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CHAPTER NINE
Nigel awoke to darkness and at first thought he had been blinded again. He started to panic but then a soft glow permeated his surroundings and SHE appeared, the woman of his dreams, the Egyptian Queen, but her face was no longer painted and her smile held only sweetness. “Are…are you a demon?” he asked frightened. She extended a hand toward him. “There are no demons here, Nigel Bailey.” Nigel hesitated only a moment before accepting her hand and allowing her to pull him to his feet; an immediate warmth and feeling of contentment filled his body. “Isres?” She smiled and nodded. “Where am I?” “You are here.” “But…where is here?” He glanced around searching for Sydney and Da Viega, but he was alone and there was no noise but the sound of their voices. “You are here, where all things begin and all things end.” “I…don’t understand.” “Come with me, Nigel Bailey, there is someone who is anxious to see you.” “ Sydney ?” “Come.” Nigel followed her, their footsteps made no sound, in fact, Nigel couldn’t tell what sort of surface he was walking on but he felt incredibly light on his feet. They walked to a door, no walls or anything else, just a door in the expanse of all that white. Isres nodded. “Enter, Nigel Bailey.” Nigel was suddenly nervous. “Can’t I pick what’s behind door number two?” He saw no other doors. Isres stood and continued to smile indicating the door. Nigel hesitantly pushed on the door and it opened. He glanced at her and then stepped through at her encouragement. A man and a woman stood on the other side; the man was tall and athletic with dark hair and dark eyes. The woman, petite, blond with blue-green eyes and a pixie pink mouth. “Mum? Dad?” Nigel asked, incredulously and ran to them. “Oh God! Oh God, it is you!” They were real and they were solid and warm. His mother smelled of homemade cookies and his father held just the hint of pipe tobacco. “Oh Dear God! How can this be?” “We’ve missed you too, my darling,” Elizabeth Bailey informed, holding him tightly, then finally pulled back to look him over from head to foot. “My how you’ve changed. You’re so handsome, Nigel.” “Indeed.” Noel Bailey agreed, squeezing his son’s shoulder. “You’ve gained some muscle, that’s good. I was afraid a stiff wind would blow you away.” Nigel’s elation at seeing his parents was suddenly interrupted by his ever-inquisitive mind. “Is this a dream? Am I dead? How is it that you are here?” “We wanted to see you,” Elizabeth explained simply as she brushed the hair from his eyes lovingly. “We’ve been watching you, Nigel. You’ve become so brave and intelligent. No mother could ever wish for a better son than you.” “Oh, Mum.” Nigel hugged her again, her praise meaning the world to him. “I miss you so much.” He glanced at his father who still held his shoulder. “Both of you. I found the sword, Dad. The Sword of Sir Gabriel, the legend was real!” Noel laughed. “I always knew that you would be the one to find it, son. If you couldn’t no one else ever would.” “Of course, it released a demon, you didn’t tell me about that part but Sydney fought him and returned him to the stone. You should have seen her Dad, she was fantastic!” Noel squeezed Nigel’s shoulder. “We’re very proud of you.” Nigel blinked at the tears in his eyes; it was all that he had ever wanted was to make his parents proud of him. If his was a dream, he hoped that he never woke up. “It’s time to go, Nigel Bailey,” Isres said calmly. “What? Go where? No, I want to stay!” He gripped his mother’s hands, tightly. “Please, I can’t bear to lose you again. Please let me stay?” Elizabeth shook her head; her own eyes glistening as she caressed his face. “It isn’t your time yet, my darling. You have things to do and there is someone waiting for you. You don’t want to leave her behind, do you?” Nigel lowered his head. “ Sydney . Is she alive then? Did I save her?” Isres’s nodded. “Why have you brought me here?” He thought back to his visions, to the place Da Viega spoke of. “Is this my punishment for touching the book, to give me back my parents only to take them from me again?” “Nigel!” Elizabeth said, her expression stern, and then her voice softened. “Nigel, this isn’t a punishment, my love.” “But the things I’ve seen, the pain and suffering…the…horror and…” He shook his head. “The God-awful guilt. I’m a murderer, Mother. I’ve killed people. I belong in that place, but I am so frightened of it.” “Nigel, you knew what would happen if you killed that man.” He nodded grimly. “Then why did you do it?” “He would have killed Sydney .” “So, you sacrificed your life and your immortal soul to save her?” Nigel didn’t hesitate. “Of course.” Noel chuckled. “Sounds like a hell of a woman then.” “Noel!” Elizabeth admonished. “Sorry, Bessie” “You must go now, Nigel Bailey.” Isres beckoned him. Nigel nodded, he knew where he was going and he was frightened. But, knowing that Sydney was alive was some consolation. Yet, he could not release his Mother’s hand. He fell to his knees before her. “Please let me stay with you. Oh, Mother. Please? I can’t bear to lose you and Father again; I just can’t! I feel so alone!” Elizabeth knelt before her child and cradled his tearful face kissing each of his cheeks in turn. “You are never alone, Nigel. We are always with you, always watching, always proud.” She touched her hand to his heart. “We are always here, Nigel.” Noel knelt and placed his hand over his wife’s on his son’s chest. “Son, I know that is hard but you have someone else as well, your brother loves you very much.” Nigel swallowed hard and nodded. “I know.” He raised his gaze to theirs. “Will you come with me, just to…” He swallowed. “To the end?” They nodded and the trio rose as one. Isres led them back to where she found Nigel originally. “Someone is calling you, Nigel Bailey.” Nigel recognized Sydney ’s voice, or he thought it was Sydney ’s, she sounded so distressed; not like his Sydney at all. He looked at Isres. “You…you mean I’m going back? I’m not going…to that other place?” “No, that place will never be for you, Nigel Bailey,” Isres assured kindly. “But the visions…” “Ramses’ Tomb,” Isres explained. “Gives any who touch the open pages the knowledge of those tormented by the Pharaoh’s greed and arrogance, during Moses’ attempts to free his people from slavery. A last plague for those who do not heed God’s warning is to feel the agony and despair of those who also did not listen to the word of God.” “Such horrible things,” Nigel whispered, recalling the dreams. “Such pain and suffering.” He stared at his hands, the hands that for weeks he had imagined tainted with the blood of others. “I believed I belonged with them, that I too should suffer because of what I have done.” Isres folded her hands into his and shook her head. “No, Nigel Bailey. No one with a heart as pure as yours could ever belong in that place. You are a good man, honest and true, and it is regrettable that you had to suffer such abomination.” “Then why did I? I never opened the book, I couldn’t even see it.” “It was the power of the Tomb, it does not discriminate,” She smiled. “I stayed with you, Nigel, to help lesson the pain and grief. The strength of your heart kept much of the evil at bay, and I did what I could to help the rest.” She shook her head. “Da Viega had no such goodness and so the evil consumed him.” “What about…I knew things. Could sense them before they happened?” Nigel asked. “Was that you as well?” Isres’s smiled. “Some of it, yes, but it was your love for Sydney that allowed you to help her, I only assisted you in understanding what was needed to keep her safe.” Nigel’s eyes widened. “Oh.” He sighed and rubbed his forehead He never believed there was such a thing as too much knowledge, now he could see how it could be a bad thing. “I don’t know how much more I can take of all this.” She touched his temple. “I remove the visions from you; they will trouble you no more.” He nodded. “Thank you. That will help. Will I remember any of this?” He glanced at his parents, hopefully. “Only what you need to remember, Nigel Bailey. No less and no more.” She indicated another door. “You must go now.” “Wait! Is Da Viega dead? What happens now? How do I…” “Your choices wait beyond, Nigel Bailey,” Isres assured calmly. “Chose wisely what your heart most desires.” Nigel nodded and stepped forward.
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Nigel’s eyes opened to Sydney Fox’s beautiful face as she stared down at him, worried. “Syd?” “Hey,” Sydney responded her voice filled with concern. “Are you okay? What happened?” Nigel glanced around the familiar hotel room confused, as she helped him to his feet. He noticed the maps and books on the small round table that he had been looking through and then his gaze moved to the that replica he had created on his laptop. They were in Egypt and he had been working on finding the location of Izamidi’s temple, which was believed to hold the scepter of the ancient pharaoh. “I came in and you were on the floor, are you okay?” Sydney was still talking, still worried. “Yes, yes I…I guess I fainted,” Nigel replied, puzzled. “I…I forgot to eat earlier.” Sydney nodded relieved that he was okay, and then put on her game face again. “We’ll grab something on the way out. How are you doing with those maps? Any luck on the temple yet?” Nigel again glanced at his laptop screen; she had moved back toward the window and could no longer see the information. Why did he feel like they had done this before? He moved to the laptop and stared at the screen, his eyes drawn to the small symbol that represented the location of the temple. He felt a rush of fear and apprehension as he stared at it and a flood of memories came rushing back to him. An explosion, Da Viega and an old book, Preston and he talking, Sydney and he kissing! His eyes widened; a curse and an Egyptian princess. “Nigel?” Sydney took a step closer. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Nigel lifted his gaze to hers and felt tears flood his eyes. He loved Sydney , he’d told her so and she had loved him back. Did any of that even happen? Something told him that it did; only it seemed already to be fading in his memory. Was he the only one who remembered any of it? Chose wisely what your heart most desires. Nigel blinked as those words swirled around in his brain. Who had said that? Chose what? Whatever these memories were, foreign or real, he sensed that they had all started here searching for the scepter of Izamidi. Those who do not heed God’s warning Nigel shivered. “Nigel?” Sydney had returned to him close enough that he could smell her perfume and feel the sweet caress of her breath on his face. He wanted to make love to her, wanted to be with her but how could he unless… His gaze moved to the computer again, its contents hidden from Sydney ’s view because of the direction it faced and Nigel’s hand hovered over the keys. Could all that happen again? Had it been a glimpse of the future of what would happen? Was that what the curse of Izamidi had brought them? “Nigel, you’re scaring me.” Sydney caught his chin with her fingers and forced him to look at her. “What’s wrong?” God, she was so beautiful. What if, what if they found the scepter but because he knew about the future, he could change things? He could avoid the explosion and…Even as he thought this, the memories of what had happened started to face. Only what you need to remember, Nigel Bailey. No less and no more. What if he didn’t remember and he was helpless to start it from happening all over again. Could he risk going through all that, that hell just for a pharaoh’s scepter? He glanced back at Sydney . Just for the love of Sydney ? What if he was to do something different? What if he didn’t pull her from that car in time, or didn’t kill Kafka or… You can’t have her….It gives you what you need the most… Those words entered his mind and he made his choice. He discretely pressed the delete button on his computer. “Syd…do you trust me?” Sydney stared at him puzzled. “Of course.” “This is one relic we want no part of.” Sydney ’s eyes widened. “What?” Nigel closed his laptop and raised his hand to her shoulder as he stared deep into her eyes. “Remember the Devil Doll?” Sydney nodded. “That bad?” Nigel nodded grimly. “Worse. Much, worse.” “How do you know?” He smirked. “My spider sense is tingling.” “Huh?” “Trust me, Syd. Let’s just go home?” Sydney was about to protest because she hated to lose out on a relic, but something in his tone and the expression in his eyes worried her, she found herself saying. “If I say no?” Nigel shrugged. She knew that he’d follow her if she decided to go ahead with it, but he was hoping she’d listen to him about this. “I really, really think it’s a bad idea, Syd.” He smirked, though his eyes were serious. “This whole thing gives me the crępes.” Nigel only ever used that phrase anymore when he was really frightened of something. She nodded. “Okay, Nigel. I trust your judgment and if that’s what you want, we’re done.” Nigel nodded in relief and they started to pack up their gear. The memories were almost gone from him now that the decision had been made; his glimpse of the future was fading into the past. Except for a sense that he had done the right thing and a few extra left over feelings that he couldn’t really explain. He was surprised that she had agreed so easily, perhaps he had been too harsh in his evaluation that she couldn’t let a relic go and that she always had to win. He smiled to himself and pulled off the shirt he had been wearing, as it was dirty with sand and sweat from their earlier travels, and retrieved a blue button down from his bag. “Hey, when did you get that, Nige?” Sydney asked walking over to him. “Get what, Syd?” he asked as he paused in buttoning the shirt. Sydney touched the small tattoo over his heart. “This? I never noticed it before.” Nigel frowned and turned to examine the mysterious mark in the mirror. His eyes widened in surprise. It was the Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol for family. He touched it, reverently and closed his eyes, remembering his time with his parents. He muttered a quiet thank you to whatever God or Gods were listening for allowing him to keep that memory. “So, when you get it done?” “A little while ago, I’d forgotten about it.” Sydney smirked and ran her finger across it. “I never figured you for a tattoo man, Nige.” She grinned, wickedly. “It’s looks good on you.” Nigel flushed. “Yeah?” “Yeah.” “Kinda like having dirt under my fingernails?” Sydney laughed, surprised that he had remembered her comment from so long ago about women finding dirt on a man masculine. “Something like that.” Nigel frowned and finished buttoning up his shirt. “Sorry, Syd, I can’t be that kind of man, but if you ever want to consider the clean, bookish type that would be unfathomably loyal and devoted, you know where I am.” Sydney ’s eyebrows disappeared into her hairline at such a brazen proposal and she slowly started to smile, her respect for him climbing a notch or two higher. “I’ll remember that, Nige.” Nigel nodded and grabbed their bags. “Good.” He moved to the door and held it open for her. “Oh, and remind me to call Preston when we get home.” Sydney was startled for a second time. “Your brother? Why?” Nigel shrugged. “Oh, just to say hi, let him know I’m okay.” “Since when do you do that?” “Well, he is my brother, Syd.” Sydney shrugged and stepped out. Nigel glanced back at the hotel room and felt the weight ease from his shoulders. He may have chosen a different future for them, but he still had the ability to change things; perhaps it was time he stopped being so afraid of everything and started being honest with himself, and with Sydney ; what could it hurt right?
The End
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