House: Ravenclaw | Year: 1 | Category: Drabble | Word Count: 925 | Prompt: [Word] Undiscovered
A/N: I am taking SO MANY liberties with Egyptian history/mythology/lore here.
"Hal 'ent muhtam?" the man asked, spinning a small blade across his fingers.
Yes, Bill wanted to reply immediately. Yes, I'm very interested. The problem was, things like this were hard to gauge. Some curses were pure fiction, but most were based in some kind of truth, twisted over the course of millenia. And a story like this… well, anything could be buried beneath the sands. But the Lost Labyrinth was a challenge greater than any other, and Bill never turned down a challenge.
"Yallah," he agreed, the fire of excitement burning brightly in his eyes.
He would need a crew to help him with this case, and he knew exactly who to approach. There was another curse-breaker, a man called Rick, who only did freelance work. Bill had worked with him once before, and he knew that Gringotts had tried, and failed, to recruit him multiple times. He was a bit of a troublemaker, prone to getting in fights, but Rick was the best there was - a phenomenal curse-breaker, and with a lucky streak a mile long. He would also need a historian and linguist, or at least, that's what she liked to call herself. Lara was as skilled in combat as she was learned about history (magical and muggle alike) and ancient languages, and was damn handy if they found themselves in a fight (which they often did).
The five of them met in Aswan, on the banks of Lake Nasser, ready to begin their quest. According to the stories, Amenemhat had decreed that his body be sent down the Nile on parade so that all in his empire might pay their respects. Anticipating this, his pyramid and temple would have been built at the end of that journey, likely between Lake Nasser and the Red Sea. It was largely desert there, which would ensure that his body lay untouched for all of time. But the problem was that Amenemhat also took a great deal of treasure with him, and built a labyrinth which promised enlightenment to anyone who could find the center. And so naturally, everyone wanted to find it.
They rode on the backs of griffins, sometimes flying above the sand dunes, and occasionally prowling among them, casting revealing charms and spells of exposition. It took nearly three days of scouring the desert for any sign of the Lost Labyrinth before they struck gold. As the sun was setting on their third day, a shimmer caught their attention. It looked almost like a mirage, just the barest outline of a massive structure twinkling in the low light. A collective gasp emanated from the group as they realized that they had just laid eyes on one of the most coveted undiscovered edifices in the world.
Once its location was known, it didn't take long to remove the myriad of spells that kept it hidden from sight. They set up camp about a mile from the structure, not wanting to sleep too close and tempt any wards that guarded the place. They rose with the sun, ready to tackle the challenges ahead of them and find out what lay inside this undiscovered fortress.
At the entrance to the massive structure, two sphinxes lay guarding the door, their heads resting on oversized paws, eyes closed. Bill knew better than to think they would be able to pass unnoticed. As he anticipated, both sphinxes raised their heads as the entourage drew closer, blinking millenia of sleep from their aureate eyes. The one to the left of the door stretched and stood, testing her claws and shaking sand from her pelt.
"You wish to enter the vault," she stated, her deep voice hoarse after so long without use.
"Yes," Bill answered, stepping forward in his capacity as leader of their group.
"You must answer our riddles first," she instructed, moving to sit in front of the doorway. "You have one guess, and you may not walk away if you succeed in the first riddle. Answer both correctly, you may enter, but answer either wrong, and you all must perish."
"Go ahead," Bill said, trying to project a confidence that he did not feel. He hated riddles.
"Alloy, Oblong, Sac, Toddle, Noise, Ceasefire. Name a word that comes next in this series."
Bill turned to the others, hoping one of them would have a better idea than he did.
"Sabotage," Lara spoke, and Bill grinned. He had no idea how she'd gotten the answer, but she was confident in it, and he was confident in her.
The sphinx smiled and moved to the side. Her companion was still lying down, eyeing them with curiosity, no doubt wondering how they found the Labyrinth after so long.
"I mark mortal privation, when firmly in place," she began, her eyes narrowing at them. "An enduring summation, inscribed on my face."
Bill let out a low whistle as he tried to think what the answer might be. His eyes searched their surroundings as if looking for some clue. The labyrinth looked like the base of a pyramid, inverted, as if it continued into the ground, and the thought gave him an idea.
"A tombstone," he answered, and the sphinx gave him a wry smile.
"You may pass," she said, dipping her head, as her companion lay down on the other side of the door.
They stepped past the sphinxes, relieved to have passed their first hurdle. As they stepped inside, darkness enveloped them, and adrenaline surged through their veins.
It was time to find out what lay inside the Lost Labyrinth.
Translations:
Hal 'ent muhtam? - Are you interested?
Yallah - Let's go, let's do this, etc.