CHAPTER SIX
Darius was glad he’d taken his motorcycle, even though the ride to his lab was very short. The bite in the air helped clear his mind.
Papa Shadi’s return was his first priority. Darius could see only two courses of action to attain that goal. One would be to sneak back into the Troy estate and try to rescue his grandfather again. Not the best choice now that Darius no longer had the element of surprise. The other option was to find the amulet and trade it for his grandfather — a difficult task, and one with no real guarantee that Lilith would honor her end of the bargain.
Darius chose the second option, but he needed more information to make it work. He needed to research the discovery of Shaila’s tomb. Then he should be able to track the movements of the items catalogued during the excavation. Since Lilith had provided nothing to go on, the next best starting point was Mr. Artie Johnson. He could go through Artie’s satchel at home, but only from the lab could he tap into the government man’s computer and email accounts. That was going to take some stealth work by ALICE.
Shaila was the factor that aggravated him the most. He’d taken a huge risk, leaving her at his house alone. But she was part of the reason he’d needed to get out of there. His simple life was gone. Well designed plans failed. His solitude invaded.
Darius remembered her kiss and the way she’d crawled up his body. His blood responded to the memory with an unexpected rush. He shifted his weight in the seat to control the pressure building. The sudden movement nearly sent his bike off the road. How in hell am I going to control a stubborn, unpredictable goddess?
Even though he needed her, he knew that he could never hold her captive. Part of him hoped she’d be gone when he returned. The other part prayed that she’d chosen to stay.
*
The sun hung low between the buildings. He’d been gone longer than he’d planned. With a sigh, Darius rolled the Harley into the garage.
The first thing that hit him upon entering the kitchen door was the rich smell of fresh brewed coffee. His houseguest was there, sipping from a mug of hot, black coffee. With each swallow she shook her head and grimaced.
The second thing took a bit longer to register in his brain. He smelled leather. And Shaila was covered in it: from halter-top to pants. Every inch fit like a second skin. He hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath until it came out in a whoosh.
“Where did you…” He licked his lips indecisively. “How did…”
Shaila put her coffee down and held her arms out. In seconds, the leather melted away. For the barest of moments, she wore nothing at all. Then, fabric appeared out of nowhere, sliding across her body and wrapping into place. A simple black dress, but again it hugged every curve of her body with custom-fit precision. She did the whole thing again, bringing back the leather outfit.
Reality check! Demons? Sure. Prophecy? Yep. Shape-shifting goddess? “Okay, now that we got that cleared up.” He carved another notch on the mental tab he was running on Shaila’s unpredictability chart.
His grandfather’s cat sat on the counter, flipping her tail. Her bright yellow eyes seemed to look up at him with annoyance. Darius put her down on the ground, ignoring her whines of protest.
He found a cup of coffee on the counter, still warm. Shaila moved closer, watching him add sugar and cream to it. He lifted his brows appreciatively. “That’s excellent. Did Marcus show you how to work the coffee maker?”
She shrugged, and then reached for the sugar spoon. This time she didn’t grimace as she swallowed her coffee. She laughed. “That’s much better.”
“Glad I could help.”
“Do you plan to return me to Lilith?” She didn’t make small talk, just went straight to the heavy stuff. He admired that.
“No. I can’t do that.” He studied her features intently. “Actually, Lilith doesn’t seem to want you back.” He smirked at her over the rim of the cup.
“Is this true?” Her shock was easy to read.
“How are you related to Lilith?” He grabbed the chair and turned it around, sitting in it backwards. “My grandfather said something about her being the Dragon Queen. What does that mean?”
Shaila burst out laughing. He liked the deep, rich sound. It took her a few moments to compose herself, wiping away tears from the corners of her eyes.
“She might have the title, but she will never have the true power that comes with it. Queenship is a birthright, and Lilith has no blood ties to it. Tia’Mat is our queen. If something has happened to her, then the power passes to my mother, Inanna. Then, it would pass on to me.”
“Well, lucky for you she had no idea you were in the statue.” He smiled at the irony of it. “You were right there under her nose the whole time.”
“That was fortunate for me.”
“I never meant to take you. I was there to rescue my grandfather.” Guilt stabbed at his heart. If only he’d kept with the plan. Logically, the statue didn’t step in front of his path. But she’d distracted him. He wanted to blame her for that.
“Why did Lilith take him?”
Darius held his tongue for a moment, still trying to subdue the rise of anger and guilt. “The short answer is that he was at the wrong place at the wrong time.” Reaching for the medallion, he rubbed it between his thumb and finger. By now, he’d memorized every ridge and relief on it.
“And now that she has him, she is using him to manipulate you.”
“You catch on quick. She wants that black diamond amulet. When I bring that to her, I get my grandfather back. It’s pretty clear what I have to do.”
“Marcus told me what you do. You find artifacts and bring them back to their rightful owners. If those who govern Egypt can trust you, then I should trust you.”
“Yeah, well, I haven’t decided if I can trust you.” How could he trust her? She withheld things from him. Like that shape-shifting skill. What else could she do?
“I have lost something, too. It was in the tomb with me. It is imperative that I find it.” She leaned in closer, the scent of musk soap still clung to her dark hair. The leather halter created a deep, dark valley between her breasts. “Will you help me find it?”
He hung his head down and sucked in a deep breath. He didn’t need any more pressure. “I don’t have time.”
“You know the words of the prophecy. I heard you quote it to Marcus.”
“I’d like to shove that prophecy up…” He cut himself off before he said something really stupid.
“The gift to man.”
“Okay, I’ll bite.” He rubbed the back of his head. Life was getting messier by the moment. “What is this gift you need me to find?”
“An infant.”
“A what?”
“An infant. He would be in a state of preservation, much like I was, but wrapped.”
“You mean, a mummy? You need me to help you find a baby mummy?”
“Yes.”
“And who is he?”
“He is the one destined to deliver the world from the evil power of Apophis. He is also the heir to the throne of Egypt. He is the messiah of my people, or what may be left of them in this world.”
Darius rubbed the back of his head and sucked in his cheeks. “Please don’t tell me that I have to resurrect this kid?”
She nodded.
“Yeah. Sure thing. What the hell.” He stomped out of the kitchen, needing to put some space between them…again. “Last week, I didn’t even believe in demons. Now I get to resurrect a kid who’s supposed the save the world. What with…his rattle? Oh, God. That’s rich.”
*
Shaila was getting tired of listening to the both of them: Darius and Bessie.
She plugged her ears to mute the sounds of Darius’ tongue-lashing. She might not understand it all, but she knew a curse when she heard one. His profanity was punctuated with a lot of door slamming.
Bessie’s complaints, however, telegraphed straight into Shaila’s mind. He drank my coffee! Much more difficul
t to tune out. A beautiful man, but horrible timing. I swear my life is cursed.
“Hush, Bessie. You are giving me an ache in the head.”
Bessie hushed, but continued to thump her tail to show her displeasure.
“In case he does not agree to help me, I need a plan.”
Shaila noticed a brown leather bag on the floor by the chair Darius had recently vacated. Drawing it closer, she pried it open and found a stack of unrolled papyrus. She marveled at how white it was. She leafed through many sheets covered with writing that she could not decipher. Finally, she came across a few coated with a cool, slick sheen. On them were images so lifelike she would swear that she could lift them off of the papyrus.
They’re called photographs. Bessie’s voice entered her mind again. Look, that’s you.
There were no photographs of the babe, but one did catch Shaila’s attention. “My sword. That would be very useful. Bessie?”
You don’t have to ask, Sister. I’ll go scope out Lilith’s place. It’s probably in the weapons room, but I avoid that place. It’s creepy.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me,” Darius said. “We haven’t found anything yet.”
He had returned so quietly that Shaila nearly jumped out of her skin. She looked toward Bessie, but the cat was just slinking out the door.
“Let’s go. This time you’re coming with me.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her with him, all the way out of the house. “I need my grandfather back, and I can’t just sit in this house and wait for tomorrow morning to come.”
“What is important about tomorrow morning?”
“That’s when I’m going to grill my grandfather’s best friend for information.”
He marched silently along the cobblestone alleys, and she easily lengthened her stride to match his. He seemed moody. In her experience, powerful human men tended to be quite moody. She already knew he preferred being in control. She admired his confident attitude and the obvious affection he had for his grandfather.
He cursed a lot, but he seemed sincere. She believed him when he said he would not turn her over to Lilith. There was an aura of honor about him. Still, he was working for Lilith to find the amulet. Shaila could not afford to let down her guard. It was essential that Lilith not be allowed to recover the amulet, and she absolutely could not be trusted to keep her word. It was doubtful the witch would release his grandfather at all. He obviously knew too much.
In the fading light of the day, the moon already hung low to the earth shrouded in an orange haze. It was a late harvest moon cycle, a time of great energy for both light and dark powers. If she survived this coming moon cycle, she would search for her mother.
If Lilith had him looking for the amulet, then Darius could look for the child at the same time. After all, she had been in the same tomb with the babe for centuries. She wondered if Lilith had him. Did she discover the tomb? Her priest had ensured that no record of the tomb existed beyond its walls. Oh, goddess, where could he be?
“Darius, you saw where she kept me?”
“Yes.”
“Was there a wrapped infant?”
“No. I didn’t see any mummies. Her personal collection is large, but she’s only known to actively collect jewelry and weapons.” He slowed his pace, thoughtfully rubbing his chin. “If she’s acquired mummies, it would’ve been a black market transaction. That’s an illegal purchase, but one that I can still track.”
His voice lowered to a mumble, as if he was talking to himself. “Collectors with illegal or stolen items tend to keep them close, especially if they hold significant emotional value. They worked so hard to get the items that they are compelled to display them, but in a way that only they can enjoy looking at them. If she has mummies, her pride would keep them close. Very close.”
They reached a street that reminded her of a bazaar, but these shops were all inside buildings. As shadows overtook the streets, artificial lights popped on everywhere. Lights inside and out. It was disruptive to her newly-awakened senses.
They passed a shop selling big bound stacks of papyrus. Darius said they were called books, and he pointed out a small sign in the window that he said boasted an ability to find any out-of-print book in the world. He was skeptical, but he said the shop owner was a lovely woman.
Then they passed a row of windows through which she could see a large group of children in white outfits practicing fighting skills. Shaila smiled at the way his mouth moved when he said the word taekwondo.
“You love kids, I can see it in your face.”
Shaila nodded. “Yes, they are more honest than adults.”
Deep laugher shook his body. “That has apparently not changed in thousands of years. Is this child you seek yours?”
“No. I have not been blessed with a child yet.” She sighed wistfully. “The Anunnaki do not have many offspring. Our life span can reach tens of thousands of Earth years, virtually immortal compared to humans. Nature compensates by making us less fertile.”
He looked like he was adding it up in his head, but then he clenched his jaw and moved her along to the next shop. It was dark inside, but little lights glowed throughout the place. A strange mix of sounds beeped and blasted all around. The sounds and lights came from many tall boxes, which children stood in front of.
Mesmerized, she stepped inside and approached the largest group in the room. She towered over them, but they ignored her. She could not read the writings on the box, but the square in the middle was filled with painted images that moved. It appeared to be a game, since the children were cheering for the boy nearest the box. He seemed to be controlling a man in the moving image. What astonished her most was the scene in the game.
The little figure ran through a maze of tombs and catacombs, fighting mummies, guards and other creatures. In one tomb, he fought using only a small dagger. He collected points with each mummy or creature he killed.
Overwhelmed by curiosity, she stepped around the group of boys to get to the side of the box. Putting her hands on it, she felt the vibrations and sounds coming from it. She tried sending her mind inside, but there were no signals with this object. Just a bunch of vibrations that did not seem to have a destination.
“Come on, Joey. Get ’im.” The boys were getting very excited over the success of the game. Joey was trying to fight off mummies and obtain a golden spell book.
Shaila was fascinated with the variety of hieroglyphics throughout the scenes. Most were very inaccurate, but a symbol in body paint on one of the main players was quite real. How much did the humans of this age truly know about the medjai? She would barter her soul to the Underworld to have her warriors with her now.
In unison, the boys all turned to her. “Do you have any tokens?”
“Tokens?” She had no idea what they were asking for. Darius suddenly appeared, placing a bucket of tiny disks in her hands.
“Hi, Mr. Alexander.”
“Hi, Joey. You still working on your black belt?”
“Yep. Almost there.” Joey puffed out his chest. “I test for it in two months.”
“Excellent. I’ll come watch you when you test.” Darius and the boy slapped their palms together in the air. “I need a favor.”
The boy beamed. “Sure.”
“You guys can share this bucket of tokens,” Darius looked each of the boys squarely in their eyes, “but only if you guys will let my friend Shaila hang out with you for a few minutes. I need to run next door to the cell phone shop before it closes.”
“Deal.” Joey started to reach for the bucket.
Shaila held it higher for a moment, a gleam in her eyes. “I will share these tokens with you, if you will teach me how to play that mummy game.”
“Wicked cool,” Joey grinned. “I’ll teach ya.”
She handed him the bucket to share with the other boys in the group.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Darius leaned in closer to her ear. “Kick their butts.”
“Why
would I want to kick them?” He’d already moved too far to hear her, disappearing into the darkness at the back of the room. Joey pulled her over to the big square box, and dropped two tokens into little slits in the front.
“This is my favorite video game in here,” Joey confessed. “It’s based on the movie. Okay, this button makes your guy jump over things. This button makes him duck punches. These two are for kicking and hitting…or stabbing if you’ve found the dagger…” Joey rattled on about the workings of the video game.
After a couple of failed attempts, Shaila began to get the hang of game fighting.
*
“She did almost beat me, Mr. Alexander,” Joey blurted when Darius returned. “But Apophis got her!”
“He should be so lucky,” Darius drawled.
He indicated with his head that it was time to go and moved to the back of the room. He quickly fished his new purchase out of the store bag: a disposable cell phone. Ripping it out of its plastic case, he programmed it to call his cell phone, and he tested it to be sure it worked. That gave him the return number.
“Here, take this.” He handed the new phone to Shaila, but she looked puzzled. “You put it in your purse. Oh, yeah. You don’t carry one of those.”
Now he was puzzled. That damned leather outfit hugged her so tight there was no place to tuck the cell phone. Except maybe between her breasts. Deciding that wouldn’t go over too well, he looked into the packaging and found a belt clip that looked like it wouldn’t break off too easily.
“Here you go.” He clipped it to the top of her leather pants. “That’s where it will be. If for some reason we get separated, you flip it open and press the green button. Forget all of the other buttons. Just press the green one, hold it up to your ear like this, and you’ll hear me on the other end. Got it?”
Shaila nodded.
Following him through a large metal door, she nearly jumped at the sound of it slamming shut behind them. The tiny gray room had a staircase, but instead of taking the stairs up, he pulled her behind it. Lifting up a metal grate from the ground, he motioned for her to descend into the inky darkness below. She nodded and gingerly placed a foot downward until she found the first step. Slowly, she descended into the shadows.
Immortal Dynasty Page 9
