The Seal of Solomon

by Jeffrey Ellis

  Ra started to speak again. “You wanted power mother. You shall have it. I will make you strong and I will make you immortal. The Necropolis you wanted so badly shall be your home forever. You will live in its depth and be its greatest guardian,” he told her.

  He took a small jar and removed the lid, pulling a white widow spider from it. The spider crawled around his hand as he lowered it towards her and placed it on her chest. He placed his hand over her chest, between her breasts, and when he removed it, the spider started to grow. It continued to grow until its body was as long as Neith with its legs stretching out much farther and her screams of terror echoed throughout the Necropolis as she saw the massive arachnid standing over her, venom dripping from its fangs. Her flesh sizzled and burned where the venom fell on her. The spider bit down, driving its fangs into her neck. As it did so, her screams of terror echoed through the Necropolis and faded into silence as the two began to merge into a single creature and when the transformation was over, the thing that remained was a mixture of the two.

  It turned aggressively towards Ra and started to move towards him. He didn’t move even as his priests retreated from it. He raised his hand and spoke. “Stop mother. You will not attack me or my priests. I command you to retreat to the depths and remain there. You will feast on our enemies and guard this temple from within the shadows below,” he ordered, and the massive creature scurried down into the chasm below.

  He looked around at the bodies of her followers, some still alive and writhing in agony. “She wanted to feast on the power of the Necropolis. Let her start with her own priests. Lower them into the chasm and let the traitors sustain her,” Ra said. His priests bound the victims with a rope and lowered them over the side into the chasm. Their screams faded into the darkness below.

  #

  The Warden shuttle slowed as it approached Giza.

  After an incident involving an attempted bombing of one of the pyramids in the turmoil preceding the third world war, the entire plateau had been walled to protect the irreplaceable landmarks from vandalism. Those walls were normally patrolled heavily by Egyptian security. Public access was normally allowed, and the area was patrolled more heavily but in the aftermath of the shattering, the plateau was closed indefinitely and a single guard manned each entrance. The Egyptian government, like everyone else, had their priorities focused on restoring the cities and tourism would have to wait.

  That did make the job of the Wardens easier though. It meant there would be no meandering people recording vids and postulating origin theories to get in the way. They cleared their approach with local air control and verified a landing point with the plateau's air control tower. The plateau wasn't well defended but the tower still packed more of a punch than the Warden's shuttle, so they followed protocol to the letter. The shuttle landed on the private security pads on the north side of the complex reserved for law enforcement and emergency vehicles.

  Sebastian and the others disembarked and looked around. The place usually had artificial lights, but the generators had been removed and taken to other areas more in need of them. The area was impressive, even in the moonlight. They were close to the pyramid of Khufu, generally called the Great Pyramid. Its decayed stone looked as it had for centuries. The pyramids echoed the defiance of death the builders felt and resounded with their belief in the afterlife. To them, these were not tombs, but doorways through which their pharaohs would enter that afterlife.

  The group could feel the area. Despite it being built around death and sacked by Mordred centuries ago, the magic that once flooded still left a trace and it glowed to those who could see it. To the Wardens standing on the stone platform, all of whom had been trained to some degree in harnessing the arcane, the area almost glowed.

  “I've never felt anything like this,” Chelsea said.

  “It's like standing near a lightning bolt. The air is electric,” said Mason.

  “It's just your perception of the faint magic of the area. There are numerous places throughout the world that were bathed in the arcane. This is among the oldest of them. You should visit Asia some time. There are numerous holy sites there where the magic used to shine like the noonday sun,” Merlin told them.

  “As much as we're all fascinated by what we feel, we have a job to do,” Sebastian told them.

  “Let's get to it then, boss. What's the game plan?” Mason asked.

  “Merlin will continue to try to get us a better starting point but unless and until he does, we’re going to go with a good old-fashioned search. The diary said specifically the Necropolis, not one of the pyramids. The entire area is generically called the necropolis, but we think they referred to what Ra would call the Necropolis, the underground complex where the Egyptian necromancers practiced their art. There are no records of that Necropolis. This is why we have ground penetrating scanners. Spread out and scan. Report anything you find immediately. Start with a large grid and narrow from there. I've mapped search vectors for each of you on your heads up. Keep an open channel,” said Sebastian.

  The group spread out and activated their scanners. Immediately over the internal communicator started coming in reports of people finding hollow spots here and there. All the reports went into the mapping system until a pattern emerged.

  “It’s big. Much bigger than we thought. These passages are all about the same depth and way too deep to be accessible via digging without specialized heavy equipment,” said Chelsea.

  “Why didn’t this get discovered earlier? Something this size hidden beneath a highly trafficked tourist spot being undiscovered this long seems unlikely,” Bruce said.

  “I would suspect either it was known, and its existence kept secret or the last time this place was mapped the technology couldn’t get that deep. Either way, we know something is down there we just have to figure out how to get us there,” said Chelsea.

  Merlin came walking through the plateau to Sebastian and told him, “The riddle of the Sphinx will guide us to Master Ra. I have divined this.”

  Sebastian was momentarily annoyed at the old man for his continued vagueness but pushed it aside.

  “Everyone converge on the Sphinx. Merlin thinks it’s the key so let’s check it out,” he ordered. They all went to the great Sphinx.

  “It’s funny,” said Bruce. “There are so many legends about this monument having hidden passages and secret doors wouldn’t it be ironic if they were true and that’s what we were looking for?” The group laughed and started searching it.

  “Merlin, can you help us locate the entrance?” asked Sebastian.

  “I can but I’m not going to. You or Chelsea are. This is a lesson,” replied the old wizard.

  “We don’t have time for training right now,” said Chelsea.

  “I’m not locating it for you so if you don’t want to then don’t. I’m sure one of your modern machines can help you,” Merlin said.

  “Fine,” Sebastian said, obviously mad. He held out his hands, cupped them together and closed his eyes. When he opened his hands, a ball of blue energy was inside. “Revelare,” he whispered to the energy in and it flew from his hands.

  The little ball of energy zipped around the Sphinx and eventually went to the front of it. It started to stretch and narrow, like someone pulling on putty. It formed a pattern on the front of the statue in the shape of a door and disappeared.

  “Good,” said Merlin. “You are progressing very well.

  “And how exactly do we open that? It looks like solid stone,” said Sebastian.

  “That,” said Merlin, “Is part of the riddle and the lesson. It’s not magically sealed,” said Merlin.

  “No reason it would be,” said Bruce. “If this was to hide Ra, logic dictates they would not have used any pre-existing passages. There could be records of those or people who knew about them and that would create risk. They would have created something new and by the time this was done, magic was gone. This is good old-fashioned mechanical ingenuity. For all we know, it might n
ot even open and could be permanently sealed expecting the Master to be able to escape magically once he awoke. Give me a sledgehammer and I’ll open it.”

  “Let’s use that as a last resort,” said Sebastian.

  Chelsea walked over and sat down in front of the statue. She stared at the wall and didn’t move or speak and closed her eyes. Everyone stared at her and after a minute she stood up and walked over to the wall. She took her sword and used the pommel as a hammer smashing the top left and right corners of the wall. As she banged each area it eventually shattered to reveal an alcove with a lever in it. She pulled the two levers simultaneously then stepped back. There was a loud rumbling noise and the wall slid down revealing a stairway descending into darkness. Merlin patted her on the shoulder.

  “Good,” you are both regaining your skills.

  They took out flashlights and Sebastian led the group down.

  “We should be cautious. The Necropolis is not a safe place,” said Merlin. “The ancient Egyptians were masters of magic and revered this site. Pharaohs were mummified here. It was very sacred and likely well protected, not only by their dead servants but other guardians.”

  Sebastian replied, “If this was constructed after magic faded I don’t think that will be an issue.”

  Merlin shook his head and sighed. “Dear boy, this passage might have been constructed after the Seal, but the Necropolis was made long before. It was already closed by the time this passage was created, true, but this passage was cut into it. It’s a back door to the Necropolis, nothing more and we must use caution. Magic is back, and Ra might not be the only thing sleeping here.”

  “I think Merlin is right about being careful,” Chelsea agreed

  They continued down the long, spiraling stairway, descending probably a thousand feet or more. Eventually, the large, winding stairway leveled out and came to a doorway. It was made of stone and was carved with a single image, that of a man with a falcon’s head. It was the ancient Egyptian depiction of Ra.

  Sebastian pushed on the door and though heavy and aged. it opened easily unlike the top door.

  I guess the builders of this stair didn’t expect it to be found,” said Mason.

  As they walked in, the lights from their flashlights revealed a cavern of some size. As they entered, their footsteps echoed into the darkness. Xavier started to take a step forward, but Bruce grabbed him.

  “Look down mate,” Bruce told him.

  He shined his light down and into darkness. The floor stopped a couple of feet in front of them and then nothing.

  “Bloody hell,” said Xavier. “Thanks.”

  Chelsea clapped her hands above her head and light spread out from them. The chamber was about fifty feet square and had a ledge of several feet along the wall they were on and the one on the opposite side but not along the edges.

  “This chamber once a guarded entrance, crossed with a bridge,” Merlin told them.

  “Whatever bridge was here is gone. I see no obvious way across,” said Sebastian.

  Mason picked up a handful of the dust covering the floor and threw it across the empty gap. Chelsea gave him an odd look.

  “In all the old cinemas there was an invisible bridge or something. Never hurts to check, right?” he said laughing.

  “There is our way across,” said Bruce pointing at a ring on the opposite wall and one on the same side they were on next to the door.

  “You’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking,” said Xavier.

  Bruce smiled. “We all went to the academy and did the same physical training and we’ve all done the rope crawls except old graybeard here. This is the same thing except if you fall here, there’s no floor a few feet below you.”

  “One other little point big guy. How exactly do you plan on getting the rope tied on both sides?” said Mason.

  “I’ll handle that,” said Sebastian.

  Chelsea stood in front of him. “NO! I know what you’re planning and you’re not doing it. Absolutely not,” she said.

  “Chelsea, I’ll be okay. I can do this,” he said.

  “If you get yourself killed, when we find each other in the next life I will kick your ass,” she said.

  He faced the ravine, closed his eyes and jumped. He felt gravity fall away and it was euphoric then he felt his momentum slow and eventually stop. He opened his eyes and turned to look at the group.

  “See honey, I told you I would be fine,” he said.

  She looked panicked. He looked down and realized he was a foot away from the ledge and floating.

  “Don’t panic,” said Merlin, “Or you’ll fall. Keep calm and relax so you,” but it was too late.

  “Oh fuck!” said Sebastian as he managed to spin around in time to grab the ledge and hung there by both hands dropping the end of the rope in the process.

  He was pulling himself up when Chelsea jumped. She didn't think of anything other than the safety of Sebastian and landed in front of him then took his hand and helped him up.

  “Thank you. I was afraid I was going to fall,” he said, and they embraced.

  “I’ll always be there to catch you,” she said, doing her best imitation of him from their trip to LA.

  “For just a second there, I was flying at the end of that jump,” he said.

  “No love, you didn’t jump. You floated off the ledge and across that ravine. You were flying the entire time. I’m the one who jumped,” she said.

  “I flew?” he said.

  “You flew,” she replied.

  “Can you two finish sucking face and get that rope up for those of us that don’t have superpowers,” said Xavier.

  Sebastian turned to them. “Throw it across,” Sebastian said.

  They tied off one end and threw the coil across and he grabbed the end as it reached him. Once the rope was securely tied off and taught, the others came across, hanging upside down and crawling hand over hand. Eventually, only Merlin was left. Merlin levitated several feet up in the air and walked across the rope as casually as someone would take a walk in a garden.

  “Show off,” said Chelsea to Merlin.

  “This is the entrance to the true Necropolis. Beyond this doorway, we enter the Egyptian temple of the dead. I have been here several times before, as a guest of Ra and I can get to the most likely area that Ra’s chamber would be in considering their layout. Be extremely cautious, Egyptian magic is nothing to scoff at and we are in the heart of their greatest power base,” Merlin told the group.

  The group walked through the doorway and found themselves in a large room. It was about the size of the one they just left. The floor in this one was also missing but walkways and bridges crossed the space here connecting multiple exits along the other three walls. The walls in this chamber were carved with reliefs showing the usual hieroglyphs that were seen in most architecture from the period with references to numerous gods, most commonly Anubis.

  “Merlin, what should we expect?” asked Sebastian.

  “This entire complex was built covering a massive chasm thousands of years before the rise of the Egyptian empire. The depths were never explored, and the old priests believed at the bottom was the entrance to Anubis’ realm. These kinds of rooms are common. They left as many rooms open as possible, so they could have more contact with their gods. Ra was among the first high priests of the Necropolis. This was where much of Egypt’s necromancy was developed and where Ra first became a great wizard. Many of the gods of old Egypt, like Ra, were powerful priests during the early days of the Necropolis and the religion built intentionally by them. If the guardians still exist, we could encounter undead of nearly every variety and stone guardians similar to golems. Oh, and don’t fall.”

  “Did you hear that?” said Xavier.

  “Hear what?” asked Mason.

  “I don’t know it sounded like something down in shadows,” Xavier replied.

  “Getting a bit jumpy? Did the old man’s stories scare you?” said Mason.

  “Do you ne
ed a hug?” laughed Bruce as he opened his arms and made a motion he was going to hug Xavier who quickly moved out of his reach.

  As they walked into the next room it was larger. Its walls were covered with the same hieroglyphs as the rest of the temple. The room itself had clay urns and casks of various sizes many of them broken open or completely shattered.

  “It looks like a storeroom of some kind. Any idea what’s in the jars Merlin?” asked Sebastian.

  “I couldn’t be certain without opening them but probably salts, honey, resins, the things they used for their rites. We could open them, but I don’t see it worth the time,” he replied.

  “Agreed. We’re not on an archaeological excursion,” Sebastian said.

  “It has been some time since I was here, but I recall much of it. This room should connect to the main Necropolis. That is where we’ll find their altars and where they practiced mummification and necromancy. Stay on your guard. I feel life within this complex,” Merlin told the group.

  Maybe you’re just sensing Ra?” said Chelsea.

  “No. It could just be the natural life of the desert around us. My powers are still in flux and sometimes things are...jumbled,” he said.

  They proceeded through the chamber and into the hallway connected to it. The hallway was lined with statues representing the pantheon of the old Egyptian mythology. The corridor was dusty and lined with heavy cobwebs they cut from their path as they progressed. They came to an exit from the hallway and it was covered with some kind of curtain.

  “This cloth should have decayed centuries ago,” said Mason.

  “We might not be alone,” Chelsea replied and pulled her sword. Merlin poked at the cloth with his staff.

  “This isn’t a piece of cloth, it’s silk but not cloth. This is a web. She can’t be...No... I’m sure there is another explanation. Let’s continue on and find another exit,” said Merlin. “I would prefer we didn’t discover what weaved that.”

  Noises could be heard down the corridor. “I heard it again, much louder. It sounded like footsteps,” said Xavier.