by Kevin Ashman
‘Why not?’
‘Because we are deep in the bedrock. There’s no way they could have known about this room and tunnelled through hundreds of yards of rock. Anyway, even if they had and ultimately gained access to the other side then they would surely have also come through this wall to see if there were any treasures in here. No, I think whatever lies beyond this wall is intact.’
‘Well,’ said Brandon, ‘there’s only one way to find out. Sorry, Anubis old chap but you’ve failed at your job. We’re going in.’
Without another word he swung the bolt croppers against the slab with all his strength, the noise deafening in the enclosed space. Over and over again he smashed at the wall until finally the remains of the slab lay at his feet and he kicked them to one side. As the dust settled they could see a small tunnel entrance just high enough to crawl through.
‘Well?’ asked Brandon, ‘are you going in or not?’
‘After you,’ said India nervously.
‘No, my lady,’ joked Brandon taking a bow, ‘after you. Besides, this is what you wanted, India, go ahead, make history.’
----
Chapter Eleven
Egypt
2600 BC
Sagira was fast asleep on the huge bed when something roused her. At first she thought it was the cry of a wounded animal but within seconds, more voices added to the cacophony and she realised they were not animal cries, but human.
‘Adio, wake up,’ said Sagira leaning over to wake her friend, ‘something’s happening.’
Adio sat up and blinked away the sleep from his eyes.
‘What is it?’ he asked.
‘I think the people are crying,’ said Sagira. ‘Something must be wrong. Come on, let’s see if we can find out what it is.’
They ran across the marble floor and pushed against the heavy wooden door to look over the courtyard. Outside the night was dark but as usual, the sky was covered with myriads of stars. Ordinarily Sagira would have been entranced by the fabulous sight but the sounds of the wailing crushed any feelings of wonder.
A door crashed open on the far side of the courtyard and several priests ran toward the gate of the temple complex. Sagira and Adio stared in confusion as the complex burst into life until finally a passing priest saw them peering around the door and came over to comfort them.
‘What is it?’ asked Sagira, ‘what causes the priests such angst?’
‘Child,’ said, the priest gently, smoothing back her hair, ‘let not the concerns of adults worry you unduly. Tonight is a special night for we have just had word that the king has been summoned by Anubis. Even as we speak, he lies on his death bed and issues his last decrees.’
‘That’s very sad,’ said Sagira.
‘On the contrary,’ said the priest, ‘it is a wondrous event for now Khufu can take his rightful place in the heavens alongside his father and the rest of the gods. When his Ba finally reaches the two fields, you will be able to look up at the night sky and see a new shining star looking down.’
‘I still think it’s sad,’ said Sagira, ‘for he has grandchildren and they will not see him anymore.’
‘They understand it is the way of things,’ said the priest, ‘but now you must go and rest for in the days ahead, you have an important role to play.’
‘Do we finally get to see inside of the pyramid?’ asked Adio, ‘one of the other priests said that when the king dies we will be allowed to see his tomb.’
The smile on the priest’s face faltered slightly but he soon renewed it and gave Adio the assurances he needed.
‘Yes you will, Adio,’ he said, ‘but don’t think about that now for the king still clings to life and even after his Ba is summoned to the heavens, there is much to do before the mortal remains are interred. In the meantime, we will increase your studies so you know what is expected of you during the ceremony. Now, go back to your room and try to get some sleep.’
----
In the king’s palace, Khufu’s wife and children stood around his bed, watching as the priests said their prayers and anointed him with sweet smelling oils. Khufu flitted in and out of consciousness but finally remained awake long enough to recognise his favoured priest.
‘Haji,’ he whispered, hardly loud enough to hear, ‘approach.’
Haji ran forward and knelt at his master’s side, holding one of the aged king’s tiny hands in his own.
‘Majesty,’ said Haji, ‘if there is any justice then the gods will surely take me instead of you. This world will lack sunshine without your smile and the Nile will surely dry to a trickle in your absence.’
‘Don’t begrudge me my destiny, Haji,’ said Khufu weakly, ‘now is my time and I am ready to go but before I am summoned to the double hall of Ma’at, tell me, did the mariners of Keftiu bring what was asked?’
‘They did, Majesty and I have it secreted away until needed. I swear by my very soul that it shall not leave my possession until the last moment.’
‘Then I am pleased, Haji,’ said Khufu and settled back onto his bed.
Haji backed away so the family could pay their last respects and as he left the bed chamber, tears rolled down his face at the loss of a great king.
----
Chapter Twelve
Beneath the great Pyramid
Egypt - 2014
India crawled along the low passage for a hundred yards. Finally it opened into a chamber where she stood up, looking around excitedly for any sign of the interred king. Brandon joined her and together they shone their torches around the room.
The circular chamber was hewn from the rough bedrock itself and no effort had been made to plaster or smooth the walls. The distance from one wall to the other was about thirty paces and the domed ceiling loomed high above. The floor had been chiselled down to form a hollow and the water seeping through the rock walls collected in the dip to form a large circular pool, situated at the centre of the chamber. This was impressive enough but what took India’s breath away was the small rock island at the centre of the pool, a natural podium that bore a giant sarcophagus.
‘Oh my god,’ she whispered, ‘it’s him, Brandon. Surely that must contain the coffin of Khufu.’
‘I can’t believe it,’ said Brandon, ‘you were right, India, he was here all along.’ For a few moments they stared at the stone casket but then India’s brow furrowed.
‘That’s strange,’ she said.
‘What’s strange?’ asked Brandon.
‘The Sarcophagus doesn’t have a lid. There’s no way a king would be interred without a cover, especially in these damp conditions, the body would rot in no time at all.’
‘There’s only one way to find out,’ said Brandon and stepped into the pool to wade across to the podium. India followed him through the water and climbed up to peer into the coffin.
‘Empty,’ said Brandon in disgust, ‘not even as much as a gold coin.’ He looked up at the ceiling and saw another shaft, this time no bigger than a closed fist. ‘Well they didn’t take him out that way,’ he continued it’s far too small.’
‘They didn’t use coins,’ said India quietly as she stared into the empty casket.
‘What?’ asked Brandon, returning his gaze to her.
‘You mentioned coins,’ said India, ‘the Egyptians never used them, at least not in the old kingdom, they used a system of barter and credits.’ She reached in and slowly trailed her fingers through the shallow layer of water that had accumulated from the constant dampness in the cavern. It was about as deep as her extended hand and as she dragged her fingers across the base, she suddenly stopped and stared at Brandon.
‘There’s something here,’ she said, ‘but it seems stuck.’
Brandon reached in and could feel a circular object fastened to the sarcophagus base.
‘It’s not stuck,’ he said, ‘I think it’s fixed there for a purpose.’
‘What do you think it is?’ asked India.
‘I don’t know,’ said Brandon, ‘but whatev
er it is, I hope it’s made of gold.’ He tried to wrench the object free but India stopped him.
‘Wait,’ she said, ‘whatever it is we don’t want to break it. Let’s get the water out first so we can see what it is.’
‘With what?’ asked Brandon, ‘there’s nothing here to use.’
India thought for a moment before undoing her pack and retrieving her water bottle.
‘This will do it,’ she said before drinking the contents. She wiped her mouth and poured the remainder into the pool in the cavern floor. ‘Come on,’ she said, ‘if we use yours as well it won’t take long.’
Brandon followed suit and soon they were scooping the water out of the casket. Within ten minutes they had lowered the level enough to see a circular disk, twelve inches across, sitting an inch above the base of the coffin.
‘What is it?’ asked Brandon.
‘I’m not sure,’ said India, wiping away centuries of filth from the surface, ‘I have never seen anything like it before.’
‘Whatever it is it won’t budge,’ said Brandon, ‘shall I break it off?’
‘No,’ said India, ‘we have already done enough damage. Try twisting it.’
Brandon leaned in and tried to turn the disc on its axis. Suddenly there was a crack and as the disc came away in his hands, he was knocked backward by a huge jet of water under enormous pressure, bursting from the inside the base of the Sarcophagus.
‘Brandon,’ screamed India as he fell to the floor, ‘are you okay?’
‘I’m all right,’ shouted Brandon as he got to his feet, struggling to be heard above the roar of the water smashing against the cavern ceiling.
‘What’s happening?’ shouted India.
‘I don’t know,’ shouted Brandon, staring at the rising water level, ‘but we’ve to get out of here, this place is going to be flooded within minutes.’ He grabbed India’s arm and pushed her toward the tunnel already filling with water. ‘Quickly,’ he shouted, ‘or we’ll be trapped.’
India knelt and ducked into the tunnel, ploughing through the water as fast as she could, feeling it rise up past her arms.
‘Faster India,’ shouted Brandon.
‘I’m trying,’ she replied as the water reached her neck. Seconds later she took her last gasp of air as the tunnel flooded and she pushed herself off the bottom with her feet to swim the remaining distance. Within seconds she burst through into the larger chamber and got to her feet, gasping for air. She turned to find Brandon but he was nowhere to be seen.
‘Brandon,’ she screamed as the water rose to her thighs, ‘Brandon.’
Moments later he surfaced, coughing and spluttering as he too gasped for air.
‘Brandon,’ gasped India, throwing her arms around him, ‘I thought you had drowned.’
‘I’m ok,’ he coughed as he broke free from her arms, ‘come on, we’re not safe yet.’ Grabbing her arm he waded through the rising water toward the main tunnel.
‘We’re not going to make it,’ shouted India as the water reached her chest.
‘Keep going,’ roared Brandon. He dragged her forward and though he wouldn’t admit it to India, he realised it was no use, the water was rising quicker than they could run.
----
Across the city an Egyptian police officer leaned back in his chair, his eyes closed as he stole five minutes from his night shift. The office was silent as it usually was at this time of night and though there was little stress compared to the day shift, the nights dragged and he would be glad when it was over.
‘Captain Rashid,’ said a quiet voice, ‘I’ve made coffee.’
The officer opened his eyes and he sat up with a yawn.
‘Thank you, Tarik,’ he said, taking the coffee, ‘I almost fell asleep there.’
Tarik smiled. The administrator also hated the night shift and knew how hard it could be.
‘One more hour,’ he said, ‘and another week will be over.’
Rashid sipped his coffee and was about to answer when the phone rang. He raised his eyes in frustration at the timing of the call before leaning forward and lifting the receiver.
‘Rashid here,’ he said.
‘Captain Rashid,’ said a voice on the other side, ‘how are you?’
‘Muburak?’ replied Rashid, recognising the voice, ‘is that you?’
‘It is,’ came the reply, ‘it’s been a long time. How is that beautiful wife of yours?’
‘Just as lovely as ever,’ replied Rashid, ‘but it’s a very strange time to be making social calls, I suspect there is a reason for your call?’
‘Straight to the point as usual,’ said Muburak, ‘that’s what I like about you, Rashid, straight talking and no nonsense. I have some business I would like to put your way.’
Rashid glanced at the administrator who was now sitting behind his own desk scrolling down a list of e mails on his computer screen. Rashid turned his back to Tarik and spoke quietly into the phone so as not to be overheard.
‘Okay,’ he said slowly, ‘let me know what it is and I’ll see what I can do.’
‘It’s very simple,’ replied Muburak, ‘I just need some information. I am looking to locate a British tourist who I believe is somewhere in Cairo. Her name is India Sommers and she may be travelling with a man whose name I don’t know.’
‘India Sommers,’ repeated Rashid as he wrote the name down on a piece of paper, ‘and what is the reason for your interest?’
‘I’d rather keep that between her and me, at the moment’ said Muburak, ‘but if you can find out where she is, there will be a healthy deposit into your holiday account this month.’
‘How healthy?’ asked Rashid, glancing over to Tarik, checking that he couldn’t hear the conversation.
‘Twice as much as usual,’ said Muburak, ‘but there must be no record of my interest in this.’
‘Understood,’ said Rashid, ‘that shouldn’t be a problem.’
‘Excellent. When do you think you can let me have the information?’
‘If she’s in any of the hotels,’ said Rashid, ‘a few hours maximum.’
‘Good, call me back on my mobile when you have an answer, I’ll be in Cairo within the hour and need to speak to this woman as soon as possible.’
‘Consider it done,’ said Rashid, putting down the phone. He stood up and walked through the office.
‘Tarik,’ he said, ‘I have to use the computer in the back office for a while. Unless there’s an emergency, please hold my calls.’
‘Anything I can do to help, Captain?’ asked Tarik.
‘No, it’s okay,’ said Rashid, ‘just making some routine calls. If I’m not finished by the time the shift is over, I’ll see you next week.’
‘No problem,’ said Tarik and returned to his e mails.
----
Under the pyramid, India gasped as the water reached her face but Brandon wouldn’t give up and pulled her as hard as he could along the tunnel. Just as the water started to lap at his mouth, he felt a step beneath his foot and pushed harder forward, knowing the tunnel should start to rise. Within seconds they started to walk uphill and the water fell away.
‘Come on,’ gasped Brandon, ‘keep going, there’s no telling how far or how fast this water will rise.’
India clung tightly to his hand and soon they stepped out of the water and collapsed onto a ledge.
‘Are you okay?’ asked Brandon.
India nodded and pointed at the water.
‘It’s stopped rising,’ she said, ‘I think we’re safe.’
‘It seems so,’ said Brandon. ‘That was bloody close, India, what on earth happened back there? Some sort of booby trap?’
‘If it was,’ said India, ‘it was like nothing I have ever heard of before but wherever that water came from it certainly hasn’t been there for five thousand years, it must be from some sort of underground lake.’
‘Wherever it’s from, we were lucky to escape with our lives.’
‘I know,’ said India, �
��and I’m sorry I put us in this situation Brandon, I almost got you killed.’
‘Well you didn’t,’ said Brandon, ‘so stop worrying. Anyway, we’ve got other things to think about.’
‘Like what?’
‘Like getting across Cairo in soaking wet clothes,’ said Brandon. ‘Come on, let’s get out of here.’
----
Fifteen minutes later they emerged between the front paws of the statue and to Brandon’s great relief, the place was silent in the pre-dawn darkness.
‘Come on,’ he said, ‘it’s all clear.’
They ran across the plateau and headed toward the city. Within moments they were safe amongst the maze of houses and within the hour, arrived safely back at the hotel.
----
‘Wow, said India, sitting on the bed, ‘that was quite an adventure.’
‘It was,’ said Brandon, ‘but look at us, we are filthy.’
‘Worth it though,’ said India, ‘I still can’t quite take it all in.’
‘Plenty of time for that,’ said Brandon, ‘grab yourself a shower and try to get some sleep. Later on we can discuss it all you want.’
‘Sleep?’ replied India, ‘I don’t think I’ll sleep much after tonight. Do you realise we’ve just crawled under a pyramid, found passages that nobody has seen for five thousand years and were almost killed in the tomb of one of the greatest Pharaohs’ that’s ever lived?’
‘Fair point,’ said Brandon, ‘but we’ve also been awake for almost twenty four hours. I don’t know about you India, but I’m exhausted and at this moment in time, sleep sounds like a very welcome proposition.
‘I’ll try,’ said India, ‘but I’m not tired. Go ahead and use the shower first. I’ll make us a hot drink.’
‘Okay,’ said Brandon and made his way to the bathroom. Ten minutes later he emerged with a towel wrapped around his waist and was about to speak when he saw India was flat out on the bed, fast asleep. Her wet clothes were on the floor and she was wrapped in one of the hotel bathrobes. He smiled and got another blanket from the cupboard, throwing it over her.