Hello again my little feathers DovieDM-1991-Promised Wings here I hope you enjoyed the last few chapters. I'm on a roll so here is the next one! Also I am still re-writing and updating previous chapters so if you would like to go back and read the changes you can.
Hope you enjoy it! Review please, they make the creative juices flow! Thank you to all of my readers and reviewers and to those that favorite and follow me; I really love you guys. Also thank you again to Emilie Bay for being such a wonderful beta-reader! Hugs!
4/25/2014
Disclaimer: I do not own The Mummy nor will I ever own it.
~Chapter 14 – Meeting Rick~
That morning after getting ready I made my way over to Evy and Jonathan's place. Turns out Jonathan hadn't found the puzzle box in Thebes.
I thought over my dream as we made our way over to the Cairo Prison gates.
"Come, come! Step over the threshold. Welcome to Cairo Prison, my humble home." The warden said enthusiastically as he led us through the prison. Evy was not happy to be there and neither was I.
"You told me that you got it on a dig down in Thebes." Evy yelled at her brother.
"Well, I was mistaken."
"You lied to me."
"I lie to everybody. What makes you so special?"
"I am your sister."
"That just makes you more gullible."
"Jonathan you stole it from a drunk at the local Kasbah!"
"Picked his pocket, actually. So I don't think it's a very good-
"Stop being so ridiculous. Now what exactly is this man in prison for?" Evy asked the warden after her little argument with her brother. I was walking silently behind them shaking my head at the two. We came to a stop in front of a row of bars to a prison cell.
"This I do not know. But when I heard that you were coming, I asked him that myself." He said and then called out to a guard.
"And what did he say?" I asked tuning into the conversation and putting the thoughts of my dream aside.
"He said that he was just looking for a good time." The guards brought out a ragged man with long dusty brown hair that hung over his grey blue eyes. His clothes were covered in layers of dirt and his face turned into a deep scowl giving a few grunts and groans as the guards dragged him in and hit him with a baton in order to bring him to his knees in front of us.
"This is- This is the man that you stole it from?"
"Yes, exactly. So why don't we just go sniff out a spot of tiffin—
"Who are you?" The man who was clearly an American said as he looked us over. "And who are the broads?"
"Broad?" Evy was offended and I was livid! Who did the man think he was!?
"Well I-I'm just a local sort of missionary chap, spreading the good word and all that. But this is my sister Evy, and our friend Belle." Evy gave a friendly but irritated 'how do you do' and I just frowned and folded my arms together, glaring at the man.
"Oh, well." He said looking Evelyn up and down. "Guess she's not a total loss." I was just glad he completely ignored me.
"I beg your pardon!" If Evy wasn't mad before she was sure enough livid now. The warden suddenly shouted at some of the prisoners in Arabic and walked off saying he would be right back, leaving us alone with the prisoner. Jonathan leaned into Evy and whispered in her ear.
"Ask him about the box."
"Um, we have found—Uh, hello. Excuse me." Evelyn said trying to get the man's attention which had turned to the warden. He turned to look at Evy again as she spoke again.
"Um… we both found your puzzle box… and we've come to ask you about it."
"No."
"No?"
"No. You came to ask me about Hamunaptra."
My eyes lit up in recognition. So someone other than me knew of where the City of the Dead was, and could lead us right to it. Not that Evy or Jon ever knew of my short adventure in the desert... Jonathan tried to shush the man as we stepped close to try to keep from being over heard.
"H-How do you know the box pertains to Hamunaptra?" Evy whispered.
"Because that's where I was when I found it. I was there." Evy looked over at me in disbelief.
"But how do we know that's not a load of pig's wallow?" Jonathan asked stepping right up to the bars getting eye level with the man.
"Do I know you?" the man asked Jonathan looking closely at him.
"No, no. I've just got one of those faces." A look of recognition passed across the prisoner's face the second before he punched Jonathan right in the face, earning him another whack with the baton. I couldn't stifle the giggle that passed through my lips. I'm sure the man now remembered that it had been Jon that stole the puzzle box from his pocket. Evy stepped over her older brother's prone body and got closer to the bars.
"You were actually at Hamunaptra?" She asked. The man grinned at her and replied.
"Yeah, I was there."
"You swear?"
"Every damn day."
"No I didn't mean that—
"I know. I was there. Seti's place. City of the Dead."
"C-Could you tell me how to get there?" Evy stammered earning a strange look from the man as she pulled her hat off and placed it to the side of her head to hide her face from the warden; who was about to start making his way back over to us. "I mean the exact location." She spoke softly trying not to be heard.
"You want to know?" The man asked in surprise.
"W-Well, yes."
"Do you really want to know?"
"Yes." Evy whispered leaning closer to the bars. The man wiggled his finger at her to come closer. I was about to warn her not to when he suddenly pulled her face towards him and kissed her right on the lips, in a quick messy kiss. Pulling back from her he yelled.
"Then get me the hell out of here!" The guards began to beat him up and drag him back inside as Evy stumbled away from the bars in a daze.
He yelled out "Do it lady!" and was gone. The warden yelled at the man and spat at him.
"Where are they taking him?" I asked turning to the warden to get an answer.
"To be hanged. Apparently he had a very good time."
We were then led to the balcony area stationed over a courtyard where they kept the gallows. The gruff man was led up the steps and a noose was tied around his neck. We sat down next to the warden as Evy began to bargain with him.
"I will give you 100 pounds to save this man's life."
"Madame, I would pay 100 pounds just to see him hang."
"T-Two hundred pounds!"
"Proceed!"
"Three hundred pounds!" I called out looking over to the warden.
The executioner tightened the rope around the man's neck and asked if he had any last request. He must have asked to be let go because the next thing I hear is the warden yelling something to that fact, and the guard hitting him on the back of the head.
"Five hundred pounds!" Evy gave her last offer. The warden called a pause.
"And what else? I'm a very lonely man." He said placing his hand on Evy's thigh. She gasped and slapped his hand away with her handbag, and in my own fury at his offending display I slapped him in the face as he turned to try that on me. The prisoners that were watching began to laugh at him, and being rejected by both of us he yelled out.
"Yalla tlak!"
"No!" Both Evy and I jumped from our seats and watched as the guard pulled the lever and the man was dropped from the platform; the noose pulling tight around his neck.
The warden laughed. "Ha ha! His neck did not break! Oh, I'm so sorry. Now we must watch him strangle to death." The prisoners began to yell and chant to let him go. The man's face began to turn red as he struggled against the rope.
"He knows the location to Hamunaptra." Evy tried at one last attempt to free the man.
"You lie."
"I would never!"
"Are you telling me this filthy, godless son of a pig knows where to find the City of the Dead?"
"Yes!"
"Truly?"
"Yes! And if you cut him down we will give you—Ten percent."
"Fifty percent."
"Twenty."
"Forty."
"Thirty!"
"Twenty-five."
"Ah deal!" I said before the warden realized his mistake.
"Ahh! Cut him down!" Evy smiled down smugly at him as they cut him from his noose. The spectators cheered and I could only shake my head and hope Evy knew what she was getting into.
Three days later we found ourselves on our way to Giza Port, with all of our necessities packed and ready to go. It was crowed and people where shoving against each other trying to get on the right boats.
"Do you really think he's going to show up?" Evy asked as we walked to the boat, with Jonathan following closely behind. We had found out the man's name was Richard O'Connell, also known as Rick.
"Yes, undoubtedly, knowing my luck. He may be a cowboy, but I know the breed. His word is his word." Jon said trying to reassure his sister.
"Well, personally I think he's filthy, rude, a complete scoundrel. I don't like him one bit."
"Anyone I know?" I could almost laugh at Evy's face when Rick came around behind us with a clean shave and groomed hair, wearing a white shirt, a tan jacket and a matching pair of traveling pants. He cleaned up nice, I must admit. She stuttered a hello and the two held each others gaze until Jonathan butted in.
"Smashing day for the start of an adventure, eh, O'Connell?" Jon said patting Rick on the chest and grinning like a fool.
"Yeah. Yeah, smashing." Rick said checking his pockets to see that everything was still there.
"Oh, no, no, I'd never steal from a partner… partner." Jon was just lying to himself now sharing a laugh with the other man.
"Oh, that reminds me, No hard feelings about the— he did a punching motion.
"Oh, no, no. Happens all the time."
"Way too often if you ask me." I said rubbing my necklace in with my thumb. Evy turned to Rick with a serious look in her eye. Oh, here we go.
"Mr. O'Connell. Can you look me in the eye and guarantee me this isn't some kind of a flimflam? Because if it is, I am warning you—
"You're warning me? Lady, let me put it this way: My whole damn garrison believed in this so much… that without orders, they marched halfway across Libya and into Egypt to find that city. And when we got there, all we found… was sand and blood." There was an uncomfortable silence that followed and was broken by Rick asking to take our bags and making his way up onto the deck of the boat.
"Yes, yes, you're right. Filthy, rude, a complete scoundrel. Nothing to like there at all." Jon gave Evy a look, and I had a slight smirk on my face. She just glared at us.
"Bright good morning to all." The warden had arrived I groaned.
"Oh, no. What are you doing here?" I asked frowning at the man.
"I'm here to protect my investment, thank you very much." All we could do was sigh. This was going to be a long trip.
Word Count: 2,044
Well that is all for now. This has got to be the longest chapter I have ever written! I hope you liked it, and please review! Until next time…
DovieDM-1991-Promised Wings signing out!
