They went upstairs to Riley's office. Ryan was still happily playing on the PlayStation, going through all of Riley's games without a care in the world, so Abigail, Riley, Ben and Michael went into the office, leaving the door open in case Ryan called for them. Riley had managed to clear most of the wreck of his office up just enough so that it looked as messy as it usually did. The only flaw in this, however, was that the remainder of the photo frames and the ornaments had been broken or smashed.
He went straight over to the safe in the wall, which Ian hadn't been able to get into. "An associate of mine got hold of it at a museam, asked me if I was interested in trying to find it for him." He babbled, while enterting the combination.
"So, the Reforms, are they directions?" Ben asked.
"Kind of." Riley vaugely answered. Just like him, never give a certain answer if there was a uncertain one at hand.
"They were a way of luring adventurers off its course, to warn them away from it." Abigail told him. "Different verses of it were found along the path, giving details about it along the way to put them off, to scare them."
Ben gave her a strange look, but she didn't notice it.
"One Pharaoh went after it though, and recorded every verse, sending each one back to his advisor back in the city to have them documented." Riley carried on, opening the safe and now sorting through the peices of paper and money he had randomly thrown in there.
"What happened?" Ben asked, knowing that something had gone wrong.
"When he found the location, he went back with five hundred men. Again, only his advisor knew that he had left."
"And no one ever saw them again." Ben deduced.
"Exactly."
"Where are they then?" Abigail asked, and Riley pulled them out of the safe.
"Here."
It was a scrap of papyrus, worthless in many eyes, but to the three pairs of trained eyes, it was priceless. Abigail felt a strange pull to it, and reached out to hold it. As soon as her fingertips touched it, she withdrew them sharply, an invisible pain causing her to drop it. Ben focused on her immediately.
"Are you all right?" He asked her.
She nodded. "Yeah..."
"What happened?"
"Just...nothing. Nothing." She knew better than to play the nothing game with him, but even though he knew she was lying, he let it go, knowing that she wouldn't say anything at the moment with Riley and Michael in the room.
Riley handed the document to Ben instead, who felt nothing when he touched it. He stared at it for the moment.
"What does it say?" He asked, and Riley jumped a little at the question, forgetting that Ben wasn't able to read heiroglyphs. However, having seen Abigail's reaction to touching the paper, he had an idea.
"Abi, you can read Egyptian." He prompted, nodding at the document.
She nodded, and stepped closer to Ben. He handed her the Reforms, and she took them, the sharp pain no longer present, just replaced with a strange sensation like a dull electric current running through her.
"In the depths of darkest Sahara,
Underneath the blanket dunes
There's a wonderous hidden treasure
Under watch of it's tribunes.
They stand watch for ancient lore
That commands their constant stand
For traditions now unheard of
In this world of forgotten lands.
Their sacred duty holds strong
When others would surely fail
And the so they stand united
On the long untrodden trail.
As beneath the star-crossed sky
With the moon in risen glory,
A legend once unfolded hence
A most amazing story.
A goddess with amazing ways
Of changing women's luck.
Yet anger her if you shall dare
And devestation will be struck.
For she has a secret trinket
From which she draws this ancient spell.
It gives rise to amazing magic
That even a wand could not expel.
This mysterious, alluring charm
Comes not from carven stylus,
But instead this power lies waiting
In the form of a golden necklace.
Inside this golden wonder
Lies a power unimaginable
With ability to bring to life
The worst parts of the bible.
It grants its wearer its magic
And they become undefeatably strong.
Yet along with immortality,
Comes the temptation to stray to wrong.
Men have trailed to search it
But return only with bloodstains.
It's hidden for a reason,
And it cannot be contained.
But it was put away from human life
Because of all it's power.
And the day that it has been wrought by Man
Will become Man's darkest hour.
If the goddess couldn't sand it's hold
Then what can Man hope to do?
For if a spirit being has no hope,
Neither does Man, it's true.
So before you pack your travels
And plan your expedition,
Be prepared to agree to this,
A last prepared condition:
Keep your wits about you,
It's protectors will not stray,
They'll keep defending the necklace
Until their dying day.
Beware of ancient devils
That live amongst the sands,
There's more than human dangers
In this undetering lands.
But the biggest trouble awaits you
When the sun begins to set
And the curses that protect your prize
Are the most terrible of threats.
So go ahead and seek it
If you think you're the right Man,
That's different than the others,
That never turned and ran.
But as soon as your hands falter,
And from your grasp it slips
It is at your hands that Man will suffer
The final apocalypse."
Abigail immediately thrust the paper back into Ben's hands and stepped backwards, sitting down on Riley's desk chair.
Ben looked at it again. "That's quite a warning, alright." He commented, then turned to Riley. "Are you sure it's a good idea to go after this thing?"
Riley looked at him with intense seriousness. "Now that Ian knows, do you really think we have a choice?"
Ben shook his head slightly "This is talking about the end of the world, Riley."
"In the wrong hands." His friend added.
"What makes ours so right?" He asked.
"Maybe they're not." Riley shrugged. "We have to find the right hands.
"And let this be released into the world?"
"Surely it'll be safe in a museum." Michael suggested.
"Technically, No." Riley started, and Ben picked up his thinking.
"If people know about it's supposed power then it will be impossible to stop them from studying it, trying to see how it would work. It would have more luck on the Black Market." Ben told him.
Michael raised his eyebrows. "Ok, maybe not." He backtracked.
Riley turned back to Ben. "Ian knows, Ben. He knows that it could do, what its capable of."
"We don't know what it's capable of." Ben pointed out. "We just know what the warning tells us. It might still be a myth."
Riley stared at him with disappointment, which turned straight away into determination. "I'm sorry, but I refuse to believe that."
Before Ben could comment any further, Abigail spoke up from in the corner.
"Ben, he's right."
He turned to her with a look of surprise. "What? Abi-"
"We can't let Ian get to this before us. It's too dangerous." She said to him.
"It's too dangerous for us to go after it." Ben said, attempting to put his foot down.
"Yes, it's dangerous." Abigail agreed. "But at least as can make sure that Ian doesn't destroy the world."
Ben was silent for a minute thinking things over, and then ran his hands over his face and through his hair. "I don't know." He admitted. "I don't want you in this sort of danger." He said to her softly. It was more than her to think about as well, there was the child that they were so desperate not to lose.
"She doesn't have a choice, Ben." Michael said just as quietly. They all turned to look at him.
"What?" Ben and Riley said in unison.
"She has to do this." He repeated.
"Anyone can do, why does it have to be her?" Ben asked.
"Because she's the only one who can find it."
Abigail looked up at Michael, and he continued.
"On her first day of school, she was looking at a map. I was in the same school, and me and Mom had taken her to her class first to get her settled in Ok. She was looking at this map of the world, and her teacher came over. Abi asked her where Egypt was. The teacher showed her, and asked why she wanted to know, and Abs told her why. "that's where the necklace is." she said to her. "that's where i've got to go." ".
Abigail frowned a little. "I don't remember that." She said slowly.
"I don't suppose you would, you were only Ryan's age." He pointed out. "You won't remember that one of your first two syllable words was 'necklace' yet you and Mom never wore any jewellery."
"Wait a second," Ben stopped him. "What does that mean, exactly?"
"It means that she knows where it is." Riley said.
"How could I possible know something like that?" Abigail said with a weak laugh.
"When you touched the Reforms, you felt something, didnt you?" Abigail was silent, avoiding everyones eyes. Riley stepped closer. "Didn't you?"
Abigail stood up. "I'm sorry, I guess I've got jetlag or something, I need to go and lie down for a bit." She said, making her excuse to leave.
Ben reached out, with a hand on her arm. "Abigail..." He said slowly. She turned to look at him, and gave him a reassuring smile.
"I'm Ok, just tired." She said.
He nodded. "Ok, I'll join you in a second."
She nodded alongside him, and left the room. Michael also made an excuse of going to check on Ryan, and left Riley and Ben alone. Ben sat down in the nearest chair and looked up at Riley.
"You've really pulled a number this time." He said bitterly.
"Ben, I thought you would understand this more than anyone."
"Can you please explain to me what you insist I'm not getting?"
"This is dangerous. Not only for the people who go after it, but for the whole world. Does the whole 'final apocolypse' idea mean nothing to you?"
"I can understand that." Ben nodded. "I just have to know why it has to be us, and why now. Anyone can go, we'll pass it on to Courtney and Dean..."
"I've tried." Riley said. "They're tracking something in Asia and won't be back for months."
"Sarah?"
"Going through a divorce case and is fighting her ex for custody of Lucy."
"What about Serena and Darren, they wanted a case in Africa?" Even though they were barely older than students.
"They've just been given one in Kenya."
Ben sighed into his hands again. "We can't go." He decided.
"Why not?" Riley asked. "You're the only one who can stay two steps ahead of Ian. He can't get to this first."
"That doesn't matter-"
"Of course it matters!"
"With the information he has now, Ian's probably twelve steps ahead. He's probably already in Egypt." Ben pointed out. Ian had the few days head start that would be essential.
"Then we have to hurry." Riley suggested.
"I'm sorry, Riley, as much as I'd like to save the world, I can't put Abi and the baby in that kind of danger." Ben said simply.
"You think there will be a world for them if Ian gets there first?" Riley asked.
This hit home, and Ben was silent for a long time. He hated that it was being thrown in his face how he might not be able to protect Abigail and their child if what Riley was saying is true.
"I'll think about it." He replied wearily, and started to leave the room.
Riley was left dumbfounded in the centre of his office. Then at the last minute, he called out to Ben.
"Wait a sec, Abi's pregnant?"