth Bay x Oc}

Chapter Three

While Jonathan's hands were completely empty. "Yes, undoubtedly, knowing my luck. He may be a cowboy, but I know the breed. His word is his word." Jonathan said. "Well, personally I think he's filthy, rude, a complete scoundrel. I don't like him one bit." Evie added not really paying attention. Grimacing in anger, Atem tsked. "Jonathan, you brat! Grab your sister's bags!" she snapped and Jonathan was about to take them when Rick shower up,

"Anyone I know?" he said and Evie gasped as she set her bags down, which freed up Jonathan from having to take them, "Oh. Hello." she greeted and Atem rolled her eyes. "Smashing day for the start of an adventure, eh, O'Connell?" Jonathan said patting Rick's chest, "Yeah. Yeah, smashing." he repeated while pulling out his wallet, "Oh, no, no, I'd never steal from a partner, partner." Jonathan said waving his hand,

"That reminds me? No hard feelings about the..." Rick asked and Jonathan shook his head, "Oh, no, no. Happens all the time." he said, "Hena's probably going to punch me later," Jonathan added while nodding towards Atem. Looking at the woman in question, Rick nodded. Atem tipped her hat then leaned against the rail by the entrance and exit for the boat. He felt power radiate from her, there was something he just couldn't put his finger on.

"Mr. O'Connell? Can you look me in the eye and guarantee me this isn't some sort of a flimflam? Because if it is, I am warning you..." Evie started, wanting to have the man focus on her for the moment. But he cut her off, "You're warning me? Lady, let me put it this way, my whole damn Garrison believed in this so much that without orders, they marched halfway across Libya and into Egypt to find that city. When we got there, all we found was sand and blood." he explained.

"Let me get your bags." he said and took them without waiting for an answer. Getting onto the boat he stopped next to Atem, she was still looking out to the port. "Thanks," he said and she nodded, not saying a word.

***

Atem was sitting with Evie as the girl read, Atem had her feet up on the rail, crossed at the ankle and her hands laced over her chest, but gripping the hilt of her Sai as she could hear someone coming. Peeking out from under her hat she noticed Rick and relaxed. She didn't even flinch when he tossed his bag onto the table, startling Evie. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you." he apologized.

"The only thing that scares me, Mr. O'Connell, are your manners." she nipped back about to return her attention back to her book. "Still angry about that kiss, huh?" he mused. "Well, if you call that a kiss." she taunted back, unrolling his bag got her attention as a bunch of weapons gleamed up at her. "Did I miss something? Are we... Are we going into battle?" she asked, her eyes still sparkling. Atem huffed softly, before the scent of something caught her attention.

Sitting up and setting her hat back onto her head properly she looked out to the water. "Lady, there's something out there. Something underneath that sand." Rick said loading a weapon and holstering. He had spoken while wondering about Atem's shift in awareness. "Yes, well, I'm hoping to find a certain artifact. A book, actually. My brother thinks there's treasure. What do you think's out there?" Evie explained, before asking Rick that last question.

"In a word? Evil. The Bedouin and the Tuaregs believe that Hamunaptra is cursed." he said working on a new weapon, "Only because you don't understand and are messing with something that should be left beneath the sand." she said and Evie was tired of hearing the same thing so she ignored Atem. "Oh, look, I don't believe in fairy tales and hokum, Mr. O'Connell, but I do believe one of the most famous books in history is buried there." she started,

Her hands skimming the weapons as she spoke, "The Book of Amun-Ra. It contains within it all the secret incantations of the old kingdom. It's what first interested me in Egypt when I was a child. It's why I came here. Sort of a life's pursuit." Atem pulled her eyes from the water to look at Evie as if what she said wasn't the real truth behind her love of Egypt. "And the fact that they say it's made out of pure gold makes no never mind to you? Right." Rick added,

Evie said with a proud smile, "You know your history." he chuckled, "I know my treasure." he explained before turning his eyes down the barrel of his gun, "By the way, why did you kiss me?" she asked and without a single forethought he said, "I was about to be hanged. It seemed like a good idea at the time." Groaning in anger she slammed her book against the table and stomped off, "OW! What?! What'd I say?!" he growled out looking up at Atem after she'd smacked him.

"When a woman asks why you kissed her don't be a jerk and tell her the cold hard truth, it's sure fire way to getting hit," Atem said, before moving around Rick to leave only to notice a shadow digging in people's luggage, growling she snapped her arm out and grabbed the thief. Jamming him against the luggage she glared down at the tiny man, "What are you doing?!" she growled her eyes nearly glowing with rage.

She's got a low tolerance for thieves and rapists. "If you don't answer me I'll throw you overboard." she threatened. Rick seeing the commotion came to investigate, "Surprise! My good friend, you're alive! I was so very, very worried." he gasped out when Rick came over, "Well, if it ain't my little buddy, Beni." rick started and Atem turned her near glowing glare on him but his continued statement had her drawing a long white handled curved knife, "I think I'll kill you."

With it pressed to Beni's neck, he gasped out, "Think of my children!" but Rick frowned, "You don't have any children." he argued back, "Someday I might." Beni argued back but Atem snapped out a sharp, "Shut up!" and Rick continued, "So, you're the one who's leading the Americans? I might have known. So, what's the scam, Beni? You task them into the middle of the desert, and then you leave them to rot?" he theorized.

"Unfortunately, no. These Americans are smart. They pay me only half now, half when I get them back to Cairo. So this time I must go all the way." Beni said Rick may have pulled back but Atem wasn't going to, "Them's the breaks, huh?" Rick said putting his gun away, which he'd drawn when he'd initially threated Beni with death, "You never believed in Hamunaptra, O'Connell. Why are you going back?" he asked while eyeing Atem's big knife.

"You see that girl? She's one of two people who saved my neck." he said nodding to Evie , Atem gave him a bit of space before they watched Evie walk off after having spent time with some of the camels. "You always did have more balls than brains." Beni said trying to joke around, Rick chuckled stupidly which let Beni relax before he patted Beni on the shoulder, "Yeah. Goodbye, Beni." that was Atem's cue to pitch Beni overboard.

"O'Connell!" Beni screamed from the water, splashing and shouting for help, Atem taking off in another direction left Rick alone, the man turned back to his kit only to notice wet shoe prints on the deck, worried he looked over the rail and Beni was still in the water, but he had caught sight of the end of a small canoe, grabbing his things he rushed after Atem.