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“It all happened four nights ago. I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of footsteps outside my window. I climbed out of bed and looked through the glass. The moon shone brightly, and my eyes were rewarded by the strangest sight. I saw throngs of people walking into the desert, stiffly, as if in a trance, as if someone or something had hold over their minds. They were still in their bed clothes. I saw two of my friends pass by in the midst of this crowd.

“I put my hand to the window to call out to them, but as I did so, a woman walked directly in front of me. To my horror, she stopped and turned toward me with a ghostly white face. I stumbled back against the bed, and the jolt awakened your Neina.

“She screamed, and I clamped my hand over her mouth. But it didn't matter because the woman did not hear her. She faced forward and began walking again. It was as if she could not hear us or see us.”

A group of women passed by, and Gedo hushed and looked down. Once they passed, he wiped his hands again on his pants and continued. “As I turned to comfort my wife, men broke open the door. They roughly shoved sacks over our heads and carried us over their shoulders.”

“Did they carry weapons?” Samuel asked.

Gedo shook his head. “I don't know. It all happened so fast. I don’t know how long we traveled this way. Miles! I lost all sense of direction and could not determine where they were taking us. I could hear your Neina crying. I tried to comfort her, but they would not allow us to speak. At last, they set us down and pulled the sacks from our heads.

“A young woman dressed in a red and black robe sat before us. She called herself the Shadow Queen. She was beautiful, with glowing skin and long fiery reddish orange hair, a most peculiar color. There was something ethereal about her, otherworldly, yet twisted. In her lap, she stroked her pet. At first, I thought it was a black cat, but then the thing stretched and leaped from her lap, and I could tell I’d been mistaken. The thing was not made of flesh and blood, but of a black smoky substance. It was the work of dark magic.”

This caught the interest of both Samuel and Chris.

“A shadow creature,” Chris said with a sharp intake of breath.

“So they can be domesticated and controlled,” Samuel said. “Do you understand the implications?”

Chris nodded.

“You know of these abominations?” Gedo asked.

“We’ve been hunting them for some time now,” Samuel said.

“The Shadow Queen told me she needed the bones.” Gedo stood up and stretched his back. Then he began speaking again, this time in a quieter voice. “When I asked what bones, she said 'The bones of the dead.' She ordered me to secure a new dig site. She wanted me to process the permit so that she could work undisturbed by the authorities.”

“Why?” Yasmin asked.

“The map I found. She said she felt below the surface of the earth, and that she can feel death there. She said she would kill my wife if I failed to secure the site.”

“Wow! She’s hardcore,” Samuel said, shaking his head.

“Her thugs shoved the sack back on my head, took me out in the desert and dumped me a few miles outside of Cairo.” 

“I don’t like this,” Samuel said. “She tells you to secure this site, but she’s also sending shadow creatures out to steal the artifacts from your exhibit? She must have known if you showed up, they’d take you into custody and start asking questions. That can’t happen.”

“He is right,” Yasmin said. “The police cannot be trusted.”

“What are you talking about?”

“She’s got spies within the police force,” Chris said.

“You are sure?” Gedo asked.

Chris nodded.

“You know all your neighbors walking in a trance? There are police officers in a trance too,” he said.

“I can’t believe it,” Gedo said. “I don’t know what to believe any more.”

“It’s a catch-22,” Samuel said. “She’s got you surrounded. You don’t think you can trust her, do you? You’re a marked man.”

“But what choice do I have? I have to save my wife.” He sunk back down on the crate.

Kami shifted so that she could be under the shade of the building better.

“Listen, I’ve seen her handiwork. I’ve seen the dead bodies. Seriously messed up man! You do not want to help this chick,” Samuel said.

“Then what do you suggest?”

He pulled out his self-named Laser Saber 3000 and held it up.

“We take her out with this bad boy.”

“A flashlight?” Gedo said, clearly unimpressed. “Yasmin, who is this joker?”

“I know it’s an early prototype, but we can refine it. It works. That’s the important thing.” Samuel’s pride was obviously a little injured.

“He is right, Gedo. The contraption does work,” Yasmin said.

Samuel straightened, bolstered by her support. “We could use the element of surprise. She’s probably overconfident because she can work the voodoo and control these creatures. So what? We’ve seen them. Some are not even fully formed. They’ve got problems. They run into walls, they spin in circles. They’re vulnerable, especially now that we’ve figured out how to trap them.”

“Er, Samuel. You’re jumping the gun a bit, don’t you think?” Liam said. “Chris said he doesn't trust using the weapon against the bigger creatures.”

“Not yet. We can make stronger weapons. Better ones. You saw how we had that one nailed to the wall. What if we had more Laser Sabers and more people using them? What if we were prepared for the shapeshifting? For all we know, that was the only shadow creature that has the ability to shapeshift. If it was chosen to steal the artifacts, it was probably one of her tougher creatures. And don’t forget that we were beating it for a while! She’s not as invincible as she thinks she is.”

“Hold on,” Gedo said. “You’re saying this flashlight could control her dark pet?”

“Maybe,” Chris said. “It still needs some major modifications.”

“We need to figure them out quick then. The longer we wait, the less chance the old lady has of making it out alive,” Samuel said, then as if he realized he might have said something rude, he added, “No offense, gramps.”

Gedo looked at him like he was an alien.

Kami felt a cold grip on her heart as she thought of her Neina, of her warm and loving voice.

“Samuel’s right,” she said. “We have to do whatever it takes to get Neina out of there. We can’t trust this woman to release her.”

Gedo stared at her oddly now, then turned to Yasmin.

“She’s an American,” he said.

“Kamilah,” Yasmin said warily. “My cousin. Your granddaughter.”

“What?” the word exploded from his lips. “How can this be? She’s not supposed to be here! I have a million worries, and now I have to deal with protecting another foolish female? Is this your Neina’s doing? Did Layla go behind my back and set this up when I expressly forbade her—”

“Shhh, it’s okay,” Yasmin said, rubbing his shoulder.

He shook off her comforting hand and turned on Yasmin.

“Did you know about this? Were you and your Neina planning this behind my back? Were you planning to take me for a fool?”

“Gedo, calm down and look at me. I had no clue Kami was coming. I was just as surprised as you. I thought you had changed your mind when I walked in on her at the house. She clearly thought the two of you were picking her up at the airport. So, if you and Neina are having some kind of dispute over this, do not take it out on me and Kami. We are innocent. See how you are upsetting Kami?”

Kami could scarcely believe what she was hearing. Her heart felt heavy. Her worst fears hadn’t prepared her for this. She thought her grandfather might be cold and forbidding, that it might take a bit for him to warm up to her. She couldn’t have imagined being yelled at in public like this. What had he called her—a  foolish female? Tears streamed down her face. Her vision blurred. She felt a protective arm about her shoulders. She knew without seeing it was Liam.

“Get your hands off my granddaughter!” Gedo roared.

“Forgive me, sir, but if you keep this up, I’m not sure if she’ll want to claim that right.”

She felt Liam pulling her away and she went willingly, stumbling a bit as she still couldn’t see through her tears.

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This chapter's dedication goes out to another favorite reader @Graceology! I always enjoy her observations because they are spot on and insightful. Thanks @Graceology! To check out her writing, including a fun story named Samantha that includes a parrot named Juan, click on the dedication link above.