Heterity frowned as she felt the world spinning around her. She was just a step away from the solution and then it was suddenly denied for her. But she should expect it. Was there ever anything easy in her life? She always had to fight for things. For her life, for the lives of the people she loved, for her country, for her duties, for everything. Her life, a constant fight.
But who could know about the terrible power this little stone possessed, and who would ever want to unleash it? Who and how? Why? Again questions, too many questions. She thought she heard a voice back to the world of reality that interrupted her thoughts. She gave a puzzled look to Rick and Evelyn.
"Did you hear something?" Rick repeated his question.
Heterity looked around and shook her head. Then she thought she heard a noise too. Something like a soft moan. Hastily she moved to the other door of the room. Behind the entrance, leaning on the doorframe was a man clutching his side. Heterity kneeled in front of him, recognizing the Med-jai who had leaded her to Evy's office. Evelyn kneeled near him too.
"The museums guide! They hurt him. But what was he doing here in such an hour?"
"He is a Med-jai." Heterity whispered shaking the man softly at the same time trying to bring him back to consciousness. He opened his eyes before Evelyn had time to ask again.
He saw Heterity and Evy kneeling in front of him and Rick standing over them all. He made an effort to speak.
"They came… Took it… I could not… Too many… I faked to be dead…" Heterity briefly touched his shoulder, as if to give him power. Encouraged by this he went on. "I heard them. They said they would take it…" He stopped for what seemed an eternity to the others. He coughed weakly and went on. "Egypt…" He finally said faintly and then his head dropped.
Heterity sighed softly and closed his eyelids with her hand. She turned her back to the others, her hands balled to fists. Evelyn touched her shoulder in a comforting way.
"We will take care that he is given a decent burial Heterity." The woman nodded and turned again to the man.
"I guess this means we are going to Egypt." Rick muttered through clenched teeth. Heterity turned to him surprised.
"No, this means I am going back to Egypt and you are staying here to take care of your son. I can not put you in an unknown danger. I have endangered more than enough people up to today." She said determined, her tone severe.
"We are adults you know, and we have been great dangers." Rick replied "If something is going on then we will do all we can to help. Whether it endangers personally you, or the whole world."
Heterity tried to say something but Evelyn pressed without wanting to leave her new friend and Ardeth alone in this situation.
~
Heterity was once again deep in thoughts in the ship to Egypt. They had left hastily (all of them) without even having time to notify Ardeth. After all he wasn't going anywhere. They would find him where they had left him. The pair and Alex joined her soon. In these few days she was becoming more and more attached to them.
"You know, I wondered how could someone have information about it. Did anybody ever know about this?" Rick asked puzzled.
"Only one… The one who killed me. But he was killed too many thousands of years ago." She said thoughtfully.
"Was there any way he had passed the knowledge to someone else?" Evelyn's question made the other woman think even harder.
"No… I don't think so." She said finally. "He certainly didn't record it somewhere and he trusted no one. He had no close relatives. No, this is not possible. I think of many possible solutions but every time I am running into a dead end. I don't know what to do and where to look. It is probably the first time I feel utterly helpless." Heterity confessed to them. This was the first time he had told this to someone, apart from her husband.
"I am going outside, to get some fresh air." Heterity told smiling briefly. Evelyn followed her with her gaze. He hated seeing the woman in that helpless situation. She had almost given up trying. To tell the truth she felt lost too. There was nothing to start from. She turned to Rick and hugged him briefly hiding her face in his chest.
"I am going to find Heterity, she probably needs my company."
"Mum, shall I come too?" Alex jumped to his feet and was by her before receiving an answer. Evelyn walked around the corner looking around in the deck.
"She is probably back to her room." Alex proposed already running towards that direction. Evelyn followed him. The door to the cabin was open just a crack and Evelyn could hear masculine voices inside. She swiftly moved away as she heard footsteps approaching the door and hid herself in a closet. She couldn't see who exited the room but she could hear footsteps coming from heavy boots going to the other rooms direction. When the noises stopped she run out to the other side of the deck and peeked through the window. The curtain was shut but she could still make out some shapes, like the tell-tale small frame belonging to her friend and many men in various shapes and sizes. One seemed to be the leader, judging by the way he was standing. She couldn't hear any voices. In a sadden jolt of the ship the curtain moved just a little allowing her to see that the leader was a red-haired man with very light complexion. Then, she hurriedly ran to warn Rick.