Chapter 3 "Can't you feel me calling, can't you feel me crying" (Blutengel, Song "The only one")

=== Some days later / Brindisi in South Italy ===

Evelyn Carnahan waited impatiently in the line at the peer. The ship to Alexandria should depart soon, already the servant staff was pouring all over the place. Around Evelyn people were chatting and discussing the latest news from the papers. Some youth kissing in the afternoon sun and getting the reprimands of an older man mocking about the desastrous moral of the time. But there were only few passengers, business men the most, and the family of an Italian diplomat.

Evie shiftet her weight and held her little bag firmer. She was nervous, but couldn't determine exactly why. Okay she hadn't slept very well the past few days on the ferry and the train, she didn't knew if she had slept anyway, to be honest. A thing she was not too unhappy with, given the circumstances of her last nightly 'experiences' she didn't want to disturb other passengers by screaming and crying in her sleep… Nonetheless she didn't feel very exhausted; in opposite she was eager to get further on the way and a little frightened something or someone could hinder her. In the back of her mind she was worried. She wasn't behaving like she normally did. But the sorrows didn't have the power to break through into her conscience. It was something like a barrier holding them back. In some brief moments she nearly panicked, realizing what she was doing and where she was going, but she felt dragged to Egypt, to Hamunaptra by a force she wasn't able to explain and less to fight.

"Booooarding please, ladies and gentlemen!" shouted a voice in broad Italian over the peer and the chain on the gangway was opened.

=== Brindisi / Shipping company / Ticket office ===

"As I told you, Mister," the reply of the clerk came with heavy accent and sounded annoyed. "I can't do anything for you. I can't give you any information about our passengers! This would compromise the privacy guidelines of our company, you understand?" A forced smile gave a look on his gold crowned teeth.

"No, I understand NOT!" Rick O'Connel shouted clearly at the end of his patience.

"Miss Carnahan might be in danger and I want to know where she is! I NEED to know where she is, to hell with your guidelines! I will not let my wife –"

"As far as I got the picture, Mister, Miss Carnahan is not your wife. You're not related to her in any matter. You could be… well, Santa Maria!" He held up his hands. "I can't give you any information and I will not. Please Mister… I have lots of work to do. Be rational. If your girl left you that's horrible, I know, I know. But I can't help you!"

Rick wished he had brought Jonathan with him for the first time. At least he had the benefit of being Evies relative! Evie! What are you doing, for heavens sake?! In his desperation he chose a final option, took some bills out of his pocket and hastily handed them over to the surprised clerk. "Please… Is Miss Carnahan listed as passenger or not?"

The clerk cleared his throat, covered the bills with a quick move and began filing the book in front of him without further comment. After several minutes he said: "Evelyn Carnahan. On board of the 'Violetta'. Left this morning for Alexandria."

"Dammit! – And the next ship for Alexandria?"

"Tomorrow, Mister."

=== Egypt / Outside Cairo, some desert camp ===

Meelas hand dropped and her fingers clenched around the telegraphic message she just had read. The boy in front of her who handed it over changed his expression from eagerness to fear as he saw her eyes hardening. Then he fled without a word from the tent.

Khaled, waiting in the background, chuckled but fell silent too as Meela turned to him. If someone, this woman surely had the curse of 'bad look'!

"What is it? Trouble with the police because of our nice guest?"

"The sceptre of Osiris," she answered angrily. "It was not there!"

"Perhaps the English lady gave it to a museum?"

"I would have known that. I checked the specific news on all these matters! It SHOULD have been there in the mansion of Evelyn Carnahan. But it WASN'T!"

"An ancient Egyptian artifact cannot simply vanish into thin air."

"How smart!" Her gaze was really poisoned this time. "Someone must have taken it before my man arrived…"

"And what if he…?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Khaled. He wouldn't do such a thing, he is utterly loyal, I know him. And by the way, what should HE do with the sceptre? He can't sell it – I would find out easily. And he can't come and use it here, either. No… I think… SHE has it. Remember, my man said she wasn't at home, even if she was supposed to be."

"Madame Carnahan you mean? But what…"

"I don't know…" Meelas voice trailed off. Her instincts were suddenly alarmed like the ones of a predator out for prey. She couldn't see it, smell it, hear it yet, but she knew, the opponent was there. The one who could endanger her entire scheme… Under no circumstances she would allow any interference! She could not or they would punish her… more than they ever had…

She turned her attention back to Khaled, regal again. "Did Mr. Irving make progress with the translation?"

Slightly embarrased by the sudden change of subject the man replied: "Almost finished, he said this morning. One or two days more."

"He has one! I will depart for Hamunaptra as soon as possible!"

"But… excuse me… what's the use of the magic spells if we do not have the sceptre? You yourself said it would be important for the completion of the… uhm… of the process?"

"Yes. I said that. But there are still other ways. It would be the easiest way with the sceptre, but… it's not essential. We just have to find properly replacements. Don't worry, Khaled. See to it, that everything is ready for departure tomorrow, that's all I ask."

=== Cairo / Police station ===

Detective Cramer hurled the Morning News in the bin and sipped some of his Arabic coffee, very hot, very strong and extremely sweet. The Commander in Chief of the British Forces in Egypt was found assassinated. The traces left all pointed out to these terrorist independence supporters. In a couple of days, Cramer thought, it could be very hot down here, and not because of the sun… And he and his department were still working on the case of the murdered Chief of the Antiquities department and the missing curator of the museum. Heavens! He was pretty sure that all this was nothing but a good manoeuvre to lead the police astray! He glanced at the framed picture of the new Egyptian King Fouad I. and silently wished the British monarch George V. back in this place at the wall. He had retained his job after the recent political changes, but it became more and more difficult to 'keep everything in order', as he said - meant 'British Order'.

Through the glass in the door Cramer saw his assistant arriving. Hopefully with good news…

"Sir," O'Neal bursted in, "I've found the missing items of the museum!"

"You FOUND them?"

"Uhm… I meant, I know now what's missing, Sir! Was kinda hart to decipher with all those precious thingies around, but…"

"Ok. What is it then?" Cramer wasn't in the mood for padding the shoulders of his assistant.

"Photographs, Sir."

"Photographs?" And the burglars left all these precious jewels and gold in place? Unbelievable!

"Yeah, Sir, as I said. Photographs of the pages of the Egyptian "Book of the Dead". He pulled an old newspaper from his pocket and handed it over. Cramer looked at some smiling people, of which one – ah, the missing curator – held an enormous folio in his arms. Obviously the picture war taken somewhere during an archaeological dig, as the ambiance told him.

"So, this should be the "Book of the Dead", O'Neal?"

"Yeah, Sir! It was found last year during the Carnahan expedition… and lost shortly after."

"Well, this was the best they could do with it: dropping. Made it disappear from the public…" Cramer sighed.

"Why?"

"Because this thing cries fake so loud that even in London the people must hear it! Even I know that the Ancients didn't have BOOKS like we do today, but papyrus SCROLLS! This was some publicity trick, and it seems our good Marcus Irving fell for it…."

"But…uhm… Sir, this is a special book! Some sort of engraving in pure gold! And it is said to do magic stuff!"

Cramer glared at his assistant and then said tiredly: "O'Neal, shut up! It's 9 o'clock in the morning, I have no cigarettes and now YOU are trying to romance something about old magic books?! This whole country is going mad…"

=== Egypt / Hamunaptra ===

The entity could sense the approaching, both of his desired redeemer and the ones out for eternal punishment. But as he was locked here in this semi existence outside the world all he could do was hoping for HER to reach him in time… Evelyn. At least she was coming at all! It was straining to reach her over and over again with mental powers. And it would only hasten the others in their plans.

Dark, frenzy shadows… Greedy and hungry for revenge…

Defied by the gods, by the powers of light aeons ago they had an eternity to become their rage itself…

All they needed once again was a weapon to unleash…And he did not want to be it again.