❝death is only the beginning.❞
Mara El-Masri's fascination with the long-ago world of ancient Egypt started with the stories her stepfather would tell her when she was a child. Her brother Talib El-Masri is missing, left after their mother's funera...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
☾ ☽
MARA TRIED TO KEEP HERSELF OUT OF SIGHT as she glanced around the corner of the doorway, waiting for her chance to steal the Book of the Dead to come. Anck-Su-Namun, Meela Nais—whichever she was calling herself now—still stood looking into whatever room was through the other door in the room. Imhotep must be through there, which meant Rick was probably through there as well. The Scorpion King's tomb.
Her husband had snuck through to the other side of the room, preparing to draw Anck-Su-Namun away from the book, though he hadn't started on that and when Mara glanced Jonathan's way, he looked like he was psyching himself up to do this, to fight this woman who had already killed his sister and distract her long enough for Mara and Alex to bring Evy back. Jonathan noticed her looking after a few seconds and winked at her again, like he was trying to reassure her he had this well-in-hand despite his very clear hesitance, and then he cleared his throat to announce that he was there.
When Anck-Su-Namun turned to face him, Mara quickly hid behind the wall again to make sure she wasn't seen. She heard Jonathan say, "It's time someone taught you a lesson, wench. Come on," and cautiously glanced around the corner again. Jonathan had his fists raised and Anck-Su-Namun was going toward him, unwittingly clearing the way for Mara to grab the book. Keeping one eye on Anck-Su-Namun to make sure she didn't notice her, Mara quietly stepped around the corner to the plinth, taking the black book from its surface. "This is for my sister."
Mara found herself pausing before she went back through to the corridor and spared a final glance to her husband, a fear in the back of her mind that it would be the last time she saw him alive. If Jonathan knew she was looking, he didn't acknowledge it, likely to keep Anck-Su-Namun from realizing what they were attempting. His fists were still raised but he hadn't made a move yet, and Anck-Su-Namun looked bored more than anything, like this was humoring her if nothing else. She hardly seemed to be taking him seriously as she pushed his arm down and hit him in the eye as if it were the easiest thing she had ever done. Mara flinched and immediately turned away, unable to stand seeing anything else, and went back into the corridor to rejoin Alex.
Alex was still sitting on the golden ground at his mother's side and looked up when he heard her footsteps. His face lit up when he saw what was in her hands. "You got the book! We just have to find the right page now. Can't be that hard," he said to her as Mara sat beside him. She nodded and her gaze lowered to the book. She didn't open it yet. Her hands were shaking. "Aunt Mara, are you okay?"
"Alex, the last time your mother and I had this book..." Mara began with a wavering breath. She had never held the Book of the Dead in her hands before. The last time the book had been so close to her had been the night she suggested stealing it from the Americans' Egyptologist. She had called it borrowing at the time. That was the night everything changed for her. Everything. "I just want to make sure you know the risks of this. There's a chance she won't come back the same."
