Kaulbach looked like he was still trying to shake the sleep from his head as he went around checking on all of his patients the next morning. Moffitt watched as he changed bandages and wrote notes on a clipboard posted by each man's bed. Eventually, Kaulbach approached him, a slight grin on his face. "I see you are up and attentive," he said.
"Honestly, sir, I am eager to get out of here, not that I do not enjoy your company," Moffitt replied.
"Most of my patients have said that in the past." Kaulbach motioned for Moffitt to give him his wrist. He was quiet as he looked at his watch, silently counting. "Average pulse. Please lift your shirt so I can check your bandage."
"How much longer will I be confined here, sir?" Moffitt asked.
Kaulbach carefully removed the bandage. "You have only been here three days, Sergeant. You are in no condition to go anywhere."
"I hate to be a pest, but if we are going to learn anything about that temple, I must go there."
Kaulbach glared at him. "I have more patients than I can count. I cannot keep spending sutures on you because you insist on going out and doing things that will rip them out. Right now, your incision is healing perfectly fine. I do not want you setting yourself back." Sighing irritably, Kaulbach put an unlit cigarette in his mouth. "If we can start transitioning you back to solid food and getting adequate nutrients in you, you will heal a little faster, and we are going to go slow. You will be given soft foods today, and gradually work you back to regular food, alright?"
Knowing better than to argue with Kaulbach, Moffitt nodded.
"Okay. I will go see if they have oatmeal in the mess tent." Kaulbach stood and walked briskly out of the tent. Not too long after Kaulbach had left, Moffitt heard his voice along with Lehning's outside, then the colonel and Lieutenant Kautner entered the tent.
"Good morning, Sergeant," Lehning said. "As I said last night, you may talk with Kautner about what occurred while Miss Kestle was here."
"Thank you, Colonel," Moffitt replied, sitting up. "Before I forget, Colonel, who was the commanding officer of the unit you contacted for help?"
"Colonel Allway. One of his officers, Captain Jephson, went with us to brew the potion that saved Miss Kestle's life."
"Neither of those names are familiar. I could probably find them when I return to my own lines, though."
"They can verify my story," Lehning said. "I have work to do. Kautner, get back on duty as soon as you are done here."
"Yes, sir," Kautner replied, saluting. Once Lehning was gone, the young lieutenant turned to face Moffitt, and asked in English, "How exactly did you get on the topic of Evelina Kestle with him?"
Moffitt held up Brencis Hallwell's book on Egyptian magic. "He saw me reading this last night."
"Well, I do believe a 'congratulations' is in order. You may have gotten yourself some level of immunity from Lehning. Now, he will not admit it, but he became quite fond of Miss Kestle, and he did mention at one point that he will travel to see her museum after the war. I doubt he will keep her respect if word got out that he hurt someone she knows."
"Technically, one of his men did shoot me."
"Yes, but that was before he knew." Kautner smiled a little, then took a seat on Moffitt's bed. "I quite enjoyed hosting Miss Kestle. She was a very nice lady, and so knowledgeable about her work. If she had been able to stay, I reckon we would have been able to talk for hours about all the things she has seen and worked with."
"Did she tell you that she once found dragon bones?"
"No." Kautner's eyes lit up. "Please, tell me more."
"She had returned to England from a trip to China shortly before the war, with some 'unusual specimens.' Granted, my field of specialty is North Africa, but she was very excited and wanted to share her find with someone equally passionate, so I answered her call and went to her museum to see what she had. On her table was a vertebra that was about the size of a human fist. She asked what I thought it was from, and I shrugged and said, 'An elephant?' She shook her head, held up the bone, and replied, 'Good guess, but it's actually from a dragon.'"
"Dragons are majestic and beautiful creatures. It is a pity we do not see them very often."
"They appear to those of a certain mindset, one that is good of heart and has no intent to harm them or use them."
"I wonder if that is why the cobras have appeared to us. Our mindsets."
"Perhaps. I still feel as though there is more to their appearance."
"Possibly." Kautner sighed. "The only way to figure that out is to go to the temple."
"Yes, and Kaulbach is not going to let me go."
A tall, thin shadow appeared at the entrance of the tent, and Captain Dietrich stepped in. "Lieutenant, could I speak with you a moment?"
"Yes, Captain." Kautner stood, looking at Moffitt. "I will return." He jogged out of the tent, and Moffitt could hear him and Dietrich speaking in hushed tones.
Kaulbach entered the tent holding a bowl of oatmeal and a steaming cup. "Here you are, Sergeant," he said, setting the bowl and cup on Moffitt's bedside table. "The oatmeal is a bit bland, but that is to avoid shocking your body. I can add a little sugar if you feel your stomach can handle it."
"Thank you, Oberstabsarzt." Moffitt went for the tea first. He took a sip, and grimaced upon tasting what amounted to water with a mildly tea-like flavor. Without hesitation, he set the cup back on the table. "What the absolute hell is that?"
"Weakened tea," Kaulbach said. "It is supposed to be easier on your—"
"That is not tea. I would like regular, strong tea, please."
Kaulbach let out a heavy sigh, and picked up the cup, muttering, "You English and your tea," as he left the tent once more.
Dietrich waited patiently for Kautner to emerge from the hospital tent. The lieutenant had a concerned and confused look on his face as he saluted. "Captain. What is it you wanted to see me about?"
"I have received permission from Colonel Lehning to go to the temple," Dietrich replied. "Will Oberstabsarzt Kaulbach allow Sergeant Moffitt to accompany us?"
"I doubt it," Kautner said, looking down at the sand. "I am sorry."
"No need to worry about it. I will still have you."
"Captain, is this really a good idea?"
"We will learn nothing if we continue to sit here. That, and I do not want Sergeant Troy to become restless. At the very least, this will tell us whether or not Moffitt needs to be present at the temple as well."
Kautner nodded. "You make a fair point. When do we head out, sir?"
"As soon as you are ready. It will be just the two of us. I do not want Sturmbannführer Augenstein to suspect us of anything. Hopefully, he and his men will not even be there."
"What will we say if he finds us there?" Kautner asked as he and Dietrich headed to a waiting Kübelwagen.
"Tell him we are curious about his progress. After all, we are all on the same side, at least in his mind."
Kautner shrugged. He personally had never dealt with the SS, or the Sorcery Division, but all the stories he had heard gave him the impression that they weren't cooperative, even with fellow Germans, if they suspected someone of not being fully loyal to the Reich.
Dietrich got in the driver's seat and motioned for Kautner to get in the vehicle as well. "Lehning wants us back before sundown. Do you have enough water?"
"Yes, sir." Kautner glanced at the steering wheel. "Would you like me to drive?"
"No. I can manage, thank you."
"Alright." Kautner stared out at the desert landscape as it rushed by them. He occasionally looked over at Dietrich, taking note of the determined look in his eyes, and thinking back to his conversation with Dietrich the previous day. He highly doubted Dietrich wanted the crystal ball. He probably wants to figure out what the witch's familiar wants of him, Kautner thought.
As they drove closer to the temple, Kautner stood to look at the ruined buildings through his binoculars. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw no sign of the SS. There were no vehicles or uniformed men in sight. Perhaps they would have the location all to themselves for the next few hours. "How much further do you want to go—"
The vehicle suddenly sped up and swerved to the right. Kautner braced himself and sat back down, face paling when he saw Dietrich slumped over. Cursing, Kautner grabbed the wheel and pulled Dietrich's boot from the gas pedal. Gradually, the car began coasting, and Kautner guided it to a safer location until it rolled to a stop. Once it was slow enough, Kautner maneuvered his boot between Dietrich's legs until he found the brake pedal, and brought the car to a complete stop. Heart pounding, Kautner checked Dietrich's pulse and breathed a sigh of relief upon finding he was still alive. "Sir? Sir, can you hear me?" Kautner gently shook him. "Sir?" He took out his canteen, but when he looked back at Dietrich, he was greeted with the sight of an Egyptian cobra wrapped around the captain's neck. Freezing in place, Kautner stared at the snake. "What do you want?" he whispered.
No response. The cobra slithered off of Dietrich and out of the car.
Kautner began unscrewing the cap of his canteen. Before he could put the canteen to Dietrich's lips, his arm was grabbed forcefully, and looked down to see wide brown eyes staring at him.
Dietrich gently nudged the canteen away. He was breathing heavily, unable to speak for a moment.
"Sir? Are you alright? You passed out."
"I saw her again," Dietrich said. "The familiar. The snake. The first time I dreamt of her, she was in that temple. I saw her again last night, at the end of a hall in a hospital. This time… This time, she was in a theater, or opera house, or something similar."
"A theater?" Kautner raised an eyebrow. "You have seen this cobra multiple times?"
"Yes. Again, she told me that she was waiting for me. It was very dark. I was walking down one of the aisles, and then the lights came on. The cobra was center-stage, looking up at me."
Kautner helped Dietrich sit up. "Are you alright now?"
"For the moment. We should walk. I am not going to put you in danger by passing out at the wheel again. We are close enough anyway."
Kautner got out of the car, and jogged around to the driver's side to help Dietrich out.
"I do not need help," Dietrich muttered as he left the car.
Kautner stayed close anyway. They walked about half-a-kilometer before arriving at the temple. An eerie silence covered the area, and Kautner became aware of Dietrich leaning on him. Looking to his left, Kautner could see Dietrich's pupils were starting to dilate. "Do you need to lie down, sir?"
"No. N-No, we have to keep going. I need answers for this."
Kautner put Dietrich's right arm around his shoulder, then wrapped his own arm around Dietrich's waist to keep him propped up. "Almost there. Just let me know if you need to stop."
"No, keep going, even if I pass out again." Dietrich grew weaker the closer they got to the temple, until Kautner was practically dragging him. At the entrance of the tunnel, he felt Dietrich squeeze his arm. "It is… very cold here."
Kautner looked up at the huge gate. The cobra relief looked down at him menacingly, but he still walked in, feeling small among the giant pillars. Statues of cobras, big and small, were scattered around the space, knocked around and partly eroded by the harsh desert winds, and half-buried in huge piles of sand. Kautner glanced at Dietrich, who was shivering from a cold only he could feel. "Do you remember where in the temple you saw the witch's familiar?"
"Underground. She is… underground," Dietrich stammered.
Kautner looked around, shifting his grip on the captain. "Do you remember anything else? A ladder? A trapdoor? We will be here forever if we try to dig through all this sand."
"No. No, there is no need to dig. The entrance… ahead."
Nodding, Kautner kept walking. He heard something moving in the sand ahead of him, and looked down to see another cobra, slithering along as if it was guiding them. It stopped in front of a small, dark chamber, then motioned with its head for the two men to go inside. Kautner stepped in, still holding Dietrich, and blinked as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. "There is nothing in here," he whispered.
"Hidden door," Dietrich murmured. "There is a hidden door."
Kautner put one hand on the wall, gently applying pressure and moving along slowly, not wanting to fall through the door when he found it. The walls were covered in dust and fine sand and felt horrible to touch with how dry and rough they were. Eventually, one section of the wall began shifting backward. Kautner stepped back, watching the huge slab of stone move until it revealed a spiraling staircase.
The cobra with them slithered inside. It flicked its tail once, and suddenly a series of torches were lit, lining the stairs all the way down. The stairway was made of stone and quite narrow. Kautner looked at Dietrich. "Can you brace yourself against the wall, sir?"
"I will try, Lieutenant," Dietrich said.
"I do not want you falling. I can carry you if—"
Dietrich gave him a stern look despite his hazy consciousness.
"Alright. No carrying." Kautner went first, going slow and tensing up every time Dietrich shifted in a way that seemed like he was going to fall. The staircase went on for some time, but eventually the two found solid ground—ground crawling with black masses of cobras.
The snakes paid them no attention. Kautner expected them to flare their hoods at the very least, but they behaved as though the two men weren't even there. "Where to next?" he asked.
Dietrich opened his mouth, but he was interrupted by a voice saying, "Come forward, friends."
The cobras on the floor immediately cleared a path, and lined it in perfect unison. They sat reared, coiled, and hooded, looking like rows of soldiers. Kautner helped Dietrich onto the cleared path, and they followed it into a large, dark room, full of pillars, statues of cobras, real cobras, and paintings depicting what looked to be the story of the crystal ball. At the back of the room was a throne, and coiled on that throne was the longest Egyptian cobra Kautner had ever seen, black and shiny like obsidian with blue eyes resembling lapis lazuli.
The big cobra studied the men for a moment, before speaking in a voice that reverberated around the room. "Where is the second?"
"The second?" Kautner said. "Do you mean—"
"Sergeant Moffitt."
"He was injured, and our doctor is insisting that he cannot be moved yet."
"I will not speak with you until I have him before me, as I have foreseen."
Dietrich stared at the snake in disappointment. "Please, you must tell me why you have been appearing in my dreams."
The desperation in Dietrich's voice wrenched Kautner's heart.
"You will have your answers, Captain," the cobra replied. "In good time. First, I called upon two of you to ensure the security of the crystal ball, and I wish to see both of you, not just one." She gave Kautner a sympathetic look. "All will be explained when Sergeant Moffitt is with you, for neither of you were chosen at random. Go, and return with him."
Kautner dipped his head. "We will." He turned to Dietrich, who looked more alert now. The captain was staring at the cobra with his mouth open.
The snake offered him a slight smile. "In good time, Captain. In good time."
Dietrich nodded a little. He glanced at Kautner. "I do not want to do this, but I guess it is time to argue with Oberstabsarzt Kaulbach about letting Sergeant Moffitt go."
"Indeed, it is, sir," Kautner replied, "and I am not looking forward to it."
The two headed up the staircase, torches going out behind them. As they got closer to the top, a nervous feeling began squirming in Kautner's stomach. A shadow loomed through the entrance to the stairway, and a pair of SS soldiers lunged in to grab Kautner and Dietrich. They thrust them outside, muzzles of MP40s digging into their ribs.
A uniformed man bearing the insignia of an SS-Sturmbannführer approached them. His hair was blond, but beginning to turn silver at his temples. His face was lined with age, and an old set of scars blemished his right cheek, running under his jawline and coming dangerously close to his jugular vein. He gave both Afrika Korps men a curious look. "Captain Dietrich, I was not expecting to find you here by yourself. Was that your vehicle we found not too far from here?"
"It is, Sturmbannführer Augenstein," Dietrich replied. "We came to see if you had made any progress on finding that crystal ball."
"You do not need to know progress, only success or failure, Captain. As of now, we are unable to access that crystal ball because we cannot get past the cobras. However, you two seem to have entered the queen uraeus's chamber and left unharmed."
Kautner swallowed hard. "Not really. We went down the stairs and turned back when we saw all the snakes."
"My men could not even get down the stairs without being attacked. That can only mean one thing." Augenstein stepped closer, the smell of cigarettes and coffee heavy on his person. "One or both of you are the queen's chosen two. Two out of the entire human race who are allowed to handle the crystal ball."
"You doubt that we just got lucky, Sturmbannführer?" Dietrich asked.
"Coincidences and luck are extremely rare in regards to magic and the supernatural," Augenstein replied. "You both will be coming with me."
Kautner's throat tightened with panic. "We are due back before sundown—"
"I will send a message to your commanding officer, Lieutenant. Right now, this mission is more important. Who is your commanding officer, son?"
"Colonel Lehning, sir." He will not be happy with this.
"He will receive a message within an hour, Lieutenant. You do not have to worry." Augenstein beckoned for the two soldiers with him to cuff Dietrich and Kautner, then ordered them to be put in the back of a truck waiting outside the temple.
A cold feeling passed over Moffitt as he awoke from a restless sleep. It took him a moment to regain his breath, and he immediately grabbed a cup of water from his bedside, as he felt as though he had been breathing hard in his sleep. His memories of his dreams were blurry and made him feel nauseated when he tried thinking about them, so he tried to continue waking up first.
"You alright?"
Moffitt looked to his right to see Tully sitting next to him. "I'm alright. Why?"
"You were tossing and turning and moaning in your sleep," Tully replied. "I just got here a couple minutes ago, but it looked like you were having a really bad dream."
"I… probably was, and it… it's rather cold. What time is it?"
"It's the middle of the day and over a hundred degrees. I think the doc should check you for a fever if you're cold."
"No. It's not fever. I don't know what this is." Moffitt paused, the memories of his dreams suddenly flooding back. "In my dream, I felt like I was experiencing something through someone else's body, and they were not well at all. They were in a very dark place. It looked like a theater. The lights turned on, and there was a cobra in the center of the stage."
"Any idea who this other person was?"
"No. It could have been Kautner—where is he anyway? He said he was coming back after he talked with Dietrich."
"He and Dietrich left in a car a while ago. No clue where they went."
"They probably went to the temple. At least, that's my guess." Moffitt sat up, then checked his bandage. "How are we going to persuade Kaulbach to let me go?"
"Your guess is as good as mine," Tully said. "Maybe—"
He was interrupted by Lehning storming into the tent. The colonel's face was red and veins were showing on his neck. "Oberstabsarzt! I want Sergeant Moffitt brought to my tent now!"
Kaulbach emerged from his quarters. "What is it, Colonel? I have patients trying to sleep—"
"And I have two officers that are being held hostage by the SS! I do not care how you do it, but I want Moffitt and the rest of the Rat Patrol in my tent right now!"
"Kautner and Dietrich?" Moffitt asked.
Lehning whirled around to face him. "Yes. How did you know?"
"Kautner was here earlier when Dietrich came to get him. I think it is safe to assume they were the ones who left the camp."
Lehning nodded. "They were."
Kaulbach came over with a folded wheelchair. After setting it up, he went to the side of the bed and motioned for Moffitt to put his arms around his neck.
"Could I try walking on my own, sir?" Moffitt asked.
"I have a feeling that I know what the colonel is going to ask of you, son," Kaulbach replied. "Save your strength."
Sighing, Moffitt let Kaulbach lift him up and place him in the wheelchair.
"I'll drive," Tully said.
"Just don't be as rough with me as you are with our jeep."
"No promises." Tully smirked.
Lehning walked with them back to his tent, where he told them to wait while he retrieved Troy and Hitch. When he returned with the two Americans, Lehning went behind his desk, looking like he was trying to compose himself.
"Moffitt, do you have any idea what's going on?" Troy asked.
Moffitt nodded. "Kautner and Dietrich have been taken hostage by the SS."
"Why does that involve us?"
"What is he saying?" Lehning asked.
Moffitt switched to German. "Troy is asking why Kautner and Dietrich's kidnapping involves us."
"Sturmbannführer Augenstein is convinced one or both of them are part of the uraeus queen's 'chosen two.' He wants to use them to get that damn crystal ball." Lehning shook his head. "No. I am not letting this happen."
"What did you say to Augenstein?" Troy asked.
"Nothing. I do not want him to get the idea that I am getting my men back. That is where you come in."
"Colonel, we're not under your command."
"We were going to stop the SS from getting that crystal ball anyway!"
"They're still your men, Colonel, or are you too cowardly to get them back yourself?"
Moffitt wasn't sure he wanted to translate that for Lehning. "I don't think he's being a coward, Troy. There would be consequences if someone above Lehning were to find out. Everyone in this camp would be slaughtered."
Troy sighed. "How do I know Lehning's not going to hang us out to dry once the shooting starts?"
"I will not be accompanying you, but I can provide weapons and explosives," Lehning replied after Moffitt translated.
"How much?" Troy asked.
"As much as you need, but I want assurance that you will not 'accidentally' kill Kautner and Dietrich, though."
"Well, we owe Dietrich a favor for the times he's let us go, and Kautner is part of the key to this mystery. We'll bring them both back alive, Colonel."
"I will hold you to that, Sergeant." Lehning stood. "When this is over, I will not mention any of this to Rommel. We can pretend it never happened." He held out his hand.
Troy took Lehning's hand and shook it firmly. "We can pretend for now, but never forget that you owe us in the future, and we'll hold you to it."
