A/N: I finally have another chapter, for this this poor neglected fic, we're back with chapter four of my cssns fic. Hopefully late is better than never?… It's been a crazy couple years… I'm so sorry for leaving this hanging so long, but it's been a long fought battle against the real world. I'm not completely past it yet, but I'm working on dealing, and getting past the issues. I can make no guarantees as to the regularity of posting for the remaining chapters, but I can promise they are coming. I'm trying to utilize NaNo to my advantage to get my pending WIP's completed,
I just want to say that I am immensely grateful to everyone that have left comments (even though I've kinda neglected responding to those too) and reached out to me during this time, AND I'm no less appreciative of every single person that takes the time to read my stories. So, thank you all.
So without further ado, I truly hope you enjoy this chapter, happy reading. Let me know what you think?
Beta'd by the lovely: ultraluckycatnd
Amazing Artwork by: abeylin1982
Killian can't explain the restlessness he feels, now that he is back in this accursed place. He knows, though, that it has everything to do with the enigmatic woman he has avowed to keep safe, and the evil that permeates his senses every moment he is here. Needing something to do with himself to try to be useful, Killian had announced that he was going to make sure the area they have carved out for themselves is secure before they try to find a way into the catacombs that lay below.
As he's making his way around their encampment and surrounding area, Killian thinks back to this morning as the sun had crested the horizon, showing them the way into Hamunaptra. Emma had quickly outdistanced he and the others, helping to ensure that they won the bet that they had made on the boat against the Americans; it had been very satisfying to watch the expressions on their faces as they had to hand over the money.
The longer he is around her, Killian is being continually surprised and impressed by his swan . He is not going to let his guard down while they're here though, perpetually feeling the evil lurking in the shadows at every turn. He had sworn to protect Emma, and that is exactly what he is going to do, so on his perimeter check he makes sure there is nothing out of order. Just as he's thinking about making the circuit back to their base, Killian notices something almost matching the color of the sand laying near the low stone wall. Picking it up, he realizes it is a tool kit that might just be invaluable to Emma, so he grabs it and starts to make his way back to her, scanning for any threats the whole way.
"Everything alright here Swan?"
At the sound of his voice as he continues to approach their encampment, Emma turns his way with a raised brow before she answers him. "If I didn't know any better Jones, I would think that you expect someone or something to pop up out of the sand to attack me."
"I did tell you this place reeks of evil, so I leave nothing to chance."
"I do wish you would relax. You're liable to kill yourself with worry before being confronted by an actual enemy."
He tries not to let on to how it warms his hardened heart that she likes him enough to be concerned about his well being. Killian quickly clears his throat before replying. "How about you worry about finding your treasure, and let me worry about keeping you safe. Sound like a fair deal to you?"
"Nothing I do or say will keep you from worrying, will it?"
"Not a chance." He can see her eye roll from where he stands a few feet from her, and tries his damndest not to laugh at her exasperation.
"Okay then. Thank you Jones."
"Why are you thanking me? I haven't done anything."
"You believed in me enough to bring me here."
"Well Swan, you saved my neck. I felt it only fair." He is not a sentimental sort, but Killian can't help but hope that there is something more to the blush gracing Emma's cheeks than the hot desert sun. "The daylight won't last forever. So, what say you to finding a way underground? I saw a spot that looked promising by the pillar off to the side over there, since our American counterpart took the most obvious looking entrance."
"Then lead the way Jones. August, wake up and come be helpful."
"Huh? Oh, yeah, okay. Right away baby sister."
After having made their way over to the pillar and getting their bearings, Emma realizes they're rather close to the statue of Anubis, which she knows holds secrets and potential treasures for them to find. All of which she can't help from sharing with Killian as he ensures the rope is secured for their descent. As she lifts her head from her ancient mirror to mention that fact, she sees that Blackbeard is hovering as Killian works, so Killian has taken to hitting him with the end of the rope as he's getting it secured.
Pointing in the direction of the statue, Emma says, "That's a statue of Anubis. Its legs go deep underground. And according to the Bembridge scholars, that's where we'll find a secret compartment… containing the golden Book of Amun-Ra." Finally peeling her eyes away from Killian's face for a moment, she looks over his shoulder to where August is supposed to be polishing the other ancient mirror, and thus far he has been rather unsuccessful. "August, you're meant to catch the sun with that."
"So, uh, what are these old mirrors for?" Killian asked haltingly, as though he isn't sure he should be asking, or rather should be asking something else instead. She tries not to linger on such things that she may just be imagining with unwanted hopefulness, opting to answer his question somewhat cryptically.
"Ancient mirrors. It's an ancient Egyptian trick. You'll see."
"Uh, here, this is for, uh, you. Go ahead. It's something I borrowed off our American counterpart. I thought you might like it… you might need it for when you're, uh… uh, yeah." Emma can't help it, she finds this sweet bashful side of Killian absolutely adorable. She can't help the small smile that comes to her lips as he makes his way back to the rope he was securing to the pillar to help them get down into the catacombs below, as he all but growls at a smirking Blackbeard. "What are you lookin' at?
Blackbeard is seemingly unfazed, though she swears she saw him take a quick step back from Killian as he marched past him. Seeing that she has polished up her mirror as much as she can, and August has managed to do what he can with his, Emma nods to Killian that they're ready to head down.
As Killian grabs the rope and jumps from the ledge into the hole, Blackbeard calls out, "Hey! Look for bugs. I hate bugs."
As soon as her feet hit the ground, having immediately followed Killian down into the room, she can't help her hushed tone as she stares in awe at what surrounds her. "We're standing inside a room no one has entered in over 3,000 years." The words having passed her lips in confirmation, Emma feels a slight shudder run up her spine as she hears August land on the ground just behind her.
She hears her brother call out, "Whoo! What is that god-awful stench? … Oh."
Emma pays August no mind as she makes her way over to a mirror identical to the ones she and August had polished up. As she rotates it and swipes the cobwebs away, she reverently pronounces, "And then there was… light. Oh, my God. It's a sah-netjer."
"Huh?" Killian asks. What is wrong with me? Emma asks herself. She keeps finding this man and his actions adorable, against her better judgement. He is a grown man, not a puppy to be fawned over.
Despite her internal battle, Emma still answers Killian's question. "A preparation room."
"Preparation for what?"
"For entering the afterlife."
August also chips in a helpful explanation. "Mummies, my good man. This is where they made the mummies."
Killian and August find torches in the brackets along the wall and get three lit for the men to carry, as Emma walks between Killian at the head of the group and August, who is thankfully keeping himself between her and Blackbeard. She's still not comfortable with the way the man regards her.
They start making their way through the corridors, eventually making it to the base of the Anubis statue. Emma announces, "The legs of Anubis. The secret compartment should be hidden somewhere inside here."
As she is assessing the statue and what will need to be done first, they hear a noise off to the other side of the statue. Killian quickly passes his torch to her as he pulls his second gun free from the shoulder holster. Inching along the base of the statue, Killian and August swing around with guns drawn, only to end up face to face with their American counterpart, their guns drawn as well. Where in the world did August get a gun? He is not a fighter at heart; he'd much rather talk his way out of trouble.
As he starts lowering his gun, Felix says, "You scared the bejesus out of us, Jones."
Hearing that it is just the Americans, Emma makes her way to Killian's side from where she was standing just out of view against the statue. As she gets to his side Killian replies, "Likewise." He does start to lower his guns now that the perceived threat has passed.
"Hey, that's my tool kit!" Walsh calls out, sounding indignant as he takes a step closer to her, pointing at the bundle of leather she has clutched to her chest.
Emma is truly surprised by Killian's speed and dexterity once again as his guns are back up and pointed squarely at Walsh's face as he grits out, "I don't think so."
Walsh, having seemingly realized how dangerous of a man Killian is, slowly backs away, his hands up in a placating gesture as he continues to step back until he is back in line with his friends. "Okay. Perhaps I was mistaken."
Hoping to diffuse the tense situation, Emma says, "Have a nice day, gentlemen. We have a lot of work to be getting along with."
Malcolm all but sneers at her. "Push off! This is our dig site." She knows his vitriol towards her is due to her existence as a woman, and daring to have the boldness to speak in his presence.
"We got here first." Emma tries to keep her voice neutral as she internally bristles at the repugnant man's continued abhorrence.
"This here's our statue, friend," Neal states as though it was a fact yet to be realized by Emma and her group.
Killian, not one to back down, replies, "I don't see your name written on it... pal."
"Yes, well, there's only four of you… and fifteen of me. Your odds are not so great, Jones," Arthur cajoles, with an air of confidence.
Killian doesn't even bat an eye as he adjusts one of his guns to point directly at Arthur's head as he replies, "I've had worse."
August's face goes hard as he quips, "Yeah, me too." Emma is reminded of his stint in the army before his discharge from the service.
Despite that brief moment of empathy for her brother and what he has experienced, leading him to be the man standing gun drawn facing down fifteen men in Hamunaptra, she can't help but feel annoyed by all of the posturing. She happens to look down at her feet for a moment, and notices a seam in the stone, leading her to believe another option is available for what she seeks.
Letting out a put upon sigh, Emma says, "Oh, look, for goodness' sake, let's be nice, children. If we're going to play together, we must learn to share." As she thinks to herself, he's going to get us all killed if he can't reign in his ego , she reaches her hand out to gently lower Killian's arm. She makes eye contact with him, pleading for him to follow her lead because she knows all the rest in attendance will follow his lead in lowering their weapons. "There are other places to dig."
Emma tries not to let her absolute shock show on her face as Killian gives her a slight smile and a brief nod as he holsters one of his weapons and lowers the other. She is not so successful at hiding her shock as he takes the torch back from her and his other hand grazes her lower back as he guides her from the room, keeping himself between her and the Americans with his gun at the ready should they try anything.
After having put enough distance between themselves and the Americans, Emma informs Killian and August of what she noticed while the guys were having their little standoff. Blackbeard, completely unconcerned with anything that isn't shiny at the moment, wanders off on his own while the three of them stop to discuss the development and figure out their best course of action to reach the room below the statue.
After some time wandering, they are finally able to make it to the right room. Blackbeard joined back up with them for a little bit when they had made their way through the room he had been looking for treasures in. Without notice from the rest of the group, after they had made it to the chamber they were looking for, he decides to strike back out on his own, though, having very quickly gotten bored with their planning and strategizing.
Emma announces to the men standing to either side of her, "According to these hieroglyphs… we're directly underneath the statue. We should come up right between his legs."
As Emma directs the guys to the optimal area, August and Killian take up pickaxes and start chipping away at the barrier between them and the treasure they seek.
After some time, August pipes up with, "When those damn looters go to sleep… No offense-"
"None taken," Killian reassures August, cutting off any further apologizing he may feel the need to say.
August finishes by saying, "We'll dig our way up and steal that book right out from under them."
Killian sounds skeptical as he asks, "Are you sure we can find this secret compartment?"
Emma says, "Oh, yes, if those beastly looters haven't beaten us to it. No offense."
As he continues to hack away at the ceiling above them, Killian grunts out, "None taken."
Finally noticing Blackbeard's absence once again, August asks, "Where'd our smelly little friend get to?"
"I'm sure he will come back around at some point," Emma dismisses from where she stands, reading more of the hieroglyphs on the walls.
After an indeterminate amount of time, the guys decide to take a break to let their arms and backs rest for a bit before getting back to hacking away at the ceiling. Instead of choosing to sit down as Killian has done, August decides to explore the chamber they're in a bit more. Emma comes over to join Killian where he's sitting on the stone benches they were using as a step up to reach the ceiling. Even as she continues to chastise herself for this attraction that has her gravitating to his side every chance available, Emma sits down to talk to the man that has her so conflicted.
"So why did Walsh think this was his tool kit?"
"I'm not sure Swan, but he was bloody daft if he thought he was going to take it from you."
"My hero. Would you really have shot him had he tried something?"
"For you Swan, anything."
Needing to edge away from the intensity of their current conversation, because she is definitely not ready to think about anything murder serious, Emma directs their conversation to safer topics. They pass on into idle chatter, not really talking about anything much until the conversation comes back around to the sah-netjer they had entered earlier and the mummification process. She can almost see the wheels turning as Killian turns to look at her and exclaims, "Let me get this straight. They ripped out your guts and stuffed them in jars?"
Emma feels her excitement bubbling at getting the chance to show Killian how knowledgeable and useful she could be to their venture, plus the fact that mummification is one of those things that just fascinates her. So she replies, "They'd take out your heart as well. Do you know how they took out your brains?"
August has decided the best way to tackle the interim is to hit rocks with the head of the sledgehammer, like a makeshift game of golf. "Emma, I don't think we need to know this." She can hear the queasiness in August's voice from where he is across the room.
Ignoring her brother, Emma looks back to Killian as she proceeds with what she was saying. "They'd take a sharp, red-hot poker, stick it up your nose… scramble things about a bit and then rip it all out through your nostrils."
Killian gingerly touches his nose as he says, "That's gotta hurt."
"It's called mummification. You'll be dead when they do this."
Killian looks away from her towards August as he addresses her brother. "If I don't make it out of here, don't put me down for mummification."
August agrees, "Likewise." Hitting a sizable rock with a little extra gusto, it flies into the wall before ricocheting around the room. And before any of them can think anything about it, the part of the ceiling that they had been working at earlier collapses to the floor right in front of Emma and Killian, bringing a sealed sarcophagus down with it.
"Oh, my God. It's a… It's a sarcophagus. Buried at the base of Anubis. He must have been someone of great importance. Or… he did something very naughty."
Emma turns around quickly to grab the brush out of the tool kit Killian had given her, before approaching the sarcophagus to try to get some answers. She works in tandem with Killian to clear the dust and rubble off of the writing. Before it's even fully cleared away, August asks, "Well, who is it?" as he walks around to the other side of the sarcophagus to get a better view.
Reading the etched hieroglyphs, Emma replies, "He That Shall Not Be Named."
From his vantage point beside her, Killian points out a metal area next to the hieroglyphs. "This looks like some sort of a lock."
August retorts, "Well, whoever's in here sure wasn't getting out."
Killian agrees with a sardonic tone. "Yeah, no kidding. It'll take a month to crack into this thing without a key."
Something about that pulls at the back of her mind. As she thinks back, she has an epiphany. "A key? A key! A key! That's what he was talking about!"
Killian sounds confused as he asks, "Who?"
"The man on the boat. The one with the hook. He was looking for a key!" Emma replies matter of factly as she reaches into August's bag, grabbing the puzzle box that seems like it just might be the key they need.
As she turns back to the sarcophagus, August exclaims in indignation, "Hey! That's mine."
Just rolling her eyes at her brother, she opens the contraption and smiles triumphantly as it fits perfectly into the grooves of the lock. Her triumph is cut short as a scream cuts through the air. Before they've even had a chance to turn around and run towards the pained and terrified sound, Killian already has his guns in hand.
As they make their way into the corridor, they see Blackbeard clutching his head as he continues to scream. Bolting through an archway and pushing past them, he runs headlong into the corridor wall just past the chamber they had just been in. It takes her a few moments to realize what it is she just witnessed, and Emma is still very confused about what has caused it; while she is still processing everything, Killian goes over to check and see if Blackbeard is alright. The sudden silence after his collision with the wall has an eerie feel to it.
Killian gets back to his feet, stowing his guns back in their holsters and walks over to where she and August are still glued to the spot in the corridor. "He's dead."
Emma speaks, barely above a whisper. "Dead?" Emma didn't know the man well and had not been a fan of his advances towards her, but to see his life end so abruptly was a bit jarring.
Killian gives her a concerned look as he speaks up, more to August than to her. "We'll need to find some place to put his body until we can figure out what to do. I don't think he had any family."
Killian may not have been addressing her, but Emma remembers an option from earlier. "There was a room just around the corner here that could work until we know what to do next," Emma says as she points in the direction of where Blackbeard's lifeless body currently still lays.
With a quick look at each other, Killian and August both head towards Blackbeard to move him to the room Emma had just mentioned.