Ch. 2: Burning Souls Afire
It hadn't taken Milo and his friends long to find their tents. The large canvas homes stood higher than those of the workers.
Once they had decided on whose was whose, Milo and Kida entered their tent to unpack. Milo began unrolling the cots while his wife began folding their clothes to place neatly into the large oak chest that sat to one side of the room.
"Do you think she speaks the truth, Milo? If she does, think of what could be discovered," the Atlantean said suddenly.
Looking up from the orb, Milo stared for a moment before turning his gaze back down to the sphere in his hands. Shrugging, he shook his head.
"I don't know. It's an odd story, but there's nothing to say that it's not true. The only thing that baffles me is that I've never seen the legend mentioned in any of the books I've read. I wish I could read it for myself."
Kida nodded as she opened another drawer. Gasping, she whirled around and beckoned Milo to her side. Rising from his cot, the linguist walked over and peered into the drawer. Inside was a small package with a note addressed to the two.
"It's from Mr. Whitmore," she whispered, picking up the note.
"Jiminy Christmas! Look at this, Kida!" cried Milo, unwrapping the parcel.
Inside was a thick tome. It looked over a thousand years old, it's thick, leather-bound spine cracked and musty. When opened, the pages revealed themselves to be just as yellowed and aged. Thick lettering and sketches took up many of the pages while the rest were a series of old maps.
"He says that this book was found in a British museum. It was auctioned off to him not too long ago. He says it might help with the search," the queen murmured.
"Help? How could it help? This is nothing more than a traveler's journal. The maps are outdated as well."
"So, I see you've found the little gift he left for you, eh?"
The two jumped and turned to see Anna leaning against the main support beam, arms crossed and a gleam in her eyes.
"Those are the maps of ancient Egypt; a compilation of the lost articles. The original maps were burned in the year 1313, when the study of the ancients was banned. Before then, the priests of the temples copied them and hid the book so it would never reach the flames. In 1903, Lyle Rourke led an expidition to the Valley of the Kings. Two years afterward, he made a return expidition, thus, the tome was found. Immediately, he contacted a British museum, and so the book was handed over to them."
Sighing, she strode to the cot and seated herself, taking a longing look at the book.
"The people of this country have tried for years to get the British and French governments to return what has been taken. I trust you with this book, Mr. Thatch. Had Mr. Whitmore not obtained it for us, we would still be battling for it."
Raising her head a bit, she looked out of the flap at the workers rushing to and fro, preparing the fire.
"Dinner will be soon and will be followed up by our nightly activities. Do join us and please enjoy your stay."
With that, the young woman left to return to her work. Milo and Kida stared as she left. The woman was an enigma.
Dusk had settled in and the sky had turned crimson with the sun's waning light. Dinner had been served nearly an hour ago and the festivities had just begun.
"Ladies and gentlemen," shouted a young Egyptian man, "the time is now! Tonight's competitors are as follows!"
He stopped breifly, allowing another worker to relate to the others what he'd said, for the man was fluent in English, but most of those around the pit didn't understand.
"Tonight, our leader, Miss Anna, competes with the man known for his flaming soul and those he sets afire with his heart. I give you, Zahalm!"
A tall, well-built man in his mid twenties strutted out from one of the tents, smiling and waving to his adoring fans. His long black hair was pulled into a ponytail, his tanned face was clean-shaven.
"Miss Anna, you have no chance!" he called to the woman standing opposite to him.
"I promise I won't hurt you too badly," she retorted.
They both stepped towards the announcer, baring their teeth as they did so. Meanwhile, the team looked on with mild interest.
"Are they about to...spar?" questioned Milo, shifting his weight forward as he watched.
Vinny nodded, looking back out at the two and rolling his eyes slightly.
"Ya. Someone spars ev'ry night. Once you get to the top, you gotta spar with Anna. So far, no one's beaten her. She's-ah like an enigma...wrapped in a box...shrouded in-ah myst'ry..."
Nods of agreement were given by all, even Gaetan. The most profuse nods were given by Audrey, who had been quiet around Anna ever since they'd arrived. Just as she was about to speak, Vinny cut in.
"...wrapped in a burrito...around a taco, ya' know?"
"But does she not use a spear? A warrior is lost in battle without their weapon."
Vinny smiled, shaking his head.
"Watch an' you'll see."
By now, Anna and Zahalm had been told to choose their weapons. Zahalm held a small flamethrower in one hand and a butcher knife in the other. Anna stood in a defensive position, clutching her pickaxe.
On the man's count, the two rushed at eachother, Anna giving Zahalm a quick strike on the back with the blunt side of her pickaxe. The man countered with a short burst of flames and a swipe with his knife before stopping and backing up, his eyes narrowing as he studied the woman. She was testing him; seeing just how strong he really was, but he would not fall for that so easily.
"Is this a staring contest, or a duel?" he called out.
Anna's grip tightened. She knew the keys of strategic sparring. All one had to do is out-maneuver one's opponent to wear them down and leave an opening. This was easier said than done, though, for the Egyptologist had a very little attention span if it did not involve her prime interests. She would have to be patient.
Zahalm, by now, had retrieved a bottle from his belt. Rushing at her, it struck her chest, instantly shattering and drenching her in liquid.
"Now that I have let you marinade, let us turn up the heat!" he shouted, whirling around and blasting at her with his flamethrower.
As her clothes began to catch flames, Anna threw herself on the ground, kicking up dust to choke the fire until it was extinguished. Unable to see through the cloud, Zahalm was left as an open target. Taking this as her chance, she struck him with all her force below his knees with a blunt end, causing him to collapse in defeat.
"The victor; Anna!" cried the announcer from earlier.
Taking a bow, the woman turned to face Zahalm. Allowing him her outstretched hand, she helped him up.
"You are alright, Zahalm?"
"Yes, Miss Anna. Thank you for the fight. I am pleased with my performance, no matter what the outcome."
The albino smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder, her eyes sparkling with delight.
"As you should be, my friend. Rest well this night, for tommorrow starts a new adventure."
Turning, she made her way through the crowd to where Vinny and his friends waited. Most were in awe, except for Mole, who had voiced earlier on that he would love to see the cook skewer the woman. This, however, had earned him many slaps and punches, resulting in bruises that would not be so easily forgotten.
"Anna, that was amazing! How do you keep your balance? Where did you learn how to do that? Is it some ancient art form of self-defense? Could you..."
"Slow down, Mr. Thatch," she laughed, hoping to tame his barrage of questions.
"Miss Anna, you are a true warrior at heart. That was a beautiful match," came Kida's quiet voice.
"Thank you. As for your questions, I taught myself at a young age to use my tools to defend myself. Although I took many martial arts classes, I prefer my own style. As for balance, I've learned how to apply my body weight to the earth's surface to calculate the force of my attacks. Only in extreme emergencies do I use the blades, but I do have a style for those as well, if you'd care to watch a bit," she said, smiling and pointing back toward her tent.
There was a murmur of agreement from all but the Parisian, but Sweet managed to drag him along as they followed Anna back to a large tent. Outside of it stood several straw targets.
Seating themselves on the ground, the team watched as the Russian approached her 'rivals', twirling the axe between her fingers like a baton.
"The wood is firm, but hollow. The blades are strong, but light. Earth has her balance, and we must all follow her example, for she is the force that drives our lives forward. Once you accept her as a provider, you may learn to obtain her power. This is the way of a warrior."
She began to twirl it harder and faster, until the blades were nothing but blurs. Placing weight on her right foot behind her, she sprang forth, raising the axe above her head and bringing it down upon the first target, which immediately flew to pieces. Without stopping, she switched hands and forced her body into a spin, elimenating two more targets.
Her concentration seemed unbroken as she fell each and every mark, until none stood. Abruptly stopping the axe, she swung it back in its sling and allowed her eyes to fall onto the onlooking members of what would soon be her crew.
Even Gaetan was speechless as they once again stared, except for Vinny, who was used to this by now. He'd seen her practice at night in the frightful cold. He knew her dedication was unmatched, but he'd had no way to describe her obsession to his partners.
"Well, I think that will do for tonight. We had all better get some rest while we can. I'd like to plan some routes tommorrow if you're up to it, Milo. Perhaps if we rise at dawn, we could begin a primary search by noon."
"Sure, but how will we know what time to get up? None of us has stayed here long enough to adapt to your time frame."
"I'll put a call in through Mimi. She'll make sure you get a wake-up call. Good evening, everyone."
With that, she walked into the tent, closing the flap behind her, and praying that she would get even the slightest bit of sleep. Although she'd worked out much energy during the spar and training field, she could still feel excitement welling up inside her chest. Tommorrow, they would begin a primary search for the fabled City of the Dead. Tommorrow, the would begin a quest she had always dreamed of. Tommorrow, they would begin their own legend.
Flopping down on her cot, she pulled the sheet up to her chin, rolling onto her side and slipping her arm under her pillow. Fatigue was gaining quickly, and soon she would be out for good.
As Milo and Kida bid a good night to the others, the king couldn't help but hear Mole muttering under his breath as he skulked away to his tent.
"Stupide girl...sinks she can make a fool of me. We'll see who gets ze last laugh... Elle n'a pas entendu le dernier de Gaetan Moliere, le plus grand géologue que ce monde jamais a su."
Turning to the Frenchman, he jogged up beside him and lowered his voice.
"Hey, give Anna a chance, alright? Even though you two got off with a bad start, it dosen't mean you can't be friends. Just try to be friendly at breakfast tommorrow, okay?"
"Oui..."
"Thanks, Mole."
With that, Milo turned and headed back to Kida and their tent, leaving the older man to think for a bit.
'I'd ra-ser be forced to bathe again zan be nice to zat obnoxious wench. Ah well, as zey say, you shouldn't go to bed angry,' he thought, jumping into a rather large hole he'd dug inside his tent.
Well, that was Chapter Two! We sincerely hope you enjoyed it. As for the French typed in bold italics, here's the translation: "She hasn't heard the last from Gaetan Moliere, greatest geologist this world has ever known."
Free translations off of the Internet rock! Thanks for the Vinny rant, Aquarian Wolf. Gotta love the way he goes on and on! R&R people!