Zayeds mind clouded with confusion. Where was Humboldt? Where had he gone? Fear of their discovery had threatened to overcome him. Swallowing hard, he gathered his wits and forced his mind to focus.

Zayed took the tray from the Captain "Oh. No, not really. My wife had to be taught a lesson. I shall not be disrespected in my own abode with such tarnished coffee ware as this. I shall have to teach her, her place" and threw down the tray in mock anger.

Captain Halgardy smiled. A look of cold excitement crawled across his rough, weather worn face. Nodding his head enthusiastically, a devious glint lit up his eyes.

"Aha, so you have to beat them too? Good, good. It does them well to remember their place, does it not? I too have to thrash my wife. It keeps her on her toes, and on her knees. Yes! Ha-ha"

Halgardy winked at Zayed conspiratorially "She gets more than just a beating, yes" he said, grabbing his own crotch to emphasising his meaning. A low hoarse chuckle rolled up from within the captain. Zayed couldn't help but shiver at the malevolent sound. Halgardy, pleased with himself, spun around and left. Still laughing at their shared joke, the Captain Jumped up onto his horse and looked to the hills and then back at Zayed.

"Two days to the north-east, you say? Hmm" he pondered his decisions a little longer. Turning to his men he barked his orders "Company, Mount. We head for the Nile"

His men, exiting tents, made their way back to their horses, some with more than they had arrived with. One carried furs, which he rolled and strapped to his saddle. Another had found the shisha water pipe. But the most costly item to the tribe that the rebels took was four of their goats.

Zayeds heart sank at the loss and thought "So much, they take so much"

He pleaded "We are a poor people, we just about survive with the little we have. Our lives will be harder with so few goats. You have already taken so much, can you not spare us?"

Captain Halgardy smiled coldly. He slowly swung his sword around at the surrounding camp. Moving closer, he spoke aloud to the camp's inhabitants. A well-rehearsed speech tinged with mockery, ending in humourless laughter.

"You have your camp, your people, and your lives. Be happy with the little you do have, whilst you still have it. Rebellion is expensive. Armies have to be raised and paid for. Colonel Urabi wishes to thank you for your contribution towards a free and independent country. You will be free of the tyranny of a foreign oppressor"

Zayed's head dropped, defeated. He had heard this sort of thing before. It always ended with a new oppressor, nothing more. Captain Halgardy kicked hard against the horse's flank and screamed "Ya-ha" and rode with his men out of camp and towards the hills to the North-east, to the Nile.

Zayed, rooted to the spot, was unwilling to move until Captain Halgardy had taken his men and rode out of sight. Seeing the cloud of dust thrown up by their horses disappear over the hills in the distance, Zayed stepped over to his tent and entered. As he had expected, it was empty. He wondered where Humboldt had gone. He knew that there was nowhere else he could have hidden that the rebels wouldn't have found him. Zayed scratched his chin, mystified. Shaking his head, and about to leave, he yelped in fright as a hand grasped him by the ankle. Startled, he jumped back and readied himself for the attack. Like the gates of hell suddenly opening up right in front of him, the ground erupted upwards. Rugs flew into the air and scattered. In a shallow trench a very dusty and sandy fugitive sat coughing out a mouth full of dirt.

Humboldt asked as he brushed sand from his clothing "Are they gone?"

Zayed's mouth hung open in surprise. Astounded at what he was seeing. He looked once again at the small metal tray and it all became clear "You dug a grave and buried yourself?" He asked in disbelief.

Humboldt shrugged "What else was there to do? There was nowhere for me to hide. Luckily the ground here is fairly soft. All I had to do was dig down and then back fill around myself. The rest of the dirt I scattered across the floor and then arrange the rugs over the top best I could, simple really. A little luck always helps though."

Zayed sighed with relief. He knew that disaster had been averted, barely "Luck, no not luck, Humboldt. Allah" Zayed kissed his crooked finger and touched his forehead in praise.

Humboldt smiled "And you Zayed. You covered well when asked about the coffee pot."

A look of shame darkened Zayed's face. A moment in his life he was ashamed of. He knew he had to act fast to cover for whatever had happened in the tent. Still, he wasn't proud. He would have to ask Allah and his wife for their forgiveness.

Zayed bent down and lifted up the hidden bundle of clothing.

"You shall have to dispose of these. They almost cost us dearly"'

As Zayed passed the bundle to Humboldt, a small silver chain and pendant unwound and slid out of the red tunic's pocket. It struck the metal tray with a clatter. Zayed picked up the the fallen object before Humboldt could react. Turning it over in his palm, he studied it in detail. With a look of concern he passed it reluctantly to Humboldt.

Zayed inquired "An interesting trinket, where did you come by such a thing?"

Tucking it away into a pouch at his waist, Humboldt felt as if he had been caught red handed committing a crime. Not wishing to be drawn into a discussion about the Emerald, Humboldt ashamedly lied about his acquisition.

"Just a pretty piece of glass that I bought at a bazaar in Alexandria, as a gift" Not wishing to meet Zayed's eyes, Humboldt dropped his gaze to the floor. Zayed noticed the man's discomfort at its mention and did not wish to push the subject further. But he felt that it was his duty as Humboldt's host to warn him of the pendants symbolic nature.

Zayed frowned "Humboldt, you must be careful. In Egypt a great many symbols can be found adorning walls of temple buildings and tombs. But you will also find many rings and pendants bearing such devices. You may not believe that these symbols have power in your world, but you must realize that many people do believe that such things have power over their lives. Power or no, a symbol can turn a once quiet and humble man into a deadly foe, just at its mere sight. Some are just simple charms that are meant to bring their owners luck. Some bring bad luck. There are also the ones that are stronger and more potent and can change the world around us" Zayed waved his arm around to emphasize his point and continued.

"Humboldt, civilisations have risen and fallen over such symbols, the Christian cross, the Star of David, our very own Ankh, to name but a few. Then there are the ones that are believed to give their owners great gifts of strength, wisdom, even eternal youth and immortality. These great gifts always invariably come with a darker side. A gift that takes, power with a price, the good with the bad, the Yin Yang, shadow and light. Belief in a symbol is not needed to make it potent. But a symbol with belief can make it insurmountable" Zayed paused, hoping Humboldt would reflect on what he had said. He decided to tell Humboldt the exact symbolic meaning of his "'cheap piece of glass"

"Humboldt, it is your own business what that pendant truly means to you, and it's not my place to call you on it. But as you are my guest, I feel it is my responsibility to make you fully aware of what you possess, or at least its meaning, both the good, and the bad" Zayed held out his empty hand towards Humboldt and waited.

Not wishing to disrespect Zayed any further than he already had, Humboldt reluctantly handed him the pendant. Zayed felt its weight both physically and spiritually and knew this was no piece of glass as Humboldt had said. He worried why he would want to lie about an inconspicuous piece of jewellery.

Zayed nodded to where Humboldt had hidden the emerald "We call the symbol of the Emerald and the peacock, The Emerald eye of Thoth. The ancients believed that the god Thoth gave them the gift of emerald stones. And that Jem stones symbolized the season of spring. Hence they called them stones of spring. This is why they came to believe that the Emerald was the spring of eternal youth. Queen Cleopatra herself was once believed to possess a powerful emerald talisman such as this, given to her by her father, the Pharaoh Ptolemy. It was called, The Tear of Heaven. She believed the gemstone gave her power over her own beauty. But neither her beauty nor her reign lasted very long, even with the power of her emerald, Thoth was also the god of equilibrium, the mediator, and arbitrator between good and evil. He made sure that neither one overcame the other. He brought natural balance to the world" Zayed could see that Humboldt showed great interest, and knew that he would be receptive to his warning.

Humboldt urged Zayed on "And the peacock, what does the peacock symbolize?"

"Humboldt, Peacocks have always been an important bird in our history. Their feathers are a sign of wealth and importance. The ancients believed that the peacock, with its beauty, was incorruptible. And so became a symbol of immortality and resurrection. This belief led to it being used in funeral ceremonies of the Pharaohs. Eventually, it was forgotten that it was a sign of rebirth and became an omen of death. Even to this day people shy away from the peacock's beauty, and are suspicious of the large eyes on their fantails"

Humboldt asked "Why is it then that you see peacocks almost in every important residence and gardens all over Alexandria, as they are in England? Surely, if they were thought to be omens of death, then they would be avoided and shunned at all costs"

Zayed said "Ah, Yes. The peacock with its many eyed feathers led the ancients to believe that they must be all seeing. And being one of the original symbols of immortality, resurrection and rebirth, soon became guardians to the entrance of the afterlife. So by definition, the peacock became a guard and a protector. This is why you find them in places of importance, as guardians to their entrances"

Humboldt shrugged "All very interesting Zayed, but how is this in anyway linked with my pendant? It's only a piece of jewellery after all" Humboldt tried to play down his unease at all he had learned so far. With first-hand knowledge of its power and being a recipient of that power, he began to wish he had not discovered the jewel.

Zayed said gravely "A simple piece of jewellery or not, an emerald in front of the fantail of a peacock is a very powerful and recognizable symbol in Egyptian mythology. And as such must be treated with respect and apprehension. The ancients believed that the symbol of 'The Eye of Thoth' gave them the power of great healing and eternal youth, of strength and great knowledge. But also endows you with its opposing side, the memory of the dead, their experience, realization and consequence. To experience the lives of those who die around you, to realize the pain of those that die around you, to suffer the consequences of the actions of those that die around you. This is the equilibrium, the balance that Thoth brings to the universe, his gift and his price" Zayed paused "You must be careful Humboldt, it does have power whether you believe it or not"

Zayed had always been a good reader of people, and could see the worry that creased Humboldt's face. He could sense a rising dread in him. He wondered just what the man had gotten himself into.

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