by Overton, Max
"If we return to Luxor," Marc muttered.
Nick looked sidelong at Dani and cleared his throat. "I say, I couldn't have a look at this golden scarab, could I? I've heard so much about it, don't you know?"
Dani took the artefact out of her pocket and held it in the flat of her palm. Any semblance it might have once had for a lump of sandstone was gone, its lithic nature replaced by the rich gleam of pure gold, carved and fashioned into the shape of the sacred scarab beetle.
"By George! No wonder you wanted it back," Nick said. "It's bloody marvellous."
"That's what I think every time I see it," Marc said.
"Amen to that, boyo."
Nazim stared at the object with naked wonder written on his face, while Bashir involuntarily reached out to take it, avarice and envy twisting his features. "Colonel Sarraj wants it," Bashir said, "But I have persuaded him there will be plenty of other valuable artefacts in the tomb."
"You expect us to thank you?" Marc muttered.
"By rights, that artefact is subject to Egyptian laws," Dr Maroun said.
"It wasn't found in Egypt," Daffyd pointed out.
"Even so, it is obviously of Egyptian manufacture."
"It belongs in a museum," Zewali added.
Dani's fingers closed over the golden scarab and she thrust it back in her pocket. "It was given to Scarab and entrusted to me. I could not give it up unless the gods tell me to."
"You surely do not believe these gods are real?" Zewali asked. "We both belong to monotheistic faiths. There is no room for other gods. The ancient Egyptians worshipped forces of nature, not spiritual beings, in ignorance of reality."
"You say that after seeing Marc resurrected and healed?" Daffyd asked.
"I cannot deny the possibilities of a miracle," Zewali replied, "Both our religions recognise the presence of God in everyday life, but it may be something as simple as Marc not really being dead. None of us are medical doctors; perhaps we were mistaken in our diagnosis. Marc was unconscious certainly, maybe even on the borders of mortality, but to return from actual death? I do not wish to offend, Dr Hanser, but as a scientist, the simplest solution is most often correct."
"No offence taken, Dr Zewali," Dani said. "You admit the possibility of a miracle, but if so, by which god? The Muslim Allah is surely the same god as the Jewish Yahweh and the Christian God..." She saw Zewali nod agreement. "...who are worshipped in different ways, so perhaps we could argue that the many gods of Egypt, also worshipped in different ways, were all aspects of the One God. Who is to say that Asar and Geb, Set and Nut, and all the others were not just parts of the Whole, worshipped individually by people not yet ready for a single deity?"
"An interesting argument," Zewali said. "Perhaps we might continue it in more salubrious surroundings after our return to Luxor. I would welcome the opportunity to study the scarab too."
"If we return to Luxor at all," Marc said gloomily. "Do you really think that mad colonel is going to let us live?"
"The scarab can protect us," Dani murmured.
"I wouldn't rely too heavily on it," Daffyd cautioned. "There might be limits to its efficacy. There are six of us...seven if you include Nazim..."
"Thank you, Dr Rhys-Williams."
"...and eight if you include Muammar."
"Where is he anyway?" Marc queried. "I haven't seen him since I...er, woke up. He's alright isn't he?"
"He ran off," Bashir sneered. "First sign of trouble and he ran into the desert. He's probably dead by now."
"Don't you believe it," Daffyd said. "He wouldn't desert his friends. He's probably out there now, looking for a way to help us."
Dani stared toward the east, toward the jumble of stony and sandy desert that lay between the green mountain and the ruined pylon of Khepri. "He's alive," she murmured. "Alive and out there, but not close."
"As long as he's safe," Marc said.
Toward midday, Sarraj returned to the foot of the hill, allowing Captain Massri to bring his men down for a meal and a rest in the heat of the day. Over coffee, the colonel sat with Massri and Bashir, discussing the next move. He allowed the others to listen, though discouraged their participation.
"There is a passageway, a tunnel, reaching back into the hill, rough-hewn and filled with rubble," Massri reported. "We have been able to remove the loose debris, but we have encountered tightly packed blocks that are jammed in. Crowbars will remove it, but because of the confined space, only two men can work at the same time. The work is slow and arduous, as well as hot, so..."
"So I have decided to use explosives," Sarraj finished.
"You can't do that!" Dr Zewali leapt to his feet in agitation. "It would be criminally irresponsible to blow open a tomb with explosives. You could destroy everything you came to find."
"Gold would survive though, wouldn't it?" Bashir asked.
"I'm not even going to acknowledge such a boorish question," Zewali said. "Colonel Sarraj, I appeal to you. Forget such a terrible idea and turn this excavation over to the Department of Antiquities. You could still be hailed as one of the discoverers of an unknown tomb, rather than be vilified as its desecrator."
Sarraj drew on his cigarette with an expression of amusement on his face. "My dear Zewali, or whoever you are, I have no intention of blowing apart a tomb, should there be one. The destruction of valuable objects would be a foolish waste when curios fetch such a high price on the black market. We are merely clearing a tunnel of debris--debris that has no archaeological significance. That is hardly a crime."
"How do you know it lacks significance?" Zewali demanded. "Are you an expert?"
"I am an expert in my own field, and I do not care what you think. I am going to blow open that passage, and if there happens to be a tomb at the end of it, I may let you examine it. Now sit down and cease your irrelevant chatter or I will have you gagged."
"Perhaps Dr Hanser and Dr Zewali could examine the debris excavated from the passage," Bashir suggested. "It would give them something to do--keep them out of mischief--and they may even discover something of interest."
"Amongst the rubble? I doubt it." Sarraj considered the request for a few moments and shrugged. "It is all one to me, as long as they don't bother me."
Zewali and Dani led the others over to the heap of rubble at the base of the hill and started sifting through the blocks. As they had suspected, it was mostly plain sandstone and limestone chunks, but a few of them were roughly trimmed, and Maroun pointed to one that he swore had been fashioned with a copper chisel.
"It is as I thought," Zewali fumed. "That is not just rubble filler. This block was fashioned for a specific purpose. I need to see inside that tunnel."
The soldiers had swarmed up the hill again as the heat leached from the day, and Massri carefully carried what looked like a stick of dynamite into the cave. He emerged after quarter of an hour and made sure everyone moved to a safe distance before detonating it. There was a muffled thump, the rock beneath them trembled and dust and rock fragments blasted out of the cave like an old cannon going off. When the dust settled, the men moved in again with picks and shovels, clearing away the loose debris and tumbling more rocks down the slope.
"Damn philistines," Daffyd muttered.
"Criminals," Zewali muttered. He picked up a rock that had been fashioned at one end, though the explosion had cleaved through the grain leaving fresh, unweathered rock in view. "Where was this rock, I ask you? Was it a fragment of wall? I need to see the rubble in place before they start destroying it."
Massri moved everyone away again, and another explosion shook the late afternoon air, jetting more dust from the cave mouth. More rubble was tipped down the hillside and the scientists moved in to examine it. The nature of the rock changed, becoming fine-grained sandstone and siltstone mixed in with other debris. Daffyd picked up a crumbling piece and studied it in the fading light.
"There's some vegetable matter in this piece," he exclaimed.
Dani peered over his shoulder. "You're
right, Dafs. It looks like straw."
Zewali almost snatched the piece from Daffyd. "It's mud brick," he howled. "Those idiots have smashed right through into the tomb." He turned and started scrambling up the slope down which fragments of debris were still tumbling.
Dani climbed after him, with her friends on her heels, shouting to Massri to halt operations. The captain appeared in the cave mouth with Sarraj just behind him. Sarraj took one look at the irate archaeologist and pulled his gun out.
"That's far enough, Zewali. The rest of you too."
Zewali was breathing hard after the climb. He waved the piece of brick at Sarraj and spoke as forcefully as he could. "You unmitigated fool. I'll have your commission for this when I've finished with you. You've blasted into the tomb, destroying who knows how many priceless objects. This is a piece of mud brick--part of the wall that sealed off the tomb. Your actions are criminal, Colonel, and I will be bringing the full weight of the law down on you."
Massri attempted to cool the scientist down, watching his gun-wielding commander nervously from the corner of his eye. "Come now, Dr Zewali. It is premature to be laying blame when we don't know the effect of the latest blast. We'll let the dust settle and examine the tunnel most carefully before attempting any more explosions. In the meantime, why don't we all descend to camp and..."
"I insist on inspecting the tunnel," Zewali declared. "Dr Maroun and I will conduct a thorough examination and only then..."
Sarraj lifted his gun and pulled the trigger, loosing off a shot above their heads. The report shattered the still air and everybody stared up at the figures around the cave mouth. "The next shot goes into your chest," the colonel snarled. "I am in charge here and I will not be dictated to. You are my prisoners, not my colleagues."
"Of course, Colonel," Dani said quietly, "But may I ask you to consider a very important point? You are attempting to break into an undiscovered tomb which you hope is filled with treasure, but you are taking a sledgehammer approach when a gentle one is called for. Daffyd, Marc and I are trained archaeologists and Dr Zewali and Dr Maroun are experts in ancient Egyptian tombs. Doesn't it make sense to use every asset at your disposal? Let us examine the shaft for you. It's possible you won't need any more explosive." She looked at the jumping muscle in Sarraj's jaw and paused, willing him to calm down. "It is your choice, Colonel Sarraj. Nobody is trying to make you do anything. I'm only offering advice."
Dr Maroun nodded his agreement. "Nothing is gained by letting emotion rule us. Surely we can reason out a proper response to whatever lies in that shaft. It is in no one's interest to destroy valuable artefacts."
Sarraj allowed himself to be talked around, and everybody went down to the camp, leaving two soldiers on guard at the cave mouth. Dusk fell swiftly, and with it the temperature, the heat vanishing from the air and rocks, leaving them shivering until fires could be built up and hot food prepared. When everyone had eaten and food and coffee taken up to the guards on the ledge, Sarraj came across to where the scientists sat, with Massri, Bashir and Nazim in attendance.
"I have decided to let you examine the tunnel in the morning."
"All of us?" Dani asked.
"Why not? You may regard yourselves as acting in an advisory capacity."
"Does this mean you accept I am director of the museum?" Zewali asked.
"Let's just say I am giving you the benefit of the doubt for now," Sarraj said. "I still intend to investigate your credentials when we return to Luxor."
The military men walked off, Bashir in attendance, but Nazim remained behind for a few moments. He looked nervously in the direction of the colonel and lowered his voice.
"Please be careful, Dr Hanser. Colonel Sarraj is not to be trusted."
"Has he said something?"
"Not in my hearing, but the Minister seeks the tomb solely for the gold and Sarraj is his friend. I believe his motive is the same. Unscrupulous men are dangerous men."
When Nazim departed, Dani discussed what he had said with the others. None of them were particularly surprised at his disclosures and regarded both Bashir and Sarraj with intense suspicion. Zewali shrugged and went to sleep, advising everyone to do likewise.
"There's no point discussing anything as we know nothing about what's up there. We'll find out in the morning."
Dani and Daffyd remained awake; shivering in their blankets near the fire as the residual heat of the day vanished, plunging the area around the green mountain into a frigid calm.
"I knew it got cold in the desert at n...night," Daffyd said, his teeth on the verge of chattering, "But I didn't think it got this bad. Look, you can even...even see my breath."
The noise of the camp died down. They heard the challenge and reply as the guards at the cave were relieved, and then the camp settled down to sleep. After a time, Dani and Daffyd dozed, leaning against one another. The cold air was very still and the sounds of the desert were magnified, bringing them awake as rocks cracked in the cold or soldiers groaned or snored in their sleep. Normal desert sounds were absent, the scrabbling of scorpions and mice across rocks, or the soft susurration of an owl's wings. Once, they heard the distant screech of a hunting owl, but nothing came near the green mountain and its encamped men.
In the early hours of the morning, a scream brought the camp awake. People sat upright or stood, clutching rifles, unsure whether the sound had beaten upon their collective eardrums or was merely the product of some nightmare plaguing twenty people at once. The scream came again a few moments later, and people shouted or cried out at the shock of it. Everyone was up on their feet, Captain Massri shouting for lights as the men babbled, talking excitedly, and trying to pinpoint the source of the cry.
"What the hell was that?" Marc asked.
"A jackal, maybe," Daffyd said. "Or an owl."
"That was a human being," Zewali stated. "In extremis ."
"Where? Who?" Nick asked.
Nobody answered him, and the scream was not repeated. They waited, the minutes slipping past, waiting for something to happen, and when nothing did, they slowly relaxed.
"I say," Nick murmured. "Have you noticed how it's got warmer?"
"Odd," Daffyd said. "I'd expect it to get colder toward dawn. Maybe the wind has changed direction."
"What wind?" Marc asked.
The men settled back into an uneasy sleep, but were shocked awake again just before dawn when two men climbed the hill to relieve the guard on the cave.
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Chapter Thirty-Nine
"Captain! Captain! They are dead. Come quickly."
The shout brought everyone awake again and sent Sarraj and Massri scrambling up the hill with the remaining half dozen soldiers on their heels, any semblance of military discipline vanishing in the grey light. Bashir and Nazim, left alone in their camp, moved across to where the scientists stood, seeking comfort in the face of the shocking revelation.
"It's Muammar," Marc murmured. "I'm sure of it. I knew he wouldn't leave us in the lurch."
"If it is, I'm disturbed that he could kill two men in cold blood," Dani said.
"We don't know what's happened," Daffyd said. "I suggest we don't speculate until we know more."
They did not have long to wait. As the eastern sky flushed pink in anticipation of the new day, Sarraj came down the hill and strode across to them. Behind him, Massri had organised the soldiers, having them bring the two bodies into the camp.
"What happened, Colonel?" Zewali asked.
"Two of my men are dead, and I must assume it is one of you. Or else the man who ran away."
"How did they die?" Daffyd asked.
"That has not been determined," Sarraj said. "You are all confined to the camp. If you attempt to leave it, for any reason, I will have you shot."
A little later, as the sun rose, Captain Massri came to see them, his face troubled. "The guards apparently died of heart failure," he said. "However, two men dying together within moments of each other
is highly unusual. There is not a mark upon them, though their faces are contorted as if in great pain."
"Or fright?" Dani asked.
"Possibly. What do you know?"
"When Marc returned from the borders of death, he spoke of a Guardian. If a spirit guards the tomb, how will he guard it, not being physical?"
"By frightening them."
Dani nodded. "Some men would flee a terror while others, under orders to remain at their posts, took the only way out they could." She looked across to where Sarraj was deep in conversation with Bashir. "What will you do now, Captain? More to the point, what will Colonel Sarraj do?"
"If it were up to me, I would leave this place," Massri said. "I believe the Colonel will stay however. He seems driven to find this tomb."
"Yes, he intends to plunder it of its treasures," Zewali said. "Naturally, when he does this he can leave no witnesses behind to accuse him of his crimes. What will you do then, Captain Massri?"
The troubled look on the captain's face deepened. "I cannot believe Colonel Sarraj could do such a thing. He is not a criminal."
"He already is," Dani said. "He tortured Dr Rhys-Williams to extract information from him and now he employs explosives to blow open a tomb in direct contravention of Egyptian laws."
"And he knows that if we are allowed to return to Luxor, we will report his infractions to his superiors and the Minister of Antiquities," Zewali added. "Those threats are nullified if we do not return, so I repeat, what will you do then, Captain Massri? Will our lives be on your conscience too?"
"I must think on this."
"Don't take too long, boyo," Daffyd murmured.
Sarraj sent armed men back into the cave, though the soldiers' reluctance was obvious. They found nothing and returned quickly, glad to be out in the sunshine again. He stamped across to Dani and Zewali again, and ordered them up to the cave.
"All of us, I trust?" Dani said.
Sarraj scowled. "If you must, though I fail to see what use a reporter can be."
Nick sniffed, but kept his eyes averted, not wanting to provoke the colonel into refusing him permission.