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“How are you taking to the ride?” Tarik questioned as he bit into a piece of jerky.
“It’s not the most comfortable mode of transportation, but it sure beats walking.”
Dewey perched on Paige’s shoulder, grabbing the pack of jerky Tarik passed to him. “I’m loving it. Oh, before I forget, Paige, get a picture of me on the camel. I want to send it to my brother.”
Paige agreed to snap one before they set off again.
“Say, Tarik, you don’t happen to have an Energy Dragon on you, do you?”
Tarik’s eyebrows furrowed, and he shook his head and offered Dewey a flask of water. “No, those are terrible for you. Drink water, my little friend.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I like to play fast and loose,” Dewey said, but accepted the flask of water.
Tarik nodded at him and smiled before taking a sip of water from his own canteen. “I’m afraid I have some bad news.”
“Mummies?” Paige questioned, her eyes going wide.
“What?” he responded.
“Is it mummies? Are there mummies?”
He burst into a loud laugh, throwing his head back. “No, no mummies at this location. All the deceased have been extracted, and none were cursed.”
“Oh,” Paige said, straightening and nudging her glasses up. “Then what is it?”
“It appears they have not found the crystal. No magenta gem has been cataloged.”
“So, we’ll need to search the tomb for it.”
Tarik nodded as he sipped at his water again.
“Well, I guess that’s okay. We’ve been through worse.”
“Heck yeah, we have,” Dewey chimed in. “Just before this, we ran into this yeti–“
“Never mind,” Paige said, shushing him from telling the story. “What are we looking at here in terms of exploring? Booby traps? Deadly hidden dangers?”
“The biggest issue will be sneaking into the tomb. Henry is expecting me. Not you two. I will distract them, but you will need to sneak past the guards, into the tomb, and search for the crystal. Most of the traps inside should be disabled. However, if you find a new area, there is no telling what may be there.”
“Right,” Paige said, her lips turning down into a frown. “So, the usual for us.”
“I am glad you are taking it so well. We will stop just before the tomb so you can dismount and hide while I continue on to the tomb.”
They finished their meal and took the last few sips of water before pressing on for the final leg to the tomb.
With the sun now staring them in the face, Paige squinted at the horizon, expecting to see the dig site at any moment. She pictured quaint tents surrounding a large pyramid. Her imagination conjured scenarios of hiding behind the large stones before sneaking around and into the dark opening of the tomb.
They continued through the rolling desert as the red sun descended in the sky, painting the horizon in deep reds and oranges. It slipped past the sandy skyline, and darkness crept over them.
Tarik stopped, and they dismounted from the camels before he secured Paige’s and Dewey’s. Dewey climbed into his carrier, and they awaited making the final approach to the encampment, which consisted of large tents and lighting surrounding what appeared to be nothing in the sand, on foot behind Tarik’s camel.
“Stay back when I tie my camel. Once I go to the tent with Henry, sneak to the tomb entrance and head in. I will meet you here at 3:00 a.m.”
He passed them an industrial flashlight and wished them luck before they approached the camp. Paige squatted behind the row of camels as Tarik tied his and strode to two men waiting at the edge of the tents.
“Ugh, I can’t see a thing in this stupid carrier,” Dewey lamented.
“Too bad. If we get caught, I do not want to explain a dragon,” Paige whispered as the men greeted each other.
