Rings of Anubis: A Folley & Mallory Adventure by Tobler E. Catherine

Author:Tobler, E. Catherine [Tobler, E. Catherine]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: fantasy, novel, steampunk
ISBN: 9781607015215
Publisher: Masque Books
Published: 2014-07-13T21:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

Climbing the pyramid gave Eleanor a restored sense of purpose and renewed the tie she felt to Egypt. This was a timeless place, one that even their modern world could not erase. The pyramids had stood for thousands of years and would stand for thousands more. Feeling that power beneath her feet, Eleanor calmed.

She wanted to stay atop the pyramid all night, watching the stars reel overhead and the sunrise come morning. She wanted to imagine the pyramids as doors once more, opening onto worlds she did not yet know. She wished her father were there, to christen her with Egypt all over again.

She pictured her father and Juliana climbing the pyramid, Juliana clinging to his arm the entire time. While she might scale a bookshelf in search of a particular volume, she rarely went much higher.

Instead, there was Virgil Mallory, who had begun to open himself to her. There were things he still held back—she couldn’t fault him for that—and they kept their silence on the climb down.

The camels were where they had tied them, and Mallory undid his tricky knotwork with ease. The journey back to Sirocco’s headquarters was one of the longest Eleanor could remember, for her thoughts would not slow. The idea of the photographic case haunted her, as did the notion the Lady was her mother. It wasn’t the first time she had considered it, but it was the first time she had been faced with evidence that might support the theory.

By the time they reached the townhouse, Eleanor’s mind had quieted. She took Auberon’s hand as he offered it to her and slid down from the camel, who was as tired and cranky as Gin. Eleanor bade the trio of gentlemen goodnight. She promised to meet them come morning and fled to her room, despite the eager expression on Mallory’s face. If he wanted to talk, she meant to make him seek her out, feeling she had already exposed too much of herself on top of the pyramid and earlier in the hallway.

Young men were not worth the trouble—didn’t her father tell her that? With that idea firmly in mind, Eleanor closed and locked the door behind her. Less than an hour later, there came a soft knock.

Sleep had not arrived to carry Eleanor away the way she hoped, and she put aside her old sketchbook to stare at the door across the room. There was a long silence and then the knock came again.

It was low, but still carried, and when it came a third time, this one a bit more demanding, she slid from the bed and crossed to the door, unlatching the lock to find Mallory hovering there. His surprise was plainly evident on his face, perhaps because she had finally answered the door, or perhaps because she was wrapped in nightclothes and robe.

“I realize this is unusual,” he began.

Eleanor reached through the gap in the door to take hold of Mallory by his rumpled lapel. She pulled him into the room.

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