'I say, found these while I was waiting for you two to come back.' Charles said, handing a small silver medallion to Evie. 'Any idea what they are?'
Isobella twirled the medal her brother had given her, occasionally glancing in Rick's direction, and more pointedly at the jewel Evie now wore on her ring finger.
'I see congratulations are in order.' She said in a clipped tone. Engrossed in the medal, Evie took no notice. Seeing the look of confusion on her brother and Jonathan's face Isobella nodded towards the diamond.
'Oh my god old mum! Congratulations!' Her brother hugged Evie tightly before shaking Rick firmly by the hand. 'Finally making an honest man of you eh O'Connell?' By habit, Rick checked for his wallet, before acknowledging the gesture.
'Oh I'd never steal from family, and now we're brothers.' Johnathan enthused.
Rick looked horrified. 'Is it too late to change my mind?' he said aside to Evie.
'Yes.' She retorted still engrossed by the medal.
'Of course, when Bertie proposed to me it was just as romantic.' Isobella began.
'It was arranged by father.' Charles said slightly bemused, earning an evil look from his sister.
'Bertie?' Jonathan said with interest. 'I feel like I should know the name?'
'Yes, you remember from school. Bertie, thick glasses, strange little fellow, father who was terribly, terribly important in the cabinet?' Charles continued, despite his sister's fervent looks that he should shut up.
'Oh! You mean bookwork Bertie, awful swot. Doesn't he do something with rubbish disposal at the ministry? I saw him in town and he said he was being forced to marry some air head debutant.' Too late, Jonathan realised he was talking about Isobella's betrothed. 'Sorry old girl.' He muttered.
Still holding the medal Evie opened the chest. They all gazed at the silver scales of Thoth.
'Very dangerous in the wrong hands?' Rick said.
'Indeed.' An unfamiliar voice from behind startled the group. Wheeling around, Rick already had the pistol in his hand and pointed at the stranger.
Wearing the grey suit and hat, the newcomer looked out of place, even more so with the large beard that looked more like a dead thing than real hair.
'There's no need for that Mr O'Connell.' The man looked at the gun with interest, but did not seem especially concerned.
'I'll decide if there is a need or not.' Rick countered. 'And how do you know who I am?'
'It's my job to know Mr O'Connell, and I also know that you will do many things, but to shoot an unarmed man is not one of them.' The stranger turned his attention to the rest of the group as Rick lowered the weapon. Tipping his hat, they could not fail to notice that his hair was a vibrant shade of red. Almost realising his mistake, the stranger smiled and began to remove his beard.
'Bertie!' Isobella sqwarked.
'Indeed.' He said coolly. 'And Evelyn Carnahan, how very nice to see you again.' Stepping forward he gallantly kissed Evie's hand. She looked confused.
'I'm sorry, I don't think we've met?' She said.
'Ah in another lifetime. I'm afraid at school I rather disappeared into the background, a trait that has served me well in my later endeavours.' He said smiling. 'Please do not be distressed about it. I however do remember you very fondly, you were always most kind when we did interact.'
'Bertie, what are you doing here?' Isobella hissed.
'This is Bertie?' Evie exclaimed.
Folding his hands neatly in front of his jacket, Bertie surveyed his fiancée critically. 'Well, when our marriage was arranged it seemed as good a way to obtain a wife as any other. However, once I learned what kind of wife I would be receiving, I, of course had to find an evidential reason why our arrangement should be discontinued, one does not want to be seen a cad.' He addressed the last remark to the assembled group. 'I followed you here in the hope that you would once more display your true colours and indeed not two nights since you did just that. Oh and I do believe you owe Mr O'Connell and Miss Carnahan an apology?'
'This is Bertie, but you said... you and he were... and that he taught you all those things... why would you lie?' Evie asked amazed.
'I am afraid she is somewhat embarrassed by me Miss Carnahan.' Bertie said.
'I… I….' Isobella began, but the lure of the truth was too strong. 'Why should I be sorry. My father wants to marry me off to a glorified dustman. I shall spend the rest of my days bored out of my mind and embarrassed. All I wanted was some exciting memories to enhance my days, how is that so wrong. It's all right for Evelyn. She spent most of her time with her head in a book and what does she get? To travel around having adventures. That should be me, that should be my life!'
Bertie sighed. 'As you are probably coming to realise my dear Isobella. My role at the ministry is nothing to do with refuse, although we do have some responsibility for getting rid of things. I am aware of the stories you tell about me in order to make me seem more interesting, perhaps had you bothered to get to know me you would have realised your imagination may not even have begun to scratch the surface.'
While he was speaking, Rick had slowly slid the scales of Thoth from the box, as Evie closed it behind her back.
'Anyway.' He said clapping his hands and making them all start. 'If you could just hand over the artefact. I am authorised by his majesties government to take it to a place of safe keeping. As Mr O'Connell said, they are immensely dangerous.'
Evie handed over the box trying to look as innocent as possible. Bertie weighed it in his hands and surveyed her critically.
'Do you really take me for a fool?' He said sadly.
'I was hoping you might be?' She said truthfully.
'Where are they?' He asked.
Unable to lie, Evie immediately pointed towards Rick who rolled his eyes.
'If you please.' Bertie said holding out his hand.
'I can't give them to you, you know that.' Rick said.
Bertie nodded. 'But what will you do with them?'
'They need to be destroyed.' Rick replied.
'No!' Evie cried.
'You know it's the sensible thing to do.' Rick addressed her. 'Whoever holds them can make anyone speak only the truth, but they won't necessarily use it for good. It's too much power.'
Reluctantly Evie nodded.
'You're not going to try to take them?' Rick asked Bertie.
The smaller man shrugged. 'I agree with you and, although I could take them if I needed to, my visit here is more of a personal nature.' He glanced at his now ex fiancée, 'I am sure you will do the right thing.
Taking the scales from where he had hidden them, Rick threw the delicate silver work into the air. As each bullet hit the artefact it weakened until it finally exploded with a flash.
Bertie nodded in approval. 'And now I must be getting back.' He said with a small bow.
'Bertie I…?' Isobella began.
He merely tipped his hat, turned and disappeared into the desert.
'He couldn't have taken them off me you know.' Rick said as Evie merely patted his arm.
'At least we have something to show for it.' Charles said, playing with his silver medal as they sat on the train returning to Cairo.
'Oh dear.' Evie said, studying her book. 'Those medals belong to the priests of Thoth, they charge the holder to tell the absolute truth for an entire cycle, that's a year, or be cursed threefold for each deviation.'
'What?' Isobella threw the thing away from her.
'It's very specific I'm afraid, sorry.' Evie continued. 'Once you have it the curse can't be passed to any other living being and will remain even if the medal is destroyed.'
Rick frowned at Evie.
He deepened the frown. 'What curse?' He whispered.
'Oh there isn't one.' She whispered back with a wink. 'But she doesn't know that.'
'Charles, you idiot!' Isobella was screaming as her brother protested his innocence.
Rick grinned. 'That is the perfect revenge for what she did to you at school. I didn't realise you were so devilish.'
'Oh it's not for the school prank.' She said distractedly.
'It isn't?' Now Rick was confused.
'No, I'm way over that. Less forgivably she tried to come between us, and now she has to get her come-uppance.' Evie's eyes opened wide with relish. 'However, what I was actually looking at...' She showed him the book with a sketch of an ornate map and complicated hieroglyphs and, whilst he might not understand the writings, the look in Evie's eyes was all too clear.
'What do you think? Our next adventure Mr O'Connell?'
'As long as you're Mrs O'Connell first? ' He said, pecking her gently on the lips.
A/N Thank you for joining me on this little Mummy adventure. I do hope you enjoyed it as much as I loved writing it. See you next time.
Elf x