CHAPTER TWENTY

Ellie and Leif were nestled in their room together, enjoying the euphoria of their post-lovemaking. Both felt a little guilty that Major was trying to ignore his feelings for Elena and had let her go. But they wanted her to be safe, and this was the only way to do that.

"What do we do now?" asked Ellie.

"We have to find her and figure out what's going on. There must be something big happening in the city if she's here in Luxor and not Cairo."

"Elena said it was a holiday weekend. What holiday?" asked Ellie, leaning on one elbow, staring down at him.

"Jesus, it's Revolution Day. She's going to try and create another revolution. But how? She'd need an army."

"An army that Burkhard could weaponize," said Ellie.

Leif texted the rest of the team, and immediately, pings came back.

We know!

We just realized!

We've got two days.

"Two days. We only have two days to stop this," said Ellie. "We need to get an appointment with the Egyptian Guard commander and the president."

"Ellie, it's their holiday weekend. They'll be out full force to celebrate."

"I don't care. We have to try. Mags was going to be training them. The commander has contacted her several times to see if he can help her in any way. He feels terrible for what happened, and he lost a man because of all of this. I think it's worth a try."

"Alright. Let's see if Mags will do this for us."

"Magnolia, you should be resting," said the kind older man. "You should not be worried about what is happening in Egypt."

"I appreciate that, Abdul, but we think there's going to be an attempt to start an uprising in the city." He smiled at her as if smiling at his own daughter.

"Magnolia, you are a brilliant woman. One that I admire and respect. It's why we invited you here to teach our men the new techniques of the Americans as it relates to counterterrorism. But this can't be happening here."

"Abdul, I need you to trust me and listen to what I have to say."

"Very well," he said with resignation. He leaned back in his chair, his hands folded over his midsection. A few moments later, he started to move closer to the screen, frowning more and more.

"We, my sister and the American team that's on the ground there, believe that Burkhard is providing weapons to them. They've already stopped an attempt at destroying one of the tombs in the Valley of the Queens. She's crazy, Abdul. She believes she has the right to the Egyptian throne or the title of president at the least. If she is allowed near the mummy, she could very well destroy it."

He picked up a desk phone, and she heard him speaking rapidly to someone to send extra guards to the museum and to the Valley of the Queens.

"What's the route of the parade?" asked Magnolia.

"It is long. We will have our own arsenal on display as well, but of course, it will all be without live ammunition."

"You might want to change your thoughts on that," said Mags. "If she somehow is able to make her way into the city with the arsenal we believe Burkhard will provide for her, this could be all-out chaos. Thousands, if not millions, could die."

"Will your sister meet with me?" he asked.

"I know that she and her friends will. I'll tell them where your office is," she said.

"No. No, not here at the office. I will meet with them in the Valley of the Queens. I wish to see what they found in Queen Sitre's tomb. I can be there by noon."

"I'll let them know. And Abdul? Thank you for all you've done for me. The flowers were unnecessary. This wasn't your fault, and you lost a good man."

"You are like a daughter to me, Magnolia. I am embarrassed that we didn't see the threat. I'm so sorry for what happened to you." Magnolia tried to hold back the tears, giving a smile.

"I'll be alright. I have a good family, great friends, and support. I'll be okay. I hope to come back one day."

"You would be welcome with open arms," he smiled. "Goodbye, child."

"Goodbye, Abdul."

"Let's go. We're meeting General Abdul Bakkar at the Valley of the Queens at noon," said Leif, staring at his phone.

"I'm starving," said Alistair. "Let's eat first."

"You're always starving," smiled Brix.

"You guys sound exactly like you did when we were kids. Alistair was always hungry. Major was always angry about something. Brix wanted adventure."

"That's why I joined the Army," he smirked. "Fucking adventure."

"Hi," said Ellie, walking up to the restaurant. "We were wondering if you have anything we could take on the go. We have an appointment that we need to get to but are hungry."

"Of course," nodded the man. "Give me a few moments, and we'll prepare some baskets of fruits, meats, cheeses, and other delicacies for you."

Leif pulled up a map of Luxor and the parade route. It would be passing by historical sites, homes, and businesses. If Farah and Burkhard had enough weaponry, they could literally destroy the city and thousands of years of history.

"Here you are, madam," said the waiter. He glanced at the map and smiled. "That's interesting. A man and woman stopped me outside my home this morning, asking for directions to the route. They were particularly interested in the final leg."

"The final leg? Where does the final leg go?" asked Leif.

"Directly through Minshat Al Mari. The international airport. It's quite spectacular. Military planes line the runway, and they go right through the airport with our president waving and saluting the servicemen."

"You've been incredibly helpful," said Leif. He turned to the others as the man walked away. "They're going to blow the airport and half their air force." Ellie looked at them, shaking her head.

"So, how do we stop it?"