CHAPTER FIVE

Now is the day of reckoning when years laid end to end are numbered, when travelers huddled about the night fire hear the story of every man. The doors of the past and future open.

--Excerpt from "Becoming the Swallow", Egyptian Book of the Dead, as translated by Normandi Ellis

Yellow light from the sodium bulbs of the heavy-duty work lights spilled over the site, as dark shadows writhed just outside the perimeter of the floodlit area. Generators hummed, voices carried through the night air, and although it was well past midnight, the excavation buzzed with activity, as workers clambered in and out of the central pit, removing bucket after bucket of sand. No one had been willing to leave the site that evening, even if Bernstein had been inclined to allow it. Instead, the camp's cook had commandeered several of the laborers and marched them back to the camp, muttering in Arabic about still needing to feed the damn fools, even if they didn't think they were hungry. Back at the camp, the cook's impromptu staff had piled sandwiches, fruit and cans of warm soft drinks into crates and dragged them back to the site, where the workers were able to eat and then quickly get back to work.

And they were working as if driven. The laborers were understandably less enthused about working through the night than were the archaeological students, but they had quickly perked up when Bernstein offered to pay them double wages if they'd work all night. The students, and Eric as well, were on such an adrenalin high that they could barely sit still, and were working furiously to uncover more and more of the ancient structure. Bernstein and Hamid had enthusiastically joined in the digging, and by now, about three meters of each of the pyramid's four sides was exposed, along with the strangely flat top.

The discovery of the pyramid had even managed to bring the Sudanese out of their tents and over to the site. Normally, they stayed well away from anything resembling dirt or physical labor, preferring instead to huddle within the shelter and shade of the tents. When they heard the ruckus being raised earlier in the evening, though, they had walked over to see what the fuss was all about. Apparently, a discovery of such magnitude had impressed even their bureaucratic minds and they, too, had stared in awe at the treasure that had just been unearthed. Of course, for all their genuine interest in the discovery, it had not been enough to persuade them to dirty their hands, or even sit around to watch while more was uncovered. Instead, they had run back to the site, declaring that they had to report the discovery at once to their superiors in Khartoum. Not that they were going to find anyone in a government office this late at night, Bernstein had told his inner circle of assistants, snorting with derision.

Eliana, after staring at the newly recovered pyramid with the rest of them, and congratulating Eric on the find, had gone back to the pit where Doug had found the buried femur. Doug, as excited as all the rest of them, had begged out of helping her with its removal, preferring instead to stay in the central site, where all the action seemed to be. Eliana, still feeling somewhat unsettled by everything that had happened during the day, had quietly agreed, and was now in the process of carefully dusting off and uncovering the rest of the bone. Working carefully and thoroughly, she brushed off each of the epiphyses, revealing the head of the femur, where it would fit into the ball-and-socket joint of the pelvis, and the hinge joint that would join with the tibia to form the knee joint. She was just about to go and get a copy of the site map to draw in the location and position of the femur, when another gleam of white caught her eye, not far away from where they had unearthed the leg bone. Kneeling down again, she brushed away at the small white patch, her excitement growing when she recognized the curvature of the frontal bone of a small skull.

Quickly whisking away some of the sand, and using her fingers to dig the more cloying dirt from around the temporal bones, she watched as her efforts were rewarded and the skull's facial bones were revealed. The skull was definitely that of a primate, and most probably a member of the Homo sapiens family, but it was small, about the size one would expect in a child of about four or five. Still, that didn't seem right, for as she uncovered the rest of the face, including the intact lower jaw, and quickly counted the teeth, she noticed that this little person had had a full set of adult teeth. And not only did he—or she—have a full set of teeth, but the teeth themselves looked strange—almost as if they'd been polished to a point, or…sharpened.

Frowning, she sat back on her bent legs, resting her hands on her knees. She would have to get her father over here to take a look, because this just didn't seem right. Maybe she was wrong—maybe this was the skeleton of some unfortunate desert child that had perished long ago—but those teeth…

Standing up, she hauled herself out of the pit and went to look for her father. Who just happened to be looking for her.

"Ellie! We need you over here right away," he shouted, walking rapidly, but somewhat stiffly, across the floodlit sand. In his youth, Bernstein could have outlasted any of the laborers here, with or without sleep, but he was no longer young. Although still in fine shape for a man in his fifties, the effort he had been exerting in the last few hours was taking its toll.

"What's the matter, Dad?"

"You know how we thought it was strange that the pyramid had a flat top? Looked just like someone had chopped off the very tip of the point?" Bernstein explained, and Eliana nodded.

"Akil's been looking at it for a while, and he thinks that there's something written on the top—some sort of inscription," he paused. "Thing is, it's been eroded a bit after all these years, so it's not very clear, and we didn't notice it until just now. It's written in some sort of strange hieroglyphics—looks to be earlier than the New or Middle Kingdom stuff Akil's used to, and even though I'm familiar with Old Kingdom glyphs, my eyesight isn't good enough anymore to see it clearly. We thought you might take a look…"

"Have you taken a tracing?" she asked. Often, it was easier to read the hieroglyphs from a paper rubbing than from the actual stonework itself.

"Akil's doing that now," he explained. "He thought that you might like to take a break anyway and meet him back at the dinner tent. He's about ready to take one, anyway. Light's better there, and you look like you could use something to eat, anyway." Bernstein frowned at his daughter, as if scolding her for not taking better care of herself.

"Tell him I'll meet him there," she agreed. "Oh, and Dad? Could you take a look in the pit I was working in? The one where Doug found the bone? Looks like there might be a complete primate skeleton in there—I just uncovered a skull."

"You don't say! Now that is interesting. We'll have to take a good look at it to see how far back it dates."

"Yes, of course. But Dad, it looks kind of funny—I'd kind of like to get your take on what you think it might be…"

"What I think it might be? I thought you just said it was a primate…" He looked at her, a perplexed expression on his face.

"Never mind, Dad—you'll see what I mean when you take a look. Besides, one skeleton buried out in the desert is nothing compared to what you've got over there," she said, gesturing towards the rapidly reappearing pyramid. She turned towards the camp. "I'm heading over to meet Professor Hamid—let me know what you think of the skull when I get back, okay?"

Bernstein nodded and watched as she made her way out into the darkness towards the camp. It wasn't too far, he thought, but still—it was the middle of the night, in the middle of the desert, she was his daughter, and who knew what was lurking out there? Looking around, he spotted his newest laborer dumping out a bucket of sand.

"Ardeth! Would you mind walking Ellie back to the camp for me?" He pointed at his daughter, who was already well out into the desert. "Make sure she gets there safely?"

Ardeth looked at Bernstein, and then towards Eliana, who had already walked out of earshot. Nodding at the older man, he jogged off after her.

Eric had been digging for several hours at the bottom of the pit, removing bucket after bucket of dirt and sand from the shining golden walls of the pyramid, when he discovered the first few centimeters of the doorway. His spade, instead of scraping against the golden structure, suddenly seemed to disappear into the wall. Dropping to his knees, he began to dig away at the pyramid, uncovering what he at first thought might be a depression in the side. As he continued to remove dirt, and the sunken area continued to expand, he began to recognize it for what it was—a doorway, or at least a window, or some sort of opening. And that would mean…

"I've found a way in!" he yelled, jumping to his feet and beckoning the rest of the group over.

Eliana turned as she heard footsteps approaching from the dark, and saw a tall form walking towards her. Had her father forgotten something? As the figure neared, however, she saw that it was not her father. Instead, it was the one person she most wanted not to see. She looked away and kept walking towards the camp, even faster than before.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, not bothering to look back at him, and the accusatory tone in her voice made the question seem almost rude.

"Your father asked me to accompany you back to the camp," Ardeth replied, his voice as mild as hers had been sharp. His long legs easily kept up with the pace she was setting, and her sidelong glance revealed that he was now walking next to her. She walked faster. "I believe he was worried about you walking alone through the desert at night."

"And so he sent you after me?" She didn't bother hiding the derision in her voice.

"You have nothing to fear from me, Miss Bernstein," he replied. "In fact, I should take this opportunity to apologize for my reaction when we first met. You see, you remind me of someone…someone who was…"

Ardeth was normally never at a loss for words, but he found he needed to search carefully for the proper way to put this. He was unwilling to tell her exactly why her presence had alarmed him so. He in no way wanted to take the chance of triggering anything within her psyche and unloosing the ka which surely dwelt there. It was quite possible that she was completely unaware of whom she had been, and indeed, that she found the idea of past lives and reincarnations ludicrous. If that was so, then he wished her well and Godspeed on her journey through this life. Others in his order may disagree, but Ardeth did not believe that the sins committed in a past life should be counted against one who had apparently been chosen by the gods for rebirth and a second chance.

"Uh, someone who was known to me before," he finished. "My shock was quite great, and I am afraid I was rude." His explanation was weak, he thought, but it was all he could come up with.

"Please forgive me," he added.

Eliana slowed, looking over at him almost unbelievingly. "You mean that look of abject horror on your face when you met me was because I looked like some you once knew?"

He nodded.

"Well, forgive me, but I find that hard to believe. Besides, you're forgetting that meeting you wasn't exactly on my list of happy experiences for the year, either. So how do you explain that?"

"A reaction to my rudeness?" he suggested, with a shrug.

She looked at him measuringly and shook her head. "No, I don't think so. So why don't you tell me who you really are and what you're doing here?"

"My name is really Ardeth Bay. That is the truth," he stated. "I am here to help with the excavation. That also is true. I have already told you I mean you no harm. You may be assured that I am a man of my word, and that I would not say such a thing if I did not mean it."

"All the same, since we're well past politeness here already, I wish you would go back to the site. I don't care what my father asked you, I don't want you walking back with me. In fact, I don't really want you anywhere near me, so why don't you just keep your distance?"

"I'm afraid I cannot do that," he said quietly. Stopping, he took her by the upper arm and pulled her to a stop also, forcing her to meet his eyes. He ignored the sizzle of reaction he experienced when he touched her, that feeling of psychic alarm bells going off. "I gave your father my word that I would look out for you, and I will do so."

She glared at him, hoping that if she scowled ferociously enough, he might change his mind. He met and held her gaze, his own calm and steady, implacable as stone. Apparently, her icy stare wasn't enough to do the job. Sighing, she pulled her arm out of his grip and began walking again.

"Fine," she said, not sparing him a second glance. "Then at least stay out of my way."

After assembling the satellite phone and obtaining a signal, the man once again punched in the series of numbers that would connect him to his contact in Tripoli. Huddled behind some scraggly desert vegetation, he crouched low to avoid detection. His caution was unnecessary, however, as the distance that separated him from the camp and the darkness of the desert sky effectively screened him from view. He waited until the brusque voice at the other end of the line signaled that his call had gone through.

"Yes. It is I. They have found what they are saying is the golden pyramid of Ahm Shere." He listened, as the voice barked out a series of questions.

"No, no, they have not entered the pyramid yet, but that is surely eminent. No, they do not seem suspicious or overly concerned about security. They are scientists, remember? They are not worried about such things," he explained. "They plan to work all night and then rest briefly at midmorning before resuming again in the afternoon. I will be sure to inform you the moment something else is discovered."

The voiced barked out another sharp command.

"Yes, yes, I understand. Our cause will prevail."

He severed the connection, repacked the phone and skulked back to the tents.

Hamid waited at one of the tables in the dinner tent for Eliana to arrive. He was tired, his back hurt, and he was covered from head to foot with grime and perspiration. Now that he had stopped working and come back to the camp, the chill of the night air was cooling his damp skin and raising goose bumps. He mopped at his forehead with a dirt-stained handkerchief, and sighed. Even with the excitement of the find, it had been a long night, and he was looking forward to getting some sleep. Not even a find of this magnitude was worth staying awake for two solid days. He'd give Eliana the rubbing of the pyramid's inscription, maybe stay for a little while to see if she could make any sense of it, and then he fully intended to go to bed. John would be annoyed, but Akil Hamid was past caring. He was going to sleep--Ahm Shere, golden pyramids and John Bernstein be damned.

Hamid looked up as Eliana and the new fellow—what was his name? Ah, Ardeth Bay, that was it—walked in. Idly, he wondered what was wrong. Eliana looked nervous and distracted, and although Bay was probably better at masking his emotions than Ellie was, Hamid thought he looked somewhat uncomfortable, as well. Ah well, no telling what was wrong—after all, they had been working all day and most of the night, and everyone was bound to get a little piqued, operating with that little sleep.

Hamid stood, pulling out the chair next to himself for Eliana. She thanked him, and sat, perching on the edge of the chair like a nervous bird. He let Ardeth choose his own seat, which he did, sliding out a chair across the table from them both and sitting quietly. Hamid privately wondered why Bay was here—he was only a laborer, after all. What did he know—or care—about Egyptian hieroglyphs?

"So, Professor Hamid," Eliana began. "Dad tells me that you think there was an inscription on the top of the pyramid?"

"Yes, that's right," Hamid affirmed. "We were dusting off the top of the pyramid, and discussing how strange it looked—you know, that flat top and all—different than what you'd expect. John actually saw them first--the hieroglyphs, that is--and pointed them out to me."

"Well, they're tiny, so small that at first they simply looked like random scratches--or maybe that's just my old eyes failing on me, Ellie," he added, laughing at his own joke. "Couldn't read anything out there, what with the size of them and the poor light, but what we did see made John think that they pre-dated anything from the New or even Middle Kingdom..."

"Yes, Dad told me that much," Eliana nodded. "Do you have the tracing?"

Hamid reached over to the roll of thin paper lying next to him and stripped off the rubber band, unrolling the layer of parchment and spreading it out on the table. Much of the paper's surface was covered with the unbroken grayish black of graphite, but circling the center of the colored area was a series of figures, standing out in stark white contrast. As Hamid had said, the figures were tiny, and difficult to decipher.

"Do we have any stronger lights here?" Eliana asked.

Hamid stood and walked over to the supply boxes, muttering and digging through them until he finally fished out a high intensity flashlight. He returned to the table and trained the bright beam of light on the paper, as Eliana leaned over to examine the writing. As she looked over the markings, she seemed to grow more and more tense, finally looking up to stare at him, a carefully blank expression on her face.

"My father said he didn't recognize these symbols at all?" she asked, waiting for clarification.

Hamid shook his head, frowning. "No, he was quite certain that they were earlier than what we commonly find, and although he recognized a few of the characters as Old Kingdom glyphs, he wanted you to take a look. Said you'd done some research on Early Kingdom writing, and you'd have a better shot at figuring them out, since you could see them better. So--was he right?"

"Well," Eliana said, looking down at the parchment again. "This does look somewhat like Early Kingdom hieroglyphs, but if I had to guess, I'd say it predates even that. If this is Early Kingdom writing, then it's from one of the very first dynasties. Which would fit, I guess, considering what the legends say about this place..."

"You mean the Scorpion King legends?" Hamid asked.

"Yes."

"Can you read it, Eliana?" Hamid scooted closer to the edge of his chair, peering quizzically at the tracing. He squinted at it, trying in vain to make sense of the miniscule figures.

"Yes."

"Well for heaven's sake, child," he looked up at her, somewhat impatiently. "What does it say?"

Eliana glanced pointedly at Ardeth, and her intent was as clear as if she had spoken. There was no way she was going to translate the inscription with him sitting there. She knew that she was being unreasonably stubborn, and uncharacteristically rude as well, but he made her terribly uncomfortable, and she couldn't shake the feeling that he was somehow a danger to her. Besides, she thought, ungraciously—he was here as a hired hand, and he didn't need to know the intimate details about their discovery. He was paid to haul sand, nothing more. It wasn't like he had anything to contribute to the dig beyond brute strength, after all. He had completed the task her father had assigned, and now he could jolly well leave. Ardeth stared back, clearly waging an internal debate over whether or not to take her pointed, but wordless, suggestion. Finally, he stood, bowing his head in a shallow nod that encompassed both her and Hamid.

"I will tell your father that you have reached the camp safely and that you are now with Professor Hamid," he said. Turning, he quickly left the tent.

Once outside, however, he doubled back and took up a spot behind Eliana and Hamid, out of sight but within earshot. If there was something important in that inscription, he would hear what it was. Considering the significance of what they'd already found, he could do no less. Crouching down, he listened intently.

Waiting for a few moments, to make sure that Ardeth was well and truly gone, Eliana looked over at Hamid. Taking a deep breath, she began.

"You see this figure?" she pointed. "That is the cartouche of Anubis. According to the legends, while wandering near death in the desert, the Scorpion King made an unholy pact with the god. In exchange for his soul, Anubis would save the Scorpion King from death, and confer so much power upon him that he would be utterly invincible. Supposedly, the god created the Oasis of Ahm Shere out of the sands of the desert itself, with the golden pyramid as its centerpiece, so to speak. He gave the Scorpion King an army of invincible soldiers, and with this army, the Scorpion King defeated all his enemies and became the first Pharaoh.

"The god was fickle, though," she continued. "At the height of the pharaoh's reign, Anubis called in his marker, so to speak. The Scorpion King was cursed, and something monstrous happened--some legends say he was killed outright, others say that he was taken body and soul to the underworld, others say that he became some kind of horrific half man/half beast and was imprisoned somewhere, not fully alive, but not dead, either, in the pyramid. If you want to believe those last few legends, they go on to say that at some point, when the stars align right or something like that, the Scorpion King can be recalled from this netherworld and be forced to battle for his freedom. If he is defeated, the victor then controls both the Scorpion King and Anubis' army, and would become virtually invincible himself."

"I'm familiar with the legends, Eliana," Hamid responded, patiently. "After all, I have known your father for many years, and the quest for Ahm Shere was his fondest dream for most of them."

"Well, if you're willing to suspend disbelief somewhat, this inscription seems to validate at least some of the legends," Eliana said quietly. "Shall I read it to you?"

Hamid all but rolled his eyes. "Yes, Eliana, please read it…"

"Well, as you can see here," Eliana began, "the glyphs form a loose circle. Circles were important to the Egyptians. They signified completeness, or perfection, or eternity. The use of a circle here is symbolically important. From the glyphs themselves, I think that the meaning would be closer to eternity, taken in this context.

"As I already said, this cartouche is that of Anubis. This seems to be some sort of message, or vow, from Anubis to…someone. It never really specifies a name. The glyphs themselves can have several meanings, too, but I think that the closest thing to a direct translation is…" she looked up at Hamid, who was staring raptly at her, waiting for her to finish.

"I am Anubis, Keeper of the Dead,

Reader of the Scales.

You are marked as mine, my loyal servant—

Honored in this world, beholden to me in the next.

All this I give you that you may faithfully serve me

Through this life and into the lands of the West.

Treasure, might, wisdom, power, protection—all are yours

Until comes the day of reckoning;

Then will all the riches of this world be called back

Returning from whence they came

And the chains wrap round your soul.

To this world all will be lost.

And yet, heed my words—

Though the past lies buried

Yet can it be recalled

By the keeper of the key:

I am the Eye of Re.

My gaze is glittering light,

Icy fire atop the gold mountain.

I watch and protect all that is mine;

All else falls before my servants.

My light shall awaken the sleepers

And throw off the blanket of years,

And my kingdom shall be reborn."

"That's it," she finished, and took a deep breath. Once again, she looked up into Hamid's eyes. The professor was obviously puzzling over the words, turning them around in his mind and trying to make sense of the ancient words.

"What do you make of it?" she asked. She stood up and stretched, then retrieved a warm soft drink from one of the iceless coolers. Opening the can, she took a long drink, watching and waiting while Hamid considered her question.

"Well, the first part of the inscription seems to give weight to the legends of the Scorpion King, as you said," he finally offered. "The next part is rather confusing, though. It seems to suggest that…" he broke off, shaking his head.

"Go on, Professor Hamid," Eliana prodded. "I think I know where you're going with this, and if that's the case, I have to tell you, I'm inclined to agree." Frowning, she added, "No matter how ludicrous it sounds."

"Well, all right, Eliana—here's what I think," he began. "This inscription seems to suggest that there is a 'key' of some sort that can be used to restore the Oasis of Ahm Shere." He glanced off into the distance, where the work lights surrounding the dig marked its location. Eliana nodded silently, signaling that this was, indeed, what she had inferred from the inscription as well.

"And from the words following that reference to a key," he continued, looking back at her, "my guess is that we're looking for something that glitters, something that brings to mind 'icy fire,' and something that can be placed on top of the pyramid—the "golden mountain," to unlock the door, as it were." He paused for a moment.

"I can think of only one thing that fits all those descriptions."

Eliana's eyes widened as she realized to what Hamid was referring. There was only one object in all of archaeology that fit that description so perfectly, with such an effortless leap of intuition, and she mentally smacked herself in the forehead for not coming up with it herself.

"You mean," she asked, "that you think the key to Ahm Shere, so to speak, has been sitting in front of us all this time?" He nodded.

"Yes, Eliana, I think that we've had it all along, not really realizing what it was, or what it meant. We have the key, and a simple phone call from your father will bring it to us."

"The diamond," she breathed, "the diamond. Jonathan Carnahan's little gift to the British Museum is the key to Ahm Shere? The Eye of Re?"

Ardeth Bay sank down further into the shadows hiding him from Eliana and Professor Hamid. He rocked back on his heels, trying to regain his composure. He felt as though he'd received a sharp blow to the solar plexus—as though all the wind had been knocked from his lungs. What new disaster was now about to be heaped upon the world? Allah help us, he thought. This whole situation keeps getting worse and worse.

He knew that he must get word of this latest development to the rest of the Med-Jai. They had to be prepared for what was surely to come. Recovered from his initial shock, he rose quickly and gracefully, and made his way to the corral holding his horse. Whispering soothing words into the beast's ear, he hastily saddled the stallion and led him out of the enclosure. Once outside of the perimeter of the camp, he swung himself onto the horse's back, and whispered a sharp command. The horse, ever attuned to the voice of its master, trotted off into the desert, heading into the north where the Med-Jai waited.

Eric looked unbelievingly at Bernstein, who had just announced that they were through for the night and would be heading back to the camp. They had spent the better portion of an hour digging away at the doorway, and with the combined efforts of everyone there, had cleared out a decent-sized access hole into the pyramid. The doorway was still blocked by a significant amount of dirt, but they had opened it up enough so that a person could fit into the hole and be lowered to the passageway inside. Eric himself had been honored with the opportunity to be the first to look inside the pyramid, shoving his head and torso into the hole and shining a flashlight into the gloomy interior.

The access hole was a little over a meter above the stone floor of what he recognized as a dark hallway. This passage, narrow but with a reasonably high ceiling, stretched out to the left and right as far as he could see. The light of the flashlight wasn't bright enough to illuminate the end of the hallway, so the only way to know for sure what was there would be to actually go inside. And that's what Eric had fully intended to do, at least until Bernstein had made his surprising, and rather uncharacteristic, decision to break for the night.

"You're joking—right, John?" Eric asked his mentor, raising his eyebrows in an expression of disbelief.

"No, Eric, I am totally serious. We have been out here long enough as it is, and this latest discovery of yours is too important to tackle while we're all half out of our minds with sleep deprivation. I will not let you go in there at night, without having had enough sleep, and without bringing along the appropriate supplies. It is too much to risk."

"But John," Eric argued, "we're right on top of something huge—you know it as well as I do! Why can't we at least go inside and take a quick look around?"

"Because you have no idea of what's in there, and neither do I," Bernstein answered, calmly and irrefutably. "I will not change my mind about this, Eric. We are done for the night. We will come back tomorrow afternoon, bring the necessary equipment, and take a look around in there. But for now, let's get everyone back to the camp. No one has had any sleep for almost twenty-four hours, and they're getting a little punchy."

"You intend to just leave this here, then? Unguarded?" Eric challenged.

"No, Eric, I don't. We're going to put a board over the doorway, and I'm going to leave a couple of the workers here overnight, to keep an eye on things. It will keep until tomorrow, trust me. I've been looking for this longer than you have, after all. If I can wait for a few hours, so can you."

Eric shook his head and stood up, dusting off his knees and grumbling under his breath as Bernstein walked away to dismiss the laborers for the rest of the night. Once again, Bernstein had managed to surprise him. He would have expected John to fight with him over who would be the first inside. Instead, his boss was being strangely cautious and atypically wary. It was almost as if Bernstein was feeling hesitant about entering the pyramid for some reason—as if he knew that something dangerous lurked within…

Oh, stop being nuts, Eric chided himself. The old guy's just feeling tired. He probably wants to get some sleep so he CAN knock me out of the way and be the first inside.

Sighing, Eric picked up his spade and hoisted it over his shoulder, tiredly telling his students to call it quits for now and go back to the camp for the rest of the night.