by K. T. Tomb
“You’d be right to think so, Oscar,” Chyna agreed. “Be sure to keep your eyes open and let us know if you spot her again.”
“Will do,” he said.
They made it to the Djoser Aquifer in five minutes and pulled into the parking lot at the oasis. They were surprised to find that the expansive grounds of the oasis had become nothing more modern than a public park. There weren’t many people on the grounds at that time of the day but the few who were seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely. Date palms dominated the landscape along with many tall bushes that were laden with fragrant flowers. The temperature immediately dropped to a comfortable cool beneath the shade of the verdant trees. In the center of the park was a tall rock formation that looked like shale. It was comprised of step after step of black flat rocks. A steady stream of clean, clear water flowed endlessly from the top of the rocks, rushing down the formation and falling finally into a stream which fed a huge pond. To the eastern side of the oasis, they could see extensive, well-kept orchards with trees that were laden with apples, oranges, lemons and limes.
Carefully, the team looked around the park trying to decide which of its features had most likely been there for three thousand years. It seemed obvious that it could only be the rocks that formed the head of the aquifer itself. They searched the entire structure from the top to bottom, meticulously inspecting every stone and getting completely soaked in the process. At the base of the structure, they located what would have been considered by the early nomads as the ‘water stone’; a large rock which protruded from the ground as an extension of the bedrock the water flowed from. Chyna scooped handfuls of sand from the base of the stone and within a few minutes, what looked like the border of a cartouche inscription appeared.
“Oscar, could you go back to the Jeep and get me some tools?” Chyna asked. “I’m going to need a trowel, a four inch brush and a small chisel.”
“Sure thing,” he replied. “I’ll be right back with those.”
“Don’t forget your camera,” Lana shouted after him.
Oscar got to the Jeep and opened the tailgate to search for Chyna’s equipment bag. Inside it he quickly located her towel and the other utensils that she would need. He pulled his camera bag from the top of the pile and took his Nikon®D800 from it. He took the lens cap off and pushed the power button; everything was working fine and the battery was fully charged, so he pulled the strap over his head and shut the tailgate of the Jeep. Then as he turned around to walk back to the park entrance, there she was again. It was the woman in the pretty black abaya. She had covered her head with the hijab again and she was leaning against a tree on the far side of the parking lot watching him. Discreetly and without lifting the camera from his chest, Oscar aimed it at an angle he thought would work and waited for the auto-zoom lens to fully adjust. Then he fired off a series of shots hoping that he had been able to get a good picture of her. He tilted the camera to take a look at the last shot on the display screen and satisfied, he walked back through the park gates to rejoin Chyna and Lana.
Oscar handed the girls the tools and stepped back to start taking the photographs. Within a few minutes, the two had moved enough sand out of their way to reveal the entire cartouche that was inscribed into the stone. They had to be careful, using only the brushes on the stone itself because the saturated limestone rock could easily give way under a sharp instrument or too heavy a touch. Once satisfied that they had uncovered the entire carving, Lana and Chyna stepped aside to allow Oscar full access to photograph the stone and they set about replacing all the sand and debris as soon as he was finished. Not a patch of lichen was out of place when they were finished, they didn’t want the site to look like it had been disturbed in any way, and it didn’t.
While the girls were busy covering up their tracks, Oscar took a look at the pictures he had taken to ensure they were really what they needed to at least make a good translation. When he looked up from his camera he saw the woman again. She was standing under some palm trees watching them very intently while engaging in an intense conversation on her mobile phone. Oscar walked back to where Chyna and Lana were reburying the water stone and knelt beside them in the sand.
“She’s back,” he said. “The lady from the Dendera crossing. I saw her earlier in the parking lot and now she’s over there, watching us from over by those palm trees.”
He scrolled through the photos he had been taking until he came to the pictures of the woman and showed them both.
“That girl was a worker in Dr. Nassir’s camp at Luxor,” Chyna said. “I saw her walking around a lot with Mohammed, that guy Nassir tried to insert into our investigation. I even saw them eating together quite often.”
“Why would she follow us here?” asked Lana.
“I don’t know, Lana,” Chyna replied. “But I’ll be damned if I won’t go over there and find out why right now.”
Chyna stood up and turned around quickly, intending to walk directly over there and confront the woman in black. Ever since that whole fiasco in Greece with Fariha Katsakis, she had been extremely suspicious of strangers who tried to lurk around during her investigation. The extent to which the Greek girl had betrayed their trust and exposed them all still made Chyna bitter and left her fiercely protective of her team. But when Chyna turned around, there was no one beneath the palm trees; the woman had disappeared. She looked around the park quickly to see if she could spot her but the woman in black was nowhere to be seen. Disappointed at allowing their pursuer to slip through her hands Chyna picked up her tools and they returned to the Jeep.
“Let’s drive into the city and find somewhere to stay for the night,” she suggested. “There ought to be tons of great places to stay around here. “
Oscar and Lana were in full agreement, they couldn’t wait to wash the desert dust off and get something hot to eat. More importantly, they were all eager to get started with the translation of the inscription and unraveling the next clue to locating the Mummy Codex, as Chyna had been inclined to call it.
***
“Thank you Jamila,” Rashid said, into the phone. “You don’t need to follow Miss Stone and the others around anymore but keep trying to locate our people and we will keep in touch.”
As he pressed the end button on his mobile phone, Rashid Abdullah was extremely confused. Something wasn’t right and he couldn’t put his finger on it. According to Jamila, the Luxor watchers sent a bird to Qena several days ago advising them that Miss Stone and her people would be arriving there to search for the next marker in the princess’s trail, but the bird came back with the message unread.
Not knowing what to do, she’d followed the Americans to keep track of what they were doing while trying to locate the Qena watchers at the same time. She found no one there and no sign of their whereabouts; they had deserted their watch. There was no way that the watchers in Luxor could have known since personal information such as last names, home addresses and mobile phone numbers were never shared between the posts; fraternization between factions was strictly prohibited and all communication was done by pigeon. He just couldn’t stop wondering what had happened to Hassan and Amir.
He went to his computer and clicked on an icon on his home screen to open an instant messaging application and began typing.
Imhotep: They have found the second marker.
Eastman: They are much smarter than I gave them credit for.
Southman: I agree.
Northman: Clearly neither of you has been doing your homework. I’m sure Imhotep is not surprised and neither am I.
Imhotep: Calm down Northman, we agreed we would endorse their search if they proved themselves worthy.
Westman: And they’re doing a damn good job as far as I can see.
Imhotep: Chyna Stone is not letting me down so far, gentlemen. I think our mission is finally coming to an end. Sadly, I cannot say that I am too disappointed with that prospect.
Westman: Neither am I. No offense guys, but I’m ready to pack it in an
d go home to my family. My girl is just about ready to give up on me. Signing on for one more tour in the Middle East could cost me my bride.
Eastman: We know it’s been particularly hard on you and Northman to continue with this work.
Northman: The Book is more important than anything else.
Imhotep: That is true Northman, but us Guardsmen are still only men, we have our obligations and responsibilities to ourselves and to others.
Northman: Nothing is more important than safeguarding the Book.
Imhotep: I agree fully but we have to be practical. It is long past the time when it could go back to a pharaoh so now it needs to be returned to Egypt and placed with the proper authorities. This is our chance to do the right thing and still keep our existence and that of the Watchers a secret.
Northman: As you say, Imhotep.
Imhotep: It is not just what I say, Northman. We all agreed it was time.
Southman: Yes, we agreed.
Imhotep: I have a good feeling about these people from Found History, I believe that they will only be satisfied if they can place the relic in the proper hands. If they make it to Boğazkale, then it is imminent that they will be coming to the Hagia Sofia very soon after that. I expect that they will come to speak to me respectfully about searching the altar for the Book. I doubt it is their style to try and steal it from us.
Northman: And if they don’t come to you and they do try to steal it from the museum?
Imhotep: If they don’t come to me and they try to steal it, then they are thieves and be assured, gentlemen, that they will be treated as such. Good night, gentlemen. May the peace of Allah be with you.
Eastman: And also with you, brother.
Southman: And also with you.
Westman: And also with you.
There was no reply from the Northman when Rashid closed the application.
***
Chyna and the others found themselves on the El-Tahrir road being directed by a policeman to the Basma Hotel. When they arrived at their lodgings on the banks of the Nile, the team breathed a sigh of relief. The hotel was small but lovely. It was welcoming and seemed to be endowed with all the modern conveniences of a world class business hotel. They checked in quickly and headed straight upstairs to the suite. It had three large king size bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, a secure high speed internet connection, color television with international programming via satellite and of course a fully stocked refrigerator.
As usual, Oscar immediately started setting up the equipment he needed and Lana arranged all her paraphernalia on the dining room table in preparation to decipher their latest clue. As she was laying out her little mystery solving map, the doorbell rang and she went to answer it. It was the bellman; he had brought up the flipchart and markers she had requested from the front desk. Pleased, she handed him a twenty guineih note as a tip and closed the door behind him.
“I’ve entered the data and set the translators to work,” Oscar announced after twenty minutes. “It’s more complicated than the last one; I think it’s going to be about an hour. Do you think we could have some dinner in the meantime?”
“Absolutely!” Chyna replied.
They all showered, changed and went downstairs to the hotel restaurant, excited to have another taste of some amazing Egyptian food. Forty-five minutes later they returned to the suite, satisfied and ready to get back to work. Lana went to the fridge, took out three bottles of Heineken and opened them. Beer and wine were not served in the hotel restaurant since Islamic law prohibits the consumption of alcoholic beverages in public.
Oscar took as sip of his beer and went to check on the progress the translation software was making. Surprisingly, it was complete.
“Ladies,” he said, “we’re officially in business.”
He sent the document to the printer and handed out the freshly printed copies as they took their seats around the dining table.
“To find the Book, seek the Watchers whose vigil never ends
The road goes northwards to Zannanza’s lands
In the heart of Hatti is where the Watchers wait
Luxor will know it again, when the Guards lay down their swords.”
“Cryptic much, Ankhesenamun?” Lana joked.
“She was clever with her words, that’s for sure,” Oscar agreed.
“It was important,” Chyna pointed out. “She left these clues in places that were relatively open at that time, remember? The only reason we’ve had to dig and search for them is because we’re three thousand years late to the chase.”
“You’re right, Chyna,” Lana said. “But we can figure it out.”
Lana went over to her flipchart and took up a marker. On the black paper she wrote ‘The Watchers’, ‘Zannanza’s lands’ and ‘Heart of Hatti’.
“What about the last line?” Oscar asked. “Who are the Guards and why do they have swords to lay down?”
“That doesn’t have anything to do with the location of the Book or the next clue, whichever the case,” Lana explained. “I think that has something to do with whatever she might have told the messenger to do.”
“The messenger?” Oscar asked.
“Son,” Lana quipped, “do try to keep up.”
Chyna laughed at Lana’s sarcasm and quickly attempted to explain to Oscar.
“We already know that Ankhesenamun never made it out of Egypt, she ended up back in Luxor where she died not much longer after this all went down. We know this for fact because her mummy was found in KV21 and it was dated to the same year that Ay ascended the throne. So it stands to reason that she passed off the Book to someone she trusted and according to this clue, she instructed that person to deliver it to ‘The heart of Hatti’ which would most likely be the city of Hattusa, to Suppiluliumas’ palace.”
“Ah, I see,” Oscar said.
At that point, Lana wrote down two of the three answers on her flip chart.
Zannanza’s lands = Hatti
Heart of Hatti = Hattusa, Suppiluliumas’ palace
“So,” Lana said, “who are ‘The Watchers’?”
“Oscar, could you Google Hattusa please?” Chyna asked.
When he did, Oscar suddenly became very excited. He sent something to the printer and when it was finished printing he handed the photograph to Lana. Her mouth visibly fell open before she passed the photograph to Chyna.
The photograph showed the ruins of the palace of Hattusa in modern day Boğazkale, Turkey. In its ruined state, the main building was now a flat plaza but still standing at it each of its four gates was two stone pillars each with a statue of a sphinx guarding the entryway.
“I guess we found ‘The Watchers’,” Chyna said to Lana.
“I'd bet my last dollar that the next clue is on one of these sphinxes,” Lana said.
“Back to Turkey,” Oscar groaned. “Ladies, let’s try not to get hijacked or kidnapped this time.”
They all laughed at his comment.
“Lana, we’re going to need the most direct flight to Boğazkale,” Chyna began. “The fastest way might be out of Luxor International. We can fly to Cairo from Luxor and take it from there. The town is remote but a huge tourist attraction, so I don’t think a hotel will be a problem there. Book us on the best day tours, that way we won’t draw attention to ourselves while we’re feeling up the sphinxes at the palace ruins. Also, be amazing and drop Sandra and Sirita a line so they know what we’re up to.”
“I’m on it Boss Lady,” Lana said.
“Oscar, we won’t be able to take your entire tech lab with us,” she continued. “At least not further than Cairo. I doubt we’ll be coming back to Luxor so I’d suggest you leave anything we won’t need for Boğazkale in Cairo and if the trail takes us further than that, we can have them forwarded to the next location.”
“Sounds reasonable,” Oscar agreed. “I don’t think I’ll need more than my laptop, the mini printer and my camera.”
“Good. Ask Sirita to organize the storage and
forwarding with our freight handlers in Cairo.”
While her team busied themselves with their preparations for their next move, Chyna stepped away to send an email from her Blackberry.
‘Guess who’s coming back to Turkey?’ she wrote, ‘The investigation is taking us to Boğazkale now. We’re leaving from Luxor International tomorrow. If it ends there, I’ll come to Izmir, if it doesn’t I’ll be sure to stay in touch with you.’
Back at the dining table, Chyna looked through Lana’s puzzle pieces. She couldn’t stop marveling how smart Ankhesenamun must have been. She was formidable; but then, her mother was Queen Nefertiti, easily the most famous ancient Egyptian in the estimation of modern anthropologists. As far as esteem among scholars went, she was only rivaled by the knowledge the world had of her son, Tutankhamun.
Chyna felt completely humbled by the experience she was having following in the footsteps of the princess and the secrets her team was slowly uncovering. The intrigue, the treachery, murder, betrayal and the destruction of a dynasty; at times she had been more than just a little overwhelmed. Of course, she couldn’t show it, she kept her composure and rallied on for the sake of her team and the investigation. The objective was always clearly set in her mind; to find the Book of Life and restore both it and its legacy to antiquity. The world deserved to know what the power struggle that ended the Amarna Period of Egypt was really about.
Chapter Five
By three o’clock the next afternoon, the team was making their landing in Boğazkale.
They were all visibly relieved to disembark from the tiny two propeller aircraft after the three hour flight from Cairo. All the arrangements had gone off without a hitch. The extra luggage had been left with their regular freight forwarder and they had made the rest of the trip in record time. Sirita had taken the liberty of alerting the local tourism authority in the town of their arrival and secured special permission to investigate the ruins as closely as they needed to. There was a messenger waiting for them at the airport with their permits and government authorization ID’s to take to the site with them.