Gold of the Ancients

by Graham Warren

  At that time they had each worn an elaborate necklace. This had afforded Emmy the modesty she desired. Henuttawy, being an ancient, did not feel the need to cover up, but, as she had to look identical to Emmy, in order for the deception to work, she did. She had also lived long enough in the afterlife to realise that in mixed company – ancients and moderns – it was best to cover up, otherwise she ended up with every male talking to her chest. Bast used a golden scarab for the same purpose. Alex had wondered, since the first time he saw it, if it was detachable. He did not have to wonder anymore.

  “Have either of you come to any conclusions?” Emmy asked in a much more conciliatory tone. She had thought through what she saw, and now doubted that everything was exactly as she first thought.

  “I’m getting there,” Alex replied. “I was just thinking of the moment when Bast took off her scarab and waived it under that Nubian’s nose.”

  “Trust you to be thinking of her breasts.” Alex gave Emmy a disappointed look. “Okay, that was a cheap shot. She is really beautiful. What I wouldn’t give to have a body like that.”

  “There is absolutely nothing wrong with your body,” Alex replied. Cairo nodded a little too excitedly. He was thinking back to the oasis. Emmy was obviously pleased with Alex’s comment as she smiled, her face flushed, and then she shyly looked away. He had a question for the both of them. “At the moment when Bast removed her scarab, did either of you notice where any of the other Nubian soldiers were looking?”

  “At her, I presume.”

  “Yes, at Bast, Mr Alex.”

  “Yes, that is where I expect they were looking, but at that moment did either of you actually look anywhere except at Bast? Did either of you actually see what was going on elsewhere in the room?”

  “I see what you are getting at,” Emmy said, as Cairo shook his head, in confirmation that he too was only looking at Bast. “I had exactly the same thought … once I had calmed down a little. Sorry … I tend to be a little hot-headed when I feel let down.”

  “No problem, Emmy, we forgive you, and I am sure Bast will.” Emmy thumped Alex. Cairo nodded excessively in agreement with what Alex had just said. “Do you know, you are becoming–”

  Emmy raised a hand. “Don’t mention her name. I already regret what I did.”

  “Not as much as I regret it,” Alex said as he rubbed his arm and made far more of a fuss than was absolutely necessary.

  Emmy ignored him. “I felt so let down, I really did, that I didn’t see it. I was too angry to see clearly. She only removed her scarab to draw the attention of the soldiers away from something else that was going on in the room. Something really important which she did not want them to notice. It worked, as we also missed it.”

  “Yes, we all missed it, so we have no idea what the distraction was for.”

  “Having had time to reflect, as well as calm down, I can see more clearly.” Emmy slid around to look directly at Alex and Cairo before crossing her legs. “I thought she was flirting with the soldier, but she was making out that her scarab needed to be repaired.”

  “Well, the Nubian did eventually give it to the worker closest to him, even though he did not take his eyes off of her breasts.” Alex came to an involuntary halt as the word ‘breasts’ combined with images of Bast in his mind.

  “I fail to understand why an ancient would be so fascinated by breasts. After all, it’s pretty normal to see them everywhere in the royal household.”

  Alex thought for a moment before speaking. “Being a Nubian soldier, he would, more than likely, work in a royal household.” His ancient memories kicked in. “However … yes … this is the point, he would have to avert his eyes, because he cannot be seen to look at any female.”

  “So, how can he look at Bast?” Emmy asked.

  Alex had no idea.

  “Because she a god.”

  “Surely, Cairo, with Bast being an ancient god it is all the more reason to avert your eyes.”

  “No,” he said to Emmy quite sharply. “We show respect to our gods by looking directly at them.” Cairo’s ancient memories had definitely helped him out.

  “That would make sense,” Alex said, “because the pharaoh is supposed to be born of the gods and he requires his subjects to look at him.”

  “What about female pharaohs?”

  “Sorry, Emmy, that I don’t know. There weren’t many. Perhaps you could ask Dr Margretti about Nefertiti when you next see him.”

  “What! His ex-wife! After all these years he still becomes extremely emotional when her name is mentioned. And not in a nice kind sort of way. I think I had better not!”

  “Yes, silly suggestion. Forget I ever mentioned it.”

  Cairo wandered along the corridor while Alex and Emmy talked over every possible reason for Bast to be where she was. He was happy that Emmy no longer thought of Bast as a traitor, because he knew she could never betray them. Though if Cairo were to be totally truthful, he had experienced more than a moment of doubt. It was some minutes later before he ran back all excited. “Changing room, baths, that way. Lots of things to wear,” he said as he pointed back to where he had just come from.

  They all walked quickly along the corridor.

  “Are you sure there is nobody there? No guards, no soldiers, nobody?” Emmy was thrilled at the thought of being able to wash and also find something to wear that did not have arrow holes in it, though they were all happy at the thought of being clean. Sand, dust and ‘spilled drinks’ really had left them all with the urgent need to wash and change.

  “Nobody, it empty. I looked!”

  It was indeed empty. And it did not take them long to feel clean and refreshed.

  The choice of dress turned out to be no choice at all. White galabeyas and curtain ties, in various sizes, was all the choice there was. These were not truly galabeyas, they were more Greek in design. Far more open around the arms, and obviously meant to be tied at the waist. Each white ‘galabeya’ was hanging on the wall with a ‘curtain tie’. A golden coloured rope, made from three smaller ropes twisted together, looped back on itself, and knotted with a fancy knot at the end. Curtain ties!

  “Hey, you don’t look bad,” Emmy said as she looked at the boys.

  “Could have been much worse. We could have had no option except to wear one of those little skirts like the slaves,” Alex said nothing as he hid his grin at the thought that Emmy should have had to dress like Bast.

  It was obvious that Cairo had had the same thought, because those dresses had been hanging up in there, though he was not going to keep it as a thought. Alex stopped him from speaking in the only way he could think of. “Shush, I think I hear someone coming.” There was nobody coming, but his comment had the desired effect. “Quickly, let’s walk on. We really need to be out of here.”

  They talked quietly as they walked. Alex and Cairo had had a boy’s moment when they both considered that Emmy should have chosen the traditional dress of a woman rather than that of a man. From the look they received she had obviously overheard them. Alex said sorry. Cairo just shrugged his shoulders and grinned.

  Emmy was quite happy. Today she had felt like a woman for the very first time. She really liked it that Alex was seeing her not just as a friend, but as a woman. She loved it that he had kissed her, really kissed her. She also enjoyed the fact that Cairo was seeing her as a woman, and that this caused Alex to reveal his jealous side.

  Had they not been stuck within the lair of some criminal ancient with enough power to have Nubian soldiers and steal gold from right under the nose of Ramses II, the greatest pharaoh who had ever lived, she would have enjoyed her feelings much, much more.

  They kept walking, not coming across one soldier. Eventually they came upon two very sturdy wooden doors. They were closed. The hinges and fittings were of gold, solid gold.

  Looking at each other without exchanging a word, it was obvious that they were heading directly to the centre of the villain’s lair.

  After a littl
e pushing and shoving Alex realised the gold hinges were there for decoration, nothing more. Pulling the left-hand door towards him slightly, it opened easily and without noise. He peered out, opened it a little further, and then slipped through. Emmy and Cairo waited for him to come back. They waited and they waited. Eventually Emmy did look out. Noticing her out of the corner of his eye, Alex gestured for her to stay where she was.

  Alex was looking down from a balcony. He kept low as he peaked down from between the mummiform pillars of the balustrade. This was a room of roughly the same dimensions as the previous one, though its use was different in so many ways. It was definitely Greek in design. There were white life-sized statues, a large fountain, and lots of space around the many bed-like sofas. It was a room full of women, royal women, who were laying while eating nibbles off of gold trays. Servant girls with large ostrich feather fans kept them cool. Others were beautifying their mistresses. Hair, nails, makeup and a feast, were all being attended to by ladies wearing the traditional costume of a royal household. At any other time, Alex would have not known where to look, but today he could only look at one lady.

  She still had the deepest rich black skin that Alex had ever seen. Both her skin and hair shone. Her eyes were the most intense gem stone blue around which were the longest natural eyelashes. Bast was reclined and having her legs massaged, though she propped herself up on one elbow so that she could pick from a tray of canapés. She was laughing and joking with the other women. It was so very clear that they each knew each other intimately.

  She was no prisoner, she was an ancient god, and as such she could only be constrained by her own pharaoh. In the case of this Bast even her own pharaoh could not restrain her, so she had to be here of her own free will. It was evident that everything here was made in a time long after the death of Ramses II, so that was one good reason why he could not be here, whilst Bast was able to lay and relax. The mere fact of her being a god meant that everything was of her time.

  Typically, ancient gods were unable to move far away from their pharaoh without permission, because their pharaoh was the sole reason for their existence. This held true for all ancient gods with one exception – Bast. Being a cat god, all Basts had the independence associated with felines, though not all took advantage of this independence. However, because this Bast was shared between two pharaohs – Ramses and Nakhtifi – she had extreme freedom … and she used it.

  She could only be here, and behaving as Alex was watching her behave, if she was happy to be here. He felt sick to the pit of his stomach and had no wish to go back and tell Emmy that she was right, that they should never have trusted Bast.

  Chapter 20

  -

  Captured Again!

  Before Alex could make it back over to Emmy and Cairo they had joined him. Upon looking down to the scene below, no words needed to be exchanged as the feeling of betrayal was palpable.

  Emmy and Cairo watched in stunned silence as a reclined Bast lay propped up on one elbow. She helped herself to canapés while having her legs massaged. Bast looked completely at home. She was being treated as if she were royalty. The gems in her gold scarab glinted as she laughed and joked with two other women of very high status whom they could see, and one whom they could hear, though they could not see. Only Bast and the high status royals were reclined, while the room remained busy with lesser royals and handmaidens moving with organised purpose. Even though they all wore the traditional ancient Egyptian dress in white, it was for the most part easy to tell who was, and who was not, royal.

  The gold they wore acted as an overt sign of status. Handmaidens and very minor royals wore a few bangles. Some also wore a light necklace, even a ring or two. The amount of gold worn gradually increased until it reached the level of the very high status royals. These were absolutely dripping in gold. There were obviously some very powerful women down there.

  In ancient Egypt, much as today, wealth went hand in hand with power. Bast had only her gold gem-encrusted scarab, while the two reclining royals Alex could see were adorned with an excess of gold and gems. Alex was well aware of the weight of gold, so in order to show their wealth, and thereby their status, they carried far too many excess kilos. He wondered if they would be able to stand without removing at least some of it. From neck to waist it was clear that they had made every attempt to outdo each other. Layer upon layer of gold and gems covered them. Not only did they wear oversized rings, they also wore many gold bangles around their wrists. So many that they did not finish until just below their elbows. They even had two or three serpents of gold wrapped around their upper arms.

  He looked with interest as the reclining royal to his left reached out to take the golden goblet of wine she was being offered. She had at least one ring on each finger, thumb also. Alex was unable to count the exact number of bangles, even though he tried. It was in excess of twenty, just on the lower part of her outstretched arm. Even her nails were covered with long false nails made from gold.

  All this power and wealth in one room, yet there were no Nubian soldiers. It was a given that ancient royalty had to be guarded at all times. And in a gathering such as this it would be inconceivable for the guards to be anywhere except within the room. For it was only they who stopped a lesser royal from being promoted due to an untimely death. Each of these royals should have had their own guards. Alex knew this from the teachings of Dr Margretti. He also knew this from his ancient memories. Memories which were constantly becoming much clearer.

  A single royal, or a pharaoh with one of his wives, occasionally with two of his wives, could be guarded from the outside of the room they were in. With a gathering such as this the guards always had to be inside the room. There were no exceptions. Even without weapons a likeminded group and an ostrich-feather-pillow were able to change the course of history.

  He took in each handmaiden and compared them to the minor royals in the room. The royals who were mingling and chatting in groups. The handmaidens were far more muscular. They also had fewer curves than the royals. Alex deduced that these were much more than handmaidens. They fulfilled both roles, that of handmaiden and that of guard. Their head movements showed that they were far too aware of their surroundings to be nothing more than handmaidens.

  Those of high status were not only served first, but they were served from larger and more ornate platters than anyone else. When they laughed everybody laughed, though the laughter was far too excessive and also irritatingly false, or at least it was irritatingly false to the ears of Alex. And everybody else bowed too deeply, and for too long, in their presence.

  Alex believed the person with the highest status, most likely the person who was behind the theft of the ancient gold, was the only person he was unable to see. He shared this thought with Emmy and Cairo. With so many handmaidens looking this way and that, none of them could dare to take a peek. They had no option except to stay well behind the balustrades if they were not to be discovered.

  “Stop staring at their breasts,” Emmy whispered angrily in his ear. She was really angry with Bast, and it was that anger she was directing at Alex.

  Now it was Alex’s turn to be annoyed. He pulled Emmy back to the wall just behind them and talked in a hushed though not-to-be-messed-about-with tone: “Know your enemy. Isn’t that what Dr Margretti taught us?”

  Emmy looked at him. She was somewhat shocked at his actions as they were so out of character. She said nothing though she did give a single nod of her head.

  “Look at their bodies. Yes, look at their breasts if you want to, and if you can get beyond your thoughts of me lusting, you will see what I have seen. I will be waiting for you there.” Alex pointed to a corridor which continued on in the direction they had been travelling. A corridor which he hoped would lead them out of this place, because he wanted nothing more than to be out of here. He looked Emmy straight in the face and pointed a finger harshly at her. “But before you even consider joining me, you need to think beyond breasts. I am not the one wh
o has let you down. Bast has let us all down. So don’t you dare take your anger out on me!”

  It was a full ten minutes before Emmy and Cairo joined him. Alex was sitting with his back against the wall. His arms were crossed and it was obvious that he was still fuming.

  Whether this was at her, or at Bast, or possibly the both of them, Emmy was unsure. “Okay … I apologise,” Emmy said as she slid down the wall to sit next to him. “Yes, I admit that when you really study them there is a difference between royals and their handmaidens. But don’t you tell me that you did not enjoy looking.”

  “I never said that I didn’t, but without looking how could I have worked it out? So tell me, what did you see?”

  Emmy hesitated before answering. “The handmaidens are muscular, whereas the royals are much more … sort of … curvy.”

  “So, go on, tell me, what does that make the handmaidens?”

  “I can see that it makes them royal guards.”

  “Exactly! And don’t you dare snap at me when I say this, because this is important. From what I have seen down there the flatter the chest the more danger we are in. They are the ones with the biggest muscles, so they will be the ones who could do us the most harm.” Emmy started to laugh a slightly manic laugh. The emotions and revelations of the day had proved to be too much for her. “It may be funny to you, but this knowledge could mean the difference between us getting out of here or getting caught.” Alex regretted his chastisement as he now realised that it was not a humorous laugh. Immediately he slid closer and placed a comforting arm around her shoulder.

  This enabled Emmy to bring her laughter under control and her thought processes to engage. “You are right, of course you are right. We really do need every advantage, but if they find us in here won’t they be coming at us with swords? Isn’t that how we will know who to fear?”