"The Shadow Around His Heart"

By: Arnold's Love

Chapter Three:

"The poor guy can't decide what to do first," Lindsey says, her voice laced with amusement. "Should he translate the walls or should he translate the sarcophagus? Or maybe he should move the mummy out of here. Or he could open the next tomb and quickly put the mystery of what's inside there to rest and possibly discover an awesome, fully intact mummy and a tomb full of treasure? Oh, the drama!" she wails exaggeratedly, placing her hands on her cheeks, mouth gaping open in mock shock.

Lindsey, always the epitome of distracting, sarcastic comments. I kind of heave an annoyed sigh and narrow my eyes at her. Despite her insulting recap of my current position of choices making it sound like an obvious choice, there's still a lot to think about. My sometimes overly organized brain would say I need to take this all a step at a time in a logical order...finish what I started with Mutnofret's mummy and then worry about this new tomb door. But of course, I'd be a liar if I didn't admit that this new discover has definitely more than piqued my interest. So it's basically a battle with the logical side of my brain and my ever inquisitive, curious side.

"I vote we open the tomb first," Soren volunteers from the other side of the room where he is examining the newly discovered tomb door. "That ol' pharaoh's wife been there for thousands of years already, she can wait a little longer before we move her. I want to see what's in the next tomb," Soren exclaims, trying to peak through the non-existent cracks around the alabaster stone door. "Hey Arnold, did you see there's another one of those wadj-a-ma-call-it creepy eye things on this door too?"

Finally pulling my eyes away from the wall reliefs I've been staring at while trying to make my decision, I walk over to see what Soren is talking about. Sure enough, there on the ancient tomb door, surrounded by hieroglyphics is a large Wadjet symbol etched on the center of the door, underneath what I deduce is the names of the tomb's occupants.

"It's called a Wadjet," I remind him. At this point I've reminded him of its name so many times at this point that I've given up on him ever focusing and listening enough to ever remember. Chemists.

"Don't pretend you don't know what it's called by now, you dork," scolds Soren's wife Sandy. She's a fellow Egyptologist and friend from college. This weekend she came down from Cairo to help us out with our new discoveries.

Soren waves her off. "Hey, just because you guys are Egyptologists doesn't mean us simpleton chemist-osteologists are as knowledgeable as you are on all these creepy symbols," he teases, pursing his lips at her.

She punches him in the shoulder lightly. "Are you this bratty when I'm not here? Or are you just showing off because you missed me?" she asks him, her hands on her hips.

"Psh. I don't have to show off I'm-"

"He's always like this," Antoinette comments from the other side of the room as she walks over.

"Whatever," he replies with an eye roll. "That's not true."

"I'm gonna go with what Antoinette says," Sandy giggles, elbowing her, while Soren playfully glares at them.

Softly chuckling, I turn back towards the door. "You know I haven't actually looked at this door yet, I mean you did just find it," I comment with a broad smile.

Pulling out my notebook I start to study the hieroglyphics to translate what I assume are the names and titles of those who are buried inside. I've found that writing down the sound of each hieroglyphic as I decipher them, and then translating to English from there kind of helps me to piece together the words faster. The others crowd around me waiting to hear what the translation will be.

Finally after a few minutes I clear my throat, ready to read back the short phrases I just decoded. "Son of Great Warrior King Thutmose and wife Mutnofret; Prince Ramose-born of Ra-great warrior and beloved of his father," I read pointing to each part as I speak the translation. "That's the first part there," I repeat, before pointing to the second part. "This next part here says: "Daughter of Great Warrior King Thutmose and wife Mutnofret; Princess Neferubity-beauty of the two ladies-pure and beloved by all."

"The two ladies?" asks Soren, running a hand through his dusty hair. "What's that mean?"

"Well, that's what her name, Neferubity, means; the beauty of the two ladies...which means she was like the beauty personification of the two ladies of Egypt: Wadjet and Nekhbet. They were the deities of lower and upper Egypt respectively. Eventually they were worshiped by all of Egypt once the two parts of Egypt were unified, and then they became known as the two ladies. Thus 'the beauty of the two ladies.'"

"Thanks for the history lesson and all," Lindsey teases with a grin, "but I think there is only one obvious choice here: open the tomb!"

Sandy grins at me. "Well, I'm kind of hoping you decide open it before I have to head back to Cairo on Monday, but it's your decision, of course, Arnold." Of all our team, she is probably the most nerdy and dedicated aside from me. She's been obsessed with Egypt since she was a child. But once getting pregnant a few years ago, she spends most of her time in Cairo raising their sons and comes down about once a month or so to help out. It's always refreshing and helpful when she comes down, she often spots things we've missed when we get stuck focusing on the big picture for too long. She is also exceptionally good at translating, which helps ease to the pressure off me when it comes to deciphering.

"Who'd have thought I'd ever have to make this decision?" I laugh, happy and yet overwhelmed by all that has surpassed in the last few days. I've been on this constant adrenaline high that has yet to subside, the days ahead are full of new discoveries, translating, documenting, and more-and I can hardly wrap my head around it all. It's definitely a dream come true that's unfolding in front of my eyes, leaving my shocked mind behind as time doesn't stop and wait for me to catch up.

All eyes are on me, waiting with baited breath for my decision. "Well," I finally breathe, slowly glancing over at Mutnofret's sarcophagus. "Soren's right. Mutnofret's been alright this long, I think she can wait a little longer so we can open this new tomb!"

Cheers from my friends and teammates echo across the chamber's walls as they all high-five excitedly.

"Man, Arnold," Lindsey laughs, "I thought for sure you were gonna make us wait to open this door."

"And I was over here sweating bullets that I'd miss out on all this," Sandy giggles, relieved. "Way to string a gal along, Arnold," she teases.

"Glad you didn't let us down. Now, let's do this," Soren says, handing me a lantern and nodding towards the door. "After you."

"Two more mummies! Man, Arnold, I just can't get over this. It's extraordinary!" Soren exclaims shaking his head in disbelief. He pats me on the back jovially, "Thanks to you, I'm having the experience of a lifetime."

"And I'm so glad you chose to open the tomb today so I could be a part of this! It's like a dream come true," Sandy beams, standing back and taking in the scene before us. "All that studying finally paying off, eh?" she asks, elbowing me.

I smirk back at her with an eyebrow raised. "Yah, I guess," I joke as she laughs with me.

Eagerly looking down at the two mummies again, she states, "This one looks like it's Prince Ramose and this one Princess Neferubity."

Nodding in response, I look down as well. Prince Ramose's chest is smashed in much like Mutnofret's was and some of his wrappings are missing revealing the mummified corpse beneath, however, Princess Neferubity's mummy looks almost pristine in it's wrappings, only an outer layer of bindings missing. "It looks like the grave robbers got to Ramose but were either stopped or didn't finish with Neferubity for some reason," I state thoughtfully, looking down at the princess's mummy.

"Probably because she cursed them with her mummy voodoo," Soren remarks from across the room. Lindsey snorts in response and Sandy and I just exchange unimpressed looks.

"Dork," Sandy mumbles playfully under her breath.

I let out a small chuckle and start to turn away from the mummies when the light from my lamp reflects on something and catches my eye. Turning back, I lean closer, looking down curiously, my heart rate slowly increasing and my brain trying to keep myself calm.

"What is it, Arnold?" Antoinette asks, noticing my reaction as she comes to stand next to Sandy while I reach down towards the mummy.

"I thought I saw..." I say carefully, not wanting to get their hopes up-or my own.

"Me too," Sandy whispers solemnly, standing on her toes and leaning forward so she can see down into the sarcophagus better.

Holding my lantern as close to the mummy as possible I reach down towards it where I saw the glint of light. There it is again! A golden glint coming from under Neferubity's wrappings. With a quick intake of breath Sandy takes the lantern from me and holds it in position so I have both my hands free. The other three silently come closer to stand behind us to see what I've found. Carefully, my heart thumping in excitement, my breath held in, my fingers shaking slightly, I gently push aside the wrappings to look beneath.

With a quiet gasp, Sandy holds the light up higher, as I grin widely while the others hover around. Beneath Neferubity's wrappings is a beautiful Egyptian necklace of gold and precious stones. It's a gold Wadjet amulet inlaid with lapis lazuli, obsidian, and pearl, glittering up at us in the lantern light. I'm so excited I feel like jumping up and down or dancing or something, but I remain frozen in pure thrilled shock instead.

"It's beautiful," Sandy breathes from beside me. "It's a Wadjet again," she observes, caressing it softly.

Soren claps loudly from behind us. "Whoo hoo! This just keeps getting better!"

"Dang, this family and their Wadjet symbols," Lindsey remarks, gazing at the necklace where it lays on the chest of a mummy.

"Yes, they do have quite an affinity for the goddess Wadjet," I remark, not remembering to coverup the suspicious and somewhat knowing sound to my voice.

"There's something you aren't telling us, isn't there, Arnold?" Antoinette questions me, watching me suspiciously, while the others celebrate the find behind us.

Before I can decide how to answer, Sandy calls from across the room. She's shining her lantern where she is gazing up at a wall. "Did you notice this, Arnold?"

Coming to stand next to her as Lindsey and Soren exclaim over the Wadjet necklace behind us, I shine my own lantern onto the wall with Sandy's. I try to ignore the way Antoinette is still looking at me skeptically. The wall relief is an extremely intact and beautiful painting of what, I can only assume is Lady Mutnofret, Prince Ramose, and Princess Neferubity by the shores of the sea. Neferubity is holding a blue lotus flower, reaching out almost as if she is about to toss it into the sea.

"Look, Arnold," Sandy murmurs pointing to their faces, "I think they're crying."

Looking back I realize she's right. The figures, dressed in white linen, are posed in such a way that is common in Egyptian reliefs of mourners-crying, arms thrown in the air representing their agony and grief. Mutnofret is on her knees, her arms in front of her face in despair.

"You're right," I reply, tracing the images softly with my finger. "They're mourning something."

I can't stop the warmth and sudden thrill flowing through my body as I gaze at the painting. I know it sounds weird-feeling this way about a painting of people and their grief-but it may be a sign that I haven't been working and searching in vain. It could be nothing, or it could be everything. It could be exactly what I hoped to find.

My eyes dart over the accompanying hieroglyphics, not even knowing where to start, but hoping for an answer. I spot the words a few recognizable words, but nothing really fitting what I'm looking for. Before I can really start translating Sandy lets out a sardonic whistle and shoots me a grin. "Wanna 'team double time' it?" she asks, her eyes flashing with excitement.

Nodding to each other, we both look back to the wall, pulling out our notebooks. "Soren, it's time," she states in a dramatic, TV show narrator type voice.

He rolls his eyes with a chuckle and takes the lantern from her, holding it up so she can write. Antoinette comes over and grabs my lantern doing the same for me.

"Ready...steady...go!" Sandy shouts gleefully and begins translating her side of the hieroglyphics as fast (but as accurately) as she can.

"Team Double Time" is something Sandy and I developed back in college and continued when we started on this excavation. Sandy specializes in Egyptian hieroglyphics as well and we were in all our language classes together. So we started a study group together where we'd do what we called "Team Double Time," where we would take a piece that we had to translate, split it in half, and then race to translate our section as fast as we could. It was a way we could get everything translated faster and avoid feeling overwhelmed. Soren had learned that if Sandy said those words, it meant she needed him to grab her lantern and hold it up for her so she could see the hieroglyphics better.

"And...done," I say after a while, finishing my last word.

"Me too," she replies, looking back over her notes. "Interesting."

"Thank goodness, I thought my arms were going to fall off. Can't you translate an ancient writing system any faster?" Soren taunts, smiling down proudly at his wife.

"I should really work on that shouldn't I?" she teases back, giving him a quick kiss.

"So what's it say?" Lindsey asks in a bored voice from across the tomb where she is sitting half-asleep.

I begin to recite my half of the inscription: "Now it so happened that when the late King Thutmose I was potent king of this entire land, one of these days a great evil entered the Great House and took hold of His Majesty. When it became apparent that he would move on to The Eternal Paradise, his Majesty said to the seal-bearer who was at his side: 'Go and fetch for me the royal princes.'

"They were ushered in to him immediately, and they prostrated themselves before His Majesty. And His Majesty said to them: 'My sons, I have caused you to be summoned in order that you may hear my words. Great evil hath taken hold of my khat and I shall soon fall to the end of this life and move onto the Eternal Paradise-The Field of Reeds. It needs be that I proclaim a successor to the throne of all Egypt. As ye know, my sons, Prince Wadjmose, Great Overseer of Soldiers, is the eldest and I have reared him all his life to be the next king. It is he I have chosen to rule. He shall be a wise and strong ruler and bring much gladness and blessings from the gods to all of Egypt.'

"The princes again prostrated themselves before His Majesty. Prince Wadjmose rose next, then said he: 'I shall do all thou hast taught me, great King, and I shall make thee over-flowing with pride in the afterlife as thy Ba shall watch over thy kin and thy country.'"

"Don't stop now," Soren complains in a mock whisper, "it's just getting good."

Sandy elbows him with an annoyed huff, before continuing where I left off: "His Majesty nodded, his face shone with proud approval. Then said he, 'Now, my sons, should something happen to Prince Wadjmose, Prince Amenmose shall instead succeed the throne. If not he or Prince Wadjmose, then Prince Thutmose, following with Prince Ramose after.'

"Prince Wadjmose left his father's chamber in preparation to become king. But it was not to be. Princes Wadjmose and Amenmose with their families disappeared soon thereafter, leaving behind their kingdom, their royal duties, and their heartbroken, grieving mother, brother and sister. Lady Mutnofret was forevermore in great despair of heart. Prince Ramose, and Princess Neferubity never recovered, but never gave up hope that they would again see their beloved brothers.

"His majesty, Great King Thutmose I left this world soon thereafter and his son Prince Thutmose II married his sister Hatshepsut and together ruled the throne of Egypt.

"Lady Mutnofret left this life from the agony of a broken heart. Her heart hath been found righteous against the Feather of Ma'at. There hath not been found any wickedness in her; she hath not committed any evil acts; and she had not set her mouth in motion with words of evil whilst she was upon the earth. The gods will grant her heart mending and the chance to again meet her son in the Eternal Paradise where all the worthy and pure of heart go," Sandy finishes quietly.

We all stand in silence for a few moments pondering what we've just read and heard. My mind spins at the renewed realization that this story...this painting...these words are the descriptions of the actual lives of these people. These words express an event in the life of these mummies-long since passed on and buried-but alive again in the work of the Pharaoh's scribes. As if their ancient desire to live on forever has, in even this small way, come true. A small memorial to who they once were and what they experienced and went through. It's a humbling thought...an overwhelming reminder that I'm just an insignificant person who, once dead and buried, will be remembered by very few and eventually be forgotten entirely. These hieroglyphics are testament to the ancient Egyptians and their desire to never be forgotten and lost like most of us will be.

"Gosh, that's so sad," Sandy whispers at last, wrapping her arms around Soren's waist. "I wonder what happened to the princes and their families. And their poor mother."

"Why would you disappear when you're about to be Pharaoh...I mean PHARAOH!" Soren exclaims jokingly. "Hello? Ruler of all ancient Egypt?"

Sandy lets out a huff and rolls her eyes at him. "Missed the point much?"

"Maybe they didn't leave by choice. I feel like there's a lot unspoken in those words," Antoinette says thoughtfully, eyeing me warily. She's starting to suspect I'm holding something back...I'm not sure what I did or said to give myself away, but she's been watching me closely the entire day.

Avoiding her eyes I shrug nonchalantly. "Maybe."

Glancing back up at the wall painting, I'm momentarily struck by the beauty and melancholy of the image and its text again. The artist captured the aching sadness of the family in such a striking way. The ancient scribe's words almost poetic in their retelling of the story. Poor Mutnofret and her family-losing half of her family and never knowing what happened to them. A heartbreak and suffering I know only too well.

It's night and the others are in the main tent together talking and laughing over dinner. Standing outside in the dark I can see their silhouettes against the bright lights inside. Normally I'd join them, but the excitement from the day-well, from the past few days-is making me feel overwhelmed, so tonight I feel the need to escape for a little bit.

Glancing towards the entrance of the tomb, I feel a wide smile spread across my face. Maybe I'll go take another look at our newest discoveries and Neferubity's beautiful Wadjet necklace. Maybe one last look, alone, will help soothe my mind enough so I can relax and maybe even get some sleep.

To think that we found three mummies is unbelievable...but the idea that one of them still has at least one piece of untouched treasure with them is just too incredible. I haven't been able to think or focus about anything else. I can't help rubbing my hands together in excitement as I head down into the tomb, the laughing voices of the others slowly fading awa as I go deeper.

It's darker than usual in the tomb tonight. We don't usually work in them at night because in the day if we even get a smidgen of the sunshine in there it helps, but at night there's not even that. So one lantern is very little light to go on. If I were superstitious I would probably be feeling more freaked out right now then I do, being down in an ancient Egyptian tomb, at night, alone with three ancient mummies. Luckily I learned from my grandmother that superstition only holds on to you if you let it. So for now, I'm just slightly unnerved.

Making my way through Mutnofret's tomb I proceed into the adjacent tomb of Ramose and Neferubity. The lantern in my hand only casts enough light to see a mere foot or so in front of me, so I tread lightly, being careful not to trip. Finally arriving at Neferubity's sarcophagus, I lean over and look down. There, illuminated by the lamplight, is the Wadjet necklace. I gaze down at it and feel a slight surge of pride come over me at my find, and you know, for a moment I let that emotion stay...usually I avoid such feelings, but tonight, I am in fact very proud of all I've accomplished. So I think it's ok to feel that one, just this once.

Strung on a necklace of faience beads, gold backs and outlines each precious stone. Vibrant lapis lazuli smoothly outlines the eye and eyebrow. Pearl is inlaid between the brow and eye, slightly cracked from age, but still beautifully iridescent. An obsidian pupil stares back at me, as if gazing at me through a fracture in time bridging the gap between now and thousands of years ago. A chill runs up my spine for a moment as I stare back a the Wadjet...as if perhaps the goddess Wadjet herself, protector of Egypt and its crown is gazing back at me through this necklace. As if she-through the eye of the amulet- is warning me to tread carefully...warning me that the path I am heading down may very well bring my own destruction. I'm transfixed as I stare back, my thoughts spinning quickly...like Wadjet is drinking in my thoughts, my feelings...my memories...it's like she can read my every thought. Without thought I reach forward to touch the necklace...something only Sandy has done so far, but now my hand is drawn to it, as if being pulled by an invisible string.

Tenderly I run my fingers over the smooth stones, tracing their shape. A kind of electricity immediately rushes through my body starting at my finger tips and I feel like I have been transported back in time as my mind imagines an addendum to the story we read in the hieroglyphics. And through Princess Neferubity's own eyes I see more of the story laid out for me.

"Why must thou go, Wadjmose? How shall I bear this existence without thee?" I say, tears streaming down my face.

My elder brother, Wadjmose, turns away from our mother and looks at me-strong, stalwart and handsome-looking ever the part of an Egyptian prince. His black braided wig sitting atop his head, adorned by his golden crown. The elegant symbol of the crown prince of Egypt, with The Uraeus-the cobra representation of the goddess Wadjet-at its center. The black kohl eyeliner around his eyes compliments his tanned skin and deep, green eyes. A pleated, white kilt of the softest and finest linen hangs around his waist, held in place by an elaborately ornate belt. Around his neck, beneath his lapis lazuli and gold weskhet collar is his favorite amulet-that of a beautifully created Eye of Wadjet, a personification of that great goddess he was named for. It was a gift from Lady Mutnofret, our mother, on his twentieth year of birth and crafted with great care and attention to detail-made from lapis lazuli, pearl, obsidian and strung on a string of colorful faience beads.

Moving his strong hands to my face he cups it gently. "Thou shalt be fine, dear one. Mother shall care for thee and I shall rest easy knowing thou art safe and cared for."

Tears continue roll down my cheeks even as I wipe at them bitterly. "But I shall miss thee more than my mouth can express," I reply, a deep aching pain taking hold of my heart. "Cannot thou take me with thee?"

Hugging me close, he kisses my cheek softly, tears pooling on his cheeks as well. "Little sister, I shall miss thee too. But we know not where we go and we only know it shall be very trying. Thou wilt be most comfortable and content here with Mother and Ramose." Sliding his hands away he reaches up and unclasps the amulet from his neck. "I want thee to have this, Little Sister. It shall be a way for our hearts to be connected together forever. And it is Wadjet's sign and she shall protect thee in my absence." Gently he clasps it around my neck, a tear falling from his eyes. "For protection, royal power, and good health, oh goddess Wadjet," he prays on my behalf.

Looking down at the beautiful necklace, I trace its lapis lazuli outline with my finger tips. "I shall wear it always and forever, Wadjmose. For all eternity."

"I love thee," he whispers to us. He runs a hand down my cheek one last time before turning to leave where Amenmose and their families await.

I feel Mother's hands around my waist and her head on my shoulder, tears fall onto the soft linen of my dress. Ramose steps up beside me, putting a comforting hand on my opposite shoulder. "All will be well, Neferubity," he says with confidence, as we watch the boat with my brother and his family float away down the Nile to whatever end shall be.

Leaving the comfort of my brother and mother I step to the edge of the sea, tears still spilling from my eyes; like the tears that the goddess Isis cried when she returned to find the body of her husband Osiris missing. Taking a blue lotus from my hair I whisper a prayer to the god Horus and to goddess Wadjet to protect my brothers and their families and guide them to a place where they can be safe once more, before tossing the flower into the sea.

"Arnold?"

With a small surprised gasp, I'm back at the sarcophagus, staring down at the mummy of Princess Neferubity. I spin around to see who spoke, only to see Antoinette standing a few feet behind me. Her face is lit only by the lantern in her hand and she's looking at me with her brows furrowed and her mouth slightly open in shock.

"Arnold? Are you...okay?" she asks finally, stepping closer, raising her lantern and peering into my face. "You're crying."

Gingerly I raise a hand to my face, touching my cheek softly. With a slight intake of breath, I'm shocked at the moisture I feel there-moisture caused by my own tears.

A/N:

Okay, you guys...I am so excited for this chapter and even more exciting for the next one! Ooh, boy! I hope you liked this one!

If you'd be so kind, in your review I'd like to know a few things:

Let me know what you thought about all the ancient texts I wrote.

Are you enjoying the OCs? I'm having some fun with them for now, as most of them are only temporary.

Do you have any suspicions or predictions you'd like to share with me? No wrong answers here, I totally just want to know if I'm doing my job right.

And most importantly, are you intrigued and enjoying this story?

Thanks so much for the reviews, guys, you have no idea how much the feedback helps and inspires me!

Lastly, I want to thank AibouFTW, for her help and friendship! I would probably *still* be writing this chapter if it wasn't for her! Thanks, girl, you are amazing!

Love,

Arnold's Love