Chapter 7 #2
“I’m fine,” Bes cuts in before Cec can ask, rolling his left shoulder. “It grazed me, is all. Nothing to be concerned about.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Cec says finally, though worry furrows his brow. “And the amulet?”
I hesitate. Bes trusts Cec, but I’m still not completely sold on trusting Bes.
Perhaps showing both of them proof I have the amulet will get them to pay me quicker so I can get the hell out of here.
Because, while all this talk of God Men is fascinating, I’m resolved that it has nothing to do with me.
My part in all this has to be over. And even though I’d love to analyze the relic I nearly died for further, it’s not worth my life.
The amulet is in the hands of the museum, where it belongs.
Unlike many of Nonna’s colleagues, we go out of our way to ensure all the artifacts we recover stay in the possession of the countries they originated in, and out of the hands of art dealers and imperialists. It’s why I was all too eager to take on this expedition, given which museum hired me.
Turns out, the God Men had other plans.
I pull the Amulet of Amun out from beneath my shirt by the gold-linked chain, where it’s been resting against my breastbone since the temple.
The gold wings glint in the low lamplight—even the shade of the bloodstone looks different here than inside the Osireion, taking on a more dulled hue.
A part of me wishes the red specks of stone would shift beneath the surface again, if only to prove I haven’t lost my wits.
Unfortunately, they don’t.
Bes sucks in a short breath, and I glance up to find his eyes wide on the amulet. This is the first time he’s seeing it in the flesh. When I tried to show it to him before, Williams was still conscious and not in the know.
Remembering Cec can’t see it, though, I tuck it back into my shirt. “It’s with me. And it’ll stay that way until I get what I’m owed.”
“Oh, I like her.” Cec attempts to smooth back his wild hair. “And what about this sham of a man who falsified his position at the museum.”
I almost ask Bes to recount the whole fiasco, not wanting to relive it again. But I do want to see if these two have heard about the amulet’s otherwordly powers.
“He claimed his name was Claude, an emissary from the museum who claimed to know both the curator and my nonna. He brought me to the Temple of Seti the First, told me about its history when I asked. Then, after he finally admitted he was an agent of the Third Reich, he spared a few more details about the amulet. Though they were more fiction than fact.”
“For instance?” Cec prods.
I put my hand to my forehead, not exactly having to falsify this headache. “I can’t recall, but it was unusual, and impossible.”
“Did he happen to mention it could make the wearer invisible?” Cec asks.
Bes clears his throat, giving his cousin a look he can’t appreciate and makes little sense to me.
I reply anyway, shocked to hear the same ridiculous rumor come from Cec’s mouth, “He did.”
Their silence hangs in the thick air. I have no idea what it means that two very different people have heard this rumor about the amulet that I could find in none of my research.
It’s all superstitious nonsense anyway. Right?
Did my nonna know anything about this? I imagine she did.
Though it wasn’t in any of the books I read and she never mentioned it to me.
However, having it confirmed doesn’t change my plans to leave this place as soon as possible. It can’t.
Cec clears his throat. “Well, I think you’re right to keep it on your person, at least for now.”
“Why?” Bes demands before I can. I’m surprised by how charged the word is. “She was hired to acquire an object the museum couldn’t obtain itself without raising suspicion, and she’ll be compensated for it and then sent home. It’s an exchange of goods and services.”
Glad I could be of service, I think, Claude’s blood spurting between his fingers in my mind’s eye.
Cec shakes his head. “It has nothing to do with being compensated.”
I raise my hand. “I heartily disagree—”
But I stop when he leans forward, beckoning us closer. Bes eyes his cousin apprehensively, before shifting along the desk and perching on it beside me. Something about his nearness reassures me, flushing my face. I push away the sensation.
“It’s no coincidence Miss Hawkins was intercepted in Luxor by not only a charlatan claiming to be from the museum, but one of the God Men as well. I’m not sure the museum is as safe a place as it once was.”
“You got all that from your back channels?” I mutter. Does every archaeologist in the world know I’m here?
Cec doesn’t respond.
Bes crosses his arms. “You think someone here is a Third Reich sympathizer?”
He nods solemnly. “Who else here knew of her arrival?”
“The museum director, of course,” Bes offers. “And the recently-retired curator, who’s been here for years.”
“Anyone new to the staff?” I ask, picking up on Cec’s line of questioning.
Bes scratches along his jaw with uneven nails. “The curator’s assistant was hired about a year ago. I don’t know much about her, but I do know she’s from Tokyo.”
Cec sighs. “I was afraid you might say that. Word is Japan has plans to bring war to China—they’ve been concerned about their hold over Manchuria and the railroads. Arturo claims that there are rumors of secret talks happening between Hitler and Hirohito.”
I stare at Cec in disbelief, heart pounding in my ears. Who the hell is this man and how could his uncle possibly know anything about secret meetings between dictators?
I nearly ask, but click my jaw shut. I don’t care—can’t care. I have to keep telling myself that I’ll be on the next flight out of here. I’ll forget about Bes and his mostly-blind cousin, forget I nearly drowned inside the Temple of Seti I, forget I… killed someone, all of it.
Like it never happened.
Bes’s posture stiffens. “She’s more than qualified for her post. I vetted her myself.”
Cec holds up his hands. “I’m not saying she betrayed you, but I wouldn’t trust her, or anyone else here. There’s a good chance one of them alerted the God Men about the museum’s interest in the amulet.”
I allow myself another modicum of curiosity. “Why would the Thule Society want the Amulet of Amun?”
“Because of what it’s rumored to do,” Cec explains.
“Do they know how to activate it? Do either of you for that matter?” I ask, almost wishing they did for how curious I am.
“I can honestly say we don’t,” Bes replies. “But that doesn’t mean it’s not possible.”
I grip the side of my sore neck. “Supposing this thing can do what it claims—and that’s a rather far-fetched supposition—what could these God Men possibly want with a necklace that only gives the wearer the ability to be invisible?”
“More likely Hitler himself wants it,” Bes explains. “The Thule Society played a major role in the origin of the Nazi party, and though he still refuses to acknowledge them publicly, Himmler has begun to task them with assisting his lackeys in their search for… mythic artifacts, like the amulet.”
“It still seems to me like a lot of effort for a trinket that only casts invisibility over a single person, instead of, say, an entire army,” I push. Bes and Cec share a look I can’t interpret. What are they withholding?
“And from what I’ve read about Hitler in the papers,” I continue, “he adores being in the public eye.”
Cec finally answers. “Aye, but he prefers his spies in the shadows.”
“It might not even be about the amulet.” Bes looks thoughtful. “Perhaps he simply wants to assert his heavy hand over Egypt. Steal our artifacts for his own twisted—”
“Whatever the case,” Cec interrupts, “I’m afraid we don’t have time to suss it all out here and now. My sole purpose of coming here, cousin, was to warn you: Egypt is no longer safe.”
A long, heavy silence settles between us. After everything I’ve been through since landing in Cairo, I’m not surprised that Egypt isn’t safe. It does seem strange, though, that Cec came in person to pass on this message.
I glance between them, cutting into their wordless tête-à-tête. “I feel like this could’ve been accomplished over telegram.”
Cec lips tick up on either side. “Alright, perhaps there’s a bit more to my being here than relaying that message.”
Bes leans back, accepting his cousin’s words at face value without further prodding. “What do you propose we do?”
“The two of you need to depart with the amulet, tonight and without fuss.”
I scoff. All this sounds like a good bit of catastrophizing. Yes, a man tried to kill me today, but how much reach could these God Men truly have if their base of operations is all the way in Germany?
I shift uncomfortably. “Why can’t we leave the amulet here? It was the museum who offered to pay my fee, and it should stay here, in Egypt.”
Bes regards me. “If what Cec claims is true, then leaving it here means it won’t stay here.
It’ll end up in the hands of the Third Reich, who have proven they’re willing to go out of their way to obtain it.
” He pauses and looks away. “Unfortunately, Claude’s appearance proves they’re also aware that you are the one in possession of it. ”
My breath stills in my chest. “What do you mean?”
He meets my gaze, dark eyes pained. “Cec and I have had run-ins with the God Men before. The fact that they knew before you even landed in Cairo that the museum hired you to retrieve the amulet, means you were marked. The fate of the amulet is now entwined with yours.” His expression softens.
“It means that, no matter where you go, the God Men will follow, whether or not you possess the amulet.”
Swallowing hard against the thickness in my throat, I glance up at the ceiling. “Wonderful.” So much for getting paid. If what Bes says is true, I’ll be lucky if I leave here with my life. The chances of me escaping grow thinner with each passing moment.
Cec butts in. “Either way, we need to get you and the amulet somewhere safe.”