According to the historian’s comments on the blog, the younger brother tried to take the crown forcibly from his brother—an action that turned out badly for the young sibling.
Knowing he couldn’t trust his younger brother, the king had him banished from the empire and sent him into exile where he died some years later. Because of his disloyalty, the king tried to erase all memory of his brother from Kushite history.
The king had his brother’s face removed from engravings, temples, and chronicles. The sculpture was essentially destroyed, leaving nothing but a pair of legs and part of a torso for visitors to see.
It was a huge statement by the king. Anyone who tried to undermine his rule would not only be punished, they would be wiped from the face of the earth.
Dufort didn’t care about the brotherly squabble or the king’s desire to intimidate anyone who got in his way. What he cared about was the context of the story in relation to his own quandary.
The Kushite prince had been removed from his throne but was still sitting atop it. It lined up perfectly with the riddle.
“Shadow of the pharaoh. East where kings meet gods,” he said. That last part was still a bit strange. Then he remembered what he’d learned about pyramids. Many archaeologists and Egyptologists believed that the pyramids weren’t tombs but gateways to the afterlife. If that was the case, pyramids were a place where kings met the gods. Dufort recalled something he’d learned long ago from Egyptian lore, about how when a king died they had to be judged before they were allowed into the afterlife.
“Who better to judge a king than a god,” Dufort muttered. “This has to be the place.”
He closed his laptop and stretched his arms. Another look at the clock told him he needed to get some rest.
Rest? How could he rest? He was energized with adrenaline. He’d figured out the riddle! He needed to get his men ready.
Dufort fought to calm himself down. He needed to sleep. His men needed sleep, too. What was the hurry? He’d waited this long for eternal life. He could wait a little more.
First thing in the morning he would call Cody and tell him about their next destination.
That thought brought up a new issue. Getting into Sudan might not be an issue, but getting out certainly could be. He’d have to make sure they were prepared for any contingency before making the journey south to Meroë .
Chapter 27
Aswan
“What are they doing?” Hank asked.
Sean and Tommy watched from their perch on a balcony of a cheap hotel a few blocks away. They had the perfect view of Dufort’s trucks in a parking lot down below the hotel where the Frenchman stayed the night before.
The Americans had tracked Dufort all the way across the Egyptian border thanks to the help of Emily Starks back in Atlanta.
Luckily for Sean and company, the closest big city to where they’d been in Chad happened to be Aswan. There were a few in the other directions, to the west in Niger and Nigeria, and back to the north in Libya.
The latter wasn’t an option, and Sean didn’t care to return to Libya any time in the near future.
As to the other options, he and his companions watched as Dufort’s convoy headed east after leaving Bardaï. So, going the same direction was an easy decision. That meant Aswan was where Sean would call Emily. It hadn’t taken her long to track the signal and pinpoint the Frenchman’s location.
Dufort’s men scurried around on the sidewalk like ants in a rainstorm. They loaded gear, supplies, munitions, everything they thought they would need for the journey.
The question was, where were they going? And why would they need so much stuff?
Unfortunately, there was no way for Sean to know. They were going to have to follow their target to the next site. The good news was that based on the furious nature of the load up, Dufort and his men had to know where they were going. That meant the Frenchman figured out the third piece to the puzzle, which was what Sean hoped would happen.
After no contact with Sean and the others for a few days, Dufort probably assumed them all to be dead or at the very least, stuck in a Libyan prison. That’s what Sean hoped, but he wasn’t going to make any assumptions. That’s how things went awry.
“Hello?” Hank said, interrupting Sean’s thoughts.
Sean lowered his binoculars and handed them to Hank. “See for yourself.”
Hank frowned as he peered through the lenses. “Yeah, I can see they’re in a big hurry to get somewhere. That still doesn’t answer my question.”
“Doesn’t it?” Tommy answered for his friend. “You asked what they were doing. Looks like they’re packing up and getting ready to go somewhere.”
Hank let out an exasperated sigh. “Yeah, okay. Fine, wise guy. I can see what they’re doing. Where are they going?”
“I guess we’ll have to follow them to find out.”
Hank lowered the binoculars and looked at the two friends. Adriana was sitting on a deck chair behind them, snickering to herself.
“Obviously,” Hank said. “I just don’t understand why we don’t go over there and take the medallion from them. Or why we didn’t do it in the middle of the night.”
Sean pulled the magazine out of his weapon and rechecked it to make sure everything was in order. He slid it back into place and then pulled the slide back to chamber a round.
“For one,” Sean said, “Dufort has a few more men than he did two days ago. He’s brought in reinforcements. That will make things tougher on us if it comes down to a gunfight.”
“Okay, yeah. We’re outnumbered. So? I thought you were some sort of super spy.”
Sean laughed off the notion. “Super? No. Spy? Not anymore. And technically, I was never really a spy.”
“You know what I mean.”
“If we go down there,” Adriana interrupted, “Dufort’s men will mow us down in seconds. He would have posted guards last night as well.”
“Fine. But wasn’t the point of all this to lull him into some kind of false sense of security about you all? I mean, if he thinks all of you are dead, shouldn’t that lower the guy’s defenses?”
“You’d think,” Sean said. “But I’d like to play things safe.”
“Besides,” Tommy said, “we’re always the ones doing all the work. Let him figure out an ancient mystery or two.”
“Have you two been drinking? You love this sort of stuff, the ancient riddles and clues and all that.”
“True,” Sean said. “It’s part of why we do what we do.”
“Yet you’re just going to let that guy head on down the road and find the next relic, risking everything you’ve worked for?”
Tommy and Sean glanced at each other and then looked at Hank. “Yeah,” they said together.
Hank shook his head and rolled his eyes. He handed the binoculars back to Sean. “Okay, fine. What is the plan?”
Sid opened the balcony door and stepped out into the fresh warm air.
“Got the vehicles you guys wanted. They’re not much to look at, but they’ll run. I did a quick check on the motors. Everything seems to be in order.”
“Perfect timing, Sid,” Adriana said.
“Don’t be too excited. The guy who sold ’em to me charged way too much. He wouldn’t bend much on price.”
“Not a problem,” Sean said. “Right, Schultzie?”
“Meh,” Tommy muttered.
Despite his wealth, Tommy was frugal about certain things, which was an ironic characteristic in someone with a private jet.
“Let’s load up and hit the road,” Sean said.
Tommy and Sean stood up and walked back inside the building, leaving Hank alone on the balcony wondering what was going on.
After standing on the ledge for another minute, he realized he wasn’t going to get the answers he wanted, so he rushed inside and started collecting his things.
Sean pulled Sid out into the hall and closed the door behind them while the others finished getting ready.
; “Did you get the device I asked for?” Sean asked.
“Yeah,” Sid said. “But why all the secrecy?”
He reached into a vest pocket and pulled out a metal box about the size of a large cell phone. There was a screen on it with a map and a blinking red dot. He put it in Sean’s palm and looked up and down the hall.
“Let’s just say I’d prefer to keep this between the two of us. Okay?”
“Sure thing. I found the signal from your transponder and programmed it in, so now anywhere they go, we’ll be able to track ’em.”
“Perfect.”
“That thing was actually easier to get than the trucks.” Sid pointed at the device. “You wouldn’t believe the military-grade stuff you can get around here.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Loads of Cold War-era stuff. It’s not as good as the current technology, but it gets the job done for what we’re doing.”
“This Russian made?”
“Saudi,” Sid said. “Little better quality. I know a guy here in town who owed me a favor. He made a few calls.” Sid waited for a moment as Sean inspected the device. He leaned in a little closer. “You’re welcome.”
Sean nodded and then tucked the device into his back pocket. “Thanks, Sid. Big time.”
The door opened and the others came out into the hall.
“You two done with your little moment?” Tommy asked.
“Yep. Just wanted to give him a little kiss goodbye.”
Hank frowned, standing in the doorway. “Sid’s not coming with us?”
“No can do, amigo,” Sid answered. “I’ve got some stuff coming into port near Dubai. Can’t miss that one. Too much money involved.”
“I’ll compensate you for the trucks,” Tommy said.
“I know you will.” Sid grinned. “And if not, I know where to find you.” He winked and then turned to walk away.
“Thanks for all your help, Sid,” Sean said.
The smuggler waved without turning back around and disappeared at the next corner.
“Just like that, he’s leaving?” Hank asked.
“The man’s got a business to run, Hank,” Sean said. “Come on. We gotta catch our rides.”
Bewildered, Hank followed the rest of the group down the hall toward the stairs. He was going to ask why they weren’t taking the elevator but decided to leave it alone.
The stairwell of the old hotel put the four out on the ground floor in the back of the building. Tommy pushed through a creaky door and stepped out into the bright sunlight. He slid on some sunglasses and held the door for the others as they exited.
The door slammed shut behind him, and everyone stared at the two SUVs parked by the door.
The vehicles were Toyotas from the 1970s. There were a few rust spots on the doors and hoods of the beige paint, but the tires looked like they were in good condition.
“Awesome,” Sean said. “I always wanted to buy one of these and restore it.” He ran his hand along the hood until his fingers reached the grill. Then he slapped the metal.
Tommy opened the driver’s door to the nearest SUV and tossed his bag in. “Dibs on this one,” he said. “Hank, why don’t you ride with me?”
Hank was still standing by the door, staring in disbelief at the two beat-up vehicles. “Are we really riding in these?”
“Come on, Hank,” Sean said as he stepped to the other SUV and tossed his gear into the back. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”
“Being stuck out in the middle of the desert with no form of communication to civilization doesn’t sound like adventure to me. It sounds like insanity.”
“Funny how often those two get confused.”
“Suit yourself,” Tommy said. “Sure would hate to see you miss out on the treasure of Zerzura, though.”
Hank cocked his head to the side. He knew what Tommy was doing. Even so, the tactic worked. Nothing could change a person’s mind like greed.
“Just hold on a second,” Hank said as he flung open the passenger side door. “I’m coming. I’m coming. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
He climbed up into the truck and slammed the door shut. The hinges creaked as it closed, and for half a second he thought the thing might fall off onto the pavement. The door stayed put, though, and Tommy turned the ignition.
The engine protested for a moment as it turned over several times. Finally, it coughed and sputtered to life until it was groaning consistently.
Hank shook his head. “We’re going to get stuck out in the middle of the desert. I just know it.”
“We’ll be fine, Hank,” Tommy said. He patted the dashboard. “These machines were made to run forever. That’s half the reason so many people buy ’em and rebuild ’em. They can take a beating and keep on running.”
In the other truck, Sean revved the motor to life and buckled his seatbelt. When Adriana was in, he passed the device Sid had given him earlier over to her.
“Is this what I think it is?” she asked.
“Yep.”
“Sid get this for you?”
Sean nodded. “Yeah.”
“I thought you didn’t trust him.”
Sean shrugged and shifted the SUV into reverse. “He’s not so bad. Besides, the device works. Have a look.”
She glanced down at the tracker and saw the dot moving along the map. “We’ll be able to follow them at a safe distance with this.”
“Yep.”
“How in the world did he find this thing?”
“I don’t like to ask too many questions, hon,” Sean said with a wink. “Besides, the thing works, okay?”
She rolled her shoulders and ticked her head to the side. “I’m good with it if you are.”
Sean backed the SUV out of the parking space and turned out onto the road with Tommy right behind them.
Ten minutes later, the two-truck caravan was out of the city and heading south into the desert.
Adriana glanced down at the homing beacon every few minutes to make sure they were on track, although there weren’t many other side roads or paths for a vehicle to take.
After a half hour, Sean’s face scrunched into a scowl. Adriana happened to look over at him and noticed.
“What’s wrong?”
Sean clutched the wheel. His fingers squeezed it tight.
He sighed before he spoke. The realization had only hit him a few minutes before.
“Do you know where this road leads?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No. Should I? I mean, we’re going south….” Then she had the same epiphany that had caused him so much distress.
“Yeah,” Sean said. “They’re going into Sudan.”
Chapter 28
Border of Sudan and Egypt
“Are you out of your minds?” Hank asked. He nearly yelled the question at Tommy. “Sudan? Do you want to get us all killed?”
“Ideally? No,” Tommy quipped.
Hank shifted in his seat, unable to get comfortable. “Great. We’re dead. Every one of us is dead.”
“We’ve been in worse places, Hank. Relax.”
“Worse places? I doubt it. Don’t you watch the news? Do you have any idea what’s been going on in Sudan for the last twenty years?”
“One, no, I don’t watch the news. Not often, anyway. Two, yes, I have a vague knowledge of the political and social stuff going on there.”
“Then you know this is a horrible idea. We can’t go in there. We’ll stick out like four sore thumbs.”
“Dufort doesn’t seem worried.”
Hank let out a short, frustrated sigh. “Yeah, well, he’s crazy, too. Maybe crazier than you all.”
Tommy turned his head to the side and looked at Hank with his best deadpan stare. “I can stop and let you out if you want to walk back to Aswan.”
The idea was so ridiculous, Hank knew he was kidding. That fact did little to ease his fears.
“We have to be getting close to the border by now. They’re not going to let us in the countr
y. And if they do, they’ll take our guns. Once that happens, we’ll be screwed with a capital S.”
Sean’s voice came through the walkie talkie sitting between the seats. Sid had picked them up when he grabbed the makeshift tracking device for the transponder.
“Looks like Dufort and his men are taking a smuggler’s road,” Sean said. “Over.”
Up ahead, Sean veered his SUV off the main road. Tommy slowed down and cut to the right to follow. The side road was nothing more than a couple of ruts worn into the dirt and sand. Rolling sand dunes rose on the horizon to the west, now in front of the two-truck caravan.
“Roger that, buddy,” Tommy said. “You’d think he’d have done this crossing at night. Way less inconspicuous. Over.”
“Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Then again, you don’t know what kind of people you’ll meet on this road at night. It’s obviously not a tourist thoroughfare. Over.”
Tommy chuckled. “No kidding. I bet a lot of drug runners use this road. Over.”
“Or human traffickers. Big part of the crisis in Sudan involves refugees being offered safe harbor, and then they’re sold into slavery. Over.”
“It’s a sick world.” Tommy decided to change the subject. “How far ahead is Dufort? Over.”
“From the looks of it, I’d say just under two miles. Adriana is keeping an eye on him. He won’t get too far away. I wonder how he knew about this little detour. Over.”
“Who knows? Seems like that guy has connections all over the world. Maybe he has them here. Over.”
“Could be. Over.”
The conversation fell silent as Tommy followed Sean around a dusty field of dead brush, rocks, and sand that seemed to stretch out forever. The road curved to the south and continued toward the border between Egypt and Sudan.
“Don’t you think the Sudanese border patrol will see all the dust we’re kicking up? Over.” Tommy was concerned about the issue. They weren’t far from the border now, and watchful eyes could see the dust from their tires kicking into the air for a good distance.
The Sahara Legacy Page 22