Chapter 25

CHAPTER 25

" Y ou always say that," Paige said with a roll of her eyes. "Every time there is adversity, you say we're doomed."

"That's not true."

"Oh, really? Name one time when you didn't say that?"

Dewey narrowed his eyes and flicked his gaze into the air. "Ummm, I think in–"

"Never. That's when. Never have you ever had a positive thought about our chances."

"Can you blame me?" Dewey arched a fleshy eyebrow.

Paige flung her hands in the air. "Yes!"

Dewey snapped his fingers. "I've got it. The one time I was wearing the Cloak back in the 1200s, I felt invincible."

"That was magic, that doesn't count."

"Will you two stop bickering?" Drucinda snapped.

Paige wrinkled her nose. "Sorry, but it's just the way we are."

Dewey jabbed a finger at her. "Yeah, lady. It's how we roll. It's our jam. Our vibe. It's the way we butter our bread. It's how– "

"Enough!" Drucinda said, her nostrils flaring and betraying her irritation. "It's not my jam. Let's try to be professional, shall we? When we land in Egypt, we'll head straight for the site. Tarik should have all our provisions ready. We'll camp one night before we arrive. You two can share a tent and argue all night long for all I care, just keep your stuff together while I'm around."

She rose from her chair and stalked into the back hall.

"Wow, she's tough," Paige said as she followed the disappearing form of the Valkyrie.

"She's really kind of a–"

"Hey," Devon said, poking a finger at Dewey, "watch it."

"What?" Dewey said. "I'm just saying. Maybe she's feeling a little under the weather or something, but no need to take it out on a sweet little dragon like me and my naive, yet lovable partner."

"Thanks, buddy, I appreciate that," Paige said with a smile.

Devon shook his head at them as he rose and crossed to the drink cart and poured himself a bourbon.

"Anytime, Paige." Dewey grinned at her. "I can't wait to go into the desert again. We had a fun time last time. I got to ride a camel. I can't wait to ride one this time. And you can ogle Tarik."

The glass stopper rattled in the decanter as it slipped from Devon's hand. He shot Paige a glare.

"What?" She shrugged at him. "He's just teasing."

"No, I'm not. I saw how you looked at him the last time." Dewey wagged a finger at her.

"I didn't look at him like anything."

"Oh, didn't you? It wasn't you swooning under the desert moon at his dark, dreamy eyes? It wasn't you ogling his bulging biceps? It wasn't you admiring the hair that is nearly as perfect as Devon's if not a bit more unruly in the best of ways? "

Paige screwed up her face. "No. It wasn't."

"Well, I guess then you'll just be sitting on your camel bored, then. Although, now I have another great idea for book two of my trilogy."

"Oh, please. Don't bring poor Tarik into this."

Dewey grabbed the RP and tapped on it to send himself an email. "Of course, I will. He's the perfect rival for Devon. He's just as hot in a different way. And poor Paige is trapped between the two of them. She doesn't know what to do. Who will she love? Who will love her the most?"

"Please stop talking. It sounds even more ridiculous when you say it out loud."

Devon eased onto the edge of the loveseat, his drink clutched in his hand as he leaned toward Dewey. "But there's going to be an HFN for Paige and Devon in book 2, right?"

"Is there, pretty boy? Maybe it'll be an HFN for Paige and Tarik in book 2. Or maybe I'll take this all the way to a reverse har–"

"Stop. That's enough. If you publish this book, I'm going to sue you, I swear."

"It's just a basic trope, Paige. Get a grip." Dewey finished his email to himself and sent it on its way as the pilots announced their final descent into Luxor.

"It's disgusting. And anyone who knows me is going to think I'm like that."

"That's easy," Dewey answered. "No one really knows you. You don't have any friends, so it's all good."

"Don't get upset if I leave you in the desert, okay?"

"You wouldn't dare."

"Are we ready, kiddies?" Thorn asked as he slinked from the back, followed by Drucinda.

"What's he here for?" Dewey cried, fluttering into the air as the plane's wheels hit the landing strip.

"Brains and back-up. Seems this team is sorely lacking it outside of Drucinda and me. And, of course, Devon for the brawn."

"Dewey and I do just fine," Paige retorted.

"Yeah!" Dewey shouted with a raised fist.

Drucinda fluttered her hand in the air before donning a backpack. "Simmer down, little man. Thorn is a welcome addition, as always. We may need his firepower."

Paige rose and accepted a backpack of supplies from Drucinda, donning it as Dewey landed on her shoulder. "I say first chance we get, we ditch these suckers and grab the scepter for ourselves."

Paige was beginning to come around to the idea with each passing moment. She offered him a discreet nod before they descended the stairs to the tarmac. The steamy night enveloped them as they strode toward a man waiting near a truck with a trailer.

"Tarik, darling, so lovely to see you again." Drucinda pulled him into an embrace and kissed his cheek.

"I did not know you were out."

"Of course, good behavior and all of that," she answered with a wink.

"You? Good behavior?"

Drucinda offered him a devilish grin. "Only when necessary. Is everything prepared?"

"Yes. Sunrise is in less than an hour, so we can leave right away." Tarik pulled the trailer door open and led the first camel out, passing it to Drucinda.

"Good. I'm anxious to make up as much ground as possible."

He brought the next one to Paige, coaxing it to its knees to allow Paige to mount it. Dewey took the next camel, followed by Thorn, who managed to fit in the saddle despite his size and shape.

Tarik led the final two camels from the trailer, handing one off to Devon. Before mounting it, he stripped off his shirt.

"Seriously?" Dewey asked. "Can't you keep your shirt on for two minutes?"

"It's hot," Devon answered. "I'll put it on when the sun comes up."

"Whatever. You'll find any excuse to take your shirt off."

"Says the person writing smut for money."

Dewey jabbed a claw at him. "Hey, it's art. Let's see you write a book."

"Enough!" Drucinda shouted. "Let's head out."

With Tarik in the lead, they ventured into the desert, leaving the lights of Luxor behind. The sands surrounded them as the sun rose behind them. The heat rose, too, making it sticky and uncomfortable even to ride.

Paige wiped at the sweat beading on her brow and fluttered her shirt to cool her sweaty skin. Every passing hour took them deeper into the desert. Paige grew uncomfortable as she imagined facing off against the Mummy Lord for the scepter.

As they set up camp for the night, she wondered if she'd get any sleep. Visions of her last trip through the desert danced in her mind, adding to her unease.

She settled into the tent and slid into her sleeping bag. With her eyes closed, she tried to force herself to sleep, but a bright glow distracted her. She popped her eyes open to find Dewey toying with the RP.

"What are you doing?"

"Just a little writing. All that riding today with nothing else to do, and my mind came up with several good ideas."

Paige groaned as she rolled over. "Ugh, put that thing away and go to sleep."

"Just as soon as I get these ideas down. If I lose this material, I could be stuck for weeks. "

"Good," Paige groaned.

"That's not nice. You should support my creative endeavors."

"I will when they don't have to do with me."

"You're way too sensitive."

Paige crinkled her nose as she tugged the pillow from under her head and jammed it over top of her face to block out the light.

After a second, she removed it. "Turn that off."

"I'm still working."

With a huff, she stuffed it back under her head. "Work another time. I'm trying to sleep."

"Put the pillow back over your head."

"I can't breathe then."

Dewey shrugged as he continued to type on the screen. "And that's my problem how?"

With a muffled scream, Paige threw back the top of her sleeping bag and crawled out of it.

Dewey flicked his gaze up from the screen. "Where are you going?"

"For a walk until you're finished writing your nonsense stuff."

"It's not nonsense, Paige! You'll see when they make the movie and I'm rich," he called as she unzipped the tent and pushed through the flap into the dark desert beyond."

Paige rolled her eyes as the cool, dry night air surrounded her. How was she supposed to take on a Mummy Lord tomorrow with no rest tonight? She glanced at the other tents, certain everyone else was asleep after the long day.

She wondered who had paired off to share the other two tents. A giggle came from one, indicating Drucinda's presence. "That's not true," the woman said with another howl.

"I promise it is," Tarik's voice responded. "She accidentally opened a secret chamber and then got stuck in it with the archeologist, Emma."

Drucinda let out another loud laugh.

Paige's eyebrows lifted. Drucinda and Tarik had chosen to share a tent and swap war stories. She wondered if they'd talk about her as she strode toward the edge of the encampment.

Light still glowed from the other tent, too.

"I'll see your ten bucks, and I'll raise you another ten," Devon said.

The dragon's deep, British voice answered a second later. "Got that good of a hand, huh?"

"Call me to find out."

"Doesn't anybody want to sleep before we face off against this supposedly oh-so-dangerous Mummy Lord?" Paige flung her hands in the air as she stepped past the huddle of tents and continued through the sands toward a large dune.

She climbed it, the grains of sand making her slip and slide. She finally reached the peak and plopped onto the still-warm sand, staring back at the encampment until her nerves settled. From the lights still shining in all the tents, she'd easily find her way back.

A cool breeze rustled her hair and whipped the sand around her into a whirlwind before it died down. She rubbed at the goosebumps forming on her arms. "Should have brought my hoodie. Who knew the desert would be this cold?"

A whistle floated past her as another burst of wind whipped by. She considered going back for her sweatshirt, but decided against it, preferring some alone time to decompress.

Stars filled the sky above her, far more visible here than in the city she lived in. She stared up at them, craning her neck as she marveled at it .

"Wow."

"Wow," something echoed.

She snapped her gaze down to the ground, scanning it as her pulse quickened. Nothing moved and no further sounds floated on the breeze. She shrugged. Must have been an echo off the sand or something.

She hugged her knees close to her chest and sent her gaze skyward again. A shooting star streaked through the sky, bringing a grin to her face. "So cool."

"So cool," the echo repeated.

Her cheeks heated, and she scanned the desert again. The echo didn't sound like her own voice. Was someone messing around with her?

"Hello?" she called.

"Hello?"

"Who's there?"

"Who's there?"

"This isn't funny."

"This isn't funny."

"I'm serious!" She curled her fingers into fists.

"I'm serious!"

"That's it."

"That's it."

Paige scrambled to her feet and squinted into the desert's darkness in search of the prankster. "Drucinda?"

"Drucinda?"

"Stop it!"

"Stop it!"

"I'm not playing anymore."

This time the jokester didn't answer. Paige heaved a sigh, settling back into the sand. Tension still held her shoulders taut as she waited to see if anyone approached her. Just as she started to relax, a loud whistling broke the silence of the night .

She leapt to her feet, spinning in search of the culprit. "Devon?"

The whistling continued.

"Dewey?"

The whistling cut off abruptly. Paige narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "I knew it. Dewey, come out from wherever you're hiding. This isn't funny at all."

No one answered, and no one appeared.

"Dewey!" Paige said stamping a foot in the sand. Another moment passed and an eeriness crept over her. Her voice lowered to a quiet whisper. "Dewey?"

"Dewey?"

This time the echo came from right behind her. Her blood ran cold, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She slowly twisted to eye the source.

Her eyes went wide and her heart pounded as she stared into the red eyes of a mummy.