They left the temple and made their way west across the sands toward the group of men that could be seen in the distance. As they neared the site Tilly could see how busy everyone was, from the few English or American people to the large numbers of Egyptian workers.
Evy explained to her how many local men would be employed to help with the labour. "They get paid fairly well and there are always lots of people signing up for this work. Unless there's a curse involved, then we don't see them for dust!"
"Are the curses always true?"
"The ones we've come across have been. I'm sure there are some that are only designed to scare people off, but we haven't found one yet!"
The sand sloped sharply down to the actual heart of the dig, a rock bed, though not the natural desert rock bed that they would normally expect to find; this one was obviously man made, slowly appearing from the yellow surround. It was forming a perfect square, with what looked like eroded carvings at the corners. A man was standing there, his hands on his hips, issuing commands to one of the workers. He was dressed from top to toe in Khaki and had dark hair, slightly long at the collar and greying at the temples. He turned at their approach and gave a beaming smile to Evy, holding out his hands to her which Evy happily grasped.
"Jack! It's good to see you!" she said, kissing his cheek. "This is Rick's cousin Matilda. She's come with us on this dig and it's her very first time in Egypt...well, the first time she can actually remember anyway!"
Professor Jackson Millbrook turned his blue eyed gaze on Tilly and she was relieved to see friendliness shining from them, together with a touch of male appreciation. He was an unusual looking man, his eyes somewhat small and his nose overly large, but he had a welcoming air about him and a ready smile. He looked to be in his late forties or early fifties. His voice, when he spoke, was deep cultured English.
"How do you do, Matilda. It's a pleasure to meet you." He bent over her hand and placed a kiss on her fingertips with olde worlde courtesy before very slowly releasing it. "May I show you around the dig site? You must watch your step in places, here," he said taking her hand in his, "let me guide you."
Evy smiled and shook her head as the professor took Tilly over, pointing out different things that had been uncovered over the last few days. He loved lecturing people about archaeology and Tilly was just the sort of person he loved, soaking up the information like a sponge. He was also an inveterate womaniser and, again, Tilly was just his cup of tea. Evy decided she must keep an eye on them. Tilly didn't seem very worldly and she wouldn't have it on her conscience if the professor tried to seduce her. Oh yes, she knew the professor very well. In fact, if Rick hadn't always been so visible and so large, she suspected that the professor would have been more than friendly with herself on occasion.
She followed behind them slowly, keeping a beady eye on where Jack put his hands, relieved to see he was being the perfect gentleman. For a change, she smirked. He was a lovely man, really, she thought, it was just a shame he let his hormones dictate to his brain! Just like Jonathan really, although Jack had much more success regardless of the disparity in their ages! She heard Tilly asking him about the rock base they had uncovered, addressing him as Professor. Her eyes rolled heavenwards as he insisted on being called Jack his hand squeezing Tilly's for an uncomfortably long time. Evy could see Tilly was looking a trifle uneasy. Time to step in, she thought, heading toward them.
They spent the rest of the daylight hours discussing the few finds Jack had made and postulating on what might soon be found. Rick and Jonathan joined them, finally, saying it was really time to go and eat. As they walked back Jonathan boasted about the meal he had just prepared over an open fire, much to Rick's amusement.
"Yeah, he's a real good cook. He didn't panic or anything when the pot tried to explode in his face!" he laughed.
"That's a trifle unfair, old chap. How was I supposed to know you had to add water before you put it on the heat?"
"You weren't to know. But leaving the pot in the fire for twenty minutes before you add cold water does tend to make it hiss and spit a little bit. As you found out!"
"Yes, well, I'll know better next time won't I?"
"Now, boys, let's not argue. It was very nice of Jonathan to cook us a meal. What is it anyway?" Evy cut in, linking her arms through theirs.
"Beats me," said Rick, shrugging. "It looked sort of like a vegetable stew, I think."
"That's exactly what it is!" Jonathan said indignantly.
"We'll see," the bigger man murmured.
Tilly walked ahead of them to the camp and stared down curiously into the bubbling pot. It looked like stew, she thought and gave an experimental sniff. It smelled like stew, too. Maybe Jonathan could actually cook. If not, she'd take over for the next meal, she promised herself.
As it turned out the meal wasn't bad at all. A little bit spicy, but Tilly seemed to be the only one who noticed. Evy explained that they were used to the spicy fare of Egypt and they didn't even realise when something was a little hot. She assured Tilly that she would soon get used to it and Tilly had to agree, finding the food quite tasty.
Before too long Jonathan gave a huge yawn and stood up, stretching his tired muscles. "I'm beat," he said, rubbing his hands together. "I'm going to turn in now. Tilly, would you like me to see you to your very own bit of the tent?"
"Yes, that's very kind of you, thank you." She stood as well, smiling at the tall, good looking man and the small dark-haired, pretty woman who sat hugging each other and staring into the fire. "Goodnight, Evy, Rick. See you bright and early tomorrow?"
"You sure will. Goodnight Tilly."
Evy echoed the sentiment and Tilly took Jonathan's arm as he gallantly escorted her inside the large white tent. Her 'very own bit' of the tent consisted of a curtained off corner where a roll of bedding had been laid out for her use. She gave Jonathan a small kiss on the cheek, watching as he blustered and flushed at the unexpected contact.
"Well, goodnight then, my dear. Sleep well...and call out if you need anything. Anything at all!"
"I will. Thank you for being so good to me today. Goodnight."
Jonathan left her corner of the tent and she heard him moving about noisily in his own area. She changed quickly into the black night-dress Evy had insisted she buy and lay down on the uncomfortable looking bed. She was surprised to find it wasn't at all as bad as it had looked and that the sand underneath it moulded to her shape, keeping the bed fairly soft. After all the excitement of the day she was sure she would never be able to sleep, but her eyes closed slowly and she sighed in contentment as oblivion washed over her while the desert breeze blew through the tent.
Ardeth Bay rode slowly up to their camp the next day. He had spent the night reading the ancient texts, but appeared to be no closer to a final solution. As he approached the tent his eyes narrowed in contemplation. He knew he would have to apologise to Matilda for the things he had done the day before, and in truth he was heartily ashamed of his behaviour. But first he would find Rick and discuss the matter at hand.
There was one thing that he had discovered whilst he was reading and it needed further investigation. He had spoken briefly with the leaders of the twelve tribes and they were all in agreement. After O'Connell had been told of the full prophecy Ardeth himself would become their protector, guarding them from the coming danger until it was time to fulfil his own destiny. He watched as the tent flap was pulled back and Rick's head popped out, having heard the horse approach.
"Do you have any idea what time it is?" he enquired politely, running a tired hand over his hair.
"I am sorry, O'Connell. I have much to tell you and I believed it best told early."
"Very early apparently. This wouldn't be some ploy to get out of apologising to Tilly?" Rick said slyly, cocking an eyebrow at the other man.
"I am offended that you would think such a thing! I have every intention of giving my apology today, but first we must talk. There are things you must know."
That sounded ominous, Rick thought as he and Ardeth walked off towards the temple so as not to disturb anyone. When they reached the other side of the ruins Rick perched on a large stone and waved Ardeth down next to him. "This is serious huh?" he asked.
"Yes. The myth...the prophecy I told you of. There is more to it than I have told you. It involves myself."
"I thought you were hiding something. Go on."
"The prophecy states that the Queen is the key to summoning Seth. It does not say how..."
"It never does," Rick mumbled.
"However, it does say who will stop her. It was written that the chief Med-jai will destroy her or be destroyed by her. All the tribes have agreed that this means me. The markings in the writings are the same as the ones I bear," he indicated his forehead and cheeks. "So you see I have a difficult choice ahead of me. I allow myself to die and the world to be plunged into darkness and chaos or...I kill the Queen. Your cousin," he lowered his eyes.
"It doesn't sound like much of a choice. If it were me I'd kill the Queen before she had any chance to kill me. That being so, I can understand why you tried to do what you did. What I don't understand is why you tried before you had absolute proof."
"As I have said, there is no coincidence here. The dates are correct, the appearance of your cousin is also correct. It does not take much to...put two and two together...as you say. I...value your friendship O'Connell and that of your family, but I knew that it was a friendship I would soon lose. I thought it best to lose it immediately, to lessen the pain."
"I would have said that nothing could make you lose our friendship but I have to admit that killing my cousin might just do it!" Rick said with graveyard humour. "I do understand why you did it, Ardeth, honestly, and I don't think any less of you. The only problem is, what happens now?"
"There is one thing...does your cousin have any unusual marks on her hands?"
Rick was taken aback. "Yes, she's got a ...Wedjat...scarred onto her palms."
"And she has no idea how she got this?" he watched as Rick agreed with this, obviously expecting him to. "Then the doubt is now banished. She is, indeed, the one. I am to protect you all, this was agreed with all the tribes. They will be ready for any danger and we will be watched well. However, I must fulfil my destiny. This is something that cannot be avoided."
"You mean kill Tilly?" Rick almost yelled at him.
"Only if it becomes unavoidable. There is a secret temple somewhere, a secret worshipping place of Seth, the location is not known. We are hoping from what we have read that somehow Matilda will lead us to it, having a hidden knowledge of its location. Then there will be writings on the walls of the temple, perhaps indicating a way to stop her without destroying her. In the meantime I will stay here with you and protect her. It is all I can do for now."
Rick stared at the other man, noticing the sadness in his eyes. It was obvious that he did not want this duty thrust upon him, but his friendship to Rick ensured that he would help in any way he could.
"Okay. I hope you're right and we do find something that'll help because, I hate to say it, I'd kill you before I'd let you hurt that woman!"
"I understand. Please do not think of me as your enemy O'Connell for I am not. Perhaps you could think of it this way. If Matilda becomes the Queen and kills first Jonathan, then me and then your wife...what would you do?"
Rick frowned, realising what the other man was saying. He knew that if anything happened to his family or friends, Evy especially, he'd want to kill Tilly himself, cousin or no cousin.
"I see. You're right of course. We'll work together to find a solution to this, if we can. I wouldn't want any harm to come to you either, you know. Despite what I've just said!" He shook Ardeth's hand, indicating the depth of his friendship with the man who had previously helped to save his son.
Ardeth smiled finally. "Nor I you, my friend. Come, let us go and discover if the others have awoken."
"I'll join you in a minute. I need some thinking time." Rick said, sitting with his arms drooped over his legs. Ardeth nodded his understanding and slowly walked back toward the camp.
Tilly opened her eyes as the first rays of dawn started shining against the side of the tent and stretched, rubbing her eyes as she tried to focus after a good nights sleep. She sat up and listened carefully for any sign of movement before looking at her wristwatch. No wonder she couldn't hear anyone, she thought, it was only half past five in the morning! She could tell from how wide awake she was feeling that she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep again and so she decided to get dressed and wander down to that marvellous lake again. Evy and Rick wouldn't mind, after all, even if they did happen to wake up and find her gone.
She pulled on a pair of her new black trousers and a loose white blouse, tucking it in and securing a wide looped belt round her waist. After pulling her boots on she tried to make some order of her hair and gave up in frustration, leaving it long and loose. Who was going to see her anyway? she thought. She could straighten it out later. The last item she grabbed was her new knife and she strapped that round her waist as well, thinking she never knew when she might need it. Besides, the weight of it felt strangely comforting against her hip.
Minutes later she had crept stealthily out of the tent and was sitting beside the still water of the lake on the steps, dangling her now bare feet in the water, her boots sitting next to her. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, taking in the cool air while she still could. It wouldn't take long before the fierce heat of the sun baked everything again.
With her eyes closed she didn't see the man standing staring at her strangely, but she certainly heard the sound of his step as he approached her and her eyes snapped open.
"Oh...my..." she began, her voice no more than a whisper as she watched Ardeth Bay approach her. He saw the sudden apprehension on her face and waved his hand in front of him. "No, do not fear. I am not here to harm you."
Tilly scrambled up from her sitting position and reached for the knife Rick had given her, wrenching it awkwardly from its sheath. Ardeth held his hands up in supplication.
"You...you just stay where you are if you please!" she stammered, angry at the way her voice was betraying her fear. She needed back-up, she decided.
"Rick!" she yelled at the top of her lungs and stood waiting for him, never taking her eyes off the man in front of her. "Rick!"
Rick would've laughed if it hadn't been for the seriousness of Tilly's expression when he emerged quickly from the back of the temple. Ardeth Bay was being held at...well...bay, he thought, trying not to smile. Tilly was trying to make herself look bigger and was pointing her knife at him as though it could fire bullets. Even Ardeth seemed to find the situation vaguely amusing, if the sparkle in his eyes was anything to go by.
"Good morning," Rick said to the shaken woman, moving to stand beside her. "I think you can put the knife away now Tilly," he told her, taking her arm and pulling it down so she was no longer pointing the dagger at Ardeth.
"You have much courage. But do you know how to use that?" the tall dark man asked her, nodding toward the small weapon as he lowered his hands. Her face told him everything he needed to know. Short of just thrusting the blade into his guts she had no other idea of how to handle it. "Perhaps I shall teach you. It is a good skill to acquire."
Tilly didn't know quite how to speak to this man and she looked at Rick in confusion. He grinned at her. "It looks like you're off the endangered species list!" he whispered, making her smile. His blue eyes swivelled back to the other man, vaguely registering that Jonathan and Evy had slowly emerged from the tent behind them. "So, Ardeth, old buddy old pal. Anything to say to anybody?" he said, giving an expectant, and a touch smug, smile.
Ardeth looked briefly uncomfortable, but Rick had to admire him as he turned to Tilly. He would never shirk his responsibility.
"Matilda, I wish to apologise for my behaviour yesterday." He placed a hand over his heart. "From my heart I am sorry and from my head," his hand moved to touch his forehead in a ritualistic fashion, "I am ashamed. I had my reasons, but still I have no excuse. Forgive me."
She reluctantly admitted to herself that she was impressed with the apology, no simple sorry from this man. She pursed her lips as she tried to think of something to say and sighed angrily because she couldn't find any words as good as the apology to actually accept it!
"I forgive you," she said hesitantly. She really didn't want any bad feeling anyway, what with this being Rick and Evy's friend. Even so, she still had to force the next words out and try to sound welcoming as her first memory of the man made her wary. "Maybe you could...stay for breakfast? I know Rick and Evy would like that..." she tailed off and looked at the others, who were all heading back to the tent, looking amused.
"It would be a pleasure. Perhaps after the meal I could teach you the arts of the blade?"
"I...well, I suppose so. I'm not sure what Evy had planned today, but..."
"Then it is settled. Come, let us retire to the shade. The sun is gathering heat." He took her arm and guided her gently toward the tent, ignoring the fact that she felt like a piece of wood where he was touching her. He had to allow for her distrust, he told himself, but in time he hoped to gain her friendship. Although at first he and O'Connell had been bitter enemies, he now felt enriched by knowing him and his family and he hoped that the feeling was mirrored.
"Everything okay?" Rick asked, pointing the question more at Tilly once they were all inside the tent.
"Everything's fine," she assured him. "Mr...Bay, here is staying for breakfast."
"Mr Bay?" Rick asked, smirking at the other man. "Yes, I heard him agree. We were there as well you know!" He looked at her as if she had lost her mind.
"I know..." she flushed and spared the other man a hard glance, her eyes shooting back to Ardeth when he moved toward her.
"Please, Matilda, you must do as the others do and call me Ardeth."
"Okay," she said abruptly after a brief silence, turning away to get the makings of breakfast together. Rick prodded her in the back, motioning toward Ardeth with his eyes.
"Oh very well. You must call me Tilly then."
"An honour," he said, bowing slightly and making her feel ashamed to have been so rude. "May I help with these...preparations?" He indicated the plates and pots she was collecting, the offer making her feel even worse.
"No, no...thank you for asking though," she mumbled, carrying her burden outside. Jonathan joined her and offered his help too. This time she accepted, admitting that she had no idea how to build a fire. This made Jonathan puff up in his best 'me Tarzan, you Jane' impression, acting the big man. Tilly smiled as he meticulously built the fire up, showing her how to do it for herself in case he was ever absent from her company. Fat chance, she thought, considering he shadowed her almost everywhere. She took some ham and picked out a handful of eggs from their supplies and proceeded to fry the thick meat and try and scramble the eggs in the two flame blackened pots, just about managing to leave them edible in the fierce heat. Jonathan, meanwhile, was busy pulling some bread apart and dividing it between the tin plates.
"Will this be enough?" she asked him, looking doubtfully at the amount of egg in the pot.
"Plenty, don't worry. It never looks much, but you wait and see. Smells good by the way."
He then proceeded to bang the pot loudly with a spoon, shouting for the others who all quickly exited the tent and sat as far away from the heat of the fire as they could get, watching Tilly serve up the meal. She had to admit that he had been right, there were plenty of scrambled eggs for them all and she watched Ardeth's face carefully as she handed him his plate, wondering what Arabs normally ate for breakfast. But he made no comment other than thanking her and began tucking into the meal with apparent gusto, unobtrusively moving the ham to one side and leaving it uneaten.
After everyone had finished Jonathan showed her the joys of cleaning the plates with sand which was surprisingly effective. She mentioned Ardeth leaving the ham and asked why. "I think it has something to do with his religion, but you'd have to ask him to be sure. As far as I know the people out here eat goat meat mostly. We've got some of that in there somewhere. We'll make a stew out of it tonight, I'm sure he'll eat that."
"We don't know that he'll be eating with us again," Tilly pointed out.
"Ah, but I'll be asking him to join us, you see? Good! All settled then. Let's find Evy!"
"I'll be with you in a minute. I just want to tidy up a bit more."
When she had put everything neatly away she went to stand next to Jonathan and Evy. "What are we doing today?" she asked.
"Going to the dig site again. At least, I am. The professor thinks he's found something and I have to go and see. You don't have to come if you don't want to, I know Ardeth offered to teach you how to use that knife."
"I'm not sure...well, I'd prefer to go with you if it's all the same?"
"Certainly you can come with me. Ardeth will come as well of course."
"He will? But why?"
"He's got some bee in his bonnet about protecting us all because of this prophecy. If it makes him happy..." she shrugged.
"Oh I see. He's a little..." she searched for the right word, "...intimidating."
"That's what I thought when we first met him, but he's very nice really, you should take time and get to know him. After all, you shouldn't judge someone just because they try and kill you!" she said in a jovial tone, teasing.
"Good heavens no!" Jonathan joined in. "Lots of people have tried to kill me in the past and I don't bear any grudges at all! Including our man Ardeth too!"
"That's because it was always your fault, you fool. Getting into trouble gambling or tomb robbing!" Evy nudged him, rolling her eyes at Tilly.
Tilly laughed at Jonathan's outraged expression, walking with Evy toward the dig site while he regaled them with excuses about his past behaviour, becoming their shadow once more.
They met the professor at the rock base and his eyes lit up with excitement when he saw them. "Quickly, come and see this!" he grabbed Evy's arm and virtually dragged her toward a corner of the square plot they had excised. Evy's eyes widened as she saw the edgings of the stone tablet that was being meticulously uncovered.
"Is it...?"
"I believe it is. One of the Tablets of Amun-Ra...look, here, at the corner...that's cuneiform, I'm sure of it. If your information was right then we'll find the other tablets here too, maybe today!"
Evy picked up a brush and used it to clear some of the sand away, revealing what was indeed cuneiform writing, etched in stone and inlaid with solid gold.
"How strange, I thought it would be in hieroglyphs not cuneiform."
"Can you decipher it?" Tilly asked her, looking down at the odd little lines and wedges carved into the stone, the gold sparkling in the sun.
Evy nodded. "Yes, not as well as hieroglyphs I have to admit, but with Jack's help I think we'll be able to read them okay. Can we help at all Jack?"
"Yes, you certainly can. Half the workers took it upon themselves to leave today for some reason, so we could do with any help we can get. Maybe your dark friend over there can assist us too?" he nodded to the sandy ridge above them.
Evy and Tilly both turned to find Ardeth slowly making his way down to them. He noted Evy's expression and looked down at what they had uncovered.
"It is as I said, as it was written. The tablets of Amun-Ra. Do you see Evy?" He bent and almost reverently touched the patterned stone, his fingers running over the notched edges.
"I do. I don't suppose you'd like to help us out down here would you? The professor says that half his team of workers left today, so he's short-handed."
"Perhaps they fear a curse being laid upon them. I do not believe there is one on these tablets, but these men would not know that. I would be glad to help if you would tell me what you wish me to do?" he said graciously.
Evy handed both him and Tilly some small digging implements and brushes, showing them how to uncover the tablet so it suffered no damage. She shouted to Jonathan, who was trying to sidle away at the prospect of doing work. He reluctantly came back and took the implements from her, bending with an exaggerated sigh to start work.
Jackson moved toward Tilly as they began brushing away the sands and took it upon himself to help her.
"Here, hold the brush like this," he said, covering her hand with his and showing her the most effective method of uncovering the ancient artefacts. His fingers stroked over the back of her hand familiarly and she shivered slightly in discomfort, her eyes shooting to his. He glanced her way and gave a slow smile, obviously thinking his charm was working wonders on her and she wondered how she could extricate herself from this situation with a modicum of politeness.
"Professor..." she began, but he cut her off.
"Jack, my dear, you must call me Jack. I insist," he said, his fingers still stroking.
"I...alright then...Jack. I'm sorry, but I need my hand back if I'm to carry on with this..." she said quietly, hoping that no-one else could hear them.
"Of course, my dear, I apologise!" he said, slowly releasing her hand, but still hanging over her in an almost threatening manner. Tilly swallowed and wondered at his boldness considering she had already asked for her hand back. Her eyes turned to where Evy was, but she was too immersed in her task to notice Tilly's discomfort. She glanced around at the others to see if they would rescue her, but Jonathan, too, was busy concentrating on his given task. When her eyes looked over at Ardeth, however, she found him studying her and the professor, his expression unreadable. Tilly gave him what she hoped was a 'save me' kind of look, wondering if he would understand it and, if he did, if he would bother doing anything about it. She needn't have worried. Ardeth was honourable and very gallant in his own way and he immediately stood up and moved toward them.
His eyes narrowed at the flash of anger that lit up the professor's expression as he sat down next to Tilly, wondering why the professor was treating Tilly like a possession when they had barely met. He was only glad that his presence was obviously doing what Tilly could not, getting the professor to move away from her.
"May I help you Matilda?" he enquired politely, his hand taking her arm and moving her closer to him and away from the other man.
"Oh, yes, thank you, I..."
"She's doing quite well actually. I was just giving her a hand," the professor said, his voice hard.
"I do not mind helping her. I am sure that you must have many more important things to be doing, Professor Millbrook, things that we cannot be of any help with. We shall be fine working together," Ardeth said, his voice innocent enough, but his eyes flashing a warning.
The professors face changed subtly at that warning look and he stood up abruptly. "Of course, you are correct. But I'll come back soon and see how Tilly is coming along," he said, his words a threat of sorts.
Tilly let out a breath when Jackson finally walked away, one hand going to her throat. "Thank you so much!" she said fervently, smiling hesitantly up at the dark warrior. "I didn't know how to make him go away without being rude."
"He was acting in a most inappropriate manner, I am happy to have stopped this," he said, his eyes wandering over her face. "You are not familiar with a man's possessiveness?"
Her mouth came open at the odd question. "Well, no, not really," she muttered, fiddling with the brush she was holding.
He nodded solemnly and looked away. "Shall we continue with this excavation?"
"Oh...yes," she stammered, wondering if all the men her cousin knew were strange. Her mind soon forgot about any unpleasantness as she worked at the ground in front of her.
Tilly found the work exciting, very slow, but interesting and Ardeth worked alongside her, talking to her about Egyptian legends and fables. Before long she found herself relaxing in his company and realised Evy was right, he was a genuinely nice person. He even made her laugh a few times as they worked together, watching as the stone tablet was slowly uncovered all the way and lifted carefully from the sand. It was approximately 12 inches tall and 8 inches wide and, for its comparatively small size, very heavy. Beneath it they found the beginnings of a second stone and the professor almost did a dance as his feelings got the better of him, Ardeth Bay looking at him as if he were a lunatic.
They gathered round the first stone as Evy and the professor tried to decipher what had been written so many thousands of years before. Ardeth uttered a warning to Evy as she began reading the work aloud.
"Do not forget, Evy, what has happened before when you have read these spells. Please, do not utter them aloud, not until we need them."
"You're right, I almost forgot! Good grief, we have no idea what these will do yet either!" she looked up at the professor. "Maybe we should continue with the other stones and try deciphering them later?"
He nodded. "You could be right. Best to get the work done as soon as possible. Let's get going then, although I have to say I can't wait to find out what they say!"
After another few hours meticulously digging underneath the burning sun, Evy sat back on her haunches and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Well, it doesn't look like you'll have to wait much longer Jack," she said, looking down at what they had uncovered. The three stones of Amun-Ra that they had expected to find were laid side by side on the rock bed, glinting in the glare of the sun. Jonathan and Ardeth Bay were hunched down over them, examining the writing on them even though they had no idea how to decipher the strange markings.
"Evy...I think you should come and look at this..." Jack called out to her, digging a few feet away at the opposite corner from her. She wiped her hands and joined him.
"Didn't your friend there say that there were only the three stones?" he asked slowly, pointing at what he was unearthing.
Evy gasped as she saw another stone being revealed. "He did...I don't understand. Ardeth?" she called out to him and he immediately came over to her.
"Look!" she pointed out.
Ardeth frowned. "This cannot be...the remaining stones are said to be at Amarna."
"What if the writings are incorrect?" Evy asked suddenly, grasping his arm. "Ardeth, if they are then perhaps the prophecy is wrong too!"
"Perhaps," he agreed. "But there is truth in it too. The stones are here as it was written, but they are all here not just three. I will meet with the twelve tribes and discuss this. I shall return in two days, but in the meantime I must speak to your husband."
"Wait a while before you go. We have to see if they are all here before the light fades. You need to be sure." Evy cautioned and he nodded, bending to help them with the careful work. It wasn't too much longer before they had their answer. All six stones had indeed been buried there, three at one corner of the ornate rock bed and three at the opposite corner.
"Why were they buried at opposite corners?" asked Tilly. "Is that significant in some way?"
The professor spoke up then. "This corner has the sun engraved on it and the other corner has the moon. They were potent symbols in ancient Egypt. I'm quite sure whoever placed them here had a good reason for exactly where they were placed. That's my job around here, to find out why they did these things. I won't be able to puzzle this out until I'm back with my books, I fear. Not unless this gentleman has any answers?" he nodded toward Ardeth, his face pleasant but his eyes still holding a hardness as he looked at the other man.
Ardeth noticed the look but ignored it. "No, I have no explanation for this. I do not know why all six stones were buried here at all. It is time I went back to my people and enlightened them of this. We are now sure of what is here and they must be told."
"Its such a shame that we don't have Horus here with us to help." Evy said, smiling sadly at the brief flash of pain that crossed the Arab's face. Horus had been his friend, even though it had only been a falcon, but it had also been highly trained and would carry messages across great distances to the twelve tribes. Until Lock-nah had shot it at Ahm Shere. It was obviously still a sore point for Ardeth. He nodded at her. "I must leave you now. I shall speak to O'Connell." Turning he bade farewell to Tilly and Jonathan, ignoring the professor, bowing slightly as he did so, before striding towards the camp where Rick was cleaning his guns in preparation for any trouble.
He glanced up and grinned as he saw his friend walking toward him. "Problem?" he enquired, wiping down his shotgun with a soft cloth.
"I must go. The stones of Amun-Ra have been found here, as it was written. But the writings are not as accurate as I believed, for all the stones have been uncovered here. I must leave you all for two days to meet with the leaders of the twelve tribes. You are well prepared in case of danger?"
"As you see," Rick indicated the guns spread out on the ground.
"Yes, but you are one man..."
"Don't worry about us. Jonathan's a crack shot, as you'll remember and Evy isn't half bad either. If there's any trouble we'll cope. Somehow." He smiled grimly.
"Very well. Then I shall go and apprise my men of the situation." He touched his heart and his head and uttered words in his own language meaning 'God be with you.' Rick watched as the tall elegant man sat astride his horse and moved the animal into a fast gallop across the sand, slowly disappearing from sight. He was sensible enough to know that if Ardeth was worried about the recent find then there was really something to worry about.
