Chapter 25
Teddy shook his head- his girlfriend's head, that is- murmuring, "Only you, my dear pharaoh, only you..." After everything that had transpired, why should he be shocked his young friend could tame a room full of drunken berserkers? To think he and Sacagawea had been worried about his safety! "Sacagawea and I have been discussing matters, and we've agreed Larry should be told as soon as possible. With any luck, he'll be able to keep us out of the limelight so we can concentrate our efforts on your tablet."
"Agreed."
"All right there, lad?"
Clutching his stomach, Ahk smiled. The bashful expression looked slightly out of place on the president's face. "I am well enough, thank you. I am afraid I am unused to the Vikings' ale. My stomach shall settle soon."
You mean MY stomach. Wonderful! Indigestion issues on top of everything else!
Glancing back and forth at the sudden tension between the men- and pondering for a moment how odd her face looked wearing her boyfriend's annoyance- Sacagawea said, "Speaking of which, where is the night guard?"
They didn't have far to look- he was arguing with the Huns about the benefits of using words instead of fists to settle an argument. Surprisingly, he won. The Huns seemed to grow a tad more peaceful and soon withdrew to their own territory, leaving the Jumbo Indians to their exotic dancing. Wiping some sweat from his brow, Larry glanced up to see three familiar faces walking towards him. Little did he realize his night was about to get more interesting. "Hey, Teddy, Ahk, Sacagawea! Don't worry about the Indians, I just settled them down."
"Glad to hear it, my boy, but that's not why we're here."
Larry shook his head to clear it- why was Sacagawea speaking like the president? Wait- not just that! In the president's voice? "Err, thanks Sacagawea, but I was talking to Teddy."
"And I answered you, Lawrence."
Larry blinked twice, three times. Then he laughed. "Haha, way to go, guys! You had me there for a minute, I gotta tell you. Very impressive ventriloquy, Sac, you'll have to teach me that sometime."
"I assure you, this is no joke," replied Teddy. After they'd filled him in on what had transpired, they gauged his reaction. As expected, he blinked several more times as his facial features melded themselves into those of a man who's world had just crashed and rearranged itself into a complex algorithm. "So let me get this straight. You're Ahk, you're Teddy, and you're Sacagawea?" When they all nodded, he slumped onto a bench. "Figures. Just when I thought this job might be getting easier for a change..."
"Lawrence, I assure you we're as unhappy and confused as you are, but right now we need your help."
"So what exactly am I supposed to do? According to Ahk, he doesn't even know much about the tablet, and he's supposed to be his keeper!" He was still struggling to process that bit of information. "If he doesn't even know what he's doing, what makes you think I will?!" Seeing the uncharacteristically sad expression on Teddy as Ahkmenrah turn his face away shamefully, Larry instantly wished he could take those words back, however true they were.
"Give us time, Larry," Sacagawea replied, resting her hand- Ahk's hand- on his shoulder reassuringly. "We don't expect anything more than that. Leave the rest to us; I promise we'll fix this."
"And how am I supposed to do that?"
"Give us our space, steer attention away from us, leave us out of the public eye," Teddy instructed. As he jutted a forefinger into the air for emphasis, the president's authoritative stance looked awkwardly too masculine on the Native American woman.
Rubbing his pounding temples, Larry sighed. "Look, in case you guys didn't notice, I'm not always in control around here. I'm barely keeping the walls up as it is! Now you want me to keep everyone else away from you and act like everything is normal? You are the leaders here, not me. Especially you, Teddy." He grimaced as he caught himself speaking to the physical Teddy, and course-corrected to look at Sacagawea.
The others looked down at their feet modestly. Ahkmenrah was stunned-he hadn't believed himself to be an authority figure to the others, for Teddy was the obvious leader. Yet according to Larry, all three of them played vital roles in the museum.
"Look, I'll help any way I can. Just please find the right spell or whatever, quickly." Checking his watch, he added, "You've got a few hours- go get started!"
They were only too happy to comply. "Next stop, the Archives!" Teddy said conspiratorially.
"So what exactly are the archives?" Sacagawea asked.
Teddy smiled. "You'll see."
Not many people knew about the museum's glorified library- the archives. Indeed, Teddy was currently the only exhibit who'd discovered them in over a decade; even Larry and the janitors remained ignorant. Now, he was forced to share that knowledge for the first time. Not that he could complain- he knew there was no one else he'd rather reveal the secret to. Who else shared his unceasing appetite for learning?
Their reactions didn't disappoint. Sacagawea quietly gazed around in rapture, while Ahkmenrah was silent, awestruck by the sheer volume of knowledge before him. Looking around in wonder, the pharaoh asked, "Why did you never reveal this to me, Teddy?"
Rubbing his neck, Teddy sighed bashfully. "Truthfully, Ahk, I didn't know who to trust with this place. I didn't know if I could trust you."
Ahkmenrah looked a bit hurt, but he was too thrilled by the books and notebooks to dwell on it. "Where do we begin?"
Teddy pointed them towards the shelves on the far left. "Those describe all of our Ancient Egyptian artifacts."
They got to work. Two hours later, everyone's initial thrill had diminished, replaced by anger, irritation, and hopelessness. "This is pointless!" Ahkmenrah cried, tossing aside some withered documents. What a peculiar expression for the president's usually composed face!
Managing to hide her own frustration, Sacagawea rested a hand on his arm comfortingly. "It will be all right."
Ahkmenrah bit back a retort as he looked up at his own concerned face gazing down at him. The truth that none of them had spoken yet was that it was his fault. His tablet had activated and cursed them; his cat had played with it. So far, he had failed to correct the problem. The pharaoh was angry at himself- if he'd been worthier, his father would surely have bestowed upon him the tablet's secrets! As it was, such mysteries might doom them all. Larry would give them some time, but they all knew their charade couldn't last forever. Sooner or later, one of their friends would suspect something was amiss, and then the inhabitants would fear him and his magic all over again. A magic he didn't know how to control.
Perhaps things had been safer when he'd been locked away...
Teddy interrupted his misery by thumping down his own stack of papers. "Nothing here, either. You know, for scientists, those old archaeologists weren't too meticulous with their research on the Egyptian artifacts! Particularly your tablet." Having combed through mounds of documents, the trio had yet to find any mention of the tablet. Instead, all they'd discovered were obscure references to hundreds of other ancient relics. Most had arrived from other museums or Egypt; all were now listed as either "lost" or "archived." Teddy was bewildered. As a major attraction, there should have been more information on Ahkmenrah and his possessions!
"Perhaps the guardian could be of assistance," Ahk suggested.
"Four heads are better than three. I will ask him before sunrise. For now, let's call it a night," Teddy agreed, rubbing his stiff neck. Instinctively, Sacagawea began rubbing his shoulders. For Ahkmenrah, it was slightly unsettling to see his body massaging the Native American woman, but he kept his silence. With that, their little group disbanded, being careful to put everything away properly.
With awkward murmured "good nights," the trio went their separate ways. There was minor confusion as they all began going in the wrong directions, but they course-corrected themselves in time.
Texas nickered in confusion as Ahkmenrah approached. "Shhh, boy, do not fear, it is only me. I swear to restore your human to you as soon as I can." I hope. The horse accepted that for now, pawing the ground placidly.
Sacagawea and Teddy thought nobody was watching when they kissed goodnight. They were wrong. As soon as Teddy left, a raspy voice startled Sacagawea. "So, not content to poison our very existence, you steal another man's woman as well?" The preacher emerged fully from the shadows.
For a moment, Sacagawea stood there, completely taken aback. Why would this stranger address her in such a way? Why would she be a wife-stealer? Then, she recalled whose body she occupied. So this is the preacher, then, she mused. He was much smaller than she'd imagined-not squat, but thin and skeletal, like a scarecrow left standing too long in a field. She sighed. "I don't have time for this right now." She began walking away, but Joseph's next response stopped her stone cold.
"You know, I'd been considering leaving you out in the sun. But now I see that would be too good for you," he smirked, casually slinking towards her. If he'd intended to frighten her, it worked, just not in the way he'd hoped. Instead of cowering in terror, she pivoted, tackled him and pinned him to the floor before he could bat an eye, holding her elbow to his throat.
"If you ever threaten the pharaoh's well-being again, you will be the one left outside!" Her voice was the deadly calm before an ambush. She'd berate herself for her slip of tongue later, but she was far too outraged by the man's mistreatment of her friend.
Too scared to move, Joseph slumped his head down to the ground after his assailant released him and stomped off toward Ahkmenrah's exhibit. The last time the pharaoh had assaulted him, he'd considered himself dead- and believed he would have been without the night guard's interference.
One moment- Had he referred to himself in the third person?
Only a madman would do such a thing.
It was difficult passing the jackals, who somehow sensed she wasn't their king. "I know, I know. Hopefully, he'll be restored to you soon." As she climbed into the coffin, she understood why Ahkmenrah despised the thing- not only was it cramped and rock-hard, it reeked of must, death, and decay. Shaping the leftover mummy wrappings into a makeshift pillow, she still couldn't get comfortable. Perhaps if she had a blanket…
She only grasped the full horror of what must have been the pharaoh's existence when she saw the underside of the lid.
It was covered in claw marks.
Hello again!
To all the guests who reviewed: I really hadn't meant to make Teddy abstinence from drinking into that much of a big deal, just a comical bit that turned out to be another thing he and Ahk have in common. I feel he'd usually find other ways of venting out any frustrations or worries, like riding Texas or maybe even target practicing. Practically, I doubt the old night guards or even Larry would leave alcohol lying around for easy access to the exhibits, so if Teddy was a heavy drinker, he'd have been out of luck. How the Vikings have access, well... It's a special occasion. Thank you, though, for pointing that out! Your comments REALLY help keep me on track. I can't wait to hear more from all of you!
Guest: That might be a good idea. I never though much about what Teddy might have gone through as an authority figure, the poor guy. Thank you for your suggestion! :)
Enjoy! :D