Derek got back to the room where his friends stayed only to find them arguing.
"What's the argument all about?"
"We have to get out of here, We can't stay here any longer. We are becoming a burden to this family." The answer came from Tiny.
"I agree that we have to leave here, but where can we go to. We can't even go back to the orphanage even if we wanted to. We are in a country miles away from home, and there are people that want us dead." Madeline grabbed Derek by the hand, "I vote we stay here. We can find one or two things to do. And Mr Bahati offered we could stay as much as we want..."
Tiny cut her off before she finished. "That's not possible."
"I agree with Tiny, we should leave this place." Derek sat on the bed and thought for a while. There was no way they were going to continue staying here it was not just possible. It would be too unfair to this family.
Memories of all that had happened to them so far played back in Derek's head. He remembered the attack on the school and Mrs Carla telling them to run, and he suddenly stood up in realisation. "We are forgetting one vital thing. If I remember correctly, Mrs Carla said something about finding someone. Hmmm... What's the name!?"
"Bast!" it was Madeline that responded.
"Yes, Bast! She said this person would help us." Tiny added. Aesir just looked at them strangely. How could these blockheads forget such a piece of vital information, he thought to himself.
"But how do we find her? We are in Egypt. We don't know anywhere. And for all we know, there might be a thousand people with the name bast in this place." Tiny felt a bit hopeless. This question was the most difficult to solve.
While everybody was lost in thoughts again, Madeline remembered something important. "I think I might know."
"HOW!?" Everybody asked simultaneously.
"It's simple really." Madeline reached for one of the bags in the corner. It was her own. From it, she brought out a poorly put together laptop. It even had the screen a bit cracked at one corner. "We'll use this."
"When did you...?" Tiny was cut before she could ask.
"Just before we left."
"Wait! you had a laptop all this time?" Aesir's eyes stayed on the laptop. "When did you get one?"
"It's from the money I saved up from my night job as a DJ."
"You are a DJ!? What other thing happened when I hit my head?"
"Settle down Aesir, There is no time for that now." Tiny sat close to Madeline to observe.
"You carried a laptop but not enough food?" Derek was the one that voiced out.
"Oh really, and you did? Don't think I did not see all the comic books you brought." Madeline defended before he could talk more.
*cough* Ahmmm. Derek coughed, "We should get back to the task at hand."
"So how are you going to find this 'bast'?" Tiny asked
"It's easy really, I use that!" She pointed to Derek.
"Me?"
"No, not you dummy! the pendant around your neck. Mrs Carla gave you that right? If I cross-reference names and faces from say airport cameras with anyone wearing a pendant like that, I should be able to find something."
Derek looked at the pendant, for some reason he was very reluctant to remove it. He looked at the faces of the people around him and finally agreed. He removed it from his neck and gave it to Madeline.
Meanwhile...
Behind the beautiful curtains of the Kalandula, Another airship just as huge and majestic as the one that brought Erugard laid to rest in the hanger. From it, a man tall and slim walked out with giant strides. He wore black overalls and a red hat on his head. On his chest, was an insignia. If Derek was here, he would have noticed that it was the same as the one on the pendant Miss Carla gave him.
At the entrance to the fort, Erugard had his hands behind his back in wait for him.
"Welcome Aaron. We have been expecting you." Erugard gave him a hug.
"Erugard my good friend. It has been a long time. I heard you have a present for me."
"Oh! Aaron is always straight to business. This way please, am sure you'll want to see this." Erugard directed Aaron into the fort, through a snake of tunnels deep into the ground. Here, even the smell of the waterfall couldn't reach. Two men stood in front of what looked like a prison cell.
It was a very dark room. Erugard had to use runes to provide light. In the centre of the room, a person with dishevelled hair lay in a small pool of blood. Hands held by slightly glowing runes in form chains attached to the walls on each side. The fitted clothes on the person's body now looked more like rags.
This was Miss Carla, otherwise known as...
"Maria of house Thembeka, you have a guest." Erugard lifted up her chin in the direction of the 'guest'.
Maria looked up and it took a short while for her eyes to see clearly, but she did and two words came out of her mouth, "Uncle Aaron." She suddenly struggled in an attempt to hit Aaron but the chains bounding her glowed a slight red and she lost her strength.
"Tsk tsk tsk... You don't want to do that my dear. Those chains are made of jade clay and buttered up with foundational runes. Even a woman of your calibre can't get out of them." Erugard advised.
Aaron walked to her. He bent over to look at her. "Where is your brother, dear niece. I really need to know."
"Come closer uncle I'll tell you." But when he did, she spitted on his face, "Go to hell. You traitor."
Aaron smiled. He did not seem to mind the spit on his face. He took out a handkerchief and wiped his face. "You know dear niece, I have been going sightseeing all this while and have learnt one or two things from my travels. I even learnt one or two tricks from my friend Erugard. I wonder how you will feel if I handled your interrogation 'personally'. You see, Everyone knows house Nathifa to be the Home of pain and so explains the care there have been given to you. But do not think that I cannot do worse. I'll advise you to tell what you know before I get my hands dirty."
Maria eyed him for a second and looked away.
"Very well then, I might as well get my hands a little dirty." He took a whip from his side and was about to use it on her when a rune appeared out of thin air close to Erugards ear.
"Oh really, so you have found him. Hmmm"
If only Derek knew that removing that pendant from his neck for Madeline to use would put him back on the radar, he definitely wouldn't have done it.