“The Sudan, mate,” Henry filled in.
“Right, the Sudan.” Charlie nodded in agreement. He slid his eyes sideways toward Piper. “Real dangerous. Worse than the trouble we had in Iraq.” Charlie lowered his voice to a gravely pitch, his gaze staring ahead as though disturbed. “But that’s a story for another time.”
Henry rolled his eyes at Maggie; offering an amused smile her way. Charlie turned his attention back to Piper. “So we’re in the Sudan. On the run from some dangerous, dangerous guys. Taylor says he can get us out… if we can stay alive long enough to get to the rendezvous point.
“He gets on his sat phone, calls for a pickup at a pre-arranged LZ. You know what an LZ is, don’t you, fair maiden?”
“Landing zone?” Piper answered.
Charlie raised his eyebrows at her. “One hundred points to the smart AND pretty maiden!”
Piper grinned at him. “Please, continue!” she said, engrossed in the story.
“Okay. Taylor calls for an extraction at the LZ. They refuse. Say it’s too dangerous to come in. They’re surprised we’re still alive!”
Piper raised her eyebrows. “OMG! They were just going to leave you? What did you do?!”
“We’re in a Jeep. The bad guys are following in three SUVs behind us. I’m driving at breakneck speed while Henry’s arguing for the extraction. Bullets are whizzing past our heads. Henry’s clutching the handhold because I’m taking the bends on two wheels, fair maiden, no joke, two wheels.”
Henry blinked his widened eyes at Maggie, who held in a chuckle.
“I can’t look back, there’s no time, it’s too dangerous. But I blindly point my gun back and fire off two rounds. One takes out the driver, the other his passenger. One pursuit vehicle goes straight into a ditch and a second crashes into it. There’s only one vehicle left between us and escape.
“Taylor screams into the phone ‘Charlie’s just leveled the playing field! Bring the chopper!’ Finally, they agree. They’ll send the helicopter into the LZ. We just need to get there in time. Chopper’s on its way but they don’t plan to wait.”
“This is not really the way I recall it,” Henry interjected.
“Probably the fear,” Charlie answered. “Fear can really scramble the memories.”
“You don’t say,” Henry answered.
“Shh,” Piper scolded. She turned to Charlie. “Please, continue, good sir.”
Charlie smiled at her, the smile vanishing as he mulled over the memory and continued. “I tromp on the accelerator, racing to get to the LZ in time. We’re going over one hundred-sixty kilometers per hour and I’m urging more speed from that little Jeep’s engine.” He stared into Piper’s eyes. “Our lives depended on it.”
Piper’s jaw dropped, and she nodded slowly, her eyes wide with dismay. “The road’s rocky, potholes everywhere. I’m dodging them right and left. ‘HARD LEFT’ Taylor shouts to me, pointing to the location of the LZ. I swerve to the left, the Jeep skids across the dirt road, fishtailing. Taylor almost falls right out, but I’ve got him. One hand’s still fighting to keep the Jeep on the road, with the other I grab him by the shirt and haul him back into the Jeep with me.”
Henry’s eyes went wide as he turned to stare at Charlie. He furrowed his brow as he glanced back to Maggie and Tarik. He gave a slight shake of his head. Maggie bit her lip to avoid giggling.
“Wow, you’re so brave,” Piper mumbled.
“I can see the chopper coming. If we don’t get there in time, they’ll leave us to die. And I can’t let Henry die. I can’t! So, I hit the accelerator hard again. It’s on the floor, I can’t give it anymore. The Jeep shoots forward. In seconds, the chopper’s hovering right in front of us. I slam on the brakes and skid the Jeep sideways. I leap out and race around the side, pulling Taylor out and dragging him with me.
“I’m waving my free arm at the copter and racing as fast as I can, but I’m almost carrying Henry, so I’m slowed down. The third pursuit vehicle’s coming up fast. The chopper starts to pull up. They’re going to leave, they’re too afraid.”
Piper’s eyes shot wider.
“I have no choice. I’m screaming for them to wait. I fling my arm behind me and fire. I’ve only got two bullets left…”
“Wait, you’ve only used two bullets, mate,” Henry interrupted.
Charlie raised his eyebrows at Henry. “I used a bunch before that, mate. You probably don’t remember. You were nearly out of it.”
“Ah…”
“Anyway,” Charlie spoke over him. “I’ve only got two bullets left. And there’s three bad guys.”
Piper shook her head at the admission. “So, I fire them both.”
“And?” Piper inquired.
“First one hits the driver. Second one hits the passenger. Square between the eyes.” Charlie pointed his fingers between his eyes.
“And the third guy?”
“Driver slumps over the steering wheel. The vehicle veers to the left. It crashes directly into our Jeep in a fiery explosion!” Charlie mimicked the sound of a large blast, his fingers extending outward to create a visual.
“Wow,” Piper whispered.
“The chopper lowers down. I toss Henry in before I climb aboard. I view the black smoke rising into the sky as we leave the hellscape behind.”
The group fell silent as Charlie finished his story. Maggie’s eyes shifted around as she wrinkled her brows. “So, what happened on the chopper?” she questioned.
“Huh?” Charlie answered.
“You said you’d tell Piper about what happened on your first helicopter ride. What happened?”
“Oh, ah…” Charlie hesitated, shifting his gaze to his hands.
“I don’t recall the events leading up to that helicopter flight quite the same as Charlie,” Henry said, “but AFTER we got on board, Charlie was a little green around the gills.”
Charlie nodded. “It wasn’t my best flight.”
“Nor mine,” Henry admitted. “I liked those trousers.”
“That bad, huh?” Maggie inquired.
“That bad, princess,” Henry assured her.
Piper shook her head. “No wonder. After everything you went through to save Henry, it’s no wonder you threw up!”
Charlie brightened at her statement. “Yeah, that’s it. After all that, I was so relieved, I couldn’t hold it in.”
The group went silent again. “Well,” Maggie said, breaking the silence, “I, for one, am very grateful you saved Henry.”
“Anytime, chicky, anytime,” Charlie answered, wiggling his eyebrows at her.
Maggie chuckled as the helicopter began its descent toward the tomb.
“Are we here?” Piper inquired. “That wasn’t so bad.”
“I knew you could do it, fair maiden,” Charlie told her.
Maggie leaned over Tarik to stare outside at the tomb’s site. “Gosh, it’ll be like being here the first time. You said you sent the staff home, right?”
“Yes,” Ollie answered. “For safety. We didn’t want to chance any hostage situations. Only the guards are here. And… one employee.”
“Oh? Who drew that unlucky straw?” Maggie asked as they landed.
Chapter 15
Maggie stared at the tent’s sole occupant. She narrowed her eyes. Her face set in a scowl, she crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. Tarik, Henry and Ollie stood in a row behind her.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell her,” Tarik whispered to Henry and Ollie.
“If looks could kill…” Ollie breathed.
“That girl would be dead,” Henry finished.
“Hello, Emma,” Maggie said, ice in her voice.
Emma matched her stance. “Maggie,” she responded, her tone as icy as Maggie’s.
“Still here, huh?”
“Yep.”
“I thought you said the tomb was secure,” Maggie called over her shoulder.
“It is,” Ollie assured her.
“Not with a traitor in our midst
. They won’t have to storm the place; Emma will just hand it over!”
Emma rolled her eyes. “Oh, give it a rest, Maggie.”
“Me? I’ll give it a rest when you…”
“LADIES, PLEASE!” Ollie shouted. “We’re all on the same side here…”
“That’s questionable,” Maggie murmured. Ollie shot her a glance. She tightened her lips, lowering her eyes.
“As I was saying, we’re all on the same side here. We must work together to find that third ankh.”
“About that,” Emma began. She pushed several objects on a nearby table to the edges, revealing a schematic of the tomb. “I’ve been over this and over it. I’ve searched this schematic. I’ve explored the tomb. Scrutinized every inch of ANYTHING that could lead to a chamber.”
“And what did you find?” Ollie inquired as he studied the schematic.
Emma shrugged her shoulders and held up empty hands. “Absolutely nothing.”
“Or she found the ankh and gave it to her friends,” Maggie mumbled.
Emma spun her head to face Maggie. “That’s a cheap thing to say,” Emma spat back at her.
Maggie shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly. “If the tacky shoe fits…”
“Oh, sorry, I wasn’t born with a silver spoon so I can wear my designer kicks around the dig site. Some of us have to WORK to get anywhere, we’re not just handed things.”
“And some of us have to be honest and not sell out our friends!” Maggie stamped her foot on the ground at Emma.
“I didn’t sell out my friends, I…”
“Yes, you did!” Maggie interrupted. “You were ready to leave us to die…”
“ENOUGH!” Ollie roared. “That is enough out of both of you. If you can’t learn to get along, one of you is going to have to leave.”
Maggie set her jaw and stood her ground. She crossed her arms and glowered at Emma. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Neither am I,” Emma replied as she raised her eyebrows at Maggie. The two glared at each other.
“Then you’d better learn to get along.”
“Fine,” Maggie replied.
“Fine,” Emma repeated. “Now, as I was saying, since I am the one who works here and has the BEST knowledge of the tomb, I haven’t found any clues about where we could have missed anything.”
Ollie stared at the tomb’s map spread on the table. Henry and Tarik joined them. Maggie approached the table, positioning herself opposite Emma.
“Find anything yet?” Charlie asked as he entered the tent with Piper.
Ollie sighed. “No. We were just going over the map, but we’ve found nothing new.”
“We’ve spent most of the time arguing,” Emma admitted.
Ollie shot her a glance. “Let’s leave that in the past, please, Emma.”
“Sure, Dr. Keene,” Emma said after shooting a scowl Maggie’s way.
Maggie narrowed her eyes at Emma and pursed her lips. “Best thing to do,” she suggested, “is roll up our sleeves and start searching.”
“Oh, what a brilliant suggestion,” Emma retorted. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Unfortunately, Maggie has a point,” Ollie responded.
“Of course,” Emma murmured. “Doesn’t she always?”
“The tomb is the most likely place to search. We MUST have missed something.”
“I can’t see what, but…” Emma sighed. “Fine. We’ll give it another inspection.”
“Can we identify the most likely areas to search?” Henry asked as he studied the layout.
Ollie considered the map. “It’s most likely not off the entrance passage nor the main antechamber that passage leads to.”
“What about the ship’s chamber?” Charlie inquired.
“Possible, but not the most likely place,” Ollie answered.
“Where is the most likely place?” Henry inquired.
“Off Cleopatra’s chamber,” Ollie said. He tapped the map with his fingers, revealing the location.
“That makes sense,” Henry replied.
“Anywhere else?” Tarik queried. “What about this chamber?” He motioned to the chamber across from the ship’s chamber.
Ollie shook his head. “It’s not probable Antony would be buried off a chamber containing the servants’ remains.”
Tarik nodded in understanding. “I see.”
“That’s not to say we shouldn’t check there,” Ollie said.
Emma nodded. “We’ve had no luck anywhere else, so it can’t hurt.”
“Perhaps we should split up and check the less likely chambers before we reconvene in the larger chambers we’ve identified as Cleopatra’s. If that’s the most likely spot, we should concentrate our manpower there,” Henry suggested.
“Good plan, Henry,” Ollie agreed. “We’ll begin tomorrow morning.”
“Maggie and I will take the ship’s chamber,” Henry said. “Tarik and Emma can inspect the servants’ area. Charlie and Piper can scour the entry passage…”
“Whoa, whoa,” Piper interrupted. “Piper isn’t scouring anything in that tomb!”
Maggie scrunched her nose at Piper. “Why?”
“I am not going into any dusty old tomb filled with deadly traps and poking around trying to find a new secret passage where my head gets chopped off or the floor falls out from under me and I end up in a pit of vipers or a giant rock crushes me.”
“A giant rock crushes you?” Maggie asked with a chuckle.
“Yes, a giant rock that rolls down from behind me and crushes me.”
Maggie laughed harder. “Like on Indiana Jones? This isn’t the movies, Piper.”
“Yes, like on Indiana Jones. And you spent MONTHS telling me how DANGEROUS that tomb was when you went in. That combined with Leo constantly calling him Indiana Jones, it’s just… left a bad taste in my mouth.” She thrust her thumb in Henry’s direction.
“That bloke is really a pain in the arse,” Henry muttered. “I look nothing like Indiana Jones.”
“It’s the hat,” Maggie explained.
Piper nodded. “Yep.”
Henry pulled his hat off his head and stared at it. Maggie winked at him and nodded. Henry shrugged and replaced his hat.
“The traps in that chamber have been disabled,” Ollie assured her. “Though if you are uncomfortable, no one’s going to force you.”
“Come on, Piper! It’s really something to see! And like Uncle Ollie said, the traps are disabled. If you find anything, come and get someone!”
Piper sighed and pursed her lips into a pout. She stared at the floor.
“Come on, fair maiden,” Charlie entreated. “It is something to see! I’d love to show it to you.”
“Well…” Piper hedged.
“The intricate carvings, the detail, the vastness of what they built all while hidden under the sands,” he continued.
His words impressed Maggie. The tomb had a profound effect on everyone who came in contact with it. “I can show you where I nearly died, yet my wits saved me.” Maggie ceased being impressed, rolling her eyes.
Piper raised her eyes to meet Charlie’s. “Okay,” she agreed. “If you can return here after your experience, I guess I can brave having a peek around.”
“That’s the spirit, fair maiden!”
“All right, there’s our plan,” Henry said.
Everyone nodded in agreement. “For now, it’s getting late. We’ll get going first thing in the morning.”
“Perfect,” Ollie answered. “Let me show you where your tents are.”
They filed out of the tent and Ollie led them to the housing area. “We’ll stay in side-by-side tents, just in case,” Ollie said. “Don’t worry, the guards will ensure nothing happens. It’s just easier to keep everyone in the same area.”
Maggie nodded. “Tarik, Charlie, Henry and I will be in this tent here,” Ollie stated as he pointed to the tent on the right. He paused. “And… ah…” Ollie hesitated again. “You ladies will stay in this one.”
<
br /> “Wait, ALL of us?”
Ollie swallowed hard. “Yep,” he said, his voice cracking a bit. He cleared his throat. “Yep.”
Maggie scrunched her face and nodded.
“Come on, princess,” Henry said, rubbing her shoulders. “Let’s go watch the sunset.”
“Good idea,” Maggie agreed.
Maggie allowed herself to be led away from the tents and further into the desert sands. Two armed guards stood at the fringes of the encampment. As Henry and Maggie passed them, one of the guards stepped to follow them.
“We’ll be all right, mate,” Henry assured him.
The guard stepped back and allowed them to pass. Henry led Maggie west toward the setting sun. They climbed a sand dune and collapsed at the top. The setting sun streaked the summer sky with deep oranges and reds.
Maggie admired the sky, allowing the quiet moment to relax her nerves. She let her head rest on Henry’s shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her. “It’s so beautiful here,” Maggie said as she admired the scenery.
Henry kissed the top of her head. “Mmm-hmm,” Henry agreed.
Maggie gazed up at him. “It’s nice being back here when my life isn’t in turmoil and my uncle and friends aren’t missing.”
“You really like the desert, don’t you?” Henry questioned.
“I do! There’s nowhere else on earth quite like it!” She paused for a moment and admired the untouched beauty of the desert. “What about you?”
“I love the desert. It’s one of my favorite places!”
“Because of the solitude?” Maggie inquired.
“Because it’s where we shared our first kiss,” Henry admitted.
Maggie smiled up at him and leaned up for a kiss. They sat together in silence for another few breaths before Maggie spoke again. “So, do you expect us to find anything tomorrow?”
Henry breathed deeply, weighing his answer. “I hope so.”
“Hope so? That’s it? No encouraging words? No glimmer of certainty?”
“Your uncle’s a smart man. If he expects it’s here, it’s here.”
“That’s more like it.”
“Still, being so smart, it’s surprising he hasn’t found it yet.”
“Perhaps he just… missed it! That tomb was packed full of great finds! They spent most of their time cataloging that! It’s easy to have overlooked.”
Secret of the Ankhs: A Maggie Edwards Adventure (Maggie Edwards Adventures Book 2) Page 17
