From the author,
This is just a fun little project I had to write while bored dumb in lockdown. The muse is the muse so they say. I hope all who reads this enjoys it. It is based on the characters of the Mummy franchise and I take no credit for their creation. It's just an entertaining story of a continued adventure after TMR. Love and adventure and the couple we love.
Thank you for reading!
The Gods and Goddess' mentioned in this story are very loosely based on actual deities in Peru. Repeat: very loosely based. No offense is intended. Some names are made up.
See you at the end. xo
Introduction:
Three years have passed since their adventures in Ahm Shere.
Their daughter Isabella was born promptly and healthily in the appropriate amount of gestational time (as explained in the prologue) and from the third minute after her birth when her father lovingly held her for the first time, he nicknamed her Izzy. The name stuck with great affection for the man who had saved them in Ahm Shere.
The letter that Evelyn had received from the Bembridge Scholars was a request from a tribe in far-away Peru who were asking for help in finding their lost City of Gold. A few other scholars had gone looking for the treasure but had been unsuccessful. The tribe was of a matriarchal society so the Bembridge Scholars thought that Evelyn perhaps might like the challenge and would appreciate the field work. After much discussion with her husband and son they decided to go for it.
They waited until Izzy was a year old, and healthy to travel, before they made their way to the other side of the world with only the letter from the leader of the tribe and a map how to get to their village. The O'Connell's were quickly respected by the villagers as they proved to be more interested in the culture of the people than finding the gold. As they got to know Maria and Luis, the Co-Leaders of the ancient tribe whose people struggled to survive in a drought ridden valley for hundreds of years, they were accepted respectfully into the tribe and a secret was revealed to them.
Maria and Luis were not exactly looking for the lost city of gold, they were looking for the water that had disappeared from their valley a thousand years previously. Evy and Rick were determined to help them find it. The valley were they lived had once been a tropical, lush paradise and Maria wished for it again in her lifetime. She wanted to be the one who helped her people find their true lost treasure.
The Peruvian leaders were a well-loved couple that led their followers with dignity and hard work. They had a group of close followers who were hired to help Evelyn with excavation and digging and that group became their protectors though the family was not aware of it. Maria and Luis quickly became good friends with the O'Connell's but even though they trusted the couple with their lives, they still kept a secret...
It begins here as Evelyn, Rick, Alex and Izzy have recently moved their camp to an abandoned village on a high cliff while hidden eyes from the hills are watching them closely...
PART ONE
Northern Peru... 1936
Evelyn sat hunched over her notebook as she scratched away ferociously with her worn down pencil. So absorbed with her writing was she that she did not hear the foot steps coming up behind her until it was too late. Something brushed across the back of her neck and she shot up and squealed.
Alex erupted into laughter and she tried to look sternly at him but she just smiled. He had gotten her pretty good, she could admit it. She reached out her arms for a hug and he embraced her quickly. His eyes seemed excited, and Evelyn immediately looked around for her husband and their daughter wondering what the three had gotten up to in the lower village that morning.
"I missed you all morning. Where's your father and your sister?" Alex looked too giddy as she questioned him with a lifted eyebrow.
"Dad bought Izzy a llama and he said you're going to kill him for it." Alex laughed as he watched his father lead a tall, shaggy beast by some hand-woven reigns up the final hill to the abandoned village where they had set up their most recent camp. "He said he'd rather deal with the Scorpion King again than you when you were mad."
Evelyn just closed her eyes and tilted her head back and sighed. She watched her daughter riding on the back of the beast and the little girl was laughing so hard it was contagious. How could she be mad? Her husband approached her cautiously, with a wary smile, but he could see from her body language that she was only feigning upset.
"Honey. You're spoiling her." She glared at him with narrowed eyes but they glittered as he leaned into her for a quick kiss.
"I know. But look how happy she is!" Rick lifted their daughter off the animal and handed her to her mother.
The little girl's bright blue eyes were shining and her dark hair curled under the woven hat she wore. She had on a new little red poncho and Evy just hugged her close, still in disbelief sometimes that this beautiful little girl was hers. She was just such a perfect blend of her and Rick and she was so loved by them all. Including the villagers and the diggers, and especially the elders.
Luis, and a number of the diggers who followed him everywhere, came into their sight and waved at the family. The O'Connell's waved back and the Rick gestured for their friend to come over. Luis came over and clapped Rick's shoulder.
"This is a good beast." Luis smiled at Izzy, everyone in the area knew of the little girl's fascination with the furry creatures.
Rick laughed and went into one of the saddle bags to dig something out and he handed it Luis. "Izzy found this on the way back, I thought you might like to have it."
Luis' eyes shot wide open and he cradled the cacao bean with reverence. "These are sacred to my people! We haven't found one in years."
"Ya, Izzy just went into the brush at one point and came out with it. It's yours." Rick smiled at his friend.
"This cannot be a coincidence. With the discovery of the temple this morning, and now this? It has to be a sign from the Goddess." Luis looked back and forth between the couple.
Rick looked quickly to his wife, "You found a temple this morning?" She smiled widely and nodded proudly.
"I must take this to Maria. There will be a sacred ceremony tonight and you must participate with us!" Luis looked like he wanted to laugh and cry at the same time as he cradled the fruit. "I'll come back in a bit... This is definitely a sign from the Goddess."
Luis turned and walked off quickly, leaving the O'Connell's standing there.
"Can I see the temple Mum?" Alex took the reigns of the llama. Evy just smiled at him.
"Sorry, not this one sweetheart. It's contents are quite... adult." She glanced quickly at her husband and caught his smile. "You can go do some schoolwork though please. And put your sister down for her nap, it looks like you all had quite the morning."
Evy ran her fingers through her son's light hair lovingly and he nodded reluctantly. He turned to go to his parent's tent and took his sister by the hand and the llama with the other. Evy noticed the baby llama at that point, slung on the back of it's mother for easy transport. She jokingly glared at her husband and he just laughed and shrugged.
"Two for one deal. You couldn't have said no to her either." Rick held his wife and smiled down at her. "Just admit it. She's got us both wrapped around her little finger."
She laughed as he kissed her gently on the forehead. "You most all all darling. Now, would you like to see the temple?"
He nodded and took her offered hand as she led him to the west end of the abandoned village. A small hill had been excavated and Evy crouched to enter while her husband followed. She turned quickly once they entered the chamber to watch his reaction. His eyes opened wide and his jaw dropped as he looked around the room that was lit by a few lanterns.
"Whoa." Was all he could say as she laughed at him.
The entire chamber was full of statues, carvings, dishes and pots and all of were a very phallic nature. The poses of the men and women in the carvings were of a very sexually inspired theme and Rick just stared at his wife.
"What is this?" He chuckled as he looked around and then back at her with a wide smile. "Well, I know what it is... but why is it here?
"Maria said this must have been a special temple to a Goddess. She said the Gods are very interested sometimes in the activities of us humans. People would leave the carvings here as an offering, for good fortune, or to have a baby, for a successful crop. Whatever they wanted the Goddess' help with." She watched her husband examine a particularly well-endowed statue and she laughed at him again.
She led him back out of the temple and they both stood up straight once they were outside.
"That was enlightening." He smiled as he took her in his arms. "What an amazing find. I'm proud of you."
"Any inspiration?" She smiled up at him as she wrapped her arms firmly around his waist.
He had just leaned in for a tender kiss when someone clearing their voice interrupted them. It was Maria who smiled at them warmly. They pulled apart but not before he whispered quietly in her ear,
"I'll show you later."
They both smiled at Maria who was standing before them looking very excited.
"Thank you for the gift of the cacao bean. They are so sacred to our tribe and it's so rare to find one these days. Luis is preparing it now for a special ceremony tonight. We would very much like if both of you could join us. The whole tribe participates, just no children. Alex and Izzy are welcome to spend the evening with the elders. They would very much like to have them."
"It would be our honour." Evy spoke for all of them happily.
"That is wonderful. With the discovery of the temple and then the cacao... this night will be special. The Goddess will be near to our prayers. The only thing is the men and women must prepare separately. Can you come with me now?" Maria asked her friend.
Evy looked to Rick. He answered without her having to ask.
"I'll look after Izzy and Alex and take them down to the elders camp later. You go do what you have to do." He winked at her.
"Thank you Rick. Luis said he would be back up in a few minutes to help you build a shelter for the llama. Then he can prepare you and we will meet at sundown." Maria took Evelyn's hand to lead her away.
"I look forward to it." He spoke to Maria but his eyes darted to his wife while he said it.
He watched Evy and Maria walk away for awhile and just shook his head and smiled. His life since they had come to Peru had been adventurous enough but it had become a bit stale lately. He was suddenly looking forward to a celebration with the group of people who had accepted him and his family so warmly into their lives and their culture.
He went into his tent and smiled at Alex who was sitting at the desk in the corner with a textbook open. Alex put his finger over his lips and pointed at Izzy who was still stirring but would be asleep soon enough in her own little bed on the other side of the tent. Rick went to the footlocker at the base of his and Evy's bed and quietly pulled his gun bag out of it. Alex watched him and Rick gestured for him to come with him.
He knelt outside, opened up the bag and Alex watched as his dad pulled a wrapped package out of the haversack he always carried over his shoulder these days. He opened up the package and pulled out a half dozen, brown-wrapped sticks of dynamite. Alex gasped.
"Do not tell your mother about this. I got them from a man in the village, they cost me a small fortune but they're useful to have around sometimes. I couldn't pass up the chance."
Alex nodded agreement and then watched as his father showed him how to attach the fuse and remove it. Rick pulled the fuse back off and tucked them into the bag. For a lark he quizzed Alex on what all of the guns were, and their gauges, and he smiled proudly as Alex named them all with no hesitation. Rick just laughed as he bundled everything back up and went back into the tent. Education was education.
"You should do some real school work though. Don't upset your mother today." Rick gestured at the book on the desk and Alex sat down and flipped the page. He would be immersed for hours and Rick smiled again at his son as he packed the bag back into the foot locker. He was so proud of him, so smart just like his mother. He had kept his love for learning alive since they had been in Peru for over a year already.
There was a knocking on the door frame and Rick opened the door to see Luis and a number of his diggers with supplies to build Izzy's new llama a shelter. They spent the afternoon erecting the structure and by dinner time it was done and the animals were quite comfortable in their new home.
Rick went with Luis to take the children down to the elders encampment. Luis explained as they went that the elders had been very excited for their visit and had prepared special food for the evening meal and they were ready with stories to tell. Alex was very excited for his evening and he held his sister by the hand as Rick turned to leave them.
"Now we prepare." Luis smiled broadly at his friend. "This will be a night to remember."
As the sun started to set, and after he had gone through the tribe's sacred cleansing ritual with the other men, Rick helped to build a giant fire just about in the centre of the abandoned village. Some men started to dance as the fire flared, invoking the attention of their Goddess, and others brought seats for everyone and placed them in a circle around the fire. It apparently wasn't the whole village that was celebrating, just the diggers. The close followers of Luis and Maria.
Rick was stacking more wood near the fire when he heard a pipe playing coming from the road. All the men stopped what they were doing and watched as the women approached the fire. Rick caught his wife's eyes almost immediately and she held his gaze for quite awhile.
As the women approached their spouses, Rick finally got a good look at his wife. She looked so incredibly beautiful it took his breath. Dressed in the clothing of the tribe, she wore a bright woven skirt that barely went to her knees. Her midriff and her shoulders were bare but fabric was intricately wrapped around her torso exposing just enough skin to make him want to see more. She had bangles on her wrists and a number of necklaces hanging low into her cleavage. Her hair was half tied up with a bright cloth flower intricately woven into a braid, and her eyes. They just melted him as flares of the firelight sparkled in her light irises.
She couldn't take her eyes off him either. He was shirtless, like all the other men, with braided bands ties around his upper arms, enhancing the firm muscles he still displayed. He wore short pants and had bands tied around his ankles as well. Even though he would never be mistaken as having been born into the tribe, he looked like he belonged and Evy could not help but be so proud of him and so in love with him for allowing her this opportunity in Peru. He had made the best of it and he loved being with their children. He had become an amazing father of two and she was possibly the luckiest woman on earth. She thanked the Goddess as she approached the fire and then finally went to her husband's open arms.
The two of them were sat together on an old overturned log that had been covered in mats by the co-leaders of the village as the special guests. Not often were there guests at these celebrations so Rick and Evy were incredibly honoured by the attention. They sat down together and watched quietly as members of the tribe conveyed their messages to their Goddess. It was beautiful and Evy leaned into her husband as they watched the intricate dancing and chanting.
Maria sat down beside them eventually and clapped as her husband invoked the Goddess for protection for the night and that She smile upon them all.
He then poured a steaming liquid from an old carved pot into a wooden cup. He handed the cup to a woman sitting near him and she smiled and passed the cup along. Luis went to sit beside his wife as the cup went around the circle.
Evy watched everyone, in her subtle way, as the cup went around the circle and she noticed that only the men took a sip though the women accepted the cup and passed it on.
The women had drunk of a sacred potion earlier, away from the men, and Evy could already feel the effects of whatever was in the drink. Her skin felt like it was on fire wherever her husband gently pressed against her and the feeling of belonging overwhelmed her. When it came to her she looked at Maria who sat on the other side of Luis for instruction. Maria shook her head gently and motioned for her to pass it on to Rick with a whimsical smile.
Rick took the cup and held it in his large hands as he looked at his wife questioningly. She looked back to Luis now for advice and the man leaned close to her ear and whispered something covered by his cupped hand. Evy blushed slightly, smiled into the fire and the people gathered around watching them, and then looked back to her husband.
"Honey, take a drink and then pass it on." She smiled at him lovingly, her eyes sparkled as she patted his bare knee affectionately. "Trust me."
He trusted her completely, though he eyed carefully the look on her face, and lifted the wooden cup to his mouth to take a drink. He was surprised at the incredible flavour that instantly fired all his senses. Once he swallowed and passed the cup to the woman on his right, he looked back to his wife and returned her broad smile.
A number of the people around the fire clapped and laughed and expressed their enjoyment of their guests and their willingness to join the sacred ceremony.
"What was that all about?" He leaned his shoulder against hers and spoke softly into her ear. "What was in that drink?"
"It is the ancient tradition that you may only take a drink of the sacred cacao elixir if you have sexually satisfied a woman." Evy dropped her head, a bit embarrassed as she chortled and took his hand as his eyes grew wide. He looked around at the people gathered around the fire.
Everyone was grinning at him and Evy. His ears grew red in the firelight but he was smiling as well. She leaned close to his jaw and grazed his stubble with her lips and her cool breath on his suddenly warm neck made him shiver.
"I just vouched for you Mr. O'Connell..." She whispered in his ear and then nipped at his earlobe. He shivered again. "You better not make a liar of me..."
"Later...Trust me." He whispered back, flashing her his most charming smile and squeezing her bare thigh, letting his fingers linger gently on her skin.
He was starting to feel a bit light headed. Whatever had been in the concoction was affecting him already. His skin felt too warm and all his senses were firing on high. The fire suddenly seemed to burn brighter. He could almost feel his heartbeat, which was increasing rapidly in his throat as his wife continued to nibble at his neck. The fragrance in her hair made him close his eyes in disbelief. She stopped eventually, much to his dismay, and just smiled up at him as though there was no one else around. He got lost in her eyes for awhile. And she, in his.
His wife had never looked so beautiful as she did to him then. The traditional garb of the villagers suited her so well. The bright colours she wore contrasted perfectly against her dark hair and tanned skin. Her eyes were glowing with her love for him. Her bare shoulders and stomach glistened in the flickering light. He kissed the top of her head after she leaned it lovingly against his bare shoulder. His arm wrapped around her and the two of them just watched the fire burn as the group told ancient stories of the valley and how bountiful it had been. They all begged their Goddess for the return of their water. The return of the only treasure that really mattered to them.
It had been a long time since Rick had felt so completely relaxed. The drink was affecting him more and more by the minute but not in a negative way. He just felt so happy, so lucky, and so loved. One of his wife's hands was on his thigh, the other played with the wooden beads that hung against his bare chest. Her touches were like ice-fire sparking his senses beyond comprehension. He suddenly wanted to feel her bare skin pressed against his and as her hand crept higher on his thigh he hoped leaving the fire so quickly wouldn't be considered rude to their hosts. He looked around and noticed a number of couples had already left.
He turned to Luis and asked the man over the top of Evy's head,
"Are the kids okay to stay with the elders for the night? I hate to impose..." Rick asked,
"They are most welcome for the night. The elders will be pleased to help. You go with Evelyn and may the Goddess smile upon you both tonight." Luis grinned knowingly at them.
He felt good. He felt that that their Goddess would be happy he had shared the sacred ritual with the outsiders. The love shared between the couple from so far away, who had answered their call for help over a year ago, was contagious. The O'Connell's were already incredibly respected within his tribe and among the villagers. They had become his and Maria's good friends as well.
Rick looked back to Luis quickly as Evy stood up, took his hand, and pulled him towards their tent.
"And may the Goddess smile upon you all as well." His voice broke a little as he spoke and he nodded specifically to Luis and Maria while he mouthed "Thank you."
Rick turned back to his wife and she only had eyes for him as they disappeared into the darkness. Every couple in the village celebrated the discovery of the mini-temple that night and nearly all of them gave a special thanks that their Goddess had brought the O'Connell's to them. Perhaps soon they would find that which they all been seeking for nearly a thousand years.
The next day dawned much too quickly for some. Evy and Rick fought being awake until the heat of the sun had hit their tent around mid-morning and even though they both lay naked the warmth became too much. Evelyn forced them both out of their bed so they could actually get some work done that day. He lethargically agreed that they really should go get Alex and Izzy from the elder's encampment. Their daughter could be a handful and they had already imposed the night and the morning.
He agreed to go get their children while Evelyn got started on documenting the mini-temple. Once they left their tent, finally ready for the day, Maria approached the couple with a friendly smile. The woman had been waiting just outside for Evelyn to get up to go back into the temple and was almost ready to wake them up but they had appeared eventually.
Rick walked with his wife as far as the temple opening and then he stopped and kissed her quite soundly before heading off down the road to get their children.
Maria smiled at Evy watching her husband go. It appeared as though the two had a very good night and Maria was happy for them. They both knew they were very lucky women to be married to the men in their lives. They waited until they were in the chamber before they each spilled on the details of their intimate night honouring the Goddess, giggling like young women as they worked away but remained respectful of the contents of the temple. Maria said her Goddess would be happy they had both enjoyed their nights immensely. It was a good sign.
It was hours later when Rick's deep voice startled them both as Evy catalogued the statues and Maria told her the story of each one and its meaning.
"Evy? I hate to bother you but can you come get your daughter please. Something's gotten into her today. I'm hoping your expertise will calm her down." His blue eyes flashed around the room and he smiled slightly.
Evy stood up and sighed. "MY daughter? What's she doing this time?"
"It's better if you come see..." He reached his hand out to her, she accepted it and they left the temple.
Maria followed. There wasn't much for her to do in the temple by herself and she was concerned for Izzy. She loved that girl as if she was her own daughter.
Rick and Evy walked together quickly up towards the treeline at the northeast end of the abandoned village where Alex was attempting to contain his little sister. She was screaming and crying and Evy rushed to her daughter, knelt down, and tried to hold her in her arms.
"What's wrong darling? Evelyn tried to comfort her daughter but Izzy pushed her away.
Once she was free of her mother's grasp she went back to the small hill and started pawing at the dirt with her bare hands. Almost in a frenzy.
Evy looked back up to Rick but all he could do was shrug his shoulders. This was very abnormal behaviour even by their daughter's standards. Both parents were slightly concerned, their expressions showed it well.
"She's been doing that for over an hour. I've been trying to get her to have some lunch and maybe a nap... but she won't stop." He knelt down beside their girl as well. She was filthy with dust and dirt and her tears left streaks down her face. "Izzy sweetheart, what are you doing? Tell Mum and Dad."
The little girl just sobbed harder, frustrated more than anything by her inability to communicate what she wanted. She pulled her hand back from the digging suddenly and held it out to her dad. She had sliced her tiny finger on a sharp rock and Rick took her little hand in his but not before a drop of her blood fell to the sandy dirt beneath her. He picked her up to comfort her while she still sobbed uncontrollably.
Evy and Alex both watched and heard the blood drop sizzle as it disappeared into the dried dirt. Mother and son looked at each other quickly with eyes wide open and then Evy motioned for Maria to come closer. Within a few seconds something a few inches under the dirt started to glow so Maria and Evy quickly brushed away the layers of dirt on top of it.
Alex had run quickly to get his mother's tool bag and was back as the women cleared the edges of a large silver plate that had stopped glowing so apparently as it was exposed to the afternoon sun. Evy used a brush to delicately remove the last of the caked dirt from the top and Maria gasped.
The Peruvian woman stood up, ran a few steps and then let out a loud whistle. All the diggers came running with their tools and she spoke quickly in their ancient language and the men and women started to dig to where she pointed. They had removed the round silver plate from the ground quite quickly and Maria and Luis carried it over to the centre square where Evy had a number of her makeshift examining tables set up.
"What is this?" Evelyn asked Maria while Rick stood beside her still consoling their daughter by rocking her gently on his hip.
"This is the symbol of the Moon Goddess Quillya. The descendants of Quillya have been our sworn enemy since before... anyone can remember why. It is very strange to find an idol of their Goddess so deep in our territory. Who knows how long it's been buried here but this is a very powerful idol."
"Question. Why did it glow? We all saw it right?" Rick asked the women.
Maria closed her eyes and shuddered. "It is rumoured that the Moon Goddess accepts the sacrifice of children for her powers. I'm sure it's something that the Quillya warriors don't practice anymore but the power is still there apparently. The idol definitely reacted strongly to the drop of your daughter's blood."
They all turned to look at Izzy who had calmed down considerably once the men and woman were digging with purpose in the hole she had started. She buried her head in her father's shoulder once she saw everyone staring at her.
One of the diggers called out and Maria went running back to where the excavating was quickly proceeding.
Maria turned to the O'Connell's with a smile they could not interpret and beckoned them over.
"Look... all those rocks. There's no way those are natural occurring. Something must be buried here..." Maria grabbed a shovel from one of her men and joined the others. The rocks were hauled away from the developing tunnel by a number of people who were forming an assembly line.
The O'Connell's stood and watched for awhile and then Izzy started to chatter happily. They all looked at her in surprise, it seemed she was back to her usual self after her strange outburst. She held out her cut finger to her dad and he smiled at her and promised they would go get a bandage. Izzy prattled away happily as they went, completely unbothered by what had just occurred.
"I wish I knew what she was saying even half the time." Alex laughed as he walked beside his mother to the lunch that they had been trying to get Izzy to eat before her tantrum had distracted them all.
"You and me both darling. I wonder how she knew something was buried there?" Evy smiled slightly at her son as she spooned a bowl of beans and passed him some tortillas to eat them with. He just shrugged. She said nothing to Alex about her concern that the Moon Goddess had now gotten a taste of her little girl's blood. "Just wait, in a few years when she's talking your ear off... you'll wish for her to be young again. Just ask your Uncle Jonathan when we see him again."
Rick came back with a completely happy, clean-faced little girl and the family sat and ate their lunch while the diggers uncovered a larger and larger tunnel behind them.
Evy spent the afternoon supervising the digging while keeping her daughter close and entertained. Rick and Alex helped the crew remove the rocks and by early evening the diggers had come out of the tunnel exhausted. They had struck solid rock at the back of it and could go no further much to everyone's disappointment. Evelyn had thought for sure they would find something significant.
Maria called the dig off for the night and everyone gathered their belongings and made their way to their tents.
After their dinner, Alex went off to read and relax in his own tent and Rick and Evy played with Izzy trying to tire her out before her bedtime. She inevitably kept leading them back to the mouth of the tunnel. The little girl stopped at one point, looked back at her parents with a worried expression and pointed into the tunnel and babbled something.
Rick saw a familiar look in his wife's eye as she peered into the tunnel, still lit by lanterns enough to see fairly deeply inside. He glared at her and shook his head when she looked back to him.
"Evy, just don't. We don't know if it's safe." He knew his words were useless.
"Just a little peek... it can't hurt anyone." She smiled at her husband confidently and then at their daughter and entered the tunnel.
"You see that Izzy? That is why your dad is getting grey hairs." Rick quickly kissed his daughter's forehead as the little girl watched her mother go.
It was only a few minutes before he heard his wife scuff something and then he heard the obvious sound of old wood splintering, a clattering of rocks and then a muffled thump. Then he heard the dreaded sound of his wife calling his name for help. He set his daughter down, hoping she would stay out of trouble for just five minutes, and ran into the tunnel. The lanterns set along the sides lit his way and he saw the hole in the ground before he heard his wife again. He flew onto to his stomach and crawled to the edge where he looked down and saw his wife standing there looking up.
He smiled as she seemed to be alright.
"Give me your hand." He reached down into the hole and hauled her up quite easily.
The two of them crawled out of the tunnel quickly, afraid more holes in the old wooden floor might open up, the wooden floor that the diggers had missed by mere inches.
Izzy was standing right by the entrance waiting for them with a worried look on her little face. Rick picked up their daughter and then examined his wife for any major injuries. The only thing he noticed was that she was pale and it looked as though she had seen a ghost.
"Are you alright?" He turned her face gently in his hand.
"Rick..." She paused and looked back into the tunnel, subconsciously stepping further away from it. "There's a whole cavern down there. There's something... I could see it in the bit of light where the floor collapsed. I think it's a mummy."
He turned pale as well. Izzy once again pointed at the tunnel and babbled in her endearing, incoherent two-year-old language.
Evy, startled, suddenly stared at her daughter. Something the girl had just said had made sense to her mother.
"What Evy?" Rick could tell by the look on his wife's face that something had happened.
"Izzy's not trying to speak English, she's speaking the language of the tribe. No wonder we can't understand her, she's growing up around them it makes sense she's picking up their language as well. It's still baby-talk but it's definitely making more sense now. I can't believe I didn't pick up on that!" Evy smiled so proudly at her daughter. "You're so smart Izzy! Definitely my girl now aren't you!"
"So what's she saying then?" Rick laughed gently at the interaction between mother and daughter. They loved each other so much it made his heart hurt sometimes.
"She keeps saying... 'Lady-in-the-dark', or something similar to that." Izzy's parents both looked back at the tunnel and then at each other. "I'll go get Maria and Luis. They'll want to know about what we've just discovered."
Evy ran off into the dusk light while Rick carried their daughter back to their tent to clean her up and put her to bed. As she drifted off to sleep in her own little bed, he softly sang her an old lullaby his own mother had sung to him when he was very small. From before he had been left at the orphanage.
"Goodnight Isabella..." He kissed his daughter on the cheek once she was sound asleep and admired her for a little while. He loved her so much. And Alex too. His children were without question, his greatest treasure. His wife was his heart and soul. He wanted for nothing.
Then he quietly loaded all of his guns waiting for Evy to come to bed.
His wife was back less than an hour later and she came in and sat down beside him. Her hair was covered in cobwebs and her face was dirty. He smiled. She looked beautiful regardless.
"Maria and Luis weren't in their tent. I'll show them in the morning. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. Maria told me mummification was a common practice in the old days..." She was trying to convince herself more than him it seemed.
As they settled down to try to get some sleep, Izzy climbed in between them and they both cuddled her back to sleep. Rick lay awake for a long time listening to his girls breathing gently.
He had a feeling tomorrow was going to be eventful.
to be continued...
