Library

Chapter 26

"What?" Dewey and Paige exclaimed simultaneously.

Ronnie pressed her lips together, the crease between her brows deepening as she nodded. "I'm afraid so. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the head of the library organization is making cuts, and we're on the list."

"But why?" Dewey cried. "We just found the Mirror of Duplication."

Ronnie nodded at him again. "I know. I know that. Apparently, the folks in DC are a little miffed about the current course of events. They exerted their considerable influence and managed to get us on the list, saying you two are amateurs and the mirror was pure luck. They also pointed out that you, Paige, landed on a site called…" Ronnie shuffled through her papers and tapped her notepad. "SmartMart People?"

Her questioning tone suggested her lack of knowledge about the website and its purpose.

Both Paige and Dewey rolled their eyes.

"You're kidding me," Paige said. "That's ridiculous."

"Ridiculous or not, they used it. And now we're in some hot water. So whatever you do, don't screw it up."

"Copy that," Paige said. "We'll get it."

"Good enough," Ronnie answered. "Keep me informed. And for heaven's sake, don't get caught."

"We're all over it, Ronnie," Dewey said before signing off.

Paige flopped back into the cushions. "Well, that's just perfect. I become the librarian, and I'll be out of a job before I've even got a month in."

"Not if I can help it," Dewey said as he flitted back to his love seat and plopped onto it.

"I get what you're saying, but there's only so much we can do. Well, there's only so much I can do. I'm a bumbling mess. I've managed to get scratched by a beast, nearly die from the infection, turn into a blob, conjure a lion, turn purple–"

"I don't care," Dewey interrupted. "We have to get this wand."

"I know, I know. As if the entire existence of the world isn't enough, now it's also our jobs on the line."

"I need this job," Dewey said.

"So do I! You know, for things like food and a place to live."

"I can't go back to my parents and live on disability for the rest of my life," Dewey said, staring into space and balling his paws into fists. "I won't do it."

Paige crinkled her nose as she kicked her feet up onto the couch. "Dragons can get disability?"

"Yeah, I qualify because of my stature. We get–" Dewey stopped and shook his head. "No! I won't do it no matter what I get."

"All right," Paige said as she adjusted the blanket over her legs again. "Then no matter what, we gotta come out of this with the wand and the crystal."

"Right."

"Okay, I'm going to get some sleep before we land. Then we'll hit the ground running."

Dewey set the RP aside on the coffee table before he stretched out and pulled a blanket over him, yawning. "Me too. Good night, Paige."

* * *

Paige awoke with a start, sweat beading on her brow. Her chest heaved as she sucked in breaths, and her heart pounded hard in her chest.

She glanced around the cabin as she tried to calm down from the frightening dream she'd experienced. While chased by mummies and the excavation dig members, she and Dewey had snaked through the tomb, trying to find a place to hide. They'd stumbled upon a hidden passage and blindly followed it until the floor dropped out from under them, sending them plummeting to their doom.

Paige tossed the blanket off her legs and swung them onto the floor. She tugged her shoes on before sinking her head into her hands and blowing out a long breath. Across the space, Dewey still slept on his back, one arm flung over his head and the tips of his wings fluttering as he quietly snored.

He gulped in a breath, snorting and flicking his purple tongue, before his eyes fluttered open.

He yawned as he blinked and stretched. "Are we there?"

Paige placed a knee onto the couch, leaning against the back to glance out the window. The sun peeked over the horizon as the city of Luxor spread out below them. "Almost."

She climbed to her feet and reached her arms overhead as Dewey stretched again and glanced at her.

He froze with his arms still extended above his head, his eyes growing wide. "Paige! Your face!"

Paige plopped back onto the couch, and she pushed her glasses up on her face. "What color is it now? Blue? No, wait, I've got it… Red."

"It's normal. You're normal again."

Paige glanced down at her hands, almost completely back to her pale, creamy color. She leapt to her feet and raced into the bathroom with Dewey buzzing behind her.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror above the pedestal sink. She pressed her fingertips against her porcelain cheeks as she twisted her head back and forth. "I'm me again! Oh, I have never been so happy to see my pale skin before."

"Yeah, that didn't last long. I'm really interested to get back to the library and run some tests."

"How's my wound look?" she asked, tugging her hair to the side and flashing her back to Dewey.

He pulled up her sweatshirt and peeled back the bandage before removing it completely. "Healed! Not even a scar."

"What?" Paige turned her back toward the mirror and craned her neck to glance at her skin. She contorted an arm behind her back and rubbed her flawless skin. "Wow! Dewey, you are a genius."

Dewey raised his chin and grinned at her. "Thank you."

She tugged her top down and pulled her hair into a ponytail. "All right. Let's get this crystal and wand and save our jobs. We're too good of a team to be sidelined."

"Yeah," Dewey shouted, pumping a fist into the air before they went for a high five.

Their hands missed, only clipping the edges. Dewey flew forward, nearly smashing into the mirror as Paige stumbled a step, balancing herself on the edge of the toilet tank to avoid falling.

She poked her glasses up on her face and adjusted her shirt again. "One day, we're going to get that right."

"Yep," Dewey agreed. "Today is not that day. Come on. Let's go. Oh, you may want to ditch the sweatshirt. I bet it's hot."

"Right," Paige said, tugging it off as they returned to the cabin. She dug around in her duffel bag and found a moisture-wicking T-shirt that she slid over her camisole. "Ready."

The plane rolled to a stop on the tarmac and, after stuffing Paige's tote with their necessities, they deplaned, stalking through the already warm air as the sun continued to ascend in the cloudless sky.

A man leaned against a truck with a trailer behind it.

Paige continued toward him, the carrier containing Dewey bouncing off her hip. "Hello, are you waiting for me?"

He straightened, pushing a lock of dark hair off his dark skin. "Paige Turner?"

"That's me," Paige said with a nervous smile as the man's dark eyes studied her.

He reached forward, his bicep bulging and rippling the tattoo on his arm as he showcased his white teeth in a broad grin. "Tarik Mahmoud."

His brow furrowed as he glanced over Paige's shoulder. "I was told you were traveling with your partner?"

"Oh, yes. He's right here." Paige patted the pet carrier.

"Howdy," Dewey called from within.

Tarik stared down at the carrier for a moment.

"He said–" Paige began.

"Howdy. Yes, I know." Tarik tugged a Crystal of Understanding from under his dark T-shirt.

"Oh, good, you have a translator. That'll make this easier."

Tarik nodded with another grin. "What is he?"

"A dragon," Paige said.

Tarik glanced at the small carrier, then up at Paige with narrowed eyes.

Paige winced and mouthed "teacup" before giving her head a shake to indicate he should drop the subject.

Tarik nodded, picking up on the hint, and motioned to the trailer behind him. "I have the camels, and we can set off as soon as you'd like."

"I'd like to go right away. How long of a ride do we have?"

He flung the trailer door open. "If we set a hard pace, we can make it just after sunset. Have you ridden before?"

Paige shoved her glasses up on her already-sweaty nose. "No, I'm afraid not. I hope that's not a problem."

"Not at all," he said with another friendly grin.

"Good. How much knowledge do you have of the tomb?"

"A good amount. I have inquired about the crystal for you discreetly." He led the first camel out of the trailer and handed the reins to Paige.

Paige's eyebrows knit as she petted the camel's nose. "Inquired? Do you know someone on site?"

"Yes," Tarik called from within the trailer, "I know several key people." He led the other two camels out of the trailer and coaxed them down before he swung the doors shut and locked them. "I was part of the team that found the tomb."

Paige snapped her gaze to him. "You were part of the Edwards team?"

He urged Paige's camel down to its knees. "Indeed, I was. Henry Taylor is a good friend."

"And he doesn't know anything about this?" She motioned to herself, then Dewey.

"None at all. Henry does not know the extent of all my connections." Tarik instructed her on mounting the camel and, after one failed attempt, she managed to stay in the saddle as the camel stood.

"Do you want Dewey to ride on his own?" he asked.

"Out of his carrier?" Paige questioned.

Tarik shrugged. "There are not many people in the desert. Or we could tie the carrier to the camel and lead it."

"Oh, boy, I've never ridden a camel before. Can I try, Paige? Please, please? I'd be the only one in my family who's ever done it."

"Sure," Paige agreed, lifting the strap over her head and handing the carrier off to Tarik.

He unzipped it, and Dewey flitted out, sticking a paw out. "Hi, Dewey Decimael."

"Tarik Mahmoud," the man said, pumping Dewey's hand up and down without skipping a beat.

Dewey spun and eyed the remaining two camels. "So, which one of these bad boys is mine?"

Tarik let out a loud laugh and pointed to one camel. "Actually, this is a girl. She is all yours."

Dewey flitted over and settled on the camel's back, grabbing the reins. His wings fluttered as the camel rose to stand. Tarik secured the carrier to the camel before he climbed atop his camel and urged it forward.

The other camels fell into line, and they set off into the desert, the rising sun at their backs. They spent the morning hours and into the early afternoon traveling west deeper and deeper into the desert.

All signs of civilization were left behind as sand surrounded them on all sides. Tarik brought the camels to a stop around midafternoon when the heat rose to its highest level. They allowed the animals to rest while they ate a quick lunch.

"How are you taking to the ride?" Tarik questioned as he bit into a piece of jerky.

"It's not the most comfortable mode of transportation, but it sure beats walking."

Dewey perched on Paige's shoulder, grabbing the pack of jerky Tarik passed to him. "I'm loving it. Oh, before I forget, Paige, get a picture of me on the camel. I want to send it to my brother."

Paige agreed to snap one before they set off again.

"Say, Tarik, you don't happen to have an Energy Dragon on you, do you?"

Tarik's eyebrows furrowed, and he shook his head and offered Dewey a flask of water. "No, those are terrible for you. Drink water, my little friend."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I like to play fast and loose," Dewey said, but accepted the flask of water.

Tarik nodded at him and smiled before taking a sip of water from his own canteen. "I'm afraid I have some bad news."

"Mummies?" Paige questioned, her eyes going wide.

"What?" he responded.

"Is it mummies? Are there mummies?"

He burst into a loud laugh, throwing his head back. "No, no mummies at this location. All the deceased have been extracted, and none were cursed."

"Oh," Paige said, straightening and nudging her glasses up. "Then what is it?"

"It appears they have not found the crystal. No magenta gem has been cataloged."

"So, we'll need to search the tomb for it."

Tarik nodded as he sipped at his water again.

"Well, I guess that's okay. We've been through worse."

"Heck yeah, we have," Dewey chimed in. "Just before this, we ran into this yeti–"

"Never mind," Paige said, shushing him from telling the story. "What are we looking at here in terms of exploring? Booby traps? Deadly hidden dangers?"

"The biggest issue will be sneaking into the tomb. Henry is expecting me. Not you two. I will distract them, but you will need to sneak past the guards, into the tomb, and search for the crystal. Most of the traps inside should be disabled. However, if you find a new area, there is no telling what may be there."

"Right," Paige said, her lips turning down into a frown. "So, the usual for us."

"I am glad you are taking it so well. We will stop just before the tomb so you can dismount and hide while I continue on to the tomb."

They finished their meal and took the last few sips of water before pressing on for the final leg to the tomb.

With the sun now staring them in the face, Paige squinted at the horizon, expecting to see the dig site at any moment. She pictured quaint tents surrounding a large pyramid. Her imagination conjured scenarios of hiding behind the large stones before sneaking around and into the dark opening of the tomb.

They continued through the rolling desert as the red sun descended in the sky, painting the horizon in deep reds and oranges. It slipped past the sandy skyline, and darkness crept over them.

Tarik stopped, and they dismounted from the camels before he secured Paige's and Dewey's. Dewey climbed into his carrier, and they awaited making the final approach to the encampment, which consisted of large tents and lighting surrounding what appeared to be nothing in the sand, on foot behind Tarik's camel.

"Stay back when I tie my camel. Once I go to the tent with Henry, sneak to the tomb entrance and head in. I will meet you here at 3:00 a.m."

He passed them an industrial flashlight and wished them luck before they approached the camp. Paige squatted behind the row of camels as Tarik tied his and strode to two men waiting at the edge of the tents.

"Ugh, I can't see a thing in this stupid carrier," Dewey lamented.

"Too bad. If we get caught, I do not want to explain a dragon," Paige whispered as the men greeted each other.

They all shook hands before the younger man wrapped his arm around Tarik and led him toward the tents.

Paige hung back as the older man stood staring at the sky with his hands on his hips.

"What's he doing?" Dewey hissed.

"No idea. I guess he's enjoying the stars. Come on, old man. Move it," Paige breathed.

They waited several minutes as the man continued to eye the sky.

Paige shifted around in her crouched position. "I'm getting stiff."

"Well, if Indiana Jones's dad would move already, we could get going."

Paige narrowed her eyes at the man, limned in the light streaming from the camp. "He kinda does look like Sean Connery, doesn't he?"

"Put a three-piece suit and a tweed hat on him, and he's basically Henry Jones, Sr."

"And he's an archeologist," Paige said, trying but failing to suppress a giggle. "That's funny."

"Keep your laughing to yourself. He's going to see us."

The older man stretched his arms behind him before he finally spun and returned to the camp.

"Finally," Paige said, rising and shaking her legs to relieve the cramps.

"Let's go. I'm kind of excited to be in a tomb."

"That makes one of us," Paige said as she crept into the camp, keeping to the shadows.

"This is Cleopatra's tomb, Paige."

"Yeah, so what? With deadly traps–"

"That have been disabled."

Paige narrowed her eyes as she reached the tomb entrance and stared down the long, steep slope descending under the desert sands. "Let's hope so."

She entered, flicking her flashlight on only after feeling her way along for the first few steps.

"Wow," Dewey exclaimed, his claws scratching at the mesh on the carrier, "look at this."

Paige nudged her glasses up on her nose and swung the flashlight beam from side to side, studying the murals and hieroglyphs covering the walls. "Yeah, this is pretty interesting. Too bad we can't actually enjoy it."

"Just be on the lookout for a purple crystal in her hands."

"Let's hope they drew it in a mural, because if it's written, I'll never be able to read it."

They reached the end of the sloping passage and spilled into a large chamber with three doors leading to other rooms.

Paige swung the flashlight beam around the cavernous room. "Well, which door do you want?"

"Try left," Dewey suggested.

Nodding, Paige crossed the space and ducked into the left chamber. A massive wooden ship filled it.

"Wow," Paige murmured. "Do you think the crystal's on the ship?"

"I doubt it," Dewey said.

"And nothing on the walls," Paige added, swinging the flashlight beam around the bare stone walls. "So, I guess we'll move on."

They wandered out of the ship room and worked their way to the left, entering the next door which led to a long corridor. Hieroglyphs and paintings filled one wall. Paige ran the flashlight's beam over them.

"Well, there's a nice drawing of Cleopatra here, but she's not holding a magenta crystal."

"Keep moving," Dewey said.

Paige hurried down the passage and entered another chamber at the end. She stared out across it while standing on the raised platform with stone steps flanking each side. "It's a huge, empty room."

"Any murals? I can't see anything past this stone half wall," Dewey complained.

"Oh, sorry," Paige said, hefting the bag up higher. "There are a few. Let's check them out."

She descended the steps and waved her flashlight around at the paintings. The first few contained no information about their crystal.

She continued toward the rear of the chamber, aiming her flashlight at a large mural painted on the wall. In the center, a glowing magenta crystal hovered above the hand of Cleopatra. Three figures bowed in front of her.

"Dewey, this must be it!" Paige tilted the carrier up as she shined the flashlight beam on the depiction.

"Yeah. Okay, we know she had the crystal. But where did she put it?"

Paige swung the beam around the empty room. "If it was in here, it's gone now."

"Tarik said they didn't find anything like it, so it must not have been in here."

Paige heaved a sigh and returned her flashlight beam to the mural. "I wonder if–"

"Hey! What are you doing down here?" a female voice shouted.

Paige's blood ran cold. Her knees wobbled as she spun to face the woman.

Comments

0 Comments
Best Newest

Contents
Settings
  • T
  • T
  • T
  • T
Font

Welcome to FullEpub

Create or log into your account to access terrific novels and protect your data

Don’t Have an account?
Click above to create an account.

lf you continue, you are agreeing to the
Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy.