CHAPTER FOUR

When Myka arrived at the new exhibit it was just in time to hear Helena chastise Pete for peeking under the skirt of the Horus guard outside the door.

"What? This is a museum. I'm learning about Ancient Egyptian boxer shorts. It's educational!"

The two boys he had high fived earlier slapped hands over their mouths to contain their mirth. They were looking at him with unabashed admiration – which, by the looks of it, had won him the approval of their teacher. Pete Latimer may be King of the Kids, but it usually ended up paying off in the end.

The exhibit had been well advertised, and as such had quite a few visitors. Myka had already contemplated the trip before the assignment had been so fortuitously made. The main draw of the exhibit were the contents of a newly uncovered tomb, one that was already being heralded as the find of the decade.

The tomb had belonged to a young Middle Kingdom pharaoh. His historical significance was still under consideration, but despite the outcome there was no denying that he had been beloved. His tomb had been well stocked and, much to the delight of the archaeological community, had been remarkably well preserved.

Right on eleven o'clock, a blue blazered museum worker appeared and opened the exhibit, pulling back the curtain between the two 'guards'. With a quick glance of agreement between them, the three split up and kept watchful eyes on everyone around them – when it came to artifacts, red velvet ropes only went so far.

Whenever possible they would brush a static bag up against an object or two in the hopes of catching a spark. Copper hand weapons, papyrus maps, limestone busts – even a dazzling jewelled gorget – all were quickly tested and dismissed.

Several hours and even more artifacts later, they slumped towards each other in the middle of the exhibit. It had been laid out to resemble the original layout of the tombs and this, the antechamber was the most densely packed with items.

Collapsing on the bench, Pete smacked Myka lazily with the guidebook. "Hey Mykes. Didcha check the creepy cat?"

"What cat?" Helena asked.

Pete pointed out the 'creepy cat' that sitting had bought into the line of sight. It was a stone statue, sitting about thirty centimetres tall. It was made of a black stone, its gold inlay around the forehead and colour still remarkably shiny. High on its chest sat the Eye of Horus, a symbol now very familiar to all the agents, and below that, a winged scarab. Most stunning of all were its bright blue eyes, made of a polished stone.

"Bastet." Pete gave her an odd look, but Myka continued before he could start. "Bastet was an Ancient Egyptian war goddess, quite a powerful one. It was her duty to protect the pharaoh. She was also the protector and patron saint of Lower Egypt."

Helena looked at her approvingly for her recall of information and picked up the thread where she had left off. "She was originally depicted with the head of a lioness, but over time and with the increasingly reverence for the domestic cat in Egyptian society she took on the visage of her animal symbol."

Pete gave them both a look. "You guys are nerds. You know that right?"

Helena looked at him disdainfully, "I, Mr. Lattimer, am a geek, thank you very much."

"Claudia?" Pete questioned, having seen their young friend supply Helena with a supplements to her vocabulary on more than one occasion.

"Indeed."

Myka pulled herself from the bench, pulling her now well-crinkled static bag from her pocket and slipping it over the statuette. A smattering of electrical sparks poured from the open end of the bag. Myka shied away from them, but still found the hot sparks burning and tingling her fingertips.

Helena clapped her hands together, something she was wont to do after an artefact had been both 'snagged' and 'tagged'. "Righty-ho then chaps, shall we away?"

Pete screwed up his face at her.

"...too British?"

Pete nodded.