The Ka

by Mary Deal

  “So why didn't they use up the natron?” Clifford asked. “Where are this woman's innards if not in the canopic jars?”

  Meskhenet, Umi, the goddesses and the artifacts were sent on their way to Cairo under heavy guard that afternoon. A fax from the Madu Museum put Quaashie and Naeem temporarily in charge of the Egyptian laborers.

  “With the help of the Norwegians,” Dr. Withers said. “The lid of the sarcophagus will be lifted in the morning.”

  The elusive climax of the exposition of this tomb was finally at hand. Remembering the opening of Tutankhamon's sarcophagus, no one chanced a second guess at what they might find in Tauret's, or in what condition.

  “All I want is to see Tauret's face,” Chione said. Mentally, she reminded herself of the promise made to Tauret. The memory of the interactive vision sent another chill through her body. She felt an eerie sense of apprehension and duty since making the promise to wear Tauret's amulet until she understood its meaning. For some reason, Tauret had chosen her, called to her through the centuries and made her feel this was her life too. She had to follow through.

  43

  Terji and Finn helped with the hydraulics when needed from day one and were again on hand. Nothing could keep them away. They thrilled at having been in on the unveiling of portions of the find and looked forward to viewing the mummy.

  The burial chamber entry wall stood open with jacks and capstans in place. Dr. Withers gave the signal. The Norwegians and a handful of laborers went to work. Sealed in place, the sarcophagus lid squeaked and groaned in rebellion, like suction about to burst.

  Before long, Dr. Withers gave another order for the men to cease. “We're going to have to loosen that seal. I wonder what they used.”

  “We'll take samples, of course,” Aaron said.

  Chione and the others watched from the Offering Chamber. With all the equipment plus the photographers and their paraphernalia inside, the Burial Chamber was congested. Clifford repositioned a ventilation fan.

  A shiv was carefully inserted between the lid and sarcophagus body to puncture the seal as hydraulics applied lift tension. As the parts came loose, a rubbery tearing squeal emitted.

  A potent perfume filled the rooms, the odor Chione smelled all along but which few seemed to detect. Surely the fragrance was a figment of Tauret's spell over them, undetected by most. Then, as Chione discreetly watched, everyone began sniffing. Everyone smelled it!

  Chione and the others inched forward. The lid was being lifted. The hydraulics creaked and groaned carrying the weight of the diorite lid with its symmetrical pyramid.

  Dr. Withers remained crouched under the lid overhang. “Would you look at that,” he said, peeking into the widening space. Chione went up on tiptoes and stretched to see past the others. A second sarcophagus came into view.

  Aaron kept a sharp lookout to assure the lid did not sway and hit the walls. The Norwegians seemed experts at their equipment. Raised high, the pyramid lid accentuated the peaked ceiling.

  The photographers picked their way through equipment circling the sarcophagus to film from various angles. Paki Rashad took silent visual inventory.

  “Can we see, Dr. Withers?” Chione asked. “Let us come in.”

  The photographers finished, gathered their equipment and retreated to the Offering Chamber. As the photographers crowded past, Drs. Kent and Asim stepped inside. Then Chione and the rest crowded in.

  “It's pink granite,” Kendra said, running gloved fingers between the sarcophagi. “This one's carved too.”

  The second sarcophagus was slightly smaller than the diorite rectangle by a couple of inches all the way around. Both Rashad and Aaron shined lights between the two. Rashad looked at the others and pointed inside.

  Everyone tried to see. “Well, I'll be,” Dr. Withers said. “They left the papyrus ropes inside after lowering the second sarcophagus.”

  Bebe took a turn at a close up. “Inside his sarcophagi, Tutankhamon had three coffins and that gold mask. We've yet to see a coffin here.”

  Since the room was too small and the lids and pieces should not be stacked, the black diorite lid would have to be removed from the chamber before anything else could be examined.

  “Trouble is,” Dr. Withers said. “Do we want to ship everything to the Madu or let the Restoration folks decide what stays?”

  “If something stays,” Rashad said. “It will be the diorite base of the outer sarcophagus until we hear differently. All else can go.” He motioned upwards.

  The rest of the day would be spent transporting the diorite pyramid lid to the portcullis shaft. Terji estimated the lid weighed well over a ton. It had to be inched between the scaffolding and up the inclined passage outside the Offering Chamber, maneuvered between the pillars in the main hall, then up numerous stair steps and high up over the balustrade in the passageway. The laborers sweat like never before and worked in rotation. The tanned Norwegian hulks peeled off their shirts, drank lots of water, and flexed their muscles. Those unable to help were asked to clear out.

  To everyone's astonishment, Kenneth, Jr. and several girlfriends showed up at the site. Bebe had taken it upon herself to notify her estranged son the news of his father's discovery of the second tomb. Bebe once admitted she was the only one to maintain the connection in their family. Kenny was a ski instructor in Switzerland and only sporadically answered their emails over the years.

  Kenny seemed cool toward his father and mother, shaking hands or giving a quick peck on the cheek. Yet, when he saw Terji and Finn, two blonde Norwegian hulks laboring alongside the brown-skinned Egyptians, he must have felt some sort of kinship. Kenny was tall, blonde and as suntanned as the Norwegians. He sought and was given permission to work with the Norwegians in moving the pyramid lid.

  By late afternoon, the pyramid made its entry back into sunlight, appearing peak first out of the shaft.

  “What a sight to behold,” Jibade said.

  “Mom, Dad, wasn't this worth staying for?”

  “It's a dream come true,” Helen said. Chione looked at her mother and wondered if she realized the meaning of what she said.

  Like an audience attending a play, a hush fell over the crowd. The men at pulleys relaxed the ropes, allowing other laborers to maneuver the peaked form onto a dolly for transport to Inventory. Dozens of men lined up ready to pull the dolly with long ropes. The pyramid lid was wrapped for concealment and for protection against nicks and dings, but its shape was undeniable. Cameras clicked away as the concealed structure rolled past and was eventually swallowed into the inventory tent.

  “Some snapshots will make it into various papers,” Jibade said.

  “That will only whet the public's interest,” Chione said. “It'll make them want to see more when the exhibit goes on tour.”

  Dinnertime was an hour away. Waiting for films to be developed, everyone was too high strung to take advantage of the moment to relax. The Norwegians sent Tarik and a driver with a printed message telling their crew at Dier el-Medina they would stay another night. Tarik's enthusiasm to do anything to help had endeared him to everyone.

  Several of the team headed out for a walk. Kenny and his friends came along. Some of the Egyptian police accompanied them. They found themselves alongside the mastabas again, the only other area interesting to an archaeologist in close proximity. Except that the purple hills and shimmering distant sands were beautiful to behold.

  “Strange how the Khamsin blew away all the sand down here,” Kendra said.

  “Look at Terji and Finn,” Randy said. “They're curious about everything.”

  The Norwegians wandered off down the hill. One called to the other farther down. They seemed to be inspecting the ground, then moved their arms in different directions measuring something. Suddenly Finn called out and motioned them to come down.

  By the time they made their way to Finn's location, he was on his knees digging in the dirt with a broken rock. Terji measured off an invisible straight line toward Finn.
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br />   “Found something?” Randy asked.

  Finn was excited. He shot them a glance but continued to dig most frantically. The groove exposed some stones. He moved back a couple feet and scratched away more loose rubble. More stones appeared. “Aha!” he said finally, quite beside himself. “There is wall here.” He stood and pointed along the area he had unearthed. “A wall, you see?”

  They looked. Finn dropped to his knees and dug some more. Terji joined him and dug at right angles. Sure enough, a straight line of solid blocks began to appear in each direction, too squared in position to be happenstance.

  “Oh, my,” Bebe said.

  “A wall?” Kenny asked as he walked alongside the marked area. He dropped to his knees, dug with his bare hands and became excited. He seemed adept at not disturbing the blocks as he swiped away loose earth. “Mom, look,” he said, as if seeking Bebe's recognition and approval. He had exposed another block sitting at angle to the others.

  Finn came to his feet again. “We make good find,” he said, beaming.

  “How did you know?” Bebe asked.

  Terji swept an arm toward the mastabas. “Burials of commoners, had to live somewhere while working graves.”

  Terji and Finn marked off more space with the heels of their boots.

  Randy bent down and examined a corner stone. “You know, they might be right about a village being here. The people had to live somewhere.”

  The Norwegians walked the area and returned with Kenny on their heels. Finn took a notepad from his pocket and drew. Together, they plotted out a small village and showed the crude drawing.

  “What makes you so sure a village stood here?” Bebe asked.

  “The sand blows away,” Finn said. “We see same blocks near Dier el-Medina.”

  “Yah,” Terji said. “This our kind work. We never make discovery before. Only dig, rebuild after someone find.”

  “We make big discovery?” Finn asked, smiling proudly.

  Chione saw it coming. The Norwegians might wish to claim the village as their find. Dr. Withers and the rest of the Directors would make the decision if anyone else would be allowed to work the site. “You've found something we've already got a permit for,” she said.

  “No,” Terji said, disappointed. “You know this village?”

  “Not specifically,” Chione said. “We have a permit for the entire area.”

  The Norwegians looked deflated. Terji shrugged. “We make discovery for you?”

  “You probably have,” Randy said.

  Finn smiled again. “Maybe you need men like us for rebuild.”

  “Yah,” Terji said. “Maybe we work together some more?”

  “You'd have to run that by our boss,” Randy said.

  “So how does a newcomer break into working on this dig?” Kenny asked, surprising everyone.

  Bebe leaned over and whispered in Chione's ear, “Kenny told me that last year his girlfriend dragged him to a psychic. The reader told him that he had been an Egyptian priest in a past lifetime at the temples at Karnak. He was told that he worked with the hidden mysteries.” She rolled her eyes and shrugged in disbelief.

  The next morning, Kenny treated his parents like human beings. He showed new respect for what his mother did for a living, and for the fact that his father's life evolved well past the war years. It also seemed that two blonde men working among dark-haired, dark-skinned Egyptians had given him a much needed attitude adjustment. He departed having nearly begged his parents to get him approved to return and work.

  Chione watched the interaction between Bebe and Kenneth and their son. She could not help herself. Perhaps the spell Bebe drank did more for her life than just cure her menopausal malaise.

  Dr. Withers was in the best of spirits. News of finding remains of a village sent his emotions soaring. Over breakfast, he said, “Listen up, everyone.” They came to attention. “There's one thing I never want to hear around here again.” Who would have said something to offend their respected leader? He smiled suddenly. “The one thing I don't want to hear is… when do I plan to retire!”

  With the second tomb and now the village, Dr. Withers would not quit, despite his career faltering between past sites. He had caught a second wind.

  Clifford, too, would have work to last for years, not having to return to California except to finalize the sale of his properties.

  Lifting off the lid of the second sarcophagus would take little effort. No seal was found. The lid would merely be hoisted and moved out. No one was kept out of the chamber as long as the photographers were not deterred. Although no one knew what to expect, the next thing anyone saw would most likely be a coffin. Marlowe decided that would be too good to miss and rejoined the group.

  Sure enough, as the pink granite lid was hoisted, an exquisitely carved wooden coffin as clean as if it had been positioned yesterday came into view.

  The laborers were ecstatic. In eagerness to see, one man almost let go of his rope causing the heavy lid to droop and bang against Clifford's shoulder. He yelped. Terji grunted and gripped the granite lid as it came precariously close to banging against the diorite sarcophagus. Naeem took over and the laborer politely bowed, relieving himself of his honored duties, and swiftly exited the chamber. Terji and Finn stared wide-eyed.

  Chione was nearly in tears. Most likely, the entire coffin was the carved likeness of the woman whose mummy was housed inside. “Oh, Tauret,” she said. Her knees felt weak.

  Aaron came to her side. She glanced at the others who also watched her. Clifford's expression said he understood more than he let on.

  “Time to clear out again,” Dr. Withers said unexpectedly. He waved his hands shooing them. “Let's get this lid out. There'll be time enough for viewing.”

  Once back inside, Chione studied the elegant sculptured face of the coffin. The black onyx eyes were large, round and heavily outlined with kohl in the style prevalent during the Eighteenth Dynasty. The eyes seemed lifelike and looked straight up into the Egyptian Zodiac, as if they might at any moment blink. Her nose was straight, with sensuous lips full above a proud chin. Carved and painted around the face was a common Egyptian style haircut cropped below the ears. The cut was the same seen on the golden statue in the Second Annex and on the two statues guarding access to the Burial Chamber. All exposed skin on the face, body and limbs glowed in a painted translucent flesh tone.

  “I can see why ol' Tut would want to use his crook and flail on her,” Clifford said.

  “Look at her jewels,” Marlowe said.

  Jewelry was inlaid in the carved hair and ears. The suggestion of a cloak was decorated with patterned rows of cloisonné inlay of every kind of jewel available. Her arms lay across her chest with hands opened flat. She looked at peace, but Chione knew differently. The coffin was only a crafted artisan's likeness of the priestess, incapable of feeling emotion the priestess had taken to her grave.

  Clifford bent into the sarcophagus for a closer look. “It's sycamore fig,” he said, breaking the silence. “The type of wood used to make royal coffins.”

  “Adds credence to Chione's theory about Pharaoh planning marriage with this woman,” Dr. Withers said.

  “Look.” Rashad pointed and bent in for closer inspection. “These seams do not appear sealed.”

  Clifford rubbed a gloved fingertip around the area where Rashad pointed. “No sign of goo.”

  “Oh, no,” Bebe said. “If air got in through those seams, I'd hate to think what condition the mummy is in.”

  “Given the diorite sarcophagus was sealed and probably preserved everything under it,” Aaron said, “I'd not lose faith here.”

  Clifford carefully stuck his hand down inside the sarcophagus and under the coffin. “It's resting on supports.”

  More time was taken to assure the photographers were absolutely finished and that film developed well. The photos would be the only record of the coffin in its original placement and condition. Things would never be the same once the coffin was opened.<
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  As everyone spoke and examined, Parker came to her side. “Chione,” the resemblance between you and the priestess is uncanny.”

  Chione gasped. “Oh, please,” she said, whispering. “Don't repeat that.”

  Parker was not the only person onto something. The others had heard. “My sentiments exactly,” Dr. Withers said. “Now, Chione? Why do you suppose you and this coffin image look like twins?”

  The fact that she might resemble Tauret did not bother her. She just did not want everyone making more of it. She could not stand to be teased the way they reminded Aaron about resembling King Tut. She crinkled up her nose, showing non-importance.

  Clifford brushed close to get her attention and quietly spoke behind his hand. “Remember one of the spells from the First Chamber, “ `Beware. Two who would enter….' ”

  Later, Ginny's news was not good. “Films of the coffin developed hazy, despite what we thought was ample lighting.” She shook her head. “Must have been the reflections off all those jewels.”

  “Shots of Umi's scratchings on those black walls are indiscernible too,” Aaron said.

  The photographers set about focusing on every individual feature and glyph, adjusting lighting to create shadows of details or lines barely etched. With the second set of photographs completed, Clifford would again expedite the batch over to Luxor. The photo shop's more specialized equipment would best bring up any vague images. With Clifford went an offer of extra pay if the local shop could do the job in record time since the next day was Victory Day, a local holiday. Money talked among all people who eked out a living. If the film could be developed in record time, they deserved the extra pay.

  Victory Day was spent catching up on inventory chores and paper work. The locals who stayed in camp spent time in quiet celebration. Many laborers had left. Even the beggars' area seemed abandoned with all the rickety cars and animals gone.

  The near solitude was welcomed. Dr. Withers gathered the team. “Since Christmas is less than two days away, you should all be deciding how you want to spend the holiday.”

  “I don't think we'll be going anywhere,” Burton said. “The four of us will be leaving after we open the coffin.”