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Part 2

"You see the cartouche there is the official royal seal of Seti the first, I'm sure of it!" Evy explained, rushing around to stand next to the seated curator, Terrance Bay, at his desk. He was observing the map that was found within the puzzle box that Jonathon presented to Evy.

"Perhaps," Mr. Bay muttered.

Evy was ecstatic when she went to Fallon who was in the archives in the basement of the Cairo Museum with Kelly and showed them what Jonathon had found. Kelly and Fallon on the other hand...were shocked. They had seen that box before, but not in Evy or Jonathon's hands. And what they found inside the small puzzle box was a map leading to the place where it was found.

Jonathon leaned into Mr. Bay's desk. "Two questions; who the hell is Seti the First? And was he rich?"

"He was the second Pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty, said to be one of the wealthiest of them all," Evy explained. Jonathon's grin grew larger.

"Alright, good, that's very good. I like this fellow very much," Jonathon said, rubbing his hands together.

"I've already dated it, this map is almost three thousand years old," Evy said assuredly. "And if you look at the hieratic right here," Evy continued, "well, it's Hamunaptra."

Fallon and Kelly caught their breaths. They had been standing at the side of room, quiet and not saying a word. They somehow couldn't find anything to say about this find. They didn't know what they could say that wouldn't start something. What could they say? That the puzzle box could not have been found on a dig in Thebes because it was found in Hamunaptra by a friend when they were actually there? That would cause all sorts of trouble.

"Dear girl don't be ridiculous," Mr. Bay scoffed, taking off his glasses and setting them on his desk. "We're scholars not treasure hunters. Hamunaptra's a myth told by Ancient Arab storytellers to amuse Greek and Roman tourists."

"Yes, yes, I know all the silly blather about the city being protected by the curse of mummy nonsense, but...my research has led me to believe that the city itself may have actually existed," Evy blathered on quickly. Fallon 's hand covered her face as her fingers massaged her temples. This was going to lead them into so much trouble, she could already tell.

"Are we talking about the Hamunaptra?" Jonathon asked, hints of disbelief and hope in his eyes.

"You mean the City of the Dead, where it's said that the earliest Pharaoh's hid the wealth of Egypt? A place is said to be lost and a myth for probably a good reason? Then, yes, we are talking about the Hamunaptra," Fallon opened her mouth suddenly, interrupting Evy.

"Ah, finally speaking are we?" Mr. Bay asked, clasping his hands together and resting them on his desk, leaning forward with an eyebrow cocked. "And what do you two have to say about all of this? Evy and Jonathon brought you two in here with them. You might as well join in on the conversation."

Evy stared at them, obviously wanting at least her own cousin to back her up on this. Fallon realized her mistake in speaking and flushed a deep red in her fair cheeks.

"I...um...no," Fallon replied shakily. Kelly nudged Fallon's arm with her elbow, keeping her eyes on the ground. Fallon didn't know whether to take that as a sign of approval for her answer or to go ahead and admit their knowledge and experience of the city that no one else does.

Mr. Bay was silent and stared at Fallon. Fallon couldn't help but notice a simple hint of sadness in his eyes. "Alright then."

Jonathon sensed the tension in the room and stopped it with his carrying on. "Right, right, in a big underground treasure chamber."

The curator scoffed at this ridiculous remark.

"Oh, come on, everybody knows the story," Jonathon retorted back. "The entire necropolis was rigged to sink into the sand. On Pharaoh's command, a flick of the switch! And the whole place could disappear into the dunes."

"And all we know is that the city mysteriously vanished around 2134 BC," Evy added in.

Fallon watched the curator handle the map carefully, lifting it up so he could better see some of the details. That is, until she realized he was bringing it too close the lit candle on his desk. Fallon stepped forward, but as soon as she did the map caught fire and the curator let out a cry. Dropping the map on the rug in front of his desk, Fallon, Evy, and Jonathon rushed to the map, patting out the flames.

"You've burnt it! You've burnt out the part with the lost city!" Jonathon exclaimed.

"It's for the best, I'm sure," Mr. Bay speculated. Fallon shot him a glare.

"This is an historical artifact, sir! We could have studied it even more, displayed it. It could have been the best archaeological find since King Tutankhamen's tomb!" Fallon hollered in disbelief.

Kelly bit her lip and rolled her eyes. Nothing was worth more than an archaeological find to her. Not even their secrets.

As the young librarian and her brother left the curator's offce, Mr. Bay stopped Fallon at the door. Kelly gave her a warning look and closed the door behind her, leaving Fallon with Mr. Bay.

"Miss Carnahan, I trust that you will drop this silly pursuit in search for Hamunaptra?" Mr. Bay stated, cleaning his glasses with his handkerchief.

Fallon pursed her lips together tightly. Evy had taken the map with her, but Fallon would have given anything to hold it one last time. Even though the memories and flashbacks were painful to relive, she was constantly drawn to the subject, despite her better judgment and Kelly's insistence to try to forget them. She let out a breath.

"I don't know what you mean, sir," Fallon finally said. Her foot tapped nervously on the rug, and she clenched her toes in her much-too-tight shoes.

Mr. Bay didn't look convinced as he stood up from his desk, arms resting behind his back. "Miss Carnahan, I understand that your parents died in their own pursuit to find Hamunaptra, and as I understand it, they may have actually reached it. But because this-this...map has come into existence I implore you to not follow in their footsteps. Do I make myself clear?"

'Oh, sir, if you only knew,' Fallon thought. Unpursing her lips, Fallon gave a weak smile.

"Of course, sir," she replied.