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. “Now, stop fussing and just do what I say.”
“Ow! Okay, okay! I’ll do it.” He rubbed his cheek. “I don’t like it, but I’ll do it.”
“Good.” She released him and gave him a pat. “We can talk about all this once I’ve given them the slip and done what I have to do.” She smiled. “Relax, it’s going to be fine.”
She started down the broken pavement towards Giles, who was standing guard at the end of the Avenue of Sphinxes. “Just pick up the package and do what you’re told,” she called, half turning back as she walked. “If all goes well, it’ll only be a few days—your time. You’ll be busy enough, don’t worry.”
“A few days,” said Kit. “Right.”
“No more than a week or two,” she hedged.
“Weeks!” objected Kit. “Wait a minute.”
“A month at most.” Wilhelmina turned and hurried to join Giles. “I’ve got to go. I’ll see you.”
Kit had watched her retreating figure, feeling like a child abandoned in a parking lot. At the end of the paved walkway leading to the ruined temple, she gathered Giles, taking him by the arm. Sir Henry’s former footman cast a quick glance behind to Kit, raised his hand in farewell, then fell into step beside Wilhelmina. The two proceeded down the centre of the avenue, passing between the double row of statues at a fair clip. There was a gust of wind, a swirl of dust; both figures turned fuzzy and indistinct—as if viewed through the combined haze of heat and dust—and then they vanished altogether.
Kit drew another breath and held it, listening for sounds of pursuit, but heard only the thin warble of a solitary bird on a distant cliff top. Satisfied that he was alone for the moment, he