The Seven Swords of Diya: An Indiana Jones Fan Fiction - Part 2

Chapter 371: Underground Temple, City of Diya, Cave, 1960

Underground Temple

City of Diya

Cave

Kamchatka Wilderness

Soviet Union

1960

They rushed through the passageway on the top of the apkallu temple. Shorty and Lizavet were in the lead. Indy and Emily followed behind them.

"Shorty!" Indy yelled as the earth rumbled. "You tell Lizavet you love her yet?"

Shorty grinned back at Indy. "Yeah, Dad. Yelled it across the room. Just like you."

"I witnessed it!" Emily laughed and then clenched her teeth. "Great father son moment."

"Em... Shorty taught me to say that," Indy confessed. "He's all I could think of when I looked at your mother and thought it was going to be the end... and I realized I wanted her for more than just an archaeology partner in chaos."

"What was her reaction, Poppa?" Lizavet asked.

Indy grinned. "She weaseled me into bargaining for a wedding, a ring, and eight kids."

"Eight?" Emily asked. Several columns collapsed, rolling sideways and into the fiery chasm below them that paralleled the upper passageway.

"Eight," Indy echoed. "I'm tired just thinking about it. But I had to agree or get eaten by sea serpents."

"Why do I feel like I didn't get the full story of this?" Emily grinned up at her father.

Indy tapped his forehead, touching the scar over his eyebrow. "Because you didn't, Em."

The ground rumbled.

"How many is eight in Russian?" Lizavet asked looking shyly canny at Shorty.

Shorty held up his fingers.

Lizavet interlocked her fingers with his as they ran. "I like this number."

Shorty grinned, nodding back at Indy. "This means I'll get lots of action."

There was a cracking and rumbling. The whole ground slid sideways.

Indy lowered his hat, shaking his head in a shudder which wasn't earthquake related. "No you won't, Shorty. Unless by 'action' you mean chasing someone smaller than you who's just figured out how to walk, and learning to fear silence... because if they're quiet, they're causing trouble that you haven't found out about yet."

"So where's the other four of my siblings?" Emily asked.

Indy paused, searching the ruin along with his memories, struggling with how much to explain to his daughter. "Em, the things I saw that Edo did in Nanking... hurt me... and I kept seeing the abuse of women and children when your mother and I tried to have more kids."

"That's what you meant when you threatened Edo," Emily understood.

"Yeah. It'll make more sense when you find someone to love," Indy swallowed, trying to hold her steady as the ground shook. "I thought I was doing ok. But after things fell apart in Egypt and your mother and I split - I realized that things had not been good. I loved her. I love her still. I should have handled things differently. I did my best to explain. I think she understood... but I should have gotten some help to set my mind on my future - not what was haunting me in the past."

"What about the other kids you've adopted?" Lizavet asked, bolting ahead between tremors.

Indy thought for a moment. "Lizavet, you and Shorty make four. If I can find Seal Child who helped me find the first sword of Diya, that's five kids. If he's married that's six. I hope Annie, my oldest, will find another husband - we had to shoot the last one - that'll be seven. And, Em, I guess you're gonna have to find a husband for number eight."

"If we get out of here," Emily swallowed.

"Cheer up, Emily," Lizavet chided. "The Treasure Guardian does not show us a future we can't have."

"WHOA!" Shorty threw out his arm, skidding to a stop.