Free Passage to Queen Mesentia by Dorlana Vann Page A

He smacked his lips and exhaled before saying, “So… So how did the Stewards end up with it and not Schelsteder?”
    Both Lilly and Ben snapped their attention toward Wade. He didn’t want to acknowledge the satisfaction in Ben’s eyes nor the gleam on Lilly’s face, so he looked out into the dining room, like he hadn’t asked.
    “I told Schelsteder I wanted no part in his plans. My curse is personal, not a weapon. In the year 2000 I read of Schelsteder’s investments in Egypt. I knew then he searched for Mesentia. I followed him there and learned he had found someone to dig for him in Saqqara, your parents’ university. I met with your parents and told them my story, as I have told you. They assured me that they would return the statuette to me.
    “I was so pleased when they found Mesentia, nevertheless, apprehensive at the same time. When your parents found the Pyramidion Statuette in the canopic jar, exactly like I had told them it would be, it erased any doubt they may have had about me.”
    Lilly said, “So they didn’t put the statuette with the rest of the find. They put it back for you?” Her eyes grew with excitement. “Schelsteder knew it was supposed to be there, so when it wasn’t…”
    “He will stop at nothing to build this army of invincible men. Time is of the utmost importance. I must find it, before he does.”
    Lilly turned to Wade. “Will you tell us now? Will you tell us what was in that letter? Did it say where it was?”
    “Yeah,” Wade growled. He knew Lilly wouldn’t say goodbye to Ben and let him be on his way to find the little pyramid statue all by his lonesome. She would go off alone with this freak with no one to protect her. “Yeah, it said.” He sighed.  “Looks like we’re all going to Egypt.”

Chapter 10
     
    Wednesday May 4, 2005
     
    Since Wade Roberts didn’t do idle very well, the journey had not proven pleasant so far. They had left France, a miserable five-hour layover at the airport after a torturous nine-hour flight, and had another five hours confinement in the airplane to look forward to.
    He smiled at his cleverness in keeping most of the contents of the letter to himself. It kept Ben in line, and it kept him in control. Too shook up to rely entirely on his photographic memory, as soon as he had stepped into his brother’s house that night, he’d scribbled down the contents of the note. Wade revealed to Lilly and Ben only that they had to go to Cairo, nothing else. He knew he had made the right move because they already had their passports… he didn’t. He figured if he had spilled the entire letter, they probably would’ve left him standing with his mouth open. Somehow—he didn’t ask how—two days later, Ben handed him a passport.
    And he had spent those two days debating if he really did believe that the fate of the world relied on them finding a little statue before the bad guys. However, he’d always come to the same conclusion; it didn’t matter because Lilly believed. So his goal was not the fate of the world, it was keeping Lilly safe.
    He didn’t like the idea of having to leave his knife behind, even though he would never be able to cut and eat an apple with it again. His new distraction had become gum, which he now pushed to the inside of his bottom lip like chewing tobacco, before closing his eyes. He was ready to sleep for the length of the flight but then felt Lilly’s hand on his. His eyes popped open, and he slowly looked down to their hands and then up to Lilly’s face.
    “I appreciate you doing this,” she said in a whisper.
    He nodded.
    “I know how you hate to fly, especially at night. I can’t believe you quit your job.”
    “Well, my job’s not like yours. I can’t get a substitute like you can. I didn’t have a choice.”
    “You did and that’s why I’m grateful. Hey, Wade. Umm…”
    “What’s on your mind?” He asked after a few seconds.
    He felt her hand lightly squeeze his wrist. “The