lissysue85-Thank you, I'm glad you liked it. She is slightly worried, but she feels she is safe where she is, which is the middle of nowhere. XD Then I'm glad I made it realistic and possible. They are probably wishing they had never let her go now, but they did because they knew that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and how much she would enjoy it. Though very soon they will be wishing that they hadn't even more.

Little Miss Bump-Thank! I'm glad you liked it. Yep, it is most defiantly the quiet before the storm. Dang! There you go making me blush again! Thanks and I'm glad that you enjoyed the last story and you are enjoying this one. Well, I'm glad to hear that something good came out of my endless daydreaming for once. : P I'm glad you love it and you will certainly be seeing me soon. XD

Gilian 101- Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. Yeah, it seems not many stories are being updated right now though I have a feeling it's due to school for that will probably be my excuse very soon. : P Well I'm glad that the update has made you happy. Thank you, you are also making me blush! Way back when? Ha-ha! It was last month! : P Well, the chapters are longer this time around due to your advice. Thank you! –blushes again-

Lightbulb- XD I'm glad you like it. That he is. I'm glad you fine it exciting and that you are so eager for an update. Welcome to the story Lightbulb. XD

err... who am i?-Yep, he seems to be doing that a lot. Ha-ha! That would be a very interesting search and probably quite embossing to whoever he would search. Nope, he didn't like that idea at all. Nah, he's just being over protective of his little sister though he is probably suspicious of all of them now.

Chapter Nine-The Tablet
September 6th, 2024

Not long after a breakfast of what was said to be oatmeal, Evelyn found herself in the first group scheduled to head into the Royal Palace that morning along with Dr. Ness, Kyleigh, Narmer and a large group of Egyptian diggers with them in case they ran into any unexpected obstacles. The group passed through the gates leading to the palace and walked through the courtyard within the palace gates. Two great statues of Horus flanked the large doorway of the palace.

Passing through the doorway into the dark halls of the palace, Evelyn as well as many others switched on their flashlights and shown them around the room. Evelyn held her breath as she gazed upon the grand room in decay around her, hoping that no vision would plague her while she was here. The last thing she needed was to try and cover it up around the large group of people, though only three of them would even understand what she was saying. Though she had been lucky enough not to have another dream the night before and for that she was grateful.

"This way," Narmer instructed in English before repeating it in Egyptian Arabic so the diggers would understand him, leading the group towards one of the doors that were scattered around the hall, though this one appeared to have been one of the many hidden passageways that were said to be in the Palace and what appeared to be the ruins of the door lay in a pile a few feet away. He disappeared into the darkness of the doorway and the group followed him with Evelyn trailing near the rear of the group as she gazed around the dark room. Shining her light into the doorway, it revealed a set of stairs that would take them underneath the palace.

Pulling up the small pouch on her shoulder that held a bottle of water, extra batteries, and the monitor that he father had given her in its padded pouch, just in case something were to go wrong and they would need help. Though how she would get away from the group and contact them in private as to not reveal their identities she did not know, but she would worry about that if anything happened.

She carefully walked down the staircase, her flashlight shining on the back of Kyleigh a few feet ahead of her and the boots of all those in the group echoing in the tunnel. After several minutes of walking in the dark tunnel, the group excited into a large chamber and shined their lights around the room. Evelyn let out a gasp as many lights were shinned around the room. Dust covers various statues that had been arranged throughout the room and covered an immense amount of jewelry. Evelyn also noted that one of the statues of Anubis had his arms crossed over his chest and in his hands were clasped a dust covered pair of what she was sure were golden Sai. It was a tomb, a private tomb and she had a feeling that she knew who had been buried here.

As several large, oil lamps were lit and the room was flooded with light, Evelyn switched off her flashlight along with everyone else and made her way over to where Dr. Ness was examining an shelf that had been built of stone, on which sat an large stone sarcophagus with what appeared to be a box covered with a thick layer of dust. He sucked in breath and then blew it across the lid of the box, the dust flying into the air. As Evelyn approached, he pulled out a brush from his pocket and swept off the remaining dust.

He looked up and smiled at her, motioning for her to come forward. "Try to read the hieroglyphs. Let's see those skills that George raved about in use."

Evelyn looked down to study box, hoping that Dr. Ness did not notice the slight blush that had appeared on her cheeks. Her green eyes studied the images that had been etched into the black stone that had been melded onto the wood of the box, her mind forgetting all thoughts of her blushing as she studied them carefully, her brow furrowing in concentration. "It-it speaks of a curse. 'Death will come on swift wings to whoever opens this chest."

"Very good," Dr. Ness commented with a smile as a strange wind whistled through the room. Both he and Evelyn glanced around the room for a moment and over where the diggers stood with Narmer they looked around the room fearfully. Dr. Ness then turned back to Evelyn and turned her attention back to the chest before her. "What else of it can you read?"

"Not much else. Something about sacred law and assimilating organs and fluids," she replied, looking up from the box and over at the man beside her as all thoughts and fears of where that wind had come from disappeared. "That's all I could figure out since the rest of the symbols I was never taught."

"For an incomplete education in how to read them," he began. "You did very well. In the minimal time he spent teaching you, you have learn things that for some people it takes decades to learn in just a few years. No wonder George raved about you. "

"Thanks," she answered softly, looking away and towards the nervous diggers on the other side of the room. He smiled at her for a moment before looking to the stone sarcophagus and blowing a bit of dust off of the top of it. He then motioned for her to read the hieroglyphs engraved into the stone. As with the chest, she studied to symbols before her. "Here lies Henuttawy, daughter of Ramesses the Great and Nefertari."

He suspicions about whose chamber it had been confirmed, Evelyn slowly backed away from the sarcophagus. Her breathing became labored as she glanced around the room at the various objects only for them to flash momentarily the image of their former glory. She continued to back up until the collided with someone behind her. The flashes stopped as two hands grasped her arms and Kyleigh looked down at her in concern "Are you alright?"

Evelyn shook her head, her breathing and erratic heartbeat beginning to slow as she looked at the elder women. Kyleigh looked up at Dr. Ness who still stood beside the sarcophagus and looked at her with mild concern. "I'm going to take her back up and have Gahiji get her something to eat."

Ness nodded in reply before Kyleigh grasped Evelyn's shoulders and began to lead her back towards the staircase that would take them back to the surface, turning on her flashlight as she went. As Narmer and the diggers watched the two women leave, no one noticed the smirk that briefly appeared on Dr. Ness's face for a few moments only to disappear when all eyes turned away from the doorway to the tomb.

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"Are you sure you are alright?" Kyleigh asked as Evelyn glared over her bowl of soup at the older women. They had come out of the Royal Palace half an hour before and Gahiji had prepared her a bowl of soup that would accompany the day's lunch and ever since they had sat down at one of the tables in the makeshift cafeteria the elder women had been asking Evelyn if she was alright. Somehow luck had been with her and Kyleigh had believed Evelyn's excuse of being claustrophobic.

Evelyn set the spoon back in her mostly empty bowl. "I'm fine."

Voices coming from the other side of the Palace gates flouted into the tent and both women looked in that direction where the excited voices were coming from. They watched as Dr. Ness disappeared into the command tent with something in his hands and Narmer walking quickly towards them with a large grin on his face. Evelyn and Kyleigh stood from the bench, grabbed their bags that had been sitting on the bench beside them and moved to met him near the entrance to the cafeteria area. Kyleigh smiled at him. "I'm guessing you found something after we left."

"We did," he replied, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling Kyleigh to his side."He thinks it may be a table depicting what exactly happened to Henuttawy. He has asked for both of you to meet him in the main tent."

"Where did he find it?" Evelyn asked as the three moved towards the command tent. Narmer looked at her with a raised eyebrow as they walked.

"She's claustrophobic," Kyleigh stated as they approached the tent. Narmer nodded in understanding as he pulled open the flap and allowed the two women to enter before himself. Dr. Ness stood before the table in the center examining a large stone tablet that was set in front of him. Evelyn looked around the tent and noted that Kaphiri Alavi was nowhere in sight. Kyleigh also noticed this for as the trio moved towards the table she asked, "Where is Kaphiri?"

"I have no idea where that man has gotten too," Dr. Ness replied as he turned around to face the group. He motioned for Evelyn to stand beside him as he muttered under his breath, "And frankly I don't care at the moment."

"Does this tablet actually tell what happened the night Henuttawy was killed?" Evelyn asked as she watched Dr. Ness pull out his brush once more and dust off the tablet. He set the brush down the on the table next to the tablet while he shook his head. "Then what is it?"

"I have a hunch. Try to reach the inscription, out loud please," he instructed, moving out of the way so Evelyn could bend over the tablet completely. Evelyn did not question why he wanted her to read it aloud but quickly set to work reading the hieroglyphs, her eyebrows furrowed together and her muscles tense as she began to speak the written inscription. "Ahm kum Ra. Ahm kum Dei."

After a few moments and Ness correcting her occasionally, she finished the inscription. The tent is silent when she is finished and Dr. Ness is smiling at Evelyn, though unlike the smiles she had previously seen on his face, this one she did not like. Though the walls of the tent a piercing whine was heard. Evelyn cast Dr. Ness a suspicious look before heading to the flap that Narmer now held open as both he and Kyleigh looked out into the distance, where and dark mass swirled around as it approached the camp. The diggers that had remained in the camp began to run towards the palace gates screaming on word in Egyptian; locusts.

"Quick, we must reach the Palace," said Narmer, pushing the flap up and once more allowing the two women to go before him, not looking back at all to see that Dr. Ness continued to smile. As soon as they were out they began to race towards the Royal Palace as the swarm of insects entered the far side of the camp. Evelyn panted as she ran as fast as she could, hitching her bag up further onto her shoulder. Kyleigh and Narmer just a few feet ahead of her.

A few moments later they reached the last of the workers running into the Palace and follow the group as they run past the doorway they had gone to earlier and deeper into the heart of the palace. Evelyn glanced back over her shoulder to see that the swarm of locusts were now directly behind her and batted away a few that flew around her head. As she continued to bat them off, she looked ahead to see that they were approaching a large set of intact wooden doors with people on either side waiting to close it.

Evelyn pushes herself harder as they begin to close the doors when she was a few feet away. A few seconds later she slid through the small opening that remained and began to slow to a jog as a resounded 'THUD' echoed in the room. As she came to a stop, she began to open her bag to pull out a flashlight when something's squished beneath her foot. She brought the light out and switched it on, pointing it down in front of her.

She back up a few feet as her light landed on one of the many frogs that now shared the room with the people that had fled from the camp. As her breathing began to return to normal, she flashed the light around the room, looking for some clue as to where she was in the Palace. She heard Kyleigh call through the darkness, "Evelyn! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she replied, flashing her light around the room in hopes of finding the older women. She let out a sigh of relief as the light landed on where she stood hand in hand with Narmer a good twenty feet away. As she began to question where all the other workers had gone, she spotted five dark figures approaching the pair form behind. The largest of the group stepped forward behind them and set a decayed hand on the couple's shoulders. Evelyn screamed at the decomposed face that looked down at the two of them. Her scream attracted the corpse's attention and he looked up towards her as lights flared to life around them.

Several of the diggers lay dead on the floor while those living lit several large oil lanterns, even larger than those that had been used in the tomb that morning. Kyleigh and Narmer yelled as the corpse pushed them apart and into the hands of waiting diggers, who began to tie their hands together, neither of them putting up a fight as they stared at the corpse before them.

A dry chuckle sounded from behind the corpse and he turned around and faced the red robed figure that had stepped forward, smirking as he walked towards Evelyn. Evelyn's eyes widened even further as the Hood smirked at her. "Hello again Evelyn."