V. Gold's City

"What was you talking about with the broad?"

"Nothin'."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"... She's pretty, ain't she?" Added Burns.

"Pretty enough to make Henderson go sore." Answered Dave, not really giving his opinion about the woman herself.

"Didn't know my love life interested ya two that much." The blonde American answered, still chewing his tobacco as if it was a cherry gum.

"It don't, we just curious about what made ya cut your banter for longer than an hour." Daniels remarked.

For the first time since they had slowed down, allowing their horses to catch their breath, Henderson smirked. "Ya sayin' ya want it back, Dave?"

"Don't get smart, Howie."

"Anyway, why does it matter? She's just another a' your flirts, right?" Asked Burns, adjusting his hat to cast some shade over his eyes. He looked at the cowboy, Daniels copying him.

Henderson shrugged. "Sure." He answered. "The important thing is the treasure. We gotta focus on that."

"Yeah." Said Burns.

Daniels nodded, turning his head back to the front. "We better make it up to all the bucks we wasted."

After riding for more than two hours straight, the whole group had been forced to slow their paces; the horses were panting and sweating, and all animals and humans needed a rest. The heat was burning, only adding intensity to the suffocating feeling. They had been advised that pushing themselves over the edge in such extreme conditions would only do worse to them; they would never reach the City, they would never be rich. So they had to take a little break. Daniels didn't like it; they had already wasted enough time, and he wasn't losing that bet with O'Connell. A cocky underpayed gangster wasn't gonna beat him. He also was able to appreciate water for real; not that he wouldn't prefer a glass of Bourbon. He tried not to think of the possibility of not finding their gold. What would they do if they only found rocks and sand? Mentally shaking his head, he glanced over his shoulder towards Nellie. She was riding somewhere in the middle of the caravan, with her long black hair softly moving because of the breeze. She had her mouth slightly opened and her eyes squinted. He could even see Henderson's crush's arms around Nellie's waist. Her stallion was strong, and a true daredevil; the beast had been able to keep up with their horses while carrying two people. No wonder Nellie had claimed it; she had a thing for tall and dark, thinking every poor soul had something good within itself. He both loved and detested that trait of hers; she almost pushed the limit of naivety.

"You will, good friends." A nasal voice got into their conversation, making Daniels look back to the horizon.

"Ya seen the treasure?" Henderson asked the Bulgarian, who was perched atop his camel, holding in his right hand a crop.

Beni snorted. "Would I be here if I had?"

"Then how can you tell?" Asked Bernie this time, squinting his eyes much like his sister. Daniels could easily see the resemblance. Anyone could.

"Why else would those screwballs go wild on fire?"

"Ya only sayin' that because ya heard the Brit say it." Daniels remarked, not really giving a damn about what the Bulgarian was talking about. "We don't even know if the place is real."

"I told you it is."

"So?" A small creak reached their ears. Beni stopped his camel, looking down to the sand. Suddenly he smirked and looked up to them. Confused, the Americans followed his gaze. Burns gulped, Henderson leaned forward as he momentarily ceased his chewing, and Daniels parted a little his lips, setting his eyes apathetically on it. There, beside the camel's hoof, was a human skull, half buried in the sand.

"You see that?" They looked up the Bulgarian. He was wearing now that equally quirky and annoying little smirk, as if telling them he knew something they didn't. "We're getting closer."

Adele couldn't take the heat anymore. She just couldn't. The sun was bitting her skin, and her head hurt. She was made for cold temperatures, rainy days and frozen winds, not this. She thanked God Miss Burns had taken some distance from the Cowbell Troop; she didn't think anything good could have come out of it had she been with them. She would have probably got involved in an argument with Mr. Daniels, and she was mentally exhausted to argue with anyone right now. She swallowed some saliva; big mistake. Immediately she felt a funny stinging that made her almost cough due to her dry throat. "Miss Burns, water, please." She asked, clearing her throat. God, was this what really meant a hot weather? She was sure Cairo wasn't so merciless. How was it...? Ah, yes. You don't know what you have until you lose it. Miss Burns' left hand appeared within her sight holding their canteen. She took it, realising the American's body and throwing her head back as she swallowed the fresh water. She made herself stop; she couldn't drink the whole canteen, so she offered it back to Eleanor, who put it back inside the saddlebag.

Looking around, she had to admit the landscape was stark, yet beautifully entrancing. She gazed at her right, at the soft curves the sand of the dunes traced, creating nice meandering patterns. From such a far distance, the sand looked so soft and thin that Adele almost felt the urge to get off the horse and bury her hands in it, getting a fist of sand, to later let it fall in between her fingers. Excluding the exagerated heat, she was sure it would feel incredibly nice. She couldn't help but think about Eleanor Burns. She was like that too. The American didn't look like much at first sight; a rather plain beauty in Adele's standards, and too quiet to think much of her in a first encounter. Yet, someone whose eyes weren't as silent and absent as her confidence, someone who spoke without words. Just like the desert, which so many secrets and mysteries hid within its sands. Adele was actually intrigued by her story. She spoke bettter than most of the Cowbell Troop, and she said that she had a job too. What could it be...? Probably nothing that involved customer services, given Miss Burns' shy nature. She had mentioned that her job had earned her a lot of critiques. Something related to art perhaps? A painter or a novelist? She stroke Adele like a novelist. Some other moment she would ask her, but she didn't feel like it right now. Her legs were sore from all the time they had been riding, and she was still tired.

She stretched her back and glanced over Miss Burns' shoulder, given the little height difference. At the front she caught glimpse of where the rest of the Americans and the guide rode. They had halted for a second, looking at something in the ground before resuming the march. She sighed. After a minute, both women glanced at the ground, towards where the men had been staring at. Almost as if they had rehearsed it, the two women looked up to each other at the same time; none knew whether to be nervous or —sort of— relieved. Part of the legend was true then; people had died trying to find the way to Hamunaptra. And Adele would make sure she wouldn't end up as part of the legend.

A loud bray at the back of the caravan reached their ears, making the three Americans and the Bulgarian stop their argument and glance behind them. Daniels snorted in disbelief. That stuck up bastard was fighting with his donkey, still holding in one hand his open umbrella and pulling with the other at the reins, which the animal was tugging. Beni snorted too. "That your Egyptologist?"

"What's he doing?" Asked Burns.

Henderson chuckled. "Leave it to me." With that, he turned his white horse around and kicked its sides soflty, setting it into a small gallop. As he went down the line, he couldn't help but wink at Nellie as he passed by her horse's side. The cowboy slowed his horse up when he finally reached them. The British doctor was panting and mumbling annoyed lines such as "Come on, you blasted creature!" He was furiously sweating and his face was red, his cheeks puffed and lips pursed. Henderson chuckled.

"Need a hand, doc?" Dr. Chamberlain looked up to the American, releasing another annoyed scoff.

"I'm very capable of handling an ass, Mr. Henderson." He snapped, pulling again at the reins. He was a famed Egyptologist, and a beast with no capacity to reasoning whatsoever wouldn't make him look like a fool. "No animal is smarter than me." He added, voicing his thoughts and earning another chuckle from Henderson.

"Clearly." The blonde American said, making sure his sarcasm was so obvious and insolent that it would be impossible to go unnoticed by the other sweating man. He wondered why the Egyptologist was so keen on wearing all those useless clothes. The donkey let out another bray as he tugged at the reins once more and turned its head to the right, moving its whole body in the process. Dr. Chamberlain kicked it frustrated on the sides while pulling the reins to the left. His monocle had fallen off, and he had his lips pursed once more. "Ya doin' it wrong."

Dr. Chamberlain let out another breath as he looked up to the cowboy. "What do you suggest, then?"

Henderson grinned and moved his horse to the side, placing it at the donkey's right. Snatching the reins from the Egyptologist, he bend down to pat the smaller animal on the neck while making his horse move gradually, guiding the donkey back in the right direction. The caravan had advanced, but wasn't too far away. He stretched up and clicked his tongue, urging both animals to go forward. He looked back to Dr. Chamberlain with a triumphant grin.

The British man looked at him over his shoulder —if that was possible— as he placed the monocle on his right eye; afterwards, he looked back to the front with his nose wrinkled and his chin as high as he could manage. Howard Henderson, not being one to give up so easily, decided to push his luck with the doctor a little further. "C'mon, doc. Thought ya Brits are always proper."

Dr. Chamberlain rolled his eyes, he actually rolled his eyes in annoyance before taking a deep breath as if not to snap at his employer. Because that uncultured Yank was his employer this time, along with his other two friends. "Your assistance, even if unwanted and needless, is appreciated, Mr. Henderson." The American chuckled.

"There, not so difficult, uh?" Dr. Chamberlain didn't bother to grace him with an answer. They kept advancing silently until the two reached the back of the caravan. The cowboy gazed at the front, lost in thought. Actually quite suspicious of the silent rider, Dr. Chamberlain tried to steal a glance at the man himself from the corner of his eye, of course, making sure the American didn't notice. Why was he still with him instead of his peers? And more important, why was he so quiet? Suddenly, the blonde man faced him with a grin, making the doctor immediately direct his glance back to the front. "Hey, doc."

Henderson wasn't sure, but he could swear one of the Brit's eyes had twitched. "Yes, Mr. Henderson?"

"Why don't ya tell me about whose riches are we gonna dig up, hmm?" Dr. Chamberlain looked at him, taken aback and with a raised eyebrow.

"Seti I's family and dynasty?" Henderson nodded.

"Yeah, that one."

"Why would you care about Egyptology?"

"Ah, doc, throw me a bone here! Can't a man get to know his history?"

Dr. Chamberlain looked at him from head to toe, still suspicious and with his eyebrow raised. Finally, he sighed and began to explain the pharaoh's life, just like he had done before in universities and museums. However, the doctor was unaware of the permanent smirk in Henderson's face.

In the night, there were always snores. One particularly loud woke Adele up, startling her. A bit disorientated, she gaze at her surroundings before remembering that she was on Miss Burns' horse. She had been sleeping for a couple of hours leaning against said woman's back, just like the American woman had been resting against her chest; the balance was perfect so none of them had moved enough to fall from the horse. Adele leaned a little towards the right, seeing that Miss Burns' hands were barely holding the reins. Afraid that they would fall, she snaked her arms around Eleanor's waist and as gently as she could without seeing, took hold of the reins, just in case the horse would get out of the road. All the horses seemed to be following each other, though. Good. The halt they had made, even if brief, had been good enough to allow both animals and humans take a little nap so they would be able to keep their journey now. She wondered about Evy and Jonathan. Were they okay? They'd better be. Were they on their way too? She hoped so. She looked around once more, blocking the sounds of the snores. The power of the night was overwhelming. She thanked the decrease of temperatures.

"Ya should be restin'." A male's voice said, scaring her. She looked at her left. Although the blonde cowboy had spoken quietly, trying not to wake Miss Burns up, Adele hadn't expected him to suddenly be by their side, and awake too.

"Do you deliberately sneak up on women, Mr. Henderson?" She half whispered, half shriek.

"Just the auburn haired ones with bad mood." She didn't need to look, she knew the man was probably smirking. "Oh, you..."

"If that's so, you should be more careful. They're the ones with the worst temper too."

He shrugged. "I like challenges."

She scoffed. "Indeed."

A few moments passed before he continued the conversation. "Why so judgemental?"

Adele kept silent for a minute before responding. "First impressions matter, Mr. Henderson. That's how I was taught."

This time he scoffed. "Weren't ya taught never judge a book by its cover?" She looked at him, who was looking at the front. The moon was bright enough to make out most of his face's features.

"What are you implying exactly, then?"

"I'm implyin' maybe I'm better than ya think. Not the best, but better."

She chuckled wryly. "So you're saying you aren't the type for going for fast girls?"

He shrugged once more. "Depends on the girl." He mirrored her, directly looking at her eyes, and Adele actually felt a tingle in her wrists. She broke their gaze.

"After how contemptuous I've been with you, why are you still so keen on knowing me?"

"I told ya, I like challenges." He said as if that was the answer to everything. "Ya got a boring husband back somewhere?"

She clenched her jaw. "No."

"Then that's all I need to know." She looked at him, her eyes sharp.

"No, it's most definitely not. You need to know the person, for a start."

"How can I do so if the person don't let me?" He gazed back, unfazed. "Oh, he's good..." Adele started to play with the ring in her middle right finger. Henderson noticed, but didn't comment on it.

"How much exactly you want to know me, Mr. Henderson?"

He half smiled, a little grimly. "As much as ya let me."

She looked back to the front. "What could we posssibly talk about as common interest, for example?"

His smile turned into a grin. "What 'bout Egypt?"

Adele quickly glanced back at him. "You know Ancient Egypt history?" She asked in disbelief.

"Hey, I did my homework before coming 'ere." She raised an eyebrow, not believing a word.

"Very well then. Who's city are you going to steal?" She asked in her best scholar voice.

"Seti I's. Although it wasn't only his, shared it with another fellas."

"And who was Seti I?"

"A pharaoh."

"Bravo..."

"Ya didn't let me finish."

"Then go on."

"He ruled as second of the nineteenth dynasty. After some religious reform, he an' daddy, Ramssess I, tried to re-establish order in the kingdom and reaffirm Egypt's power over Canaan and Syria. His military victories are in some temple in Karnak. He was king for a decade, an' although his predecessors were the ones that built Hamunaptra, he was the richest chunk to hide his gold down there." The blonde man said, "Don't really understand how his son is more famous, he didn't become as rich as his father." He added, more to himself. He fully smirked upon seeing Miss Jennings' pretty mouth ajar. "Well?"

She closed her mouth and averted her eyes from him. "That was... correct." He straightened his shoulders, proud. "Although you could improve your oral expression."

He almost voiced the first joke of many that had appeared in his mind, but quickly restricted himself. He had made advance with Miss Jennings, and wasn't going to willingly screw it up so soon. They looked at each other, and he could swear that he caught sight of the ghost of a smile in the Brit's visage. They both looked back to the horizon, a content silence formed upon them. Henderson thanked it way more than his companion. The man was glad that she hadn't asked anything else; he had already told her all that he remembered from Dr. Chamberlain's lesson.

It was almost dawn when they arrived there. Eleanor couldn't believe it. They had finally arrived! ... And there was nothing. No ruins, no temples, nothing. Just more desert. She took a deep breath. "Adversity is the first path to truth," she told herself. Mr Gabor slowed his camel, the rest of the party following suit. She moved beside her brother and Henderson, earning the first's attention. She didn't want to repeat one of Miss Jennings and Daniels' fights.

"How you feeling?" Asked her Bernie.

She stretched a little her back, trying not to bother Miss Jennings behind her. "Good enough, I guess. You?"

"Same as you," He asnwered with a little smile, which his sister returned. He turned to the Brit woman, who had silently followed their exchange. "How are you Miss Jennings?"

"In all honesty, Mr. Burns, I've been better." She said softly. They all focused their attention towards the group of four riders that were arriving, stopping nearly at the same spot. "Evy...!" Adele exclaimed, breathing a sigh of relief. "Thank God..." she whispered to herself. They all halted.

"Good morning, my friend." Mr. Gabor greeted who seemed to be the leader of the other party. Eleanor studied him; tall, fair and with an air of confidence. He didn't answer. Both groups stood still, until Dave broke the silence.

"What the hell we doing?"

"Patience, my good barat'm, patience." Mr. Gabor told her friend. She briefly wondered what "barat'm" meant. Was it an insult? Or just a synonim of friend? Adele glared at the American's guide when he accepted Mr. Daniels' offer to help them win the bet, so to speak. He'd better not hurt the Carnahans.

The sun began to rise, so big and bright, entracing them. And just as it had almost completely risen, something in the horizon began to materialize. Eleanor had to blink several times. At first she thought it was another mirage; yesterday she thought she had seen a terracotta statue in the middle of the Sahara and an oasis in another time, but after a few seconds both had disappeared. But this time it didn't matter how many times she rubbed her eyes or blinked; as the sun gained height, the ruins she had been waiting for appeared in the distance, reflecting the golden sunrises. "There it is..." she whispered.

"It's real..." Eleanor heard the Brit archaeologist whisper. Suddenly, a yell awoke both from their trance, and she only caught sight of both guides and her brother and friends already riding like mad towards the city. "Miss Burns..." Adele warned. But the American woman didn't waste time either. Throwing a small battle cry, Eleanor Burns forgot that she wasn't the only one riding the stallion and kicked her heels in her horse's sides, feeling at once Miss Jennings' arms around her, almost choking her as she squeezed her middle. The stallion neighed while gaining more and more speed. She overtook her brother and Dave, then the two men that were with Adele's team. It was the other woman, Evy, Henderson and both guides in front of her. Feeling the need to keep going, she urged her horse faster. The animal complied. She passed Henderson, but didn't quite reached none of the camels. Those animals were more used to riding the desert than horses, and it didn't help that they were a little faster either. Nevertheless, she kept going. On and on. Eleanor discovered that she wanted to win that bet, she wanted to be the first to set foot inside Hamunaptra; just the thought made her feel confident, someone strong and independant, like a real adventurer. She passed Mr. Gabor's camel, which had slowed down after his rider was thrown off it, and she reached the other guide's camel, but the one with Miss Jennings' friend had advantage. She kicked her horse again, noticing for the first time that she had been smiling during the whole race. Her horse advanced a little, but not enough to reach the last camel. Indeed, after a moment, she heard the woman yelling excitedly as she crossed the City's gates. She and the other guide were next, at the same time. Despite the little disappointment of being second, Eleanor slowed her horse up until they stopped. She bent down and stroke its black, sweating neck affectionately.

"There, boy. You were amazing." She told the stallion, still with a smile. She patted him, then looked around with glee. They had made it. The City of the Dead, Hamunaptra. And all for them. For the first time since she knew of her brother's plan to come, Eleanor felt it: hope.

A.N:/ Sorry for the delay, but due to family reasons and other stuff it's been impossible for me to update sooner. Anyway, even if much shorter than the average chapters, I hope you enjoy this one too! We're finally in the City! :) I had to cut it here because, otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to update sooner. Thank you everybody who has read, faved, followed and reviewed ^^

I must warn you, though, I won't be able to update next chapter until March or so; life is just like that.

~Se acerca el invierno