Bill hadn't realized how far Umm el Ga'ab was from Abydos proper until he overheard a pair of children laughing at him as he informed their mother that he was going to walk there and needed directions. They promptly informed him that it was 'so far out into the desert' and that 'only a crazy man with a camel could make it out there before dark.' So, of course, he promptly asked the location of the closest place he could rent a camel.
He ended up outside the Al-Ghazali Camel Corner. It was one of the few places that catered exclusively to tourists, as if one couldn't tell from the gold leaf, Arabic-shaped words on the door post. "Excuse me," Bill called out, pushing the door open with a squeal and a creak. "Is anyone here?"
"Ah, come in! Come in!" A short, round man came bounding out from behind a fabric hanging that led to the back work rooms. "Welcome to Al-Ghazali's Camel Corner," he said with a grin. "I am Khalid Al-Ghazali. What fine things can I help you explore today?"
"Mr. Ghazali," Bill replied with a quick glance up to the price wall to confirm that the man was a Muggle. "I'm in need of a camel."
"But of course!" Khalid exclaimed, all but pushing Bill out of the structure and into the sunlight. "Everyone needs a quality camel, and you've come to the right place to find one!" He motioned to the bevy of camels tied to posts and water troughs along the sides of the buildings. "What is your purpose for renting a camel? Where are you headed?"
Bill turned his attention from the slobbering camels back to the camel dealer. "I'm headed to Umm el Ga'ab," he replied. "Field work."
Khalid nodded. "Ah, I assume you are an archeology student then?"
"A professor, actually," Bill replied, relishing the chance to sound intellectual for a change. "Dr. William Weasley, Ancient Egyptian Studies at Cairo University."
"How exciting!" Khalid exclaimed, leading Bill to the first camel at the trough. "For such a distinguished man, only a distinguished animal will do." He untied the camel and thrust the rope into Bill's hand. "Meet Ra, the Champion of the Desert, as we at Al-Ghazali's Camel Corner like to call him. He is a fine work animal, and very easy to direct. And so much energy! Why, he'll keep going, and going, and going, and-"
"I'll take him!" Bill snapped, effectively shutting the other man up. "He seems like just what I need."
Khalid grinned and pulled a clipboard off of the outside table. "Wonderful, Dr. Weasley. Just sign here," he said, pointing to the line at the bottom of the sheet. "And here, and here," he added, flipping the pages. Bill signed the sheets, one after another, until there was nothing left but an empty clipboard and Khalid smiling back at him. "And I hope you have a wonderful day. Ra is yours for 6 hours."
Bill hoisted himself onto the beast and waved off the camel keeper. "Merlin help that man…" he mumbled, turning Ra in the direction of Umm el Ga'ab.
-*-
Umm el Ga'ab wasn't your standard tourist fare. While most people, Muggle and wizard alike, flocked to south Abydos to explore the pyramids, the ruins in northern Umm el'Gaab were less grandiose. It was usually frequented by university students from Cairo and the occasional seventh-years from the Alexandria School of Sorcery who were preparing for their Ancient Charms exams. With so few people passing through, the section of town that used to encircle the tombs had moved all of their operations south to Abydos, leaving the area nothing but sand and slowly eroding buildings.
Bill led the camel to the entrance of the first tomb, leapt down from the beast and fastened it to a pole protruding from the gate. He glanced up to face the animal, muttering "Stay" - as if it would do any good.
Retrieving his wand from his belt, he whispered a quick Lumos and glanced around the opening. Everything seemed in order, no stones overturned, no rubbish lying around. His eyes surveyed the stairs and found what he'd been looking for - two sets of footprints invading the collected dust. "I found you," he mumbled, following the footsteps further into the tomb. "Now, what are you looking for…"
Five hours and three tombs later, Bill stood at the entrance of the fourth and final tomb. The other three had been a disappointment. There were always the two pairs of footprints, but nothing disturbed in the heart of the tomb. It was as if someone just came to walk around and take pictures. But that wouldn't explain the odd vibrations, he considered.
The fourth tomb was identical in shape and to the previous three. However, as Bill crouched down closer to look at the same offending footprints, he realized there was no residual dust in the center of the footprint.
They were fresh.
Bill pointed his illuminated wand as far out as he could, steeling himself for whomever could be in the tomb. "Come out, come out," he muttered under his breath as he walked into the elongated hall.
His concentration was interrupted by the sounds of hurried whispers coming from the center chamber. Bill extinguished his wand and crept to the opening of the center room. He flattened himself against the wall and peered slowly around the corner.
Two people, a man and a woman, speaking with American accents. There was a large urn sitting atop a stone pedestal that seemed to be the center of their attention. It wasn't a spectacular piece, maybe three hundred galleons at the right auction. But this was where the vibrations were coming from. Bill could feel it standing so close the chamber.
"It's beautiful, Lee," the woman whispered.
"And it's about time we had some luck," Lee replied. He smiled and draped an arm around her shoulders. "Liz, we've struck gold here. Do you know how many people would kill for this thing?"
Liz rolled her eyes. "Yes, I do. If I remember correctly, that's why we're here. Gold, power beyond all imagination… that sort of thing," she laughed.
Lee didn't respond. His eyes focused on the chamber entrance. "Did you hear anything?"
Bill pressed himself closer to the wall. These two didn't sound like petty thieves. There was something odd, with such interest in such a blatantly worthless piece of pottery. Something was causing the vibrations, it must be the urn.
"No, I didn't hear anything. You're just getting paranoid."
But what could be so valuable about the urn? Were they wizard or Muggle? Did they even know about the vibrations?
A scream pierced the air, followed by a crash and thud. Bill shot from against the wall to inside the chamber with his wand aimed and ready. The woman was lying motionless on the floor and the urn was beside her, fallen but unbroken. The man snapped out of his surprise to pull a wand on Bill, but it was no use. Bill had expected as such and the wand was soon on the ground near the urn and the woman. "Who are you?"
The man froze. He stared at the urn and then at the woman he'd called Liz.
"Trying to Apparate won't do you any good down here," Bill answered, checking the woman's pulse. "The unusual activity as of late has prevented that. But I'm sure you already knew that." He tapped his wand to the beads on his wrist. "Abdullah, I need you and a couple warders at tomb four in Umm el Ga'ab. I think we might have someone who can answer our questions."
"Is everything fine over there? Why do you need warders?" Abdullah answered.
"I think we might be dealing with something more dangerous than we thought."
"Are you hurt?"
"No. Remember the pair Al-Baradai mentioned? The man is fine, but the woman is dead."