The Egyptian Exodus
Chapter One: Not An Earthquake
"And 3...2...1..."
11 year old Regina Makosh didn't bother to look up from her watch as the fountain of water erupted behind her back.
"Well, I'll say that for it, it certainly is faithful."
Oblivious to the ooh's and ahh's of several hundred mostly Japanese tourists eagerly snapping photos, she turned around, trotted over to a bench crawling with children around her own age, and fought her way to a granola bar.
From a safe distance, the kind a safari explorer might keep between themselves and a pride of hungry lions, two figures watched the ensuing melee from a picnic bench.
"Regina just got the last granola bar."
"There's still some potato chips in there, I think."
"You know what's going to happen, don't you, when they find out that Regina took the last granola bar?"
"Regina's a sturdy girl, my money's on her."
"I mean when they find out the food is gone."
"Isn't that when we send them off to forage?"
"How much money do we have left?"
"Exactly?"
"Yes."
"Seven dollars and... forty seven cents."
"Please tell me you're joking."
"Ok, forty three cents.""Um, Lucy...."
"They're going to come today, they HAVE to come today."
"We could take them home."
"They told us quite specifically not to take them home."
"Seven dollars and forty three cents is not going to feed this lot another night."
"Well, not the way Regina's eating it won't."
Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Zahra, who dropped down next to Diego at the picnic table and followed his gaze over towards where school children of various ages were grappling in hand to hand combat next to an empty cardboard box.
"You will not believe the lines for the toilets around here...Hey, who got the last granola bar?"
"Regina."
"Figures, steady girl that one."
"Lucy and I were just talking about-"
"About how now might be the time to let them go play with the bears."
"Lucy..."
"This place is known for the bears, people come from all over the world."
"I don't think that would be a good idea."
"Why not? I mean, by now they have all pretty much figured out what poison ivy is."
"Oh, that reminds me, I saw Nani in the line for the toilets, and she was scratching at something."
"Ok, this is going to an uncomfortable place."
"Don't worry, I stopped her, made her wash her hands with that soap the old people gave us, before she, you know, DID anything, but it's probably in the sleeping bag as well..."
"Oh Geez...."
"She also said that Ahkmed has been playing with some snakes he found behind the boys latrine."
"Did she say what color the snakes were?"
"Um, no, she didn-"
"AHKMED!"
A small nine year old boy with black curly hair and copper skin extracted himself from the ongoing battle for the last granola bar and trotted over. He was wearing a torn and dirt covered set of pajamas with planets and stars all over them.
"Ahkmed, have you been playing with snakes behind the toilets?"
Ahkmend nodded.
"What color are they please?"
"Red and black."
"Oh, all right then. Go and play."
Ahkmed smiled and happily dashed back to the tangled mass of limbs and heads, cheerfully leaping on the back of the first boy he saw and pulling him to the ground.
"Um, Lucy..."
""Red and black, friend of Jack, red and yellow kill the fellow.' He's perfectly safe."
A scream came from deep within the mass of children, but it couldn't have been too serious, as no one came running for medical attention.
A good thing too, since at the moment "medical attention" consisted of paper towels from the bathrooms to stem bloody noses and minor scratches, and three Band Aids for major wounds.
Lucy put her head down on the table.
"Um, Lucy-"
She spoke into the table.
"They're coming TODAY, Diego. We have been in the wilderness with virtually no resources, no training, and thirty seven minors, half of whom, do not speak the lingua franca, for THREE DAYS. They are coming for us TODAY."
"And, if they don't? We-"
"Are NOT taking them home. Cheer up, if they don't come by dinner, we'll eat Ahkmed's snakes."
Three Days Previously....
Lucy Montero was woken from a lovely dream, involving seahorses and water ballet, by the rather disturbing sensation have having a large book fall on her head.
This was, as it turned out, because a rather large book HAD fallen on her head. Warren Lane's old copy of Transfiguration Level Seven: The Really, Really Hard Stuff, to be precise. That wasn't the actual title, of course, it appeared that at some point during studying for his exams Warren had decided the book needed to come with some type of warning, and he had taken the liberty of adding one himself. In preparing the summer reading for her last year at Hogwats Lucy found that Warren had made several such editorial decisions throughout this book and others. It certainly made for more interesting reading.
However, a look at her watch showed that it was just after two in the morning, and she was not interested in reading her transfiguration textbook right now.
Lucy looked up and lifted her arm to put the book back in its proper place on the shelf above her bed.
THUNK"Ow!" This was followed by a string of Spanish curses as Lucy looked down at the copy of "Standard Book of Potions: Level Seven, or 100 Ways to Kill Yourself by Professor S. Snape."
Hmm, maybe she ought to cover that one before bringing it into class.
She rubbed at the bruise on her forehead and was about to turn on a light to see what was the matter with her shelf when she felt the shudder.
Three more books fell down around her.
Apparently it was not the shelf that was broken, but the building.
In the back of her mind, Lucy began to feel that something was wrong.
Just in case the falling books hadn't been a big enough indication.
They had been here three weeks, and this had never happened, no one had mentioned any quirky habits the building had of shuddering or settling or anything like that. Nor was she aware that the city of Cairo fell along any major fault lines, so it couldn't be an earthquake.
Just then Lucy felt a rather large shudder, and she rolled out of the way just before the rest of the shelf came crashing down, the mirror fell off the wall, and her lamp fell over.
So much for turning on the light.
She shoved aside boards and books and reached under her pillow to pull out her wand.
Lucy was the only person in the school who would be doing that right now, the mages and students of Cairo's Imhotep Academy didn't use wands. In fact, the mere sight of Lucy's made the elders uncomfortable, and she had to remember to carry it in an inside pocket where it didn't peek out.
"Lumos," she whispered, using the lighted end to find her way to the door.
Still in her bare feet, she opened it and stepped out into the hall.
At that point another shock hit the school, you could hear it this time, and at the sound of glass shattering she turned to see the window in her room was now a shiny mass of glass splinters on the floor.
A split second later she hear the shouting and screaming. It appeared people who had not had books falling on their heads moments ago were just now waking up.
Doors began to open up and down the long, narrow corridor. The sleepy, confused faces of over thirty children between the ages of 8 and 12 appeared, muttering to each other in rapid Egyptian and looking around in confusion.
The door next to Lucy's opened, and she saw the tousled black hair of her lifelong friend Diego Alvarez appear. He was not sleepy, however, his dark eyes were alert, although seeing as he was tugging on a pair of jeans over his boxers and was without a shirt, it seemed he had just woken up. Lucy was tempted to laugh, she had bought those for him as a gift and had never expected the 20 year old to actually wear them. Not that she wasn't amused by the pink fluffy bunnies, but lilac really wasn't his color.
"It's not an earthquake, is it?" she asked him.
Just then she saw a figure emerge behind Diego. The willowy, dark haired form of Zahra Sharif, the 19 year old daughter of the museum curator and school librarian, wearing a pair of Diego's boxer shorts and an old tee shirt.
Lucy had time enough to register what she was seeing and raise an eyebrow.
Then the lights went out.
As if on cue, the thirty-some odd students screamed with the unity of a Greek chorus.
They stopped as soon as they had started, it seemed, for the emergency lightening kicked in, and eerie red light bulbs cast a rosy glow along the hall.
"Someone cut the power," Diego said.
Another tremor.
"What the hell is going on?" Lucy had to shout to be heard among the chattering children.
Zahra's eyes were wide. "Someone is trying to break through the school's protections. The tremors are like a warning system, a very old, very ancient warning system."
Lucy rubbed her forehead. Some warning system.
Zahra turned to Diego, "We need to find my father."
Lucy was about to comment that she shouldn't go looking for her father wearing her boyfriend's underwear, but this did seem to be an emergency.
In any case, they didn't have to. At that moment a tall man with greying black hair could be seen wading through the sea of children at the other end of the hall, he had come from the resident librarian's suite just down the hall from the entrance to the student wing.
He actually looked relieved to see Zahra there. Something must really be wrong.
"Mr. Sharif, what-"
"The school is being attacked."
"By whom?"
"We aren't certain. But all signs indicate the same force we have seen before."
Lucy gulped. The force he was talking about was the Death Eaters.
Diego nodded, "They've come for the library, I assume?"
The Cairo Museum had two functions, as a muggle museum it was a celebrated collection of ancient artifacts. The other side, in what was to the outside world the service and storage area, was a very unelegant display of the most valuable and powerful collection of western magical texts from the Mesopotamian world. It was priceless.
But Mr. Sharif shook his head. "There has been no activity from the library. The attacks are concentrated on this building."
Zahra shook her head, "They must not know what they're doing. There's nothing in this wing but the kitchens, classrooms-"
"And dormitories," Lucy finished. It was widely known that the servants of Lord Voldemort, in addition to seeking out texts that would enable them to access the natural energy used by the Western Circle, were also looking for a human code breaker, someone to use to help the untrained Eastern wizards understand HOW to use that knowledge.
Lucy looked Mr. Sharif straight in the eye. "You think they've come for the students."
The man nodded.
Diego began to look around, "We could defend this place, with the teachers-"
"The teachers can't get here in time, they are being cut off."
The academy's resident teachers, those that did not live in the city, were no fools, and had their apartments in a wing on the opposite side of the building from the ruckus of the student dormitories. It would be easy to prevent them from reaching here in time.
Another tremor, the students screamed-
"Silence!" Mr. Sharif shouted, and was obeyed.
"No one is to speak unless spoken to," he admonished the children in Egyptian, then turned back to address Lucy, Diego, and Zahra in English.
"You have to get the students out."
Zahra shook her head, "I'm not leaving you."
"Yes, you are. You are the only one who knows the secret entrances to the private library. You have to get them there. Once inside, operate the locking mechanism, it will give you some time."
He turned to Lucy and Diego. "The library is a safe energy haven. Even if they have performed the spell that prevented gating out in past attacks, you should be unhindered inside the library itself. Gate them out."
"But-"
"There's no time, and you two have probably done it more than anyone else in the building."
Lucy looked at Diego, he nodded. Mr. Sharif went on talking.
"No schools, nothing familiar. We have to assume if they could know so precisely where to find the children that they have knowledge of where other schools are. For all we know they could be attacking them right now."
"Then, where-"
"Somewhere you know is safe, but nowhere the Circle has a school. And we may not be able to get to you for several days. Do you have a mirror?"
Lucy darted for her room. "Give me ten seconds."
Another tremor hit the building as she grabbed her satchel from the side of her bed, it was already mostly packed, she simply added three journals, an amulet, and a mirror and ran back out into the hall.
She showed the communication mirror to Mr. Sharif. He nodded.
"One more thing, above all else, don't bring the children back here, and don't take them to Espiritu. We have to assume that these people know you two are with us. They could be waiting."
"But the wards-"
"It is too much of a risk."
There was another tremor, violent, and the sound of running from the floor above.
"Go, now!"
Zahra kissed her father, and sprinted off through the children, "Follow me! In silence! Follow me!"
They left Mr. Sharif behind in the now empty student wing, as Zahra led the children in an eerie stampede of bare feet on carpeted floors. Diego brought up the rear, Lucy was in the middle, urging the children along as Zahra led them through side halls, behind a tapestry, up a hidden narrow staircase, through a room filled with dusty boxes, dimly lit by moonlight, and through a small door hidden behind a mirror.
They emerged fifty feet above the floor of the private library of Imhotep Academy. The cylindrical chamber had shelves of books up to the ceiling, which was just above their heads, Diego had to duck. They made their way down a curving staircase that ran along the walls. Zahra was miles ahead running down the rickety stair with an ease that came from growing up in this room. She sprinted to the center of the floor, and placed her hand upon the obelisk that stood there. She turned it 360 degrees, and to Lucy's astonishment, it sank two feet into the floor. At the same time, a grinding and clicking noise could be heard, and great slabs of stone dropped in front of the four doors on the first floor, and sporadically in places higher up in the walls. The secret entrances.
"It used to be temple of sorts," Zahra said as explanation. "That also activates an energy shield, they won't be able to pop in here."
Lucy assumed she was alluding to apparating, and nodded.
Diego turned to her, "Where are we going to go Luce?"
"Since when is this my call?"
"You've done this more than me."
How the hell was she supposed to decide? In fact, for some reason only one bizarre choice was going through her head, she couldn't really think of any other.
Oh well, any port in a storm.
She whirled around to the throng of children.
"Attention!" she prayed her Egyptian didn't sound as rusty as it was. The key to children was to show no fear.
"We are going on a field trip! And we are traveling by gate!"
Intense chattering.
"We can't go until everyone is silent."
Instantly you could hear a pin drop. Lucy was impressed.
"All right, first, everyone needs to have a gating buddy."
Like elementary PE class, this was not a simple matter for children, and Lucy had to wait several minutes for the children to pair off.
"Do you have your gating buddy?"
18 pairs of children held up their joined hands.
A small voice cried, "I don't!"
Lucy felt a stab of pity. "Come here then."
He couldn't be more than eight, with messy brown curls and big brown eyes.
"What's your name?"
"Omiri."
"Well, Omiri, you can be MY gating buddy."
There was an appreciative chorus of "oohs" from the other 36 students.
Diego came over, "We ought to get going." Then he bent down to Omiri. "Hey, be a help, would you Omiri, and go take care of my gating buddy," he pointed to Zahra, "I think she's a little scared."
Omiri nodded, straightened up, walked over to Zahara, and took her hand.
With the children well subdued, Lucy and Diego began to form the gate. Diego spun the energy and 'handed' it off to Lucy, who was setting the destination, and stabilizing.
When it was finished, Diego looked through at the destination.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Lucy shrugged, "I was under pressure. You have to admit, it's the last place they'll ever look for us."
Diego nodded.
Lucy turned back to the students. "Diego and Zahra here are going to demonstrate proper gating procedure. Pay attention, and remember, when you land on the other side, please move out of the way so you don't trample yourselves."
The children giggled. Omiri came to stand at Lucy's side, and Diego and Zahra approached the gate. They held hands, and as one stepped over the threshold and vanished.
The students gasped.
"All right, who's next?"
The children collectively took a step back from the gate. All except two. What looked to be an eleven year old girl in a pair of Chinese pajamas and an eight year old girl who, it appeared, liked to sleep in a Disney princess Halloween costume. Both were staring at the gate with curiosity.
"Regina, I don't know..."
"Come on Jas, it'll be fun."
It seemed to be all the encouragement required, and the younger girl nodded. Regina took her hand; they approached the gate, and stepped through.
Not to be outdone, a pair of 12 year old boys went through next, and soon Lucy had to slow the stampede to make sure only two were going through at a time.
Kids these days.
When it was finally just her and Omiri in the room, Lucy put out her wand, swung on her satchel, and took the little boy's hand. A tremor shook the floor violently.
"Come on Omiri, this place is getting kind of boring."
The little boy grinned, and they stepped through the portal. After a few disorienting seconds, they found themselves in a sheltered glade, not far from the entrance to Yellowstone National Park.
Author's Note:
Hello again, to those of you who are still out there, reviewers and lurkers alike. Just to clarify, this story is probably going to be more like the interlude I wrote between Apple Pie and Enchiladas and Rockinghorse People, Rebels, and Redcoats; that is, this is just the summer, and Lucy's 7th year will be a different story. Oh, and if you have not read the first 3 in the "series", this probably makes more sense if you have, although, since they are kind of long, I try to re-explain things as much as possible. Except, of course, when I don't explain anything, which, as those of you who have read the other three stories have already figured out, I do a lot. Cheers!