Tilly spent a week getting to know Rick and his family, also becoming more familiar with London and the countryside surrounding it. Jonathan proved to be a wonderful person, if a little bit unusual. He made her laugh and he seemed to enjoy her company and she his, though not in any romantic way. On the eve of their departure to Egypt Evy came into Tilly's room to help her pack what she would require in the heat of the desert. They had already been shopping for the unusual clothing that Evy preferred and she had kitted Tilly out in everything she thought was appropriate.
"You seem to have everything you need, now," she remarked as they filled a case. "Although you will need a hat and a veil to protect you from the heat and sand. I have one you can take with you, and an old shirt too. We're about the same fit although you're a little shorter. So," she said, sitting on the bed, "are you excited?"
Tilly laughed at Evie's expression, knowing she could clearly see how excited she was.
"I can't wait! I just know I won't be able to sleep tonight! I can't wait for tomorrow to come!"
"Well, tomorrow will come soon enough. But it will take us several hours before we even get there, so try to calm down a little! Rick and Jonathan have chartered a plane and it's not the most comfortable form of travel. Still, it's a lot quicker than going on a ship, so that's a bonus."
"I've never been on a plane before. I hope I'll be okay. I think I'll turn in now and maybe I can go straight to sleep. That way the morning will be here even sooner."
Evy shook her head in defeat and left the younger woman's room, bumping into Rick as she walked towards their own room.
"Hello, darling. What are you doing lurking about in the dark?"
He loomed over her and grinned wickedly. "Waiting for a beautiful young maiden to come my way so that I can ravish her!" he growled down at her, sweeping her off the floor and carrying her purposefully into the bedroom.
"Oh, Puh-lease," muttered Jonathan as he made his way past their door to his own set of rooms, shaking his head in disgust at the muffled giggles coming from their room.
The next day dawned dull and rainy, but nothing could dampen Tilly's spirits as they all piled into a taxi to take them to the airfield. She was positively leaping about with excitement. She looked out of the car window, watching Evy and Rick hug their son goodbye, leaving him in the capable hands of the new nanny they had hired.
"Good grief, anyone would think you'd never travelled before!" Evy exclaimed as she joined them.
"Well, I haven't! Only to London and only twice. But apart from that I've never left Arizona, ever!" She grinned at Jonathan as he sat next to her and nudged her, obviously excited about the journey too.
"Anyway, I'm allowed to be excited. What's his excuse?" She pointed at Jonathan.
"He doesn't need an excuse. He's an imbecile!"
"Are we talking about Jonathan by any chance?" Rick asked, having just gotten into the car and heard the last word.
"Indeed we are," Evy answered
"Hey! I take offence at that!" Jonathan quibbled. And then they were on their way, bickering and laughing all the way to the airfield and onto the rickety looking plane that would, in a matter of hours, arrive in Cairo.
Tilly enjoyed every moment of the trip, even though the sensation of being aloft felt incredibly unusual to her. She looked out of the small round window and watched the ground recede, wondering vaguely if she would start feeling ill with the motion of the plane. Luckily, even after an hour, she felt fine and was enjoying herself immensely. Evy was good company, as were the others, and they filled her in on anything she might need to know about Egypt…
And then they were there, disembarking into the heat and noise of Cairo. Tilly didn't think she had ever seen so many people before in one place and there were market stalls and traders everywhere she looked. She was glad now that Evy had given her the hat and veil, similar to the one Evy herself wore, as the heat was intense. She had taken Evie's advice and braided her long thick hair tight against her head and pulled the hat over it, taking the weight and heat away from her neck and shoulders. She was also glad that the veil covered her face as they received some odd looks from the local people, although Evy and Rick seemed oblivious to them. Before long they were booked into the largest hotel in Cairo, looking out across the pyramids from their top floor suites. Tilly could hardly get enough of the sight, hardly believing that she was actually here! Evy and Rick came to her room after they had freshened up and they told her they were going to take her to the pyramids.
"Really? Right now?"
"Right now. Come on, Jonathan went and obtained some horses for us. You did say you could ride?"
"Oh yes, very well in fact. Well, come on then, we can't stand here all day!" she said and marched ahead of them to the stairs.
"She's worse than you," Rick said under his breath.
Evy punched him. "I heard that!"
They made their way downstairs and out to where Jonathan was standing away from the buildings holding onto four horses and looking very stressed.
"You should have seen how much they charged me for these flea-bitten beasts!" he complained.
"Jonathan, you're rich, what are you complaining about?" Rick said, choosing the biggest horse and vaulting easily onto it's back.
"It's not the money, exactly, it's the principle of the thing!"
"I seem to remember having this conversation before..." Rick muttered, giving Jonathan an impatient stare.
"Yes well...time to go is it?" the slender man mumbled, pulling himself with some difficulty up onto his animal.
Evy and Tilly sniggered at the two men's bickering and climbed on the backs of their own horses, both women very at home on the graceful animals. They rode off together towards the distant pyramids, Tilly getting faster and faster as the gigantic structures got nearer. They spent the next three hours exploring what they could of the ancient tombs, but soon the sun began to go down and Rick warned them it was time to go back.
Tilly was disappointed to leave but Evy assured her they could return in a few weeks after they had been at the dig site. "After all, you and Rick have some detective work to do, about your parents? That will keep us in Cairo for quite a while." She chewed her lip thoughtfully. "I might send for Alex when we get back here. He loves this place and I can't say I blame him!"
Tilly nodded. "How long will it take us to get there? To Karnak I mean?" she asked, changing the subject.
"It depends on how we travel really. We were going to take the boat, but we had a...bad experience on one of those before. Plus that would really take some time, Karnak is over 300 miles away!"
"So far? I didn't realise!"
"Nobody does until they actually get here. Anyway, we could take the train, but I think Rick was going to make arrangements to fly there. It'll be much quicker and we can land next to the Nile, upriver of Karnak, and ride camels!"
Tilly smiled, her eyes taking on a faraway look as she thought of the journey to come.
The next day they dressed themselves in trousers, shirts and sturdy boots, once again donning the large veiled hats.
"Today we ride camels!" Evy told her happily.
"I've never ridden a camel before! Is it hard?"
"Not at all. We know you can ride a horse!"
"Oh yes, I ride one all the time back home. Is it anything like that?"
"No, not really. It's higher up for one thing and the gait takes a lot of getting used to. But once you do it's very simple. Don't worry. We'll show you the ropes. Believe me, if Jonathan can do it then anyone can!"
Tilly felt reassured until she was actually standing next to one of the beasts, almost bending over backwards to look up at it. It was bigger than she had thought but, paradoxically, smaller than she had imagined too. They had spent what felt like days on the same plane that had brought them to Egypt, and Tilly felt her cramped muscles start to protest at the mere thought of getting up on the awkward looking animal.
"I can't do it Rick! I can't possibly get up on that thing!"
"You don't climb up on it silly. It comes down to you."
The camel master gave a sharp command and the camel got down on its knees until it was almost level with her then Rick helped her up into the precarious looking saddle.
"Now just hold on tight and everything will be fine," he told her as the camel stood up, jerking her forward and then back again. She managed to cling on, just. But Rick and Evy were right, once the animal had been moving for a while it became easier and easier until she was quite confident riding along on it's back.
It took hardly any time at all to get to Karnak, in fact they could see the temples from where they had landed, and they stopped the camels within sight of the vast ruins and the dig that was well under way and made camp not far from a large man-made lake. Tilly found everything interesting, the texture of the sand that all around was full of small bits of crumbling rock, not smooth as she had imagined it. Trees and shrubbery stretched from the banks of the Nile towards their destination. "This place is absolutely enormous!" Tilly enthused as she gaped at the crumbling buildings beyond the water, the greenery that she hadn't expected to see. "I didn't realise how big it would be. When you talked about the temples at Karnak I imagined them being smallish buildings, certainly nothing as vast as this! Look at the size of this lake!"
Evy laughed at the amazement on the other girls face. "I thought you might be impressed," she said, glancing around at the stunning ancient architecture she had seen so many times before. "When we've rested for a while I'll show you around, although we won't get it all done in one day. Or even two or three, if you want to see it in detail. It's even more complex than it looks at first, I assure you. You wait until we explore the Hypostyle Hall!"
"Which one is that?" Tilly enquired, looking around.
"It's over there, the one behind us to the left. This one next to us is part of it all, but was built later, inside it there's what would have been the festival hall and back there, just inside, is a shrine to Seti II. The Hypostyle hall is my favourite though, simply because of the sheer size of it. Do you know it's got over 130 columns in there? They're over 40 ft tall and the biggest ones, the ones that line the main aisle, are 70 ft tall and absolutely massive!" Evy was getting excited herself now, seeing the temple for the first time through Tilly's eyes.
"What about those ruins over there?" Tilly asked, pointing to the right of the lake.
"That's the Temple of Mut, it has a horseshoe shaped lake surrounding it which you must see. This lake is called the Sacred Lake and it's where the priests would once come and purify themselves three times a day. You know, this is fun. I've taught Alex almost all there is to know about this country, but you are like a blank canvas. I can paint this knowledge on you to my hearts content!"
"Well, I'm grateful for it. This is all so interesting! So, who was Mut?"
"She was a goddess, the wife of Amun as legend has it. She was the embodiment of Motherhood incarnate and she and Amun had a son, Khons. There's also a temple for him back there, we'll look at that later. These three gods were the triad of Luxor and Karnak, but there was also the triad of Aswan," Evy began, chattering on about ancient history as they continued walking toward the water. As the men were pitching a large impressive white tent that had been placed there for them a man on a black horse rode up, wearing flowing black robes from top to toe and a black and dark blue head-dress. Tilly and Evy were near the water when they heard him and Evy turned to see who it was and smiled when the man waved at her.
"Who's that?" Tilly asked curiously, never having seen a man dressed in such a way.
"That's Ardeth Bay. You remember me telling you about him? He's been a great help to us over the years and has become one of our dearest friends. I think you'll like him."
Ardeth bay looked out over the sand at the two women nearing the waters' edge and waved at the one he knew was Evy. The other woman was a mystery to him. She was smaller than Evy but he couldn't make out her features because of her hat and veil. Evy had long since removed hers.
Rick turned at his approach. "Ardeth! Good to see you again! What brings you to Karnak?" he said, shaking his hand vigorously.
Ardeth gave a rare grin and clasped Rick's hand in his own. "I heard about the dig here and I hoped that perhaps you would be here. I am also glad to see you all. However, I have something of importance to tell you."
"Oh, no," Rick backed away, shaking his head and holding his hands up. "No, no, no! Don't tell me Imhotep is alive again?"
"No, the creature has not been resurrected again, we are being very watchful this time. But there has been activity at Ahm Shere."
Jonathan arrived at that moment and nodded a greeting to Ardeth.
"Ahm Shere? I thought that all returned to the sands, or whatever?" he waved his hands carelessly about. "It's not that big Scorpion fellow again is it?"
"No, my friends. It is about another matter I must speak with you. An ancient cult of Seth, the Ka-akhet, have been searching for Imhotep's resting place."
"The Ka-akhet? I've never heard of them. What do they want with Imhotep?"
"It was written that after the Scorpion King was defeated by the spear of Osiris, the dark God would return to claim his lands."
"The dark God?" Rick sighed and raised an eyebrow. "This is bad, right?"
"This is not…good. The dark God refers to Seth. It is written that he will be returned from the underworld, returned to his throne by the powerful one. We believe that this 'powerful one' is Imhotep."
"Where the hell are all these things written?" Rick muttered. "So where's Imhotep, I thought he was buried when the pyramid of Ahm Shere disappeared?"
"So he was, my friend, but a dig was underway there a month ago. We have kept watch and could not tell if anything was found. However, the dig left just one week ago."
"I thought you said you were watching? They left without Imhotep? That doesn't make any sense."
"No. Whatever they did find was not large enough to be Imhotep, but it is possible that they have discovered his resting place. But this is not all." He hesitated when he saw an uncompromising expression harden Rick's face.
"This better not have anything to do with Evy or Alex."
"Or me!" Jonathan piped up. Rick glared at him.
"Do not fear, my friend. This is about Seth's Queen, she who will share the throne with him and once more rule over Egypt."
"He has a Queen? What Queen? Not Ancksunamun?"
"No, this woman will be a reincarnation of his Queen. It appears she was reincarnated before but she died, it is not known how. Her name was Meketaten, a daughter of a prominent pharaoh. She worshipped Seth, following an ancient cult which had been started by the Pharaoh Peribsen. It seems the Ka-akhet grew from there, but they disappeared many decades ago."
"So we're waiting for a reincarnation of this woman. I suppose we have no idea what she looks like? Who she might be?"
"The Queen was described in much detail, but it seems she will have no memory of who she once was as yet. The Tablets of Amun-Ra are required to give her full knowledge. All we can hope for is that this woman never sets foot in Egypt. If she does…"
"Don't tell me….the end of the world and all that?" Jonathan chirped.
"Yes, exactly that." Ardeth said with no trace of humour.
"So, how can we help?"
"We believe that some of the tablets of Amun-Ra are buried at the dig site here. If they are discovered and handed to the wrong people..."
"Don't worry. We'll find them for you. We're good at finding things, it seems. How many are there?"
"From what the ancient text tells us, there are six tablets, three here at Karnak and three at Tell el Amarna, each with a powerful spell on them. They must be destroyed to stop Seth or the Ka-akhet from possessing them."
"Okay. No problem, we've dealt with this sort of thing before. Where's Tell el Amarna? I've never heard of it."
"You may know it as Akhetaten, the city of Pharaoh Akhenaten and his wife, Nefertiti. The name has been changed and what was left of the city itself was lost beneath the sands for thousands of years until it's discovery a few years ago. It is far to the North along the Nile, many days ride."
"Well, we can cope with a journey. At least now it doesn't involve my family or myself! Now come and say hello to Evy and meet my cousin. We have some questions you may be able to answer for us. But in the meantime explain to me what this Queen is meant to look like. Why is the description so detailed?"
"Because it is so strange. The Queen shall have..."
They turned toward the Oasis just as Tilly removed her hat and started splashing water on her face. Ardeth stopped suddenly, his face paling beneath his tan, and grabbed at Rick's arm.
"What colour eyes has your cousin?"
"What? Why do you want to know that?"
"Tell me or I go to find out for myself!" Ardeth snapped.
"They're green. Ardeth, what the hell is wrong with you?"
"I am sorry, my friend, but you were wrong. This does involve your family."
"You mean...Tilly? Why?"
"The Queen shall have the hair of fire and the eyes of cool jade," he finished the sentence he had already started. "So it was written. So shall it be. Your cousin matches the description of Seth's Queen." He closed his eyes briefly and when he opened them again they were filled with sadness. "You must leave here immediately, remove her from Egypt before they find her and take her."
"Wait a minute, here! There are lots of women with the same colouring, why should it be Tilly?" he asked, almost frantic because he realised that Ardeth had just answered one of his pending questions without being asked. There was a reason for Tilly's eye and hair colour changing, and it wasn't good.
"Because she is here! This can be no chance happening; she is here almost two years to the day of the Scorpion King's demise! You must have realised by now that coincidence does not happen here. In all my years I have never seen a woman with this colouring. You must remove her..." he breathed out slowly through his nose, almost reluctant to continue, "...or I shall do it myself!"
Rick had never seen Ardeth so upset and angry, even when he had ridden off to fight the Army of Anubis knowing he faced certain death. Before he had a chance to stop him, Ardeth strode off toward the Oasis, heading straight for Tilly.
Tilly knelt on the steps leading into the lake, dabbing at her wet face, relishing the coolness of the water against the heat of her skin. She glanced up as she heard raised voices and then got to her feet as the man in black started walking towards her. As he got nearer she noticed the strange markings on his face and that his eyes, as black as his beard and clothing, were flashing in anger, apparently at her! She backed up a step as he reached her and grabbed her arms.
"Come with me now!" he said and started pulling her away from the water.
Tilly gasped in panic as she felt his strong hold on her arms and violently wrenched herself backwards away from him, hoping to break his grip. Unfortunately she managed more than that and she fell backwards into the water taking the man with her.
She pulled herself to the edge of the lake, spluttering from the drenching she had received and scrambled onto the steps as the extremely angry man surfaced next to her. He made a lunge toward her but she managed to get out before he could grab her again and she ran up to Rick who had just got there, hiding behind him.
Jonathan went to help Ardeth out of the water, the weight of his robes dragging him down. As soon as he was on dry land he moved toward Tilly again.
"No Ardeth!" Evy spoke up and stood in front of him, one hand pushing against his chest. "Whatever's gotten into you?"
"She must leave immediately!" he growled, wiping water from his face and beard with one hand.
"What on earth for?"
Ardeth related the story to Evy and watched as comprehension dawned on her face.
"Oh I see. But Ardeth, you mustn't try to just drag her away from us. We're her family. If you had just explained yourself first…"
"I explained it to O'Connell, but he did nothing and there is no time to waste!"
"You didn't give me a chance and anyway, what the hell did you expect me to do? Throw her over my shoulder and leave the Country? If she really is 'the one' then these….Ka-akhet people will follow her until they get her! What difference does it make what Country she happens to be in? She'll only be brought back here anyway!"
Ardeth seemed to mull this over for a while before nodding briskly, with resignation at what was to become her fate as well as his. "You are right. Then do you not see that there is only one answer? She must die before she has a chance to destroy us all!" He drew a long, curved sword from a sheath at his hip and once more took a step toward Tilly. Tilly gasped and turned, running toward the tent as if the thin white material would be able to protect her from the wickedly sharp blade. Before she was even halfway toward it she heard him closing in on her. This couldn't be happening, she told herself in panic! She must be dreaming. But the hand that grabbed her shoulder and practically threw her at his feet told her it was no dream. She watched in horror as he raised the sword to strike, uttering a few strange words as he did so, and then almost passed out with relief when Rick pressed a gun to Ardeth's temple, stopping him immediately.
"Ardeth, you're my friend, but I will use this if I have to. Now, give the sword to Jonathan," he said slowly, talking to Ardeth as he would to a homicidal maniac.
Ardeth handed the sword over to the skinny man with obvious reluctance and almost snarled when another sword which had been concealed at his waist was also removed. He turned to face Rick. "This is a grave mistake!"
"I know. Giving anything sharp to Jonathan is extremely dangerous."
"I did not mean..."
"I know what you meant. I'm sorry, but someone had to stop you."
"Very well, you have stopped me for now, but you cannot stop me forever."
"Think rationally Ardeth," Rick said, putting his gun away and pulling Ardeth away from the tent with him. "Look at her, she's just a girl. She's scared to death of you and with extremely good reason. What harm can she possibly do to you?"
Ardeth looked at the small woman Evy was helping to stand up, noticing how pale she had become and how much she was shaking. "She is not just a girl, my friend. And if they get their hands on her, she can do all of us a great deal of harm."
"Maybe so. If they get their hands on her. If she really is the one they're searching for." he said in a placating tone, although secretly he had no doubt that she was. "We'll protect her night and day if necessary. In the meantime you can try to find something in the ancient texts that says a way that Seth may be stopped. And then you can apologise to her for trying to kill her. I think that's only fair, don't you?"
"I have read the texts many times but perhaps I have missed something. I shall look at them once more. And I shall not apologise for trying to save mankind!"
"I think you should. Whether or not your intentions were noble, you have to admit she's done absolutely nothing to deserve such treatment!"
The dark-haired man stared at him, obviously struggling to admit Rick was right. He sighed with self-disgust, looking very uncomfortable. "Very well. This once I shall apologise." he muttered and strode off toward Tilly again.
"No, Ardeth, not now…." Rick spluttered, running after him and pulling him back.
"I do not understand you, O'Connell! You wish for me to apologise and when I do your bidding you stop me!"
"Of course I stop you! At least give her a little time to get over the shock, for crying out loud!"
"You may be right. I shall go to read the texts once more. Perhaps in the morning my words on this matter will be received with more faith! And perhaps I shall apologise."
And he stormed off, his still wet robes clinging to his tall frame as he leapt onto his horse and bade them farewell, galloping off across the sand until he was no more than a floating speck in the heat mirage.
Rick sighed heavily. Great! Typical! He looked up at the sky as if expecting divine intervention and shook his head in bewilderment. Evy came out of the tent and smiled as she saw his antics.
"Ardeth's gone then, has he?" she asked, linking her arm through his. "Has he calmed down?"
"Yeah, a bit. I don't think he's going to be any better when we see him again. I've never seen him get that angry before, not when there was no reason for it. I mean, I could understand it if Tilly had turned into this Queen person and started throwing a spear at him, but..."
"I know. I think that there may be more to this than meets the eye. Tilly's hair and eyes for example. We knew that there might be a reason for it and it seems we were right. If he comes back tomorrow perhaps you could ask him about all this?" she smiled warmly at him as he readily agreed. "You are a good man really aren't you? Even though appearances may say differently...hey!" she yelped as he playfully swatted her behind. "And since you haven't asked...Tilly's all right by the way, she's just a bit shaken. It's not every day a mad Med-jai warrior tries to kill you. She'll be out in a minute."
"She's okay then? Good. This hasn't made her want to go home or anything? It would be a shame to ruin this for her any more than it already has been."
"She's got a great constitution as far as I can tell. She reminds me of...well, you. This hasn't fazed her at all! She says she wants to explore, so that's what we're going to do."
"Good! Maybe you should go tell her that Ardeth's gone, that'll make her feel better anyway. Where's Jonathan?"
"He's guarding the entrance to the tent, proving what a big strong man he is!" she laughed and drew Rick around the side of the tent so he could see Jonathan standing to attention, one hand on a pistol tucked into his belt.
"I've got an idea," he whispered to her. They crept around the back of the big tent and lifted the base of it slightly, just giving them enough room to crawl under into the bedroom compartment that would be theirs. "We'll walk out with Tilly and he'll have a fit wondering where we came from!"
"I take it all back, you aren't good. You are an evil man! He's only trying to be good for a change," Evy pouted up at him.
"It's only a joke. Come on!"
They left the compartment and joined Tilly, who had dried herself off and changed her clothes. Apart from still being a little pale, she seemed perfectly fine. Rick patted her shoulder. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, honestly. Just give me a dagger in case he ever comes back!" she laughed shakily.
"I can, if you want me to," Rick offered, pulling a dagger out of his bag on the floor. He rummaged around until he found a leather belt with a sheath for the small blade. "There you go."
Tilly reached out and took the small weapon from him, turning it over in her hands as she assessed how much damage it could cause. "Is it okay for me to have this?"
"If it makes you feel safer, sure."
"It does, thanks. Next time I'll stab him straight in the heart!"
"I don't think that will be necessary. You're a bloodthirsty little thing aren't you?" he mused.
"Only when the occasion calls for it. That...that...man...caught me off guard this time. It won't happen again!" she bit off, waving the dagger around.
"You know," Rick said, pulling Evy against him, "I almost feel sorry for Ardeth. I have a feeling he's going to pay for what he tried to do!"
"I think you may be right," Evy murmured with a smile at Tilly, watching the younger woman loop the belt around her waist and put the blade away. "You really can tell she's your cousin!"
"That's a good thing right?" he asked with a worried look at the angry Matilda.
"Very good, don't worry. Tilly?" she interrupted the young woman's mutterings. "We thought we could go and explore now. Ready?"
"Oh yes, sorry. Where are we going to go?"
"We thought you'd like a stroll around the hypostyle Hall. It was built by Seti I and his son Ramses II and it is simply enormous. You'll love it! Come on," Evy dragged her out of the tent and past a surprised Jonathan.
"Hey, where did you come from? I never saw you go in..."
"Well, that just goes to show what a good bodyguard you are, doesn't it Jonathan?" Rick said quietly, giving the thin man's shoulder a hard squeeze. "Maybe next time you'll check the tent is pegged down all the way around?"
"Oh, I say, that's not cricket, you know. Hey, where are you all going?" he yelped as Rick joined the others and they walked away across the sand. "Wait for me!"
They spent several hours looking around Karnak and Tilly was amazed at the sheer size of the temple.
"How on earth did they build pillars like this?" she said, her eyes wide as she looked up at the enormous engraved pillars that lined the Hypostyle hall, the sun shining brightly in the clear blue sky up above them. Jonathan stood behind her, shaking his head. "I have no idea old girl," he said, placing a hand affectionately on her shoulder. "It must have taken years though, I expect."
"Doesn't it just stun you? I never imagined I would ever see anything as a beautiful as this. I would love to go back in time and really see how the great Pharaohs lived. I mean," she said, gesturing at the great hall, "this looks great now, but imagine what it must have looked like 3000 years ago, before it became a ruin!"
"Before all the sand," he nodded, oblivious to the grandeur in front of him. Tilly gave him a sideways glance, wondering how he could be so unaffected when he was standing in such an ancient place. But then, she shrugged, that was Jonathan all over. If there was no gold or treasure to be seen then he wasn't really interested.
Tilly rolled her eyes and began walking down the main aisle of the Hypostyle Hall, once more looking around the near ruins of a building that had been erected so many years ago. Evy and Rick had disappeared into one of the side chambers some time ago and Tilly went off in search of them, grinning as Jonathan rushed up to her with his hand once more on his gun, ready to protect her if necessary.
It was a shame she didn't find him remotely attractive, she mused, because he was really a rather wonderful person underneath all that fake charm. They found Rick and Evy attempting to decipher some hieroglyphs on a smaller pillar in a side chamber.
"Well, how do you like Karnak so far?" Evy asked, dusting the sand from her palms as she got to her feet.
"It is absolutely wonderful! I'm so glad you asked me to come."
"Even after what Ardeth did?" Rick joined in.
"Yes, even after that. This makes it all worthwhile, somehow," she said, gesturing generally around her.
"I know what you mean. You're very like me, you know. Nothing could dampen my spirits when it comes to exploring!" Evy said, grinning.
Rick agreed with her. "Not even raising a Mummy from the dead and almost being sacrificed!"
"Well, life would be so boring if there was no adventure..." she began.
"Or danger! Or reincarnation, or one hundred other things that are almost guaranteed to get you killed!"
"That's true. And now it seems it's Tilly's turn, unfortunately," Jonathan chipped in, hugging Tilly comfortingly.
"Thank you for reminding me. But I have a weapon now and no-one is going to get at me!" Tilly said forcefully, trying to will herself to believe it. "Will that Ardeth person be coming back again?"
"Yes. Don't worry, it was totally out of character for him the way he acted. I've never seen him like that before, none of us have. I don't expect it to be repeated, so try not to kill him on sight okay?" Rick said, laughing at the mental image of this small ferocious woman killing the tall Arab.
"Okay, I'll allow him to live this once. But if he so much as comes near me..." she threatened.
"I'll keep him away from you or I'll be with him whenever he comes near, I promise. Okay?"
She nodded and shook off the nervous feeling again, turning to Evy. "When are we going to see the dig site?"
"Right now if you like. Professor Jackson Millbrook is the man in charge, second only to me of course! He's really nice, not at all stuffy, although he can be a little...overly charming." Evy cleared her throat as she thought of what a mild word that was when it came to Jack. "Let's go and meet him!"
