Hunter regained consciousness in the back of a dune buggy. The back of his head felt wet and sticky. He heard voices or maybe a voice.

“They’re going to give you something that will knock you out. You are going to be okay sweetheart. I love you.”

It sounded like an angel. Then everything went black again. Hunter regained consciousness for the second time and felt disoriented. The back of his head hurt. He opened his eyes and found himself in a hospital bed. He looked at the walls and saw concrete. He felt naked. He began trying to sit up.

“Oh darling, you’re awake. Let me help you.” Tiyana walked into the room carrying a cup of piping hot tea. She gingerly set it down and sat next to the bed. Hunter eased his back up against the wall.

“We’re alive?”

Tiyana giggled, “Yes dear, it will take more than that to put you down.” She leaned in and kissed his forehead. “Your parents are dying to see you.”

“They’re here?”

“Of course, should I call them?”

“You may as well.”

Hunter debriefed with his parents, then his aunts and uncles, then his cousins. Hunter was always amazed at the sheer size of his family and the amount of free time that they seemed to have. After he finally got them all out of his room, he got up and found the nearest nurse. Luckily, she spoke some English.

“Listen, I need clothes and I need them now.”

“You belong in bed. Go now. Go back to bed.”

Hunter opened his palm and showed her a one-hundred dollar American bill that he had pilfered earlier from his father’s pocket. She nodded.

“About those clothes?”

“You wait. I come back.”

The Egyptian nurse returned from the laundry room with a maroon button up shirt and a pair of green slacks. The big shirt hung loosely around Hunter’s shoulders and he could barely get the pants to button up. She also brought him a pair of slipshod thong sandals, handmade from rubber strips of tire. With his new outfit, Hunter hit the streets. He found a taxi and took it to the hotel that he had stayed at with Tiyana before they started living in tents out at the digsite. The driver yelled at him when he found out that Hunter had no money, but Hunter placated him by offering him six hundred Egyptian pounds if he allowed Hunter to go retrieve the money. At the hotel desk, Hunter asked for Tiyana Price.

“Ahhhhh, welcome Mr. Price. Your wife mentioned that you would be joining her soon. I have a key for you. We appreciate you staying with us at the Royal Hotel.”

“Listen, I need some cash, could I have six hundred pounds charged to my account?”

“Of course, of course. Today’s exchange rate with the dollar is…”

“Thank you, but I’m in a bit of a hurry.”

“Of course, of course. I have a one hundred, two hundred, three, four, five, and six.”

“Thanks.” Hunter said as he took the money. He went outside and paid the nervous cab driver. Then he went up to his room.

“Honey, I’m home!”

“Jeez Hunter! You scared the living daylights out of me. I thought I was being robbed! What are you doing out of the hospital? And what are you wearing?”

“Oh, you like my new ensemble? It wasn’t cheap.”

“Right, well, I was about to bring you clothes at the hospital, where you should be.”

“No need. So, did I dream it?”

“No, as far as I can tell, that actually happened.”

“And the giant. Ghaelvord?”

“Yes, him too.”

“And Shenouda?”

“Gone. We found some sort of an elevator and we took it to the surface, but when we arrived, Ghaelvord or whatever you call him, was gone along with that man in the red robes.”

“She was a good girl…”

“We did everything we could.”

After a few moments of silence Tiyana spoke again, “There are a lot of people who want to talk to you. The press, the Egyptian government, your family, some of our financial backers…”

“Ugh, that’s that last thing I want to do. Hey, how’s Hongo doing?”

“Oh he’s fine, maybe a little shaken, but he actually told me that he’s been through worse, although I don’t know if I believe him.”

Hunter bent over and put his head into his hands, “What now?”

“I’m sure you’ll think of something. By the way, I have a surprise for you.”

A perplexed look crossed Hunter’s face and his head perked up. “A surprise? Really?”

“You are just like an adorable puppy dog. How can anything surprise you at all after what we just went through?”

“Uh, I don’t know. What’s the surprise?”

Tiyana walked over to the dresser and opened the drawer. She reached into the drawer. When her hand emerged, it held an opaque, lapis lazuli orb.

“Is that what I think it is?”

“When Hongo jumped up on his back he must have dropped this. I saw it fall from the satchel on his chest. I remembered you saying something about a stone that might be blue or clear or big or small or whatever.”

“Right, the Cintamani stone.” Hunter walked over to the dresser and held the round stone before his eyes.

“Well, is that it?”

“I don’t really know. What would it take for you to test this? I’d like to find out what it is made of.”

“A mass spectrometer and a lab, I suppose would be best.”

Tiyana could see the wheels turning in Hunter’s head.

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