The Skin Map and the Bone House by Stephen Lawhead

Author:Stephen Lawhead
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2015-01-06T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 2

In Which a Wander in the Wilderness Is Good for the Soul

Kit stood staring down the Avenue of Sphinxes feeling very much alone. It was early yet, and there was no one else around. He drew the clean, dry air into his lungs. Deeply relieved to have been rescued from looming death by Wilhelmina’s unexpected yet timely intervention, he nevertheless could not help feeling slightly bruised by her brusque manner. In fact, she had socked him on the arm as soon as they were free of the wadi and the tomb that had held them captive to Lord Burleigh’s whims.

“Ow!” Kit complained. He had not seen the smack coming. “What was that for?”

“That was for abandoning me in that alley back in London,” she told him. “That dark, stinky alley in the rainstorm—remember?”

“I remember, but it wasn’t entirely my fault.”

She smacked him again. “It wasn’t very nice.”

“Sorry!” Kit rubbed his upper arm.

“I forgive you.” She smiled, then hit him once more for good measure.

“Yikes! Now what?”

“That is so you remember never to do it again.”

“Right. Okay. I get it. I’m sorry, and I won’t desert you ever again, I promise.”

“Good. Now pay attention. We’ve got some ground to cover, and we don’t have much time.” She had then told him about Luxor and what he was to do there.

He had been instructed to go to the Winter Palace Hotel and ask for a Mr. Suleyman at the front desk. Upon presenting himself, he would be given a parcel and a letter with further instructions. Wilhelmina had been very precise: don’t stop to think or look around, hit the ground running, get to the location, secure the parcel. “It is imperative that you retrieve the package and follow the instructions to the letter.”

“Why can’t I go with you?” Kit had asked.

“We have to split up,” she told him. “The Burley Men will soon be on our trail, and they’ll follow me. If you peel off now they won’t know—they’ll think we’re all still together.”

“What about Giles?”

“He’s going with me. If they catch up with us, I’ll need someone to help me fight them off.”

“I could help,” Kit insisted. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to get separated. Where are you going anyway?”

“It’s best if you don’t know.”

“But if I—”

She had put a hand to his face. “Do you trust me, Kit?”

“Of course I trust you, Mina. It’s just that—I mean, we only just met up. I don’t see why—”

“If you trust me, then believe me when I say”—she pinched his cheek between her thumb and finger—“we don’t have time for this discussion. The ley is active now, and any minute Burleigh and his goons will learn of your escape. When they do we must be as far away from here as possible.”

“But I’m not going very far,” Kit pointed out. “You said I was just to go to Luxor—that’s only a few miles away.”

“If you do exactly what I told you, you’ll soon be in a different time zone,” she said, pinching his cheek harder.

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