Richard motioned for the men to move out of the way as he descended the steps. He placed the palms of his hands flush against the door and pushed. It didn’t budge. Turning sideways and crouching low, he rammed his shoulder against the rock. Still nothing.
On the side of the map was a short riddle. Richard read it aloud: “To enter life, you must place one foot in the grave.”
He studied the area over the top of the door and tried to brush away some of the sand. Gesturing for a handheld broom, one of the men threw one to Richard. He swept away the dirt, revealing a series of hieroglyphic pictures. Unsure of their meaning, Richard cleaned off the final step. An embossed symbol of some sort was etched out of the stone. After raising his foot, Richard stomped on the step. The door started to rumble before it slid to one side to expose a small chamber.
Behind him, the men started to shout. Omar said something to them, and they then poured down the stairs and joined Richard.
“What did you tell them?” Richard asked.
Omar shrugged and smiled. “I told them what Sherif said.”
“And what was that exactly?”
“He said you have no money so we take what we find.”
Richard glared at Omar. “I told him I would give you a share of the profits, not that you could loot the tomb. Tell them to stop.”
Omar relayed the message, which drew long steely stares from the workers.
“Tell them they will get paid, but we still have work to do.”
Omar said something in Arabic, and most of the men began to trudge out of the chamber and up the steps. However, one man narrowed his eyes and looked directly at Richard before breaking into a dead sprint. Richard noticed the knife in the man’s hand and sidestepped him before slashing his wrist.
Richard twirled his dagger on his fingers and eyed the man cautiously. “I haven’t been in Egypt long, but I’ve been here long enough. Now if you don’t like the payment arrangements, feel free to leave at any time.”
The man tilted his head to the side and scowled.
“Omar, please translate for me,” Richard said.
Upon hearing Omar’s words, the man nodded slowly before leaving the chamber, sneering at Richard.
Meanwhile, Richard hustled over to a corner and peered through a small slot. He couldn’t see anything, but he could feel a draft coming from the portal. Glancing down, he noticed a small stone with the same markings as the one positioned just outside the chamber door.
That must be the actual tomb.
The real treasure was inside the kings’ tombs. This small chamber was just a passageway of sorts, perhaps designed to appear like a tomb for one reason or another. Richard quickly formed a working hypothesis that this was where the supplies were stored for the boy king. However, the fact that valuable items remained here after all these years puzzled Richard.
Richard found a pouch full of gold, more than enough to give each man on both crews one piece—and it would be worth hundreds of pounds. But he was smart enough to know that the real gold lay on the other side of the wall. That was what the Germans would be after, but a trap would scare them away.
Richard resurfaced and explained to all the men what they were going to do. He informed them that all the treasure had been accounted for and it was much. However, they were each to receive a gold coin, which would be worth hundreds of pounds each. The men all cheered as Richard passed out the coins.
He then directed two of the faster workers to dig a hole just inside the entrance of the chamber. No sooner had they begun then several men stormed into their tent.
“Who is the leader of this expedition?” a man bellowed as he flashed a badge indicating his affiliation with the Egyptian Antiquities Society.
Richard stepped forward. “What do you want?”
“I certainly didn’t come here for your autograph,” the man said with a snarl. “I want part of your riches.”
Richard shrugged. “Sorry, but that reward is reserved for the men who do the work. But if you’re handy with tools—”
Richard tossed a shovel toward the man, who swatted it to the side and drew his sword from its sheath.
“I would suggest you put that way before you kill yourself,” Richard said.
“I said I want a portion of your riches.”
Chapter 31
RICHARD FELT THE TEMPERATURE in the room rising as the man and his fellow bandits didn’t appear to be interested in vacating the dig site. Thinking of a way to avoid a bloody brawl, Richard flipped the thief a coin.
“Split it amongst your men and leave if you know what is good for you,” Richard said.
The man tossed the money into the sand and laughed. As he was howling with laughter, Omar flung his dagger into the man’s throat. Staggering to his left and then right, the man toppled to the ground.
Richard looked at the man to the guard’s right. “It’s time for you to leave.”
The man’s eyes widened as he turned to his fellow officers and gestured for them to leave. They all exited without making a sound while their leader writhed around in the sand, gasping for air. Richard sighed as he watched the man die.
“He can’t say he wasn’t warned,” Richard said.
Omar shook his head. “He won’t say anything ever again. Over the years, he’s robbed far too many people while working in the valley.”
“He won’t anymore,” Richard said.
Omar smiled a wry grin. “How do you say in America? Dead as a doornail?”
“Thank you, Omar. I think I owe this to you,” Richard said as he pressed a couple more coins into the palm of Omar’s hand.
All the men stood around staring at the lifeless body, the blood still oozing out and staining the sand.
“Let’s get this cleaned up,” Richard said. “I’m sure we’ll have to answer for this.”
“I’ll be honored to confess,” Omar said. “We defended ourselves against his threats. And Egypt looks more favorably upon murderers than thieves. Besides, my brother-in-law is on the board of the society. They are aware of this man’s—how do you say it—extension?”
“Extortion,” Richard corrected.
“Ah,” Omar said with a smile. “I learned a new word today. That makes me happy.”
“Happier than getting paid with gold coins?”
“I have many reasons to be happy today,” Omar said with a wink.
Richard hustled back down the steps to check on the progress of the two men digging. Once the hole went down deep enough, Richard climbed inside and buried several spears in the ground, their sharp ends pointing upward. If anyone fell into the hole, they would not crawl out without serious injury—if they could even get out. The men had dug the opening in a triangular shape, narrowing from the bottom up. Climbing up the side would be difficult as well as dangerous.
Richard shimmied up with a rope and then covered the hole with a parchment paper before shoveling some sand on top. He then directed several of the men to bring him large rocks and a net. Using some of his Princeton ingenuity, Richard constructed a trip line that would trigger the net to dump the rocks in front of the door, preventing anyone else from getting access into the chamber.
When they were finished, Richard left a note for Sherif and the day crew with instructions on what needed to be done to secure the site. Richard also issued a stern warning not to go into the chamber or risk death.
* * *
UPON RETURNING to the Winter Palace Hotel just before dawn, Richard stumbled into his room and found a letter someone had shoved beneath his door. He immediately recognized the handwriting—it was Jabari again.
Richard tore open the letter and shuffled across the room to the window, which had just enough light to illuminate Jabari’s message.
After tonight, Wilhelm is going to search elsewhere for the tomb. He plans to send a team of men to investigate your site tomorrow night. Beware. ~ Jabari
Richard could only hope that Sherif tied up all the dangling ends left behind
from the night before.
The moment of truth had drawn nigh.
Chapter 32
REFRESHED FROM SIX HOURS of sleep, Richard ate a quick lunch before hustling down to the Nile. He paid for a ferry ride across the river on a boat that was packed with Thomas Cook & Son tourists. A few of the people noticed Richard and pointed at him, while speaking to each other in hushed tones. Richard tried not to let the ordeal bother him, especially since it was Earl Thomas’s face-saving lie that ignited the rumor mill. But the negative attention was hard to ignore.
Richard eventually walked to the stern of the ship and stared out at the water, his back to the other passengers. Although the trip was short, he was lost in thought and didn’t see the man approaching him from behind.
“Mr. Francois?” a familiar voice said.
Richard turned around to see the earl holding his hat in his hand. “Come over here to start some more rumors?”
“Actually, I wanted to apologize to you for starting them in the first place,” the earl said. “I should’ve never made up those awful things about you, and I feel dreadful for doing it.”
“If you want to truly apologize, you should admit that you fibbed in the first place,” Richard said.
“I never meant for word to get around like that. It’s just that my wife was upset that I acted foolishly, so I had to tell her something or suffer her wrath.”
“Sounds like a wonderful marriage you have there.”
Earl Thomas sighed. “When families of nobility are merged through marriage, the end result isn’t always happiness.”
“I’m sorry about your disagreeable wife, but that’s never a reason to sully a man’s reputation. In this world, my name is all I’ve got. And I can assure you that mine has suffered immensely as I’ve had to endure a burdensome weight beneath your fanciful tales.”
“I’m going to double what I owe you when I return to England.”
“Give it to charity,” Richard said. “In fact, give all of it to charity. I don’t need it anymore.”
“But, Mr. Francois, you must let me make it up to you in some way.”
“I accept your apology, but if you want to be a bigger man, tell the truth—and exaggerate only for the purposes of telling a better story,” Richard said with a wink.
“You’re a better man than I am, that’s for sure,” Earl Thomas said as he patted Richard on the back.
“It’s not a contest. Just be the best you can be each day and keep growing.”
The boat slowed down before hitting the dock and knocking both men off balance for a moment. Richard regained his footing and grabbed Earl Thomas’s arm to keep him upright.
“Do me a favor,” Richard said as they turned to depart. “At least tell Vincent Vance the truth. I still need the work.”
“I will,” Earl Thomas said resolutely. “And I’ll do it first thing when I return this afternoon. Thank you for being so gracious.”
“I’m just glad neither of us got seriously injured—or worse—during our excursion.”
Richard bid the earl farewell amidst a sea of snoopy tourists. Everyone cast shameful glimpses at Richard. He decided to smile and nod, defusing the gloom that hung over the short trip.
After hustling ahead of the tour group, Richard saddled up his horse and blazed out across the desert toward his dig site. When he arrived, Sherif and his shortened crew were putting the finishing touches on the last item on the list.
“Where are all the men?” Richard asked.
“A few of them fell ill, so we had to double our efforts.”
“Well, it looks like you’ve done a fine job,” Richard said before embracing Sherif with a hug and kiss on each side of his cheek.
Sherif nodded. “We’ve worked hard to complete everything you asked.”
“If you hadn’t, we could be in serious trouble.”
“Why’s that?”
“Apparently the Germans are growing troubled by Jabari’s supposed inability to read a map,” Richard said. “They think he’s toying with them.”
Sherif chuckled. “Well, he is.”
“Yes, but once they figure that out, they’re going to kill him and his family.”
“And what are we going to do about it?”
Richard motioned for Sherif to follow him. “Come with me. I want to show you our trap.”
Richard led Sherif down the steps and near the front of the chamber door. Turning to face Sherif, Richard explained the purpose of the trap.
“If we can ambush the German soldiers, we should be able to stop their ambitious attempt to steal one of the king’s treasures. There are a few more traps I want to install now before this final one, but once they recognize that they’re not going to get this fortune, they’ll leave.”
“And how are you going to ensure that happens?”
“With this specially designed trap,” Richard said. “All they have to do is jump on this stone here—”
The door began to slide open slowly.
“And then they can gain access to the chamber,” Richard said.
Sherif grabbed Richard’s arm and stepped into the chamber, mouth agape.
“This is amazing,” he said over Richard’s pleas to return. “I’ve never seen anything like—”
Sherif’s foot gave way and he started to fall into the hole Richard’s team had dug. Thinking quick on his feet, Richard got down onto his stomach and reached into the hole, grabbing Sherif’s forearm and gripping it tightly. Sherif shrieked as he looked down, realizing that death by impalement was a very real possibility if he slipped out of Richard’s hand.
“Please don’t drop me,” Sherif said. “I didn’t know. I swear it.”
Richard grunted as he strained to keep Sherif from plunging downward to his death.
Chapter 33
RICHARD TIGHTENED HIS GRIP on Sherif and urged him to quit wriggling so much. With forearms afire, Richard wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to keep Sherif from sliding down into the impalement pit.
“You haven’t even set off the trip wire yet,” Richard said in an attempt to assuage Sherif’s fears. “If you do that, I’m not sure I’ll be able to hold onto you. So stop moving if you want to live.”
Sherif went limp, hanging there in an almost lifeless state as he let Richard navigate him back to the surface without triggering an avalanche of stones and boulders. Once Sherif was safely back in the stairway, he collapsed.
“I almost . . .” he said, either unwilling or unable to finish the obvious truth.
“But you’re not dead,” Richard said. “You’re very much alive, so stop dwelling on what almost was, and think about how fortunate you are.”
Sherif’s eyes watered as he looked up at Richard. “You saved my life.”
“Now we’re even,” Richard said. “Let’s get back to work. “
Richard reset the trap, this time positioning a small treasure chest just beyond the impalement pit. He placed one gold coin on the ground in front of it, guaranteeing the Germans would charge in after it. Richard was counting on the first person through to fall into the hole and the second to break the trip wire and all but seal the door. And with such a small unit, Wilhelm wouldn’t risk sending more men after that into the chamber to retrieve the treasure for fear of being descended upon by thieves after exiting the Valley of the Kings.
Once Richard was finished, he announced that it was time to pack up and leave.
“I don’t understand,” Sherif said. “I thought you came here for the treasure.”
“The real treasure is preserving whatever is inside there for future generations to enjoy,” Richard said. “I only took what was necessary to compensate all the men for their hard work.”
“But aren’t you curious about King Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus?”
“I am, but I’ll save that for another trip after someone far more skilled has excavated the tomb and maintained its integrity.”
“You’re a strange man, Mr. Francois.”
The team finished packing up its gear and began the short trek across the desert. All the men kept scanning the area in anticipation of an attack. With only six men total, Richard feared they would look like a prime target for the Arabean Losus.
“What does Arabean Losus mean?” Richard asked as they plodded along.
“It means Forty Thieves,” Sherif said. “The leader of the group is named Ali Baba. He has quite the sense of humor.”
“I certainly don’t find marauders funny, especially when they’re killing innocent people.”
“You’ve experienced what they do,” Sherif said. “They are harmless.”
“Except for the fact that they are plundering the riches of every good man and woman who crosses the desert. Besides, I thought Egyptians took a harsh view toward stealing.”
“Only when we’re stealing from our own. But taking from the wealthy tourists who visit the Valley of the Kings? No one cares about that as much. The guards for the Egyptian Antiquities Society claim to care, but as soon as they’re handed some money, they happily look the other way.”
Richard glanced back toward the dunes and saw flames flickering near the top of a ridge.
“Look up there,” he said as he pointed toward the lights. “What is that?”
“The better question is who is that,” Sherif said. “That’s the Arabean Losus—and they’re headed straight toward us.”
Sherif turned toward the men and shouted something in Arabic. In an instant, the horses went from plodding along at a steady pace to tearing across the desert. Richard could scarcely figure out what was going on before he found himself enveloped in a cloud of dust. Digging his heels into his horse, he darted ahead to keep up with the rest of the pack.
After making the trek across the desert for the past few days, Richard felt like he had a solid grasp on how much farther they had to go before reaching the Nile. He estimated at least three more miles. And with the thieves thundering toward Richard and his crew, he sounded the alarm. Based on the thrum of galloping hooves against the desert, he wasn’t sure if it even mattered. Every man in the crew appeared to be driving his horse as fast as possible.
The Secret of the King's Tomb Page 18
