Deitrich

The woman's voice was low pitched as she asked her question. Did I believe in magic? The supernatural? Stupid question. Yet there was something strange in our mission. Lt. Gruber dissolved when the Bedouin killed him. I had no explanation for that.

"No."

"Yet Hitler does. He collects items of legendary power to the Reich. What does he seek at Ahm Shere?" she asked again.

"A key." At least, that was what I had been told.

"What sort of key? The bracer was a key that released the Scorpion King. Imhotep was stripped of his magic to fight the trapped and transformed ancient king, but it was Alex's father who destroyed the thing, dropping Imhotep into … well … a form of hell, I guess."

She didn't look particularly insane, but this was the stuff of mythology. "You speak as though you believe in this. Who is this Imhotep?"

She chuckled as I asked. "I forget which Ramses he was attached to. Imhotep, High Priest of Amon-Ra and cuckolder of Pharoh … not a good combination. When the girlfriend committed suicide, after helping kill Ramses, the idea was to resurrect her using the Book of the Dead. Instead Imhotep was caught, incarcerated, alive, victim of the Hom Dei curse … which pretty much managed to victimize everyone. Stupid curse." She paused before continuing with what seemed a most familiar story to her. "The Pharoh's guards spent three thousand years, multiple generations, keeping Imhotep from being brought back. Twenty years ago Alex's father, mother and a party of Americans went to Hamunaptra; broke the seals, dug up the bad guy and read from the Book of the Dead while doing so."

"You believe this … American tall tale?" It sounded like one of those movies the Americans make where the villain is both evil and understandable.

She took a breath and looked at me as though deciding exactly what to tell me. I believe she settled for honesty, hoever much it seemed unrealistic. "Actually, yeah. The Medjai with Alex was there. Alex was there for the battle at Ahm Shere. And I got the story from the horse's mouth, so to speak, one Rick O'Connell." A smile curved her lips at the thought of the man. "Ardeth Bey is a direct line descendant of the Pharonic guards set to watch for the return of Imhotep. Of course, I've seen stranger things in my breakfast cereal than a cursed mummy with sorcerer's capabilities. Your Lt. that disolved, for one. Of course, there's also the problem that Ahm Shere ceased to exist, so I'm wondering exactly what your Lt. was up to."

Ceased to exist? How could an oasis cease to … of course, the water dried up. Whatever source fed the area must have subsided. Yet the construction should still stand and whatever we were to locate and bring back should still be there unless the place had been looted. Still, an oasis would be easier to find than mudbrick … I felt the beginnings of a headache that was not heat induced.

"We will continue on until we find out what is at the oasis, whether there is still water there or not. Ruins are what we are expecting."

"And if there aren't any ruins, but only sand?"

"Then we will dig." They would dig until it became obvious that there was nothing to be found. On one level, he hoped she was right, that whatever the High Command sought was long gone. On another, he hated being sent on wild goose chases.