The Ankh of Isis: The Library of Athena, Book 2

by Christine Norris

  “When we first got here, Mr. Hemmlich was very confused,” Rachel said.

  Diedrich built up the fire and relit it while Claire and Megan helped Rachel get a drink and clean her wounds.

  The four of them sat around the fire and listened to Rachel tell her tale. “He had no idea where we were, or how we got here.”

  “Duh,” Megan said. She recalled how confused she and her friends had been when they fell onto a grassy plain in Ancient Greece.

  Rachel pulled her blanket closer around her. “I wasn’t about to tell him. He got angry and dragged me to the oasis. He’s not quite right in the head, that one.”

  “Why didn’t you try to get away then?” Diedrich asked.

  “Where was I going to go?” Rachel said with a contemptuous glance at the boy. “We were in the middle of the desert.”

  Megan patted her friend on the back. She understood Rachel’s attitude—she had every reason not to trust Diedrich right now. Megan squeezed her friend’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Rache. Does he still have his gun?”

  “My father had a gun?” Diedrich said. He gave the girls an apologetic look.

  “Yeah, he did. And he pointed it at us,” Rachel shot back. She shook her head, her face grim. “He doesn’t anymore though. It changed when we fell in here.”

  “What do you mean?” Claire asked.

  “Now it’s a nice sharp saber, good for running people through with.”

  Megan sighed, but said nothing about being right about the gun. This sucks. Big time.

  Rachel went on. “Once we got to the oasis, he read the book and he figured it all out—he’s horribly bright. He found the first clue, and we were off. He didn’t know that if he just went on ahead and found the ankh I would be stuck in here. Again, I wasn’t about to tell him.”

  Claire said. “Good thing too.”

  “Right. I let him think his threatening me was the worst that could happen, and I went with him. I decided I’d try and get away later, maybe find the ankh myself.”

  “Way to go,” Megan said.

  “We rode for hours, through the desert to the sea, then along the shore. Right past here, actually. Finally he stopped at another fishing village about, oh, I don’t know how far from here. Walking distance, that’s for sure. Unlike this one, it has people. He talked to someone, a man at one of the homes. He speaks the native tongue, by the way.”

  “Of course he does,” Diedrich said. “He is fluent.”

  Rachel ignored him. “He got a family to put us up for the night. He tied me up.” She imitated Josef Hemmlich’s voice, “‘I don’t want you running off on me.’ I tried the whole lost-little-girl act, told him I wouldn’t dare run away, but he didn’t buy it. Not only is he a loony, he’s also a bit paranoid.”

  “Well, you did run off, didn’t you?” Megan said. “It’s not paranoia if it’s true.”

  Rachel gave a cheerless laugh. “I guess so. Won’t he be surprised when he wakes up.”

  Megan gave Rachel another squeeze and a broad smile. “Come on, Rache, lighten up. You’re safe now and we’re all together.”

  Rachel returned the smile, but it was pained. She stared into the fire. “It took me almost all night, but I managed to pull out of the ropes. I just took off, didn’t pay much attention to which way I was going, and I recognized this place. Lucky for me, you were here.”

  She put her chin on her knees. “He’s headed toward someplace called—”

  “Byblos,” Diedrich finished. “Yeah, we know.”

  “What he’s looking for once he gets there I don’t know.” Rachel tipped over and lay down next to the fire with a gigantic yawn. “Something about some moldy old god named…”

  She was asleep. Megan adjusted the blanket to make sure Rachel was covered. “We should stand watch for the rest of the night. No telling who else is out there, or if Hemmlich will come to look for Rachel.”

  “I’ll do it,” Diedrich said. “You girls go to sleep, but don’t get too comfortable. If we leave before dawn, maybe we’ll be able to catch my father.” He looked at his feet. “I am sorry for what he did to your friend. Really. And when we find him I’m going to tell him just what I think of him. Meg, you do trust me, right?”

  Megan looked into his eyes. The last rays of moonlight that glinted through the window made them an even paler blue. “It’s not your fault, I know that. Yes, I do trust you. Give Rachel some time, and she’ll come around.” Megan curled up next to her friends and listened to the fire crackle. Her eyelids were heavy, she was warm and…

  “Megan, wake up.”

  She pulled the blanket up over her nose. “Uh-uh. Just five more minutes.”

  She felt hot breath in her ear. “No, come on, we have to go,” Diedrich whispered. “I let you sleep as long as possible.”

  Megan sat up. The fire had long since gone out, and the air was chilly. The sky above her was a still deep blue, but the stars were dim, almost gone. Morning would be here soon.

  “Is there anything to eat?” she asked hopefully. She knew there wasn’t, but it never hurt to ask, especially when her stomach felt like it was collapsing in on itself.

  “Sorry, no,” Diedrich replied. “But we’ll find something soon. The next village, maybe.”

  Megan walked into the compound, behind the well building, and into the smallest of the sandy-colored structures. Inside was a privy. Three deep, wood-capped holes were cut into a waist-high bench made of the same material as the walls. It looked very much like a modern-day portable toilet. She flipped up the lip over the one in the center and got ready to hold her breath. To her surprise, the hole smelled sweet, like lavender. She did her business and joined her friends.

  The camels were ready. Diedrich and Claire had filled some of the gourd canteens and tied them to the saddles.

  “Rache, wanna ride with me?” Megan said.

  “Uh, I don’t know,” Rachel teased, apparently in a much better mood. “Last time I rode with you we wound up forty feet in the air. Fighting a sea monster.”

  Megan laughed. That was the Rachel she knew. “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem this time, unless this camel has wings hidden somewhere.”

  Safely secured in the saddle behind Megan, Rachel guided them along the route she and Josef Hemmlich took the previous day. They followed the sea, walking toward the rim of coral and pink that highlighted the horizon as the sun rose.

  Soon Rachel directed them away from the water, and onto a wide, hard-packed road. On their right, the desert turned to wheat and bean fields. A cool breeze blew over them from the sea, even as the sun peeked up from the hills and put its heat into the day.

  They were only a few miles from the abandoned huts when they arrived at the outskirts of the village. Megan looked up and down the street. The little town was still asleep—not a single fisherman was out, not a baby cried.

  Creepy. I guess these people weren’t written to get up early. The three camels stood abreast of each other. They nearly blocked the road.

  “Which house did you and my father stay in?” Diedrich asked Rachel.

  She pointed to the largest house on the street. It wasn’t just a house, it was a small complex. The house was two-stories tall, made of stone blocks covered in white stucco. The stucco had chipped in places, showing the block and mortar beneath. A long wooden roof, apart from the house—perhaps a barn or stable—was just visible over the top of the eight-foot-high wall that surrounded the property. They rode toward the wooden front gate.

  “Should we knock?” Claire said.

  Diedrich shook his head. “I don’t want to alert my father to our presence. If he woke up early and found Rachel gone, we may already be too late.”

  “But he doesn’t know that you, Claire and I are here in the book,” Megan said.

  “Still, I don’t want to take a chance.” Diedrich pulled his camel alongside the wall. “My father isn’t stupid. I think he’d expect Rachel’s friends to come after her.” He handed the reins t
o Megan, stood up in the saddle and leaned over the top of the wall to look inside.

  “Coast’s clear. Wait here.” With one swift move, Diedrich vaulted over and disappeared.

  Megan sighed. He’s so awesome. Better than a movie hero. She shook the thought from her head. Ugh, come on, Megan, focus. We have to get through this in one piece first. She knew that, in this world, distraction could end up being very costly.

  A moment later, there was the sound of a bolt being slid back, and Diedrich appeared from between the gate’s doors and beckoned the girls inside.

  The large, open yard held several animals—more camels, plus sheep, cows and horses. Ducks sat on the ground, still asleep, their beaks tucked beneath their wings. There were also several well-tended gardens in block-walled beds. Desert flowers bloomed, yucca and flowering cactus, along with sandalwood and jasmine.

  “We’re not just going to walk in the front door, are we?” Claire said. “It’s terribly rude.”

  Megan left her friends in the yard and walked toward the back of the house. She followed her nose—something smelled delicious. Her stomach agreed.

  “Come on, this way,” she whispered.

  Megan found the source of the scent—it floated through a back window. She peeked inside. Two women, both with dark straight hair and skin the color of milk chocolate stood in a room filled with food. Herbs hung from the ceiling, fruit was piled in baskets and bronze bowls. One of the women cut up vegetables and put them into a pot that sat over a fire pit in the center of the room, while the other kneaded dough into round flat loaves. She took several of the unbaked rounds and carried them toward the door.

  Megan, her mouth watering, shuffled backward. “Someone’s coming.”

  Chapter Eleven: Byblos

  The four of them pressed themselves into the shadows, against the wall of the house. The woman with the unbaked bread walked right past and straight to a clay oven that sat at the other end of the yard. She laid the loaves of bread on a flat wooden paddle with a long handle. It was just like the ones Megan had seen the pizza makers in New York use to get the pizzas in and out of the oven. She slid the bread inside and turned back to the house.

  She caught sight of Megan and her friends, and jumped. “Oh!” She put a hand to her mouth, and her eyes grew wide. “Who are you?”

  Megan’s mind raced as she tried to think of something to tell the woman before she alerted the rest of the house.

  Claire stepped forward. “We are friends of the man you took in last night. We are supposed to meet him this morning. Is he still here?”

  “Good thinking,” Rachel muttered.

  Thank goodness for Claire, Megan thought.

  The woman nodded. Recognition flicked across her face as her gaze fell on Rachel. “He is still asleep. I will show you.” She walked through the door and into the kitchen.

  “It’s a good thing she doesn’t speak Ancient Egyptian, or Heratic,” Diedrich said. “Or we’d be in trouble.”

  “You read that clue okay,” Megan said.

  “Yeah, I can read, but I can’t speak it.”

  “Sir Gregory wrote the stories in English,” Claire said. “Just like in the Crown of Zeus, everyone in here speaks English as well as their native tongue. I guess Josef didn’t figure that part out.”

  “Or he just wanted to show off,” Rachel muttered.

  They crossed the kitchen, and Megan reached out and snatched an apple. It was better than nothing. The woman led them down a dark, narrow hall that emptied into a large room furnished with backless wooden chairs, large pillows and brightly colored woven rugs.

  Their guide stopped at the bottom of a flight of rough wooden steps; they looked more like a ladder set on an angle. “Upstairs.” She pointed to the second floor. “Your friend is in the last room on the left.”

  “Thank you,” Megan said, the stolen apple behind her back. The woman gave a small bow and retreated to the kitchen.

  “I’ll go first, keep him off his guard,” Rachel said. “If he hasn’t woken up, he won’t know I ever left.”

  “And if he did?” Megan asked.

  Rachel shrugged. “He’ll be surprised I came back, but it won’t be as much a surprise as if you all just pop in on him.”

  “Are you sure you want to go up there by yourself?” Megan said. “He’s dangerous.”

  Rachel thrust out her chin and gave a brave but unconvincing smile. “It’s the best way. You guys stay here. I’ll let you know when to come up.”

  Megan hugged her best friend. “You be careful.”

  Rachel took a deep breath and carefully climbed the stairs.

  “Do you think she’ll be all right?” Claire asked.

  Megan bit her lower lip. “I hope so.” Her insides twisted into a knot. Rachel was tough, but she had been through quite a bit already. She didn’t have a bottomless capacity to deal with stress. I shouldn’t worry. She knows to expect the unexpected in here. She’ll be all right. She’ll be all right…

  Rachel had barely disappeared down the upper hallway when she called to them.

  “Megan, Claire, get up here. Now!”

  All three bolted up the stairs, Megan in the lead. Rachel stood in the room at the end of the hall. There was a crude wooden bed with a straw-filled mattress in one corner, and a small wooden table with an oil lamp. That was all.

  “Where is he?” Diedrich said.

  Rachel shook her head. “He’s gone.”

  Megan walked across the room to the one and only window. Below her was the roof of the first floor. It was flat and formed a sort of balcony. She looked across and down into the back yard. Someone ran around the corner, just out of her vision. A tall someone with dark hair.

  “He’s down there. He must have heard us—he jumped out the window.”

  They ran downstairs and out the front door just in time to see Josef Hemmlich mount his camel and race through the front gate. He looked over his shoulder—his face registered surprise, and then his mouth curled into a wicked sneer.

  “Fools! You shouldn’t have followed me. The ankh is mine!”

  “Come on, we’ve got to catch him,” Megan said. She went to her camel and hoisted herself into the saddle. Claire and Rachel were right behind her, but Diedrich didn’t move.

  “What’s the matter? Why aren’t you coming?” Megan said, impatient. “We have to go now or he’ll get to the next clue before us.”

  “He wants his dad to get away,” Rachel said. “I told you.”

  Megan looked from Diedrich to Rachel. “Don’t be dumb, he doesn’t want to get stuck in here.” She turned to the boy, her heart in her mouth. “Do you, Diedrich?”

  Diedrich still made no attempt to follow his father. “Of course I don’t. But maybe there’s a better way.” He turned on his heel and walked back into the house.

  The boat rocked gently as it cruised through the water. Megan watched a heron swoop and dive, until he finally came up with a large fish in his beak and flew away. She hugged the soft cloth bag that held The Book of the Dead closer to her chest.

  Diedrich’s idea was brilliant. Back in the courtyard of the house, to the girls’ amazement, he had left the gate behind and knocked on the door. The same woman who had shown them upstairs answered. Diedrich spoke with her briefly, and she fetched the lady of the house. The mistress, a beautiful Egyptian woman in her midthirties, showed the four of them into the front room. She returned a few moments later with her husband, who took one look at Diedrich, then at the girls, and beamed. At his word, the house became a flurry of activity—food and drinks were brought and placed before the visitors, who were seated on the finest of the floor cushions. Diedrich was given what was certainly the master’s own carved chair.

  Megan wondered why they were being so well cared for; after all, they were strangers. But she didn’t argue as she ransacked the huge breakfast of bread, hummus, dried fish and fruit the servants set in front of them.

  “You honor me with your hospitality,” Died
rich said. He took a sip of the strong tea the servants poured into thrown clay cups.

  The man, named Hepu, sat in the only other chair. His wife, Meryet, sat at his feet on another floor cushion, watching them with a curious gaze.

  “You honor me and my house with your presence,” Hepu said. “If you don’t mind, I would ask the purpose of your visit?”

  Diedrich nodded. “I have a simple request. I am looking for passage to Byblos by boat. We’ve an appointment there and I’m afraid we’re terribly behind schedule. A boat ride would ensure we don’t miss him.”

  Hepu wiped his mouth on a piece of cloth. “Certainly. I have several boats that may take you this very morning.”

  Diedrich looked at the man. “Of course, we can pay.”

  The man looked uncomfortable. “I would not ask you for anything. An esteemed man, such as you, is welcome to all that I have.”

  Megan looked at the man curiously. What did he mean? Why did he think Diedrich was a man of “esteem”? Diedrich was right, though, they should at least try to pay their way. She pulled two of the gold bangle bracelets from her arm and handed them to the man. “Please, take them. It’s only fair that we give you something besides camels.”

  Hepu looked at the bracelets, then at Diedrich, who gave a slight nod. Hepu reached out and took them with a small bow and a thin smile.

  Diedrich folded his hands in his lap. “As she has already mentioned, the three camels we came on are also yours. For your hospitality.”

  Hepu bowed his head again. “Most generous. May the gods grant many blessings to you on your journey.”

  Diedrich finished his meal and stood. He looked at the girls. “We had better go now if we want to, uh, keep our appointment.”

  They followed their host through the village and down to the water and into the strangest boat Megan had ever seen. It was long, low to the water and crescent-shaped, with a single mast and one rhomboid-shaped sail in the center. It also had four oars, each manned by a dark-skinned, bare-chested native. The vessel was made of nothing but bundled reeds.