Thanks very much to everyone for the reviews! Yeah, I know I haven't updated this story in a while. I haven't forgotten about it, though, just been caught up in other things temporarily!

"Not far" ended up being a two-hour trek, past Luxor, and on to the Valley of the Kings. Considering the size of the territory that once made ancient Egypt, it was indeed not far, at least from that perspective. Taurik pushed on mercilessly. Aside from Qismah, the others were barely able to keep up, but for once, he did not care. It would keep them from wasting time with superfluous actions intended to "lighten the mood." Every second counted as far as he was concerned. Marianne needed him, assuming she was still alive. He relaxed the lump that formed in his throat at the thought.

It was around midmorning when they came to their destination. Taurik was so distracted that he had lost track of the time. He stole a glance at his chronometer: 11:13:45. He resolved to keep a tighter reign on his emotions, but it was beginning to seem pointless.

"There is nothing else to be found here!" Rahat moaned. "Archeologists have been digging here for centuries!"

"And archeologists know nothing of Kharis," Qismah countered, riding ahead with her chin held high. The Romulan glared after her, but said nothing. No matter how much he loathed admitting it, she was right.

Sam smirked and rode up next to Rahat. "Hey, man, you know why she's like that to you, right?" he whispered. Taurik almost smirked himself. He knew exactly what Sam was up to. For all that his roommate liked to call him a "sly dog," he certainly was one himself.

"Because she's a shrew!" Rahat sneered.

"Well, you know how it is," Sam smoothed, "growing up in the desert and all. I mean, it sounds like a harsh life to me—enough to make just about any girl turn amazon on you."

Rahat immediately dismissed the excuse. "My mother grew up in the desert and she doesn't behave like that!"

"Not to you, but you can't tell me she's never acted like that around your dad."

"Well," he thought, "now that you mention it…" He rolled his eyes. "No, Sam! She's a fanatic!"

"She's a believer," Sam corrected. "There aren't too many of those left these days, so everyone just assumes they're all crazy."

John chimed in, "Yeah, Rahat. Didn't you tell us that your mom believes in stuff like this, too? Your dad doesn't agree with it, but that doesn't stop him from loving her, does it?"

"…no," Rahat admitted.

"C'mon, man, you don't think she's hot?" Sam wagged his head in disbelief.

"She is attractive," Rahat acknowledged, "I'll grant you that."

"See? There you go," said Sam, resting his case.

"I am not interested in her and that is the end of it!" Rahat snapped as he rode ahead and thus ended the discussion.

Sam turned back to Taurik with a Cheshire Cat grin plastered on his face. "Just helping you out, man," he whispered.

"I suppose I should thank you," the Vulcan answered with just a hint of sarcasm.

"Nah, don't mention it," replied Sam, blowing it off entirely.

Qismah led them to the most famous place in all of Egypt—the burial place of King Tutankhamun. Rahat was barely able to contain his skepticism now. "So what are we looking for?" he asked, summoning all of his patience. Taurik was equally as incredulous, but there were no other options. He was willing to follow any lead in order to find Marianne.

"A secret passage," the woman answered.

"Just like in all those old movies," John mused, riding the current. "Yeah, uh, how do you propose that we find this secret passage? I mean, I've been here dozens of times and I never saw any evidence. Just asking," he added after the look she gave him.

"You must look with different eyes," she responded cryptically.

They approached the entrance. To their astonishment, the gate was already open. Someone had broken the lock. Cautiously, they descended the sixteen stairs down into the catacomb. Taurik firmly repressed the apprehension he felt. Fear of a tomb is illogical, he chanted to himself. The fear of death is illogical. The fear of harm befalling Marianne is illogical…

"This place gives me the heebie-jeebies," said Sam with a shudder. "How do you guys do this kind of thing for a living?"

"You get used to it," Johnny told him. "Eventually curiosity outweighs the creeps."

"I've never gotten the creeps," Rahat haughtily informed them.

"Sshh!" Qismah commanded. As they were becoming accustomed to her commands, they obeyed. Even Rahat complied with less reluctance. Taurik noticed at the same time as Qismah: there were marks along the floor, and footprints.

"Yeah," said Johnny, catching on. "They clean up every night before they lock this place up."

"So we'll follow these patterns," Taurik finished.

The trail went through the antechamber and then into the burial chamber. John peered through the glass into King Tut's sarcophagus. "Phew! He's still there. Just checking," he grinned sheepishly.

Taurik responded with the characteristically Vulcan lift of a brow. "Under normal circumstances, I would have said that is illogical," he ironically remarked.

The tracks led all the way up to the wall, near the entrance to the treasury room, and apparently came to a dead end. "Bingo," Sam spoke for group. "So how do we open it up? Is there a lever, like in the movies?"

"I say we just bust through," Rahat cut him off.

"That would be an acceptable solution if we had something to 'bust through' with," Taurik pointed out.

Rahat turned to Qismah. "I bow to your expertise," he said, gallantly gesturing toward the wall.

"The niche," she said. "That is the key." She examined the area, while Taurik held the light for her. Upon meticulous scrutiny, they noticed that one of the hieroglyphs was raised slightly. At first glance, it appeared to have been painted onto what looked like an uneven glob of plaster. Qismah pushed on it, and the wall opened as if by magic.

"A primitive weight and counter-weight system," Taurik observed, "Probably operated by rising and falling sand. Fascinating."

"More stairs," said Rahat, "exactly what I expected."

Taurik turned to the others. "I'll go first," he volunteered.

"You won't get any argument from me," John held his hands up.

"Watch out for booby traps," the Romulan warned. "Imhotep's tomb was filled with them."

"A wise precaution," the Vulcan agreed, "though we are obviously not the first ones to enter this passage."

"I'll go next," Qismah met Rahat's eyes boldly. He returned a thin smile and then proceeded down after her. Johnny was next, followed by Sam.

"Yeah, I'll make sure nobody sneaks up on us from behind," said Sam, trying to sound sure of himself. "Um, am I the only one who thinks it's stuffy in here?"

At the bottom of the stairs, the passage split into three directions. Rahat muttered a Romulan curse under his breath. "Looks like we have entered a lovely labyrinth, my friends." He indicated the footprints, "But, like Theseus, we have string to guide us."

"Let's hope we don't run into the Minotaur," said Johnny with a bit of an edge in his voice.

"That is highly unlikely, John," Taurik said calmly.

They went left, following the tracks through the winding passage. At the next junction, the markings led them to the right. Then another left. They made a total of five turns. Taurik's anxiousness was mounting. Why was it that he had such difficulty in keeping control of his emotions whenever Marianne was concerned?

"I hope all of you are paying attention to where we're going," John said apprehensively, "because I'm lost already."

"Don't worry," Sam said confidently, "We've got a Vulcan with us. I have faith in you, Taurik."

"You should never make assumptions, Sam," Taurik responded, trying to distract himself.

Sam chuckled. "Yeah, very funny, man. Don't scare me like that."

"I was merely stating a fact," the Vulcan replied in a completely monotone voice.

"Will you people shut up?" Rahat hissed. "Just announce our presence to the world at large, why don't you?"

Before long, the corridor ended and opened up into another large chamber. In the center of the room was a great stone table, which was at the base of a colossal statue of Anubis. Taurik was not able to suppress the rush of air that escaped from his lungs. To his horror, he saw that Marianne was lying on the table. She was completely still.

"Marianne!" Taurik called as they rushed over to her. She did not respond. For a few terrible seconds, Taurik thought that she might be dead. It took every once of strength to maintain his control. Her eyes were wide open. But then he saw that she was breathing.

"Oh, this is just how I was telling you she was earlier," John said to Taurik.

Rahat shook her. "Marianne!" She did not move. "I don't understand. She always snapped out of it when one of us touched her. Marianne!"

There was only one option Taurik could think of. He made his decision quickly. "I believe I may be able to revive her with a mind meld."

"Isn't that risky, Taurik?" Sam put his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"I am willing to take that chance, Sam," he said. He kept his voice passive, but his eyes were filled with desperation. "We have to get out of this place before Kharis returns." Sam nodded knowingly.

Taurik took several deep breaths to ready himself, and then placed his fingers on her temple, cheek, and chin. He cleared his thoughts and reached out to her. Marianne? He calmly called to her mind.

The rush of her emotions nearly overwhelmed him. Taurik! You came for me! The bond revealed to him that her psyche was as captivating as her physical appearance. In fact, he found her to be even more desirable now that their minds had touched. His feelings for her grew even stronger, in spite of himself.

Of course I did, his pneuma answered, How could I not?

He was more prepared for the second tide of sentiment that threatened to flood him again. He could feel her gratitude and the consolation she felt from him being there. And to his surprise, he discovered that there was also a strong affection for him. A very strong affection. She cared for him much more than he had been aware. Indeed, he meant a great deal more to her than Rahat ever could. Sam was right after all.

Marianne, there is something I must tell you before anything else happens…I love you.

A third wave washed over him. This time, he embraced it. Taurik…I had no idea. But you don't think I'm too emotional?

His soul smiled. That, oddly enough, is precisely what I find the most appealing about you. No amount of reason can explain it, but it is so.

After a few minutes had passed, Taurik severed the mind meld. When he came to, he found that his fingers were wet from Marianne's tears. "Oh, Taurik…That was beautiful…"

"Yes," he agreed. He was lost in her eyes, and completely oblivious to their surroundings, as well as the others.

He was about to say more to her, but he suddenly realized that a new presence was there. It was then that the same foreboding terror descended upon him again. And this time, it was much, much stronger than the previous times. The Creature was there.

"Taurik," Marianne's eyes widened with fear, "It's him! He's here!"

"Do not be afraid," he told her quickly. He pulled her close and looked confidently into her eyes. "I am here now and I will not allow him to harm you." In reality, he was not certain how he could do anything to prevent Kharis from carrying out his evil designs. But he had told Marianne the truth, and discovered that she returned his amour. As far as he was concerned, she belonged to him now, and he was all the more determined to protect her.