Chapter 9
Isis at his side, Yami walked up the avenue of ram-headed sphinxes into the Temple of Amun at Karnak. There were few visitors, though whether because of the heat -- summer was the off-season for a reason -- or the earthquake, he didn't know. A cursory glance as they passed through the first pylon showed no obvious damage.
"Thank you for accompanying me," Isis said, without preamble. Startled from his musings, Yami glanced at her and was surprised by the sincerity of her expression. "To be honest, I do not feel quite up to dealing with engineers today."
"Is everything all right? You're not ill or anything --?"
"No, no." She shook her head, dark hair gleaming like ebony in the sun. "It is nothing like that. I merely..." She sighed and toyed with the scarf draped artfully about her neck. "I received some upsetting news from home. My younger brother is... unwell. He has been so for some time, but it is growing worse."
"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that." Suddenly, he felt like a heel for all the things he'd been thinking about her. Maybe he'd been unfair. Of course, she had hit on him the very first time they'd met. And she hadn't been too happy to find out he preferred the company of men, as she reminded him with sly little digs on each subsequent meeting. Still... "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"No, but I thank you for asking." This time, her smile seemed genuine. "Let us find the engineers, conclude our inspections, and get out of this heat."
"Good idea." He smiled in return, automatically noting that they had entered the hypostyle hall between the second and third pylons.
A forest of giant sandstone columns surrounded them, soaring to vertigo-inducing heights. On either side of the center aisle where they stood, the tallest of the columns towered almost seventy feet overhead. The capitals at the top, which had once supported the heavy roof, took the form of open papyrus plants. They were so massive that fifty people could have stood atop the largest. If even one of them had toppled during the quake, the damage to the temple would have been enormous.
"I am thankful the hall appears undamaged," Isis said, echoing his thoughts.
Yami agreed. The Great Hypostyle Hall was one of the most impressive architectural achievements in Egypt, and the largest example of its kind -- a hall or chamber with its ceiling supported by columns -- in the world. There were 134 papyriform columns in all, the smallest of which was almost fifty feet tall. Each column was covered in hieroglyphs and the symbols of creation, though the original paint had long since disappeared and the lower glyphs had been damaged or destroyed. In ancient times, the spaces between the columns would have swarmed with statues of gods and kings. The intact roof would have left the chamber with only muted lighting from the clerestory windows high above, filtering sunlight down into this stone representation of a primordial papyrus marsh. He shivered, imagining the hushed atmosphere of the shadowed chamber as priests garbed in pure white linen performed their daily rituals. He could almost smell frankincense and myrrh, and hear the rhythmic rise and fall of voices chanting hymns.
They moved through the third pylon, and found the engineers milling about the Obelisk Court, fussing over the red granite obelisk that had been erected by Tuthmosis I. It leaned slightly. That wasn't from the earthquake, though the engineers were making certain the 75-foot tall monument wouldn't decide to finish the job and join its companion across the courtyard, which had fallen in antiquity,.
They spent several hours with the engineers, checking the temple complex and tagging some of the monuments for more careful attention later. It was sweaty work. The air tasted of heat and dust, and seemed to leech the moisture directly out of Yami's skin. He paused beside the rectangular sacred lake, nostrils flaring as they caught the refreshing scent of water. In ancient times, the lake supplied water for the priests' ablutions and other temple needs. Now, the seating for the Sound and Light Show stood atop the excavated remains of the priests' housing along its shore.
Isis joined him. She looked tired, her suit no longer crisp and her face streaked with sweat. She brushed her fingers over her brow, then said, "We accomplished a great deal today. I believe we can safely leave the engineers to their tasks now."
"I'm just glad there's so little damage." Yami glanced at his watch. "I should get going -- I promised to meet Yugi."
"It is regrettable Mr. Mutou should arrive to visit his grandfather at such an inopportune time, with Dr. Mutou missing and the normal flow of things disrupted by the earthquake -- not to mention this rash of antiquities thefts."
"Yes." Yami turned and strode back toward the main entrance. "It is a shame."
"Tell me, Dr. Viridian," she persisted, keeping up with him with only a little effort. "What will you do now?"
Deliberately misunderstanding, he said, "Shower and change."
He left her standing beside the feet of a broken statue, watching him with speculative eyes.
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Yugi spent the afternoon in the salon, trapped on the green sofa between Téa and Rebecca, listening to Mana's brother lecture on the temples of Karnak. He didn't think it was deliberate, but Mai had pulled a chair so close that he would've had to knock her over to get up. He squirmed in his seat, uncomfortable at the press of bodies, and tried to concentrate on what the tour guide was saying. But the guide didn't have even a portion of the charisma Yami displayed when lecturing, and Yugi soon found his attention wandering again.
Half the room's occupants were openly dozing despite the buzz of sound that filled it. The guide was speaking not-entirely-idiomatic English, interpreters were translating his words into French and Italian for those tour groups, and some of the tourists were chattering among themselves in their native languages. The cacophony was starting to give Yugi a headache. He massaged his temples as he glanced around.
Bakura sat at the bar, his expression as enigmatic as that of the Sphinx, and sipped something clear from a short glass. On the barstool next to him, Siegfried did the same, only the liquid in his glass was amber. Rex was slumped against the arm of the gold sofa, snoring like a motorcycle with a bad muffler. Beside him, Weevil was reading a field guide to North African insects. On the chair next to Mai's, Vivian hunched over a Moleskine notebook, her pen scratching diligently across the page as she took notes.
Yugi shifted again, debating whether to simply fling himself over the back of the sofa and make a run for it. Rebecca glared at him from over her glasses. "Don't be rude! I can't concentrate with you wiggling around like a worm on a hook."
Resigned to his fate, Yugi slumped back into the plush cushion. He peeked at his watch. How much longer was this talk going to last? Where had Yami gotten off to -- more importantly, what was he doing? And could Yugi trust him to show up as promised this time?
He hated to leave Sugoroku's notes in Yami's hands. Yugi wanted to go over those pages and hunt for clues to Sugoroku's whereabouts. What if something happened to them before he got the chance? What if Yami did something to them? Yugi's instincts were telling him he could trust Yami, but the evidence pointed to the contrary. He'd said he would meet Yugi tonight at Karnak. Yugi could only hope Yami would keep his word.
The instant the lecture ended, Yugi bolted to his feet. His sneaker clipped Téa's ankle as he hopped over her feet, used Mai's shoulder for balance, and half-jumped, half-fell over the low table between the sofas. He stumbled upright and would've scampered for the door, but Ryou was suddenly blocking his escape route.
"Yugi, Bakura and I would enjoy your company during the tour of Karnak this evening."
"Thanks, Ryou." Yugi appreciated the gesture, but he had other plans for tonight. "I'd like to, but I'm meeting Dr. Viridian there."
"Dr. Viridian, eh?" Mai appeared at his side, cutting off that avenue. "Such an interesting man, isn't he? I'd certainly enjoy getting to know him better. Say, hon, is this a private tour or can anyone sign up?"
Something unfamiliar and cold stabbed through Yugi's chest. It took him a moment to recognize it as jealousy. He pushed it back and forced himself to smile. "I'm sure Dr. Viridian would be happy to show you around Karnak."
"Mmm." Mai practically purred. "I'll bet he would... You don't mind if I tag along, do you?"
That cold feeling was back. Eyes narrowed, he said, "No, of course not. Why would I mind? I'm sorry, I need to... get something from my cabin."
He shouldered between them and scurried away. He made it as far as the stairs, but Siegfried and Vivian stopped him before he could head down. Siegfried asked, "Have you seen my sister?"
Did he have a sign over his head that said 'please keep me in this room'? Maybe Mana had put them all up to it. "She's over there," he said, gesturing vaguely back the way he'd come. "Talking to Ryou."
He bolted down the stairs. This time, he made it to the first landing before someone waylaid him.
"Hey, it's the Game King!" Rex grinned at him. Today's t-shirt featured the Jurassic Park logo. "Dude, I've been meaning to ask -- Can I get your autograph?"
"Um, sure. Later, though, okay? I'm kind of in a hurry--"
A step behind his friend, Weevil piped up, "Have you seen Dr. Viridian? I've got some questions to ask him about that giant scarab statue at Karnak."
Yugi manfully resisted the urge to groan. "He'll be at the temple tonight if you really need to talk to him."
"Cool."
"How come you're in such a hurry, anyway?" Rex added. "It's not time to leave yet."
"Oh, I... I need to get something. From my room." Yugi edged around them as he spoke. "Gotta run!"
He took the stairs two at a time (and, with his short legs, that wasn't easy), skidded around the corner into the short corridor for his cabin -- and nearly collided with Bakura. For one panicked second, it seemed to Yugi that the other man was coming out of his room. "...Bakura?"
Bakura swaggered toward him, a roll in his step that would have been right at home on a pirate ship. Only then did Yugi spot the silver flask in Bakura's hand. Following Yugi's surprised look, Bakura deftly slid the flask into his trouser pocket.
"Hallo, Yugi. Ryou's not around, is he?" He darted a glance over Yugi's shoulder as if expecting Ryou to pop up and scold him.
"No, he's still upstairs." Yugi fumbled with his doorknob, glad to find it locked. "We're supposed to leave for Karnak soon."
"I'm beside myself with glee." Bakura rolled his eyes ceilingward, then pulled out his flask again. "I have such a thirst for history." He winked. "Be seeing you, Yugi."
Yugi didn't watch him go. He spun into his cabin and locked the door behind him. Nothing seemed out of place. His hair gel was in its usual spot on the nightstand, and his tote was where he'd left it. He peeked into the tiny shower, and even looked in the closet. Everything seemed just as he'd left it. Then he remembered his grandpa's letters.
Grabbing his carry-on tote, Yugi dug frantically through the contents. Fear stabbed through him when he couldn't find the letters, and he started tossing things onto the bed. Phone. Notebook. Box of half-melted Pocky... Where were the letters?
Finally, cheap stationary crinkled beneath his fingers. With a triumphant cry, he held up the thin bundle. Yes! Relief flooded him. They were still safe.
He collapsed onto the bed... then winced, and shifted off the Game Boy digging into his hip. Taking a closer look at the precious letters, he froze. He'd left a certain envelope on top of the stack, held in place by the rubber band. The envelope was his favorite, because his grandpa had used a sticker of the first Duel Monster Yugi had designed -- the Dark Magician -- to decorate it. His grandpa was weird that way. But it always made Yugi smile, which, now that he thought about it, was probably the point.
Only the envelope at the top of the stack didn't have the Dark Magician sticker on it.
Yugi slipped off the rubber band and shuffled through the envelopes. The one with the sticker was near the middle. A shiver ice-skated along his spine. Someone had been in his room, in his things. His fellow passengers had conspired to keep him occupied while someone went through his bags, touched his belongings. They hadn't taken anything, but he still felt violated. Torn between upset and anger, he shivered again.
A soft knock at the door made him start so violently he fell off the bed.
"Mr. Mutou?" Mana's voice came through the door. "Are you all right? It's time to go to Karnak now."
Oh, yeah, Yugi thought, dragging himself up off the floor. He'd go to Karnak. He'd go to Karnak and find Yami. Then, if he had to, he'd shake some answers out of him.