Eve of the Pharaoh: Historical Adventure and Mystery

by R. M. Schultz

  “Could they simply guide us by where they’re looking?” Maddie asked, stepping out from the temple with the others.

  “That would not be a clear answer to the riddle,” I said, feeling better she would still speak to me.

  “But it said the guardians will guide you.” She tightened the bun atop her head. “We didn’t find anything else.” Pulling out her phone, she filmed the seated pharaohs from multiple angles. “I’ll put this in my computer tonight.”

  “Is there anything important that way?” Kaylin asked, pointing north.

  “Karnak,” I said, having no better ideas than to look elsewhere.

  Hiking the road again, we followed a bend and strode between hundreds of ram-headed sphinxes. Rows of towering walls dominated the landscape before us. Intricately carved images of men, gods, and the winged sun-disc protected the gateway of Khonsu.

  “We’re gonna find a clue in there?” Mr. Scalone asked, spreading his arms to emphasize the enormity of the temple. “We need to clarify the last one about guardians first. Let me see it.”

  He had a point. Karnak was the largest temple complex ever built by man—247 acres—and could take years to search. What would the guardians of Karnak be? The obelisks? More statues of Rameses, or Osiris, or the sphinxes holding Amun between their paws? But they only stared at each other and the road between them. We were lost. But of the holy trinity of temples that composed Karnak, we chose to start with the most obvious, the temple of Amun.

  We entered. I examined stone art, spotting desecrated images of Amun, the dirty work of Akhenaten. Stunted palm trees grew beside a sacred but now dry lakebed, where long ago holy geese would swim. Investigating a hidden underground temple, we discovered nothing. The tallest obelisk in the world, before the Washington Monument was erected to commemorate George Washington’s apotheosis, soared into the heavens. This creation was Hatshepsut’s, one of the only female pharaohs. In ancient times the glorious monument would’ve housed a twin at its side, the finest gold of their pyramidions shimmering beneath brilliant rays of sun. Now the base of the single piece of rose granite was worn smooth, the peak dull.

  My feet dragged the dirt like lead weights under my growing pessimism. This was too difficult at every turn, and I’d been an ass to Maddie. Wandering off through halls and courtyards, I arrived at Karnak’s Great Hypostyle Hall. An entire forest of stone pillars supported a rock beam canopy, casting dense shadows below. The few remaining clerestory windows created slatted, arcing rays of light and dark in the interior. Maybe this was it! But I had to hurry, the sunlight was fading.

  I glanced around for Maddie. Two men in thawbs leaned against a wall in the distance, eyeing me and whispering. One man wore a beard to his chest, the other’s lay patchy upon his cheeks. Our hired hands from that desert night outside Amenhotep’s tomb and back in the train station? My heart raced in surprise, fear pulling at the root of my tongue like hands on a rope. Tugging the gray brim of my fedora lower, I strode back to the others.

  “Are those the men you hired for the Valley of the Kings expedition?” I whispered to Mr. Scalone, nodding toward them.

  “I don’t know,” Mr. Scalone said, wrinkling his forehead as he stared directly at them. “I found those locals that night. I didn’t know ’em and didn’t memorize their faces in the dark. Most Egyptians look the same, anyway.”

  “They’re definitely the two who departed our train in Cairo,” I said. “I don’t want to get trapped in here.” Rushing adrenaline coursed through my limbs and mingled with fear. How did they follow us to Thebes?

  “There’s only two,” Mr. Scalone said, stretching his legs in his tight jeans. “I could handle both, but if they have weapons, Jenkins and I could each take one.”

  “Come on, Gavin,” Maddie said, her face pale. “These men are obviously watching us.”

  “We can’t miss the sunlight,” Kaylin said, tugging my sleeve, her head spinning to follow the radiance filtering through the panels overhead.

  “Let’s come back tomorrow, before sunrise,” I said.

  Mr. Scalone threw his hands into the air. “You two scared little girls! I can protect us.”

  Jenkins cranked his head in a motion to leave, his hand reaching inside his jacket.

  “C’mon, Gavin,” Kaylin said, caressing the back of my neck. “Only you can solve this!”

  Tossing his head back, Mr. Scalone scoffed and slapped his knee.

  I touched the bronze bracelet under my sleeve. This was almost my last chance to change my life forever. “Another minute,” I said. Maddie’s eyes closed. “But if they come for us, we run as a group in the opposite direction.” Grabbing Maddie’s hand, my tongue fumbled in an attempt to explain and ease her fear. “I wasn’t prepared for all this, either. But I have to be back at school soon. We’ll be okay. I’m s—”

  Kaylin clapped and kissed my cheek. Maddie pulled away and hid behind the nearest stone pillar as Aiden clutched his fox to his chest.

  I studied the moving light. Because of broken strips in the overhead windows, radiance and shade didn’t fall evenly on the area. Specific hieroglyphs lit up in columns, while others blotted out. There had to be something here!

  “You better mind-hump this place quick,” Aiden said, placing his hands on his knees and breathing hard. “Those men are coming.”

  Jenkins cursed under his breath.

  “Gavin!” Maddie said, cupping a hand beside her mouth. “Let’s go!”

  “They can’t trap us in here, right?” Kaylin asked, running her hand down my back.

  “No, they’re too many ways out … unless someone locks all the gates,” I said, still searching as a knot of anxiety tightened in my stomach. The alternating images around me didn’t make any sense. Stepping back, I soaked in the entire spectacle.

  “Why are you letting her manipulate you?” Maddie asked, removing her glasses. “She’s seducing you like her other mindless boy toys!”

  I tensed. No, I was more entranced with the prospect of discovery.

  Spinning on Maddie, Kaylin’s voice escalated. “You’re just scared. We have Jenkins and Mr. Scalone to protect us! And you never liked Gavin, just his attention after guys dump you.” Her arms whirled as if trying to assist in her verbal assault. “Go after one of your ex’s who might’ve been something in high school but now’s just a loser.”

  My entire body stiffened with the awkwardness of the situation.

  Maddie stumbled and her jaw moved a couple times as if trying to speak. “Sorry!” She thrust a finger back and forth between Kaylin and Mr. Scalone. “If I believed every arrogant tool who thinks they’ll be a celebrity, star athlete, or CEO, I’d be a gullible doll like you!”

  Kaylin advanced, her fists curling. “You only want Gavin because he’s finally good at something—Egyptian treasure hunting—and has shown some potential.”

  Maddie’s face deepened to the color of a ripe tomato as she turned to me. But she swallowed, and her face softened. “You wanted to be an Egyptologist more than anyone I’ve ever known. I couldn’t love someone who was too afraid to chase his dreams, who settled. I might be afraid for my safety, but at least I’m not afraid of who I am.”

  My jaw must’ve hit the ground in utter shock, my heart sinking like the Titanic.

  “I want someone who’ll fight for what they believe in,” Maddie said, tears welling in her eyes. “Gavin, you’re naïve if you think you’ll find the Hall without being completely committed. But this last little while you were smart as always, but also determined and even courageous. I was … falling for you.” She motioned beside herself. “Kaylin’s just using you the only way she knows how.”

  Joy and frustration brought cramping pain in my gut. She had been falling for me? But she didn’t understand the hardships of my past enough to judge me. “I’m trying like hell right now,” I said, “and you want me to leave.”

  “You’re missing the point.” Maddie shook her head. “If you committed to this life, you wouldn’t ne
ed to accomplish this right now when it’s dangerous. You’d have plenty of time.”

  Kaylin struggled to speak as her chest rose and fell. “Gavin, you can’t achieve all this, but I’ve been leading you on and trying to tempt you into staying so Mr. Scalone can.” Puffing up his chest, the guide shouldered past Jenkins. “Mr. Scalone is a world-renowned treasure hunter, not a stupid tour guide. My dad hired him so we can lay claim to the Hall!”

  Aiden’s arms turned limp, dropping his fox.

  Maddie huffed and stomped off.

  Distress forced my shoulders down. Staring at the ground, I prayed to every god I didn’t believe in to reveal a clue. I needed to show them I could do this—

  A piercing shriek carried around the columns. Maddie! My heart jumped.

  I sprinted toward the cry as Jenkins drew his gun and followed. A man in a hooded thawb wrapped a black cloak around a struggling figure. Lifting his victim, he raced away.

  A gunshot rang out. Echoes reverberated violently off ancient stone. Wandering goats scattered. “Stop!” Jenkin’s usually quiet voice roared across the acres as he lowered his handgun from having fired into the air.

  The abductor kicked through an outer gate and disappeared, fading into the dwindling rays of light. Bursting through the exit, I glanced around. Vendors, locals, and tourists crowded the dirty streets. No sign of Maddie or her captor.

  “Go that way!” Jenkins pointed, spit flying from his lips. “If you see anything, scream like there’s a zombie apocalypse.”

  We dashed in different directions, my mind a blur of emotion. Shoving past a thin man with a turban, I nearly tripped over a stray dog.

  “Gavin!” A muffled scream carried by.

  I spotted something. A cloaked figure and someone struggling.

  “Maddie!” I yelled as loud as I could. Elbowing through the crowd, I knocked over a stand brimming with leafy greens and red vegetables.

  The man with the patchy beard eyed me from beneath his cloak. Wrapping his arms around his bundled victim, he sneered.

  I propelled through a family of tourists, nearly upon him. A small hand reached out from under the black cloak. I lunged for Maddie.

  Something smacked into the side of my head. Toppling over, glaring light filled my eyes and pain radiated through my skull. I couldn’t move. Maddie’s cries faded along with the dark outlines of two men. The world spun in ripples of aching radiance and darkness. Her sheer glasses lay upon the stone walk, staring as if judging me. Fighting to stand, I attempted to run after her but collapsed. The crumbling walls of the western entrance to Karnak loomed over me, dissolving into blinding white.

  Journal Translation

  HOW MANY HOURS OF THIS WORLD had passed before I woke? Was I dead? Suty and Mahu were there, and two men of such different character wouldn’t both find peace in the underworld. Aches and sharp pains racked my body.

  “Why do you hate him so much?” Mahu asked the ogre. “Even before this treachery?”

  Suty’s upper lip wrinkled. “I despise the weak, the chink in our armor. The strong should thrive, not waste resources on the feeble. When I went back for the soldier …” Touching his scarred ear, he winced. “Should a let ’im die, but was ordered to carry ’im back. Picked ’im up and a Nine Bow foreign soldier almost cut my head off.”

  Mahu grimaced. “He’d never make a soldier, but is mentally resilient and full of spirit.” His chin jutted out, his eyes growing distant. “I liked having him around. Yet he may not last as a slave. Where’re they sending him? A tomb or pyramid?”

  My throat clenched. A slave? Would that be much different than Akhenaten’s servant?

  “Nah, he’s gonna help build the new capital,” Suty replied.

  “Akhenaten’s vision for the city of light? Starting with Karnak—”

  “Look who’s awake,” Suty said, spotting my swollen but opened eyes. Picking me from the ground like a weed, his vile breath warmed my face. Mahu’s hand reached between us, twirling a beautiful blue feather. “Your last gift from Akhenaten,” Mahu said, tucking it into my kilt. Suty shoved me, and I wobbled out into the predawn glow.

  “Wait!” Racing across the sand, Mutnedjmet carried a sack and brushed her hair from her tired face. “Let him take this, please!” She held out the bag. It squirmed.

  My eyes narrowed in suspicion. A scorpion or serpent? To grant me a quick death?

  Suty swatted the sack with the flat of his sword, issuing a thud. The sack fell. An orange and white cat flopped out, lying still. Numbness gave way to a new pain twisting in my heart. My best friend, my brother!

  Mutnedjmet wailed.

  Suty aimed his sword to skewer Croc. “There’s that damned feral.”

  “Croc!” I screamed, grabbing Suty’s ankle and biting into his Achilles tendon. “Run! Release yourself from me!” My index and little fingers extended to form the crocodile ward.

  Bellowing, Suty slammed into and slid across the dirt as if someone had thrown him. Utter confusion froze my limbs. What’d just happened? Magic … in me?

  Springing up, Croc dashed off on three legs and disappeared into the desert shadows. My heart melted with sympathy. Was his leg broken? Could he survive in the wild—

  Grabbing the back of my neck, Suty squeezed. Pain radiated up into my head as Mutnedjmet sobbed and reached for my hand. “I will see you again, Horemheb!”

  Suty guided me toward the manmade lake with his spear, his eyes wide in fear—an emotion I didn’t think the monster could feel. Weeping, Mutnedjmet trailed us. I stepped into a rickety vessel filled with disheveled men.

  “Choose your path but don’t forget your friends,” Mutnedjmet shouted. “There may be different roads to follow, but don’t settle for any outcome other than obtaining your—”

  “In the real world good doesn’t always triumph over evil,” I muttered.

  “Only when you believe that does it become true …” she said. Revealing an amulet covered by her dress, she slipped it up and over her head. It was Bes, the dwarf protector with the lion hair. “I would’ve accepted a broken gift, if it was you who’d offered it to me—hoping to heal my pain.” She smashed her amulet on a rock, sending fragments shooting into the desert. “I will wear this for you, until there is justice in Egypt.” We glided away into the orange light.

  We sailed through the canal and across the Nile, my body hunched from a profound sense of failure. Huddling at the bow in fear, a crew of vile men stared. What crimes did these men commit? Did they fall in love with the wrong woman? Were they still in love with her? Or perhaps they’d been born into a life of servitude to a monster.

  “What’d you do?” someone whispered in a Nubian accent. A dwarf—one of the actual dancing stars from Amenhotep’s sed-festival—eyed me in curiosity. He had boyish features and an oversized head that rose just over my waist, his skin a deep shade of brown.

  “Look at that scrawny rat, and he stares like we’re the abomination.” Another Nubian dancing dwarf stood in chains, a black beard covering his face. His muscles rippled against bound wrists, his burly frame stretching as wide as it was tall. “And someone already gave him a good beating.”

  Wallowing in fresh misery, I didn’t want to live, much less speak to anyone. But Mutnedjmet appeared in my mind, tears streaming down her soft face. Tears for me.

  “Don’t mind him,” the boyish dwarf said. “He’s as grumpy as a daddy lion with nine cubs trying to suckle him.”

  “I’m done judging by appearances,” I whispered. “I’ve seen the most beautiful thing in the entire world and the most hideous.”

  The dwarves’ eyebrows rose as they exchanged a glance.

  “They can both still hide the same insides,” I said.

  “So that’s how you ended up on this boat?” the friendly one asked.

  “I loved the wrong woman.” Gritting my teeth, I fought back emotion. I couldn’t risk breaking down like a child amongst hardened criminals. “What happened to you two?”

  After
shrugging and chuckling, the clean-shaven dwarf’s eyes brightened. “We were born far to the south where plains and hills roam farther than a man can wander—lands covered with lush vegetation blowing softly in the wind like eternal banners. And animals so extraordinary you’d think you’d fallen into a fairy tale. One day my brother and I will return home to the thunder of drums and trumpeting of elephants, our families will rejoice, and the world will be right again.” His beaming smile faded. “But because of our appearance, we were trapped and taken from our families to be made into Egyptian puppets.”

  Skepticism emerged in my mind, warning me. “How were you puppets?” I asked.

  “It’s none of your damn business,” the bearded dwarf grumbled. Jaw muscles bulged under his beard, followed by the grinding of teeth.

  “Sorry,” I replied.

  The burly one said, “He’s too friendly for his own good—”

  “Egyptians desire dancing dwarf puppets for their amusement and for heckling,” the boyish one said. “But I turned on our master like a tiger on its trainer.”

  My jaw dangled in shock. “Are you a murderer?”

  “If you considered our former master a man, then yes,” he said.

  The gruff one kicked his comrade. “No, I am the murderer! He is innocent, only convicted because he’s my brother. And I’d rather be a murderous slave than an abused jester.”

  “I think I know how you felt,” I said.

  “How can you possibly relate, Egyptian?” the brawny dwarf said, his nostrils flaring.

  “I also served a wicked man, who murdered my f …” My gut twisted in pain. Silence.

  “We were once called Shabaka and Taharqa,” the polite one said. “Equals and great soldiers amongst our society. But for these past years I’ve been Seneb, him Harkhuf. Our Egyptian names.”