Harriet Potter in: The Mummy

Chapter 6

Eve, Luna and I sit at a table, overlooking the river. Eve was reading while Luna and I conversed in Latin.

I said, "So Luna. Why are we really going?"

Luna just hummed and said, "I'm going to meet someone soon. I can't wait."

My eyebrows shot up in surprise and said, "You mean you're going to find your man? Is he part of our new adventure?"

She nodded and said, airily, "He's perfect."

I just smiled, and before I could respond, O'Connell slammed his pack down on the table, scaring all of us.

He smirked and said, "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare ya."

I snorted while Evelyn quipped, "The only thing that scares me, Mister O'Connell, are your manners."

O'Connell opened his pack and said in false sympathy, "Still angry that I kissed ya, huh?"

She snorted and said, "If you call that a kiss."

I was watching them go back and forth, and I suddenly realized that they liked each other. This was interesting. 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.

Evelyn looked unsure and said, "Did I miss something? Are we going into battle?"

O'Connell shrugged and said, "The last time I was at that place everybody I was with died. There's something out there, you know, something under that sand."

Evelyn scoffs and said, "Yes, I'm hoping to find a certain artifact, a book, actually. My brother thinks there's treasure." She looked at him with interest and said, "What do you think is out there?"

O'Connell looks at her seriously and said, "Evil. The Tuaregs and the Bedouin believe that Hamunaptra is cursed. They called it, "the doorway to hell.""

Evelyn gave a sly smirk and said, "Ahmar is Ossirion. "Passageway to the underworld", actually." She then rolled her eyes and said, "I don't believe in fairy tales and hokum, Mister O'Connell, but I do believe that one of the most famous books in history is buried out there. The Book Of The Living. It's what first interested me in Egypt as a child. It's why I came here, sort of a life's pursuit."

O'Connell's eyebrows shot up and he said, "And the fact that they say it's made out of pure gold, makes no nevermind to you, right?"

Eve looks impressed and said, "You know your history."

He shrugged and said, "I know my treasure." He then looks at us and said, "And why are you two coming along?"

Luna smiled dreamily and said, "I'm going to meet someone."

O'Connell gives her a long look, then turns to me. I was grateful he didn't say anything mean or give disgusted looks. He was already loads better than most people we met. I shrugged and said, "Someone has to keep Eve out of trouble. Plus, she's not the only one who can read, write and speak Ancient Egyptian."

He looked surprised and said, "You can?"

I nodded and said, "Luna and I can speak and write in several languages."

O'Connell looks at me hard and says, "And that there is some fabled treasure out there, has no bearing on your decision?"

I snorted and Evelyn pipes up, "Oh no. Her and Luna are Heiresses. They don't need money."

O'Connell's face showed his shock and I said, "Don't worry. We're really just here to keep an eye on Eve."

It was quiet for a few moments as O'Connell was cleaning his weapons, when Eve suddenly blurted, "By the way... why did you kiss me?"

O'Connell just shrugged and said, "I was about to be hanged, seemed like a good idea at the time."

Evelyn's eyes widened, and she stomped away, furious. O'Connell looked confused and said, "What? What did I say?"

We all hear snickering behind some boxes and O'Connell had grabbed another man by the collar.

The man was smaller, skinny, and reminded me of Peter. I immediately didn't like him.

The weasel spoke up, "My very good friend! What a surprise!"

O'Connell looked thunderous and grunted, "Why if it ain't my little buddy, Beni. I ought to kill you." He then sticks a knife under Beni's throat with a murderous grin.

Beni tries to wriggle out and says in fright, "You were never any good with the ladies, O'Connell."

O'Connell griped him harder and said, "So you're the one leading the Americans. I shoulda figured. So, what's the scam? You get 'em out in the middle of the desert then leave 'em to rot?"

I was surprised. There was another expedition? I looked at Luna and she shook her head. Whomever she was meeting, it wasn't any of them.

Beni shook his head, "Unfortunately no, these Americans are smart, they pay me only half now, half when I get them back to Cairo, so I must go all the way." O'Connell lowers the knife and Benni nervously rubs his neck, "You never believed in Hamunaptra, O'Connell. Why are you going back? The devil himself lives out there."

Suddenly we hear Eve yelp. A Camel had tried to nip at her, and she was fussing over it. She sees us watching, then turns to leave. O'Connell smiles and says, "That girl saved my life." He then motions to us and said, "They helped. Figured it was the least I could do, keep them out of trouble."

I smiled and said, "Aww. O'Connell. You shouldn't have."

He smirked, and Benni says slyly, "You always did have more balls than brains."

O'Connell narrows his eyes at the insult and said, "Let's make us even, shall we?"

Beni trembles, "Even?"

O'Connell picks him up and hauls him overboard. I let out a loud laugh and said, "Serves the rat right!"

Beni splashes to the surface and shouts, "I'm going to kill you for this!"

O'Connell is laughing and said, "Sounds familiar." He then looks at us and said, "Rat?"

I ginned maliciously and said, "Oh yes. He reminds me of a rat that I killed back home."

Luna then said, "Eve is in trouble."

O'Connell looked at her sharply, the looked in the direction of Eve's quarters. There were wet footprints leading there, and O'Connell turns back to us and said, "Get Jonathan. Get off the boat. Understand?" Then he rushes off.

I looked at Luna and said, "I'm going to have to get wet, aren't I?"

Luna just smiled.