Priestess of Hathor: Mummy Trilogy

Jumping Ship

Oakley's POV

I arrive early to stable Uma. "I'll tend to her, please ensure no man tries to tend to her. She hates them" I tell the stable hand.

"Of course maam" he says and I pay him. I turn back to Uma and feed her.

"Be a good girl and I'll see you later" I tell her. She nickers and I hug her. I then leave making sure the stall is locked. I go back to the broad walk to see Evie and Jonathan talking to a clean shaven O'Connell. "You clean up nicely O'Connell" I call as I lean on the railing smiling at the trio.

"Thanks for saving my neck" he tells me.

"Get us to our destination safely and we'll be even" I tell him.

"Sure thing, I'll take your bags" he says and takes Evelyn's bag before boarding the ship. I tell him my and Evie's cabin number and he nods his head. Then leaves as I look back at my cousins.

"Yes, you're right, filthy, rude, a complete scoundrel, nothing to like there at all" Jonathan says to Evie. I smirk winking at my little cousin.

"See you both later" I tell them and leave.

(That night)

I see Jonathan playing poker with the Americans and roll my eyes. I go in search of Evie and find her reading by herself near the stables. "What you reading?" I ask her as I lean against the railing.

"A book on Thebes" she tells me. "You seen Jonathan?" she asks me.

"He's playing poker with some Americans" I tell her and she rolls her eyes.

"I haven't seen Uma since you left, bet she's bigger" she says.

"She was two when you last saw her, so she is a little bigger. I'll show her to you before we retire for the night" I tell her. She nods her head with a smile.  A gunny-sack drops onto the table in front of Evie, startling us both.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya both" O'Connell tells us.

"Not scared, surprised" I correct him.

"The only thing that scares me, Mister O'Connell, are your manners" Evie tells him.

"Still angry that I kissed ya, huh?" he asks her with a raised eyebrow.

"If you call that a kiss" Evelyn tells him.

"I do" I tease her smirking and she shoots me a playful glare. O'Connell reaches into the gunny-sack and starts pulling out revolvers, pistols, hunting knives, a massive elephant gun, and a half dozen carefully wrapped sticks of dynamite. "Did we miss something?" I ask him confused.

"Are we going into battle?" Evelyn asks.

"The last time I was at that place everybody I was with died" he tells us. This takes the smile off Evelyn's face. O'Connell starts dismantling and cleaning the guns. "There's something out there, you know, something under that sand" he states.

"A guy told me it is cursed" I tell them. "But I don't believe that" I state.

"Yes, I'm hoping to find a certain artifact, a book, actually. My brother thinks there's treasure and Oakley is looking for an adventure. What do you think is out there?" Evie asks O'Connell.

"In a word, evil. The Tuaregs and the Bedouin believe that Hamunaptra is cursed, they call it, 'the doorway to hell'" he tells us.