Twenty-Four: Egypt, Finally!
At last, they reached Egypt. They stood in the entryway into the grand exhibit. Nat was entranced by the huge hall and vast collection of artifacts. "Wow. We should update our exhibit, expand it to look more like this. Huh Ahk?" Ahk smiled.
"Perhaps I should accompany you," Lancelot said.
"No, we'll take it from here," Larry said quickly. The knight looked a little taken aback.
"Really?" protested Nick.
"Yeah, we're good."
"Well, it really is no trouble-"
"We're fine," Larry insisted.
"Well then-" Lancelot patted Nick on the shoulder. "Friends, Larry, the clown-faced keeper of the magic tablet – I shall never forget your bravery, nor your jests."
Larry nodded, looking more than happy to finally be rid of the knight. "Well, thanks again. Goodbye."
"I shall not say 'goodbye,'" Lancelot began, sounding as though he were about to launch into another one of his speeches, but Larry cut him off.
"Well I am, we've got to go, sorry, bye." He turned to go.
Nat turned to the knight. "Thanks, Lance," she said.
"'Lance?'" repeated Larry, stopping and turning back around. "Really? He's got a nickname now?"
"Well Lance for Lancelot," she said as though it were obvious. "It's just like 'Lar' for Larry."
"Not really, but whatever," he said, brushing it aside, about to continue on.
She scoffed. "What's the matter? Why are you so upset all of the sudden?"
"I'm not-"
"Yeah you are. What is it? Speak to me, tell me, please," she said, her tone softening, now sounding more concerned than irritated. "That's what couples do, they talk to each other. Or at least they should. Larry this isn't healthy, you're stressing yourself out too much-"
"I am not-" he argued.
"Yes you are! You're working yourself too hard, both Nicky and I have noticed. You can't help the others if you're not willing to help yourself! You've got to take a minute-"
"We don't have time. Do you not understand what's at stake here? Do you even care?"
"You're saying I don't care? Well let me remind you that I was at the museum for close to four years before you – four years! So don't tell me I don't care! Please just let us help you, we want to, and we're more than willing to. You don't have to take this on all by yourself."
"Yeah, well, I don't need you to," Larry snapped.
The space settled into uncomfortable silence. Nick winced.
Hurt flashed across Nat's eyes. Larry sighed. "Let's talk about this when we get home-"
"Talk about what?" she cut in. "You've obviously made yourself very clear." With that, she stormed into Egypt.
"I haven't seen these halls in many a moon," Ahk exclaimed as they journeyed further into the grand exhibit. Up ahead sat two opened and empty sarcophaguses.
"Ahkmen?" A woman in ancient costume entered the room then.
Ahk's jaw dropped. "Mother!"
Mother and son embraced, reunited at last. A man in elaborate robes entered next.
"Father," said Ahk.
"Welcome home, my son," said his father, also hugging his son.
"Mother, Father, I want you to meet my friends," Ahk introduced. "Everyone, these are my parents-"
"Merenkahre and Sepseheret!" cried Nat. Everyone looked at her. "Sorry."
"I am Merenkahre," said the Pharaoh. "Pharaoh of the Nile and Father to the Son of the Sun."
"And I am Shepseheret, the Glittering Jewel of the Nine Kingdoms."
"And I am Larry," Larry said, stepping forward to address them.
"This is Larry Daley, Guardian of Brooklyn. And this is Natasha Bentley," Ahk introduced them to his parents. "She watches over me by day, and he watches over me by night. They've taken good care of me."
"We would be very honoured if you would take a look at the tablet," Larry told Ahk's father. "There's something happening with it, we don't understand what it is."
The Pharaoh regarded him. "You are in the presence of a Pharaoh – kiss my staff." He held his staff out before Larry.
Larry hesitated. "Is it okay if I don't?"
"You will show respect," commanded Merenkahre.
"Yes, and I totally respect you-" Larry began, but Nat stepped in.
"Please, Pharaoh of the Nile," she said. "This is really important. We think it might be losing its power." She held the tablet out to him, he taking and inspecting it.
"You are right," he said after a moment. "It is losing its power."
"Do you think you can fix it?" asked Larry hopefully.
Merenkahre regarded him again. "To do that I would have to divulge the secret of the tablet."
"We promise we won't tell anyone," Larry insisted. Nat rolled her eyes.
"No."
"I'll kiss your staff," Larry tried.
"Too late."
"Father, why do you insist on keeping this to yourself?" asked Ahk.
"The secret was to be passed onto you at the proper time," his father explained.
"Well it has been four-thousand years," countered Ahk.
Merenkahre sighed and gave in. He began to explain that upon his son's birth, he had requested the tablet be forged so that the family would never be apart, even in death.
"The tablet was forged and fueled by moonlight," the Pharaoh finished. "It's been away from Khonsu's rays for too long."
"Khonsu," repeated Nat. "God of the Moon."
"Yes," said the Pharaoh. "As long as the tablet bathed in his power, nothing could separate our family."
As if on cue, the corrosion stretched further across the tablet's surface. Dark lines began to appear on Ahk's face, as though he were fading away - he was dying.
"My son!" cried his mother. "What is happening to you?"
His father was just as alarmed. "It needs moonlight, otherwise we shall all be dead by sunrise. If the tablet dies, nothing can bring it back." He handed the tablet to Larry who grabbed it and took off running out of the exhibit, Nick and Nat in hot pursuit.
Larry skidded to a stop beneath a skylight, Nat and Nick almost crashing into him, and began turning the pieces of the tablet, but nothing happened.
"It's not strong enough," said Nat. "We need to get it outside."
"No, you need to give it to me." They turned to see Lancelot standing behind them, holding a blade to Nick's neck.
"Nicky!"
"To think it was right within my grasp, the Holy Grail!" cried the knight.
"What, no, this isn't the Holy Grail!" cried Larry. "Let my son go. We need to get this outside."
"Then give me the tablet."
"First release my son!"
"First give me the tablet!"
Larry gave in, passing the tablet over to Lancelot who, in return, released Nicky.
"Listen to me," Larry cried desperately. "That thing is dying. If it doesn't get moonlight, then everything ends, for real."
Lancelot didn't seem the least bit phased by this. He kept his dagger pointed at them. "King Arthur wasted years searching for the Holy Grail. To think that it was a tablet all along..."
"Would you just give it to me! You don't know what you're doing-" Larry reached for the tablet but the knight snatched it away.
"My quest is complete. I ride for Camelot tonight." Triumph shone in his eyes.
"Fine you can keep it, okay, just take it outside and turn that centre piece," Larry instructed.
"Sorry, not my quest." With that, Lancelot took off running down the hall. "By the way, Erik was much funnier than you!" he called over his shoulder before disappearing around a corner.
"Get the others," Larry quickly instructed Nat and Nick. "We can't let him leave the building."
Here's another chapter for you! Thanks so much for reading - hope you enjoyed! :)