Chapter Four: Desert Heat
It was still early when the five of them had found a small Nomad village. Nerissa was tired as hell and just wanted to sleep. The women in the village made a bee-line towards her and Evy with smiles.
"Uh what do they want? Evy what do these women want?" Nerissa asked as a little girl covered head to toe in black grabbed her hand and pulled her towards a tent.
"They wish to give us new clothes. How nice of them considering I lost all of mine." Nerissa groaned, she liked her clothes, she didn't want new ones. Her navy peasant blouse was comfortable even with the detailed brown belt under her average sized bust. Sure her black leggings were a bit on the warm side with the desert sun but they were comfortable enough to run, sit or just plan walk in. And her boots her favorite pair of brown leather heeled boots; she wouldn't trade them for anything!
Nerissa flinched as the little girl began to play with her leather cuff bracelet with the circular rose stone on her left wrist. That cuff covered the tattoo on her wrist; it was the Eye of Horus. A tattoo that a man given her when she was drunk. It was quite a shock to find in the morning even more of one when she noticed that Rick had the same one on his hand. Only while Rick's was the size of a dime hers was the size of a silver dollar. The little girl grinned as she then began to fiddle with her other bracelet on her other wrist it was a black cord bracelet with intricate knots to make it look like a rope, Jonathan had the same one. She made them when she was eight and the two of them still wore them constantly, it was a clichéd symbol of their constant friendship. She remembered that Evy was jealous about them so she made her a small cartouche pendant that said 'Evelyn' she still wore it behind her locket.
"Those rings were my mother's." She whispered to the girl who was staring at the three small diamond covered rings on her left middle finger. The little girl smiled as she held up a small golden locket as she opened it Nerissa saw a picture of a beautiful Arabic woman holding a toddler and a kind looking man.
"Your parents?" she asked as she pointed to the couple, the girl whispered the word for mother in Arabic. One of the few words Nerissa knew. She smiled at the little girl touching her sun kissed cheek.
"You look like her." She whispered as the girl smiled and reached for her other hand looking at the ring on her middle finger. It was a cocktail ring that Evy bought her for her eighteenth birthday, a gold ring with an amber colored stone and little stones surrounding it in the same color. She still found herself sitting in the sun every so often watching the sun reflect off it.
"Do you like that? Look at my earrings too kiddo. I have two sets. I was…uhm…bored? I got them pierced twice. Don't know anyone else who was crazy enough to do so. But it drove my Aunt Rachel crazy! See I have smokey quartz for the dangles. And gold studs for the second hole." She said as the girl studied the 30mm sized smokey quartz earrings. But it was her jeweled ankh necklace that drew the girl's attention the most.
"Ankh. Life." She said in broken English, as she studied the pendant that was the size of her small thumb.
"Yeah ankh. My parents got it for me, before they died. I was nineteen, there was an accident and they both died." She whispered it was the first time she talked about her parents in nearly five years. She felt tears prickle behind her long lashes. She could barely remember her mother's face with her blonde hair and bright green eyes, or her father's laugh that reached his blue eyes. She sat there looking off into the distance watching a little boy playing with his parents. She had been burying her pain for years refusing to cry but this one little girl brought back the memories. Ones she wished would stay buried and locked away.
"Miss them?" the little girl whispered as she stumbled on the English words. Nerissa looked at the girl and nodded. The girl pulled her towards a man that was tending to a horse.
"Adiva, who is this?" The man asked in both Arabic and English. Nerissa realized that this was the girl's father.
"I'm Nerissa. I was just talking to your daughter, she is beautiful sir." The man smiled as he nodded.
"She looks just like her mother. Are those your friends Nerissa, over there with Amir?" Nerissa turned to see Jonathan trying to get some camels and laughed.
"Yes we need some camels to travel…I wish we still had the horses we started with." She muttered the man smiled.
"Take Barakah, she is a good horse. A gift for making my daughter smile, she hasn't smiled in so long. Not since her mother was still alive." Nerissa looked at the man with shock written over her face. She looked at the beautiful white horse and bit her lip.
"I couldn't! She is your horse sir." She tried to reason with him but he wouldn't listen.
"She was my wife's horse. She would want to give her to you if she were in my place. Please take her; I want you to have her. She is a wonderful horse, but she brings memories of my wife. I think it is time to let go of the past and live for tomorrow." Nerissa nodded softly as the man handed her the reigns.
"Thank you. Here take this as a thank you. I won't take no as an answer." She said handing the man her copy of Robin Hood.
"I was going to give it away anyway. I give away the books I finish." She said with a smile the man grinned.
"Ah I had this as a boy! I sold it along with some other books to get my wife this very horse!" Nerissa gave a small laugh. She walked towards Jon with a smile as he continued to get some camels. The man was obviously trying to rip Jon off.
"You only need four now. A man gave me his horse." Jon turned to look at her with a huff.
"He is charging me for the whole bloody herd! I don't need any more than four now! GIVE ME FOUR! NO MORE!" he yelled Nerissa grinned as she shook her head.
"It would've been a lot easier if you traded your sister." Nerissa spun around to glare at Rick.
"Really? Wow you're pathetic Rick!" she snapped Rick just shrugged.
"We could trade you instead Ness. I'm sure he'd like you. Being blonde you must be exotic to him." Nerissa's eyes widened as she looked at the man.
"You know what Evy knows his native language so they have more in common! We can trade her!" she squeaked. The two men just chuckled at their nervous friend. Rick's laughter came to a sudden stop when Evy came out in new clothes and kohl around her eyes. He was completely smitten, and Nerissa didn't plan on letting him live it down any time soon.
The sun was unbearable in the desert heat. She could feel herself burning; she wanted to curse her Irish decent. At least the horse was doing better than her. She looked down to see Indy chasing a random desert hare barking as it hopped around. She couldn't help but laugh at his silly antics. She tried to block the sun by pulling her fedora lower over her burnt face but it didn't do much for her.
"Stupid sun, stupid heat. Is it too much to want an eclipse? Just block out the damn sun so I don't melt here!" she whined as the Warden began to sing off key. It was official she was ready to kill someone if it meant she would get out of the damn heat.
"It could be worse Ness; at least we have water this time." Nerissa turned to look at Rick.
"Easy for you to say I am sharing my water with a horse and dog! Where was that old well at? I am so thirsty I could drink an ocean!" she said with a tired sigh.
"The salt in the ocean water would kill you Nerissa. You would dehydrate faster that way than out here. And if you managed to live you would be very ill." Evelyn pointed out which just made her roll her eyes.
"Details, details Evy. I'm just thirsty. Leave it at that alright?" she snapped, she didn't want to be bitchy but the heat was getting to her.
"The well is a bit farther. By the time we get there it'll be night fall and we can rest for the night. Just hold out a bit longer Ness." Nerissa just hoped it wouldn't be much longer.
Finally nearly five hours later they reached the old well. It was just as Nerissa remembered it being, a small abandoned well in the middle of the desert.
"We'll camp here for the night. Set up the tents here." Rick said as he stretched his sore muscles. Nerissa couldn't imagine what being on a camel was like if a horse hurt. Slowly sliding off the horse she led it to the well.
"Drink up." She said as she handed a water filled bucket to the horse which greedily drank. Indy was nudging her leg and whimpering letting her know he was thirsty too she pulled a tin cup out of her saddle bag and filled it with some of the water in her canteen.
"Enjoy Indy; it's the last of my water until the horse is done." Jon came over with a yawn as he handed her his own canteen.
"You need to drink some too. Have mine I can wait." He said as she gave a grateful nod before drinking the cold liquid.
"Thanks Jon. Man I hate the desert endless miles of nothing but sand. How do you think the Americans are handling?" She asked as she leaned back onto Jon who was leaning up against the well.
"You mean that Henderson chap? I saw that kiss. You seemed to be enjoying it." He said with a smirk and a wink.
"Shut up Jon that's none of your business. But I care about the others, minus Beni and that Egyptologist. Those two get on my nerves. What about you? Hmm? I didn't get the chance to ask if you found a future Mrs. Carnahan I want godchildren! Are you going to leave it up to Evy to give them to me?" she laughed, it was moments like this with Jon that she loved. The two of them could always just sit there and enjoy each other's company. The two of them acted like twins as kids always finding mischief. While Evy was the golden child they were the troublemakers.
"No can't say I have. But remember our deal if we don't find someone by your thirtieth birthday we are getting married! Remember our mothers tried to pair us up? I swear Mum was planning the wedding from the day we met, you in your overalls and short sleeved shirt. Missing a tooth and dirt on your little sun burnt cheeks." He said as he poked her cheek making her chuckle.
"Let's not forget you in your prep school uniform that stupid little tie and blazer in the desert heat! You were a chubby little thing! What were we five and ten? I miss those days; you remember when my dad brought the sleds on the dig? We were sledding on sand dunes! Now that was an Egyptian Christmas to remember! I loved making sand angels! And the sand people those were fun too! Evy was so young too she was only two, with her little braids and that frilly dress!" The two friends laughed at the memories of their childhood. It wasn't long until the two fell asleep leaning against each other.
When morning finally came Nerissa found herself lying on Jon's lap and Indy curled up against her side his head resting on Jon's legs. She sat up and stretched with a big yawn.
"Is it morning already?" Jon mumbled as he cracked his neck and back while stretching as well.
"Yep, time for another day of melting in the desert. I don't know about you but I'm having a blast! Note my sarcasm." She groaned as she stood up and looked around; Rick was making what she could only guess was coffee.
"You two want some coffee?" He yelled confirming her suspicions. She felt her nose scrunch up in disgust, she hated coffee. Not just the taste but the smell of it too she always had.
"I rather drink piss Rick and you know that!" she said as she sat next to him.
Within ten minutes the camp was packed up and they continued to make their way to Hamunaptra. It was when they saw a valley littered with skeletons of soldiers that she knew they were close.
"I knew that guy." Rick said pointing to one of them making the others gag silently. Nerissa noticed one man with an eye patch and frowned.
"That bastard owed me money. Never did get that ten dollars, last time I lend money to a man with an eye patch!" she snapped as she passed him she heard Rick and Jon chuckle. After making their way through the valley Nerissa looked up towards the cliffs and sighed, the men on horseback were still watching them just like they had three years ago.
"Rick?" she questioned he turned to look at her briefly before responding.
"I see them too." He whispered quietly as to not alert the others of the observers.
Well here was the brief chapter four. I hope you enjoyed this little filler. I wanted to show the friendship between Jon and Nerissa. And I wanted to use the line Rick says in the deleted scenes "I knew that guy." It always cracks me up! Keep an eye out for chapter five which I will start later tonight.