The Medjai's Keeper

Chapter 8

Arms stretching upwards, Aurelia gasped as she inhaled air once again. The dark night was heavily illuminated by the boat indulged in flames. She shivered due to the cold seawater. 

A thousand thoughts were swirling in her mind all at once, was Rick okay? What about Bern and his team? Most importantly she couldn't help but worry about his safety. Did he manage to jump off on time? 

"Aurelia over here!" Rick called out from afar and she turned away from the wreckage to look towards the sound of his voice. Rick and the Carnahan siblings were the closest companions. 

With a sigh of relief, she hurriedly swam towards the shore, inching closer as Rick ran towards his younger sibling. 

 Ignoring the fact that both of their clothes were drenched they embraced each other in a tight hug for a couple of seconds before settling apart. Rick was the first to ruin the mood. 

"Geesh and here I thought you were afraid to jump from that baby height." 

Aurelia rolled her eyes at his remark and pushed him away to ascend the patchy area away from the river. Shrugging the backpack from her shoulders she was glad to notice most of her important accessories were safe as well as her precious handguns.   

"O' Connell...HEEYY O'CONNELL" she looked up in confusion at the lunatic screaming from across the river. She hasn't seen him before. It took her a second to realize he was yelling at Rick instead of her. 

"IT LOOKS TO ME LIKE I GOT AALL THE HORSEEES!" he yelled incredulously as a token that he fell to the right side. 

He was right. Beni did have the vital transportation needed to reach Hamunaptra. The camels and horses made it safely to shore at his side, with the labor workers calming them. At this moment, reaching Hamunaptra was the least of my concern; all I wanted was a warm bath and a change of clothes. 

Rick wasted no time mimicking back, "HEY BENI IT LOOKS TO ME LIKE YOU'RE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE RIVERR!"

Aurelia stifled a laugh in amusement as that Beni guy looked around in defeat and angrily kicked the river. 

Looking around she smiled once she made eye contact with her dearest buddy. Aurelia was glad to see him safe and unharmed, even if they were apart. Bernard gave her a sheepish grin embarrassed over his member's outburst and waved at her, she returned the action.

This was the moment they would take half of their journey separately; only with time would they reconnect back again. She hoped it would be soon as they had so much to catch up on, and she couldn't help but worry for his safety. He can sometimes get caught up stumbling. 

It reminded her of the time they had first met at an auction in London. 

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4 years ago

"Alright alright, ladies and gentlemen, we'll now move to this extraordinary painting that dates around the Renaissance period that was brought by Sir Henry and his son Bernard Burns!" 

The old auctioneer stepped aside as he gestured them to the podium. The crowd applauded with heavy enthusiasm. She found the young man adorable as she watched him fidgeting nervously at the center. He was definitely not a crowd person. 

 Aurelia was sitting alongside her father, Mr. Allen Hansen. He was a potential bidder in these annual auctions, and she decided to tag along to see what the fuss was about. The brunette didn't understand the need to spend so much money on paintings that should just be in a museum and celebrated.

She had to incline her neck a little higher to spot them since they were seated in the middle columns and all the men in front of her covered the view, "They seem to be quite known." She muttered to her father without prying her eyes away. The antique treasure hunter kept lifting his round glasses while avoiding eye contact with the bidders. 

 Hansen nodded his head, "Oh, Henry is. Believe me, I don't know where he finds all these items but the man gets the crowd wild." He points at Henry's son, "This is one of the first times he brings his son along. A good 'ole lad he is."

 Everyone was curious to find out what was hiding underneath the cover. Without wasting another second, Burns pushed the duvet and the crowd gasped in awe. 

The piece presented was cut from pear wood blocks in black on ivory paper. It was an elevated medium from printmaking. There were 4 riders aligned in a parallel form in a chaotic region; apocalyptic. The shading played a huge part in producing quantity, overlapping, and focus. Starting from the lower left, four men were presented, gearing different weapons and horses. There was an angel on top following behind.  

"Indeed, folks, here we have a carved illustration! But not just any painting; this piece was crafted by the glory of the great majesty, Albrecht Dürer!" He waved his hands dramatically, "The infamous Four Horseman of the Apocalypse! The starting bid is at 1 million!" 

Aurelia raised her eyebrows in surprise. The artist was famously known for bringing ideas of the Italian Renaissance to Europe. He had an extensive series composed of the book of Revelation and the New Testament. This one showcased today had to be the 3rd. The four riders symbolized the plague, war, famine, and death. 

There was a loud chorus going on as old folks began to bicker back and forth 

She turned to her father, "Did these Americans really just auction an item originally from our land?" She paused for a second. "Technically?"

Her father shrugged with a tight smile, "Well, they are treasure hunters. It is common for them to go around and snoop on antiques here and there. Ethically it's not always right but in the end, most of these people here praise it."

"How incredible." She finished sarcastically.

She leaned back into her seat and sighed. This was going to be a long day. Her eyes turned to the bar in the back corner and smirked, "I'll be back dad."

He waved at her while keeping his other hand raised to include his bid.

As she found a seat in the bar area, Aurelia kindly greeted the bartender and asked for a margarita. As she waited, she noticed someone had grabbed a bar stool and sat beside her.

Turning to view the person, she smiled as she realized it was no other than Mr. Bernard Burns. "Aren't you supposed to be up there to choose the ending bid?"

He shook his head, "Nah, my dad usually handles that part. I'm not too fond of it. I just enjoy the adventure and like to present the items we find." He placed his hand on his chin, wondering, "I'm guessing you're Mr. Hansen's daughter?"

By this point, her margarita was served. She thanked the server and resumed the conversation, "The one and only."

"He mentioned you to be innovative and one of a kind but never to be extraordinarily beautiful as well."

She rolled her eyes at his quirky attempt at being cheesy. "My dad tends to exaggerate sometimes. He did say you were a good lad. I'm interested to hear about your adventurous stories."

Burns smiled at that compliment, "I promise you he's not wrong about that. Let's keep in contact, shall we? I'll tell you all about them. Hell, you can tag along if you like."

Aurelia was always interested in exploring the world. She used to do it with her older brother all the time until he left for Cairo and needed a buddy again for the adventures. "I will definitely love to scour the continent."

Burns was about to respond until the loud sounds of a hammer banged the podium, signaling the end of the bidding. They both turned as the auctioneer concluded, "And that settles it, ladies and gentlemen. Sir Williams from Wales won the bidding price at 20 million! Congratulations!"

They both turned and applauded in unison, and Aurelia couldn't help but mutter to Burns, "People with money are crazy."

Burns laughed at her comment and nodded his head in agreement. 

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I'm super sorry I've been MIA so about two years. I always thought about this story but hardly had the time to return and continue it. Being a full-time college student, working for a living, and being a dog mom can be busy. 

Fortunately, at my job, the store caught on fire, so we have a week's break, and I will use this time wisely! I miss fanaticizing about Ardeth. Enjoy the chapter.