Ruins of Gold (Sam Drake)

Prologue

The night was silent, almost as if it had been mourning an unfortunate event. A distant screech of owl was the only noise offending the quiet night, an ill omen hanging on every eerie screech it made. The moon had been hidden behind a curtain of clouds, it's bright light being shut out from the world around it.

  Steady footsteps made their way toward the surprisingly quiet pub, opening the doors and making their way inside. The pub was practically deserted, the only people there were a couple drunkenly making out, the bartender whom was polishing some whiskey glasses and three people in a private section of the pub talking quietly.

  Carrying their body over to the counter of the bar, disturbing the bartender from his peaceful polishing. 

  "What can I get you, miss?" Their eyes connected, one pair tired and the other threatening.

  "A scotch." The newcomer replied, her voice held no emotion and her body became tense and stiff under the condescending stare of the bartender.

  Turning away he complied, pouring the drink into an empty glass, eyes looking anywhere but her face. The newcomer was relieved that he didn't make eye contact, happy to not explain herself, her body remained tense though the pain coming back shortly.

  She reached for the glass, tapping it with a nail in thought before pulling the chilled glass to her lips. The liquid felt cool going down her throat, but she enjoyed the strong burning the alcohol left in her throat.

  "Question," Her voice piped up, not making eye contact with the bartender who looked at her again. She didn't reply straight away, instead she rattled the ice in her drink thinking about her next words carefully, "What do you know about the Ancient Egyptian Rulers?"

  The odd question took the bartender by surprise, he shrugged and replied with 'not much'. A smirk played across the woman's face, and she leaned back in her chair. 

  "Would you know anyone who could point me in the right direction of someone who knows what they are doing?" She asked, looking him straight in the eyes, an intimidating glare crossing her eyes.

  "If I may, what do the Rulers of Egypt have to do with you?" The bartender asked, not yet phased by the look crossing the woman's eyes.

  "Glad you asked, I'm a Treasure Hunter. Which means that I need to know what I need know in the time that I need to know it." Her vague answer made the guy frown even more, not giving up on his curiosity.

  "So you want to steal the treasures of the Rulers?" 

  "No, I only wish to further understand the Ancient Egyptian history and get a few rewards along the way for my troubles."

  "Miss, that's stealing." 

  She chuckled, grabbing her glass and swirling the liquid inside, watching it as it spun in the glass. "So that's what you call it? Well it's not stealing if the person who is in possession of the item is too dead to use it."

  "Miss, I'm afraid I still don't understand your need of this information."

  "Just tell me if you know someone or somewhere that I get information on Ancient Egypt." Her voice grew irritated as her patience began to run out.

  "I'm afraid not, but..." He looked over in the direction of the private room that sheltered the three guests. "They might be able to help you... They came in earlier talking about some sort of Empire that they discovered, I'm not sure if that can help you."

  "It'll have to do." She sighed, following his gaze to the private area in the corner of the pub. Quickly chugging down the rest of her alcoholic drink, she rose ignoring the burning sensation throughout her throat and made her way over to the quiet corner.

  Knocking on the wall to make sure the group knew of her arrival, they turned their heads and stopped their urgent whispering. They looked up at the girl in front of them, taking her in.

  "Can we help you?" A accented woman spoke up, looking at the newcomer straight in the eye.

  "Got a tip, was told you might be able to help me." She gestured over to the bartender who was now having a conversation with a couple of new customers that had just walked in.

  "With what?" Another woman spoke up, her voice less welcoming and more annoyed at the interruption.

  The woman looked over at the bitter spoken one, taking in her appearance and body language, soon realising that she was not welcomed here. Continuing over to the other woman her body language was a mixture of tense muscles, caution and acceptance, while the third party member a male looked so laid back he didn't even give a damn that she was there.

  "Just some information," She replied, looking at the empty seat. "Is this seat taken?"

  "No, by all means, go for it." The first woman insisted, smiling.

After taking the seat, she looked down at the table before sighing and gaining the courage to look them all in the eye, wondering why the hell she decided to do this.

  "I need information on the tomb of Ramesses the Second."