ABACUS

by Chris McGowan

  “Let’s check it out,” said Kate. She was no longer whispering because the guide, probably out of respect for their privacy, had disappeared.

  “That’s Anubis, the jackal guy,” she said, recognizing the god of the dead. “But what’s he doing with that set of scales?”

  “He’s weighing the dead person’s heart against a feather. The feather represents the truth, and it’s a test to see whether the person lived a truthful life. This is his day of judgment.”

  “What about that ugly looking thing crouched beneath the scales? It looks like some sort of crocodile monster.”

  “That’s exactly what it is,” said AP. “If the person fails the test it chomps down their heart. Then they can’t go to the afterlife.”

  Kate noticed four large containers in front of the sarcophagus. Made of stone, they had carved animal heads for stoppers. “What are they?”

  “Canopic jars. They contain the organs removed from the body.”

  Kate groaned. “It’s all so spooky,” she said, watching the shadows flickering on the walls. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Turning their backs on the painting and the sarcophagus, they started groping their way back toward the shaft.

  “I’ll go first,” said AP, taking the lead. “I’ll feel my way. Just stick close behind me.”

  Kate never saw the bony hands that reached out from the shadows. Grabbing her from behind, they dragged her down. She would have screamed, except one of the hands was clamped tightly across her mouth. Her legs were still free though, and the scuffling of her feet on the stone floor alerted her brother.

  “Kate!” he shouted. “What’s happening?”

  “Stay just where you are!” snapped a voice from somewhere near the sarcophagus. “Do as I tell you and your sister will be safe.” AP immediately recognized the voice.

  “Let her go!” shouted AP, trying to sound intimidating. “She’s done nothing to you.”

  “Oh, but I think she has,” the voice replied calmly. “If I’m not mistaken, she has my chronoverser.”

  “No she doesn’t!” yelled AP defiantly. “I’ve got it. And if you want it back you’ll have to come and get it!”

  “You’re lying,” replied Snakebite, still sounding relaxed. “I’ve already checked you over, and the house where you’re staying. I didn’t find it, did I?” He chuckled. “No, I’m quite sure your big sister has it, probably around her neck. Let’s just see.” The struggling sounds became frantic.

  “Here’s proof I have it,” shouted AP. “Look!”

  While Snakebite had been holding his sister, AP had pulled the abacus from his kilt and tied it to a chair. He now pressed the white button, illuminating the screen with the world map.

  That got Snakebite’s attention! AP then ducked behind an ebony cabinet and started feeling his way back toward the sarcophagus—he didn’t have far to go.

  “Stay where you are and do not let go of the chronoverser. Remember, I have your sister.” Snakebite’s disembodied voice sounded quietly menacing. Then, turning to Kate, he hissed, “If you ever want to see your brother again, stay where you are and be quiet. Understood?”

  Kate nodded, and her attacker was gone.

  Laying on the cold hard floor, eyes and ears straining into the gloom, she could hear Snakebite’s footsteps—and his curses as he bumped into things. Then everything went deathly quiet. All she could hear was her own breathing.

  Several things then happened in rapid succession. There was a dull thud and a loud groan, followed by a crash and the sound of breaking pottery. Moments later the air was filled with the most disgusting smell.

  “Come on, Kate!” shouted AP, grabbing her hand. “Let’s get out of here.”

  The bottom of the staircase was in complete darkness, so they had to grope on all fours to find the first step. Kate kept glancing over her shoulder, expecting to see Snakebite, but all she saw was blackness.

  “We’ll never find our way out of here,” she whimpered. “He’s going to get us!”

  “No he won’t,” said AP resolutely.

  Then he found the first step and they threw themselves up the stairs.

  Half a minute later they were standing in the courtyard, panting and blinking in the sunlight.

  In their absence, the servants had set out a magnificent buffet. Everyone was too busy feasting to notice their belated arrival—everyone, that is, except Kate’s bodyguard. He looked enormously relieved.

  “That was close,” said AP, still breathing heavily. After explaining what he had done with the abacus, he said what happened next. “When he told you to stay where you were I was already beside the sarcophagus, and fully armed. So, as soon as he made his way toward the abacus, I let him have it from behind!”

  “What was that terrible smell?”

  “Maybe an over-ripe intestine. I hit him with one of the canopic jars, and it smashed onto the floor.” He paused. “Let’s get some food, I’m starving.”

  “I’ve just lost my appetite.”

  As AP gorged and Kate picked halfheartedly, their conversation changed from their tomb ordeal to the events of the day.

  “This is amazing,” said Kate, looking around. “The ancient Egyptians seem to spend more time building tombs and planning for the afterlife than thinking about the present.”

  “I know what you mean,” said AP, taking another helping of roast duck. “And while most people live in simple mud-brick homes, their temples are colossal buildings made from stone. We’ve seen only a few of them too—you can imagine the temples and pyramids the pharaohs built for themselves.”

  “Ramesses is always talking about his tomb,” said Kate. She was about to continue when she noticed some activity around the tomb. “What’s going on over there?”

  Gangs of workers were hauling baskets of rock toward the courtyard.

  “They’re going to fill in the shaft,” AP explained. “Once it’s full of rocks and

  rubble they’ll cover it over with blocks of stone.”

  “Why go to all that trouble?”

  “To stop the tomb robbers.”

  “People rob the tombs?”

  “Big time. Think of all the valuables rich people have buried with them—or the treasures of a pharaoh.”

  “Wouldn’t robbers be too afraid of being caught? Imagine what the officials would do to someone who robbed a pharaoh’s tomb.”

  AP smiled. “Most of the officials are involved themselves. The robbers pay them to look the other way.”

  “I thought a pharaoh’s tomb had all sorts of secret passages so nobody knew where he was buried.”

  “The robbers are usually the ones who help build the tombs!”

  “What a scam!”

  “That’s why so few treasures have ever been found. There are King Tut’s treasures—they’re really impressive and he was only a minor king. Imagine what your friend Ramesses is going to leave in his tomb.”

  Then AP had a terrible thought. “The shaft!” he gasped. “What if Snakebite didn’t get out?”

  “He had plenty of time—at least an hour before they started filling it in. I’m sure he got out, unfortunately!”

  “Unfortunately? I don’t like him any more than you do, but I wouldn’t want to be responsible for his—”

  Kate didn’t let him finish. “Listen to me AP, what happened down there was entirely his fault. He attacked us, remember? Someone like that deserves everything that’s coming to him. But I bet you all the gold in Egypt that he slithered out in time to save his miserable skin.”

  Chapter 33: Fleeing the Pharaoh

  I can hardly disappear, just like that,” protested AP as they headed down toward the waiting boats. “They’ve been so nice to me, they treat me like one of the family. I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye.”

  “There’s no choice. You have to come and stay with me. Look at the facts. Snakebite knows you have the abacus and he’s going to come after you. He’s probably somewhere in that crowd ri
ght now, following us.”

  “If he got out.”

  “You can count on it!”

  “So I’ll be extra careful from now on and won’t go anywhere alone. I’ll tag along with Nekhti.”

  “And how’s he going to help if Snakebite decides to attack you?”

  “He’s taller and stronger than me.”

  “Big deal. So now you’ve got your own bodyguard, only he’s a kid.”

  “I know judo.”

  “Get real, AP. You might be able to toss your little buddies around at your judo club, but this is a full-grown man. All the time you’re with me, you’ve got the protection of a real bodyguard. And when I’m not around, you’ll be safe inside a home that’s built like a fortress. End of discussion.”

  * * *

  AP had been living at Tamit’s house for several days. Aside from one trip to the countryside with Kate, he had not set a foot outdoors since the funeral. On the plus side, his new home was luxurious and he had his own room, close to Kate’s. Regardless, without any projects to work on, and with nowhere to go, he was bored.

  All that changed on the evening of the fifth day. Kate had been at the Pharaoh’s palace since early afternoon—she seemed to spend most of her time there these days—and had not retuned before her brother went to bed.

  AP was sound asleep. Suddenly his door slowly opened and then closed. Someone was in his room. The next instant he was wide awake.

  “It’s you!” he whispered, sitting bolt upright. “You scared me.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry for waking you…I just…I…” Kate’s voice was quaking.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “We’ve got to get out of here.”

  “Right now?”

  “No, not tonight, but as soon as we can.”

  “What’s happened?” asked AP. “Does it have anything to do with the Pharaoh?”

  “It has everything to do with the Pharaoh.” She took a deep breath. “He wants to make me one of his wives.”

  “One of his wives?” AP was as stunned at the thought his sister was old enough to get married as he was with the idea that the Pharaoh had asked her. “How many wives does he have?”

  “Two principal ones—he married them when he was fifteen—and many others.”

  “Wouldn’t you like to be one of the queens of Egypt?” he asked with a grin. “It sounds like a promotion from Celestial Priestess!”

  “This isn’t funny AP, it’s deadly serious. The Pharaoh always gets what he wants. Nobody ever says no to the supreme ruler of Egypt—you’ve seen the way people grovel like he’s a god. If I said ‘no,’ I hate to think what would happen.”

  “Okay, I’m ready for a change anyway. Where do you want to go?”

  “As far away from the Pharaoh as possible.”

  “Let’s head north and check out the marshlands around the Delta region.”

  “How do we get there?” asked Kate.

  “Like everyone else, we take a boat down the Nile. That’s the easy part.” He paused. “The difficult bit is getting away from here, especially giving your bodyguard the slip.”

  “How will we do that?”

  “We’ll think of something.” He stifled a yawn. “Let’s talk about it in the morning.”

  * * *

  They’d gone over the plan a dozen times and their preparations had gone without a hitch. However, when the day of their escape arrived, they were both on edge.

  “There’s nothing to worry about,” he tried to convince her, “everything will be fine. How could a plan worked out by two great minds possibly go wrong?”

  Kate forced a smile.

  The plan was a good one, though AP was still unhappy with the role Kate had created for him. After finishing a late breakfast, they told Tamit they would be home by early afternoon. Kate, like AP, carried a large bag over her shoulder, on the pretext of delivering old clothes to a needy family in town. When Tamit offered to take the chariots and go along too, Kate said she’d had a dream where only she and her wab had appeared, on foot.

  “This is it,” said AP, pointing across the narrow street to the tavern. “Do you think he’ll be shocked when he sees us going inside?” AP nodded toward Kate’s bodyguard, who was following closely behind. With so many people on the street, he wanted to keep Kate in sight all the time.

  “We should invite him in for a drink,” she joked, though she was feeling anything but jovial.

  “So this is where Shedou spends so much of his time,” said AP, looking around the crowded bar. “I wonder whether it’s ever quiet in here?” He was almost shouting to be heard above the din. “I’d better order some beer, otherwise it’ll look suspicious.”

  “You go first,” said AP some time later. Neither one had drunk much of their beer.

  “I’ll see you in a few minutes,” said Kate, picking up her bag and heading for what passed as the “ladies’ room” in ancient Egypt.

  AP watched her bodyguard pushing his way through the crowd. But when he saw where she was going he relaxed a little, and was content to stand a discreet distance from the door while she went inside. As he waited, several other young ladies went through the same door. Meanwhile, AP picked up his bag and made for the men’s room.

  After several minutes, Kate’s bodyguard was becoming anxious. He’d seen several young women coming out of the room, though none as elegantly dressed as she was. He waited a few minutes longer. Then, accompanied by howls of protests, he barged through the door. The Celestial Priestess wasn’t there. Knocking people flying, he dashed from the bar and onto the street.

  A young lady, seemingly accompanied by her younger sister, hurried through the main entrance of the temple grounds. Each carried a large bag. Their simple dresses indicated they were not wealthy. Instead of heading toward the temple with everyone else, they veered toward the Sacred Lake. Several minutes later they arrived outside a small building. Glancing around to make sure nobody was following, they disappeared inside.

  The pots used for the batteries were still stacked against the far wall where AP had left them. After feeling inside to check they had not been disturbed, he turned to Kate. “I can empty them while you do the packing.” Kate nodded and they both got busy.

  For the past few days, they had been smuggling things that they needed for the journey from the house, and hiding them inside the pots.

  “That dress suits you,” said Kate, sniggering. “Though you didn’t do a very good job with the kohl.”

  “If any of my friends saw me now…”

  “You have to admit, it was a brilliant idea,” said Kate. “They’ll be looking for a priestess and a wab, not a couple of underprivileged girls.”

  “Snakebite’s been fooled too.”

  AP, familiar with the town after all his exploring, led the way to the quay. “Let’s be quick,” he urged. “We must put as much distance between ourselves and the Pharaoh before your bodyguard reports back.”

  “I’m going as fast as I can,” she puffed. “This bag’s heavy.”

  “So’s mine—remember I’m carrying all the valuables.”

  AP did the negotiations for their boat passage while Kate looked after their bags.

  “How did it go?” she asked when he returned.

  “We can’t get a boat to take us all the way to the Delta—it’s 400 miles away—we’ve got to do it in stages. I’ve arranged for the first part, but I must improve my bargaining skills! It cost one pair of gold earrings, a bracelet, a copper mirror and four wooden combs.” [29]

  Their boat was a cargo vessel, and the wooden deck was piled high with boxes and containers. A small cabin amidships was for the use of the passengers, though there was only one other person traveling besides themselves.

  “Why are we zigzagging across the river?” asked Kate.

  “I’m not sure,” said AP, who didn’t know much about sailing.

  “It’s because of the wind,” explained their fellow passenger, a kindly old
man wearing corn-colored robes. “The wind blows from the sea, to our north.” He pointed toward the prow of the boat. “Can you feel it blowing in your face?” They both nodded. “We can’t sail directly into the wind, so we have to tack from one side to the other. Sailing south is much easier, and quicker, because the wind’s always behind you.”

  Kate asked him what the man with the big oar standing at the back of the boat was doing.

  “That’s the steering oar. See how it’s painted with the head of Hathor? Protecting travelers is one of her duties.”

  Kate caught AP’s eye and smiled. Hathor was doing a good job. Having escaped from the Pharaoh and Snakebite, they could relax and enjoy the rest of their time in Egypt.

  The banks of the Nile were lush and green, with marshlands stretching into the distance. Water lilies blanketed the surface, their white flowers radiant in the sun. Tall stands of papyrus and reeds fringed the marshes like a dense jungle, forming secluded worlds for the many birds and other animals living there.

  A small boat, with two fishermen aboard, slipped into view, gliding among the reeds.

  “It looks like it’s made of straw,” said Kate.

  “Papyrus,” corrected the old man. “The locals make them by tying bundles of stalks together. In this part of Egypt papyrus is used for building houses too.”

  Crocodiles, hauled up on the riverbank like logs, lay basking in the sun. Later that afternoon, they saw their first hippopotamus, wallowing in the shallows.

  As night fell, they had the magical experience of floating beneath the stars.

  “Just look at that moon,” said AP casually.

  “Left, last, less,” Kate replied in a flash.

  “We’ve been here almost a month. That means we can use the abacus again in a few days.”

  “I’m in no rush,” Kate said lazily.

  Their journey down the Nile took two weeks, with frequent stops along the way to look at the countryside, visit towns, and change boats. Each of the towns had its own temples to the gods. One of the most impressive buildings turned out to be a royal palace, used by the Pharaoh when he visited the area. Just to be safe, they kept well clear of that.