(Lidia's Point of view)
"Do you realize were standing in a room no one's entered in over 3000 years?"
"And here we are, about to desecrate it." I got my torch lit as Evie walked over to something on the other side of the room. Jonathan had landed while complaining about the smell. I'm surprised that we've been traveling with each other for days and he's just now noticing the awful smell coming off the warden.
"And then there was light." Evie turned the mirror, allowing light to fill the space. It's funny how in all my years of exploring I've never seen this trick before.
"Hey, that is a neat trick." Rick looked around now that the room was lit a bit better.
"Oh my god. It's a sah-netjer." Evie looked around happily.
"What?
"It's a preparation room." Evie elaborated.
"Preparation for what?" Rick asked cautiously.
"For entering the afterlife." Rick took out his gun without hesitation. He's always been a bit superstitious. I wonder how he'd react if he knew he was right to be afraid? He seems to know something isn't right with this place. If the attack from the Medjay weren't a clue in itself, it's the energy. It feels like the cold is seeping into my soul. There's something down here that isn't meant to be fucked with and I have no idea what it is. Someone's going to touch it without knowing and then this whole trip will be going to hell in a handbasket.
"Mummies my good son, this is where they made the mummies."
I kept my eyes peeled as we made our way through the long-forgotten city. The warden complained about bugs, but I think bugs will be the least of our problems. We continued forward in search of the base of Anubis. I know Evie is in search of the book of the dead, but I wonder how much she'd freak out if she knew that there was technically more than one copy in existence. Egypt was an expansive kingdom, and the rituals detailed in the book were performed in other places beside Hamunaptra. Did anyone seriously think one copy would suffice? The only real issue is the contents of the books itself.
The original creator of the book is unknown. Some say a powerful sorcerer was responsible while others claim it was the gods. Regardless, the words between the pages of any copy of that book are dangerous. The copies that were discovered are usually incomplete. We speculated it was a counter measure to keep the power of the book from accidently falling in the wrong hands. There are forces that man was not meant to be privy to, and that is one of them. Besides spells and incantations pertaining to death or life, there are different kinds of enchantments included. Since the book falls under the jurisdiction of the Medjay, we've given them any copy or fragment the guardians come across as part of our agreement. What the Medjay have done with them is unknown to us.
We we're able to find the base of Anubis, standing tall as the day it was built. Evie looked more than ready to start excavating, but we came to a halt when we heard a noise. I stuck my torch into the ground and wrapped my hands around my pistols. We turned the corner only to be met face to face with the other expedition party. They similarly had their guns drawn, ready for whatever they might encounter.
"You scared the bejesus out of us, O'Connell."
"Likewise."
"Hey that's my toolkit." Burns pointed out. Evie clutched the kit tighter to her chest in response.
"No, I don't think so." With that, the guns were back up in the air.
"Okay, perhaps I was mistaken." Burns backed up cautiously.
"Well, have a nice day gentleman. We have a lot of work to be getting along with." Evie chimed in. I was proud of her for keeping her head on. Most proper ladies aren't as collected when people start waving guns about.
"Push off this our dig site."
"We got here first." Everyone was tense, waiting for a trigger to be pulled.
"Lovely, I was hoping we would do this the hard way."
"This here is our statue, friend."
"I don't see your name written on it pal."
"Well, there are 5 of you and 15 of me, your odds are not so great O'Connell."
"I've had worse."
"Yeah, me too." Jonathan said. I glanced over at him to see him holding a derringer pistol. If his somewhat shaky grip was anything to go by, he definitely has not had worse. If we make it out of this altercation, I'll have to get him suited up with a proper gun. Derringers are good because they can be easily concealed in your pocket but they're mostly for close range situations. With the bullshit we've been dealing with so far on this trip, he'll need a little more fire power. I'll need to find something for Evie as well.
"Oh, look, for goodness' sake. Let's be nice children." Evie got between the two groups and started lowering guns. "If we're going to play together, we must learn to share. There are other places to dig." Evie had a hand on Ricks arm. He was reluctant but gave in none the less. I'm not sure what Evie has in mind, but I too lowered my gun. She's too driven to give up, so I know she has a plan of some kind. I holstered my guns as we left the room.
Evie was leading us, stopping occasionally to read the hieroglyphs on the walls. As we went down sets of stairs and corridors, we came upon a room. It was then I realized what she was doing. "You brilliant woman, you're going to rob them blind." Evie smiled at the compliment. I put down my own bag and grab a shovel. "Come on boys, we've got rock to break and disappointment to hand out." Rick and Jonathan looked confused but followed suit none the less.
"Why are we digging up?" Jonathan asked.
"According to these hieroglyphics, were underneath the statue. We should come up right between his legs." The boys hummed in understanding as we picked away at the ceiling. The rock was easier to get through than expected which was somewhat concerning.
"And when those damn yanks go to sleep, no offense."
"None taken." Rick says.
"We'll dig our way up and steal the book right out from under them." Is anyone else concerned that an over 3'000-year-old building might come crashing on top of them? No? Just me? Cool.
"Are you sure we can find this secret compartment thing?" Rick asked.
"Oh, yes, if those beastly Americans haven't beaten us to it. No offense."
"None taken." Rick continued to put his back into digging.
"Where'd our smelly little friend get to?" Jonathan looked around for the warden, probably wondering why he wasn't helping.
"Who cares, at least it smells better in here." I'd rather do extra work than subject my nostrils to that torment. We kept at it for a bit before we decided to take a break. I was munching on beef jerky and drawing in the dirt while Evie gave my brother a crash course in mummification. Meanwhile Jonathan was practicing his golf swing on rocks. Was I drawing a protection sigil in the dirt because I was paranoid? A hundred percent. The lack of information and resources has me on edge, but it's whatever is putting out that ominous energy that really freaks me out. How do I protect my brother and my party from what's here if I don't know what I'm protecting them from? This assignment is becoming a fucking headache.
"For the record if I don't make it out of here, don't put me down for mummification."
"Likewise." Jonathan smacked another rock with his pickaxe. The rock bounced off the wall and hit the ceiling. It was all it took for a mass of debris to come crumbling down. Luckily, I was able to roll out the way in time.
"I am so over this fucking trip." I got up and dusted myself off as Evie and Rick coughed the dust out their lungs.
"Oh my god, it's a sarcophagus-" We all stared up into the gaping hole left in the ceiling. "-buried at the base of Anubis. He must have been someone of great importance or he did something very naughty." We all gathered closer and started to dust off the sarcophagus.
"Well, who is it?" Jonathan asked.
"He who shall not be named." Evie read over the hieroglyphs, hoping to find a more detailed answer.
"Then he definitely did something naughty." The foreboding feeling was back. I didn't like what we were finding so far. What did this person do that was so bad he was left in a grave unmarked and unnamed? Their whole belief was that life after death was maintained if you were remembered in the land of the living. To be forgotten was to have your soul lost forever. What did this person do?
Rick dusted of a piece of the sarcophagus. It was an indent in the lid with a peculiar design. "This looks like some sort of lock."
"Well, whoever's in here sure wasn't getting out."
"Yeah, no kidding. It'd take us a month to crack into this thing without a key."
"A key?"
"Maybe we should leave them in there. If it's locked it's for a reason."
"A key! a key! that's what he was talking about." Evie ran off to the side where we had piled our things. She reached into Jonathan's jacket looking for something.
"Who?" Rick asked.
"The man on the barge, the one with the hook. he was looking for a key!"
"Hey that's mine." Jonathan complained.
"Didn't you steal that from Rick though?"
Evie had opened up the puzzle box. The pieces lined up with the lock on the sarcophagus. Evie looked proud as she stood back smiling. Unfortunately, the moment was interrupted by screaming. We hurried to the source of it to find the warden. Before anyone could ask what's wrong, he had shoved us out the way as he ran headfirst into the wall. As he laid there motionless, we all looked at each other, unsure what to make of the situation. I took it upon myself to approach the man on the ground to check if he was still breathing. Unfortunately, he was dead. I simply shook my head at the others. I really do hate this fucking trip.
----
After we had brought the warden's body back to the surface, we buried him. It was an unfortunate reality of this line of work. You are days away from civilization with no way to transport or preserve a body. In situations like this, you get buried in the sands and hope someone will say a few kind words about you. So far, our first day at Hamunaptra was finishing on a rather sour note.
"What do you suppose killed him?" Evie was wrapped in a blanket by the fire. She was a little shaken after having seen someone suddenly die like that. You couldn't really blame the poor girl.
"Did you ever see him eat?" Jonathan was sitting next to his sister. I'm sure he's just as curious as to what probably killed the warden. It could be a laundry list of things that killed the man. What exactly made him run into a wall so hard that he just died? I have half a mind to examine the warden's body, but he was 6ft underground already, and I'm sure the rest of our merry little band wouldn't be too keen to see me poke and prod at a corpse.
Rick was walking back over from the other camp. He figured he'd let our competition know of our loss and the potential dangers within the tunnels. "It seems that our American friends had a little misfortune of their own today. Three of their diggers were melted."
"What?" Evie couldn't help but lean in closer. Of all the things that I thought my brother was about to say, that for sure wasn't on the list. On the bright side, that's three less people I have to worry about.
"How?" Asked Jonathan.
"Salt acid. Pressurized salt acid. Some kind of ancient booby trap." It's amazing how certain things can last over thousands of years. No one's set off that trap in 3'000 years and it was still potent enough to kill three people. If that trap was set off a few hundred years earlier, would the acid have been strong enough to kill more?
"Maybe this place really is cursed." Jonathan said. As he did, the wind passed through the city, creating an ominous sound. The three of us looked at each other, a silent agreement as to say, 'this place is cursed without a doubt'.
"Oh, for goodness' sake, you three!" Evie scolded us. For a newbie in the field, she's not as prone to the same concerns as the rest of us. Rick has always been a bit superstitious, but I'm curious to know if Jonathan has ever had his own accidental run ins with the strange and unusual.
"You don't believe in curses?"
"No, I don't. I believe if I can see it and I can touch it, then its real. that's what I believe."
"I believe in being prepared."
"Let's see what our friend the warden believed in." Jonathan began rummaging through the wardens' bag. It's weird that the line between theft, grave robbing, and archeology is time. The more time passes, the more acceptable the crime is. Jonathan suddenly shouted and retracted his hand from the bag. Rick and Evie had expressed concern, meanwhile, I had my gun already drawn.
"What is it?"
"A broken bottle." Jonthan turned the bottle to read the label and smiled. "Glenlivet, 12 years old. He may have been a stinky fellow, but he had good taste." Jonathan took a swig before we all turned to a commotion coming from the other camp. I was out of my seat and drawing both my guns.
"Take this. Stay here." Rick had handed Evie his elephant gun. Me and Rick started moving towards the commotion.
Evie, not caring for Ricks instructions got out her seat to follow us. "No, wait, wait! Wait for me. Wait!"
"Evie! Excuse me, but didn't the man just say stay here?" Jonathan was forced to get up and follow after his sister. Once we got there, the party seemed to be in full swing. By party, I mean a full Medjay raid. They were on horseback riding through the camp cutting down diggers, and torching tents. Before I could encourage my brother and the Carnahan siblings to retreat back to our camp before we get noticed, Rick jumped into the fray.
"Wait Rick! Come bac- and he's gone. God damn it." I didn't want to fight. I cared about the Medjay and had a great respect for them. I didn't want to harm any of them purposely. With everything going on, I quickly got separated from the others. The few Medjay warriors I came across; I rendered unconscious as quickly as possible. So far, none of them seemed to recognize me. That was until I saw one on horseback.
I don't know if it was his body language or the sound of his yell, but I knew exactly who was on that horse. Said rider was chasing after Jonathan. As soon as he spotted me, he yelled out. "O'Connell!"
I was standing on some of the ruins as he ran toward me. I holstered my guns and waited. As soon as he was in my sights, I tackled the man on the horse. As we both stood up, I drew my gun, and he drew his sword. During the scuffle, his face covering had slipped down, revealing the handsome man I missed more than I wished to admit.
I shot the sword from his hand, we're still in the middle of a raid after all. I'm also well aware of his loyalty to his people. If our people weren't allies, were enemies. I'd like to imagine he wouldn't kill me, but I wasn't taking chances. "Well, hello handsome. We must stop meeting like this."
"Of course, it's you. It's always you." Ardeth had pulled out another sword from his belt. We circled around each other, neither of us making a move.
"Parlay perhaps? Maybe we can discuss things over drink?"
"There are no bars to break into out here." Ardeth's lips tilted up in a smile. I hate it when he smiles. It makes me want to do things to him that would surely make the devil blush.
"No, but I do have a flask that happens to be terribly full. Interested?" Before he could respond, Rick jumped into the mix. I could always count on my brother to interrupt me while I'm getting my flirt on. Was flirting in the middle of a raid a bad idea? Yeah, but I wasn't exactly known for my good ones. It must be a family trait because Rick, went ahead and grabbed a stick of dynamite and lit it. Yeah, it was definitely a family trait.
"Enough! Leave. Leave this place or die." Ardeth mounted his horse with ease. "You have one day." Ardeth looked at me and then subtly glanced towards the rocky ridge that overlooks the city. Giving him the slightest nod in understanding, he commands his men to depart. As they left, Rick plucked the wick out of the dynamite before he went to help Evie up. As he checked her for injuries, Daniels began to spew out his theories about why they attacked us.
"These are desert men. They value water not gold." Rick said. He was holding Evie close. Intimately close.
"Maybe just at night, we could you know, combine forces." Burns suggested. His face was still covered in shaving cream, even after all the fighting. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at his notion.
"Yeah, because an additional four people to your group will surely make a huge difference."
"We'll you and O'Connell seem to be able to hold your own pretty well." Henderson said.
"That's because we're better than you."
"I think they might be right. Our camp is closer to the edge of the city and more secluded. They could come back and pick us off if they wanted to." It's annoying when he's right. It would just be harder to sneak out with so many people now tense from the attack and keeping an eye out.
"I'm not moving my stuff right now. We can have a little sleep over tomorrow and then we're leaving before they come back and make do on that 'leave or die' bit." With that I began the short walk back to our little camp, unhappily as a saw that Benny somehow made it out alive.
Rick and the Carnahan's returned shortly after and began passing the wardens bottle of Glenlivet. I took a few sips before leaving the rest for everyone else. Jonathan passed out first. I stared at the stars from my perch on a fallen column. Evie was absolutely drunk and trying her hardest to learn to throw a punch from Rick. I'm hoping that they both fall asleep soon. I know Ardeth is waiting for me up on that ridge. I couldn't help the part of me that was excited to see him. Ever since that night at the auction house, whenever we work together it just feels right. We just seem to flow together no matter what we're doing. I'd go as far to say I like him romantically.
Through all the fighting, the missions, the killing, he sees me. He sees me as a woman, not just a spy or an expendable resource. I know when he tries to hide his blush when we end up in an intimate position when were under cover. I see it when we've spared, and I end up on top of him in our scuffle. I see the way he looks at me, and I'd be a liar if I said I didn't look at him the same way. Maybe it's because I don't have to hide what I do from him. Perhaps it's because he looks fucking majestic wielding a sword while charging in on horseback like an Egyptian fairytale prince. Is it a crime to want to feel? By the time I tune back into reality, Rick and Evie have grown awfully close.
"I'm going to kiss you, mister O'Connell." Evie was leaning in closer to Rick, looking quite unsteady.
"Call me Rick."
"Oh, Rick..." As Evie leaned in to kiss him, she passed out and fell over. Rick was left with his lips puckered and waiting. He let out a sigh of disappointment before he turned to the sound of my snickering.
"Shut up." He just shakes his head at me annoyed and tucks Evie into her bed roll.
"You can just kiss her tomorrow Prince charming. You should get some sleep though. We'll have a long day tomorrow, if we want to find something to take back with us."
"I just don't get it. If they didn't want us here, why let us live?"
"Because they're protecting something important. There's something here that shouldn't be fucked with and they're giving us a chance to leave with our lives before we lose the chance to leave at all."
"You sound like them." Rick mumbled.
"No, I sound like someone who wants to live. I know Evie wants to find that book and everything, but is it worth dying for?"
"I guess we'll find out tomorrow." We both tucked into our individual bed rolls and said goodnight. I waited to hear the heavy sound of Ricks snoring before making my move to sneak away. Even though my poor camel companion was less than happy to be taken from her rest, she carried me quietly to the ridge. As I got to the top, I could see Ardeth sitting by a small fire. It was far away enough from the edge as to not alert those below, but big enough to provide warmth. We were closing in on the winter months, so the nights in the desert were colder. He was writing a message on a piece of paper, no doubt telling the commander of their fight today.
"Horus looks bigger than I remember." I took a seat next to him by the fire. I stroked the messenger bird's feathers as he nuzzled his head into my hand.
"He eats well." Ardeth attached the note to Horus' harness. He picked up the bird and sent him flying off to his destination. It was quiet between us. Nothing but the sound of the crackling flames and the soft howl of the desert wind.
"So on a scale of 1 to catastrophic, how bad is the thing that you don't want us to find?"
"Potentially apocalyptic."
"Great. Another world ending event to avert."
"Another?" He looked at me with raised eyebrows.
"Mmhmm. Vampires, reign of darkness, enslavement of humanity, another Tuesday at the office." I pulled out my flask and took a swig before passing it to Ardeth.
"I'm not sure if I want to know anymore."
"They were hard to kill that's for sure. One of them tried to take a bite out of me too." I couldn't help but rub my neck at the memory. The bastard had his disgusting breath right on my neck, just a hair away from his teeth. If it hadn't been for Conrad saving my ass, I would have been one of their lackies. Ardeth looked at me, trying to process the words I told him. "Don't worry, you're the only one who's allowed to bite me." I couldn't help myself. I love how flustered I can make him. He simply chuckled and refocused his gaze on the flames in front of him before taking a drink.
"You know our alliance has dissolved."
"Not for long. When I get back to headquarters, I'm going to turn that little fucker's spine into a backscratcher for your father and make his skull into a coffee mug. That meeting should have never happened without Henry. Carlyle is running the organization like it's his own personal army."
"What happened to Henry?"
"He fell ill. No one knows what it is or how he's doing. It's all being kept hush. I think something's going to go down, but I just don't know what."
"Be careful Lidia, you have a poor habit to attract danger."
"I can't help it, I'm a trouble magnet. Now stop hogging the liquor." Ardeth passed the flask back to me. I took a large gulp, savoring the burn as it went down my throat. Whiskey was a woman's best friend.
"You should get your people out while you can." Ardeth stocked the flames with a stick. I had moved a bit closer to him, trying to steal his warmth. The night only seemed to get colder, and the fire wasn't doing enough for me.
"I'm trying. My brother and the Carnahan sibling are quite stubborn. The cowboys aren't much better either. They're not going empty handed if they can help it. It's probably going to end up being a gun fight."
"I don't think it'll be much of a fight. There are not many of you down there."
"Don't get cocky." I bumped him with my shoulder. "We might be outgunned but you know how handy I am with a few sticks of dynamite."
"I think that's your answer for everything. You should be careful in the city regardless."
"Can you at least give me a hint at what to look out for?" Ardeth just shook his head no.
"We refuse to even speak its name. If it's set loose, the world will know darkness."
"I think I need a new job." I leaned my head on his shoulder. We just sat there, enjoying each other's presence. At some point my hand ended up in his. He was so warm and welcoming I couldn't help but doze off. It was a perfect moment, but of course it wouldn't last. I had to be back before sunrise, and Ardeth had to go back to his people.
He had woken me after about an hour or so into my nap. I couldn't help but shudder against the wind that passed through as he walked me to my faithful (albeit annoyed) steed. Ever the gentleman, Ardeth wrapped his cloak around me. Before I could mount my camel, he grabbed my hand.
"Stay safe down there."
"No promises. You know me, always finding trouble." I couldn't help but notice how close we had gotten to one another. Oh, how easy it would be for me to lean up and kiss him the way I've only daydreamed about.
"That's what worries me." He had tucked a lock of stray hair behind my ear but made no effort to remove his hand from my cheek. His chocolate brown eyes just stared into my own, while his thumb gently stroked my cheek. He got closer to my face, and just as I think he's going to kiss me... he misses my lips. He presses a chaste kiss to my forehead instead, but a win is a win. "May Allah watch over you."
"Goodnight Ardeth." I give him a tight-lipped smile before getting on my camel. I ride away from the ridge with the reins held tightly in my hands. It's not like I've never kissed him before, it's just never been genuine. Sometimes when we're undercover in public posing as a couple, you have to give some small gestures of affection to make it believable. I just wish that he'd kiss me because he wanted to, not because he had to. When I settled into my bed roll, I folded Ardeth's cloak and used it as a pillow. I didn't need anyone to realize what it actually is and ask questions. I was falling asleep when I realized it smelled like just like him, warm spices and honey.
He's an idiot if he thinks he's getting this back anytime soon.
//UNEDITED\\
//WORDCOUNT: 4,654\\
SIDE NOTE:
Thank you for reading as always. I'm excited to finally get this chapter out! Now, I realize the story is a little disjointed and discombobulated but once I get it written and edited, it should be smooth sailing. I went back and saw some more Lidia misspellings, but I'm going to fix it I swear. We're finally getting the ball rolling with the main plot and seeing more Lidia-Ardeth interactions. I'm hoping to write their romantic chemistry in a way that readers can see them as I do.
Anyway, I'm hoping I can get a lot more of this story done. I have some great ideas I want to work on for other potential fanfictions, and I feel like I'm bursting at the seams just waiting to share them. Besides that, here are some more facts and tidbits for your enjoyment!
* The heart is actually left in the body when someone was being mummified. It was believed that your heart would need to be measured against the feather of truth in order to be judged in the afterlife.
* The sound the Medjay make during the raid is called the sound of ululation. It's a sound more commonly made by women during celebrations and funerals.
*The Medjay are believed to have been a tribe of people that originated from Nubia. They were skilled in their ways and essentially hired to be security. Over time the term Medjay evolved into a job title as they became the policing force of the Kingdom. One source claimed that they used dogs and monkeys in the same capacity as dogs are used in police forces today. I don't have concrete evidence of that but imagine getting chased down a street and Mojo Jojo is sprinting after you? Wild.
As always, thank you for reading! Don't forget to drink your water and make sure you're on wifi and not data. <3