“The most notable variance would be wings seen here. Though there are similarities between the two versions such as gender, superior strength, acting as a guardian for sacred sites, having the body of a lion and the head of a human, and so forth, they also retain some qualities that make them unique.”
“Then a sphinx is…”
“Female. You might recall that powerful women such as Hatshepsut were often shown wearing the false beard of a man. This was not meant to cloak or deceive but was a sign of her power. In legend they are always female in origin, at least as far as I’m aware. Hatshepsut and Queen Hetepheres II were both depicted as the sphinx.”
“So this Greek version has wings.”
“The wings of an eagle. The other major difference between the Egyptian version and this one is that the Greek variety is much more treacherous.”
“How so?”
“Are you familiar with the concept of the sphinx’s riddle?”
“Wasn’t it something like if you didn’t solve the riddle you couldn’t get past the sphinx? Is that what you mean?”
“Yes. But in this case, to fail would be deadly. She devoured those who didn’t solve her riddle. Since Anubis called the place we’re seeking the Room of Riddles, I would assume that the Greek version that I found here is the one we’re looking for.”
“It couldn’t hurt to give it a try, I suppose,” I said as he gave me a dubious look.
“Let’s hope your assumption is correct.”
I took his light and aimed it at the hieroglyph while he placed his palm on top of the image, pushing against it and twisting his hand as he did so. The unmistakable sound of stone grinding against stone told us we had indeed found what we were looking for. There was a clicking noise and then a snap. Dr. Hassan stepped back and a circular section of stone rose out from the wall, the symbol of the sphinx carved right in the middle of it.
“Hmm. Now what do we do?” Dr. Hassan asked.
We stood there for a moment, flashlights aimed, but nothing was happening. “Maybe push it back in?” I suggested.
He wiped his brow, adjusted his hat, and nodded. I stepped forward to place my hand against the stone and pressed. It stuck at first, but then it moved and I felt the stirring of something weighty behind the wall. A hiss followed by an almost painful grating noise revealed a passageway, and a heavy stone door that had been virtually indiscernible in the pylon before swung open.
When all the movement stopped and quiet descended on the temple again, the sounds of our nervous exhales seemed louder than the moan of a thousand ghosts rising from the grave. Together we stepped up to the opening and shined our lights inside. It was dark, blacker than a tomb, and I wondered for a moment if that was what it actually was and if somehow it was meant to house us. Dr. Hassan must have sensed the same thing, as even he seemed edgy.
We could just make out a series of steps leading downward and as I descended the first one, an act that made me appear to be much braver than I really was, Dr. Hassan put his hand out to stop me. “Please allow me to go first, Lily.”
I nodded gratefully and moved aside. I thought it would be much easier to walk behind than in front, but being the last one wasn’t fun either. Little prickles of anxiety trickled down my back like skittering beetles, and I kept turning around to make sure no one was going to attack us from behind or lock us in the creepy pit of darkness.
We descended until the stale air felt cool, and I realized we must be deep underground. I kept my hand on Oscar’s shoulder even when he reached the bottom and stepped into a passageway that was more open than the stairwell had been, but the flashlight only showed dirt walls.
I didn’t know how Dr. Hassan could do this for a living. I was seriously frightened. My imagination conjured a large sphinx sleeping in the cave that was going to rise up, rip us apart with her claws, and devour us before we even figured out what we had to do. The idea that I might become such a creature filled me with a dread I couldn’t even describe.
“One thing at a time,” I mumbled quietly to fortify my courage. Slowly, we moved forward, my sandaled feet sinking into soft sand. When he found an old torch at the entrance to a room and lit it, my fear melted away and was replaced by a sense of wonder.
“Oh my,” Dr. Hassan whispered as we walked farther into the space.
This time I knew he was excited. We stood in a golden room full of treasures. The wealth displayed in even the small section lit by our torch was overwhelming. What was even more amazing was that the room was in pristine condition. The ruby necklaces, gleaming swords, and large golden statues were glistening as if they had just been polished and were on display in a museum. An impossibility, based on the amount of sand underfoot.
“Anubis must have dusted in anticipation of our arrival,” I said.
“This is the most amazing find since Howard Carter and George Herbert discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun in 1922!”
“Right. Except technically we didn’t discover it. We were sent here.”
“Oh, but, Lily. If I could explore this room with my colleagues. Share it with the world. What these wondrous treasures could represent for Egypt. How tragic that it must remain a secret. These things are not meant to be brought forth into the light of day.”
“Maybe Anubis wouldn’t mind if you took just one or two.”
I stretched out a finger to touch a cat statue with emerald eyes when Dr. Hassan grabbed my wrist to stop me. “Do not touch anything, Lily, at least not yet. My policy is to read first and only disturb an object after careful cataloguing and photo documentation.”
I nodded and Dr. Hassan shuffled a few steps forward, moving the torch higher up so he could read the wall carvings. “Ah, here is what we’re looking for.”
“What is it?”
“A message from Anubis.”
“What does it say?”
“It essentially says that we are to only take the items we are instructed to and then copy the spell to perform the Rite of Wasret. The rest of the room should be left untouched, and when we leave, we are to seal it up the way we found it.”
“Right. A spell. Doesn’t sound too difficult.”
Dr. Hassan hesitated. “Oh dear. This is going to take some time for me to translate.”
I smiled a little nervously. “I thought you were an expert,” I teased.
“Oh, I am. It’s not that I cannot read what it says; it’s that I must decipher the message behind the message.”
“The message behind the…What do you mean?”
“As a grand vizier, I was taught a secret code that has been passed down from generation to generation. Where another Egyptologist might read this passage simply as ‘The treasure of she who is powerful,’ I can see there are certain phrases or words that are emphasized. The hieroglyph symbolizing the concept of treasure, here”—he pointed to a carving—“also has the sign of the Sons of Egypt over it. Therefore that word in particular is of great importance.”
I listened to him mumble as he traced his finger across the wall. Nothing he said provided me with any reassurance and instead my imagination conjured all types of horrors. I heard The scepter of she before whom evil trembles; the jewels of she who defeated the sphinx; the first wife of Amun; the crown of the Mistress of Dread; the spear of the Lady of Carnage; and the claws of she who mauls. None of those things sounded particularly good. One thing was certain—I definitely didn’t want to cross paths with whatever woman was being described. Then I realized something.
“It sounds like an inventory list,” I said, interrupting his ruminations.
“Yes. There does seem to be some reference to the treasure here.”
“What’s with all the names anyway? Why can’t a person just be called by their normal name instead of a lengthy descriptive title?”
Dr. Hassan blinked. “Two reasons. First, a title of such vivid description is more likely to induce the masses to show respect and to worship. But the second reason is more important. In the name li
es veritable power. To know a person’s true name is to control them. This is the main reason why true names are hidden.”
“Then do you know who it is they’re talking about here?”
“On the surface I would assume Sekhmet, since many of those names are used to describe that goddess, but if I was to pull out only the terms bearing Amon’s symbol, I get treasure, sphinx, Amun, and lady. If I group only those and rework them, it says, ‘The treasure of Amun is his lady sphinx.’ ”
“Interesting. So what’s next?”
“Can you take notes?”
“Absolutely.”
Dr. Hassan handed me a small notepad full of his archaeology notes. At least one of us is prepared. Carefully, I turned the pages until I found an empty section, and jotted down phrases as he read. It took an hour to finish the first wall, though he worked very quickly. By the time we neared the end, I had scrambled phrases on dozens of pages. Tiring out, I was about to ask Dr. Hassan if we could return the next day when he exclaimed, “It’s here! I’ve found the key to the rite.”
I was watching him closely as he mumbled incoherently, enough that even though he tried to hide it, I caught a glimpse of the cold dread cross his face.
“What is it?” I demanded. “Tell me.”
Dr. Hassan rubbed his hands over his tired eyes and blew out a breath. “It’s a riddle, and we’ll have to solve a number of them before we gain access to the spell.”
“A riddle? How do you know?” I flipped back and forth through my pages, trying to piece together the circled words. It was all Greek—er, Egyptian—to me. If there was a secret question hidden in them, I couldn’t make it out.
He patiently explained, “It is the most commonly known riddle of the sphinx. Perhaps you’ve heard of it: ‘What goes on four feet in the morning, two feet at noon, and three feet in the evening?’ ”
“Oh, I know this. I read about it in school.”
“Yes. Well, the typical answer is man, or a human. A babe crawls in the dawn of its life, walks upright during the middle of it, and uses a cane near the end. This is not, however, the correct answer here.”
“Then what is?”
“In this case the answer is Amon.”
“Amon? How?”
“In his first death, he fell to his hands and knees; then Anubis raised him into the next life, where he walked on his own two feet. Now he is at the end, where he hobbles through the netherworld, leaning upon his sword.”
“But how did you know the answer?”
“It’s backwards. Anubis gave us the answers first. Remember that Amun was in the very first group of terms?” I nodded. “Amon is an incarnation of Amun. That is the answer to the first riddle.”
“The first riddle?”
“Yes. There will be three more. And the answers will be treasure, sphinx, and lady. This is the symbol of Amun, the sun god. If I am correct, this will lead us to the next question.” Using two fingers, he pushed on the hieroglyph and pieces of stone began to shift like a giant puzzle box. When it settled, some of the stones had turned upside down while others moved lower and some disappeared altogether.
“Oh, wow.”
“Let’s get started, shall we?”
This time it only took him ten minutes to figure out the riddle. “This one I know as well. The key is to reinterpret it in a different way.”
“What’s the riddle?”
“Who are the three sisters who give birth to each other? In the standard question there are two sisters and the answer is Night and Day. I do not see how the answer could be treasure. Perhaps it is lady. But the number three is not something I’ve come across before. I’m not sure how it applies.”
“I think the answer is sphinx.”
“Why is that?”
“That’s what I’m to become, right? I have to go through this rite or whatever and it will change my mortality. I’ll be reborn…in a way. It’s the only one that makes sense.”
Dr. Hassan looked at me thoughtfully for a moment. “I do believe you are correct. We will try it.”
He found not one but two carved symbols of the sphinx, one the Egyptian version and one the Greek. Hesitating only briefly, he chose the winged version. Apparently, it was the right choice. Again the walls groaned and shifted and now we could see glimpses of a room behind the stone barrier.
“We’re halfway there,” I said. “We’ve got a fifty-fifty chance of getting the rest of it correct.”
Twenty minutes later, he’d deciphered the next riddle.
“I’ve never heard of this one.”
“What does it say?”
“It is by man considered most valuable. It sparkles in the light of the sun. Provides for all his needs. His life is wasted in the pursuit of it, and yet if he takes hold fast and true, it will never leave him.” He paused for a moment. “It could be treasure.”
“It could also be lady.”
“You are right.” Oscar rubbed his jaw and glanced at me. “Might I propose a theory?”
“Of course.”
“The last two riddles were specific references to you and Amon.”
“Yes. That’s true.”
“That means this one is likely applicable to you as well. If that is the case, I believe the answer is lady.”
“Really? Why?”
“Assuming Amon is the man in question, you are what he pursues. Not treasure. And when you are together, I see the light in his face. It reflects upon you.”
“Oh. Yes. I suppose it does.”
Confident in his theory, Dr. Hassan selected the symbol for lady. Nothing immediately happened and I held my breath for a few seconds. Then the whirring clicks began and the wall shifted, opening pockets large enough that we could thrust our hands through the openings but still not big enough for us to scramble through.
“You were right,” I mumbled.
“Yes.”
As he worked on the last group of carvings, I thought about the words of the previous riddle. Was Amon wasting his life in pursuit of me? How could I, a mortal girl, provide for all his needs? Even if I found Amon and saved him, Anubis would never let us be together. He’d been pretty clear in explaining that Amon needed to do the work he’d been called to do. This last section, though, gave me a bit of hope. Perhaps if we did hold on to each other there would somehow be a way for our paths to meet again.
Dr. Hassan interrupted my thoughts. “We have a problem.”
“What is it?”
“The riddle is fairly straightforward this time. It says to state your purpose and find the thing we seek.”
“Right, but we already know the answer is treasure.”
“Is it? It could be a trick. If our answer is riches, we will most likely be cut off. The last thing the gods accept is the theft of their precious relics, and we were explicitly warned not to take anything but the items we were instructed to.”
Dr. Hassan’s finger hovered over the symbol for treasure, but he hesitated. I wasn’t sure what else to do.
“I suppose we have no other option,” he said, ready to push the symbol.
But in that moment I noticed something.
“Stop!” I called out.
“What is it, Lily?” Dr. Hassan said, lowering his hand.
“I recognize this. It’s the sign for Amon, isn’t it?”
“Yes. But Amon wasn’t one of the four options.”
“But he was, remember? Amun was there.”
“Yes, but we used that name already.”
“But don’t you see? You were the one who said this was all about me and Amon. It’s not treasure I’m seeking, but Amon. He’s my purpose.”
Dr. Hassan seemed torn. “Are you certain, Lily?”
Was I? It was a gut reaction when I first spoke up. But now that I was thinking about it, I wasn’t so sure. What would we find on the other side of the wall—the treasure of the sphinx or a path to Amon? Before I could second-guess myself any longer, I took a step forward and pressed the symbol for
Amon.
A heartbeat later the whole wall started to shake. Stone crashed down on either side of us, and I was worried that I’d made a terrible mistake. I stumbled against the quickly shifting wall and my arm disappeared in a new opening. Fearing that I’d be crushed, I fell away from it and was caught by Dr. Hassan, who barely remained standing. With a final, terrible grating, the last stones shifted out of the way.
We stood clutching one another and breathing hard as the dust settled, and when it did, we both gaped at the sight before us. The treasure of the first room was nothing compared to what had been hidden behind the wall.
Sparkling, jewel-crusted opulence covered every surface. Life-sized statues of a cat goddess stood as lines of sentinels, eternally guarding the overflowing treasure in the room. My eyes lit on everything and nothing, unable to focus on any one object when surrounded by such splendor.
Then something moved.
Before us, seated on a golden throne with radiating beams of the sun lined with sparkling diamonds, was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. At first I thought it was a trick of my eyes. She seemed frozen in place, a dazzling centerpiece in an indescribably magnificent space, and I wondered if she was a painted image or a very lifelike statue. Then I heard a laugh and the woman lifted her hand and beckoned us forward.
Her silky, dark hair was as straight as an arrow and just brushed the small of her back. She wore a diaphanous white dress that gathered at the waist and then draped down her body in the style of an Egyptian goddess. Bands of gold encircled her arms and wrists, and golden sandals that looked very similar to my own adorned her feet. She smiled at me and I was transfixed by her ruby lips and her thickly lashed eyes that seemed alight with the colors of a churning nebula.
I couldn’t speak or even manage to walk when she again summoned us closer. Dr. Hassan seemed to be suffering from the same affliction. We were both rooted in place. Utterly transfixed.
Since we weren’t coming to her, she must have decided to come to us, because she then stood up and I realized that the golden beams of sun radiating from the throne were no such thing. They shifted and moved with her, lifting higher, stretching to encompass her entire body.
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