Ifza’s phone vibrated again. She procured it from her pocket and shouted for her brother. Khaliq reappeared, no longer wearing his Anubian crown. His gold jewelry was gone, as well. The shendyt-kilt was the only covering Khaliq had on from his kingly wardrobe.
“We have our location,” she said. “And it is…familiar.”
Baahir didn’t know what that meant, nor did he have the opportunity to ask.
A strong hand slapped against the window, startling almost everyone. Of the four people in the hallway, Khaliq had been the only one showing no emotion, whatsoever. He stared at the figure moving behind the crimson smear, an intrigued look on his face.
“What will happen to him?” Baahir asked.
A wave of sadness and regret suddenly washed over Khaliq. “Mr. Upton has served his purpose. He will now be terminated and studied.” Khaliq didn’t look away. “Ifza, intercept Ms. Kane.” He finally took his eyes off the carnage and gave the woman a look that Baahir figured he typically used on his enemies. “Don’t fail me again.”
Ifza shrank away. Fear crept into her eyes. “My men are closing in as we speak.” She glanced at Baahir. “I’ve given them the order to do whatever is necessary to stop her. I will join them shortly.”
Khaliq nodded. “Good. I will lead a team into the desert and face my destiny.” His eyes moved from Ifza to Baahir. “And you,
The world was fuzzy and muffled. Zahra couldn’t make out what she was seeing, only that she was currently still indoors — inside the shopping mall. There were a few people rushing about, but the place was mostly deserted now. A security guard was across the way, trying to usher an older couple outside.
She tried to sit up but couldn’t muster the strength, not yet. So, she just laid there — somewhere. Her head flopped to the right, and she spotted a familiar face. It was painted white and had big, red lips and an equally red, poofy wig.
As her vision cleared, Zahra realized that, no, she wasn’t in hell, though her stomach would beg to differ based on where she had found herself. Zahra had landed atop the front counter of an Egyptian McDonald’s food court eatery.
Footsteps announced someone’s arrival. Zahra had no idea whether that someone was a friend or foe. The sound of a pistol’s hammer being locked back gave her the answer to her question. They were not friendly. She turned away from the kitchen area and looked out over the quick serve. A masked figure dressed in all black paused when he was spotted.
“Hello,” Zahra said, exhausted. She slowly sat up. “Can I take your order?”
“No,” the assailant replied, “but you
Before Zahra could respond, the man was shot from behind. When he fell, she saw the man’s killer, and her savior.
She gazed down at the dead man. “Would you like fries with that?” Zahra tentatively slid down from the counter. “Thanks, Wally.” It should have surprised her to see Wally take another man’s life so dispassionately, but she was rapidly understanding that the man wasn’t what he seemed.
He rushed over to her, limping worse than ever. “In the name of Allah, how are you still alive?”
She snickered and grabbed her side. “I… I sometimes ask myself the same question.”
Screams could still be heard everywhere around them as they neared the closest exit point. Wally led Zahra over to a crumbled section of wall and helped her down to street level. He disappeared back inside before following her. For her part, Zahra stumbled over to a light post and leaned against it, and waited. Wally reappeared moments later with a pair of dark shawls. He shimmied down to her and carefully outfitted her head and shoulders in the garment. He also adorned the other shawl.
“We must be careful,” he explained.
She understood. If the Scales of Anubis still had people in the vicinity, he and Zahra needed to conceal their identities before heading out.
The filthy, dust-covered duo entered the throng of equally grimy onlookers and emergency workers and disappeared without additional confrontation. No one within earshot of the demolition had been spared by the advancing plume of white and gray. The chorus of sirens diminished as Zahra and Wally distanced themselves from what would surely be labeled as a terror attack — which it was. The oldest concrete lighthouse in the world was no more.
And once again, Zahra was at the center of the confrontation.
“Come,” Wally said, ushering her along. “Over here.”
