In the shadows :the path of lucas

Choose your traitor

He took in three deep breaths and unlocked the car door, leaving his luggage in the car trunk and the ignition on, he had learnt from one too many experience, especially those he had to leave in a hurry

the room interior was nice, the receptionist, a blonde haired lady with pink lips and deep blue eyes was exceptionally polite, moving her hips as though to an accustomed rhythm, he kept expecting her to pull out a gun or switch blade at the slightest interval and lunge at his trachea,he felt the walls of his hotel room crushing him as though by some invisible force(paranoia).

He turned on the cold bath and let the almost freezing droplets splash unto his face and run down his chin all the way down and into the drainage, he didnt know how long he had been in there, a low rumble in his stomach reminded him that no matter the situation, man answers to nature,he went down stairs and had a late supper of "koshary" a mixture of lentils, macaroni noodles, spaghetti noodles, chickpeas, fried onions, rice, spices, tomato sauce, and an awful much amount of hot sauce, he remembered how the yorubas usually put so much pepper in food it could extinguish your soul, the mere thought of it made a grin on his face, sorrow corroded his system as guilt choked his trachea, at that moment he knew what he had to do, no matter the cost.

The morning came faster than he had expected, at eight fifteen in the morning, the tour guide came to show him around, he had been lodged here incognito under fake I. Ds as an antique dealer and arts collector, all he needed was to play by the book for an extra twenty four hours, that way, he would be just ahead of his target.

The Siwa Oasis is a remote "urban oasis" in Egypt's Western Desert, located approximately 50 km east of the Libyan border and 560 km from Cairo. Sitting 19 meters below sea level, it is famous for its unique Berber (Amazigh) culture, hyper-saline salt lakes which he never dared approach, and the ancient Temple of the Oracle, where Alexander the Great was once declared the "son of Amun",.

not that he cared about the history lesson anyway but the swaying hips of the tour guide kept him occupied, Maybe we should try another kind of lesson in my bed, the sheets are silk, you'll love em

Built during the 26th Dynasty (664–525 BCE), she continued not noticing the lingering eyes of his host staring at her hips,

this world-renowned site gained international fame following Alexander the Great's visit in 331 BCE to seek divine confirmation of his right to rule.

Shali Fortress: A 13th-century mud-brick citadel built from kershef (a mixture of salt, clay, and sand). While partially ruined by a massive rainstorm in 1926, it still towers over the modern town.Mountain of the Dead (Gebel al-Mawta): A hill containing hundreds of rock-cut tombs dating from the 26th Dynasty through the Greco-Roman periods, Siwa House Museum, something he never wanted to try out, but of course. You can't say no when there's a steaming hit Egyptian goddess standing before you as a tour guide,

This Displays traditional Siwan silver jewelry, intricate bridal garments, and local handicrafts, preserving the heritage of the Amazigh people,

our Natural Attractions & WellnessSalt Lakes, she said pointing to a stream of lakes at the other end, The oasis contains hyper-saline lakes where the salt concentration exceeds 95%, allowing visitors to float effortlessly, you can give it a try in your spare time sir

Yeah sure, lucas nodded in response

Maybe we could try it out together, you and me minus the crowd, and our clothes, it's going to be remarkable

.Cleopatra’s Bath (Ain Guba), its believed the queen cleopatra had a couple of intimate sessions right in here, not that I think such romances existed back then, but the world is full of surprises isnt it?

Sir, sir... Are you alright? You seem to ha é lost focus, we can have this so either time that suits you better

Her voice is honey to my ears and ice to my blood, lucas thought, too bad I must answer her or she would think am nuts

Yeah, sorry about that, I was just thinking, what's it currently used for right now, staging a lie had always been his best tactic, but he felt bad lying to her

visitors can swim in it at leisure, she said trying to answer his question , I personally wouldn't recommend that, It is traditionally used by locals for irrigation and ritual bathing.

Fatnas Island is on the edge of Lake Siwa known for offering spectacular sunset views over the dunes and palm groves.Great Sand Sea, i would have loved to show you but the sun is nearly out, so I'll just do a light brief of everything you need know, okay?

Fine by me?

They grabbed a drink and sat down

The desert is used for 4x4 safaris, sandboarding, and camping under the stars in the world's third-largest dune field.The majority of the 25,000–30,000 residents are Siwi Berbers who speak Siwi, in addition to Arabic, Their economy is driven primarily by specifically the production of over 25,000 tons of dates and 27,500 tons of olives annually, Siwan society is highly conservative.

Women typically wear the tarfottet

(all-enveloping shawl) and are rarely seen working outside the home.Siyaha Festival (Eid El Solh) is Held annually during the full moon in October, this three-day harvest festival at Gabal Al-Dakrour marks a period of reconciliation and communal feasting among tribes.

So when is the Best Time to Visit, lucas asked trying to catch the connoisseur vibe, Between October and April; summer temperatures often exceed 40°c

His heart beat nearly skipped, that must be real hot, especially out here in the desert, dont you think?

On the contrary, it gets cooler in here, the natural thermal laws don't apply here in the oasis,

Lucas thought for a moment, back in Nigeria, people would call it juju manipulation

It is approximately a 9 to 12-hour drive or bus ride from Cairo, she continued, am sure you are aware of that?

Actually, i came from alexandria, lucas quickly lied,

i have observed Every one in here dress decently, is that a law or a personal choice?

Visitors are expected to dress modestly (shoulders and knees covered) to respect local Amazigh traditions, she drew back his focus to the lodgings, a topic he was more than happy to elope from, Options range from the world-famous eco-lodge Adrere Amellal (built from salt and mud) to local spots like the Dream Lodge Siwa.

you should try it out during your stay here sir, said the tour guide, its an amazing experience , especially for people of your calibres who get work round the clock, you should have all the fun you can get

if you say so, said lucas, but maybe some other time,

What are your plans for the evening, dear, lucas asked, immediately wishing he had never asked

Nothing interesting, why ask?

I want to buy you a drink

That doesn't happen everyday, she replied, am definitely the wrong person to ask, am not good at dates

I was hoping to buy you a drink, nothing more, no exterior motives,

Your place then, she said, I'll bring the wine

He slipped his room number into her palm and watched here walk away

He had a hot shower and let the steam fill the tub for a while longer, he was always amazed watching the mist fill space, even though for just a brief moment, they made it remarkable to behold, pure, and soothing on the skin, he walked out of the bath tub with a towel around his waist, he looked at the bedside clock, a quarter past eight, lily should be here any moment, and he wasn't even done yet, he was going on a date with a pure blooded egyptian who looked like monalisa at first glance and he was screwing up badly, maybe he should just cancel the dinner and fall into a deep slumber,

maybe she wasn't going to show up after all, he thought

He checked his phone, she was waiting,

laila was standing at the doorway, wearing a green satin dress that was far from her knees and basically showed more than it concealed, her hair was well oiled and smelt of a very sweet fragrance , Georgia armania or parfe, he guessed.

So, what now? She asked, are you going to just stare at me or usher me in.

The room was simple but decent, spacious at least, to the wall sat a king size bed made of solid sheesham wood seventy five inches wide and nearly eighty inches in length, with silk beddings, a wine bar sat at the other end of what looked like a dinner table, near the bed was a drawer with an expensive looking Richard miller wrist watch,and a bracelet with an onyx stone sat next to a gold chain,directly facing the wall was a twelve inch plasma TV and a series of antique paintings hanging around, lily scanned every inch of space in the room, slow music poured out from the stereotypes mounted somewhere in the room, the lights turned a dim neon blue as she entered, the room scenting of fresh fragrance,

You do know how to charm a woman, don't you? laila said, half smiling, you must have been doing a lot of this to be so good at it

I'll take that as a complement my dear, lucas said, enjoying the moment, the kid downstairs at the receptions desk had helped him put it all together, including the dinner, if all worked out, he owed the kid 50 grand, and from the look of things, it sure was working out.

معذرةً على قلة أدبي، تفضل بالجلوس(excuse my manners, please have a seat),

She looked at him and for an instant he couldn't decipher her expression,

She smiled gently, أنت تتحدث العربية، (you speak Arabic?)

A little, he said, not my strongest point,

He drew back the chair for her to seat and poured out a glass of wine,he tapped an invisible button on his sleeve and a waiter entered with the dish, the dish was chicken pane, a chicken dish, garnished with French onion cabbage gratin, Roasted Fennel With Delicata Squash & Apples, air fryer green beans, some sweet potato salad and creamy Tuscan orzo to go with, the aroma flooded the room as the covers we're removed,

Enjoy your meal, said the waitress, and walked out, bowing respectfully

You like it? Lucas asked

I love it, my favorite dish matter of fact, how did you know, she asked him

A gentlemans luck I guess, lucas answered, knowing fully well the kid from downstairs had fed him the right info

A smile appeared from the corners of his mouth, enjoy your meal, mademoiselle laila kamal mourad

You never told me you speak French,

And you never told me you understand, thats a win win, don't you think?

He didn't wait for her to answer, he picked up the knife and fork and took a deep cut and stashed it into her mouth before she could even react, she was a little shy at first but regained her composure towards the end of the dinner, Two hours later, they we're holding hands as they sat at the water spring,she laughed so heartily that for a moment, he forgot about the gruesome task ahead, the burden and guilts, and pressure, the manhunt and all of the kanuri, he wanted to hug her, keep her close, hold her tight, make her his own, but mere fantasies only endure for the duration they are thought about.

And he knew better than to let his insatiable emotions kick in and ruin the mood.