The others let out a collective sigh and finished the climb in silence. The low sun was there waiting for them, as were Elyas and Tajj. They were leaning against a boulder, looking downright bored — which was good. Hopefully, it meant they hadn’t seen any action.
Still, she was a bit jealous — she wished they could split the action
Neither man said a word. They saw the state of the team and immediately rushed forward, tossing out bottles of water and protein bars.
Ali waved them off when they asked how injured he was, but he did accept a handful of painkillers.
Everyone else easily gulped down their bottles of water, and then sat or laid down.
“What about Ayad?” Tajj asked.
Zahra sat up on her elbows, having opted to lay on her back. “He’s gone. The Scales of Anubis are no more.”
The climb down the pyramidal mountain was a rough one. They followed the path they had used earlier that day. Zahra couldn’t believe she hadn’t pass out from exhaustion. The water had helped immensely, keeping her upright and conscious. As did the snack. It was enough sustenance to get them back to solid ground.
Ali and Rabia gave Elyas and Tajj the short version of what they had discovered down below, including Anubis and the Damned. The full truth would be kept secret from the rest of the world, at least for now, but Ali’s men deserved to know more than most.
They came upon an abandoned four-door SUV that must have belonged to Khaliq and his men. Zahra grumbled a string of expletives when she remembered that they didn’t have a car of their own. Cork had
“Anyone know how to hot-wire this thing?”
“It’s new,” Rabia said. “Won’t work.”
“And we need to get our things from where we hitchhiked into town.”
She was right, but it was going to be a long,
“Oh,” Elyas said as if reading her mind, digging into his pocket, “I found this on the man that Rabia shot.”
He held up the grandest thing Zahra had ever seen.
A car key.
She sighed in relief, and the six of them piled into the vehicle, happy to see that it sported three rows of seats. Zahra and Baahir slid into the rearmost seat, while Rabia helped Ali into the center seats. Elyas sat up front, and Tajj drove.
Minutes after grabbing their discarded gear, Zahra, Baahir, Rabia, and Ali were fast asleep.
Thankfully, Zahra’s subconscious decided to spare her the nightmares of what she had seen down below in favor of a more peaceful slideshow.
She dreamt of Levanzo, Italy. She dreamt of the cottage, and the view it offered.
She dreamt of a peaceful paradise.
For the first time in his life, Ajmal had no purpose. Like Khaliq, he had been born into the Scales of Anubis. His late father had been a scholar, and someone that had been held in high esteem within the organization. But Ajmal was not academic at all — he had been an athlete, the biggest kid in his class. When his middle-school growth spurt hit, he had grown taller and thicker than most of his teachers.
Ajmal had abandoned his mission in Bawiti. With keys in his pocket, he stole away back to Giza, where he’d attempt to come up with a plan — an excuse — in case Khaliq showed up and questioned his whereabouts. But if he was being honest with himself, Ajmal would rather Khaliq not come back at all. He was tired of being the man’s muscle, his “do boy.” His voice had been silenced long ago when he was given to the Ayad clan as a kind of trophy.
“My son will serve you well, Aaftab.” Ajmal’s father had said. “He will protect what you value most.”
The valuable commodity was Aaftab’s own son, Khaliq.
The gesture spoke volumes as to how the two fathers admired their boys. Aaftab genuinely loved his son. Ajmal was seen as nothing more than an asset used to gain favor within the Scales of Anubis, and for the last thirty-one years, he had done what he was told.
Until now.
He pulled the sewer manhole cover free and plodded down the steps, covering the entry point before he made his descent. Few people knew of this path. Even fewer had ever taken it. It was actually Ajmal’s suggestion that Khaliq have it built as a way out, just in case something awful happened. Owning an underground base of operations had its benefits, but it was also a liability if your only way out was compromised.
There was no light to speak of besides what the moon offered from overhead.
