61. Chapter 61
Chapter 61
I ’m excited because I strongly think this will be it — the last part of our mission to get the bones. It’s in the middle of the night that we finish the preparations and use the Pull to get to the main railway station in Cairo. It’s the closest one to the temple that we could find. I jump out and take a moment to look around.
Even after midnight, the crowd and the heat are unbearable, so I’m feeling grateful we didn’t take Lorcan with us this time. It’s just Nuala, Dryden, Raven, Cain and myself.
“Alright,” Nuala tells us as soon as we all gather around her. “The temple is in the catacombs, which actually goes in our favor. There shouldn’t be anyone there. But until we get there… Given that Cairo is part of the Free World as well, this shouldn’t be a dangerous mission. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be careful or wary of interacting with people while we’re still above ground. We don’t want anyone to find out what we’re doing here.”
She finishes with a pointed look she throws at everyone individually. We all nod and with that, she gets moving, turning on her heel and starting to lead us through the crowd.
It’s to the outskirts of the city that we’re headed, where the entrance into the catacombs hides. As we walk, my excitement only doubles. I’m not just about to get the second of the three items we need for the sword. I’m also about to see a part of Deep Egypt — a web of already existing catacombs the vampires settled in after the ancient Egyptians decided they posed a threat and forced them underground.
But once we get to the entrance, it’s not a quiet, mystical place exuding history that we find. Sure, it’s in the middle of nowhere, it’s a crumbling opening and it’s still adorned with ancient carvings, but there’s unambiguously modern music blaring from its depths and little groups of drunk people hanging outside.
We slow to a stop, exchanging a hesitant look.
“Want some molly?” a dark-skinned guy with dreadlocks comes to ask.
Nuala just shakes her head and makes us take a few steps back. “What the hell is going on here?” she hisses.
I press my lips tight to suppress a chuckle. “I believe it’s called a rave. It falls under the general category of ‘fun’.”
“Really?” Dryden asks teasingly. “Should I have taken you to one of those then?”
I turn to roll my eyes at him, but it’s Cain my gaze gets drawn to. He’s gone unnaturally still, only his eyes darting between me and Dryden.
I quickly look away, let out an awkward chuckle and say, “The answer is a resounding no.” Then I fix my eyes back ahead.
Nuala huffs out an impatient breath. “You think we have time for chit-chat?” Nuala clips out. “I don’t care what this is. We’re still going in, but remember, no talking to anyone.”
We all give her a nod and start walking. It almost makes me jump in place, when the collar sends a shock of pain through me.
I throw a look over my shoulder to check on Cain, worried that this will be yet another attempt to escape.
He’s gritting his teeth, but he’s looking straight ahead and following at the usual distance. The pain goes away, I breathe a sigh of relief and I turn my eyes back ahead.
I do my best to avoid the people gathered outside the entrance. We get inside and start going down the steps, gluing ourselves to the wall anytime someone passes us by, either going up or down.
As soon as my boots hit the ground, I start having to elbow my way through, the bare, crumbling walls of the catacomb barely visible from the bulk of the stage, the brightly-colored lights of the reflectors all around and the mass of people swaying in the rhythm of the music.
“Just keep moving,” Nuala bites out as she throws a look over her shoulder.
Raven and I exchange a chuckle. Sure, Nuala is a little pissed-off, but this is actually just as good as finding the place entirely deserted.
Besides, the party seems to be concentrated near the exit, and judging by our calculations, the temple should be on the far end of this level.
Soon, the crowd starts dispersing and we start passing entirely empty rooms. Even Nuala breathes a sigh of relief.
Then I spot a dead end, but the opening in the middle of it has an inscription that says Reh-Yah.
My lips curl into a smile and I pick up the pace. Everyone does.
But when we enter the room, we find a girl staring at one of the statues with her back turned to us.
We all come to a stop, and I look at Nuala to ask what we should do, when the girl turns around, scans us all with a slightly dazed look and smiles. “Ah, people , and foreigners at that. I’m so happy to see you, I thought I got lost.”
“The party is back there,” Nuala tells her.
She lets out a lazy chuckle, showing a flash of fangs, and walks up to us, taking her by the upper arm. “The party is everywhere .” Then she scans us again, her eyes stopping on Cain. “And you, my man, did you also come to enjoy a glimpse into our shared history?”
I watch Cain throw her the most murderous look I’ve ever seen.
“Sorry about him,” I rush to say.
The girl laughs and turns to me. “He’s a grumpy one.”
“He is. I think he’d prefer to enjoy a glimpse into your shared history alone .”
“That’s a shame.” She turns back to the statue she was looking at. “It’s fascinating, isn’t it, to think we used to be top dogs. The streets ran red with blood in our honor. Then they made us all scurry underground like rats .”
Thinking what to do about her, I choose a diplomatic answer. “It was a different time for sure.”
She turns back to us again. “Where are you all from?”
I exchange a glance with Nuala, getting the approval. “We’re from all over the world,” I say with a smile. Then I take a step closer to her and lock eyes, starting to use my power. “But it’s quite hot in here, isn’t it? Makes you unbelievably thirsty.”
I feel it succeed. “Yeah,” the girl says, suddenly licking her lips. “I don’t know about you, but I’m going to get myself another beer.”
It makes me breathe a sigh of relief, when she waves and walks out of the room.
“Alright, let’s get moving,” Nuala orders as soon as she’s out of sight.
Dryden goes to keep watch over the entrance, Cain leans against the wall with a murderous air about him, and the three of us women start inspecting the tombs.
I walk up to the closest one, only to see the carvings having been chiseled away.
“What is this?” Nuala demands after a minute. “There are no inscriptions on any of them.”
I frown.
“And not that that’s important to us,” I hear her go on, “but none of the statues have faces.”
I look around, seeing she’s right. “Raven?” I turn to my friend to ask her to use her power to locate the bones.
She takes a minute, but once she’s done, it’s with disappointment on her face that she looks at me. “The tombs are all empty.”