Chapter 7: Fate's Hand

They arrived in Port Said three days later. This was a relief to all on board, as they were running low on supplies. The storm had knocked around several of their water tanks and had caused them to leak, so they were glad to be going somewhere where they could refill. Mira was slightly excited, although still upset about being apart from Seto and Mokuba. However, she felt that she had made the correct choice, as she still did not know the location of her friends. She hoped that she would be able to find some contact in her travels who would know how to find them, and when she did, then would be the time to assess the situation, and perhaps leave Stephen. For now, though, she was bound to the green eyed and red haired Stephen. She owed him a life debt, and she was going to pay some of it off, at least.

It was uncontrollably hot in Damietta, which was the city closest to the port. The temperature had topped in the mid hundreds, which was the highest temperature the city had ever seen. The humidity was terrible. Mira was soaked from head to foot by the time they reached shelter from the elements. Luckily, a few of the nicer establishments offered refrigerated air, as well as refreshments. Mira was glad to get out of the heat, but eager to explore this strange new world. It was truly amazing how she was halfway across the world, in a country known for its ancient secrets. Mira wanted to make it a point to get out and observe the country a little before they set off again.

Stephen had been to Egypt before, so he knew where he could get the supplies they needed. However, now that there was no rush to get Mira home, he figured that the crew could take a few days and spend some time getting to know the country. The supply shop they needed to go to was in Cairo anyway, so they had some time before they would be able to leave the port. Stephen found them arrangements in Damietta, near the southern tip so they would be closer to Cairo. He told them that they would be able to go wherever they wished the next day. He had gotten several guides who knew the northern part of Egypt very well who had agreed to take the crew out in several groups. Mira, however, had other ideas.

They slept very well that night, due to the fact that they were no longer on the open sea where they were forever moving with the waves. It was nice not to feel the disorientation that came after disembarking from the ship. Stephen had sworn that the feeling would wear off before the end of the day, and he had been correct, much to Mira's delight. They had eaten at the restaurant in the hotel, and the food had been very good, and not what she had expected after eating only American food for the past twelve years or so. It was refreshing to be in a place with so much culture. She had hardly seen anything yet, but already felt comfortable in the country. It was truly a wondrous place.

The following morning, they all woke early. They ate a small yet filling breakfast provided by the hotel, then met with the guides to discuss the plans of the day. Callista wanted to see the open air markets of Cairo, as did many of the women on board. The men, however, wished to go to the Cairo Tower.

Both of the guides were open to this. "For the women, we shall go to Khan Al – Khalili. It is the largest open air market in the heart of Cairo. There are many things sold there such as rare spices, perfumes and jewelry."

"Yes," said the other guide. "And for the men, we can indeed go to the Cairo Tower. It is 600 feet high, and at the top is a revolving restaurant and bar. If you tire of that, then we can go to one of the museums. There is much to do in Cairo."

"That sounds good," Stephen said. "I will go order our supplies while you do that. When I'm done, I'll catch up to you. You guys have fun!"

Callista frowned. "Do you want me to come with you? I don't want you to be lonely."

Stephen smiled. "Don't worry so much. I'll be fine. Besides, you girls look like you need some fun. I'll be along in a while. Who knows? Maybe I'll bring you something." He smiled again and set off to order supplies. Meanwhile, the guides were organizing transport for the crew.

Mira, however, had spent much of morning studying the various ruins in Egypt, and had decided that she wanted to go to Giza, where the famous pyramids and sphinx statue were. However, she did not want to alarm the others by simply leaving. She turned to Callista.

"If it's alright, I'm not going to go with you guys."

Callista laughed. "You really want to spend your day with a bunch of men in a bar Mira?"

"No. I'm going to Giza. It's not that much out of the way, and besides, it's famous for its archeological ruins. I really would value that trip much more. I already know someone who will take me as a guide, and I assure you, I won't get into any trouble."

Callista laughed, then grew serious. "You really want to see old ruins that much? Well, I suppose that Giza isn't that far out of the way. Stephen wouldn't like it, but as long as you come back along with us, he won't even know that you weren't with us. Just be careful, okay? I don't want you getting hurt.

Mira smiled. "I'll try to stay out of trouble." The problem is that it always seems to find me.

"Okay, we'll all meet back here at six. That gives us a good eight hours to get where we want to go. Ugg, I don't know if I can shop for eight hours. Maybe I will go to the bar with the men!"

One of the other women grabbed Callista's arm. "Oh, come on. You love shopping. This is like a dream come true or something. There's so much to see! Let's go!"

"Alright, alright, we're going." She turned to the guide. "I think we'd better get going before these girls have a conniption."

The guide smiled. "Yes, ma'am."

Mira turned away from the group. She had hated t lie to Callista, but she just had to see Giza. Something was pulling her there, but she didn't know what it was…

She didn't actually have a guide, but she had picked up sever maps that morning, and had found that it was relatively simple to reach on foot, and could be traveled in only a few hour's time. Mira was thankful for the time alone. She had never had much time to herself, and when she did, she was always brooding. She did that now as she journeyed in the hot sun. It would get much hotter before the day's end. She was glad to have gotten water and food together for her journey. Now she was excited. This, perhaps, would alleviate the pain and guilt of losing Seto and Mokuba. She walked for several hours, taking in the culture and authenticity of the place. It was truly a sight to behold. There was indeed much to see. There were merchants selling their goods, there were dancers and performers, there were stands with food that smelled wonderful, yet foreign…

Mira became lost in it for a moment, reveling in this exquisite culture, when she saw the pyramids. She was now in the city of Giza. She could tell, even from here, that they were gigantic. She wanted a closer look, so she followed the path that had been worn for tourists like herself to the ancient historical monuments. As she walked, she could not help but notice that there were no other tourists, no other interested sightseers like herself that she could see. It seemed that she was the only one out to see the wonder of the world on that hot day. It seemed a bit odd. Surely there had to be others. But then again, it was hot, and off season for tourists. Perhaps this made perfect sense to the locals.

She suddenly found herself in front of the largest structure she had ever seen, that she remembered, anyway. It was hundreds of feet high. The walls were corroding, but otherwise still in fine shape. The overall impression it made was enough to take Mira's breath away. She stepped inside to see a row of what seemed to be coffins lining the first hall. The inside was well cared for, it seemed, probably by the government. There were ropes in certain places where she was not allowed to journey, and this was just as well. As she had said, she was not looking for trouble. She descended what seemed to be a sort of staircase into the catacombs. There were many more tombs here, as well as some explanations of how the Egyptian Pharaohs were buried with their most precious belongings. This intrigued Mira. After all, the pharaohs had been exceedingly wealthy. It seemed, however, that most of the treasure had been taken to museums and emporiums to be researched. This was such a shame. The pharaohs would not be pleased if they knew that their life's possession had been taken from their sides. Mira spent another few hours studying the pyramids, then stopped for a look at the famous sphinx statue which supposedly guarded the pyramids from dangers of the desert. Mira finally felt that she should be getting back. It was almost four, and it was still a two hour walk back.

She made it as far as the outskirts of the town before she felt that she was being watched. She whirled around and was just able to catch a glimpse of someone. Then they were gone. Mira knew that she should not go looking for trouble, but this was odd. She had felt that she was being watched before she entered the pyramids, but the feeling had disappeared. Now she was certain that she had been followed. She quickly turned and was startled to find someone standing directly behind her. She started, but then quickly calmed herself. She surveyed the man who stood before her. He was tall and thin. He was well tanned, implying that he was an inhabitant of this place. His eyes were a dark blue, however, which was odd for people of African descent. He wore a white turban and cream colored robes with whiter trim, and around his neck was…

"That key!" Mira gasped. It was the key that she had seen in her dreams when she was back at the orphanage. It was the one that had allowed her to find Mokuba so that she could save him. It was large and golden with an oversized loop at the top where a leather strip connected it around the man's neck. He simply stared at her, then walked away. Mira did not move for several moments. Was this a dream? Perhaps brought on by the heat of the sun? He turned back and looked at her again, and she knew that she had to follow him, even if this was a dream. She took a step in his direction, and he stopped and turned, shaking his head, clearly telling her not to follow him. Mira was confused. He did not want her to follow him? He was getting away. Mira sighed, took her heart in her hands, and followed him.

The man would have been lost at once as they hit the first wave of people, but his two golden earrings and bright colored robes gave him away, as these were not common apparel among the people. He slipped between the rows of small houses, heading away from the town. Mira followed him closely, but she did not feel that she would lose him, even if he did manage to slip away. She felt pulled somehow, attached to the key that he wore around his neck. He continued on towards the northern outskirts of the town. Suddenly he disappeared. Mira kept walking, even though she could not see him. She could feel that he was close. She entered a small alcove near a small hut, and nearly fell down a flight of what seemed to be ancient stairs. There was very little lighting, and Mira clung to the wall as she descended the stairs. As she walked, she noticed that carved on the walls were ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and pictures depicting a pharaoh holding several golden items. There were also pictures of who Mira figured to be various priests and priestesses. Mira noticed one priest in particular. He had to be the head priest. He held a golden rod in his hand, and behind him was some sort of dragon. It was difficult to see what it was exactly in the bad lighting. Mira was struck by how cold and mean the priest looked. Mira was glad not to have met him.

She descended the final stair and gasped at what she saw. There, there in the middle of the huge room was the coffin that had been in her dream that had been haunting her. Then she remembered where she had seen the man. She had known he looked familiar, but now she knew. He was the man from her dreams, the one who had held the scales and the key around his neck. He was standing in front of the coffin now, and Mira could see the holes that she had seen in her dream. The difference was now that some of the spaces that had been filled were empty. The object that had looked like a compass was gone, as was the strange eye. However, several were still there. The man turned and stared at Mira. Then he spoke.

"You have come, although I did not wish you to. That was very foolish, child." He stepped closer to her. Mira swallowed audibly, but stood where she was. He halted only inches from her, then took the key from around his neck. Then he looked her straight in the eyes. "You have been chosen by the millennium key. You are to be its holder from now on." He put the key around her neck, and suddenly it exploded into light. Mira cried out as she felt something, or someone enter her soul and mind and settle there. She looked at the man, and suddenly could see into his mind. He blocked her out, but not before she saw who he was.

"Shadi…" She shook her head and found that she was on the ground. "Wh – what happened?"

Shadi looked down at her. "Do not misuse the power of the millennium item. It is stronger than you could possibly imagine. Use it only for good, or it could destroy you." He then turned and walked away from her.

Mira looked at him, wondering what she should do now, but she was answered.

"You may leave. And remember, the millennium items were made for good, and to serve the pharaoh."

Mira rose to her feet and turned around, dazed. She walked back up the stairs and out into the light. She turned around and looked back at the room from which she had just exited. It looked simply like a small hut, but she now knew that it was much more than that. She was slightly confused as she made her way back to Cairo. It took her slightly more time to get back than it had to get there in the first place, but nevertheless, she was back just as it turned six. She rushed to catch up with the rest of the group. Callista was the first one to spot her.

"Mira! Oh good, you're back on time. Did you have fun at Giza?" She said nothing of the key, as Mira had wisely hidden it before entering any major town.

Mira nodded, then said, "I'm really tired, though. It was a pretty long walk."

Callista smiled sympathetically. "You were probably exposed to the sun too long. You don't look too sunburned… You probably just need some rest. We all do. It was a long day. You wouldn't believe some of the things they were selling at the market. Some of them were so gross -"

"Callista, please don't mention that. Please. I think I'm going to be sick now."

Callista laughed. "Rebecca had a few problems with the merchandise being sold. Some of it was… distasteful." Mira smiled at that.

"We should probably be heading back to the hotel. Stephen and the rest of the men decided to stay a bit longer to see a show that is going on at the Cairo Tower. He said that they'd be back around eight or so, so we ladies have some time to clean up before we go out to dinner. Stephen made reservations at a good restaurant he knows."

Mira wasn't listening. She was thinking about the mysterious gift she had received. She could feel something stirring within her, but she could not identify it…It was an odd, and foreign power. She took out her deck of cards when she got back to her room, looking them over one by one. Some of them had been damaged by the fire, but otherwise, her deck was in perfect condition. She did this because she had felt this sort of power in her deck before. Were they somehow connected? She knew she had to find out more about this key, its powers, and the mysterious pharaoh that it had served…