Chapter Twenty-Four
Without warning, clawed feet grasped his shoulder. Still groggy, Seto swatted grumpily at the falcon, who squawked irritably and jumped aside. She chose the camel's head as a safer perch.
Seto glared at her. "Don't you have someone else to bother?"
"Nope," she replied sweetly. "You're the lucky one."
He gave it up as a lost cause and put his focus on something else: the magnificent hills before them. In the rising sun they appeared to have been the canvas for a great painter's masterpiece. "So those are the Ashbaúdi hills?" he said, feeling miniscule in comparison.
The falcon bobbed her head. "And beyond those hills is Scorpion territory. Viper, also. One is hostile, and the other is relatively friendly. The Scorpions were loyal to the Pharaoh long ago," she added. Seto rolled his eyes. Everyone adored Yugi wherever he went.
"So we're going to a place full of Yugi-lovers," Seto said disgustedly.
The falcon rolled her eyes and ignored him.
They continued into the shadow of the hills until the sun was behind them, and oblong shadows danced and swayed in front of them. And then they began their ascent into the rocky waste. It was cooler in the shade of the great rock faces, and every footstep, every whisper, every breath echoed.
The trail became narrow and windy, but Seto could tell it was still being used. There were fresh boot prints in the grit that lined the stone floor, and several burn marks upon the ground that showed where campfires had been.
Strange noises were ricocheting off of the stones above them: distant squeals and screams, squeaks and growls, that sent chills down Seto's spine. They were so eerie, so otherworldly, so alien.
"Spooky, isn't it?" the falcon whispered. "Ashbaúdi means 'haunted' in Akaneben."
Seto nodded tersely. The way the hills were closing in above them was giving him the creeps. Even though it was high noon, there was a chill in the air.
Asim turned and shouted back to the entire group: "There's a cave where we'll camp tonight and tomorrow around the next bend in the trail. We'll set off for Suresh tomorrow night."
The camels pricked their ears and seemed to understand what Asim was saying, for they picked up their pace. The trail made a sharp turn, winding underneath a rock that jutted out over the path. The air was getting thinner now, and some had to take more breaths. They were very high up in altitude, so the night would be even colder.
Past the overhang, there was a dark opening in the rock that was sheltered by an overhang that looked like a mushroom-cap roof. Asim made a clucking noise followed by a sharp whistle, and all the camels sat down at once.
The group dismounted. Asim sent Suzuko and Mokuba to gather brushwood for the fire. Ramla and Samira unpacked the bags from the camels' backs and spread out blankets and pillows inside the cave to use as beds. A meager little creek ran through the rocky ground close to the cave, and Seto was given a pot and told to get some water. He left; glad to be away from the hubbub of the group.
He kneeled down by the stream and let the water run right into the pot. Looking up at the sky that was framed by rock on all sides, he thought about other things. Like, what were those noises coming from far above them? Small scrabblings, magnified a hundred times, like mice hurrying about. Something was out there. Something lived in these hills, and it made Seto nervous.
When the pot of water was full, he stood up and looked around once more before turning to leave. Nothing was out of place. But just being here made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
He hurried back to the campsite, shivering. The sun was setting over the majestic hills, throwing eerie purple shadows everywhere. The fire had been lit, and a pot of something that Ramla had caught was boiling over the crackling flames. Most of them were sitting around it, talking and laughing. Seto didn't bother to join them. Instead, he found a set of natural stairs near the cave entrance that let him scale the mushroom roof. Now he was on top of one of the highest hills; it had a breathtaking view. The whole of Egypt seemed to be spread out before him like a quilt; the hills and valleys, dunes and plains, all the same tawny brown color, but painted spectacularly by the setting sun.
Letting the scene wash over him and sink in, Seto stood silently, his mind wandering and not thinking about anything specific.
Soft footsteps padded on the stone. Seto glanced behind him. Samira was standing tentatively near the top of the stairs, carrying a plate of food. The fire flickered below, a tiny star in the endless dark.
He rolled his eyes and turned away. She was always following him, it seemed.
"Seto?" Samira said in a small voice. "I thought you might be… hungry. So I brought you some food." She held the plate out in front of her.
"What is it?"
"Rueshthis."
Seto's eyes bugged out. "Weasel meat?" How revolting.
Samira set her chin in a stubborn way. "You should try it. It's quite good, just a little chewy."
He snorted but took the plate of food from her. Their hands touched for the briefest moment. Seto tried to ignore the tingling sensation he suddenly felt. To distract himself, he dug right into the food. It wasn't that bad, especially with the sauce that was on it.
"Do you like it?" Samira asked anxiously.
He chewed and swallowed, and nodded slowly. Samira smiled in relief. "I made it," she told him.
He shrugged and turned his back on her. "Pretty good for weasel meat," he mumbled.
Samira sighed and settled herself down on the smooth rock. "It's beautiful up here, isn't it?" she said. "The view is great."
"Mmg," he grunted through a mouthful of rueshthis.
They looked out onto the fading desert, just being, not talking. But Seto knew something was wrong when Samira suddenly slumped against his leg. He almost choked on the last bite of meat. Hurriedly he stepped away. Samira lay on the ground, limp, breathing softly and deeply. She was asleep.
He breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad Samira hadn't intentionally leaned on him like that.
Stooping down, he lightly tapped her on the shoulder. "Samira," he whispered. No answer.
Seto gritted his teeth, dreading what he was going to have to do. He'd have to carry her back down to the cave. He wasn't looking forward to it.
Steeling himself, he reluctantly put one arm around her shoulders and the other beneath her legs.
"She's not really asleep, you know," said an amused voice.
Seto jumped back, one hand gripping the Millennium Rod. He squinted through the dark and almost cried out. Two glowing eyes were looking back at him.
"Sorry," apologized Asim, coming closer so Seto could see him. "I have lion eyes. They glow in the dark. It's a little unnerving."
"A little," grumped Seto. He eyed Samira. "She's not asleep?"
Asim shook his head, his bangs flopping. "She's just pretending, probably because she wanted to see how you'd react. He grinned at Seto's expression. "You don't have to carry her back to the cave. I will."
Phew, thought Seto. Asim lifted his sister into his arms and started off down the path. Seto followed.
The fire was almost dead. Only the wolf was sitting by the glowing coals, her tail thumping every now and then. She glanced up at them. "Did the little coquette fall asleep against you?" she asked Seto dryly.
"Now, now, Ramla, don't be rude," scolded Asim lightly. He stooped down by the fire's warm glow and gently laid Samira on a blanket. "Now I think she's really asleep," he said. "And all the better." He turned to Seto. "You should be sleeping, too." Seto nodded.
"The cave's almost full," the wolf said to Seto. "You can bed down out here. There's more space, and it's warmer." She yawned, showing her formidable fangs, and then set her head down on her paws and closed her eyes.
Asim got an extra blanket from the camels, which were all sitting down in a small group a little ways off from the fire, blinking their large black eyes. He spread it out on the other side of the fire.
Seto stretched out on it, pulling part of it over him. He stared deep into the fading light of the glowing coals, not ready to fall asleep.
Someone stumbled out of the cave. It was Yugi. "I can't sleep," he said groggily.
The wolf opened her eyes. "Bring your blanket and you can lean on me," she offered.
Yugi smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Ramla." Soon he was curled up by the fire also, his head resting on the wolf's soft, shaggy coat.
Seto suddenly felt a strange kinship with these people. No matter how hard he tried, he could not shake off the feeling that they were connected, related, somehow. Finally he let it drop, and sank like a stone into the ocean of sleep.