She woke to the smell of meat cooking and the savory odor made her mouth water. She rose from her cot and ran her fingers through her short blond curls.
Ardeth was sitting under the awning, roasting a small hare. He looked up at her and smiled. "Have some dates," he said, "This hare should be done soon. I've made some tea but we don't have any sugar, do you mind?"
"No, I don't mind. But how...?"
"Have you forgotten what my father taught you? The desert is alive and now is the time when animals come out of their burrows to hunt and find food. I used my sling to kill the hare and found a dead tree and broke off the branches for firewood. I brought along some charcoal to use for cooking if we got the chance. The tea I made with the alcohol stove you brought along." If his smile was a little smug, she knew he was showing off and didn't mind too much.
"You're hired. I'm going to get some tea; dates are too sweet; I need something to wash them down with."
The hare was crisp on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside. Along with the dates, tea, and flatbread they had a good meal and were ready to travel. Ardeth checked to make sure the lead lines were secure for the pack camels then they mounted their own and began the night's journey.
It was still hot but had cooled down, a small breeze ruffled her curls cooling off the back of her neck. Ardeth was wearing his turban—how did he manage to stay cool in his robes? She had grown up in Egypt but at times the heat could have a detrimental effect on her. It had been hot in Deir El Medina but it was not like this, not like the miles of sand that stretched before them.
Limestone cliffs lined the river in places and the heat seemed to reflect off them. In some places, they were dotted with caves, and some tombs had been carved in them. She would like a chance to explore this place but not now.
Ardeth was trying to keep her mind occupied so she would not think of the burden they were carrying. He was pointing out Orion-the stars that made up the belt aligned exactly with the three pyramids of Giza.
"I knew that," she said irritably but tried to adopt a more conciliatory tone, "I always like the story of the goddess that gave birth to the sun every morning, how it was symbolic of the daily rebirth of the pharaoh. My favorite tomb decoration was always Nut the sky goddess surrounded by stars. How they painted the ceilings in the tombs has always amazed me."
"Well, look up and you can see that same sky." She did as he said and saw a myriad of stars, and the Milky Way overhead and it made her gasp in wonder.
"This is more beautiful than Deir El Medina," she said as she gazed at the sight surrounding her. I used to love to look out at the stars, the sky was more beautiful than Cairo or even Luxor."
They continued to ride, not saying anything or needing to, until he broke the silence, saying, "Who is that archaeologist who is opening a tomb in the Valley?"
"Howard Carter? When I was in town, I heard that Mariette had come from Cairo to supervise the opening. Carter is an arrogant bastard, I'm sure he's going to give Mariette the least amount of cooperation that he can. Why do you ask?"
"Maybe what he is doing is not such a good thing, maybe there are things in there that should not see the light of day."
"I understand, but better the archaeologists than the looters. I don't believe in curses, remember? And I would give anything to see the contents of that tomb. There are years of conservation ahead if the tomb contains most of its contents before they can be put in the Egyptian museum. I don't see how there is a curse, this is a gift that will enable us to finally see what a pharaoh's tomb looked like. If it's not empty that is."
"Are you curious about what we might be carrying for your father?"
"No, I mean yes, I mean I don't know—I'm afraid to know. Do I believe we are carrying something that might be evil, or have evil attached—maybe, but I would prefer to not know. I just want to get this stuff to Cairo and be rid of it. If he is doing something illegal, which I am afraid he is, he has made me an accessory and I don't like it. Can we please not talk about it anymore. Talking about curses during the day is one thing, but at night it frightens me."
The rode until the night gave way to the colors of the desert dawn. The sky was tinted pink and gold when Ardeth called a halt.
"Why must we stop now?" she complained, "I want to get to Minya as quickly as I can and catch the boat to Cairo. It will be cool for an hour or more."
"All the more reason to stop," he replied, "I know you have worked in the heat of Deir El Medina, but you are not accustomed to the ways of the Sahara. It is best to stop now while it is still cool, we can eat and then get to sleep before the hottest part of the day begins. I wish there were some ruins we could take shelter in, but there aren't any." He raised his hand as she started to object, "Please listen to me, Roma, you will find out that I am right."
She dismounted from her camel, grumbling, but helped him set up the tent and hobble the camels. He brewed some of his strong tea and they made breakfast on flatbread and dates. It was too early for either to be very hungry, they would have their main meal when they woke.
Perhaps it was the heat that gave her the dream. She found herself in Deir El Medina with her father, looking for caches that the tomb robbers had left behind. She was about to lift a rock where she had caught a glimpse of gold underneath when it was no longer her father by her side, but a man with a lion's head and claws. She began to run for her life because she knew if the lion-man caught her it would kill her and devour her.
Just as soon as she felt the hot breath on the back of her neck she woke, shaking violently. She put her hand over her heart to try to stop its rapid beating, taking deep breaths she tried to clear her head.
It was no use trying to go back to sleep, she decided, at least not for now. She looked over to where Ardeth lay sleeping, why had he not wakened? The only thing she could think of was that she had to get out of the tent, the air was too close inside its dark interior.
Carefully she raised the tent flap and stepped outside, the hot sands burning her bare feet. She looked around, looking for what she did not know. There were only the hobbled camels trying to get what shelter they could from the tent's awning.
"What are you doing?" she heard Ardeth's voice behind her, "You need to come back into the tent."
"Not yet," she replied, "I can't," she finished lamely.
"Did you have another nightmare?" he asked and she nodded, "How often does this happen?"
"I need a cigarette," she told him, "And to answer your question, I never have them. It's like all my fears about Father are manifesting in my dreams. I don't care how tired I get tonight; I can't bear to go back to sleep."
He sighed, clearly not happy but understanding. "I am sorry this is happening to you. Let us sit for a while and maybe you can calm yourself enough to go back to sleep. It's too early for us to start, sunset is still some hours away. Maybe when we get to Cairo all of this will stop and you will be your old self again."
He sat with her, patient and understanding, for almost an hour then insisted she try to sleep again.
The heat was affecting her and sleep proved elusive. The best she could manage was to lie on her cot and just rest. Eventually, sleep returned and this time she had no dreams, just blessed unconsciousness.
She did not wake easily as she had the previous morning. Ardeth was shaking her, saying, "Come now, wake up, you were so eager to on your way yet you do not want to get up. Breakfast is ready and we must get going soon."
"Can't we wait a day?" she moaned although she already knew the answer. "I am so tired."
"Drink some tea and eat. You will feel better once we get going."
After their meal, she helped take down the tent and pack the camels. He offered to do it himself but the tent required two people to take it down and put it up. They packed it on one of the pack camels, along with the waterskin.
He checked the amount of water in the bag they were using. "Are you drinking enough? I thought we should have used more."
"I fill my canteen every day and drink what I put in it. I know how much water I need to drink. I do not dare become dehydrated, that would be dangerous. I do not know the Sahara, but I know how to live in hot weather."
It seemed to start innocently enough. A light breeze started blowing, gently ruffling the surface of the sand. Then the wind picked up speed and the expression on Ardeth's face told her that something was wrong.
"Sandstorm, a sandstorm is coming. We must head to the cliffs and find a cave to shelter in if we can, or at least an outcropping we can hide behind."
"I thought sandstorm season was at least a month off!"
"You can tell that to the winds that will be blowing the sand. Come, if we hurry, we will not get caught in it."
The pack camels could only go so quickly, but even they seemed to sense the urgency of their situation. Fortunately, the limestone cliffs were closer than they seemed and they time to search for an opening large enough to admit them and their camels.
"Look, Ardeth," she pointed to a large opening that loomed just ahead of them, "Is that a cave or just a place in the cliff that has worn away?"
"It looks like it could be a cave, and a good-sized one that will fit us and the camels, come on." She followed as he hurried towards it.
There was indeed a large opening in the face of the cliff, but something made her pull back when she saw it.
He turned around and looked at her, "What is wrong with you, we need to take shelter now."
"This is not cave," she said, "Look, can you not see it, this stone was worked. This is man-made, it was not carved by water, wind, or erosion."
"It does not matter," he said, "The opening is wide enough for us and the camels, we must go in, now." He lit a lantern and entered their shelter.
She followed him in with great reluctance. As she had suspected, this was no accident of nature. They followed down a large corridor of stone which bore the marks of many chisels. Whoever had carved it had intended to create a large passageway, but for what?
The corridor ended in a large chamber. She took her electric torch from her saddlebag and shone it around the walls, then cast the light down so she could see what was on the floor.
"Oh my god," she said, "What is this place?"