The Tomb Builders

by Kevin Ashman

  ‘So,’ said Tarik, leaning forward, ‘did you find a glyph or not?’

  India paused before looking at Brandon.

  ‘Show him,’ she said.

  Brandon reached down to get his pack.

  ‘We didn’t find any of those glyphs,’ he said, ‘but we did find this.’ He placed the circular artefact on the table before adding, ‘and we have no idea what it is.’

  ----

  ‘May I hold it?’ asked Tarik.

  ‘Go ahead,’ said Brandon, ‘it makes no sense to us at all.’

  Tarik picked it up and turned it over and over in his hands. He held it up to see the glow of the lights through the surface before finally placing it on the table before him and retrieving a magnifying glass from his inside pocket.

  ‘In Egypt,’ he explained with a smile, ‘no self-respecting Egyptologist goes anywhere without his magnifying glass.’ He leaned over and studied the disk before looking up with a smile.

  ‘Do you have a pen?’ he asked.

  Brandon fished in his pocket and handed one over.

  ‘Thank you,’ said Tarik and snapped it in half before carefully slicing the ink chamber with a pocket knife. India watched with fascination as he smeared the black ink all over the flat surface before wiping it off again with his handkerchief.

  ‘Oh yes,’ said Tarik at last, ‘I can’t believe it Miss Sommers, what you have here is no ordinary artefact, take a look.’

  He handed the disc over the table and both India and Brandon stared down at the altered surface. Where it had been blank before, now the residue of the ink had filled every tiny scratch, making them stand out from the pale white background.

  ‘Recognise anything?’ asked Tarik.

  India stared intently at the disc before her eyes widened in surprise.

  ‘Is that the belt of Orion?’ she asked, pointing at a row of three spots.

  ‘It is,’ said Tarik, ‘and that particular deep spot I believe is the North Star.’

  ‘What is this?’ asked India, pointing at a tiny cross where each line reached an internal corner of a tiny square.

  ‘What does it look like to you?’

  ‘I’m not sure, ‘said India, ‘it’s certainly not anything in the night sky.’

  ‘No it’s not,’ said Tarik, ‘but imagine you were looking down upon the Giza Plateau from the heavens, what would you see?’

  ‘Oh my god,’ said India, ‘it’s supposed to be a pyramid seen from above.’

  ‘It is,’ said Tarik, ‘and by using that as a start point and the star references as orientation, we can work out exactly which way this is supposed to lay in relation to Khufu’s pyramid.’

  ‘And the reason is?’ asked Brandon.

  ‘Because when you do that,’ said Tarik, ‘these other long lines come into play.’

  ‘Why, what are they?’ asked Brandon.

  ‘Directions to the next reference point or Glyph,’ said Tarik, ‘and if I am correct, to the final destination for Khufu’s body.’

  ‘But that makes no sense,’ said Brandon, ‘if they went to so much trouble to hide the body, why leave directions to find it?’

  ‘Because those directions were never meant for the eyes of man,’ said India, ‘but for the nightly return of Khufu’s Ba.’

  ‘Correct,’ said Tarik. ‘Like we said before, Egyptians believed the Ba returned each night to the tomb and if the body lay elsewhere, they would have left directions to where he was hidden.’ He indicated the disc on the table. ‘This, my friend is a road map to Khufu’s treasure.’

  ----

  ‘So,’ said Brandon, ‘if what you say is correct, all we have to do is line up this disc with the pyramid and the stars and these long lines will point us to his final tomb.’

  ‘In essence, yes,’ said Tarik, ‘but it’s a little bit more complicated than that, you see the sky is slightly different to Khufu’s day due to the tilt of the earth but that’s no major problem, we can calculate the relative positions using basic maths.’

  ‘And if we do that, this map becomes accurate?’

  ‘It should do,’ said Tarik.

  Brandon stared at the disk. The first line stretched away before turning upward on a slight angle. The second line changed direction twice more before ending on a final pyramid symbol etched into the surface.

  ‘The line changes direction in several places,’ said Brandon, ‘each time above a symbol. Some are crosses within a square like the first one while others are crosses within a circle.’

  ‘Each will represent a glyph upon the ground,’ said Tarik, ‘or geoglyphs as they are commonly called. The square ones represent pyramids but I’m not sure what the circle ones are.’

  ‘So according to this, the tomb lies within a pyramid out there somewhere.’ He waved his hand toward the door.

  ‘It would seem so,’ said Tarik.

  ‘Wait a minute,’ said Brandon, ‘this thing doesn’t have any distances on it. How far is each glyph apart?’

  ‘That’s the problem,’ said Tarik, ‘the ancients would expect the Ba to know such things and would only refer to the directional markers. They could be a hundred paces apart or a hundred miles, we don’t know.’

  ‘So how do we know how far to search?’

  ‘I don’t have all the answers, Mr Walker,’ said Tarik, ‘all we can do is follow the map and work it out as we go.’

  Brandon glanced at India.

  ‘What do you think?’ he asked.

  ‘What have we got to lose?’ she said, ‘if we draw a blank, at least we will have tried.’

  ‘You have already achieved far more than many people before you, Miss Sommers,’ said Tarik, ‘you have found the first glyph and trust me, that is the hardest of them all. Of course, that in itself is a problem because Muburak now knows you found something under the pyramid. If he thinks it is of any value then he will stop at nothing to get it back so we have to be careful.’

  ‘How does he know we were in the tunnels?’ asked Brandon.

  ‘You were seen on the security cameras,’ said Tarik, ‘and by now, Rashid would have told him about your involvement. It wouldn’t be hard to put the facts together and work out you had something to do with the flooding.’

  ‘You know about that?’

  ‘Hard not to,’ said Tarik. ‘There are engineers running about the plateau like ants, panicking in case the water undermines the Sphinx.’

  ‘Well, if it is any consolation,’ said Brandon, ‘we were just as shocked to find water down there.’

  ‘Oh I’m not shocked,’ said Tarik, ‘the presence of water is well known to the authorities and they are busy trying to drain the lakes. Apparently they expect to find all sorts of things down there and personally I agree. From what snippets of information we have gathered there could be anything from the tombs of kings to a famous hall of records. The only thing is the water table has risen and flooded many of the caverns.’

  ‘So do you think that is what we found? A cavern with a raised water table.’

  ‘Possibly but from the way you describe events, I think it was probably put there deliberately. It wouldn’t be difficult, carve a chamber lower than the level of a lake, hold back the water temporarily while the disc was inserted over an outlet and when it is secured in place, remove the dam from the lake allowing the water to press against the disc. It would stay in place until such time as the disc was removed and then force the water through the opening under enormous pressure, flooding the tunnels in minutes.’

  ‘And killing any robbers in the process,’ said Brandon, ‘we are lucky to be here.’

  ‘Anyway,’ said Tarik, ‘we digress. We need to make plans about what we are going to do so what I suggest is this. Tonight I will take readings at the base of the pyramid and record the location of the belt of Osiris and the North Star relative to its position. When I have those I will back-calculate the positions to the time of Khufu and it will give us a start point. Once there, we can take a magnetic bearing
along the first marker and place it on a map to see if it crosses any known glyphs.’

  ‘Sounds good to me,’ said India.

  ‘Good, to do that I will need the disc. Are you happy that I take it with me?’

  ‘No need,’ said Brandon, ‘I’ll come with you. Shall we say midnight?’

  ‘Midnight is good,’ said Tarik. ‘In the meantime I have arranged a safe house in a village on the outskirts of Cairo. It’s a small place but the owner belongs to our order and can be trusted. Our driver will take you there now.’ He stood up and held out his hand. ‘It’s been good doing business with you, Mr Walker.’

  ‘Please,’ came the reply, ‘call me Brandon.’

  ‘Thank you,’ said Tarik. ‘Now, we should really be going.’

  ----

  Chapter Nineteen

  Egypt

  2600 BC

  Mensah and Manu stood at the entrance to the pyramid compound. They had received instruction to meet Omari and to come alone. Since the previous day they had been stood down from duties and others had stepped up to supervise the dismantling of the ramp. In the distance they could hear the festivities of the people celebrating the life of the king and both men were angry they had not been allowed to participate.

  ‘I hear the whores are charging half price tonight,’ moaned Manu, ‘what business is so important that needs us to meet the priest in the dead of night. Khufu is dead, we should be allowed to celebrate.’

  ‘Who knows?’ said Mensah, ‘all I hope is that we are done before dawn so we can join our comrades before the beer has all gone.’

  ‘We will soon find out,’ said Manu standing up straight, ‘here he comes.’

  The white robed priest approached out of the gloom and stopped before them.

  ‘Master Omari,’ said Manu, ‘we are here as requested. How can we help you?’

  ‘It is I who can help you,’ said Omari. ‘I am here to tell you that your lives are to be taken before next the sun sets.’

  ‘What?’ gasped Mensah, ‘are you sure?’

  ‘I am certain,’ said Omari, ‘for I was there when the decree was made. You as well as anyone else who has seen the inside of the pyramid are to be killed before the festivities are over. Already the soldiers who bore the king’s coffin into the tomb lie dead in the barracks and many others have disappeared. Gangs of well-paid assassins go from street to street, seeking those on the list of workers who set foot inside the structure.’

  ‘But we never went in as far as the tombs, we were stationed at the entrance only.’

  ‘I know, but nevertheless you are on the list. The king decreed that anyone who saw the final layout should have their lives ended in case they shared their knowledge with those who seek to rob such places.’

  ‘If that is the case,’ said Mensah, ‘then the death toll will be as great as any war. Many thousands have helped in building the pyramid, are they also to be put to death?’

  ‘The workers gangs were rotated as each level was built,’ said Omari, ‘and no man amongst the masons know the final layout.’

  ‘What about the Kushnis?’ asked Manu, ‘they number in the hundreds and all worked in the final tomb? I know this to be correct for we were instructed to let them pass on a daily basis.’

  ‘They share a different fate,’ said Omari, ‘but the point is, as we speak there is an assassin’s blade waiting to carve your flesh and there is nothing you can do to stop it.’

  ‘Any assassin will have to get past my spear first,’ he snarled, ‘and my life will be sold dearly.’

  ‘Perhaps so, ‘said Omari, ‘but eventually you will be killed. Their numbers are many and they have been well paid. Honour dictates they will carry out their task until the last victim’s bones dry in the desert sun.’

  ‘So why are you here, Omari?’ asked Mensah, ‘why tell us of our fate?’

  ‘Because I have a proposition for you,’ said Omari, ‘one that will save your lives.’

  ‘Then share your offer, priest,’ said Manu, ‘for it seems our options are limited.’

  ‘The offer is simple,’ said the priest,’ I can arrange to save your lives but it will mean you leaving Khemet immediately, forever to live your lives in a different land and never to return. Once there, there are three tasks I would have you undertake. If you vow before Osiris that you will honour the commitment then it is within my power to grant your life. If you cannot, then you are free to leave and take your chances amongst the city streets.’

  Manu glanced at Mensah.

  ‘There is no choice,’ he said, ‘our hands are tied in this matter and we must accept your offer.’

  Omari turned to Mensah.

  ‘And you?’

  ‘I too accept,’ said Mensah, ‘but would request time to bid farewell to my family.’

  ‘That I cannot grant,’ said Omari. ‘‘If the offer is accepted then we must go immediately and none must know of your leaving.’

  Again the two soldiers looked at each other until finally Mensah turned to face the priest.

  ‘Then I accept,’ he said, ‘tell us of the task, Omari and send us on our way before fear of the unknown steals the strength from within us.’

  ----

  ‘As you know,’ said Omari, ‘Khufu has been interred in the pyramid. The structure has been constructed in such a way that nobody should ever gain entrance again but though it will be protected with great walls and the armies of kings yet unborn, there is no telling what the future holds and there may come a time when robbers gain access.’

  ‘Impossible,’ said Mensah, ‘the building is too great.’

  ‘Perhaps so, but many previous kings thought the same of their own resting places and their tombs have since been torn apart by the jackals that are the robbers. To prevent this desecration we have built in many passages and obstacles. Solid walls of granite have descended into place to block any access and chambers of poisonous gas await the unwary. However, even with these barriers we could not reassure the king that his body would be secure so he has made arrangements to lie elsewhere in a place no robbers could ever access.’

  ‘Where is this place?’ asked Manu.

  ‘That, I cannot share with you,’ said Omari, ‘for I do not know the details but I will say this, it lies very far from here where no king has ever lain before.’

  ‘So is that where we will be going?’

  ‘It is and you will travel as bodyguard to the king’s personal attendant. The man in question is called Haji and he has sworn to accompany the body on the journey.’

  ‘We know of Haji,’ said Manu, ‘but if the destination is as far as you say, how is it known to him?’

  ‘For many years he travelled all the known lands, first as a soldier and then in search of enlightenment. In his travels he sailed with the people of Keftiu in search of copper and he heard from them of a place so holy it was fit for a god. It is there they will now travel in a fleet supplied by the king of Keftiu.’

  ‘So will it be only us accompanying the priest and the body of the king?’

  ‘No, for when you reach the destination there will be a need to construct a tomb. To that end the Kushnis will travel with you. Almost a thousand souls with the skills to build a magnificent resting place.’

  ‘So what of you, Omari?’ asked Mensah, ‘if all people with knowledge of the pyramid are to be put to death, surely your own life is at risk. Will you accompany us on this voyage?’

  ‘I will not,’ said Omari, ‘for there are still tasks that must be done to ensure the king’s Ba can find his remains. Once that is done, I will finish my own tomb in my home village and then sacrifice myself to the gods. With my death, dies the last knowledge of the destination of Khufu and no man will ever stumble upon it.’

  ‘The Kushnis will know,’ said Mensah, ‘as will we.’

  ‘But you will never return here,’ said Omari, ‘for there are three tasks you must undertake. First above all, you will ensure that upon your arrival all the Keftiu mariners
are killed. Nobody must be left alive who know both the route and the cargo. Secondly, once they are dead, burn the ships and disperse the ash, there is to be no record of your arrival. Use the Kushni men to aid you if necessary, they are loyal to Khufu and will die in his name if required.’

  ‘And the last charge?’

  ‘The final task must be carried out only after the king has been laid to rest in his tomb. It is one of great importance and will enable my Ba to soar amongst the highest eagles with a heart as light as Ma’at’s feather.’ He paused and looked at the two men before continuing. ‘Soldiers of Egypt,’ he said, ‘in return for your lives, your heavenly task is thus. When the journey is done and Khnum Khufu lays at eternal rest, you are to kill the false prophet known as Haji.’

  ----

  Down in the subterranean canal, Haji stood in the bow of the rowing boat and lifted the wooden bars locking the double doors blocking their way. The doors swung open and Chuma propelled the boat out of the flooded tunnel and into the Nile.

  Haji looked up and saw a work party of Kushni waiting to lever hundreds of prepared boulders down the bank to cover the tunnel entrance and he knew that by dawn there would be no trace of the passage. Steadily the two men rowed downstream until eventually they saw six large ships waiting in the pre-dawn darkness. They pulled up against the foremost ship and the watchman called down to them.

  ‘Who are you strangers?’ he asked, ‘and what is your business?’

  ‘We come to fulfil the arrangement between Khufu and the king of Keftiu,’ answered Haji, ‘instruct our people we are here.’

  ‘And what cargo do you carry?’ asked the guard.

  ‘That is no business of yours,’ said Haji, ‘just summon the Kushni.’

  The guard disappeared and moments later a gang of men appeared to lower a platform over the side. Within ten minutes the body of Khufu was solemnly placed in a wooden coffin in a carefully prepared hold. All around were the trappings expected in the tomb of a king alongside his Coptic jars. Haji looked around at the richly decorated wooden panels, each depicting scenes from the king’s life. They would be transferred to the final tomb when it was built and he knew that the other ships also contained the countless treasures collected for the king’s afterlife. Finally he climbed the ladder and walked to the prow of the ship.