The Tomb Builders

by Kevin Ashman

  ‘Fascinating,’ said India, but if that is the case, why is it holding the representation of a pyramid, in its mouth?’

  ‘Perhaps because the final pyramid is in a place that is protected by Apep?’ said Brandon. Think about it, if this god was so reviled, perhaps its presence would deter any potential robbers, a perfect defence.’

  ‘Makes sense, I suppose,’ said India.

  ‘I would agree,’ said Tarik, ‘though this carving is so intricate, it would seem it must have been placed there when the pyramid was built rather than as an afterthought.’

  ‘That’s impossible,’ said Brandon, ‘for it to be attached at the construction stage, it would have to be over ten thousand years old.’

  ‘You are correct,’ said Tarik, ‘but why is that a problem? Many scientists now believe that the Egyptian pyramids are far, far older than what we once believed. Remember what we discussed a few weeks ago, there is proof that civilisations existed even before the last ice age. This pyramid could have been built back then.’

  ‘But if that’s the case,’ said Brandon, ‘then it can’t be the glyph we are looking for.’

  ‘Why not?’ asked India.

  ‘Because by the time Khufu died perhaps eight thousand years later, this pyramid would already be under water. How could the glyph point the way to his tomb if it was already there before he was born?’

  India glanced at Tarik and shrugged her shoulders.

  ‘It’s a very good point,’ she said, ‘that would mean Khufu came along eons after this glyph was put in place.’

  ‘Agreed,’ said Tarik, ‘but there is a simple explanation. Imagine if the people who built the water pyramid already knew of a holy place, a location so spiritual that they built this monument as a tribute. If that was the case, something as important as that would remain in the psyche of the Egyptian’s ancestors and be handed down through the generations. It could be that Khufu already knew the location of his last resting place and just followed a known route.’

  ‘You mean we have been looking at this all wrong,’ said India, ‘Khufu didn’t leave the clues for his Ba, he followed the existing ones left by his ancestors.’

  ‘Exactly,’ said Tarik.

  ‘Fascinating,’ said India, ‘but why a statue of Apep?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ said Tarik, ‘but if we find out the direction we need to take, perhaps it would shed some light.’ He turned to Brandon. ‘Tell me,’ he said, ‘did you take a bearing which way the head was pointing?’

  ‘I didn’t,’ said Brandon. ‘If you recall I was busy removing sand when you pulled me away.’

  ‘Hmm,’ said Tarik. ‘What about direction, do you have any idea which way it was pointing? It must have been one of three, north, east or south.’

  ‘Why not west?’ asked India.

  ‘Because that heads out to sea and there are no other islands there.’

  ‘What I do remember,’ said Brandon, ‘was that it lay directly above one of the corners and as I swam toward it, the lifeline to the boat was to my left.’

  Tarik sketched some marks on the paper and looked up at Brandon.

  ‘You must be mistaken,’ he said, ‘that would make it westward and there is nothing out there.’

  ‘Could there be another submerged pyramid?’ asked India.

  ‘Possibly but the further out you go, the deeper the Atlantic becomes. After a mile or so it would have been impossible to build as the area was permanently under water.’

  ‘Then perhaps it’s just a few hundred yards away,’ said Brandon, ‘does that glyph say anything about distance?’

  ‘I’m afraid not,’ said Tarik, staring at the diagram. ‘All we have is the curved body of the snake starting at an image of a moon and ending up pointing out to sea. There’s nothing else there.’ When he received no response, he looked up at Brandon to see him staring at India. Tarik followed his gaze and saw India smiling broadly, her eyes wide with excitement.

  ‘You know something, don’t you?’ said Brandon.

  India nodded enthusiastically.

  ‘I do,’ she said, ‘and it is right there before us.’

  ‘Where?’ asked Brandon looking down at the drawing, ‘am I missing something?’

  ‘The moon,’ said India, ‘it’s not just an image for no reason but an indication of time. One moon equals approximately one month.’

  ‘So you think the destination is a month away?’ asked Brandon.

  ‘No,’ she said, ‘I think it is six months away, don’t you see? If the moon followed the six coils of the snake, it would take six complete circuits to reach the destination, the pyramid in the snake’s mouth.’

  ‘I think she’s got something,’ said Tarik, ‘but where on earth could they have gone that took six months to get there? They didn’t have horses but even at walking speed, they could travel a hell of a distance in that time.’

  ‘Who said they were walking?’ said India, ‘I think Brandon was right and they headed westward across the Atlantic to a land that had no grave robbers. They probably knew it as the two fields of Osiris but to us it’s better known as America.’

  ----

  ‘If I thought you were mad before, now I’m certain,’ said Brandon. ‘You expect me to believe that the Egyptians crossed the Atlantic and buried Khufu halfway around the world?’

  ‘It’s not as preposterous as it sounds,’ said Tarik, ‘we’ve already established there were links between the continents thousands of years ago, what’s to stop them trying?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ said Brandon, ‘it’s just too much of a stretch of the imagination.’

  ‘Brandon,’ said Tarik, ‘what if I was to tell you that many Egyptian mummies have been tested and found to have traces of cocaine in their hair samples or the fact that Ramesses’ mummy was found with tobacco leaves in his stomach.’

  ‘So what?’ asked Brandon.

  ‘Both plants are indigenous to the Americas,’ said Tarik, ‘and in theory, the Egyptians had no source of either plant until after they were brought back by Columbus. If there was no intercontinental trade, where did they come from?’

  ‘And there’s more,’ said India. ‘We know that the indigenous tribes of the Mississippi delta mined for copper but despite there being evidence of hundreds of thousands of tonnes being removed, there is no record of it being distributed through the Americas. There is however, huge evidence in Egypt and North Africa of a huge increase in copper imports at the same time, enough to equip whole armies with spear points, shields and swords. Not only that, entire temples were lined with copper sheets and Egypt’s wealth increased enormously, even funding the construction of the pyramids and other tombs for hundreds of years.’

  ‘That doesn’t mean it was the same copper,’ said Brandon.

  ‘Not in itself,’ said India, ‘but scientists have studied the composition and the copper used in Egypt at the time was pure rather than smelted ore and the only place where that quality could be obtained at the time was America.’

  ‘This is crazy,’ said Brandon, ‘you are telling me all this stuff, yet it’s all supposition and hearsay. If all this was true why haven’t we heard about it before now?’

  ‘You know why,’ said Tarik, ‘because the authorities cover it up.’

  ‘So you say,’ said Brandon, ‘but I’m still unconvinced.’

  ‘Bear with us, Brandon,’ said Tarik, ‘and hopefully, everything will become clearer as we go.’ He turned to India.

  ‘We need an atlas,’ he said.’

  ‘Leave it to me,’ she replied and walked out into the reception. Within moments she returned.

  ‘Any luck?’ asked Tarik.

  ‘They don’t have any loose maps,’ said India, ‘but what they do have is an enormous map of the world hanging in the other lounge above the fire place. Come on, let’s take a look.’

  ----

  ‘Right,’ said Tarik a few minutes, ‘there’s the Azores so if we follow the bearing eastward, it crosses t
he American coast about here.’ He pointed at the map. ‘If we use this gridline as a guide,’ he continued, ‘we won’t be far off. All we need to do is calculate the travel time.’

  ‘I reckon a small Egyptian ship would take approximately two months to cross,’ said India, ‘assuming, of course there were no problems.’

  ‘Agreed,’ said Tarik, ‘which leaves us with about four months on foot. The terrain would probably be hard going and don’t forget they would have to hunt and they would be carrying all the paraphernalia for the king’s tomb. Allowing for weather and any other problems shall we say, twenty miles a day on average?’

  ‘Okay,’ replied India, ‘that gives us a distance of about two and a half thousand miles. Where would that bring them out?’

  ‘There’s a scale on the bottom of the map,’ said Brandon. He picked up a piece of writing paper from a nearby table and folded it until it equalled a distance of five hundred miles on the map. ‘Now all we have to do,’ he said holding the paper against the map, is measure five times this paper to see where they may have reached.’ He rotated the paper five times along a straight line until it came to a point about half way across the continent.

  ‘Where’s that?’ asked India looking up at the brown mark on the map.

  ‘I think it’s the Grand Canyon,’ said Brandon, ‘but what that’s got to with snakes?’

  ‘I have no idea,’ replied India.

  ‘Oh I do,’ said Tarik with a smile, ‘for the Grand Canyon is home to one of the greatest snakes of them all, the Colorado river.’

  ----

  Chapter Twenty Four

  The Lands of the Sinagua

  2600 BC

  Mensah stood atop of the stone ridge, looking down into the massive cleft. Back in Khemet he had seen may great things but he had never seen anything like the great rift which opened up before him. Up above, eagles soared through the air while down in the canyon, the silver glint of a great river reflected the sun in the sky.

  Mensah and Manu had been appointed the lead scouts before the main column of Kushnis carrying the king’s body. Since leaving the ships the going had been hard but in Mensah’s opinion it was still much better than the nightmare that had been the sea crossing. They had lost five ships in the storm, three of which had been carrying the spare supplies but luckily the one carrying the king’s body had survived and eventually they landed on the shore of this strange land, hungry, thirsty and exhausted.

  For the first few days they had recovered from the voyage but as their strength returned, Haji had pressed everyone into action and they prepared for a long trek overland. On the last night before setting out, the Kushnis crept into the camp of the sleeping Keftiu mariners and slit their throats before setting the ships alight.

  That had been four months earlier and after a seemingly never ending trek, they had at last reached a point that matched Haji’s description.

  ‘When the world opens at your feet,’ Haji had repeated on many occasions, ‘then you will know we are near.’

  Mensah looked down into the gorge in awe.

  ‘This must be it, Manu,’ he said. ‘Surely there is no better place fit for a king.’

  Manu just stared in astonishment. As far as the eye could see there were enormous mountains and crags rearing up from the canyon, flanked by buttresses and sheer drops plunging to unseen depths.

  ‘Truly it is a place of the gods,’ he replied.

  As they stared, Haji came up to stand beside them.

  ‘It is good,’ he said, ‘the gods have led the way and we are in sight of Khufu’s tomb.’

  ‘Where do we go now?’ asked Mensah, ‘our path is blocked.’

  ‘Now,’ said Haji, ‘we go down.’

  ----

  Across the gorge, a lone man crouched behind a rock and watched the strange column as they sought a path down to the river. Once there, the watcher turned from his hiding place and ran down a hidden track. Within the hour he entered the cave complex where his people made their homes and approached the chief of his tribe who was sitting by the fire.

  ‘Hopachi,’ he said, when he had been acknowledged, ‘I bring troubled news and advise the sharpening of Sinagua spears.’

  ‘Pishawni,’ said the chief, ‘hunter of the great eagle, ‘your words are always welcome but our young men do not seek to make war without counsel. What news is so grave that it merits such action?’

  ‘Hopachi, I have roamed many days toward the rising sun in search of game for my spears. Each night I sang to the eastern wind to bring meat to my fires but on the rising of the last sun they sent not game but people into our lands.’

  ‘Are they known to us?’ asked the chief.

  ‘I do not recognise their markings nor the manner of their garments. I have followed them for many days and at night, crept close to their fires to hear their words. Their voices were strange to me and their customs are different from the ways of our people.’

  ‘In what way?’

  ‘They don’t dance to the wind spirits or carry the totems of any of the people of the plains. They pray to the sun and the stars and to shiny idols they set upon the rocks each night. They are surely not of these lands.’

  The Chief stared into the flames before looking up at the messenger.

  ‘I will take the dream smoke,’ he said, ‘for if what you say has come to pass, then they are surely the Anasazi, the ancient ones as told in the prophesies of our grandfathers. Send out our people to seek the Anasazi, not with blade or stone but with eyes and ears. Learn everything we can about them and watch to see if the river gods give them favour. When the time comes, I will make my decision.’

  ‘You are wise as always, Hopachi,’ said Pishawni, ‘and it will be as you say.’

  ----

  For three weeks Haji led the column downstream and the going was slow. The river was a harsh master and many times they had to wait until the waters lowered enough for them to navigate the ravine. On occasion they had to climb back out to get past a particularly bad set of rapids but always they re-entered the ravine, keen to stay close to the water. Finally they reached the top of a waterfall and the remnants of the travelling party took the opportunity to rest as Haji went forward to join Mensah and Manu.

  The journey had been difficult since leaving Khemet and only half of the original travellers still lived, the others having either been lost at sea or had perished during the harsh journey overland, victims of hunger, disease and exhaustion. Despite this, Haji’s determination now paid off as he reached the head of the waterfall and gazed out at the magnificent scene before him. Slowly he lowered himself to his knees and opened up his arms wide, in supplication to the fiery sun above him.

  ‘Magnificent Ra,’ he said, ‘shine down upon this place, bless it with your warmth, where there is darkness, let there be light. Osiris, king of kings, we give thanks for bringing us unto this place, we supplicate ourselves before you. Anubis, lord of night, we have heeded your call and brought your brother god unto your domain, prepare now a feast in his name for soon he will dine alongside you in the two fields.’

  Mensah and Manu heard the prayers of the priest but the words were meaningless as they were both dumbstruck at the scene before them. The canyon opened up into a series of huge ravines and cliffs, each carving through the rocky landscape like a labyrinth yet amongst them all, in the distance and dominating the skyline was the biggest pyramid they had ever seen.

  ----

  Hours later the Kushni worked their way down the rock face to the deeper parts of the canyon, carrying the king’s casket between them. Mensah and Manu had already reached the floor of the ravine as had Sagira and Adio. Together they sat on some rocks near the river and ate the dried fruit and roots they had gathered in the previous days.

  ‘Mensah,’ said Adio, gazing toward the distant red pyramid, ‘the king’s tomb is roughly finished and bears no resemblance to the smooth white stones of home.’

  ‘I have asked this of Haji,’ said Mensah
. ‘He told me it’s because it has been made by gods, not men. The first god, Atum himself gouged out the ravines with his bare hands to gather the clay and build the pyramid and it has waited here since Shu and Tefnut. No one was deemed worthy until Khnum Khufu entered the halls of Ma’at. Now we have brought his earthly remains here and the Kushnis will dig into the sides of the pyramid to prepare a tomb the like of which has never been seen before or will be seen again. These canyons, gouged by the hands of Atum, will keep away the robbers that plague the holy and Khufu will rest eternally in the heavens of Nut, goddess of the sky.’

  ‘It is truly a majestic place,’ said Sagira, looking to the mountain in the distance, ‘and a place fit for a king.’

  ‘Look well, Sagira,’ said Mensah, ‘for one day, our bones will also lie beneath its godly walls and our Ba’s will sail across the skies as does the eagle.’

  ‘Are we to remain here then, Mensah?’

  ‘It is our lot,’ said the soldier, ‘and one you would do well to embrace for there is no going back to Khemet.’

  Sagira glanced at Adio but he hadn’t heard a word, he was far too engrossed in his meal.

  ----

  Chapter Twenty Five

  Nevada

  2014

  Brandon concentrated on steering the hired Winnebago along the empty roads as they headed east across the open countryside. India gazed out of the window at the passing desert scenery while Tarik sat behind, studying a folded map.

  After the close shave in the Azores they had flown to Madrid and then immediately on to London. After a night in a hotel where they spent hours undertaking research about the canyon, they took a plane to New York and then another to Las Vegas. Finally they had hired the camper van and headed toward Grand Canyon Village.

  ‘So,’ said Brandon eventually, glancing over to India, ‘are you excited?’

  ‘I’m not sure,’ she said, ‘to be honest it all seems a bit surreal. A few weeks ago I was scrabbling around in the dirt, hoping to find the odd artefact and here I am, less than a month later about to go trekking in the Grand Canyon to find the unlikely location of an ancient Egyptian’s tomb. Really, you couldn’t make it up.’