Hello everyone! Sorry again for the long delay but I had an impromptu holiday to Wales that stopped me from updating. But anyways, thanks for the reviews:
Mystique1515- Lol, sorry about the delays, but I'm glad you like it.
godavri- Lol, how can anyone be that lazy? Actually that is something that I would do so I can't say much, but thanks for the review!
Angel K.D- Thank you, I am glad you think so.
LostandConfused05- Lol, I'm glad you think I'm not taking it too fast and what not, it was supposed to be realistic kinda. I don't find it that hard to write about tombs though, maybe I'm just odd? Lol, thanks for the review.
And the next chapter…
CHAPTER TWENTY
Lara's eyes surveyed the room, trying to determine if their passage was hindered by unwanted traps. Seeing none, she cautiously approached the shard that lay on a pedestal in the centre of the room, its crystalline appearance shimmering in the light.
Motioning for Kurtis to stay behind her, she walked slowly towards the centre of the azure room, the shard becoming larger with each step she took.
"With my experience, something awful is bound to happen when we try and take the shard," Lara stated, turning her head slightly so she could see her partner out of the corner of her eye.
He smirked and started to survey the room for himself.
Lara ignored the shard for a few moments as she reached the pedestal, but promptly tried to decipher the text carved onto the blue marble that held their prize.
Recognising the calligraphy as Latin, she read aloud what the ancient holder said: "The wrath of the Gods will be inflicted on those unworthy of taking the weapon," Lara said, furrowing her forehead in confusion.
But how do we judge who is worthy? she mused, looking over to Kurtis for an idea.
"It means that only a Lux Veritatis member can access it," he said whilst folding his arms across his chest and leaning against one of the many white stone pillars that lined the blue walls.
"Well, off you go then," Lara said, walking to the place where Kurtis was standing, throwing him her backpack as she leaned against the pillar next to him.
He gave her a surprised look before the smirk returned to his face. Walking with a strange mixture of grace and speed, he approached the shard and quickly grabbed it in one swift movement, depositing the weapon in the bag she had given him.
"That wasn't so bad," he said, relief seeping through his American accent, his hand wiping his sweaty brow.
The brunette couldn't help but laugh at his nervousness.
"Trust me when I say I have done a lot more nerve racking things than that. Like imprisoning Horus, killing a dragon, oh, and having temples collapse around me. That has happened a fair few times," Lara said in an offhand manner, enjoying the taken aback look etched across the American's features.
Regretting bringing her past up, she flipped her usual plait over her shoulder and grabbed the bag from Kurtis, making her way to the exit on the other side of the room.
He followed after her, each of them traversing through the endless maze of corridors cautiously, to avoid anything that might block their path to freedom.
"I sure won't miss this place," Kurtis muttered, as they walked through a particularly dank hallway with a dark green slime growing upon the wet sandstone walls. Puddles of water lay on the stone floor, causing them to be extra careful to prevent injuring themselves.
"Look, another pool. We have to swim out," Lara said when they reached a small square of water that was the dead end. "It probably leads back into the main pool," Lara added, studying the clear water for any signs of traps or unwanted predators.
Seeing nothing to cause alarm, she jumped into the water, the shard on her back, not waiting for Kurtis to follow her.
The water felt cool against her clammy skin, refreshing her effectively and allowing her muscles to move through the water with practiced ease.
She felt Kurtis swim behind her, his arms occasionally brushing her leg as he propelled himself forward. The cave they were swimming in was surprisingly illuminated and was only a few feet wide and deep, like a narrow trench built for speed and purpose, not another trap.
Her lungs were aching for air when she finally reached the other side of the tunnel, which did open out into the main pool as she had predicted earlier. Lara kicked her legs and struggled to reach the surface before she passed out from a lack of oxygen.
Her head broke free of the water, her lungs sucking in the air that surrounded her.
She watched Kurtis surface beside her, his breathing as ragged as hers, and together they swam to the side of the pool and climbed out, glad to be on dry land again.
"Remind me never to go tomb raiding with you again," Kurtis commented dryly, as they walked out of the golden doors that allowed them access to the tomb in the first place.
The ramp which they had slid down - rather ungracefully - to get here had turned into steps at some point when they were inside the tomb, though Lara suspected it was when they removed the periapt shard, she realised she never would know the answer.
Together they set off up the roughly hewn stone steps, each of them remaining silent, both exhausted from their excursions. Lara looked in disgust at her ruined clothing and dirty hair and noticed Kurtis did not look much better; his clothing torn and dirty, with an unsightly green smear across his right cheek that most likely came from the slimy underground tunnel they had had to swim through.
The found the camels they had ridden on their way to the tomb still there when they re-emerged into the endless heat, but Lara noticed it was dwindling, suggesting that sunset was fast approaching.
There was a loud, grinding noise from behind them, which upon inspection turned out to be a heavy stone sliding back over the tomb's entrance, swallowing up the resting place of the shard in piles of golden sand.
………………
They rode back to the small town they had stayed in before their trip into the tomb and were greatly welcomed by the family at the bar, who remembered their large tip from before.
Lara broached the subject of the next shard they had to collect over a simple dinner of sausage and rice, which turned out to be a rather enjoyable concoction.
"The next shard is in Brazil, in the very heart of the Amazon, so we will have to fly there.
Hopefully we can do so without alerting Karel to our presence and the fact that we have the shard," Kurtis informed her, between mouthfuls of rice.
Lara agreed and ate the rest of her meal in silence.
………………
After a brief trip to the restroom to clean herself up slightly, the brunette returned to the barn that she and Kurtis had slept in the previous night, when she had finally allowed some form of a relationship to develop between them beyond professional status.
"Let's get some rest," Kurtis said, who had walked in behind her, with a large red patch on his cheek which showed his vigorous attempts to clean the smear off his cheek.
Sighing slightly as he laid her down on the soft hay, Lara tuned out the sounds of the animals in the barn, or the wind knocking against the wooden walls, focusing entirely on the warm arms wrapped around her. Checking once again to make sure the periapt shard was still in her backpack (which was still on her back, though Kurtis had yet to moan about that fact), she finally allowed herself to drift into a comfortable sleep.
…………………
And the end of the chapter!
A HUGE thanks to me beta reader theharshlightofday
Please review, more Karel in the next chapter, promise.
Dan.