Flight of Souls
Chapter 29 – Escape
The rock ladder she was climbing soon slanted to nearly a 45-degree angle, making it much easier to climb. Still, Tia's fingers were raw from the rough stone. She though several times of ditching the high heeled satin shoes she was wearing, but the thought of her toes ending up in the same condition as her fingers kept her from doing it. The flimsy satin wasn't much protection from the stone, but it was better than nothing.
She didn't know how long this was taking. Too long, she suspected. She braced her back against the opposite wall of the tunnel, ignoring the way the rough stone scraped against her bare back. Just a few moments of rest and she'd continue on. After a minute or two, she shifted her weight back and continued to climb, scraping her shoulder in the process. I'll bet none of those workmen thought about climbing this ladder in a low cut satin gown, she thought savagely. I'd sell my soul just about now for a pair of trousers and a long sleeved shirt, not to mention a decent pair of shoes.
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Evie eased from her hiding place when she could no longer see Sir Randolph's torch. Unfortunately, since she'd extinguished her lantern, she could no longer see anything. The darkness was absolute. Trying to move silently, she traced her fingers along the wall, groping her way into the main burial chamber.
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Rick drove the small car through the Valley of Kings. There was a road of sorts, intended for donkeys and the odd tourist. It was very rocky though, and he kept scraping the undercarriage of the car. A larger car or a jeep might have managed okay, but the little compact car wasn't doing well.
"I can't believe you stole this car," Robert said from the back seat.
"Borrowed," Rick corrected. "I borrowed this car. We'll bring it back."
"There won't be anything left of it," Robert said in disgust. "If you crash it, we'll have to walk the rest of the way."
"Should have borrowed a bigger car," Ardeth observed dispassionately.
"There wasn't one available." Rick said, swerving around a large pothole. "If you think you could do better, you drive."
Ardeth shrugged. "How hard can it be?"
"You've never driven a car before?"
"Why would I need to drive a car? You can't get to my home with one."
Rick cocked his head, and swerved in the other direction to avoid a large rock. "Never thought of that."
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After what seemed like forever, Tia finally saw a faint glow of daylight ahead. The tunnel leveled out for the last fifty yards or so. She crawled to the end of the tunnel and looked out. The opening was about eight feet from the ground, and appeared to be in an alcove in the rock. She shifted around and lowered herself feet first, then let herself drop.
The driver guarding the door of the tomb was bored out of his mind. He'd been up all night transporting Sir Randolph, a body wrapped in a blanket and several of Varne's henchmen to this very place. No sooner had they finally gotten back to the yacht, but Sir Randolph had called him out again. So here he was, in the middle of nowhere. He considered crawling into the back seat of the car and taking a nap, but was afraid of Sir Randolph coming out and catching him asleep. Grumpily he slouched against the rock near the entrance to the tomb. His employer was a loon. Why would anyone want to spend all night in an ancient Egyptian tomb? It gave him the creeps. Disconsolately he surveyed the surrounding rock walls of the valley.
He was just about to return to the car when he heard a muffled thud and a small cry of pain. Puzzled, he looked around. The sounds had come from a small impression in the rock not far from the tomb entrance. Curious, he walked over to see what the disturbance was. The sight in front of him made him drop his jaw in astonishment.
Tia's breath hissed in as she gingerly felt her ankle. She'd twisted it falling from the tunnel to the ground. Carefully she rotated the foot. It wasn't broken, probably just a slight sprain. She started to push herself to her feet when she froze in horror. Staring at her, mouth agape, was an Arabic man in a chauffeur's uniform. Ohmigod, she thought frantically. This must be Varne's driver. He had a gun in a holster on his belt. He must double as a bodyguard, she thought.
The driver stared at her in bemusement. Now this was something! The girl's fair skin and blond hair looked extremely exotic to a man used to women with dark hair and skin. The snug satin gown was low cut, and the skirt was tumbled around her thighs, showing shapely legs and sexy high-heeled shoes.
Tia cursed under her breath and got to her feet, twitching the dress so that her legs were covered. Unfortunately, she couldn't do much about the neckline.
Even dusty and disheveled as she undoubtedly was, she probably looked like something out of a girly magazine. Did they have girly magazines in Muslim countries? Now this man was leering at her. Fabulous. She wasn't going to be able to run on her sprained ankle, particularly on this rocky ground. She was going to have to think of something else. Summoning up her courage, she smiled invitingly at the man.
The driver smiled in delight and advanced on Tia. She was a fantasy come true. He'd take her over to the car, and to hell with Sir Randolph.
Tia put out a hand and trailed it coyly down his throat to his shoulder. Her other hand brushed down his chest toward the gun at his waist. She lost her balance and fell against him as he jerked her toward him, but managed to laugh lightly and regain her feet. She gritted her teeth behind her smile as she endured his rough groping. Her hand again stroked down his body toward the gun. If she could just get it out of the holster! She leaned into him and nipped the edge of his jaw, hoping it would distract him enough that he wouldn't notice. Carefully she eased the gun free. Quickly she pushed against his chest with her free hand and stepped back, bringing the gun up. The man realized what she was doing at the last moment, and brought his own hand up to grab hers.
The sound of a gunshot echoed through the rocky valley.
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Thank you for reviewing, Lometari, mrsblonde1503 and ephona!
ladyRivendell, as to your question, Robert Varne is the reincarnation of Tiye and Imhotep's unborn child, not Horemheb. Sorry, I guess I wasn't clear enough.