Page 56 of Death and Desire

They turned down a narrow street and the car came to an abrupt stop, jostling them in a heap.

“What’s the problem?” David asked the driver.

“Tire,” came the response, littered with foreign expletives.

They filed out of the car, and Violet waited with Dina while her brother and David helped the driver locate the spare.

“What’s that?” Violet pointed to a shop sign glinting in the morning sun.

“Oh, it looks like a bookshop.”

“Shall we investigate while we wait?” Violet asked.

“Of course.” Dina’s smile widened.

A bell chimed when they entered the shop. Books lined the shelves from ceiling to floor. Every surface was overburdened with books of all sizes and shapes.

“Welcome.” The shopkeeper, seated on a stool, looked up from his book. “Can I help you?”

“Actually, I’m looking for a book for my father,” Dina said, approaching him. Their conversation faded as Violet ventured further into the shop.

It was far larger than she’d anticipated. Her fingertips traced the spines of the leatherbound tomes. The scent of aged leather and faded, well-read pages brought memories of adventures to bookshops in London with her mother when she was a girl.

After plucking a book from the shelf, Violet opened it, scanning the pages printed with Arabic. There were others written in English and French, and she searched the titles for something familiar.

She glanced toward the front of the shop, but her sight was hindered by large bookshelves in the center of the room. To her right, a curtain covered a doorway. She skirted around it, not wanting to cross into someone’s private area. As she passed, the curtain fluttered in her wake.

A firm hand gripped her arm, pulling her through the doorway. Before she could scream, another hand clamped over her mouth. Darkness surrounded her as they towed her into a stone tunnel.

A scream caught in her throat, and she tried to bite the hand firmly sealed over her lips.

“No use fighting, sweetheart.” A man’s hoarse murmur grated her eardrums. “He’s waiting for you.”

Terror seized her. She struggled against her captor, but his strength held fast. He laughed at her panicked attempts to free herself. No matter how hard she fought, it was useless.

Pinching her eyes closed, she focused all her energy in her mind.Anubis!she shouted.Help me!

The familiar comforting touch never appeared. Wherever she was, he could not hear her.

Anubis, where are you?

Silence filled the cloudy void between them. Panic consumed her. There was nothing. He could not hear her. If he could not hear her, he could not come for her. Horror replaced panic as the realization took hold.

When they reached a large stone chamber, the brute threw her to the floor. Rough pebbles bit her palms as she caught herself. Pulling herself to her feet, she stumbled and collapsed again.

A plume of dust rose around her. She coughed and waved her hands, trying to clear the air.

“How lovely you could join us.”

Ice filled her veins at the familiar voice echoing around her in the dim chamber. Dread filled her, settling like a lead weight in the pit of her stomach.

Her instincts had been right. She’d been a fool to ignore them.

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