"I don't think heading right into the lair of the enemy is a good idea, Chagny," said the Phantom. "Or has your neck already forgotten what happened the last time you tried that?"

Raoul glared at him.

"I shall take that as a 'no'…"

"Will you be quiet…?" Raoul asked. "I know what I'm doing."

"Raoul, please let me go with you," whispered Christine. "I can't stand the thought of losing you."

"I don't want you in danger, too, Christine," Raoul whispered back.

"No need to worry; I'll protect her if the need arises," said the Phantom.

"What…?" asked Raoul, dreading the answer.

"I have a score to settle with those thieves…" the musician replied. "And I am sure the archaeologists would appreciate it if I were to translate some of the hieroglyphs on the temple walls…"

"He's doing this on purpose; I swear he is…" Raoul muttered under his breath. Christine rested her head on his shoulder, trying to calm him.

"If you do wish to go, you will be able to find some horses in the stable near here," said Neferma'at. "Feel free to take them; I won't be needing them… once I get married."

"Mademoiselle Ishtar…" said the Phantom, with raised eyebrows. "You do not wish to be married, do you?"

The girl paled.

"How…? How did you know…?" she gasped.

"Because the look in your eyes is the same that Christine had when I wished to marry her," he replied.

Christine blushed, and Raoul glared at the Phantom again as Neferma'at nodded in agreement.

"You are right," she said. "The thieves won't leave me alone… but Mr. Hoularch will be able to protect me from them. If I marry him, I know I'll be safe… but… I'll miss home so much…"

Christine felt a deep sympathy for Neferma'at. When she had married Raoul, she knew that she would be safe, but she would also be free. Freedom was one of the first things that Raoul had promised her that night when he had proposed on the Opera Populaire rooftop. That was how she knew that she would be going to Abydos with him, even though he hadn't said a word about it.

"Is there… anything we can do…?" Christine asked.

Neferma'at shook her head.

"Please place your mind at ease, Mademoiselle Ishtar," said Raoul. "Upon my honor, I will stop these thieves. They cannot be allowed to disrespect the former kings or to threaten the innocent. Christine, are you sure you wish to come with me?"

Christine nodded, hiding her smile; it was as she had predicted.

Raoul turned back to the archaeologists.

"Carry on with your work," he said. "But I request one of those ancient swords. I have a feeling that I might find myself in need of them."

The man holding the swords handed them to Raoul. They were unlike any other swords he had seen before. The hilt was shaped like an ankh, the symbol for life. That made sense; in the ancient battles, a sword would have meant life for the one wielding it. The swords seemed to be in good condition, despite the age. They would have to do, regardless of how old they were, though.

"I'll take one of those," said the Phantom. Raoul said nothing, but gave him a sword all the same.

"And we should carry the map with us," said Christine, taking the lamp. She blew out the candle, and the images carved upon the lamp vanished, as though they had never been there. With an amazed shake of her head, she placed it in her satchel.

And after making sure that the thieves were not lying in wait for them, the Chagnys and the Phantom departed for Abydos.


The journey to the ancient city was long and sweltering. It only eased after the sun went down, but they did not stop, save for short breaks to rest and recover. It was the next morning when they reached. Raoul halted the steed that he and Christine were riding on.

"I'm assuming that no one will be at the temple this early," he said, leaping off of the horse's back. He helped Christine down, as well. "But the first thing we have to do is to find that marketplace where Sethos's artifacts are being sold. Once we do so, we can try to figure out how to get everything else back to Luxor."

"Wonderful," said the Phantom, sarcastically. "And you simply expect to walk right into the marketplace, accuse the thieves of thievery and steal everything back yourself?"

"Certainly not; that's your task."

The Phantom's eyebrows arched from behind the mask he was wearing.

"All of Paris knows about the Opera Ghost, and how he can make himself invisible in an instant," said Raoul. "It's time to put your title to the test. I'll leave the marketplace in your hands. Christine and I will search the temple. I trust that you will be able to find us there after you've completed your mission?"

The Phantom removed a length of rope from within his cape, which he had been sure to take with him, in addition to the ancient sword.

"Consider the task complete," he said, and they went their separate ways soon after.


The Phantom's venture to the marketplace nearly met with failure. He had completely forgotten about the mysterious man he had met aboard the ship, and was unpleasantly surprised to cross paths with him again.

"You have not learned your lesson, have you, Erik?" the man asked, surveying him with a patronizing look. "Again and again, you defy Ma'at. Don't think I am unaware of the gold you have stolen--"

"For goodness' sakes, who on Earth are you!?" the Phantom asked, once the shock had worn off. "And what do you want from me!?

"Want?" asked the man. "Ma'at is the goddess of justice. Justice is what she wants, and justice she shall have. Mark my words, Erik. Your trial will come in five days' time. I will have obtained my witness by that time… a witness who can attest to your crimes and evils…"

The man turned the corner and vanished. The Phantom cursed him, and then cursed himself for ever being intimidated by him.

"Remember why you're here, fool," he chided himself. "Even if he does bring you to that trial of his, you can clear yourself by saving the Pharaoh's treasure…"

But it was interesting, though, that the man hadn't mentioned a thing about the Pharaoh's sword that the Phantom was clearly carrying with him. And yet the man had known about the gold figurine. Then again, the viscount had given him the sword… which meant that either he had "permission" to carry it, or that the mysterious man would soon start appearing before Raoul. Either way, he couldn't concern himself with it now; he had to retrieve the rest of those artifacts.

But that got him thinking… clearly, those thieves were more disrespectful of Ma'at than he was. So why wasn't he after the real perpetrators!? They had taken everything they could have snatched; even the king himself.

He set off, in search of the stand selling the artifacts, making a mental note to inform the man of the situation if he ever saw him again (though he was hoping that he would not).


"Oh, Raoul, look!" gasped Christine, as they passed below the impressive archways of the temple. "Can you believe how beautiful everything looks, even after thousands of years?" She placed her hand on the ornately decorated wall. "I really do wish walls could talk. These would have quite a tale for us."

"And they could tell us where the thieves hid everything," sighed Raoul. "We have a difficult task ahead of us, Christine. I think…"

He trailed off, distracted as he heard a whisper coming from deep within the temple. It was speaking in a language that he couldn't understand.

"Raoul?" asked Christine. "What is it?"

"Christine, do you hear that?"

She paused for a moment, trying to listen. With a shrug, she shook her head.

"I think our 'friends' are in there," said Raoul, drawing the ancient sword that he had brought from Luxor. "Be on the lookout for anything suspicious, Christine."

"Right," she agreed, and she followed him inside the darkened hall.

Raoul led the way, a torch in one hand and the sword in the other. He didn't hear a single sound now. It was far too quiet.

"Christine, if they attack us, you should run," he said. "Defend yourself with the torch and escape. You have to trust that I'll be fine."

"But are they here? I never heard anything," she said, glancing around, not wanting to think of Raoul being forced to face the clearly dangerous band of thieves all alone. She found a strange calming effect from the images of Sethos, Túaa, and the ancient deities that covered the walls. "But I have to say that this place would be beautiful with a little more light. Do you need the map?"

"No, not yet," he said. "Though this place reminds me of the Opera Populaire in some ways… This pathway seems to lead to the central hall. I doubt the thieves will have placed the treasure somewhere so obvious, but one we get there, we can try using the map to see where the underground passageways are."

"Right," she agreed, and the two continued down the darkened corridor.


The Phantom's expedition, save for the encounter with the seemingly zealous vigilante, was going well. By using his lasso alone, he had roped in the Bastet statue. As the thieves began to search for the vanished cat, he succeeded in sneaking in and recovering the smaller artifacts. The mummy and some of the larger artifacts were still not there; obviously, they were still in the temple. He hadn't expected to find the treasure all in one place, anyway.

Having no way to carry all of the artifacts, he hid what he could within his cape, and was forced to wear the rest of the royal regalia, including a gold-laced nemes, carrying the cat statue with him. Luckily, he was able to make his way in typical Opera Ghost fashion, and therefore avoided the looks from passersby that he would have received otherwise. But he wouldn't have minded; it would have undoubtedly drawn attention away from his face, which was something that he would have welcomed.

He was partly concerned about the "five days' time" that the man had mentioned. Though, with any luck, they would retrieve all the artifacts, bring them back to Luxor, and be back on the way to Paris before five days was even over.

He pushed aside the thoughts; his main concern was getting to the temple before the thieves did. His mission had been a success. His only regret was that he hadn't received the chance to get a better look at the thieves. That would have helped him in his case against them, if that man ever showed up again.


Meanwhile, the Chagnys were still progressing down the corridor which led to the main hall. The only light came from the torch that Raoul was carrying, and there wasn't a sign of anyone else. And yet, it felt as though they were not alone. It wasn't just the sensation that the carvings on the wall seemed to be looking at them (even though that feeling was there); it felt as though there was the presence of an actual person nearby. Finally, Christine decided to speak about it.

"Raoul, I think you may have heard someone after all," she said, casting wary glances behind her. "I think we're being watched."

Raoul paused, raising the torch so that the light fell behind them. And still there was no sign of anyone.

And that was when they both hear the strange whisper, still speaking in its own tongue.

"Where is it coming from!?" Raoul thought. The voice was close… so close; they should be able to see the speaker, and yet, they saw nothing.

"Raoul…" gasped Christine, staring wide-eyed at the sword. "Raoul, I think…"

She didn't have to finish her thought; Raoul glanced at the sword that he was holding. He immediately let it drop, as though it had caught aflame. As the couple continued to glance at the ancient object in wonder, there could be no denying that the whisper was indeed coming from the sword.