Born of Shadow - Book 1 (complete)

Chapter 12

So - it's official! You would rather be chased by a creepy mummy than flesh-eating beetles. Geez, what a bunch of masochists I have reading this story! You must be if you're enduring my evil cliffhangers - bwahahaha! So I have to admit, I would probably have to choose the mummy too, although my ingenious plan is to step on the end of the cloth wrapping and unwind it like toilet paper, then take an Indiana Jones-worthy torch and light the thing on fire!

So something new today. I am uploading a painting of the Grandparent's village Hamin, so check it out in the media box. It is an older village, so not very modern like Cairo and other parts of Egypt.

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And that's precisely what happened. 

Nothing.

They looked at each other. Liam shrugged.

Kami checked the door. It was unlocked. She twisted the knob and stepped inside.

"Hello?" she called. "Is anyone there?"

She was answered by silence.

Liam called out in Arabic, but still no answer.

A rush of exotic yet pleasant fragrances swirled around them as they stepped inside the foyer. She walked down the dimly lit hallway with Liam at her heels, their feet tapping loudly against the terra cotta tiles on the floor.

The hallway opened into a large brightly lit kitchen with an adjoining living room. Richly hued honey-colored cabinets spanned the walls, which were painted a deep eggplant color. An island in the middle of the room was covered with a thick slab of maple butcher block.

Here was the source of the smell. She recognized some of the spices—sweet cinnamon, spicy cloves, citrus peel. If that were the only scent, she could be back in Rosa's kitchen during her Christmas baking marathon. But there were other smells too, a heavy exotic fragrance that hung in the air, like incense. Maybe it was incense.  

White couches and chairs combined to make several cozy seating areas around the living room. A built-in brick fireplace sat silent in one corner. Framed pictures hung on the wall, and Kami stepped closer to look at them. Most featured a girl in various stages of growth: as a toddler holding a doll, as a chubby little girl posing with her father at an archeological dig, as a teenager dressed in an elaborate dress, and finally with her husband and two little girls. Kami realized with a jolt that this woman was probably her aunt, which meant the two little girls were cousins. She hadn't even realized she had cousins. 

She saw only one picture of her father, which probably shouldn't be surprising considering the circumstances. The happy boy posing with his family, the one with the mischievous face and gangly legs that were outgrowing his pants had to be him. He was holding his father's hand tightly. He was probably only five or six in the picture, around the age she'd been when he died. Innocence still clung to him. For all she knew it was a wonder that his face was permitted in the house, even if he was only a boy, long before he had wounded his father by having the audacity to go against his wishes.

"She's pretty. I see the family resemblance," Liam said, looking at another set of pictures, then over at Kami, then back at the image. "Funny. She looks familiar. I'm trying to remember where I've seen her."

Kami walked over. These pictures were more modern. The girl looked a little like her aunt, but clearly it wasn't her. This must be her cousin. She was more than pretty; she was stunning.

"Shall we explore?" Liam asked.

She nodded.

They walked down another hallway and peered into the first room. It was one of the most charming bedrooms she had ever seen. The walls were stucco, washed in pale yellow paint giving the room a bright, cheery feel. An embroidered duvet cover with an intricate flower design covered the bed. A white glazed pitcher and basin sat on a little gray-blue dressing table, and a pretty little woven rug in yellow and cream shades lay on the floor.