THE PROPHECY OF ANU-RA
Part four
The dock was busy. Passengers rushing to catch their steamers scrambled to dodge grime-covered workers in the middle of off loading cargo. All the while Professor Marsden sat in his handsome cab twisting his upright, silver, eagle-head cane in his hands, as he watched the chaotic scenes before him.
Sahir, his manservant, coughed into the side of his curled first to make his presence known to his master. "Excuse me, Professor Marsden, sir."
"What did you find out?" Marsden asked, barely acknowledging his valet.
"Sir, the O'Connells, including their son Alex, Mrs. O'Connell's brother, a Jonathan Carnahan and a unnamed man have booked passage on the four o'clock steamer."
"Destination?"
"Cairo, sir."
"And this stranger, what does he look like?"
"He is not from here, sir. He is very impressive looking. Carries himself with much dignity."
"Damn it man, a description of his looks, what does he look like?" Marsden snapped as he glared at Sahir from inside the cab.
"Pardon," Sahir bowed, keeping his eyes lowered as he had been taught.
"He dresses in a black garb, somewhat Arab in appearance, with intricate silver adornments on the cloth. His is marked in an unusual fashion, he..."
"Tattoos on the face and hands," Marsden looked lost in thought as he added to Sahir's information. "Med-jai."
"You know this man, sir?"
"No, but I know of his kind. So, we now have two pieces of a very intriguing puzzle." Reaching into his jacket, Marsden retrieved a wad of pound notes and leafing through the contents, pealed off a large amount of money. "Book passage on the same steamer for us, state room for me of course."
"As you wish, sir," Sahir took the money and backed away to book the passage.
MRMRMRMRMR
"So, Ardeth, about this 'Wahid' business, any money offerings, or gold deities involved for our man Rick?" Jonathan excitedly asked the Med-jai chieftain as they packed the car for their trip.
"No," Ardeth replied slightly amused with Jonathan's preoccupation for riches.
"No lost cities of treasures, or scepters of gold?" Jonathan was rapidly losing hope of finding anything of value on this trip.
"No."
"What about...."
"No."
"No, Jeweled...."
"No, sorry." Ardeth shrugged as he moved to help Evelyn with one of her bags.
"No gold idols, no jewels, no golden scepters." Jonathan whined as he leaned casually against the car watching the others pack the bags. "What is archeology coming to when a man can't make a decent leaving out of the dead."
"Dead is what you'll be if you don't start helping us pack," Rick warned his brother in law as he threw a carpetbag at the unprepared man stomach.
As air escaped Jonathan's lean form, he smiled through clench teeth as he pried the bag from what he was sure, was a dented stomach. "Right, as you say, many hands and all that."
TBC
Part four
The dock was busy. Passengers rushing to catch their steamers scrambled to dodge grime-covered workers in the middle of off loading cargo. All the while Professor Marsden sat in his handsome cab twisting his upright, silver, eagle-head cane in his hands, as he watched the chaotic scenes before him.
Sahir, his manservant, coughed into the side of his curled first to make his presence known to his master. "Excuse me, Professor Marsden, sir."
"What did you find out?" Marsden asked, barely acknowledging his valet.
"Sir, the O'Connells, including their son Alex, Mrs. O'Connell's brother, a Jonathan Carnahan and a unnamed man have booked passage on the four o'clock steamer."
"Destination?"
"Cairo, sir."
"And this stranger, what does he look like?"
"He is not from here, sir. He is very impressive looking. Carries himself with much dignity."
"Damn it man, a description of his looks, what does he look like?" Marsden snapped as he glared at Sahir from inside the cab.
"Pardon," Sahir bowed, keeping his eyes lowered as he had been taught.
"He dresses in a black garb, somewhat Arab in appearance, with intricate silver adornments on the cloth. His is marked in an unusual fashion, he..."
"Tattoos on the face and hands," Marsden looked lost in thought as he added to Sahir's information. "Med-jai."
"You know this man, sir?"
"No, but I know of his kind. So, we now have two pieces of a very intriguing puzzle." Reaching into his jacket, Marsden retrieved a wad of pound notes and leafing through the contents, pealed off a large amount of money. "Book passage on the same steamer for us, state room for me of course."
"As you wish, sir," Sahir took the money and backed away to book the passage.
MRMRMRMRMR
"So, Ardeth, about this 'Wahid' business, any money offerings, or gold deities involved for our man Rick?" Jonathan excitedly asked the Med-jai chieftain as they packed the car for their trip.
"No," Ardeth replied slightly amused with Jonathan's preoccupation for riches.
"No lost cities of treasures, or scepters of gold?" Jonathan was rapidly losing hope of finding anything of value on this trip.
"No."
"What about...."
"No."
"No, Jeweled...."
"No, sorry." Ardeth shrugged as he moved to help Evelyn with one of her bags.
"No gold idols, no jewels, no golden scepters." Jonathan whined as he leaned casually against the car watching the others pack the bags. "What is archeology coming to when a man can't make a decent leaving out of the dead."
"Dead is what you'll be if you don't start helping us pack," Rick warned his brother in law as he threw a carpetbag at the unprepared man stomach.
As air escaped Jonathan's lean form, he smiled through clench teeth as he pried the bag from what he was sure, was a dented stomach. "Right, as you say, many hands and all that."
TBC