Gerhard tilted his head quizzically. "A greater shock than being resurrected from the dead?"
Ben coughed and adjusted his collar. "Well, yes, possibly. They didn't just resurrect you. They've shaved a few years off at the same time."
Gerhard's eyes widened. "Did you say I appear younger?"
Ellie moved over, sat next to Gerhard, and put her arms around him. "Gerhard, you look around fifty years old now, and your eyes have changed colour. They are now a shockingly intense shade of blue."
"I see, ja. This is all a little overwhelming." He rubbed his nose and looked down in quiet contemplation. "Ja, well, it is what it is. It will take some absorbing and consideration, but the fact remains we are still in a perilous situation, so for now... how do you say? Ah, yes. We should sidebar this and focus on getting out of here."
Ellie glanced sideways at Khepri, who had remained pinned to her shoulder like an old-fashioned brooch. "I don't suppose you have any ideas tucked under your wings?" The scarab rotated, shaking its elytra and creating a gentle hum. All three of them burst out laughing.
"It seems our little buddy, Khepri, has a sense of humour," Ben chuckled. Gerhard got to his feet with a little help from Ben and Ellie, who tucked her arm around him to offer a support. The only light now available in the sarcophagus was the beam of the torch that lay discarded on the floor and the soft blue glow of Gerhard's eyes and Khepri.
Ben squatted down to retrieve Ellie's torch and shone it around the tomb. "Any ideas, anyone?"
Gerhard saw his discarded backpack, dusty and bloodstained but still in one piece. "Ben, it's time to share our misadventure with Ellie. The statue has an undeniable pull for me. I believe it to be fundamental to our current quest."
"Guys, what misadventure?" Ben's faced tightened, and he turned to get Gerhard's bag. "Ben! I asked a question. What misadventure?"
"Well, less of a misadventure. More of a friendly borrow. Misadventure is so overstating it." Ben flared his eyes at Gerhard.
"Oops! Yes, sorry. My English can be so faltering sometimes."
"Dish the dirt now, or so help me, God..." The scarab jiggled again. "Not you, Khepri. Another God."
"Now, Ellie, don't have a conniption. We know, technically, it was wrong, but as we fully intend to return it, then no harm done. And anyway, no one even realises it's missing - so no bad. What's one statue between friends, anyway?"
Ellie backed Ben against the wall, thrusting her finger into his chest as they moved. "Are you telling me you have what I think you have? Because if that statue you brought with us from the UK is not the replica you purchased but rather the priceless, original Gayer-Anderson cat taken from my godfather's collection, well, I won't be held accountable for my actions." She turned on Gerhard. "And you, the sensible, rational Gerhard, sanctioned this theft. That's what it is, you know. Grand larceny. You've stolen from my nation. You've put Bertram's position in jeopardy, which he has dedicated his every waking minute to build. I'm with thieves. Common thieves. So, what do you have to say for yourselves?"
Ben looked pleadingly at Gerhard.
"Liebling, that sounds so bad, but we had our reasons. I believed the statue to be a critical key to unlocking this mystery. I forced my will on Ben after much persuasion. He didn't have any choice other than to satisfy an old man's whims."
"No, nope. Don't think I'm going to fall for your elderly gentleman routine. I bet you took all of ten seconds to get Ben on your side, if even it was your idea. You should have asked me."
"You would have said no."
"Yes, I would. Because it's wrong on every level."
"Be that as may, we have the statue here, and I need to see it. It has an overwhelming draw, and that must mean something. We have little else to make sense of here, do we?"
Ben passed the pack to Gerhard, who opened it with shaking hands and pulled the statue free. Gerhard nearly dropped it in his haste to free it from its protective wrappings. As his fingers touched the green patina of the statue, he let out a large, almost purr-like sigh. The blue glow from his eyes brightened and flowed down his face, across his chest, and down his arms until it radiated all around the statue, returning his eyes to their natural green.
The statue shimmered and then stretched in his hands. It jumped free and landed with a soft thud on the granite floor. It bowed down, stretching through its back with its rear projected up towards the tomb lid. As it limbered up, it peered around, seeming to familiarise itself with the location before sitting down to give its paws a thorough washing.
Khepri lifted off Ellie's shoulder with a whir of his wings, circling her head before settling itself down next to the statue. They were both joined by Sobek, who lumbered across from Ben and slumped down to the left of Khepri. The three familiars turned to each other, forming a circle, and appeared to be communicating with each other as blue flashes and wisps flew from one to the other.
The statue remained aloof except for its tail, which whipped from side to side as it appeared to listen to the other two entities. Khepri lifted into the air and dive-bombed Sobek, who lashed out with his tail to send Khepri whirling through the air into the side of the sarcophagus. Khepri buzzed threateningly and flew at Sobek.
“Oops, someone’s getting a little hot under his collar,” Ben murmured from the side of his mouth. Bastet turned to him, raised her eye, and then sprang between the feuding familiars. Landing with a graceful swing of her tail, she put a paw on each of her allies and shook her head. They turned their backs on each other and quieted.
The cat coughed and spat out a large, blue fur ball, except this was lit from within and each of the filaments of "fur" were individual lights that swirled within the ball. The cat turned to Ben, Ellie, and Gerhard and gestured towards the sphere. As they watched, it expanded until it filled half the space of the tomb. A large gateway appeared, opening into a black, gaping abyss. The cat, scarab, and crocodile formed an orderly line and entered the sphere, pausing only to gaze back at the trio.
Gerhard patted Ben on the shoulder. "They want us to follow them. Realistically, they are our only hope of escape, so we should do as they want. They are the only things around here not trying to kill us, and that speaks volumes towards their intentions."
He offered his hand to Ellie, who nodded in return and stepped towards the gate. The air shimmered as they crossed the gateway into the sphere and settled back into a semi-opaque blue barrier behind them. Within the sphere, there was only the reflected light from its walls, which cast deep shadows across the faces of the trio. The familiars radiated their own subtle glow as always.
"Now what?" Ben asked.
"I suggest we settle down and watch. It strikes me we are mere passengers in this vessel. I'm confident that Bastet is a steady hand at the helm."
"Gerhard, you are asking us to put our lives in the hands of miniature god-lets from another belief system that have been pulling our reins, whether we wanted them to or not, since this entire mess started. Where in your logical mind does that sound like a good idea, for Pete's sake?"
Gerhard reached into his waistcoat pocket and took out his glasses cloth. He eased his glasses down his nose and removed them, enfolding the lenses within the cloth and polishing both sides with small, precise movements. "My dear boy, where does any of this fit into a logical algorithm? There is no logical explanation. Where logic doesn't exist, chaos rules, and the first rule of chaos is to find a pattern. The only consistent pattern we have is the involvement of these little creatures and ourselves. I think we should follow that to the end to find the answers we seek." He returned the glasses to his nose and folded the cloth into a uniform square, which he returned to his waistcoat. "Since my little foray with death, I find I am more strongly linked to Bastet than I was. I can't say we are communicating exactly, but I understand her intent, and I trust it."
Ellie jumped in before Ben could answer. "I'm with Gerhard on this. Without the familiars, Gerhard would be dead. He would be a cold corpse laid out on the floor
. They have saved our lives on more than one occasion now. We need to trust them."
Ben looked from one to the other and raised his hands, palms up, to shoulder height. "Okay, but we need to remember we don't understand their motives for helping us. That's all I'm saying."
As the trio debated, Bastet had sat grooming, keeping an eye on the proceedings. Now she rose onto all four paws and stalked around the sphere. Khepri and Sobek joined her, distributing themselves equally around the perimeter. As one, they turned and walked towards the walls of the sarcophagus, stretching the blue, shimmering skin of the sphere as they moved. When they reached the granite walls, Khepri and Sobek settled while Bastet moved towards the final corner of the tomb. The sphere now fit the sarcophagus like an internal skin from floor to ceiling, coating every wall.
Bastet returned to the centre of the coffin. With a shake of her fur, a huge blast pushed the skin upwards, lifting the granite slab that had sealed the sarcophagus. The skin lifted from the floor, forming a floating, balloon-like rectangle topped with a lid of several tonnes of granite. The bubble floated up, lifting the trio and familiars with it, and moved away from the body of the sarcophagus until it landed in the catacomb hallway.
Khepri took flight, flying up to the skin closest to the granite slab. With a shimmer, he separated the bubble into two, pulling the one with the granite lid back to the sarcophagus, where it settled down in place. He reappeared, walking through the sides of the tomb a few seconds later, and rejoined them in the sphere.
"Well... that was awesome. Freaky but awesome," Ben said, walking towards the Serapeum exit. As he walked, the sphere expanded to keep him within its perimeter. Ellie hurried to pick up her bag and pack away the first aid kit she'd dropped when treating Gerhard. When both Gerhard and she had collected all their possessions, they hurried to catch up with Ben and the familiars, who had already followed close on his heels.
"Do you suppose the gas has gone? It's got to be at least an hour since they released it," Ellie said.
"I suggest we don't wait to find out.," Ben replied, nearly tripping as Bastet wove around his feet.
Gerhard chuckled. It was a deep, hearty laugh. "Bastet finds you amusing, Ben."
Ben stared down at the cat rubbing against his trouser leg. "Oh, great! That's me, the feline comedian. But how do you know what she finds funny?"
"I feel what she feels. It's odd because I feel amusement without it being my own. It's a little like watching a film where you can experience what the character feels without it being your emotion."
Ellie looked up from the door she'd been studying. "It's still locked and sealed, so let's hope our friends can pick locks. Not that they would have seen locks in Ancient Egypt, but still, let's hope."
"They did, actually, Ellie, but a lot more rudimentary than ours. Theirs were..."
Ellie held up her hand. "Not the time to nerd out on Egyptology, Ben."
"Um, no, I guess not. Right, jump to it, little deities. Let's blast this door to dust!"
The three familiars turned to Ben as one, and Bastet gave him a look of disdain. Khepri took off, flying straight at Ben, only veering off at the last moment to fly to the door and settle on the lock. The scarab contracted down until he could enter the lock and disappeared for some time, emitting little chirps occasionally.
CLICK.
The sound of the lock freeing echoed through the chamber. Khepri re-emerged and flew back to join the gang.
"Useful little guys, aren't they?" Ben said as he moved to open the door.
"Wait!" Gerhard whispered. "They may still be out there. I suggest we listen and see if we can hear them or ask Khepri respectfully if he can do a foray through the keyhole to see if they are still outside, waiting for us."
Ben moved away from the door with a curt nod. "Good idea."
Both Ellie and Ben crouched down next to the door with their ear to the wood. Khepri seemed unimpressed with their request and remained still next to Sobek. After more than five minutes of absolute silence, they ventured out.
As Ben reached for the door, Ellie said, "You know, Uncle Mourad will be here soon. Maybe we should wait for him. He's well-connected within the government and could help secure protection for us."
"I hate to say it, Ellie. but the only people who knew we would be here today were Professor Mourad, Walid, and the driver. We can't count out his involvement."
"Rubbish. Uncle Mourad is like family. I have known him my entire life. I've spent time with his family. His kids were like brothers to me. He wouldn't do anything to endanger me."
"Ells, it doesn't have to be him. It could be a leak in his office, but until we know for sure, we have to treat everyone as suspects. We're talking about our lives here. We can't take risks."
Gerhard raised his hand before Ellie could spit her response at Ben. "He's right, my dear. We have to take all sensible precautions. We should go see if we can find this location for Bastet and then rethink our plans. It's no insult, just sense."
Ellie looked from one to the other with big, fat tears unshed in her eyes. "He wouldn't betray me. You'll see." She turned, opened the door, and stepped around the metal drums of ammonia which lay scattered across the Serapeum's entryway. Gerhard retrieved his jacket, putting it on as he followed Ellie.
They made their way up the ramp to Rashid's little shack, peering around as they walked. Lying, limbs akimbo, like a shaken rag doll was the still form of the ramshackle caretaker. Forever silenced by three shots: one to the head, execution-style, and two to the chest. Blood had trickled down into sand, creating dirty red rivulets snaking away from his body, alive with the buzz of endless flies. Ellie ran to him, shouting in desperate Arabic. He didn't respond. He couldn't. His time had passed.
Ben reached for Ellie, passing her backwards to Gerhard. He knelt and examined the body. "This is recent. Blood's still oozing from the wounds. Whoever did this is sure to be close by. We need to move now." He jumped up and ran back to Ellie. "You know this area better than us. Where is this temple that Bastet showed us? Focus now, Ellie," he said as tears poured down Ellie's face. "We can't do anything for Rashid now, but we can make certain he didn't die in vain by surviving to help his family. Think, Ellie..."
Ellie gazed at him without focus, lost in her thoughts. "There are only two places: the main temple at Saqqara or the Abwab el-qotat."
"I've never heard of that," Ben said.
"No, you probably know it as the Bubasteion. It's an old cemetery of nobles that was later rededicated to Bastet. It's of the same period as the Gayer-Anderson cat. I don't know which is more likely, but maybe the Bubasteion as it was actually dedicated to Bastet."
"Okay... how do we get there?" Ben urged.
"It's straight across there." She pointed across the desert. "To the right of Teti's complex. We should cross the sand rather than take the road to avoid the gunmen."
Ben turned to Gerhard. "Are you able to run?" Gerhard nodded his confirmation.
They set off at a brisk pace, clearing the Serapeum complex, crossing the road to the open desert. In the distance, a sepia dust storm sped towards them, following the twists and turns of the compacted dirt road.
A car screeched to a halt, belching its passengers out of its gaping doors. Three masked men in sand-coloured camouflage fatigues sprinted towards them, armed with heavy duty machine guns.
"RUN!" Ben screamed, grabbing Ellie's arm to haul her behind him.
Gunfire exploded with deafening rattles from behind them. All three threw themselves to the ground and turned helplessly towards the gunmen. The heavy volley of fire bounced from the sphere's clear walls, rebounding the bullets back towards the gunmen, who weren't expecting it. Their own bullets shredded them before they even registered that they hadn't hit their targets. The bodies shuddered as multiple rounds hit them, each man's bullets returned to claim him.
Silence was deafening as the desert absorbed the guns’ reverberations. The wind blew, lifting Ellie's hair across her eyes. Gerhard
turned on his back and watched the white puffy clouds gliding across the blue sky. Ben's eyes remained glued on the scene, which was painted in a rich Technicolour.
A red wash across a yellow scene. Death, in all its colour, scent, and sound. Final. Chilling.
Mourad Arrives
The Mercedes turned in the little dusty road, scattering the neighbourhood chickens in its wake. Grubby toddlers clad in diapers and tee-shirts ran barefoot alongside, shouting greetings with glee and waving at the immaculate gentleman in the back of the expensive car. They passed verdant strip fields of okra, cotton, and wheat being tended by wizened old men in faded galabiyas. Young girls were harvesting crops into large woven baskets on the backs of camels and donkeys. Their colourful jewel-tone dresses shone brightly against the vivid green foliage in the early morning sunshine.
Walid turned from the passenger front seat. "I couldn't be sorrier, Dr. Mourad. I don't understand how this fool has gotten us lost again. He took us directly to the site this morning with no problems. I'll talk to Human Resources when we get back and make certain we're never given this idiot again. The foreigners must wonder where we are. Even our Serapeum can only hold so much interest."
"Malesh, habibi. Don't fret yourself. He's new and nervous. We're all prone to mistakes when we first start a job. As long as he learns from his errors, then there's no need to involve HR. The poor man's got a family to feed, and our colleagues can be draconian."
The driver caught Mourad's eye in the rear-view mirror and gave a subtle nod.
"As you wish. I'll try Madam Ellie's phone again. Maybe it's back in coverage now." Walid turned to the front and fiddled with his mobile. Sighing, he returned it to his pocket and watched the scenery fly past.
They turned right, through the Saqqara gates, and pulled to a halt outside the ticket hut, which was tightly sealed. A scruffy guard sat slumped on what remained of an old plastic garden chair, greyed and chipped by the passage of time.
Mourad lowered his window with a press of a button. "What is the meaning of this? Asleep on the job! Good Lord, man! Half the treasures of Saqqara could be carried by this very chair, and you'd be oblivious. Why isn't the ticket office open?"
House of Scarabs Page 15