Secret of the Ankhs: A Maggie Edwards Adventure (Maggie Edwards Adventures Book 2)

by Nellie H. Steele

  Maggie nodded and hurried toward the bag. She picked it up and hastened toward their boat. She flung it over. It glanced off the boat’s side, but Ollie caught it and dragged it into the boat. Henry tossed one of the bags over. It landed inside the boat. He tossed the second bag over.

  “Time to go back!” he said.

  Maggie nodded in agreement. They neared the canals’ end. Before they could return to their watercraft, both boats shot into the open water beyond. Without the tight confines of the canal, the boats drifted apart.

  Piper fought to regain a close enough proximity to allow Henry and Maggie to return to their craft. The man piloting the boat veered sharply away. The boat pivoted ninety degrees and raced for open water.

  “Stay here!” Henry ordered. He took one step toward the boat’s stern. He halted, his eyes widening. He swung back toward Maggie and wrapped her in a bear hug. Maggie felt her feet leave the boat’s bottom as they flew through the air. They smacked into the water head-first.

  Maggie surfaced inches from Henry. An explosion sounded behind them. Maggie whipped her head in the direction of the noise. The boat they had been on flipped over in a fiery ball. Maggie spun back toward their boat. Charlie stood with the flare gun still pointed toward the flaming boat.

  “You okay?” Henry questioned.

  Maggie nodded as she treaded water. “Yeah. You?”

  “I’m fine, princess. And thanks for the save.”

  “You’re welcome. You needing saved is really becoming a habit,” she answered as their boat approached.

  “Very funny, princess, very funny.”

  Piper killed the engine as the boat glided next to them. Ollie and Charlie hung over the side and grasped Maggie’s arms. They hauled her into the boat, followed by Henry.

  Maggie pulled her wet jacket off and wrung it out. She sunk into a seat. Piper removed her hoodie and put it around Maggie’s shoulders.

  “Thanks,” Maggie said as she squeezed water from her hair.

  “Sure,” Piper answered. “Although that was kind of stupid to jump to the other boat.” Maggie rolled her eyes at Piper as she pulled the hoodie on. “But also, pretty brave.” Maggie offered her a half-smile.

  “Quick thinking with the flare gun, mate,” Henry said, clapping Charlie on the back.

  “I spied the gun in his hands,” Charlie explained. “I’m glad you spotted my signal before I fired.”

  Ollie slumped into a seat. “Remind me never to come to Venice with you guys again.”

  Henry dug through the bags they had tossed before leaping from the boat. “Never again, huh?”

  Ollie shook his head. “I’ll stay on dry land, thanks.”

  “Dry land or not,” Henry answered as he held an object up. “We have the second ankh.”

  Maggie leapt from her seat. “We got it!” she exclaimed.

  Maggie eyed the second ankh as she sat wrapped in a blanket. The group holed up in a hotel room across town as Henry made arrangements to travel to Egypt. Maggie and Henry’s clothes tumbled around in the dryer a few feet from their first-floor room.

  With few shops open in the middle of the night and their clothes soaked after their dunk in the frosty waters, they needed a place to dry off. Both of them had stripped down and sent their clothes to the laundry room with Piper and Charlie. Maggie waited impatiently to retrieve her warm clothes from the dryer. Despite no longer being chilled, Maggie longed to wrap up in her hoodie rather than the clunky blanket.

  While she waited, Maggie picked up the ankh. She studied it. Similar to the first, ridges covered the top. She compared it to the other. The patterns didn’t match. She laid the two ankhs side by side. Maggie examined them, leaning back to view the pattern from afar as well as close up. Nothing jumped out at her. She switched the order and inspected them again.

  She cocked her head from side to side as she willed the two pieces to give her some information.

  “Have you had a chance to examine these, Uncle Ollie?” Maggie inquired.

  “Yes. Expert craftsmanship!” Ollie commented.

  “Beyond that, did anything jump out at you?”

  “If you mean, did I notice any messages giving us a clue to the location of the library, no.”

  Maggie sighed. “That’s exactly what I meant.”

  Ollie shook his head. “Sorry, Maggie. I hoped when we retrieved the second ankh, something might jump out. Perhaps I could identify writing or hieroglyphs or coordinates of some kind, but…” Ollie’s voice trailed off, and he shrugged his shoulders. “Nothing.”

  “And there’s no information on this at all? Nothing you’ve run across in your research?”

  “No,” Ollie answered. “I’ll admit I’ve not completed much research in this area, but what I’ve done has offered nothing definitive.”

  “So, all we’ve learned is there is a legend that suggests the three ankhs give the location to the library, but nothing you’ve found suggests how they do that. Is that right?”

  Ollie nodded. “That’s correct. I wish I knew more. I hoped it would be obvious once we had more than one ankh. Unfortunately, it isn’t.”

  “Maybe when we get the third it’ll be obvious,” Maggie replied.

  “If we get the third,” Ollie responded.

  “That sounds like you’re beaten before you try,” Maggie said.

  Henry pulled his lips into a thin line. “We’ve been over every inch of that tomb. There’s no sign of the ankh or another burial chamber that could contain it.”

  “So, you missed it!” Maggie suggested.

  Ollie shot her a glance. “Months studying the structure, every detail, every hieroglyph, every object. How could we miss it?”

  Maggie shrugged. “It’s plausible. You had no idea what to search for.”

  “No, but we did realize we should search for something. The story is they were buried together. We DID attempt to find Antony’s burial chamber. We couldn’t find it.”

  “Just because you didn’t find it, doesn’t mean it’s not there,” Maggie countered.

  Ollie opened his mouth to reply when the door opened. Charlie and Piper strolled through, bundles of clothes in their arms.

  “Here we go. We dried them on the hottest setting. I hope they didn’t shrink,” Piper said.

  “You and me both,” Maggie answered as she accepted the clothes from Piper.

  Charlie tossed Henry’s clothes through the small opening in the bathroom door. “All dry, mate,” Charlie shouted.

  “Thanks!” Henry yelled.

  Maggie clutched her blanket as she stood outside the door. “Come on, hurry up, I want to get dressed!” she complained.

  “Yes, princess, give me a minute!” As he tugged his shirt over his chest, Henry emerged from the bathroom.

  “About time!” Maggie teased him.

  He gave her a half smile and a kiss on the forehead. “Go get dressed, princess, while your clothes are still nice and warm from the dryer.”

  “Did you get our travel arrangements set?” Maggie called through the door as she slid her pants on.

  “Yep. We leave at six,” Henry answered.

  “Great! I can’t wait to get going!” Maggie pulled her t-shirt on and slipped into her hoodie. She zipped it tightly around her before she pulled her hair into a ponytail.

  Maggie emerged from the bathroom. “Can’t believe you’re excited to go back into the desert,” Henry replied.

  “I’m excited to see the tomb again!” Maggie exclaimed. “Piper, you’re going to love it!”

  Piper made a face at her. “I’m not convinced.”

  “It’s AMAZING!” Maggie assured her.

  “Isn’t it laden with deadly traps?”

  “No,” Ollie answered, “we’ve disabled them. Don’t worry, there is no danger there now!”

  “I was there BEFORE the traps were disabled,” Charlie explained to Piper. “Dangerous stuff. I survived, though. Thanks to my quick wits and cunning.”

  “Also, th
anks to me who came back for you before that tomb raider killed you,” Maggie reminded him.

  “Well, also that,” Charlie admitted.

  “I’m still shocked you’re looking forward to this, princess,” Henry chimed in. “I thought you hated camel rides.”

  Maggie’s jaw went slack, and her eyes widened. She whipped her head to face Henry. “Wait, what? I… I thought we were flying to the site?”

  Henry lowered his eyes, unable to keep a straight face. Maggie shook her head at him, realizing he was joking. “Very funny, Henry.”

  “Wait, no camels?” Piper questioned.

  “No,” Henry admitted. “No camels. Chopper flight straight to the dig site.”

  “Aww,” Piper lamented. “I wanted to ride a camel!”

  Henry raised his eyebrows. “We could always…”

  “No,” Maggie interrupted. “No, no. You do NOT want a camel ride. There will be no camel rides. Tell you what, Piper, when this is all over, I will pay for you to have a ride around town on a camel, okay?”

  Piper giggled at Maggie’s reluctance to ride a camel, joining Henry, who already chuckled.

  Maggie continued. “This is not funny. You’ll see. I’m going to make you ride a camel and then you’ll see.”

  The group continued to giggle at Maggie. Maggie kept on, “Sure! Laugh it up! I am very much looking forward to flying straight to the safety of the tomb.”

  “Safety of the tomb? That just doesn’t sound right,” Piper contended.

  Ollie chimed in and assured the group. “That tomb isn’t open to the public yet and is guarded twenty-four seven by a military presence, especially after the theft of the ankh in Rosemont. We couldn’t be in a safer place once we arrive there!”

  Chapter 14

  Maggie stood on the tarmac staring up at the plane in front of her. She crossed her arms and shot a glance at Henry. Her jaw was taut, her eyes narrowed, and her mouth set in a firm line.

  Henry avoided her glance. “You can’t avoid me forever,” Maggie said.

  “Huh?” Henry said, pretending he hadn’t heard her.

  “A cargo plane, Henry? AGAIN?!”

  Henry shrugged. “It’s not that long of a flight.”

  Maggie sighed. “At least there're no camels,” she said as the group climbed aboard.

  Maggie nestled next to Henry and leaned on the cargo behind her. Piper sat across from them. Her gaze wandered around the cargo hold. She focused on Maggie. “Is this normal?” she mouthed.

  “Yes,” Maggie answered with a sigh. “Yes, it is… unfortunately.”

  “It’s the easiest way into the country. No red tape,” Charlie mentioned.

  “You mean we’re not on a packing list?” Piper joked.

  “Nope. Completely incognito, fair maiden,” Charlie assured her.

  Ollie slid down to the floor next to Maggie. “Oof,” he groaned. “This never gets any easier. Be glad you’re still young.”

  “It’s not that easy when you’re young. Can’t we get the government to upgrade us at some point?” Maggie inquired.

  “I’ll put the request in,” Ollie said with a laugh.

  The group spent the next several hours on the bumpy flight before touching down in Cairo. The afternoon summer sun rose high overhead by the time they landed, scorching the air.

  “Whew!” Maggie exclaimed. “I forgot how hot it is here!”

  “Just wait ‘til we’re in the middle of the desert,” Piper groused. “I’m still not thrilled about heading into the desert to this dusty tomb.” She crossed her arms in a pout as she stalked across the tarmac.

  “The tomb’s underground,” Maggie explained. “It’ll be nice and cool in there.”

  The group crossed to the parking lot where a familiar face greeted them. “TARIK!” Maggie exclaimed. She jogged ahead of everyone and tossed her arms around his neck.

  “Maggie!” he greeted her, returning her embrace. “It’s good to see you again!”

  “It’s good to see you, too!” Maggie answered.

  “Are you excited to be back in Egypt?”

  “I am! I’m really excited to see the tomb again. This time not at gunpoint!”

  “And with no deadly traps!”

  Maggie nodded in agreement. “Next time, you’ll have to come to visit us, though,” Maggie said. “We have to stop meeting under these circumstances.”

  Tarik gave a loud laugh. “I agree. After this, we will plan a trip to your hometown!”

  “Hey, careful, mate,” Henry warned. “That’s my girlfriend you’ve not stopped hugging!”

  Tarik chuckled at Henry as he released Maggie and grasped Henry’s hand in a firm handshake. He pulled him into a hug, too. “Good to see you, my friend, good to see you.”

  Tarik shook Ollie’s hand, then Charlie’s. Maggie introduced him to Piper, who offered a curt “hello.”

  “I have brought a van,” Tarik said as he motioned to the vehicle next to him.

  “Great, let’s head straight to the other airfield,” Henry suggested. “I’d like to get a look at that tomb.”

  “Do you expect it’s there?” Tarik inquired.

  “I hope so, mate,” Henry answered.

  “I cannot imagine where else it could be,” Ollie offered as he slid into the passenger seat. Charlie and Piper climbed into the far back of the van while Maggie and Henry took the captain’s chairs in the middle.

  “You’ve been over that tomb thoroughly already, no?” Tarik questioned.

  “We have,” Ollie admitted. He sighed before continuing. “Perhaps we missed something. At least, that is my sincere hope.”

  “I’ve never known you to miss anything, Dr. Keene.”

  “Let’s hope there’s a first time for everything, Tarik,” Ollie answered.

  “Had some trouble in Venice, I hear,” Tarik said as he glanced at Henry in the rearview mirror.

  “Nothing we couldn’t handle, mate,” Henry assured him.

  “And you have both ankhs?”

  “We do!” Maggie exclaimed.

  “Any clues on how they lead to the library?”

  “Not even a hint!” Ollie responded.

  They drove in silence for a few moments before Ollie spoke again. “Tomb’s secure?”

  “Yes,” Tarik confirmed. “Well guarded and completely secure. I checked again this morning.”

  “Perfect,” Henry replied. “It’ll be nice not to be chased by the bad guys while we search for the last ankh.”

  Tarik turned into a parking lot. He eased the van into a parking spot next to a truck with a large trailer attached. “Here we are,” he said as he threw the shifter into park.

  They climbed from the van. Henry approached the trailer. “Can’t believe you got the camels arranged on such short notice,” Henry commented.

  “You know me, my friend, I can work miracles!” Tarik answered.

  Maggie shuffled around the van and joined the two men. Her brow crinkled, and she stared at the trailer. “C-Camels?” she stuttered. “I thought… I thought we were taking a chopper?”

  “No, camels, princess. Say, did Sefu have the same camel Maggie had last time?”

  A grimace settled on Maggie’s face. “O-oh,” she mumbled. She swallowed hard as she stared at the trailer. “Was there no chance of the helicopter?”

  Henry squeezed his lips together. Tarik pursed his, avoiding Maggie’s gaze. Within a few moments, the two broke out into a fit of laughter.

  “What’s so funny?” Piper inquired.

  “Yeah, I’d like to know the same thing!” Maggie demanded.

  “Oh, princess. There're no camels, we’re taking a chopper.”

  Maggie breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re lucky I’m too relieved to be mad at you.”

  “I thought you grew to like your camel!” Tarik said as they walked to the waiting helicopter.

  “Not enough to want to repeat the performance,” Maggie said. “Especially if we can make it there in a fraction of the time!�
��

  “Fair enough,” Tarik answered as they climbed aboard.

  Piper eyed the helicopter before entering. “Are we sure the camels aren’t the better idea?” she inquired.

  Maggie screwed up her face. “What? Come on, this is WAY better!”

  “I dunno,” Piper answered. She eyed the bird warily.

  “What’s the matter with you?” Maggie asked.

  “Dude,” Piper whispered, then lowered her eyes to the ground. “I’m afraid.”

  “Oh!” Maggie answered. “There’s nothing to it.” She grabbed Piper’s hand. “It’s just like flying. Only slower! And lower. And bumpier. And louder. And…”

  “You’re not making it better,” Piper interrupted.

  “Trust me, it’s better than a camel,” Maggie said.

  Charlie sidled to them. He slid his backpack down his arm. “What’s this?” Charlie inquired. “Afraid of the metal birdie, fair maiden?”

  “Well…” Piper hesitated, color rising in her cheeks.

  “Let me tell you about the first time Henry got me on a chopper,” Charlie said.

  Henry glanced back as he climbed into the helicopter. “Ugh,” he groaned. “Don’t remind me of that.”

  Piper shifted her gaze between the two of them. “What happened?” she inquired.

  “I’ll only tell if you’re brave enough to fly with me,” Charlie bargained.

  “Come on, Piper!” Maggie entreated. “I want to hear this story!” Maggie grabbed Piper’s hand, pulling her along. With some reluctance and a helping hand from Henry, Piper climbed aboard. Sandwiched between Henry and Charlie, she snugged her seatbelt across her waist. Maggie selected a seat between Ollie and Tarik, across from Piper.

  Piper clutched at Charlie’s hand as the copter commenced its clumsy climb into the sky. As they bobbled to reach flying altitude, Piper choked out, “S-so, what’s your whirlybird story, good sir?”

  Charlie leaned his head back on the wall behind him. A grin crossed his face, and he gave his head a slight shake. “We were on the run from some bad guys,” Charlie began. “Serious stuff, machine guns, trained killers, you get the picture.”

  Henry held back a chuckle as Charlie laid out the situation. “Where were we, Taylor? Iraq? Turkey?”