Beckoning Veil

My transparent scarf fluttered in the wind behind my shoulder, I had wrapped my scarf in a hijab-like fashion as these parts of town were unkind to the women who bore their faces. It wasn't like this in the more evolved parts of Cairo, but I figured it was better safe than sorry. Although, I did not go without protection. My brother had been overprotective and made sure that I knew the intricacies of guns and throwing knives. I carried what I loved, guns. They were an effective means of protection while keeping a nice distance. My favorite piece was an M1911, it's a beautiful black piece with pearl grips. I carried it in the waistband of my pants, concealed by a puffier shirt. Rick had his own 1911 but he was particularly a fan of his Camelot-Delvigne 1873 revolvers. I eyed the door of the last bar on this route. It was around 2 in the morning by the time I got here and the walk back would be grueling taking most likely another hour to do. I pushed the door open slowly, it creaked from the years of use. Carefully I eyed the area, thankfully there were only a few men still in this particular bar. I looked around eyeing the woodwork and silent grandeur of the carving in the framework. Not many would even care to venture into what this establishment was prior to the industrialization of the city. I sighed looking at the backs of the heads of the men on the stools, none of them remotely resembling my brother. I decided my visit was destined to end as I was getting a strange glare from the barkeep. I turned around pulling the old door towards me and leaving the run-down bar. I made sure not to carry any belongings on my outings to find Rick for fear of being robbed or worse... I was growing exhausted from all my late nights trying to find him, my heart wouldn't accept that he had just disappeared without me.

As a child, he refused to leave my side, though, I knew that he had ambitions in his own life. He took me wherever he went, except when he joined the French Foreign Legionnaires. I obviously couldn't join him there, women were outlawed from doing such things. Though I thought that was old thinking. It was exactly why Evy kept being rejected by Bembridge Scholars. The ridiculous ways of the world were bound to change. Perhaps not in our lifetime, however. I realized I had become lost in my thoughts as my feet were moving towards an area I did not know. I was standing outside Cairo Prison, interesting. I lurked in the shadows hearing the cries and yells of the men indentured to servitude here. The warden here I had heard rumors about from my ventures in the seedy establishments. The French Foreign Legionnaires had an arrangement, the warden would take the deserters of the army for a fee of 50 pounds. I shook my head, there was no reason Rick would have wound up here, would there? I slinked around the outside of the prison, not sure what I was doing. I listened to the cries, breathing, and yelling of the prisoners. My graceful legs lead me to a specific area on the other side of the wall that was unknown. There was a small barred window that I could look through, but I did not want to reveal my position to whoever was inside. I looked to the ground to see if there was something I could throw into the cell. My hand only found sand before I could even think about my actions I threw the sand into the window. I knew better than to make a sound as I heard the man inside the cell groan from being awoken.

"Rick?" a whisper slipped from my lips before I could stop myself.

"Eris?" I heard his voice echo from the cell that held him. I knew it was him, I pulled myself up towards the window peeking inside to see his ragged face, his hair was vastly overgrown and his beard matched his cave-like appearance.

"You look awful," I stated.

"It's good to see you too." Rick scoffed rolling his eyes at me.

"I knew I would find you, I've been looking for years," I told him

"How'd you know I was here?" He asked, I thought for a second and realized that I didn't have a great answer for it.

"I honestly have no idea. I just stumbled across this place." I told him, as I noticed a light turn on inside the complex. I ducked down away from the bars.

"I'll come get you tomorrow, looks like you might have some company," I said as I heard some keys jangle into the lock. I moved quickly away from the prison removing my scarf as I walked re-energized back towards our home.

By the time I got home, it was around 4 in the morning, my little detour caught me with little sleep and zero time. I stuck my key into the door and turned it, listening to the tumbler move and the click that followed. I pushed the door open throwing my keys in the bowl. I rushed to my room and threw myself on the bed, finally, a smile graced my face for the first time in a while. He was alive.

My alarm clock rang out too soon for my soothing sleep. I groaned looking at it, 7 am was later than I'd anticipated. Nonetheless, the world kept going despite the extracurriculars of my night. I went towards the bathroom and looked in the mirror my hair was a mess of curls on top of my head. I let the tie-down and shook out the chaos. It felt good to let my hair down, I caught a whiff of the dirt on my hair and decided I had enough time for a shower. I waited for the water to heat to a hot temperature stripped the clothes off my body and jumped in. The water dripping on my tired limbs felt nice. I washed the scum from my body and washed my hair, turning off the water I grabbed a towel to dry myself. I went to the mirror brushing out my jet black hair, the lingering image smiling at me as she normally did. I finished up and walked to the closet grabbing my usual attire of a white puffy shirt and a skirt. I dressed and headed towards the door grabbing my keys as I went, I pulled the door closed behind me locking the door. First, I had to go to work to notify Dr. Bey of my recent discovery of my brother... In prison. As I approached the museum I noticed Evy unlocking the doors to the library her brother lurking over her shoulder. I announced my presence to avoid scaring them.

"Hey Evy, Jonathan." I greeted them happily. Jonathan spun around smiled at me and bowed deeply.

"Eris, good to see you again," Jonathan said while waiting for Evy to unlock the doors. He was a narcissistic jerk sometimes but overall he was just a loveable dork. He was clearly very excited to see if this puzzle box he found was worth anything with the map. I assume that's where they were headed.

"Going to see Dr. Bey about the puzzle box and map?" I asked Evy.

"Yes, it's time to see if this box is what I think it is." She smiled as she pushed the doors open.

"I bet it is, Evy when have you been wrong about anything?" I asked as our heels clicked on the floor of the museum towards his office. He was sitting in his chair looking over some paperwork for this month, I assumed. His head raised at the sound of the knock that Evy rapped out on the door. He waved us all in with a sigh knowing his day was about to get harder.

"What's this? Don't tell me... Another one of Jonathan's finds?" He quipped knowing exactly what this was.

"Well, there must be some hope seeing as Eris is here as well." He continued as Evy pulled out the puzzle box, opening it up and pulling the map out after unfolding it in front of him the curator visibly stiffened as his eyebrows raised. I could tell he was holding back emotions as he admired the map, stroking the page. Evy hovered over him getting more excited by the second.

"You see the cartouche there, it's the official royal seal of Seti the First, I'm sure of it!" Evy told him knowing her knowledge was sound. I stood closer to the wall out of the way of the group.

"Perhaps." Dr. Bey said with nonchalance. He did not seem very enthused with this line of questioning. I watched his reaction more closely.

"Two questions, who the hell is Seti the First, and was he rich?" I heard Jonathan ask. He was truly obsessed with money. He reminded me of Rick in the old days, he liked to play outside and pretend he was fighting forces otherwise unknown and saving the universe. In the end, he would get out with the treasure and save the day.

"He was the second Pharaoh of the 19th dynasty, said to be the wealthiest Pharaoh of them all." Evy indulged his question.

"Good, that's good. I like this fellow, I like him very much." A smile graced his face upon hearing this news. He then started pacing back and forth in front of Dr. Bey's desk.

"Of course you do Jonathan, it's the only thing that keeps you alive," I muttered under my breath, he whipped around and glared at me.

"I've already dated it, this map is almost four thousand years old. And if you look at the hieratics over here... It's Hamunaptra." My jaw dropped. I had only heard about this place from Evy herself telling me stories. Even during the story, I didn't entirely believe it but there was a voice in my head that told me it was real. Silence passed through the room for what seemed like centuries. The curator stiffened even more but quickly hid it.

"My dear girl, don't be ridiculous, we are scholars, not treasure hunters. Hamunaptra is a myth told by ancient Arab storytellers to amuse Greek and Roman tourists" He said trying to be logical about this discovery that was telling everyone in the room otherwise.

"Yes, I know all the silly blather about the city being protected by the curse of a mummy nonsense, but my research has led me to believe that the city itself may have actually existed" Evy rattled her knowledge off that insane brain of hers. I smiled in the corner, I was proud of her, for standing up for her beliefs.

"Are we talking about the Hamunaptra?" Jonathan asked, his mother used to tell him the stories with Evy all the time before her death.

"Yes, the city of the dead. Where the earliest Pharaohs were said to have hidden the wealth of Egypt." Evy told him looking fully at her brother and smiling ecstatically.

"Right, right, in a big underground treasure chamber. Everyone knows the story. The entire necropolis was rigged to sink into the sand. On the Pharaoh's command, a flick of the switch! And the whole place could disappear beneath the dunes taking the treasure with it." Jonathan happily recalled the story he had been told in his youth.

"As the Americans would say: it's all fairy tales and hokum." The curator slowly leaned forwards toward the candle on his desk. It looked almost as if he was trying to get a closer look, but the morning light shining through his window wasn't helping his convoluted story. I cleared my throat at him making him aware that I was an American in the room. Just at that moment, the map caught on fire.

"Oh, oh my goodness, look at that!" He exclaimed. As Evy and Jonathan rushed to the map which was now on the floor as the curator had dropped it, they patted the map to extinguish the fire.

"You've burnt it. You've burnt off a part of the lost city." Jonathan accused him. Not that it was necessary as the curator seemed to have known exactly what he was doing.

"It's for the best I'm sure. Many men have wasted their lives in the foolish pursuit of Hamunaptra, no one has ever found it, and most have never returned." He sighed looking down at them. I was quick to grab the box off his desk, without him noticing as he was too enthralled with his accomplishment of the map burning.

"I came to say that I would need the day off, I have to go pick up my brother," I told him, he nodded at me and shooed us all out the door. I was the first out the door, Evy right behind me with the map and Jonathan behind her.

"Wait, wait... You found your brother??" Evy asked as I held the box behind my shoulder for her to grab.

"Yes, on one of my night walks, I stumbled onto Cairo Prison. Which reminds me..." I stopped abruptly and spun around, we were almost through the doors to the outside. Evy almost ran right into me as she was hot on my heels.

"Jonathan... Where did you really get this box??" I asked him knowing that there wasn't a dig down in Thebes. He sighed knowing he had been found out.

"Well, we'll actually be heading to the same place you will. I'll grab the car" He told me as he ran away out the doors and into the sunlight.

"Jonathan!" Evy yelled after him, unhappy she had been lied to.

"Still after all these years, you still cannot discern when he is lying to you," I told her a chuckle spilling out of my mouth.

"I'll get better at it one of these days" She sighed as we waited for Jonathan to bring the car around.

"Sure, until then I'll make sure he's actually telling you the truth," I told her, she giggled, putting her arm through mine as we waited. Jonathan flew around the corner and came to a screeching stop in front of us.

"Ready?" Evy asked me.

"More than you'll ever know," I told her as I hopped over the door and into the backseat of Jonathan's car.