Anubis
Anubis copyright c. 2015 T.A. Chase
Part Twenty-One
“Really?” Jamil twisted to meet Anubis’s eyes. “How do you know that? I couldn’t find any information on any other culture besides the Nabataeans. No one knew there might have been other people who lived in Petra before them.”
Squinting, Anubis tried to think of a realistic lie. There was no way he could tell Jamil he knew because he had been a member of that society. He shrugged. “I must have heard it in the stories my grandfather used to tell me.”
Not wanting to deal with any more questions, even though he’d been the one who brought the subject up in the first place, he asked, “I never got a chance to look at the stuff that had been left at the site. Do you think we could go back to the museum and look at them tomorrow before we go to Petra?”
It was Jamil’s turn to squint at Anubis as though he wanted to say something else, but then he said, “Sure. I have the photos we took of the offering placement on my laptop, so you can study them right now if you want.”
Anubis knew he should do that. He should start to pull away from Jamil. Getting involved with someone while on assignment wasn’t a good idea, especially someone as close to the mission as Jamil was. The man wasn’t stupid either. Eventually he’d start asking questions Anubis couldn’t answer. Well he could answer them, if he wanted Jamil to think he was crazy.
But he didn’t want to. He wanted to stay in bed, wrapped around Jamil. He liked listening to the man breath and feeling the heat of his skin against his own. It had been a long time since he’d felt this way and wanted to take advantage of the moment.
“I can do it later.” He nuzzled Jamil’s temple. “I’m not ready to return to work just yet.”
Laughing, Jamil snuggled closer. “I agree.”
Silence fell between them, yet it had a comfortable feel to it instead of awkwardness. As the minutes drifted by, Anubis heard the sound of Jamil’s breathing even out as the man slept. Anubis stared at the ceiling, not tired at all. He rarely needed to sleep anymore. As he grew in power and learned to deal with the fact that he wasn’t going to die any time soon, he’d discovered his body didn’t need rest.
::I’m sorry to interrupt, brother, but Jamil is about to get a phone call.:: Thoth’s voice broke through Anubis’s thoughts.
::What the hell happened?:: He tried not to tense. There was no point in waking Jamil before the call came.
::Another security guard has disappeared and another offering left at the dig site. I was searching some of the other areas in Petra when it was discovered. You’ll have to make sure to call me, even though I’ll meet you there.::
Anubis groaned silently. ::How did they manage to do that without you knowing about it?::
::I don’t know unless they’d done it before I got here. I didn’t sense anything wrong, though I did wonder where the guard was. I figured he was just on rounds or something.:: Thoth sounded annoyed.
The ringing of a phone broke through the air and Jamil jerked awake, struggling to get out of bed. Anubis shoved the blankets back to make it easier on him. While Jamil dug through his clothes, Anubis climbed out of bed and started to get dressed.
::They’re calling him right now.:: He informed Thoth.
::Good. Don’t forget to call me. I’m in the room right now and I have to say whoever is leaving these offerings has to be disturbed.::
Anubis rolled his eyes. ::Of course they’re disturbed, Thoth. I assume they’ve sacrificed something, right? And there’s a lot of blood around the area.::
“Hello?” Pause…then “Yes this is Jamil Ahlid.” Another pause then Jamil swore. “Damn. All right. I’ll be out there as soon as I can. Have you called the authorities?”
::The police have just arrived, but they’re staying away from it. Not sure if they want to keep from contaminating it or if they’re too scared to touch it.::
::Do you think the guard has been killed?:: If the guards were killed so the person—or persons—could have access to the site, then it was far more serious than Anubis first thought.
He could almost feel Thoth shrug. ::It’s possible. I’m not sensing any other humans around besides the ones at the main site. There are spirits here, but they aren’t strong enough to interfere as far as I can tell.::
Shivering slightly as he zipped up his pants, Anubis chose not to think about whose ghosts might inhabit Petra. Running into Okilma’s would be heartbreaking for him.
“I’m sorry to rush away like this,” Jamil started to say, but Anubis held up his hand.
“It’s fine. I assume something has happened at the site.” Anubis tugged on his shirt then looked around to see where he’d left his boots. “I’m coming with you.”
“Oh you don’t have to.” The relief on Jamil’s face told Anubis he was glad to have his company.
Anubis gripped Jamil’s shoulder and squeezed for a second. “I know I don’t have to, but you shouldn’t go by yourself, and I work for UNESCO. There should be a representative there if at all possible. I’m sure they’ll want a report as quickly as we can get them one as well.”
Jamil grimaced. “They’ll be so happy to hear someone’s desecrating a world heritage site. I just hope they don’t decide to pull my permit to dig there.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll do everything I can to convince them your work is far more important than some nut job’s obsession with the place.”
He guided Jamil through gathering all their stuff then heading to the elevator. Once in the lobby, he pulled out his phone and sent Thoth a text. That would cover Thoth being there. They waited impatiently for Jamil’s truck to be brought around.
One Response “Anubis”
brilliant!