Discoveries Brought to Light
At Minerva's order, a great midday feast was offered to the workers. They had after all labored long and in difficult circumstances. Minerva sent the Muggle workers home early after eating. As site cleared of people, the wizards and Minerva gathered at the tomb entrance.
"Everyone, we know our procedures and roles. There are no changes to them. Claude, mark our time please." Minerva ordered. Next to her Claude marked the official entry date and time in the research log. "Claude and I will go in first. The rest of you will follow in the usual order. As we progress further into the tomb, I may resort to some feline reconnaissance at which point you will track me by the bell that I will be wearing on my collar."
The wizards all nodded their understanding. For many of them this was not the first archeological site they had worked on with Minerva. Her procedures and rules were numerous and adherence was strictly enforced. None of them grumbled or were impatient. They all knew the rules were in place to assure a safe excavation. Her attention to detail had on more than one occasion saved all their lives. Charging headlong into the unknown was not one of her favored strategies.
All had their wands and magical equipment in hand. In tombs and burial places, magic was pure and strong. Because of that, powerful wards were placed over the ancient sites and trails in Egypt thereby confining the magical energies to their appropriate places. Practical magic use was severely discouraged and in some places entirely prevented by the wards. A clumsily cast spell could have disastrous effects in places of such potent magic. As such, the excavation team had relied on muggle methods until the tomb had been unearthed. Now, only their wands could help them inside.
Mr. Hamdi, Khalil and the site foreman were the only natives to stay behind. However, they had not been permitted to stand too close to the tomb. Khalil found this instruction a strange one and kept vigil as close to the entrance as he was allowed. He watched intently as Minerva donned her hat and secured her gloves. His eyes surveyed the other scientists. Khalil noted that none of them carried shovels or hammers. Miss Minerva had only her helmet, emery bag and a long cylinder, perhaps wood, tucked inside a belt loop. No one carried a lantern. How were they going to see where they were going, he wondered. Ever curious, he stayed quiet and watched.
As Minerva took her first steps into the tomb's anteroom, she was startled by the frisson of awareness that rippled down her spine. The sense of magic, ancient and powerful, was potent. She glanced at Claude beside her and noted the excitement on his face. The hairs on her arms prickled at the strong currents of magic in the tomb. The deeper they progressed into the tomb the more tangible the magic felt, like hands forming a circle around them. Claude turned a corner and motioned for Minerva to follow.
"I've found the inner crypt, Minerva." Claude kneeled down and with his lighted wand scanned all around the doorway. "The charmed seal looks intact."
Minerva was no novice but the situation was not to her liking, not at all. "We're taking this very slow, Claude."
"Slow? The tomb hasn't been disturbed and the seal is intact. Let me get Miklos and we can begin cataloguing immediately."
"No, not yet," Minerva gazed around the chamber. A quick spell increased the light radiating from her wand tip. Pictographs and hieroglyphs covered the walls colorful and bright as the day they were painted as if time itself had stopped after their creation. "Something is not quite right."
"The magic is stronger than anything I've ever felt, true enough," said Claude. "But the tomb hasn't been desecrated. It's ideal."
"No, Claude, we have to be careful. The sense of magic is too strong. And look at the reliefs on the walls. No deterioration in shading or tone. That's unnatural." Minerva looked above at the ceiling and sniffed the air. "There's hardly enough dust in here. All this time and the air ... the air, Claude, it's not fresh but it's not stagnant either."
The two continued to study every corner of the room. Minerva informed the others waiting to wait a little longer. "Claude, what can you tell me about the charm?"
"Typical ritual incantation. A charm and a curse in one." Claude peered closely at a hieroglyph on the door frame. "Even I could break this one."
Minerva chuckled. Among the team, Claude was universally known as being the least skilled in charm work. His specialty was medicinal potions and ancient languages. He often served as the team's mediwizard. While Minerva had broken the most seals and curses of them all, everyone else on the team, save Claude, had at least one broken or unlocked seal to their credit. She knew getting one seal for himself meant a great deal to him despite his good humored handling of the teasing aimed his way. "All right, Claude, give it a try."
Claude studied the seal intently. Minerva stood a few meters away to give him room to work. After informing the rest of the team of what was about to be done, she cast a quick shield charm about her person and vicinity. She watched Claude work through his own precautions before attempting to break the seal. Claude nodded at Minerva indicating his readiness. She nodded back indicating hers.
Claude cast the unlocking charm. A spray of light erupted from the seal. Claude shielded his eyes with his hand. Dust rained down on him and Minerva. The spray subsided to dull sparks before dying out completely. An enormous grin spread over Claude's face. The seal was broken.
Minerva patted Claude on the arm. They waited a few minutes for any residual effects to occur. Nothing untoward happened. With her doubts somewhat mollified, Minerva said a standard opening spell. Her body tensed in anticipation. Accompanied by the noise of stone grinding against stone, the wall covering the opening slid to the side. Minerva called out to the rest of the team. "Come down. Claude has opened the burial crypt."
The other wizards entered the tomb and quickly began their routines - recording the glyphs on the wall, the broken seal and mapping the tomb's layout. Claude and Minerva advanced into the darkened anteroom wands blazing like small suns. While Claude prepared orb lights to brighten the room, Minerva surveyed the rest of the room.
On her knees, Minerva studied the stone crypt. Speckles of brown desert sand stood out against the normal gray dust of the tomb. She could detect a fine, hair thin space under the lid. The spacing and the brown sand confirmed her suspicions. "Claude, the crypt has been opened."
"The seal was intact. I'm sure of it."
Minerva pushed with all her strength on the lid. She could feel it move a little. A little was too much. "Irregardless, this lid has been moved."
"Perhaps, the priests had to make adjustments."
"Maybe. Bring some of those lights here."
Claude waved his wand and the small spherical torches hovered over the crypt. Minerva cast a levitation spell and the massive stone lid floated up and to the side.
"Merlin!" Claude exclaimed.
Inside the crypt, a mummy lay on its side obviously out of position. The burial objects that would normally be placed around the body were carelessly piled in one corner. A hole at the bottom of the crypt beckoned like a dark and mysterious abyss.
"I guess it's time for further exploration." Minerva said while untying her emory bag.
"Minerva, there's no record of anything like this being found." Claude removed the mummy respect evident in his care.
"For everything there is a first time." Minerva removed the burial artifacts one by one. Minerva tied a ribbon around her neck. A small bell hung on the ribbon tinkling softly. Her wand she secured on her belt. A second smaller wand she put inside one of her boots.
Claude cleared the rest of the materials lining the crypt. "Be careful, Minerva."
Minerva climbed into the crypt. "Ready?"
Claude nodded. He watched as Minerva transformed into a sleek, gray house cat. The cat flicked its tail once before disappearing into the abyss.
Back in the main camp, Griffith stepped out of the dust covered car. He called out but there was no one around. The camp was deserted. From inside the car, he heard the dry, raspy breathing of his friend and mentor. "Professor, please, don't try to talk yet. This is the camp but there's no one here."
"Rampal?" Hammadi wheezed from the back seat.
"No one is here." Griffith spotted a tent with a cot inside. He instructed their two hired drivers to carry the professor into the tent.
Griffith explored the camp and found the dining tent. He and the drivers drank their fill of a pitcher of juice set on the table. They would wait for the rest of the camp to return.
In a bazaar in Luxor, an illegal port key exchanged hands. Piers pocketed the item and rode off to an open area outside of the city. Astride his camel, he took hold of the key and disappeared.