by carl ashmore
‘You’re absolutely right about the light, Joe,’ Uncle Percy replied. ‘However, I think it’s much safer if we time travel to the Djoser pyramid than risk the walk.’ His eyes found Layla’s. ‘I suggest you wait here, Layla - who knows what we’ll encounter in the Chamber of the Ancients? But when we return –’ his next words were filled with the utmost sincerity, ‘- and we will return … we’ll work on rescuing your father, is that okay? Perhaps, Becky, you could remain here with Layla?’
Becky could see exactly what he was doing. ‘Oh, no, you’re not trying that again. I’m coming with you. Layla, it’s up to you whether you come or not but –’
‘I wish to come,’ Layla replied, mustering all the courage she could.
Becky patted Layla’s arm. ‘Good for you.’
Uncle Percy sighed. ‘Very well ... then let’s get going. If everyone would please hold hands.’
He ushered everyone to gather in a circle.
Taking Butterby’s hand, Joe got quite a shock. ‘Wow, your hands are freezing, Mister Butterby.’
‘I think it might something to do with spending the night on a cold, damp floor, Joe,’ Butterby chuckled.
Becky took Layla’s hand and saw her face had turned ghostly white. ‘It’s okay, Layla. Time travelling’s a piece of cake. It’ll be over in a heartbeat.’
Layla returned an unconvincing nod.
‘Okay,’ Uncle Percy said, keying six digits into the portravella. ‘Next stop: Saquarra - City of the Dead.’ Just then, light enveloped his hand and extended over his body, snaking its way from one to person to another. Soon, they were all bathed in a dazzling glow and –
CRACK! – They disappeared.
*
An instant later, Becky felt the ground soften beneath her feet. She unclasped Layla’s hand and waited for her ears to stop ringing. The sudden silence was suffocating. Glancing sideways, she nearly jumped out of her skin. Through the gloom, a statue of an Egyptian God rose imposingly from the sand, its eyes seemingly burning into her, as if silently questioning her presence.
Butterby noticed. ‘Nothing to be concerned about, Becky, it’s just Osiris, God of the Afterlife. Impressive, eh?’
‘Whatever floats your boat,’ Becky replied under her breath. She looked round to see they were standing beside a deep trench that encircled a tall panelled wall, lined intermittently with wide doors. Her gaze tracked the wall to its end, and a pyramid, consisting of six gigantic steps in diminishing size, came into view. Uncle Percy appeared at her shoulder.
‘Now isn’t that a remarkable sight?’ he said softly.
Becky gave an indifferent shrug. ‘S’pose.’ Then her eyes found the horizon. An ascending sun shed light over the distant silhouette of Memphis. ‘But can we just get out of here?’
‘Of course,’ Uncle Percy replied. ‘Edgar, care to lead the way?’
Edgar nodded. ‘Of course.’ He had only walked a short distance when he said, ‘And behold … The Cemetery of the Sacred Bulls.’ His extended finger pointed to a long boulevard, its verges flanked with dozens of sphinxes, which led to an ornate temple formed out of the rock behind.
‘How very interesting,’ Uncle Percy said, taking it all in.
Wordlessly, the gravity of their task dawning on each of them, the group attempted to keep pace with Edgar as he trekked deeper into the flat, barren desert. The sun gleamed brightly now, painting the sky in a rusty orange hue. As the minutes passed, Becky found herself ever more anxious. She knew only too well an airborne attack would leave them totally exposed, with nowhere to run or hide.
And then she saw it: an enormous mound of stones – hundreds of them, thousands perhaps - in all shapes, sizes and colours, piled high like a colossal funeral pyre.
Edgar came to a halt, followed by the others. ‘The Tauri Stones,’ he whispered.
Joe gulped. ‘That’s a shed load of big rocks.’
Becky turned to Uncle Percy. ‘What do we do now?’
Uncle Percy glanced anxiously at the skies. ‘We move them … as fast as we can…’
‘Maybe you should go back to Bowen Hall?’ Joe put forward. ‘And get some fancy contraption to help us shift them.’
‘No,’ Edgar said in a low but firm voice. ‘They were set there by Atlantean hands. And it shall be Atlantean hands that dislodge them.’ He stepped forward and approached the stones. Ingesting a great breath, he gathered one the size of a dustbin in his arms. Then, with a bellowing grunt, he hurled it aside.
To Becky’s dismay, she could see he was trembling, his eyes cloudy with tears. ‘Edgar, what’s the matter?’
‘I am being silly, Miss Becky,’ Edgar choked. ‘I just feel - ’ he sniffed noisily, ‘- I feel like I am betraying my brethren. This cairn is a symbol of my people. To cast the stones aside feels like sacrilege, a violation.’
‘Then don’t do it,’ Becky said.
‘Becky’s right, Edgar,’ Uncle Percy agreed. ‘If you feel like that, I’m sure I can find another way to enter the Chamber.’
‘No,’ Edgar replied. ‘Our cause is a just one. My brothers and sisters would not wish for the Spear, the very life force of Atlantis itself, to be exploited by monsters like Heim and Drake … I must do it.’
Will stepped forward and placed his hand gently on Edgar’s arm. ‘Then let us aid you, my friend.’
‘We’d like to help,’ Becky said.
‘We really would,’ Joe agreed.
Uncle Percy glanced proudly at the others. ‘And so say all of us.’
Edgar looked at them all. ‘Together then …’ a half-smile split his face. ‘Just leave the larger stones to me.’
‘Too right we will,’ Joe muttered.
Steadily, the group got to work, each person playing their part; soon, they had formed an almost identical smaller mound about ten feet away. Becky was particularly impressed with Layla and Butterby who, once again, mumbled away to himself as he shifted countless rocks with impressive strength for a man of his age.
Fighting the heat, the group ploughed on, only stopping from time to time to take in water. One hour became two, which slipped into three. It was grueling, backbreaking work, but by mid morning, the stone pile had shrunk considerably.
And then it happened: through a gap in the remaining pile, Becky spied a flash of orange. ‘Look,’ she said, pointing down. ‘I can see something.’ Spurred on by this, everyone doubled his or her efforts, until only a single giant slab of polished white limestone remained.
Edgar’s voice trembled. ‘This is it.’ Without further comment, he fell to his knees, prized his fingertips beneath the block’s edging and took the strain. With a loud grunt, he pushed upwards, raising the stone into the air, worm-like veins stippling his neck. Straight away, Uncle Percy and Will dropped beside him and together, the three of them used their combined strength to lever the stone onto its flank, before applying its natural momentum to power it forward; they watched it land with a heavy thud, launching a cloud of sand into the windless air.
Exhilaration gripped Becky as a metal grille was revealed below; its glittering orange frame decorated in elegant swirls. She recognized the metal at once: Orichalcum.
Chapter 24
All Fired Up
Without hesitation, Edgar used the last of his strength to wrench the grille open, revealing a deep, cavernous hole; a succession of dusty steps stretched into the blackness below. Uncle Percy pulled free an illumino bead and cast it down; it cracked against stone, lighting hundreds more steps that spiralled to somewhere just out of sight.
‘Edgar, would you care to lead the way?’
Edgar nodded. Cautiously, he placed a foot on the first step and began his descent, followed by Joe, Butterby, and Will.
Uncle Percy hung back. ‘Layla, are you sure you wouldn’t care to wait here?’
Layla glanced nervously at Becky, before shaking her head.
Uncle Percy gave a frustrated sigh and gestured forward. ‘Then, please, after you, my dear.’
> Becky watched Uncle Percy trail Layla into the dimness, the hairs on her neck stood up like tiny blades of grass. She had no idea what they were entering into or what they could expect to find, but past experience taught her to prepare for the very worst. Unconsciously, her fingers delved into her cloak pocket and found Orff’s knife. She shadowed Uncle Percy into the passageway, where at once the dusty, sour air scratched at her throat. The unnerving silence pressed against her ears, as though her head had been forced into a vice. Then she heard Joe’s words through the gloom.
‘What do you know about this place, Edgar?’
‘Very little,’ Edgar replied, taking each stride slowly with the utmost care. ‘Even these steps have not been trodden since the chamber was first constructed, countless eons ago.’
‘So tell us more about Thor.’
‘Thoth,’ Edgar corrected him. ‘According to Minotaur lore, he was a prince amongst my kind, and a great leader. And it was said his fury at the Spear’s theft was so great, his roar could be heard in all of the known realms of the earth. It was also said his vengeance on those who stole it was so terrible that even Zeus feared his wrath…’
‘Who stole it?’
Edgar struggled to utter the next words. ‘A Minotaur … a Minotaur named Kraven.’
‘A Minotaur?’ Joe said, surprised. ‘I thought your lot were – well, the good guys.’
‘I believe they were,’ Edgar replied. ‘But Kraven was different. He was wicked, cruel and brutal. Apparently, he convinced twenty manfolk warriors to force entry to Poseidon’s Temple and steal the Spear, before transporting it across the ocean to Egypt. Anyway, soon after the fall of Atlantis, Thoth hunted down Kraven and the twenty manfolk. He managed to reclaim the Spear, but somehow Kraven escaped capture and vanished without a trace. The twenty, however, were not so fortunate. It is said they were punished in the most unspeakable ways.’
‘What kind of ways?’
‘My grandfather would not tell me. But did say it was a sentence worse than death itself…’
From then on, no one said a word. The further they went, the more a distinct, bone-aching chill set in. They must have walked for at least five minutes, when a large door, secured by a pair of giant bronze hinges in the shape of two leaping dolphins became visible.
Heart thumping in her ribs, Becky watched as Edgar pushed open the door and disappeared inside. Wordlessly, everyone followed him in.
Uncle Percy threw down an illumino bead and the room was bathed in light.
At once, astonishment lined everyone’s faces.
Becky heard Joe swear loudly, and was surprised when Uncle Percy didn’t reproach him. She squinted upwards and her jaw nearly hit the floor. It was like stepping inside an enormous Christmas bauble. The chamber was at least forty feet high, fashioned from glittering orichalcum, and had an oval ceiling that was smooth and polished. The walls consisted of row upon row of gleaming rectangular panels, many of which were decorated with ornate symbols, identical to those inscribed on the Gadeirus Tablet.
Becky walked over to them and took a closer look. She extended her hand and pressed one. To her surprise, it moved inwards slightly before retracting to its former position.
‘Crikey,’ Uncle Percy mouthed, his eyes trained above. ‘How wonderful.’
‘The markings,’ Joe uttered, ‘Are they the Atlantean alphabet?’
Edgar nodded absent-mindedly, consumed with awe.
‘So what do we do now?’ Joe said, looking at Will who shrugged.
‘This is all beyond my comprehension,’ Will replied.
Joe’s eyes found Uncle Percy. ‘What do you think?’
‘I really don’t know,’ Uncle Percy replied, still flabbergasted.
Then, as Becky scanned the wall, she noticed something in the corner of her eye: a rectangular gap in the bottom left hand corner. At that moment, she was reminded of the last time she stood before a gigantic Minotaur construction: The Great Gate at the Red Caves. At once, an idea entered her head. ‘Uncle Percy, have you got the Gadeirus Tablet?’
‘Of course,’ Uncle Percy replied, pulling it from his cloak. He passed it over.
Becky took it. Moving over to the gap, she knelt down before it. Taking a deep breath, she carefully inserted the tablet into the gap, as though fitting the final piece of a jigsaw puzzle. It fitted perfectly. Immediately, the Gadeirus Tablet was encircled in a brilliant emerald green light. Then, as if pushed by an invisible hand, it sank deep into the wall. She gasped loudly.
Uncle Percy heard this and snapped out of his daze. Staring at the flickering Gadeirus Tablet, he opened his mouth to say something but no words came out.
Suddenly, torrents of fizzling light streamed from the tablet, feeding the wall like forked lightning, igniting each panel, until the chamber was illuminated a dazzling green.
‘Oh – my – word,’ Uncle Percy whispered.
Joe swore again.
Butterby started laughing. ‘Unbelievable,’ he cackled. ‘Absolutely unbelievable … Becky, you genuinely are a quite remarkable young woman.’
Becky didn’t acknowledge the compliment. She took three steps back and her eyes flicked all around, hoping for some change, for a hidden door or passageway to be revealed, but nothing happened.
No one made a sound as the seconds passed by.
Becky was about to ask Uncle Percy what they should do when something else occurred to her. Staring at the panels, her mind shifted back to the riddle etched onto the Tablet. She had a brainwave. ‘Edgar, can you press the symbols that spell out the Atlantean word for ‘fire’?’ She felt Joe’s eyes staring blankly at her, so continued with, ‘Maybe the chamber’s like a giant computer keyboard?’
Uncle Percy looked shell-shocked. ‘And you once told me you were merely ‘ordinary’, Becky.’ His words bristled with respect. ‘After you, then, Edgar …’
Edgar took a moment to consider the translation, and then approached a panel; slowly lifting his giant hand, he pushed it. Promptly, the light surrounding it went out. He gave a loud squeak. Sensing success, he rushed madly around the chamber, pressing seven other panels in a matter of seconds, each of them returning to their former, unlit state. Then, as he pressed a final panel, all nine symbols flashed wildly, like a slot machine, and a deep grumble shook the walls as if they were caught in a sudden storm.
To everyone’s amazement, a panel, larger than the rest, on the right hand wall edged upwards; further and further, it ascended, exposing a column of raging fire behind, roaring like a furnace.
Becky’s heart was in her mouth.
Uncle Percy said nothing, but swept across the floor in a single movement and embraced Becky. ‘You, young lady, are an absolute genius…’ He kissed her forehead.
Becky blushed. ‘Err, we both know I’m not,’ she replied humbly, ‘but, ta.’
The flames blazed and coiled, smoke weaving upwards in thick ringlets, but to everyone’s astonishment it didn’t seem to generate any heat.
‘How very interesting,’ Uncle Percy said. ‘I suppose we should see if the riddle is correct and track the Salamander.’ His voice dropped to a mumble. ‘If it isn’t then it’ll be roast Uncle Percy for Christmas dinner.’
Becky watched nervously as he approached the fire. And then, without wavering, he stepped into it, and was immediately engulfed by flame. She couldn’t breathe.
Seconds passed.
And then, almost comically, his head reappeared. ‘What’s everyone waiting for? I think you might want to see this.’ He disappeared again.
Flooded with relief, Becky watched Will, Edgar, Joe and a particularly cautious Butterby move forwards, and disappear into the blaze. Layla, however, stood fixed to the spot, shaking her head wildly.
‘I – I … cannot…’
Becky flashed her a reassuring smile. ‘It’ll be okay,’ she said. ‘We’ll do it together.’ She offered out her hand. Hesitantly, Layla took it, and together they moved forward, slowly but purposefully, forcing each str
ide as if walking to the hangman’s noose.
Becky and Layla came to a halt a foot away from the flames; their harsh crackle obscured whatever was happening beyond. Becky glanced nervously at Layla, before closing her eyes, taking a deep breath … and stepping into the inferno.
In two strides, she knew it was over. It had been like passing through a hologram. Opening her eyes, she saw Joe grinning back at her.
‘Weird, eh?’ he said.
She didn’t reply. Instead, her eyes found Uncle Percy, whose face was fixed with awe as he absorbed their new surroundings. She could understand why. They were in a long corridor with soaring white marble walls, which narrowed to a point in the distance. Huge life-sized statues of Minotaurs, each looking solemn and severe, flanked the walls at intervals. Each statue held a flaming torch, which blazed with enchanted illumination, sending crimson fingers over the walls and brightening the way ahead.
‘Have you seen this, Becks?’ Joe said, pointing at the left hand wall.
Becky looked over and the breath caught in her throat. Carved pristinely into the marble were images, humans, Minotaurs and all kinds of strange, supernatural monsters – giant lizards, winged creatures and what looked like gigantic cats - engaged in a fierce battle around a circular monument she found vaguely familiar. She looked back at Uncle Percy, who was studying a different segment of the wall, a curious expression fixed to his face, as if he couldn’t quite believe his eyes.
Abruptly, Uncle Percy tore his gaze away and said, ‘Well, this is no time for sight seeing.’ He gestured for everyone to follow. ‘Let’s get going.’ He hitched his rucksack onto his shoulders, pivoted on his back foot and marched off, passing Butterby, whose eyes were still glued to the wall. ‘Charles, are you coming?’
‘Oh – err, yes,’ Butterby replied. ‘Of course.’ Reluctantly, he dragged himself away and linked with the others, trailing Uncle Percy up the corridor.
The group moved quickly, their footsteps echoing against the hard floor. The further they advanced, the more Becky felt an icy dread settle in her bones. After the Chamber of the Ancients, Edgar’s warnings about Thoth’s protective enchantments seemed all the more real. She wasn’t the only one that seemed to feel that way. A stern-faced Uncle Percy had sneaked something from his rucksack into his cloak pocket. Becky was sure it was the tubular object he’d been showing Will, just before they left the Time Room; Joe and Will had fixed arrows to their Joe-Bows and were aiming into the darkness ahead; Edgar’s eyes flicked from side to side as though tracking a bothersome fly, watching intently for the first sign of danger; Layla trembled from top to toe like jelly. To Becky’s surprise, only Butterby seemed undaunted by the whole affair, smiling serenely, as if considering it his duty as an elderly traveller to keep the party calm and relaxed.