The Tomb Builders

by Kevin Ashman

  All four men bowed in deference to the king before turning their attention to Haji.

  ‘Greetings, Haji,’ said one, ‘I am known as Attos, captain of the king’s fleet, blessed is he who fought the Minotaur. I am here on his behalf to finalise terms for the task asked of us by the Majesty that is Khufu.’

  ‘And these men?’ asked Haji.

  ‘Their names are unimportant but each is a master mariner and commands a flotilla of four. Between us, we have at your disposal a fleet of sixteen ships standing ready for your command.’

  Haji glanced at Khufu who nodded in acceptance.

  ‘This brings us satisfaction,’ said Haji, ‘but we would know details. Explain how this will come to be.’

  ‘Of course,’ said Attos. ‘Upon the given day, your passengers will be boarded on our ships while the sky is dark. The embarkation point has already been agreed. Once on board, we will sail with all speed to our homeland of Keftiu to pick up the supply ships, then, when the winds are in our favour, we will set forth upon the journey.’

  ‘How long will the voyage take?’ asked Haji.

  ‘We will see three full moons en route and if the gods are with us, we will land at a place where Ra blesses the earth with endless sunshine.’

  ‘And how long will the land journey take?’

  ‘I know not, but suspect a similar timeframe to the sea journey.’

  ‘You are confident that all this is possible?’

  ‘We are. I have sailed there many times myself, as have these men. Usually our holds are full of salt and cloth goods for trade and on our return our ships are weighed down with copper. There is no difference carrying people, except that we will need more supplies. That is why we are taking extra ships.’

  ‘Your race is a strange one, Attos,’ said Haji, ‘you sail into the unknown in the hope of finding land yet return rich from copper. It is a thing to be admired.’

  ‘It is not us who venture into the unknown, Haji for our charts are well documented, but our ancestors who once sailed in desperation. Many died without finding land but those who succeeded found bounty untold and our people now reap the benefits.’

  ‘Indeed,’ said Haji, ‘for your copper is seen across our country. It makes swords for our soldiers and pots for the women.’

  ‘It is of a quality unsurpassed,’ said Attos, ‘and kings from all nations send delegates to purchase the ingots.’

  Khufu whispered to Haji who relayed the question to Attos.

  ‘My king asks would you consider selling your maps to the palaces of Khemet.’

  ‘Alas great king, I cannot. The source of copper is a secret known to only a few men and the charts are protected on pain of death. If I was to sell them to you, I would be surely killed.’

  ‘We can pay a great price,’ said Haji.

  ‘Let me say this,’ said Attos. ‘Khemet is known as a great producer of grain. Would you sell the harvested seeds for even a pyramid full of gold? I suggest not for seed will ensure the generations that follow will be born and fed. Gold is nothing more than a cold rock and won’t fill a starving child. So it is with our maps. If we sold them, then the seas would be full of ships seeking the copper and our children would go hungry.’

  ‘Understood,’ said Haji, ‘but there is something that we must have before we leave or we are unable to continue with this arrangement.’

  ‘What is it you seek?’ asked Atoss.

  Haji explained the request and after much discussion between the Cretan men, Attos turned to face the priest once more.

  ‘Haji, this is a great boon you ask and our hearts are nervous about such a thing. Do you swear on all that you hold holy that it will never be seen by any living man?’

  ‘It is for the eyes of the gods only,’ said Haji, ‘and will be incarcerated in the king’s tomb on the day of his passing to the two fields.’

  ‘Tombs get robbed,’ said Atoss, ‘what guarantee do you have that it will be safe?’

  ‘I can assure you, this tomb will withstand the test of those who seek to desecrate the last resting place. Look around you, Atoss. Is not this palace glorious in its magnificence?’

  ‘Your city stands along the best I have seen,’ said Atoss.

  ‘And is not the pyramid the greatest thing ever seen by man?’

  ‘It is indeed impressive,’ said Atoss, ‘and a suitable resting place for the flesh of a god.’

  ‘It was conceived by Khufu himself,’ said Haji, ‘and a generation of loyal subjects have sacrificed their lives in the construction. For ten times ten thousand years the complex will be protected by the greatest of armies but even if a robber gets past them, there will be no access to the tomb. Your artefact will be safe and seen by the eyes of the gods only.’

  Atoss turned to his men who nodded in acceptance.

  ‘We will fulfil that which you seek,’ said Atoss eventually.

  ‘Good,’ said Haji, ‘back to business. If the details are finalised, what cost do you place on your services?’

  ‘We are not a greedy people, Haji but everything has a price. We seek enough gold and silver to fill the hold of one ship. Once done it will be sent back to my king who will pledge it to our own gods.’

  ‘Is this the same gold that not a heartbeat ago you claimed was nought but cold stone?’

  ‘It is,’ said Attos, ‘and whilst it cannot be fed to hungry mouths, the gods demand it in our temples. Khemet is a great land and has its own mines, we in Keftiu rely on trade to meet our holy needs. The price is set and we await your decision.’

  ‘And the extra artefact?’

  ‘Once the shipment of gold reaches my king, I will return and place it in your hands myself.’

  Haji looked at Khufu who nodded in agreement.

  ‘Then the deal is done,’ said Haji. ‘Have your ship ready to receive the price asked. It will be brought to the dock when next the sun sets.’

  Attos bowed slightly in acknowledgement and turned to face Khufu.

  ‘Majesty,’ he said, ‘we hear you suffer from an illness and our king offers the use of his personal physician to make the passing easier. Just say the word and I will have him brought to attend you.’

  ‘Attos,’ interrupted Haji, ‘you will speak through me only. My king offers gratitude but we have physicians second to none. Our business here is concluded and I beg you return to your ship to await the cargo.’

  ‘Apologies,’ said Attos. ‘My offer was intended as a gift, not an insult.’

  ‘Understood,’ said Haji. ‘We will now retire. The guards will show you the way out and I will see you at the loading of the ships.’

  As the men bowed low, Khufu and Haji stood before leaving the room via a side door.

  ‘So it is done,’ said Khufu eventually, ‘all we can do now is wait. The rest is in your hands and the will of the gods.’

  ----

  Chapter Ten

  The Giza Plateau

  2014

  Brandon gazed around area surrounding the Sphinx, looking for any sign of security guards. An occasional land rover came by but it seemed there were no foot patrols. It had been several days since their escape from Muburak and in that time they had assembled what they needed for their expedition under the Sphinx. India now wore khaki trousers and jacket, bringing amused comparisons from Brandon about a female Indiana Jones, while he wore plain trousers and his favoured British army camouflaged jacket. They both carried small rucksacks containing various items they may need.

  ‘Come on,’ whispered Brandon and clambered over the low wall. He and India crouched and ran toward the front of the Sphinx. In the day it was impressive but in the dark, it was intimidating. They reached the sun baked bricks at the base of the statue’s chest and crouched down as Brandon took off his small pack and his jacket.

  ‘Here,’ he said handing his jacket to India, ‘hold this over me.’

  India opened up the jacket and held it over Brandon’s head as he examined the lock with a tiny torch.

/>   ‘You are right,’ he said quietly, ‘it’s just an ordinary padlock.’ He retrieved a small set of bolt croppers from within his pack and cut the lock away before swinging the hinged metal plate to one side.

  ‘Ready?’ he asked.

  ‘As ready as I’ll ever be,’ said India.

  They dropped to their knees and crawled through the small opening. Once inside, there was enough room to stand up and Brandon gave India something from his pack.

  ‘What’s this?’ she asked.

  ‘A head torch, put it around your forehead, it’ll leave your hands free in case you fall. Right, if you’re ready, let’s go.’

  They stepped forward carefully and followed the passage downward. At first it was easy going but eventually the roof lowered and they had to crawl once more.

  ‘This doesn’t look good,’ said Brandon, ‘it seems like a dead end.’

  India looked at the pile of loose rubble just ahead of Brandon.

  ‘It can’t be,’ she said, ‘everything points to there being a tunnel complex down here.’

  ‘Perhaps they haven’t excavated this part yet. This looks like a rock fall.’

  India looked up at the ceiling but the roof was intact.

  ‘That doesn’t make sense,’ she said and looked at the rubble again. ‘Brandon, look at that piece there.’ She pointed at an oblong brick.

  ‘What about it?’

  ‘It’s part of a mud brick and doesn’t belong here,’ she said, ‘this part of the tunnel is carved through rock. Those small boulders look genuine enough but the nearest mud bricks are about fifty metres behind us. This one has been deliberately placed there.’

  Brandon looked at the rubble.

  ‘There’s a few more as well,’ he said, ‘it looks like they have been brought up from the bigger passage to help block the tunnel.’

  ‘In that case,’ said India, ‘let’s unblock it.’

  ‘It could take a while,’ said Brandon.

  ‘I don’t think so,’ said India, ‘this looks hurried and I suspect it isn’t very thick.’

  ‘Okay,’ said Brandon, ‘I’ll pass them back, you put them behind you.’ He started moving the looser rocks first, finding them easier than expected and within half an hour he heard something crash on the other side.

  ‘What was that?’ asked India.

  ‘Sounds like something fell,’ said Brandon, ‘I think we are through.’ Several minutes later he had cleared a hole wide enough for them to crawl between the rubble and the passage roof. India followed him through and soon found herself on a ledge overlooking a large empty room.

  ‘I knew it.’ she gasped as her torch beam shone around the chamber, ‘Dr Hassam was right all along.’

  ‘So were you, India,’ said Brandon, ‘I’m impressed.’

  ‘Come on,’ she said, ‘there’s no time to waste. We need to get up to the pyramid.’ India led the way through the room and along a passage at the far end. The path led gradually downhill until they reached a relatively new door set into the walls. Once again it was locked and as Brandon retrieved his bolt cutters.

  ‘No more than a few years old,’ said India, ‘that confirms the authorities know about this place. What I don’t understand is why they resealed the passage.’

  ‘Perhaps because the Sphinx draws too much attention,’ said Brandon as he cut the lock. ‘They probably know there’s a risk of this complex being discovered and are just letting the situation cool down a bit.’

  ‘Possibly,’ said India, ‘but I think you are too trusting. I reckon somebody knows there is more to be found down here and due to the troubles in the government, they are keeping it all under wraps until they are ready to explore further.’

  ‘Got it,’ said Brandon as the padlock fell away. ‘Come on, this is getting exciting.’

  India followed him into the smaller passage and noted the limestone blocks around her.

  ‘We’re now underneath the Pyramid,’ she whispered in awe.

  ‘Why are you whispering?’ asked Brandon, ‘there’s no one down here to hear us.’

  ‘Nobody except the dead,’ replied India.

  Brandon ignored her and ploughed onward. The path turned sharply downward and suddenly they emerged into a small chamber formed out of limestone blocks.’

  ‘This is it,’ said Brandon looking around, ‘the end of the line.’

  India stared around the room in silence.

  ‘Something’s wrong,’ she said eventually, ‘why are the walls made of limestone blocks? This room must be deep in the heart of the bedrock. Normally they would just make the rock smooth and finish it with plaster.’

  ‘They’re not blocks,’ said Brandon, ‘but thin casings. Look, one has fallen away over there.’ In the corner a casing had fallen away, eroded by time and the ingress of damp behind the slab. It showed the casings were only an inch thick and had been placed there to cover the rough rock surface of the original cavern. ‘Anyway,’ continued Brandon staring at the images on the wall, ‘it’s certainly impressive and I can see why this would be suitable for a king.’

  India looked up at a shaft above her head. Brandon followed her gaze and the torchlight disappeared into the darkness.

  ‘Where do you think that goes?’

  ‘I think it connects to the pit in the lower chamber of the pyramid,’ said India, ‘that should be about twenty metres above us. At the top it’s now blocked but thousands of years ago I think it may have been used to lower the king’s body into this room and then sealed over.’

  ‘Couldn’t they have brought him in the same way as we just came?’

  ‘No, the procession would have to have gone into the pyramid in front of the gaze of the people. Otherwise, what was the point? However, once there they could have simply brought him down the shaft and laid him out here. After that, the priests could have escaped via the Sphinx and sealed the passage up behind them.’

  ‘Sounds plausible,’ said Brandon, ‘that first room under the Sphinx looked like a small place of worship. Perhaps his followers paid tribute there in the years following his death.’

  India looked around the chamber again. The limestone clad walls were covered with hundreds of colourful images depicting the life of the king and in several places she could see his cartouche engraved in the stone.

  ‘There’s the curse,’ said India looking at an inscription on the far wall, ‘the same one as in Omari’s tomb. At least it means we are in the right place.’

  ‘It would,’ said Brandon, ‘but if ever Khufu was buried down here then his body and his treasures are long gone. Take some pictures, India,’ he continued, ‘and let’s get out of here. I’m starting to get a bit spooked.’

  India retrieved her camera and started to take photographs but a minute later, she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Brandon looking at her with a furrowed brow.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ she asked.

  ‘India, did you bring those pictures you printed out, the ones from the photographs you took in Omari’s tomb?’

  ‘Yes, they’re in my pack. Why?’

  ‘Something doesn’t add up,’ said Brandon, ‘let me see them again.’

  India fished out the papers and laid them on the tomb floor.

  ‘What are we looking for?’ she asked.

  ‘Where’s the one that shows Omari paying tribute outside the king’s tomb.’

  ‘Um, here it is,’ said India and they both stared at it in silence. Brandon walked out into the corridor and looked above the entrance to the chamber before coming back in.

  ‘I don’t understand,’ he said, ‘in this picture he is shown below the image of Anubis but outside the tomb there’s no such picture.’

  ‘Could have just worn away,’ said India, ‘it looks like this tomb has been empty for thousands of years.’

  ‘It hasn’t worn away,’ said Brandon, ‘because there wasn’t room for one in the first place. I wonder if there’s another door somewhere, perhaps hidden as p
art of the wall.’

  They shone the torches around the room, looking for an image of Anubis amongst the many designs but apart from a small representation just a few inches high, there was nothing.

  ‘Oh well,’ sighed Brandon, ‘it was just an idea.’

  ‘Wait,’ said India, ‘let’s not be so hasty. You are right and the image in Omari’s tomb definitely shows him worshipping before an image of Anubis. On top of that, these decorations are certainly funerary in nature and to be frank, I’m surprised there is no effigy of Anubis anywhere to be seen. To someone this important his presence would have been essential.

  ‘Apart from that little chap,’ said Brandon, pointing at the small diagram, ‘but it can’t be that one because it’s too small. Our picture shows Omari below Anubis and that one is just too low.’

  ‘Does it, Brandon?’ asked India her eyes lighting up in excitement, ‘Egyptian imagery is not known for the accuracy of perspective and though the image of Anubis in Omari’s tomb was fairly big, it doesn’t mean it was the same size in real life.’ Slowly she walked over to the painting of Anubis and after another glance at Brandon, kicked the wall beneath the image.

  Brandon stared at her as he realised what she was doing. Quickly he retrieved his bolt croppers and walked across the empty tomb.

  ‘What are you going to do with those?’ asked India.

  Brandon didn’t reply but instead started tapping the surrounding limestone casings. The tone of the taps remained constant until he reached the place beneath the small image of Anubis. He glanced at India and gave the slab three taps before looking at her with a huge grin.

  ‘Gotcha!’ he said and tapped again, the sound coming back as a deeper, hollow tone.

  ‘I don’t believe it,’ gasped India, ‘there’s another passage behind the slab.’

  ‘There is,’ said Brandon, ‘and by the look of this, the slab has never been moved.’

  ‘That means,’ said India, ‘that whatever was placed there all those years ago, is probably still there.’

  ‘Unless robbers tunnelled from a different direction,’ said Brandon.

  ‘No,’ said India, ‘I don’t think they have.’