Chapter 50
Rendezvous at Karnak
In the gathering twilight of dusk, Marcus Brody entered the spectacular and ancient ruins of the Temple of Karnak from the south.
He first passed through an avenue of sphinxes; two rows of stoic, stone, lion bodied guardians standing more than eight feet tall at their head. Sadly many of them lacked their heads, which they had lost to the destructive looters of centuries past whose gluttonous lust for genuine antiquities ravaged so many of the magnificent temples of Egypt.
At the end of the avenue of sphinxes Marcus passed beneath an enormous stone gate, nearly one hundred feet tall and covered in beautiful bas-relief carvings. At the top of the structure, the nearly fifty foot wide lintel was carved with a magnificent image of Khepri, a scarab beetle with the widespread wings of an eagle beneath.
Passing through another series of stone gates Brody entered the Temple grounds proper. Jumbles of stones lay about where the ravages of time had toppled them. Many of them were enormous blocks that must give one pause to think what advanced engineering techniques allowed the ancient Egyptians to ever construct such magnificent structures; especially since so many others were still in place.
So much of Karnak was indeed still in place; still standing close by to the right bank of the Nile, as if challenging the river itself to a contest of longevity. In all their glory, after more than three thousand years, stone columns, facades, and beautiful detailed carvings still stood; a testament to the wonders of the ancient people who built them, and left such an indelible mark upon human history.
The first of the stars were just beginning to twinkle in the sky as Marcus made his way through the main Temple complex and exited out through the gate where the twin obelisks of Thutmose I, and Queen Hatshepsut stood. The two spire-like stone columns, adorned with their complex series of carvings and cartouches, stood nearly fifty feet tall. Standing straight for millennia, their pointed tops seemed to reach up and pierce the very sky itself.
Upon reaching Jones' designated meeting place, Marcus glanced around, but saw no sign of the archaeologist whom he called his best friend. There were few people around; only a few of the local Arabs. The boat had just only docked at Luxor less than an hour ago. Most of the tourists on board who had any interest in the ruins were no doubt waiting until the morning to explore. Marcus had found it easy to excuse himself from Elliot, telling the agent that he wished to go for a walk and would return in a couple of hours.
Now he stood in the shadows of Thutmose's tall obelisk and waited.
An Arab in full-length white 'aba' and white turban passed by Brody; neither seemed to take much notice of the other. But a half-minute later, when the same Arab once again walked past, this time from a different direction, Brody took notice. Then, a half-minute after that, when the same man approached, this time from yet another direction, Marcus Brody began to become alarmed. For a brief moment he began to wish that he were armed. But the moment was indeed brief because a few seconds later the Arab in the white 'aba' and turban walked up and spoke to him.
"Hello Marcus."
Marcus stared for a moment in the dusky light, and then smiled broadly, "Indy!" He nearly shouted as he reached out for Indiana Jones.
The two good friends embraced for a moment.
"Indy, it's so good to see that you're alright! We were terribly worried about you! But ...where have you been? How did you get to Egypt?"
Jones looked down for a moment, "Well, to quote Robert Frost, I guess you could say I took the path less traveled by," Jones said, and then looked back up, "but that doesn't matter now, I'm here...we're here."
Marcus looked at him, "The gypsy woman?"
"Her name is Vadoma," Jones said, "Yeah, the gypsy woman."
Indiana Jones stared off in the distance at the waters of the Nile River, so close by, and then turned and spoke to Marcus again.
"Listen Marcus, she's not a Nazi," he said, and then raised his voice a little, "and I'm sure as hell not a Nazi. None of what happened was as it seemed. I tried to tell you on the telephone that night in London, but I was unable to," Jones paused to look around for a moment, "now I can."
For the next ten minutes Indiana Jones explained in detail the sequence of events on that fateful New Years Eve that had caused him so much trouble, and caused him to flee England with Vadoma.
"I didn't have any other choice Marcus," Jones said when he was finished.
The two men stood in silence for a few moments. The trails of Jones' white turban blew about haphazardly in the fragrant desert wind that swirled about the ruins; in, out, through, and between the myriad of ancient stone columns and facades.
"Well yes, now I see," Marcus said, "It was lucky for the girl you showed up when you did. It seems like you were in the right place at the right time I suppose." "Or the other way around," Jones added rather darkly.
"But Indy, I'm certain that we can straighten this whole mess out..."
"I'm not turning myself in Marcus," Jones said with determination, "not until I find Malboury. This whole business started with him, and it's not going to finish with him. It's the only way for me and Vadoma," he paused for a moment, "I'm not leaving Egypt without Malboury."
Marcus knew when Indiana Jones had his mind set, and so he said nothing, and only just nodded.
"But there's something else I've got to tell you," Jones said with a slight smile forming on his lips, "Calvertus' scroll...it's not buried on Philae Island like we thought."
"No?" Brody looked at the archaeologist curiously.
"No," Jones said, and then withdrew the scroll from under his clothing, "it's right here."
Marcus Brody stood and stared without speaking for a long moment. Finally he looked at Jones and said, "Where ever did you find it?"
"In the Temple of Isis," Jones answered.
Now Brody looked thoroughly confused, "But I thought you just said that it wasn't on Philae Island."
"The Temple of Isis....in Pompeii." Jones said triumphantly.
Marcus digested what his friend was telling him for a moment and then reached his hand out, "May I see it."
Jones handed him the scroll. Brody unrolled it in the dim light of the encroaching evening. He squinted to try and make out some of its details.
"Yes ....yes," Marcus said with a tinge of excitement rising in his voice, "this is it Indy!" He paused and looked up, "But how ever did you find yourself in Pompeii, and what made you think the scroll would be there?"
"Luck... fate... a hunch." Indiana Jones answered Brody's entire question with three simple words.
Then Jones continued on, "The tomb with the Sun Tablets is in the Valley of the Kings." "The Valley of the Kings...of course," Marcus said, "the burial ground of Royalty, of the elite...that labyrinth of hidden tombs," Marcus then turned to Jones, "How can you be sure the tomb's not been discovered yet? Many have, as you of course know"
"Believe me," Jones said, "once you can read the scroll you'll know. It hasn't been found, and," Jones added, "it goes deep. If that scroll is correct it's got to be one of the deepest tombs ever in the Valley of the Kings."
A lone jackal howled far off in the desert to the east; echoing through the ruins of Karnak with an eerie resonance.
"Well," Marcus said, "there's no need to travel any further up the river now is there. We're here...in Thebes.... and just across the river lies our Valley of the Kings."
"I've got more to tell you Marcus," Jones said.
"Yes?"
"I ran into an unexpected fellow traveler on the 'Goddess'."
"Oh, and who might that have been?" Marcus asked curiously.
"None other than Yelena Badonov," Jones answered, "she's traveling with Yuri Ivanovitch and a younger man. She approached me with a deal. It's amazing how much she knows about.... about everything that's going on."
"Russians," Marcus said by way of a one-word explanation, "they seem to have their eyes and ears, and their paws everywhere, but please, tell me about this deal."
Indiana Jones carefully explained to Marcus the deal that Yelena Badonov had proposed. When he was finished Marcus spoke again.
"How much money does she want?"
"She didn't specify."
"I see," Marcus said, "well, what you think is best Indy?"
Jones pressed his lips together in a sign of concentration, "Maybe she can broker a deal for Malboury. Maybe we just give up the scroll, we get Malboury back with no trouble," he said, "but that means giving up the Sun Tablets to the Nazis," he paused reflectively, "and I don't know if we can do that."
After a long moment of silent concentration Jones looked directly at his best friend and mentor, "It's a tough call, what do you think Marcus?" Marcus paused, deep in thought for a long moment before speaking, "Well, to be perfectly honest, Agent Elliot and I hadn't really formulated a hard plan yet. We were going to first go to Philae Island, where we understand there is a dig currently proceeding with the German archaeological team. We were going to formulate a plan only after we assessed the situation," he looked over at Indy and held up the scroll, "but of course this changes everything."
"Listen Marcus, I was thinking, why don't we just go ahead and go after the Sun Tablets ourselves," Jones spoke with a certain excitement in his voice, "we can exchange the scroll for Malboury after, when it will be worthless."
"You could be toying with Malboury's life that way," Marcus said cautiously, "the Nazis don't take kindly to being double-crossed."
Indy looked down at the ground, still deep in thought.
"But that doesn't mean it's not a worthy plan of action," Marcus added, "however I will have to speak with Elliot about it, I haven't a choice."
Marcus saw the wary look in Indiana Jones' eyes, "Don't worry Indy, I can discuss the subject without giving any details about you or the girl," he smiled, "Your old friend can be quite clever when he needs to be."
"I understand Sallah is with you," Indy said.
"Yes," Brody said, "the first thing I did upon arrival was to secure the services of Sallah. There's no better man to have by your side in Egypt."
"If we do go after the Tablets we'll probably need diggers," Jones continued on, "maybe not a lot, but some. Sallah can take care of that. But we need to act fast. I've got a hunch that Badonov knows that the scroll has been found already."
"How?"
"I don't know, but I don't trust her."
"That's an understatement," Brody agreed, "but you said she gave you a deadline of midnight tonight for her...deal?"
"That's right," Jones answered.
"You may have to stall her for a bit more time."
"I can do that," Jones said. "Good," Brody said, "I'll ask Sallah to go out to the local villages and secure the services of some diggers. Then I'll talk things over with Elliot, and contact you in the morning."
The two men parted with a handshake. Jones waited in the ruins to give Marcus a head start returning to his boat, and then Jones too headed down to the wharf area where both boats were moored close by to each other.
Even as he approached the river wharf where the 'Goddess' was moored Indiana Jones began to get a premonition; and it wasn't a good one.
The archaeologist hurried up the gangway, headed aft, and down the ladder to the berthing deck below, and then to cabin number 11. As soon as Jones opened the door his premonition was confirmed.
The room was a shambles. There was a sign of a struggle, and worse, there was a note taped to the dresser mirror.
Indiana Jones snatched the note down even as his eyes raced over the words written with a simple lead pencil. He looked up in both shock and anger. But the shock and anger then rapidly changed into an expression of grim determination.
Vadoma had been kidnapped!
Rendezvous at Karnak
In the gathering twilight of dusk, Marcus Brody entered the spectacular and ancient ruins of the Temple of Karnak from the south.
He first passed through an avenue of sphinxes; two rows of stoic, stone, lion bodied guardians standing more than eight feet tall at their head. Sadly many of them lacked their heads, which they had lost to the destructive looters of centuries past whose gluttonous lust for genuine antiquities ravaged so many of the magnificent temples of Egypt.
At the end of the avenue of sphinxes Marcus passed beneath an enormous stone gate, nearly one hundred feet tall and covered in beautiful bas-relief carvings. At the top of the structure, the nearly fifty foot wide lintel was carved with a magnificent image of Khepri, a scarab beetle with the widespread wings of an eagle beneath.
Passing through another series of stone gates Brody entered the Temple grounds proper. Jumbles of stones lay about where the ravages of time had toppled them. Many of them were enormous blocks that must give one pause to think what advanced engineering techniques allowed the ancient Egyptians to ever construct such magnificent structures; especially since so many others were still in place.
So much of Karnak was indeed still in place; still standing close by to the right bank of the Nile, as if challenging the river itself to a contest of longevity. In all their glory, after more than three thousand years, stone columns, facades, and beautiful detailed carvings still stood; a testament to the wonders of the ancient people who built them, and left such an indelible mark upon human history.
The first of the stars were just beginning to twinkle in the sky as Marcus made his way through the main Temple complex and exited out through the gate where the twin obelisks of Thutmose I, and Queen Hatshepsut stood. The two spire-like stone columns, adorned with their complex series of carvings and cartouches, stood nearly fifty feet tall. Standing straight for millennia, their pointed tops seemed to reach up and pierce the very sky itself.
Upon reaching Jones' designated meeting place, Marcus glanced around, but saw no sign of the archaeologist whom he called his best friend. There were few people around; only a few of the local Arabs. The boat had just only docked at Luxor less than an hour ago. Most of the tourists on board who had any interest in the ruins were no doubt waiting until the morning to explore. Marcus had found it easy to excuse himself from Elliot, telling the agent that he wished to go for a walk and would return in a couple of hours.
Now he stood in the shadows of Thutmose's tall obelisk and waited.
An Arab in full-length white 'aba' and white turban passed by Brody; neither seemed to take much notice of the other. But a half-minute later, when the same Arab once again walked past, this time from a different direction, Brody took notice. Then, a half-minute after that, when the same man approached, this time from yet another direction, Marcus Brody began to become alarmed. For a brief moment he began to wish that he were armed. But the moment was indeed brief because a few seconds later the Arab in the white 'aba' and turban walked up and spoke to him.
"Hello Marcus."
Marcus stared for a moment in the dusky light, and then smiled broadly, "Indy!" He nearly shouted as he reached out for Indiana Jones.
The two good friends embraced for a moment.
"Indy, it's so good to see that you're alright! We were terribly worried about you! But ...where have you been? How did you get to Egypt?"
Jones looked down for a moment, "Well, to quote Robert Frost, I guess you could say I took the path less traveled by," Jones said, and then looked back up, "but that doesn't matter now, I'm here...we're here."
Marcus looked at him, "The gypsy woman?"
"Her name is Vadoma," Jones said, "Yeah, the gypsy woman."
Indiana Jones stared off in the distance at the waters of the Nile River, so close by, and then turned and spoke to Marcus again.
"Listen Marcus, she's not a Nazi," he said, and then raised his voice a little, "and I'm sure as hell not a Nazi. None of what happened was as it seemed. I tried to tell you on the telephone that night in London, but I was unable to," Jones paused to look around for a moment, "now I can."
For the next ten minutes Indiana Jones explained in detail the sequence of events on that fateful New Years Eve that had caused him so much trouble, and caused him to flee England with Vadoma.
"I didn't have any other choice Marcus," Jones said when he was finished.
The two men stood in silence for a few moments. The trails of Jones' white turban blew about haphazardly in the fragrant desert wind that swirled about the ruins; in, out, through, and between the myriad of ancient stone columns and facades.
"Well yes, now I see," Marcus said, "It was lucky for the girl you showed up when you did. It seems like you were in the right place at the right time I suppose." "Or the other way around," Jones added rather darkly.
"But Indy, I'm certain that we can straighten this whole mess out..."
"I'm not turning myself in Marcus," Jones said with determination, "not until I find Malboury. This whole business started with him, and it's not going to finish with him. It's the only way for me and Vadoma," he paused for a moment, "I'm not leaving Egypt without Malboury."
Marcus knew when Indiana Jones had his mind set, and so he said nothing, and only just nodded.
"But there's something else I've got to tell you," Jones said with a slight smile forming on his lips, "Calvertus' scroll...it's not buried on Philae Island like we thought."
"No?" Brody looked at the archaeologist curiously.
"No," Jones said, and then withdrew the scroll from under his clothing, "it's right here."
Marcus Brody stood and stared without speaking for a long moment. Finally he looked at Jones and said, "Where ever did you find it?"
"In the Temple of Isis," Jones answered.
Now Brody looked thoroughly confused, "But I thought you just said that it wasn't on Philae Island."
"The Temple of Isis....in Pompeii." Jones said triumphantly.
Marcus digested what his friend was telling him for a moment and then reached his hand out, "May I see it."
Jones handed him the scroll. Brody unrolled it in the dim light of the encroaching evening. He squinted to try and make out some of its details.
"Yes ....yes," Marcus said with a tinge of excitement rising in his voice, "this is it Indy!" He paused and looked up, "But how ever did you find yourself in Pompeii, and what made you think the scroll would be there?"
"Luck... fate... a hunch." Indiana Jones answered Brody's entire question with three simple words.
Then Jones continued on, "The tomb with the Sun Tablets is in the Valley of the Kings." "The Valley of the Kings...of course," Marcus said, "the burial ground of Royalty, of the elite...that labyrinth of hidden tombs," Marcus then turned to Jones, "How can you be sure the tomb's not been discovered yet? Many have, as you of course know"
"Believe me," Jones said, "once you can read the scroll you'll know. It hasn't been found, and," Jones added, "it goes deep. If that scroll is correct it's got to be one of the deepest tombs ever in the Valley of the Kings."
A lone jackal howled far off in the desert to the east; echoing through the ruins of Karnak with an eerie resonance.
"Well," Marcus said, "there's no need to travel any further up the river now is there. We're here...in Thebes.... and just across the river lies our Valley of the Kings."
"I've got more to tell you Marcus," Jones said.
"Yes?"
"I ran into an unexpected fellow traveler on the 'Goddess'."
"Oh, and who might that have been?" Marcus asked curiously.
"None other than Yelena Badonov," Jones answered, "she's traveling with Yuri Ivanovitch and a younger man. She approached me with a deal. It's amazing how much she knows about.... about everything that's going on."
"Russians," Marcus said by way of a one-word explanation, "they seem to have their eyes and ears, and their paws everywhere, but please, tell me about this deal."
Indiana Jones carefully explained to Marcus the deal that Yelena Badonov had proposed. When he was finished Marcus spoke again.
"How much money does she want?"
"She didn't specify."
"I see," Marcus said, "well, what you think is best Indy?"
Jones pressed his lips together in a sign of concentration, "Maybe she can broker a deal for Malboury. Maybe we just give up the scroll, we get Malboury back with no trouble," he said, "but that means giving up the Sun Tablets to the Nazis," he paused reflectively, "and I don't know if we can do that."
After a long moment of silent concentration Jones looked directly at his best friend and mentor, "It's a tough call, what do you think Marcus?" Marcus paused, deep in thought for a long moment before speaking, "Well, to be perfectly honest, Agent Elliot and I hadn't really formulated a hard plan yet. We were going to first go to Philae Island, where we understand there is a dig currently proceeding with the German archaeological team. We were going to formulate a plan only after we assessed the situation," he looked over at Indy and held up the scroll, "but of course this changes everything."
"Listen Marcus, I was thinking, why don't we just go ahead and go after the Sun Tablets ourselves," Jones spoke with a certain excitement in his voice, "we can exchange the scroll for Malboury after, when it will be worthless."
"You could be toying with Malboury's life that way," Marcus said cautiously, "the Nazis don't take kindly to being double-crossed."
Indy looked down at the ground, still deep in thought.
"But that doesn't mean it's not a worthy plan of action," Marcus added, "however I will have to speak with Elliot about it, I haven't a choice."
Marcus saw the wary look in Indiana Jones' eyes, "Don't worry Indy, I can discuss the subject without giving any details about you or the girl," he smiled, "Your old friend can be quite clever when he needs to be."
"I understand Sallah is with you," Indy said.
"Yes," Brody said, "the first thing I did upon arrival was to secure the services of Sallah. There's no better man to have by your side in Egypt."
"If we do go after the Tablets we'll probably need diggers," Jones continued on, "maybe not a lot, but some. Sallah can take care of that. But we need to act fast. I've got a hunch that Badonov knows that the scroll has been found already."
"How?"
"I don't know, but I don't trust her."
"That's an understatement," Brody agreed, "but you said she gave you a deadline of midnight tonight for her...deal?"
"That's right," Jones answered.
"You may have to stall her for a bit more time."
"I can do that," Jones said. "Good," Brody said, "I'll ask Sallah to go out to the local villages and secure the services of some diggers. Then I'll talk things over with Elliot, and contact you in the morning."
The two men parted with a handshake. Jones waited in the ruins to give Marcus a head start returning to his boat, and then Jones too headed down to the wharf area where both boats were moored close by to each other.
Even as he approached the river wharf where the 'Goddess' was moored Indiana Jones began to get a premonition; and it wasn't a good one.
The archaeologist hurried up the gangway, headed aft, and down the ladder to the berthing deck below, and then to cabin number 11. As soon as Jones opened the door his premonition was confirmed.
The room was a shambles. There was a sign of a struggle, and worse, there was a note taped to the dresser mirror.
Indiana Jones snatched the note down even as his eyes raced over the words written with a simple lead pencil. He looked up in both shock and anger. But the shock and anger then rapidly changed into an expression of grim determination.
Vadoma had been kidnapped!