It's been a while, I'm so sorry. Hope this chapter makes up for it.

Thanks so much for the kind words on the last chapter (any chapter really) and for everyone who's giving this story a chance!

Enjoy

The audacity some people had. Well, maybe not some people. Just certain people in this case. People who lived in the desert and preferred to be clad in dark long robes and tattoo their cheekbones.

Actually, that also didn't quite described the person Elisabeth was currently upset with. Sure, he lived in the desert and was technically one of those who tended to dress in black. Only today he was dressed as an everyday man, someone who you probably wouldn't even look at twice.

Everything had been going so well and she was this close in getting this Frenchman to tell her about Richard's full name, when a certain someone felt the need to interfere and drag her away from that slightly drunken gentleman.

"I can't believe you did that!" She threw the door shut behind them before stomping further into the hotel room.

"That man was treating you like, like,-"

"This is exactly why I didn't want you here, Samir." Elisabeth continued. "You're interfering too much. I can't do my job if you pop up the minute you think something is wrong."

The Medjai grimaced as she raised her voice at him. Stubborn woman. He had only been making sure she was kept out of harms way. Elisabeth was smart, yes. But sometimes she did not seem to understand the ill intent some men had towards her.

That Frenchman from the poker table would not have left her alone if Samir hadn't shown himself. The second that scrawny looking man laid his eyes upon the tall and strong looking Egyptian, he immediately cowered back like a scorned dog.

"You'd rather I not care for you safety when in the company of those people?" Samir asked her. "Because if that is the case, I can always ask somebody else to watch you."

"I'd prefer it if nobody watched me. Especially you meddling Medjai!"

Samir stepped in front of her and covered her mouth with his hand whilst grabbing hold of her arm. "Please, Zahrah! You don't know if anybody is listening. Don't throw our name around as if it means nothing."

He could feel Elisabeth's warm breath against his fingers and her lips pressed together tightly behind his palm. She blinked and he dropped his hand.

"Sorry." She apologized. "But you should have kept your distance. I had that man right where I wanted him."

That was probably what the gentleman had thought as well. Elisabeth had stood at the bar in the man's line of vision, seductively twirling the little toothpick with a green olive in her drinking glass.

He'd had walked up to her and stood a bit too close for comfort. Casually pressing his body closer towards her. If he'd pressed up against her any further, they would have surely fallen through the wooden construction. Luckily, Samir had been there to pull her away from the skinny Frenchman.

Although he hadn't necessarily pulled her away. He'd addressed her politely, pretending to be her servant, as they'd done so for the past four days. With some simple excuse he'd lured her away. Forced her, to be more precise. For Elisabeth noticed he wasn't planning on leaving the bar area of the hotel without her.

"You don't know what you're saying, Zahrah. He could have been lying to you about everything." Samir countered.

Elisabeth threw her hands up in the arm. "Maybe, but now we will never know."

She was furious with the man in front of her. Everytime something seemed just a little bit off, he'd jump in or interrupt the situation in some way. Of course, this was the first time they'd been in each other's company for so long.

Perhaps that only added more fuel to the fire. She was just getting more annoyed with him as she wasn't used to spending so much time with him.

"Don't tell me, that have you forgotten about what happened the last time you were alone with a Frenchman?" He practically spat out the latter part. But the woman understood immediately which incident he was referring to.

Luc Bonnet. The young man from the Légion étrangère. He was the one who had told her about Richard heading to Minya in search of Hamunaptra. The situation turned dire rather quickly after that.

She was thrown against a stone wall and could only cry out for help as the soldier tried to assault her. Elisabeth shivered thinking back on it. Luc's hot breath and deep moans as he licked her neck.

If it hadn't been for Samir, she wouldn't have gotten out of that business unscathed.

"Do you now understand why I am watching you? You are too reckless sometimes, Zahrah."

There was no way she was going to give him the satisfaction of agreeing with his words, even though she knew perfectly well that he right. She was getting more careless the closer she was getting to discovering the identity of the American.

Elisabeth let out a deep breath. "Alright. I understand."

A loud knock sounded from the door and automatically the Medjai jumped in front of her. There was a muffled noise coming from the other side. "Lillian Beaufort."

"Verdammt." She cursed under her breath.

"Mademoiselle Lillian, are you there?"

It was the Frenchman from downstairs. Elisabeth had no idea how he had managed to figure out what room she was staying in, it was one of the largest hotels in Minya. He probably paid a member of the staff to ask for her location.

She walked around Samir, who grabbed hold of her wrist the minute she passed him. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Open the door, obviously."

The Medjai shook his head. "You can't let him in here."

"I'm only going to ask him what he wants, Samir."

"Mademoiselle Beaufort?" The voice shouted this time.

"Oui! Yes." Elisabeth replied loudly as she pulled her arm out of her friend's grasp.

"Hide behind the door." She whispered to him, to which he nodded and quickly made his way to the wall next to the entrance.

Taking a deep breath in, Elisabeth conjured up a smile and turned the handle. In the hallway stood the scrawny looking Frenchman. Louis Duchamps.

"Salut, monsieur Duchamps." She said to him.

"My apologies, milady. I hope I have not disturbed your slumber on this fine evening?"

He obviously didn't. She'd been with him not too long ago, not to mention she was still dressed in her evening gown and her face was still covered in make up.

"Not at all, good sir. Please, to what do I owe this visit?"

The man placed one of his feet on the threshold and leaned part of his body against the door frame. "I concluded that our conversation was far from over, therefore I thought I might take my chances and see if you were willing to continue it?"

"Was it not over?" Elisabeth replied with a feigned frown. "What was the last thing we discussed? I simply can not remember,-"

"If you invite me inside, I shall tell you. Do not worry though, Mademoiselle. I realize it is rather brazen of me to enter the room of a beautiful woman at such an hour. But I assure you, I have only the best and polite intentions."

His honeyed words would have probably swayed most women. You could tell he'd done this before or perhaps it was the natural charm French people seemed to have. If she'd been alone, she would have thrown the door in his face or offered him a special kind of drink prior before letting him in.

But the tall and alert Medjai standing a couple of feet away from her would be her protection for tonight. Thus Elisabeth stepped aside and let the man in. All the while making sure his back would be facing the hidden Samir.

"The man you asked about. Richard something of the Légion étrangère. I told you I could provide you with more information, did I not?" Louis said, right after she'd closed the door behind him.

It surprised Elisabeth that he was actually getting straight to the point without her having to drag it out of him.

"Yes." She replied a bit too eager. "You mentioned you could tell me the name he's been using around the area?"

However, the Frenchman suddenly cleared his throat and undid the tight collar around his neck. "I might have been a bit too confident with my response. You see, I have seen the man not too long ago. We even played a hand of poker as the night progressed. He seemed like the sort of man who had quite a bit of wealth on him. Alas he stated he only played cards for fun, not money. It's safe to say we didn't end up playing more than a few rounds."

Elisabeth frowned at him. What did he say? That he had been too confident with his response? Did that mean what she thought it did?

"Excusez moi, monsieur. But it sounds almost as if you have been lying to me?"

A blush appeared on his face, which could have been due to the heat as well as the amount of drinks he'd had. But it was obviously neither of those. "Well, it is more that I can't seem to remember his name. It was a rather odd name, more Irish than American."

"Does this mean you are unable to help me at all?" Elisabeth let out soft sigh and ran a hand through her golden brown hair. "Mon dieu."

"Non, No. I can tell you where he went to. He left three days ago on a small barge, back to Cairo."

At first his words didn't register with her, she blinked a couple of times and stared at him. Cairo. Richard had gone to Cairo? Elisabeth's jaw practically hit the floorboards. "Unbelievable,-" She breathed.

Three days ago. A day after she arrived in Minya. He'd been right her, under her very nose for almost twenty-four hours. She couldn't believe this. What kind of cruel trick was the universe throwing at her?

"Mademoiselle, you told me earlier that this man had something that belonged to you. If I may be so bold, what is it exactly that he has taken from you?" Louis asked.

She did tell him that. Elisabeth had come to a point that she was basically trying every trick in the book to get information. Such as telling people that Richard was her long lost lover or brother, depending on the person she was asking. Or as she had done in this case with the Frenchman, that the American had taken something from her that was very important.

"Something,- small. A key to a family heirloom." It was the first thing that came to mind.

She should have thought that up from the very moment she decided to tell him that the American had stolen something from her. It would have made it more believable. But luckily it seem Louis Duchamps was willing to believe just about anything she told him.

"I see."

"Have you seen it, monsieur?" She quickly asked. "Please, tell me." Without contemplating she grabbed his hands and held them tightly.

"It was not a small thing such as a key, I'm afraid." He began. "It was more like a cube."

Elisabeth furrowed her brow. "A cube?"

The man nodded. "It was about this big, an octagonal shape. He checked his pocket a couple of times during our talk about the Légion. Held it in his hand even at one point to show me the sort of things he'd come across during his travels. I did not care much for it. Egyptian trinkets do not hold any interests for me."

A cube? Perhaps it was a box? That hardly sounded like something worthwhile to take from Hamunaptra, especially if it was rather small. But Elisabeth had no idea what it was Richard had stolen from the site. The Medjai claimed to not know either. The only odd thing was that he apparently felt the need to make sure the object was still on him at all times. Which made it a point of interest for Elisabeth.

The other bit of important news and perhaps that which mattered the most, was that Richard was on his way back to Cairo. That meant she had to get back to her home town immediately.

"I guess that means I'll have to continue my search elsewhere. But thank you for sharing this information with me, Monsieur Duchamps."

A small smile appeared on Louis's face and he bobbed his head shortly. "Not a problem, Mademoiselle Beaufort. I shall take my leave then."

To Elisabeth's surprise, he turned around and nodded at Samir, who was only standing a couple of feet behind him against the wall. It seemed he'd known about the Medjai standing there from the very beginning.

But as he opened the door to let himself out, he stopped and turned once more. "That reminds me. There was another fellow asking around for the same man you seem to be looking for."

The woman's eyes widened. "Are you certain?" She asked.

"Fairly. He didn't have a picture to refer to, but based on the questions I heard him ask, it sounded as if he was looking for the same person you are."

For a second Elisabeth wondered if perhaps Ardeth had hired another person to search for the American. But he wouldn't do that, would he? Surely if he had, than Samir would be aware of it as well?

"Do you by any chance know the identity of this man?"

Fortunately for Elisabeth, Louis nodded. "He comes by every couple of months. I do not know him personally, but what I do know is that he is always very interested in money. A lot of people don't dare to play cards with him anymore."

He waved his hand. "You know how those British people are. The only thing they are interested in is money, fame and fortune. They are not like us. We French care about beauty and romance,-"

"British?" Elisabeth interrupted him.

"Yes. Jonathan Carnahan. His father was a famous archaeologist, died in a plane crash not too long ago. I gave the good man my condolences, of course."

Carnahan. She could feel the blood draining from her face. The man who lived at the end of her street, the very same who she had met on the boat during her trip from Giza to Minya.

"Mademoiselle Beaufort, Lillian, if I may be so bold. Would you do me the honour of accompanying me for dinner tomorrow evening?" Louis leaned forward and added with a whisper. "Without your servant, if you please?"

Elisabeth smiled and curtsied for a swift second. "It would be my pleasure."

Confidently, Louis Duchamps grabbed her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. "Bonne nuit, Lillian Beaufort." Goodnight.

With a heavy sigh, Elisabeth shut the door behind him and pressed her forehead against the wooden structure. "I am such an idiot!" She exclaimed.

The heavy footsteps of Samir sounded behind her, but she didn't dare to turn around. She'd made one of the dumbest mistakes in the business. Sharing her information with another con man. Although in her defence, Elisabeth never would have suspected Jonathan to be on the wrong side of the business.

Of course, she hardly knew the guy. But she figured he was a noble man, like his father and mother. The love they received for their work in the field was different from how people treated her own father. But then again, Ludwig Borchardt had quite the reputation amongst other Egyptologists.

"It seems I was wrong about your French friend." Samir noted.

"I think things would have gone differently had you not been here, Samir." Elisabeth sighed and tilted her head back.

His comment was mainly meant to be polite regarding her judgement, because the Medjai actually agreed with her. He was still convince the man had ill intention, the fact that he invited Elisabeth to have dinner with him tomorrow proved that.

"Are you going to accompany him?" He asked the second the woman turned around to face him.

"I'm sorry?"

Samir nodded at the door. "The Frenchman?"

"That no longer matters." Elisabeth waved her hand and crossed the room towards the direction of the bed.

"Is that a yes or a no?" He continued as he followed her.

She came to a short and full stop, causing Samir to almost bump into her. She jerked around and narrowed her turquoise eyes at him. "It means no, Samir. Will you stop asking me? We need to make arrangements as soon as possible."

"Arrangements?" He repeated.

"Have you not listened to a word that man said? The American went back to Cairo! We have to find a steamer or any other form of transportation to get us out of Minya."

Samir didn't understand why she was so frustrated with him, but at least now he understood what she was talking about. Of course he had heard the Frenchman and he had also heard that the American had left on a small ship. Which meant going back across the Nile was not really an option. They would never be able to gain up on him.

"Why don't you let me handle a quick way out of the city, back to your home town, while you make sure we're ready to leave?"

Elisabeth blinked, had she heard him correctly? It would seem that he had been paying attention after all. But there was still the matter of Jonathan Carnahan. She should have asked Louis if he also told him about Richard leaving for Cairo. If he had, it could mean the Carnahan was also planning on going there.

She was incredibly angry with herself. She shouldn't have told Jonathan anything about why she'd come to Minya in the first place. Hadn't he initially been on his way to Luxor? Had he changed his plans because she told him she was looking for a thief who'd stolen something important from he father's digsite?

It was another lie being thrown back in her face. She should have stuck with her original plan, which was telling people Richard was a lost lover. Those stories usually worked better than mentioning treasure, especially in the company of archaeologists.

"Are you certain, Samir?" She asked him. "You don't have to come back with me. You can go back to Ardeth and your tribe, if that is more important."

But Samir shook his head and smiled coyly at her. "You are my priority, Zahrah."

He went quiet and stared into her eyes for a couple of seconds. Was it her imagination or was it getting warmer in here? He had kept his distance from her since Cairo. Since she'd told him she had no interest in them becoming anything more than friends. But just because he hadn't tried to convince her that they could be something more, didn't mean he wasn't trying.

Oh, she had noticed the clever inconspicuous he'd been throwing at her whenever he thought she wasn't looking. Even when she was in the bed, trying to sleep, she could sense him staring her way from across the room where he slept on the floor.

She wondered what Ardeth Bay would have to say if he knew his little brother and her were sleeping in the same room. She doubted the Medjai would allow something like that.

"Do you think you can arrange a form of transport before the sun rises?"

"Please, have some faith in me."

The next day

Samir had kept true to his word. By the time the sun came up, Elisabeth was already dressed and ready to head out. The bags were packed and Samir had asked her to make sure she was wearing clothes suitable for the desert weather.

That request could only mean one thing. That they weren't going to travel on the Nile river, but on land instead. A feeling of regret as well as fear hit her. She knew it was a much faster way of travelling back to Cairo. But the thing she was afraid of was the form of transportation. Based on what she knew of the Medjai and how they travelled around, there really was only one obvious answer. And she wasn't going to like it.

There had been no encounters with Louis Duchamps and unfortunately no Carnahan either as Elisabeth made her way out of the hotel and onto the streets. A part of her had hoped to see the Brit, for she would have pummelled him into oblivion if it were up to her.

It didn't take long for her to spot Samir and it was safe to say that he wasn't alone, but he wasn't in the company of any person. There were two horses standing side by side.

An incredibly high and strong white looking horse, with greyish mane, tail and a dark muzzle. The other horse was much smaller and of a darker shade, almost chestnut brown.

Her fear had come true. They were going to travel on horseback. Elisabeth groaned inwardly. She didn't like horses. In fact she was disliked them so much, she was pretty certain the feeling was mutual. How was she going to be able to travel on the back of a horse for the next couple of days?

"Zahrah, I'd like for you to meet your travel companion. Hiba." He pulled on the reins of the brown coloured horse. "She will be yours for our journey."

The horse snorted at her and immediately Elisabeth took two steps back. "Salaam, Hiba." She greeted.

Samir cocked his head and frowned. "Take her."

"Do I have to?" Elisabeth retorted.

The Medjai parted his lips to reply, but stopped and observed her demeanour once more. "Are you afraid of horses, Zahrah?"

It suddenly dawned to him that he had never once stopped to thought about this. Somehow he'd automatically assumed she would be familiar with horses and riding them. Apparently his assumption had been wrong as Elisabeth's hand trembled slightly as she took the reins from him.

"Only a little." She replied.

Perhaps this trip wasn't going to be as easy as she'd initially hoped it would. Curse, Samir for not asking her about this first. But it would be the quickest way for transportation. Plus, it was clear he knew how to handle these majestic looking creatures.

"Here, let me help you into the saddle." He thankfully offered.

Her entire body was shaking from the minute she placed her foot in the stirrup and with all her strength managed to throw her other leg over the animal's back. The ground suddenly seemed a lot further away. Hiba moved and Elisabeth let out a short but loud shriek.

As she tried to get herself comfortable on top of the horse, while Samir made sure the bags were secured tightly behind her. There were already other supplies on his own horse, items Elisabeth hadn't seen before.

"Where did you get these horses?" She asked him with curiosity.

With great ease, Samir got onto the white horse and he petted it gently before answering her. "Sawsan here was already in the stables behind the hotel. She is my own horse. I have had her since I was but a young boy."

"Your horse?" Elisabeth frowned. Was that how Samir had travelled to Minya without her? This was the fifth day they were in the town, yet he hadn't mentioned having a horse with him once.

"It is how we travel, Zahrah. I could have told akhi to take her back with him, but I am glad that I didn't. Otherwise I would have had to buy two horses instead of the one you are sitting on."

Akhi? "Your brother was here?"

Samir's expression suddenly changed. "Did I not mention that? He came with me and left the minute you arrived."

Elisabeth blinked at the surprising news. "Oh."

Not only had the Medjai Chieftain wanted to make sure she would leave Giza on the paddle steamer, apparently he had also felt the need to make sure she would arrive in Minya too. Ardeth Bay really and clearly did not trust her for one second.

A heavy feeling made its way to her stomach and she lowered her eyes for a second. It was only logical, she couldn't really blame him.

"Are you ready to leave?" Samir's warm voice shook her out of her thoughts. She looked back up and smiled at him.

"Ready as I will ever be, I am afraid. Uh,- giddy up?"

Hiba didn't move. Elisabeth hopped in her saddle, but the horse still didn't budge. A loud laugh came from her right. Apparently Samir found the whole ordeal incredibly funny.

"A little help would be appreciated." She huffed as her cheeks coloured red.

Samir manoeuvred Sawsan closer to her and grabbed the reins. "You'll learn soon enough. Otherwise you are more than welcome to ride behind me for a while, until you feel more comfortable with them?"

Elisabeth licked her lips. "I think I'll stay right where I am, thank you."

Time to travel back to Cairo. On Horseback. How will that work out?

Hope you all enjoyed, and please, let me know your thoughts.

Next chapter, we'll see Ardeth again.