Page 10 of Escape to Egypt

We sat down at a small table, and a waiter quickly appeared, taking our order. Jack suggested falafel wraps, and I agreed, trusting his judgment. When the food arrived, I took a bite, and my taste buds exploded with flavor. The falafel was crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and seasoned to perfection. It tasted nothing like the falafel I’d had in New York. This was the real deal, and I couldn’t get enough.

As we ate, Snickers suddenly scampered off, disappearing into the crowd. I shot up in my seat, panicked. “Shouldn’t we go after him?” I asked, scanning the bazaar for any sign of the little monkey.

Jack waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t worry. He’ll be back. He knows where we are.”

I tried to relax, taking another bite of my wrap. Just as I was starting to enjoy my meal again, Snickers returned, a mischievous look on his face. Draped over his arm was a beautiful emerald-green scarf, shot through with gold thread. He scampered up to me and, with a flourish, wrapped the scarf around my head, grinning proudly.

I touched the scarf, feeling the soft fabric. It was beautiful, but where had it come from? The monkey surely hadn’t gone shopping. “Oh no,” I said slowly, looking at Jack. “He stole it, didn’t he?”

Before Jack could answer, a woman’s voice cut through the noise of the bazaar. “Thief!” A petite, olive-skinned woman with a long brown braid flapping against her back came running toward us, her face flushed with anger, pointing directly in our direction.

For a brief, terrifying moment, I thought she was pointing at me. My heart pounded in my chest, and I looked around for a place to hide, wondering if I’d end up in a Cairo jail before the day was out. But then I realized her finger was aimed at Snickers, who was sitting calmly on the table inspecting his nails, seemingly oblivious to the commotion he’d caused.

Jack stood up, holding his hands out in a placating gesture. “I’m sorry about the monkey,” he said smoothly. “He can be a little…sneaky. We’re working on training him.”

Snickers crossed his arms and stuck out his tongue. I stifled a laugh, despite the tension in the air. The woman glared at Snickers, then at Jack, clearly torn between anger and the absurdity of the situation.

I quickly pulled the scarf from my head and offered it back to the woman. “I’m really sorry,” I said earnestly. “He must have thought it was a gift.”

The woman hesitated, looking at the scarf, then at me. Jack stepped forward, reaching into his pocket. “How much?” he asked, pulling out a few bills.

The woman’s dark eyes narrowed, but she named a price, and Jack handed over the money without hesitation. She took the cash, muttering something under her breath, and walked away shaking her head. I breathed a sigh of relief, grateful the situation hadn’t escalated further.

Jack turned to me, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “You know, it really does look nice on you,” he said, nodding at the scarf still in my hands. “Brings out your eyes.”

I felt a blush creep up my cheeks. “Thanks,” I said, unable to keep the smile from my face. For a moment, we stood there, just looking at each other, the noise of the bazaar fading into the background. It was one of those moments where time seemed to stand still, and I couldn’t help but wonder what Jack was thinking.

The moment was broken when Snickers crawled into Jack’s lap, curled up and closed his eyes. Jack absentmindedly stroked the monkey’s fur, his touch gentle. Watching him, I felt a strange warmth spread through me. There was something undeniably sweet about the way Jack cared for Snickers, and it made me see him in a different light.

“Zayed’s clue,” Jack said suddenly, breaking the silence. “Do you know what it means? Does it mean anything to you?”

I shook my head, pulling the scarf tighter around my shoulders. “Not yet. But maybe this will help.” I reached into my bag and pulled out a folded piece of paper, carefully smoothing it out on the table. It was a copy of the map from the explorer’s journal Dean had found, one of the few pieces of information I’d managed to gather before leaving New York.

Jack leaned over, studying the map. His brow furrowed in concentration. “This intersection here,” he said, pointing to a spot where two lines crossed. “That’s a pyramid. But not one that’s open to the public. Most people don’t even know it exists.”

I looked where he was pointing, my mind racing. The riddle Zayed had given us. “By the light of Ra and Hathor’s grace…Seek the shadow’s secret place…Where two lines cross beneath the sun…The hidden door will come undone,” I recited, piecing the words together in my head.

Suddenly, it clicked. The intersection of the lines, the mention of light and shadow. “It’s the shadow!” I exclaimed. “The pyramid must cast a shadow that points to the entrance. It’s hidden, but if we follow the shadow at the right time of day…”

Jack’s eyes lit up with understanding. “We’ll find the entrance,” he finished. “The Path of the Gods.”

I felt a thrill of excitement run through me. We were getting closer. The artifacts, the truth, everything—could they really be within reach? I glanced at Jack, who was already folding up the map, a determined look on his face.

“Ready to go?” he asked, his voice filled with anticipation.

I nodded, my heart pounding.

With Snickers nestled comfortably in Jack’s arms, we set off once again, the noise and color of the bazaar fading behind us.

Chapter Six

The sun was beginning to set, casting long, eerie shadows across the desolate landscape as we arrived at the spot Jack and I had deciphered from Zayed's clue. The intersection of lines on the map had led us here, to what looked like a forgotten corner of the desert. Ruins of stone and sand sprawled out before us, and I couldn't help but feel a chill as I looked around at the labyrinth of ancient paths and broken staircases. It was like a place lost in time, with no sign of modern life for miles. The air was thick with mystery, and I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched.

“Alright, this is the place,” Jack said, his voice low, almost reverent. He adjusted his backpack and glanced at me. “The entrance should be somewhere around here. We need to look for it before it gets too dark.”

We split up, each taking a different direction to cover more ground. I moved cautiously, my eyes scanning the stone walls and dusty ground for any signs of an opening. The fading light made the shadows dance, turning the ruins into a maze of darkness and confusion. Every few steps led to another dead end, another path leading nowhere. The silence was unsettling, broken only by the whisper of the wind through the stone.

My heart was pounding as I turned a corner and found myself in a narrow passageway that ended in a solid wall. Frustration bubbled up inside me. This was like searching for a needle in a haystack, with the added bonus of ancient curses and hidden traps. I was about to turn back when I felt a hand grab my arm, pulling me into the shadows. I screamed, the sound echoing off the stone walls.

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