The Amulet of Power - Mike Resnick [64]
“I really do need the books, but that’s not why I sent him away,” she said. “You can come out now—and keep your hands where I can see them.”
There was no response.
“I know you’re there,” she continued. “You’ve got exactly three seconds to come out or I’ll put fifteen bullets into the curtain.”
A tall, lean, bearded man stepped out from behind the drapes, his hands in the air.
“There’s no fire escape,” she said. “You either bribed the maid or picked the lock. Why?”
“I must speak to you.”
“I’ve been in Khartoum for a day and a half.”
“This is the first time you’ve been alone.”
“Okay, we’re alone. Now speak—and keep those hands where I can see them. Who are you and what do you want?”
“My name is Abdel el-Dahib. Omar is my cousin.”
“Didn’t his family ever have a hobby?” she said sardonically. “He seems to be everybody’s cousin. Why couldn’t you approach me when Omar was around?”
“Because we are on opposite sides,” said the man. “He wants the Amulet found. I do not.”
“Are you behind the attempts to kill me since I arrived here?”
“No,” he said. “The Silent Ones wish to kill you because you are looking for the Amulet. Some of the Mahdists wish to kill you because they fear you have already found it.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” she said. “For instance, why you wish to kill me.”
“I have told you, I do not. I wish only that you stop looking for the Amulet.”
“So you thought you’d pay me a polite visit and ask me nicely to stop my search. How very civilized of you.”
“I am a scholar,” said Abdel. “I seek to persuade you with words, not threats or weapons.”
“I’m afraid it’s too late for that,” she said. “Though I must say, I wish more people around here shared your philosophy.”
“Why is it too late?” asked Abdel. “You don’t mean . . .”
“No, I haven’t found the Amulet,” said Lara, seeing his alarm. “But someone will, and soon.”
“How can you be sure of this when it has gone undiscovered for more than one hundred years?”
“Because the Amulet itself wants to be found.”
Abdel nodded grimly. “Some of the Mahdi’s writings hint that the Amulet is a conscious entity in its own right: a demon-possessed artifact, perhaps.”
“Whatever it is,” said Lara, “if it insists on being found, I think it’s better for our side to find it than the Mahdists.” She finally lowered her pistol. “You should be in favor of that. If those who oppose the Mahdists possess it, you’ll be invincible in battle. The Mahdists won’t be able to defeat you or take it away from you.”
“Do not tempt me!” he said passionately.
“Tempt you?” she asked curiously.
“The Amulet is pure, unbridled power, and with absolute power comes absolute corruption. Only those who are totally selfless and noble in thought dare to so much as touch it. If we were to use the Amulet, we would become no better than those we oppose, just as the Silent Ones have become twisted reflections of the Mahdists they were originally formed to combat.”
Lara stared at him for a long moment. “You are an honorable man, Abdel el-Dahib,” she said sincerely, “but you cannot convince me to stop my search.”
“Have you thought about what you will do with it if you do find it?”
“Not yet,” she replied. “First I have to find it.”
“At least you have been honest with me,” he said. “And there is always the chance that you will not find it.”
“Someone is going to find it,” said Lara. “It might as well be someone from our side.” She paused. “Will you try to stop me?”
“No,” he replied. “I am no murderer. But I cannot speak for all of my allies.”
“What will Hassam or Omar do if they find you here?”
“I truly do not know.”
“Well, there’s no sense finding out the hard way.” She looked around the suite. “Go wait in the bedroom. They have Moslem sensibilities; that is one room they will not enter unbidden. When we go out for dinner, I’ll leave the suite unlocked. Let yourself out and go in peace, Abdel el-Dahib.”
“Thank you, Lara Croft,” he said. “I do not wish to kill my cousin, and I know he does not wish to kill me. Continue your search if you must, and may a compassionate Allah misguide you.”
He