Brothers.

19

"This is not Greece!" Gabe thrundered as his eyes trailed over the barren landscape.

Sand stretched for miles and miles without end and the wind was like breaths of air released by the ovens of blacksmiths. Not a living thing was in sight nor any plant, animal or building. This place was horrible, almost like Obscurum. Okay, far from as worse as Obscurum, but it certainly was not In Tutum nor Greece for that matter.

"Yes, it isn't. If I'm right, were in the desert of Egypt now, " Bill calmly answered Gabe's outrageous cry.

"Egypt?! I am going back to In Tutum now and then I shall throw Darius out of that Gateway! First he cannot find Josh and now he sends us to Egypt when I said Greece!"

Gabe unfurled his large wings. They sent a gust of wind through the warm, dry air and for a moment it was cooler. He flapped his wings once and was about to shoot into the sky when a hand grabbed his wrist.

Christina's hard eyes locked all of his muscles and joints at once, grounding Gabe like a stone.

"Egypt was the last place where Josh's magical footprint was traced this morning so Bill told Darius to send us here, " Christina said with a tone of finality.

Gabe pulled himself free from her grip and batted his wings calmly before he retracted them. He turned to Bill, who was watching his every motion, and said, "Well, Bill, show us the way so we can find Josh and put my father's death behind our backs!"

The angel lowered to his knees and laughed softly while he touched the ground with two of his fingers, "I don't believe it will be that easy! If you know what I'm talking about."

***
"Okay, so we're getting closer to Josh. I can feel it, his presence is almost overwhelming here." Bill informed them as they neared the outskirts of a massive city.

The place was impressive even from afar. Square, brown buildings stood in symmetrical rows and at the far side there was a massive palace. The building was so huge that Gabe could make out paintings on the pillars. But it was the long line of people outside of the city that caught his attention.

"What is going on there?" Gabe asked.

People dressed in white shifts walked in a long line, carrying platters topped with food, gold, silver, fancy clothes and weapons. A few even had massive hairless cats on leashes. The people were walking towards a massive triangular structure where a group of wealthy dressed Egyptians stood waiting. At the front of the line, about two dozen people carried a golden box in the shape of a man.

"I don't know, but we'd better get out of the sky. Look at all of the soldiers and one or two had already glanced in our direction." Christina warned them.

Gabe nodded and lowered himself to the ground. They retracted their wings and walked to the line of people. They each grabbed a person and flew a few metres away. Bill looked around to see if any of the soldiers noticed them while Gabe and Christina stripped the people of their clothes. They dressed in the Egyptian garments, took the plates they were carrying and returned to the line.

"So, what do you think is going on?" Gabe whispered to Bill in front of him.
He shrugged, "I don't know. By the looks of it, I would reckon it's a party of some kind inside of that building?"

"Hey, you two! Keep your mouths shut!" A soldier poked Gabe in the back of his leg and his knees buckled. Gabe threatened to fall over, but regained his balance.
The soldier breathed in his neck.
"One more word and you die!"

Gabe nodded without meeting his eyes and the man left them. But Gabe couldn't help to wonder why they had to be silent if they were going to a party... If it was a party at all.