Eve of the Pharaoh: Historical Adventure and Mystery

by R. M. Schultz

  Present Day

  “LET’S GO!” AN ITALIAN ACCENT carried over the crowd. Mr. Scalone stared at Kaylin’s exposed body.

  Leaping away from the edge of Lake Nasser, Kaylin clutched her clothes to her chest and hid behind Jenkins. Heat rose in my face as I jumped into my pants.

  “What’re you two doing?” Maddie asked, her jaw falling to her chest.

  After slipping my shirt and hiking boots on, I marched back toward our vehicle. “Did you find anything?” I asked, my body tense with anticipation.

  “Yes, Paul did,” Maddie said, patting the guide’s back and squeezing his bulging arm.

  A sting struck my chest. Jealousy. Now Maddie was calling him Paul and touching him?

  “Found a hollow stone behind Rameses,” Mr. Scalone said. “Pried it out with my knife.”

  “I don’t think any of the rest of us could’ve dislodged it,” Maddie said, smiling.

  Mr. Scalone put his arm around her shoulders, giving a squeeze.

  My insides wrenched, like someone had kicked me in the groin. Now he was going after Maddie? He’d probably take any girl he could get his hands on.

  “But get this,” Maddie said, blushing and playing with her hair, “some type of epoxy held the tile in place! To hide—”

  “A mummy?” Aiden’s eyes expanded.

  Maddie shook her head. “No, an opening. I shone my light inside, but couldn’t see anything. Paul said he’d take the risk and shoved his hand—”

  “There wasn’t anything in there,” Mr. Scalone said, opening the door of the silver SUV for Maddie. “The rock at the back was solid. I even used my knife, but didn’t get far.”

  Jumping onto the leather seat, Mr. Scalone started the engine and blasted the AC.

  “Nothing?” Kaylin asked. “No Hall of Records?”

  So he didn’t find anything but was still a hero? I clenched my fists.

  “That’s when I thought of it,” Maddie said, her sparkling eyes running over something in her head. “This temple was moved higher up because of the dam and formation of Lake Nasser. Whatever was buried behind Rameses may’ve been left at the original site.”

  Kaylin tugged her shirt down. “They moved a rock temple?”

  “With modern machinery and thousands of people,” Maddie said.

  “Someone may’ve taken whatever was back there,” I said. “Like the arms of the statues.”

  Maddie adjusted her glasses. “We should find out for sure.”

  “So now you’re the brave one, huh.” Mr. Scalone chuckled, flexing his arms as he squeezed the steering wheel and tossed his hair back with a snap of his neck.

  “Where was the temple?” Aiden asked.

  Maddie swallowed. “Under Lake Nasser.”

  “What?” Kaylin said.

  “And that would’ve been the temple’s location when the professor followed the path to the Hall nearly a century ago,” I said. “The dam wasn’t built yet.”

  Mr. Scalone gunned it and we sped off.

  Over the next couple days we visited the local museum to scrutinize the original position of the temple compared to its present location. Kaylin’s dad’s secretary overnighted diving equipment. We attempted to hire local guards, but none would venture into the water, not unless aboard a decent boat. They feared the lake. Within its depths lived the last remaining crocodiles of the Nile, perfect predators dating back to prehistoric times.

  “I-I can’t,” Jenkins said at the remote locale, shaking in his shoes and rubbing his bald head. “I’d face any man to protect you guys, but wild animals … I’d die of a heart attack in there.”

  “I’m up for anything.” Mr. Scalone studied his flexed bicep beneath a layer of tattoos. Winking at Maddie, he then did the same for Kaylin. “The more dangerous, the more exciting.”

  “I can’t believe we’re really doing this,” Maddie said. “The crash course Kaylin gave in the pool at the hotel wouldn’t have certified us.”

  “I’ve been diving since I was a little girl,” Kaylin said. “Aiden’s even gone a few times.”

  Aiden’s face was more pale than typical. “I don’t know if I can do it either, even with this.” He held up a spear gun.

  “Just keep a lookout while we dig,” I said, trying to be brave in spite of my trembling limbs. “Crocodile attacks are rare, like shark attacks. You’re fifteen times more likely to die from a falling coconut …” Recalling Horemheb’s tale, I added, “Don’t thrash around like wounded prey, and don’t stay near the surface. That’s their attack zone. Stay in a group and dive deep.”

  “The coconut thing is ludicrous,” Aiden said. “But if I see a croc I’ll brown my britches.”

  “Anyone who doesn’t want to go, don’t,” I said. I didn’t want to go either, but curiosity plus the need to impress Maddie grew more powerful than fear, at least at the moment.

  Gazing into my eyes, Maddie mouthed the words, “Thank you.”

  I imagined diving through murky water, leading the group. A roar would vibrate the liquid world and the others would scramble for shore. Fleeing first, Mr. Scalone would climb over the rest. A massive form would emerge from the depths. I’d fire my spear gun. The harpoon would lodge into scaly hide as gargantuan jaws would snap around Mr. Scalone, swallowing him whole. Releasing a growl, the eternally hungry predator would descend upon Maddie. But I’d grab the crocodile’s tail, ascending its scales toward the spear I’d buried into its chest. Yanking the weapon out with a rush of black blood, its jaws would unhinge for its next victim. Leaping, I’d drive the tip into the base of its skull—

  “Reminds me of the time I searched a sunken galleon in Shark Alley off South Africa,” Mr. Scalone said, tossing his spear gun back and forth between his hands.

  “Whoa,” Aiden said. “When did you do that?”

  “I wasn’t much older than you are now,” he said.

  “Did you see any sharks?” Aiden asked.

  “Of course. I even had to shoot one. It was the size of our SUV and it came right at me. And I had to punch another in the nose, to disrupt its equilibrium.”

  Aiden’s mouth gaped.

  Clutching my bronze bracelet with quivering fingers, I stepped one finned foot into the water. I had to be brave. My heart rattled my ribs. Images of my leg being ripped out from under me by a beast with the strength of ten men popped into my mind. Nothing. Smiling, I gave a thumbs up and donned my mask and regulator. Wading farther in, my fear rose higher than the water. Breaths came in rapid gulps. Kaylin and Aiden entered, followed by Maddie and Mr. Scalone. The fox at Jenkins’ feet yipped over the sloshing of waves.

  Murky water washed in cool against my wetsuit, which I wore more for protection than for warmth, even though it probably wouldn’t offer any real defense against a crocodile. My head sunk under, and the world fell silent. Debris stirred, swirling amongst the brown liquid and allowing for only a few feet of visualization. Fear escalated to terror, my pulse thundering in my ears. Clutching my flashlight and spear gun, I dove toward the temple’s previous location. The others followed, our shaking lights penetrating like candles in a jungle.

  Something grabbed my ankle! Whipping around, I whirled my gun in the direction. Kaylin’s hands released me, waving in fear. Bubbles erupted from her regulator and muffled shouts drowned in the gloom of the water. I shot her a vile look for nearly giving me a heart attack. But she pointed below. An enormous tunnel ran into the underwater cliff face, darkness spewing out from inside.

  Clinging to the stone walls, I led us into the blackness the sentinels would’ve guarded. A silver flash darted by. Yelling, I flung myself aside. Mr. Scalone’s spear shot through the water as if he believed a crocodile was attacking. A two-foot-long fish darted around the sailing bolt, a school following close behind.

  Breathing slowly into the regulator, I attempted to calm myself. We swam through shifting plant material into the unknown. Although the statues were absent from this original location, the scrutinizing stares of Rameses
still maintained a presence of fear. I felt them like a hot breath on the back of my neck, similar to when inside the lost tomb. The feeling grew until I couldn’t dismiss it. Shining my light around, the narrow beam wavered over the dirt floor. White objects lay piled below. I swam closer. Bones! Screaming, I thrashed backward but Mr. Scalone caught me and held me fast.

  I pointed at the human skulls, femurs, and rib cages as my throat squeezed shut. Bubbles erupted from the others’ mouths. Aiden spun wildly. Snagging his shoulder, Kaylin held on until he settled and started breathing again.

  We needed to do this now. I wouldn’t ever be able to make it down here again. After ten minutes of holding onto each other, we swam toward the inner sanctuary.

  Walls pressed in around us. Something inside the dead-end reflected my light. Pausing, I kicked my fins to right myself. A form as long as a boat burst out of the sanctuary. Bubbles and dirt spewed forth like an erupting volcano, disrupting visibility. As fast and as sleek as a shark, a scaled creature whipped its tail through the water. The appendage struck me, sending me careening into a rock wall. The beast disappeared into the swirling gloom. Cold like the darkest winter night gripped my muscles. I couldn’t move or even breathe.

  Smeared against the wall, I had let my light sink to the floor. Mr. Scalone repeatedly clicked his gun, but it was already empty, and the beast had already shot around the others. Aiden, Maddie, and Kaylin had formed themselves into a trembling ball.

  The crocodile had fled its lair, but this didn’t settle our nerves. Aiden fired a spear into the sanctuary, the bolt sailing over my head as I retrieved my flashlight. Nothing else swam out. We approached, Maddie gripping my arm. Packed dirt the size of a large vehicle lay upon the floor. The bed of the beast. Nothing moved. Pointing to where Rameses II’s statue would’ve sat in this original dead-end chamber, I checked with Maddie. She nodded. Pulling a shovel from my back, I dug through wet dirt. The sandstone of ancient cliffs lay beneath.

  Holding loaded spear guns, Aiden and Mr. Scalone stood on guard. Maddie, Kaylin, and I used a pick and shovels to discover an irregularity in the cliff face. A rock lay wedged into an opening. We heaved, tugged, and dug for what felt like an hour before a stone the size of my head broke free. The remaining rubble proved much easier to dislodge. Kaylin flashed her light inside the tunnel. Only stone and dirt. Damn it! Not after all this! Swinging my shovel at the wall in frustration, the water slowed the object before it collided at an unrewarding speed.

  The blonde swam into a crevasse barely large enough for her. Fishing around, she paused. I held my breath, expecting her to scream and be dismembered or to be sucked in. Yanking an empty hand out, she shook her head.

  My disappointment seemed to add twenty pounds of weight to my body.

  Pointing, bubbles blew out of Maddie’s nose. She tore into her pack and pulled out an underwater camera as she wiped a hand over the inside wall. Peeking over her shoulder, something glistened through the murk.

  Journal Translation

  LIGHTNING FLASHED DIRECTLY OVERHEAD and thunder immediately reverberated in my ears. The clatter of the regiment, barking orders, and banging on buildings carried in slow motion but drew closer. And the voices were not as drawn-out as they’d been when I first used the cloak. Could its magic be fading?

  “Don’t think I cannot see you,” a voice said as thunder crackled in the hot wind.

  My heart jumped and nearly stuck in my throat in surprise. I glanced left and right.

  “I’m right here,” the voice boomed. The hawk head of a sphinx turned! Stone groaned, but didn’t crack, sliding over the figure like gray skin. Flexing lion digits back and forth upon its ancient bed, the beast’s massive tail flicked with agitation. I fell backward, unable to comprehend the situation. “Stand up, you sorry boy,” the sphinx ordered.

  I scrambled away.

  “Run. Now’s your chance.” Its hooked beak parted and a gray tongue slipped out.

  “W-what do you want?” I asked. Was I hallucinating because of the cloak? But the creature moved at ordinary speed.

  “I’m merely the guardian. Isn’t it you who wants something?”

  “Are you going to tell Akhenaten?” I asked.

  “Ha!” the sphinx said. “I haven’t served a pharaoh in millennia. I guard the two temples.”

  “What temples?”

  Rearing back as if bewildered, the hawk said, “You’re much too ignorant. But do not waste time.” Its beak reached toward me. “One man the military is searching for is the one you’re trying to save. This victim is either to my left at Karnak or to my right in Luxor Temple. You have the chance to save him.”

  Rising to my knees in confusion and desperation, I asked, “Who am I supposed to save?”

  “You may earn the chance to see, or you may not. But you’re wasting precious moments. I own all the time of the ages. You’re not so fortunate. The soldiers are coming.”

  My cheeks grew hot with rage, surprising myself. “Stop playing games!”

  “Such anger,” a deeper voice boomed. The adjacent sphinx spoke through the head of a ram, its horns tilting forward. “Games are not our forte. A riddle perhaps? Or you could put up a fight while we tear you limb from limb!”

  Battling stone beasts seemed like suicide. “You said I don’t have time.” I punched the ground in frustration.

  “You don’t,” replied the first.

  “Then please tell me which way to go,” I begged.

  “One of us will always tell the truth and the other will always lie in response to your questions,” the hawk said, the feathers on its neck lifting. “Decide which temple … and hurry.”

  “What do truth and lies have to do with saving someone’s life?”

  “Everything,” replied one.

  “Nothing,” replied the other.

  Clenching my fists, I stood. The approaching marauders released a drawn-out cry just behind me. The voices were not as slow as they’d been.

  To the hawk I yelled, “What way should I go?”

  “To your right,” he replied.

  I sprinted a few feet before stopping in realization. “Which way will help me save someone?” I asked the ram.

  “To your left.”

  My eyes closed in frustration. The world always acted against me. “Why’s he telling me to go left, and you’re telling me to go right?”

  “Because he always lies,” the ram said.

  I asked the same question to the hawk. “Because he always lies.”

  Lightning struck the head of another sphinx not twenty feet away. Stone exploded into hundreds of fragments, pelting my skin as I covered my head. The stench of sulfur stung my nose. Shouting from the soldiers intensified. Even in this altered state of time I wouldn’t have more than a couple minutes before warriors swarmed the street.

  If I asked the sphinx directly it didn’t make sense. Could I address them indirectly? A moment of clarity came amidst the haunting night. “Which way would the other sphinx tell me to go?” I asked the hawk.

  “He would tell you to go to your right.”

  Doubts filled my mind, but I asked the ram the same question. “To your right.”

  Throwing my hands triumphantly into the air, I ran left. It didn’t matter who lied or told the truth. The honest sphinx would reply with the liar’s answer. The liar would have to say the opposite of the other sphinx’s answer. Both would be lies!

  Passing hundreds of sphinxes, many different kinds of eyes glared into my soul. I threw off my mask. Lighting arced across the sky, the flash outlining something consuming the landscape before me. The spectacle rendered me immobile, as if I’d turned to stone. Karnak. Taking a few deep breaths, I inched forward toward the humming whispers.

  The gateway, a towering aperture between enormous pylon walls, was fashioned for giants. Images upon the stone showed titans smiting hordes of enemies, their radiance muted in shadow. Hundreds of unseen flags whipped in the wind overhead.

  Cold beads of sweat t
rickled down my brow and into my eyes, stinging like bees. This complex couldn’t have been constructed by mortal men. Bowing my head, I sprinted between the guardians. The wind died and the interior grew darker, the perimeter walls blocking the shrouded moonlight. Creeping around soaring obelisks, I told myself not to look up, just as someone scared of heights would be afraid to look down. But I couldn’t help it. Glancing to the sky, golden capstones shimmered with moonlight against the night and reached for the stars. The crackle of lightning vaulted through the darkness, illuminating the engraved faces of the obelisks. These pillars were adorned with images of divine beings, most of them animal-headed men!

  I collapsed to my knees, dizzy. What was this place? Faint torchlight wavered in the vast expanse ahead, in the opposite direction of the approaching soldiers.

  Something else was moving too, among the shadows. The air grew warm. Wringing my bracelet, I relived my encounter with the Mummy Makers. I should’ve brought Croc. Should I run? No, I had to learn whatever it was I came here for.

  A figure emerged from a crevice and moved as silently as a ghost. Cloaked in black, he carried a sack slung over his shoulder and a walking stick.

  Flattening myself against the wall, I pursued him. He paused, reaching for something around his neck. Sniffing, he held an amulet aloft. Green light burned from within, growing brighter and bringing incomprehensible whispers.

  I tensed. Could his medallion detect magic, like Akhenaten had claimed?

  Yanking my mask down, winged beasts screeched and swarmed the area, blotting out moon and starlight. The cloaked figure approached my hiding spot, his movements half the speed as before I’d donned the hood. I darted across the way.

  Crouching low, he sniffed again but eventually continued on. I lingered, to create more distance between us before removing the mask and pursuing him. Passing around a corner, he disappeared. I hugged the edge, my teeth chattering with fear as I gripped the bronze on my wrist. Taking a quick breath, I peeked around. Wind erupted within the confines of the temple and I tasted sand. But the figure stalked away.