Tomb of the Mechanical Pharaoh

Chapter 15

The Shabti hung in the shadows, following the woman, Simonetta. She walked down the souk with her large gun slung over her back. The Shabti could not imagine the point of following her any more, but Osiris-Ramesses had said she still had a part to play.

Most of the people would glance at her, or more accurately her gun, but they largely left Simonetta alone, even the Medjai police leaning against the building at the far end of the street saw fit to ignore her.

The Shabti was willing to leave her on her own, but then saw several figures approaching her. The Medjai looked the other way and several people in the street hastily walked in the opposite direction.

"Menrit!" one of them shouted and Simonetta stopped. "Menrit, come with us!"

"You have me mistaken for someone else, Signiore," Simonetta responded.

"We do not make mistakes," the man responded. "Come with us." Simonetta reached back and unslung the gun as the people rushed her. The gunshot echoed throughout the narrow alleyway and the poor fool was blown apart in a splatter of blood. She turned to the second man, but he was already on her, able to wrestle the gun out of her hand. Simonetta was not down yet, sending the man sprawling with a spin kick. Another right hook took down the other assailant that tried to jump her from behind. The Shabti could not help but admire the mathematical precision of her attacks.

As Simonetta kicked another man in the legs, sending him collapsing to the street, she was caught off-guard by a woman standing behind her. The woman said something the Shabti could not hear. Not that it mattered, as the Shabti recognized the sleeping spell when Simonetta dropped unconscious into the woman's arms a second later.

"Take care of this!" the woman shouted as several of the men dragged Simonetta off. She then picked up the large gun, smiled to herself and carried it off. People started trickling back into the alley, going about their business as if nothing had happened. The Medjai began canvasing the crowd as everyone looked away, making sure that nothing was seen. The whole affair being concluded, the Shabti turned to leave only to find a man blocking its path.

"Where do you think you're going?" he said. The Shabti recognized him as one of Simonetta's attackers. "The Thousand Eyes are watching. One of them has turned in your direction, stranger."

The Shabti tried to shove past him but the man stood firm. "I must go," the Shabti said. Its scratchy voice unnerved the man, prompting a reach for a hidden weapon, but the Shabti was faster. Its brass hand closed around the man's neck, snapping it with a loud crack. The Shabti stepped over the body and continued on its way.