Before my jackal could say, “Mine,” I stopped it with a mental reprimand. “Just shush.” But I found a smile twitching at the corners of my lips. Then I started panicking when I realized she meant to sleep in my tent.
My panic didn't last as the men all started chiming out, “Oooooo.” I looked back, flipped them off then smiled to myself as I stepped into the tent and stopped short, almost running into Olivia's chest.
She looked amused with me. “Where does that assertiveness go when it comes to me?”
I muttered to her as my jackal eyesight and hearing manifested, “Shut up,” while I moved around her. “You take the cot I'll...”
She finished, “Take the cot too. I don't bite, Aya. Well... unless you want me to.”
I narrowed my eyes at her, but her grin didn't waver.
“What am I going to do with you?” I whispered. My eyes widened, and I placed a finger on her lips before she could answer. I was wise to her ways already.
Warning her, I said without much conviction, “I'm so exhausted I can barely keep my eyes open.”
She nodded and looked concerned. “Healing takes a lot out of us.” Then almost tenderly she helped me into the cot, stripped off my hat, jacket, and boots, before slipping out of hers and joining me. She wrapped an arm around my waist in a very proprietary way as I froze, holding my breath.
When I finally exhaled, feeling her warmth against me, I said, “Good night... Olivia.” She just hugged me tighter, then as an afterthought, I said to the air, “Good night Stephanie.”
I looked back at the Doc as we heard on the desert wind, from so far away, “Good night, ladiess.” We exchanged a sad smile then I exhaled again, snuggled in, and was out like a light.
It was possibly the best two hours of sleep I've had in my life, feeling safe, feeling complete, feeling desired.
I sat up suddenly, trying to get my bearings, and immediately regretted it. I squeaked to myself, “Ow.” My chest and stomach muscles ached.
I almost screamed when a hand rested on my shoulder and a silky smooth voice filled with no concern teased, “You big baby.”
Oh yeah, Olivia. Then the smile which was threatening faltered when I realized the nightmare I had had last night was real. The camp was attacked, and I had... I had killed again. I fought back the bile building in the back of my throat.
I placed my hand on hers then took a steeling breath then turned back to her and smiled. I wanted so badly to run my fingers through her long, slightly sleep-matted hair. Oh, wait... could I now? I mean, we've kissed... a lot. I heated at the memory, then slowly reached up, when she didn't pull back, I caressed her cheek. I swear she purred.
Then I ran my fingers through her silky hair to get the mats out. It was as soft and downy as... well, as feathers. My smile grew wider at that thought. She smiled and coked her head, “What?”
I shrugged. “Oh, nothing. Do you even realize just how beautiful you are?”
She chuckled. “You really are awkward at this whole dating thing, aren't you? That was a horrible pickup line.”
My cheeks burned, but in a good way as I shrugged. “I've not had much experience in the field. I was buried in the books and research in college.” I paused. “Is that what we... umm.. are we dating?”
She tipped her head back and gifted me that single bark of amused laughter. “I'd hope so, at least if my Falcon has anything to say about it. We've been fascinated with you the moment we met. Bad pickup lines and all.”
Then before I could say anything, she said, “I guess an improvised lecture on archeological linguistics in the cafeteria, and stopping a raid to obtain the last Anubis lodestone and you, make for some... different first dates. But...” She stole a quick kiss and lord help me if I didn't sigh.
I shook myself and stood from the cot, looking at the rumpled uniform top, then the delectable bird girl who lay there, draped along the length like Cleopatra. I said, “We need to check on our man in the hospital. I don't think anyone is going to be safe with Lazarus still out there with me here, especially since the police last night didn't seem to believe anyone's account of the raid. The only proof we have is our injured man since everyone said they couldn't make anything out but flashes of gunfire and screams once the fire had gone out.”
She was nodding. “We need to make sure that Xerxes doesn't get to the last lodestone at the University. I know a safe place we can go, Kissa will hide us, besides I want her to have a look at the Lieutenant. I said I'd introduce them.”
This Kissa was the Snake Maiden? I nodded. Then I asked, “Did you have problems looking at the hybrids and Stephanie?”
She absently mimicked my nod and said, “Yes, it almost hurt, like feedback in my vision. It kept them shadowed until we were up close.”
“Exactly. I was just wondering if there was something wrong with me, with... well, when I changed or something.”
She assured me, “No, there was something unnatural, something wrong that went against nature.” She seemed to think on it a second as she stood and stretched distractingly. “It is said that the Jackal-Maidens can divine the true name and nature of an individual. That's how you know when it is time to drag their soul to the Ferryman. Did you...” She trailed off in question.
I thought about it. I remember some confusion in my animal nature when I looked upon the minotaur and even Stephanie. Nodding I shared, “They had broken names, many of them, as if they had shards of many people inside them, twisting them into what we saw. I believe the sirloin burger I fought was mad with what had been done to him. But Steph seems more herself than the others.” I sighed out, almost in pain, “She has been quite wicked, though my jackal doesn't think she is irredeemable.”
She chuckled, and I furrowed my brow at her. She explained, “She says, thanks a lot, runt.”
Quickly, I covered my mouth with both hands, I had forgotten the Lieutenant could hear us. I hadn't been enhancing my senses. I still wasn't fully sure how to do it on demand, but I could feel the world spread out around me as sounds from everywhere converged upon my ears. It was almost as if I had been hearing impaired most of my life and had just never known it until I could take the world in like this.
I squeaked out, “Sorry,” and I could hear her laugh on the wind. I didn't know how to take the woman yet, how to read her. She was lethal and dangerous, yet part of me felt that she was afraid underneath her bravado. Afraid of what she had become, and what she could become, feeling she had lost her humanity. I felt for the woman.
Another fear came bubbling up inside me at the thought. If Commander Xerxes and Lazarus had done that to her, a full human, then what might they do to me, make of me if they captured me? My jackal stepped forward in the shadows of my mind, and I felt as though I could see her eyes blazing as she said, “Let them come. We will make them learn the folly of it.” I wish I had her confidence. She chuckled. “I am you, you weirdo.” Ok, that sounded like me.
I ran my fingers through my hair, an ingrained habit when I woke up and was almost surprised at my shorter hair. That was still going to take a bit to get used to, but it was so much cooler. I dug in a rucksack and pulled out two khaki shirts and a bra. I tossed a shirt to Olivia, who had been studying me intently as I went through things in my head. She deftly caught it in one hand without really looking at it.
Then I turned away from her, feeling suddenly small and inadequate with her behind me as I stripped out of the uniform top and put on my bra. I was starting to pull on my shirt when I froze, a delightful shiver going down my spine, followed by delighted goosebumps which chased after it, when she buried her face in the crook of my neck and inhaled deeply. I hadn't even heard her move up to me.
She whispered, “Really, Aya? You don't have to be bashful around me. You already have me.” She kissed my neck, and I gulped and shimmied at my arousal before I pulled the shirt on.
I turned to see she was wearing my shirt and I had to grin, it was more a belly shirt fo
r her, so she had left the lower buttons undone and tied the ends in a Daisy Duke. She was fast and made it look good.
I smirked at her and hummed Indiana Jones as I jammed my hat on my head. This got a chuckle from the woman. When I checked my pistol, cleared it and replaced my spent round in the magazine, she smirked and teased, “All you need now is a whip.”
Grinning and nodding emphatically, I chirped out, “I know, right?”
She said as she pushed past me to exit the tent with her things in hand as I stuffed another set of clothes into my bag as an afterthought, “You do know that that movie doesn't depict any real archaeologists, right?”
I shoved her playfully from behind. “Says you. Let me have my fantasies.” Then I quickly warned, “Shut it, woman. Not a word.”
She brought her arms up and rested her head on her fists and fluttered her lashes. “Oh, Indy, take me now.”
Ok, was it wrong that heated me up again?
I grumped, “Shut up.”
Then we looked around the camp. Most of the vehicles were now gone with the men who left. It didn't look any different than usual. Like nothing had ever happened. Like nobody had died, nobody had fired a weapon, and no monsters like me had rampaged through the camp. Was I a monster?
Albert and Rafa were near where the men on horseback had been with one of our sifting screens, sifting the sand, a grid marked out in the area in string. We walked up to them as we watched. I asked when they looked up when our shadow crossed them, “Whatcha doin' boys?”
Albert narrowed his eyes as he looked west toward Cairo. “The authorities didn't believe us last night. I could tell they were humoring us, like we were trying to cover up what had injured Gamal.”
I looked around seeing evidence they had sifted through at least twenty square yards so far in their grid. Had they not even slept yet? “What are you doing here?”
He smirked at me and said, “Whoever attacked the camp, before something spooked them off, did a miraculous job on cleanup in record time in the darkness of night without us seeing them. But they weren't perfect.” He reached into a pocket and pulled out an acid neutral specimen bag that held a single brass shell casing. I almost panicked until I realized it wasn't a nine mil. It wasn't mine.
I wondered just how they had managed to clean up. Someone would have seen them out in the night somehow taking all the evidence and bodies. It was impossible. My jackal pointed at us in my mind, telling me in an ironic tone, “Hello, Jackal here.” Ok fine, so maybe not impossible. Apparently the impossible was, well, possible. I was living proof of it.
Olivia smiled at that and said, “Never try to hide evidence from an archeologist.” She winked at the Professor who was beaming. I wondered how the shell casing would help change the minds of the authorities. Maybe there were more out there. One wasn't much proof, but many might be enough to at least warrant a real investigation.
Rafa asked the question we dreaded, “Who were those men and why did they want the idol and you, Aya? It has to have something to do with the theft of the other two back at the university. They aren't significant, so they can't fetch very much on the black market.”
I shrugged. “I wish I knew.” I think it was a good thing they didn't know the raiders were from Lazarus. It would be too dangerous for Albert to start asking questions about them.
My bird-brain piped up, “Gentlemen, do you mind if I borrow the intrepid Professor here? We need to check on the safety of the last idol, and I'd like to introduce her to a colleague of mine.”
Rafa chuckled, and I pointed a finger at the dirty minded young man. Then Albert said as he turned back to his work sifting the desert, “Of course. I think she would be safer in the city if someone is trying to get their hands on her out here.”
Rafa chuckled again. I slugged his shoulder, and he gave me an almost impish innocent grin as I warned, “Get your mind out of the gutter.”
He just smiled then asked, “Do you need me to give you two a ride?” I shook my head, we had a passenger to pick up that would open a whole new can of worms.
A minute later we were driving out of camp with one of the remaining Jeeps. After we were out of sight of the camp, we turned into the desert and headed north. We had an interesting passenger to pick up.
Five minutes later, we pulled up to the old weather station. It looked even worse for wear in the daylight. My jackal night vision only gives the illusion of twilight, so I didn't see just how dingy and dilapidated it was.
We got out of the Jeep and looked around, I listened and heard all sorts of life in the desert, which was sort of inspiring, as it always looked so lifeless to me before. We both hesitated though. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who couldn't hear the lieutenant breathing inside.
Fearing the worst, we ran to the opening where the door hung loosely from the upper hinge and came to a stop inside, calling out, “Stephanie?”
My peripheral vision caught movement at the door we had just stepped into, and I was an obsidian Anubis woman by the time I finished my spin, just to see the snake woman drop soundlessly from where she had been coiled above the door. She held her hands up in front of her to placate the two of us manifested vassals of the ancient Egyptian gods.
“Ssorry, I had to be ssure you hadn't come to eliminate me.”
I blinked and slapped the woman's scaly chest as I returned to my human form. “You thought we'd come to kill you? Damnit. Olivia told you she would introduce you to someone who might be able to help!”
I glared at her for even thinking it while I thought about how much easier it was getting to change. It was all instinct it seems. She actually burst out into a hissing laugh then said, “I ssaid I wass ssorry. You sshould have sseen your facess! Sspeaking of... bird got your tongue, Doctor?”
The tall falcon warrior regarded her a moment then seemed to bleed away into the sexy woman I was smitten with.
Then Stephanie sighed and said, “I've trusst isssuess, ok? The lasst people I trussted did thiss to me. And I wassn't ssure if you'd busst in here, sswinging that blinding sstaff you ussed lasst night, Professsor.”
Before I could admonish her, Olivia asked me in a very slow and deliberate manner, “Wait. What staff?”
Our snake-y companion supplied, “The one sshe ussed to sslice through the ssniper's rifle and hand. It hurt my eyess.”
I had completely forgotten about that. I shrugged and said, “I don't know. My jackal aspect just sort of reached behind me and found it on my back like she knew it was there and how to use it. But if I let go of it, it sort of melts away.”
I couldn't interpret the way in which Olivia was looking at me when she asked in disbelief in that same deliberate manner, “You possess the was-scepter, Aya?”
I echoed as I thought about it. “A was-scepter? You know, it was shaped like one.” I could see it in my mind's eye. I would have eventually recognized the shape of it once I had a chance to breathe. “Why? Is it significant?”
She almost blurted, “Let me see it. The last was-scepter was lost to time when the Jackal Maidens vanished. We all assumed it was just a fable of our kind.” Then added as she calmed a bit, showing me a look of compassion, “Please?”
I reached back then shrugged when I found nothing on my back. She rolled her eyes. “Pup out, woman. For the most intelligent person I know, you're slow sometimes, lady.”
I cocked an eyebrow at her with a smirk. “Pup out? I don't know if I want to now. You're going to have to work for it.”
Steph hissed out as she rolled her eyes, “Oh for fuck'ss ssake. Ass much ass I would like to live out my lack of ssex life vicarioussly through you two, your consstant flirting iss killing me.” She swung her tail at me, and I caught it in a clawed hand. She smirked, which looked pretty darn scary on her deformed half human half snake face.
I looked down my muzzle at the ebony arm that looked to be made of blackened porcelain which held her tail, then released her. She had known my jackal w
ouldn't let her strike me. The sneaky wench. Then she said as she seemed to slither to the side, craning her neck, “It issn't there.”
Olivia seemed almost upset that I didn't have it. I don't even know how I had it in the first place. I felt like crap that I had somehow disappointed her. I said as I reached back, “I'm sorry. It was just back here when I had...” My hand closed around the staff and my brow furrowed as I pulled it forward. “Here it is, right here.”
Stephanie slithered back, covering her eyes as I presented the was-scepter to the Doc. She reached out tentatively, then hesitated to look up at me with a smile of awe. Then she touched it with the tips of her fingers like it might burn, or possibly vanish. Then she was wrapping her hands around it to feel its impossibly smooth surface, it was as if the staff had pulled forth her falcon aspect instead of her doing it herself.
She tore her eyes from it and locked eyes with me, her's sparkling with amazement and excitement. “May I?”
I nodded. “Of course.”
She licked her beak, looking at the staff with anticipation as I released it to her, and it dissolved. I could feel it on my back again. She let out that bark of laughter I loved, and she said, “Of course. Only one may wield it in each generation. You've brought it back to us, and you are apparently the chosen one.”
I held a finger out toward Stephanie's, umm... lips, or lack thereof. “One 'Chosen One' joke and I will smite you.”
She widened her eyes and looked at Olivia. “Oh no, the Chossen One hass threatened me.”
They both had a good chuckle at my expense.
A feathery hand cupped my cheek, and I closed my eyes to lean into it as she postulated, “Perhaps I could have used better wording. Only one maiden can wield it. It is randomly passed from one Maiden to another each generation. It's not like it was preordained or something. It just means the last Jackal Maiden before you had it when she died. Now you'll be able to pass it on to a random Maiden of any of the sects when they are of age. You've returned one of the relics of the Maidens to us. Just when I thought you couldn't get any hotter.”
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