“Because then my plan was leaked. So, this time I was not telling anybody.”
Emmy was in no mood to be kept quiet. “Well, mister know-it-all, mister super-planner, why haven’t you found out who leaked the plan and dealt with them?”
“I am not a ‘know-it-all’, and I take great exception to being called that, but I am a ‘super-planner’, as you put it. I can now tell you all something you really do need to know. Because I have told nobody, this time my plan is working. I can also tell you who leaked the plans which lead to the death of your parents, Emmy, as well as yours, Alex, and who is continuing to leak our plans. That person is in this room right now!”
Chapter 31
-
Revelation
“Oh, do quiet down,” said Gadeem as he continued to stand, leaning forward with his palms on the table. “This is going to be a long enough speech without interruptions, and we do not have the luxury of unlimited time to talk. I have done what I have done for the greater good, because we desperately need to finish what we have been trying to finish for over three thousand years. The warlock must be removed from the afterlife.”
Even Emmy nodded. She had only ‘seen’ very recently, so all she knew of Gadeem was that he was the one responsible for destroying Henuttawy’s life. However, it was Henuttawy who had asked her to listen to him, because he was her friend. Emmy was confused, though for now she would listen.
“I am going to take you back to the day I ran into Alexander’s gold chamber and argued with Ramses. You, my friend, knew I was acting.”
“Yes, I did,” said Ramses as he placed his glass of red wine down on the table a little too heavily. “You asked me to trust you, but not for one moment did I think you would let the warlock go free. That is quite a different matter.”
“I shall get to that in due course. Sit back, listen and enjoy your red wine.”
Ramses licked the wine from his hand before picking his glass up.
“The warlock has always believed that I was the one who was behind sending Henuttawy away, and as you know I was. I needed to throw him off guard. Put doubt into his mind. Of course, I knew Rose had not been kidnapped. If she had, I would not have been running to tell anyone, I would have been out looking for her. If my plan was going to work I had to lead the warlock to our three young adventurers. As with everything in life, it was a risk, but I knew Kate, Alex and Cairo were protected by you, Ramses, as well as Alexander and Aryamani. I put a spell on myself which stopped anybody from being able to attack me. This is never a long-lasting spell, but it gave me the freedom to be able to sink my head into my arms and pretend to sob. I had to be able to see under the table to ensure that Aryamani’s button came off and ended up on the ground right beside you, Alex. Sometime later, on the roof of the villa, I thought you had worked it out. I could see it in your face that you had doubts about me.”
“I did not want to mistrust you,” said Alex. “I don’t think I ever really did. That is why I never told Kate or Cairo of my suspicions. At one point I was going to tell them after we left the roof of your villa, but in the end I kept it to myself. When I found out that both you and Ramses were behind sending Henuttawy away, the whole gold room thing made no sense at all.”
Kate was annoyed with herself because she had so totally missed this. Cairo was still trying to work out what had happened in the gold room that did not make sense.
Dr Margretti leaned forward as he spoke. “Now you can all see why I would like this young man here to join me? He is truly exceptional.” Alex was on a high until the Doctor continued. “My only hope is that he makes it through this ordeal with enough working limbs. Otherwise … what an absolute waste!”
“I could not believe my bad luck,” said Gadeem. “Just as I cast the spell on the button, which not only allowed the warlock to see where you were, Alex, but also had homing properties, Aryamani turned away from you so he could kick Alexander. I imagine it may have helped in one way, as by seeing the kick, it would make you believe it was that which caused the button to become detached. I was worried because of the unnatural route I had to make the button take for it to end up beside you. I thought this may have made you hesitant to pick it up. I was extremely glad and most relieved when you did, because the homing spell attaches itself to the first person who touches the item, in this case the button.”
“So, you are responsible for us being attacked,” said an angry Kate.
“I suppose, in a way, I am, though you would have been attacked anyway. I wanted a way of controlling the attacks as well as keeping the warlock occupied whilst I put other plans in place.” Everybody was now listening in total disbelief at what they were hearing. “It was difficult, therefore I must admit to being very proud of how I added both a delay and a shift spell to what the warlock could see.”
“What does that mean, as he very nearly killed us?”
“Yes, Kate, but very nearly is quite different to actually killing you. He thought he could see exactly what you were up to, even if Alex did not take the button from his pocket. Only he could not. He saw where you were a few seconds later than real events and a slightly shifted reality. Whatever he threw at you was bound to miss.”
“The flying table up by the tomb of Ay would not have missed me if I had stayed sitting where I was.”
“No, Alex, it would not have. I must admit that I did not see that coming, and for a while there, it threw my plan into disarray.”
“Am I missing something here,” asked Ramses, “because I really cannot see the advantage of showing the warlock all we have been doing and then letting him go free? If Alexander was here he would have lopped off your head by now. I am somewhat tempted to do the same.” Ra-Horakhty stood as he raised his sword. “Oh, do sit down, I said tempted.”
“I am glad you are only tempted. Everything I have done has been to boost the confidence of the warlock whilst we were taking control of the situation. I had to make him eager, make him feel that there was someone on his side. Make him act hastily and therefore make bad decisions, and I am pleased to be able to tell you all … my plan has worked.”
A general look of confusion went around the room.
“Are you trying to tell us that setting him free is a success?”
“Yes, Ramses, that is exactly what I am telling you. From his prison, he saw our young adventurers enter Amarna, the home of Nefertiti, his friend in all things evil. I picked my time carefully and let you, David, know the warlock had escaped before I removed the spell which did let him escape. I am just sorry that I could not tell you about the button, but I was sure you would work it out for yourself, and indeed you did.
“I had to get the warlock to a point where his eagerness to get to Amarna overtook his caution. I let him out in a way that he thought he had escaped. Once out, I made sure he could not get back in. He left all of his written spells and ingredients behind, and what is more, he cannot get back in to retrieve them.”
“A brilliant plan, I knew it all the time. Let’s drink to Gadeem.”
“Hold on, Ramses,” said Bast, who had until now been silent. “This means Gadeem has let a killer out and we still do not know who the traitor is. I would trust Gadeem with my life, but I would also like just a little more clarification before we go into rapture over his plan.”
“Of course, you do, Bast, and thank you for your vote of confidence by the way. Yes, the warlock is free, though with much less power than any of us could have expected. I dare say by now he has helped himself to some sand of the Sun, which is very powerful, though I doubt that this will be of any use to him as all his spells are safely locked away in his tomb. Any spell he wishes to put the ingredients together for, he must do from memory. This gives us a definite advantage. I think you will all agree with me that this is even better than we could have hoped for.”
Ramses gave a cheer, but Gadeem did not receive the wholehearted support he had expected. The room was full of friends, though every one of them had suffered in one w
ay or another at the hands of the warlock. It was Kate who asked what everyone else was thinking.
“So, who is the traitor?”
“This is the part I was not looking forward to because we are all friends. I do need to let you all know that Three, yes, your father Cairo–”
“He no traitor, he good man!” said Cairo as he stood and swung his fists wildly.
“Oh, my love,” said Rose, “you do have an awful way with words at times.”
“For the sake of the ancient gods, somebody restrain him,” called out Gadeem. “I was not for one moment criticising your father, Cairo. He has been invaluable in feeding the warlock false information. Three recently undertook a very dangerous task for me, especially as we could not let anyone else know what he was doing. He is a very brave man and has played a vital part in getting this plan to the stage it is at.” Cairo felt much happier. “He, along with Ropet and Sanuba, also assisted in the confirmation of the traitor.”
Everybody looked at everybody else. Nobody could believe that there was a traitor in the room.
“I have had my suspicions for a while,” said Gadeem, “but it was as I listened to Alex on the roof of my villa that I realised just how easy it was to extract information which was supposed to remain secret.”
“Aha,” said Ramses as he motioned for Ra-Horakhty to come over. “Take Nakhtifi away and torture him until you get a confession.”
“Will you not be serious for one moment?”
“Sorry, Rose, I thought I was being serious.”
“What!” exclaimed Nakhtifi. “I am no traitor. Never! I had the most to lose until recently because my name was not known. I would never betray any of you to the warlock. You all know that.”
“Not intentionally, I agree.”
Rose cut across Gadeem. “You know that I love you, but this is turning into a very bad Agatha Christie whodunit. Now is the time to get to the point.”
“Well, Nakhtifi, you are the source of the leak, but nobody could call you a traitor. You are an honest person, but you are also a very easily manipulated person. When you spoke to Alex on the roof of my villa, both Ramses and I heard you tell him everything we had told you not to tell him.”
“But I didn’t.”
“Yes, you did,” said Gadeem, as Ramses nodded to such an extent he must have felt giddy afterwards, “you told him everything. Not because you wanted to, but because Alex was very clever. You were not even aware you were doing it. That got me thinking, and for the first time I saw you as the weak link. I wondered who else could get information out of you so easily. I sat deep in thought, then everything fell into place. It had to be someone you trusted, someone who was above suspicion, who knew everything you did … who wrote down everything you said.”
All eyes turn towards Thoth N. Thoth R squawked and took a step away from him.
“My pharaoh, you cannot believe these lies. You created me because of your need for me. I am the recorder of your life. I only live to serve you.” Thoth N would have said more, but he could see in the faces looking at him that he had been judged and found to be guilty. He hung his head as he let his papyrus and quill slip to the floor.
“Why did you do it, Thoth?” asked Nakhtifi. “Why did you betray us all?”
Thoth N was reluctant to speak, so Gadeem answered for him. “Sanuba and Ropet volunteered to be my eyes and ears once I realised Thoth N was working for the warlock. It was not the reason why I did it, but by letting the warlock see directly where Kate, Alex and Cairo were and what they were up to, I had unwittingly made his informant expendable. Thoth N had no option except to try much harder to obtain information he could give to the warlock. He took more and more risks to make himself useful to the warlock. Sanuba and Ropet followed you to the warlock’s tomb time and time again,” said Gadeem as he pointed an accusing finger at Thoth N. “What on earth made you work against your pharaoh?”
Thoth N found his tongue. “I wanted to live forever, and I believed the warlock would win. If Nakhtifi was taken from the afterlife, then so would I. I did not want to die. I am afraid of dying.”
“But my name is now out there,” said Nakhtifi, “so why did you continue to help the warlock when you were finally secure in the afterlife?”
“He threatened to tell you that I was the …” Thoth N could not bring himself to us the word ‘traitor’, even though that was exactly what he was.
Alex and Emmy both looked at Thoth with hatred in their eyes. Though neither knew the full facts, they knew it was because of him that their parents were dead. It was most probably because of him that the warlock was still able to make the lives of so many miserable.
“Sobek,” said Ramses in a firm voice, “enjoy your meal.”
“No, Sobek, you stay where you are. This Thoth is responsible for the death of my parents as well as those of Emmy. So, I think that our wishes should be taken into consideration.” Nobody disagreed with Alex. “I would like to discuss this with Emmy, but for now I do need your assurance that you will take him back to Luxor unharmed. Please, Sobek, would you do this for me?”
“Of course,” said Sobek. “There is not enough meat on them to make a decent meal, and they do give me such terrible indigestion.”
“Thank you.”
“What are you going to do with the bird?” asked Ramses who had already demoted Thoth from being an ancient god.
“After I have discussed it with Emmy and once we are back in Luxor, I will let you know.”
“Who said we were going to Luxor?”
“Well, Ramses, as I see it, the warlock is free, though with reduced powers. We only need the final ingredient for Gadeem’s spell, though that may prove to be rather difficult to obtain. So, if I was Gadeem, I would be advising you to go back to Luxor and proclaim Henuttawy as your daughter. I would get you to pronounce that the warlock has broken free and is a wanted criminal. That his spell on her has been broken–”
“But from what Ramses and Gadeem have said, there was no spell on her,” said Nakhtifi, cutting across Alex.
“No, there never was a spell on her, but the people do not know that. I would get Ramses to tell the people that the warlock’s spell on Henuttawy has been broken and he forgives her and welcomes her home. I would arrange for massive celebrations. This would bring all the ancients behind Ramses. Who could resist a loving father doing the right thing?”
“Yes,” said Gadeem, “that is exactly what I was going to suggest, though I doubt that anything would make Ay or Merenptah support Ramses.”
“Perhaps not, but it may soften the attitudes of some of their soldiers, as I bet there are more than a good few ancient wives and mothers who will shed a tear at such a wonderful reunion.”
“Oh, my goodness,” said Dr Margretti, “he is stunningly good.”
“I think we get the idea by now,” said Joe, “but I agree … he really is good!”
Chapter 32
-
Righting a Wrong
“How can Ramses call a celebration of Henuttawy’s return to the family at eleven in the morning?” asked Kate, as she, Alex and Cairo sat in their favourite seats in the Winter Palace bar.
“I know what you mean, because I cannot see how it will work at all. What is Ramses thinking of, because Karnak will be full of tourists at that time?” said Alex, though his thoughts were still on yesterday, and in particular his reunion with Quentin and Babs. It had been great to see them, but it had also been an evening of confusion and mixed emotions. It had not helped that either Dr Margretti or Joe, who had brought the three young adventurers back to Luxor in the ARM, had interrupted every time the conversation had moved anywhere close to a subject they were not happy with.
Alex had learned quite a lot, despite the interruptions. He already knew that his father had never ‘seen’, though he was aware of ancients. What he did not know until last night, was that it had been Dr Margretti who had asked Quentin and Babs to adopt him because he was a special child. He was also made aw
are, by Joe’s constant interruptions, that his father had no idea that Dr Margretti was in fact an ancient. Quentin definitely knew the Doctor communicated with ancients, but, Alex supposed, because the Doctor walked on modern ground, his father had never suspected him of being an ancient. It was also very clear to him that Babs had put up barriers in her mind. If he was to make an educated guess, he would say that his mother denied there were ancients and mentally switched off whenever anybody started talking of such things.
“Why wouldn’t David come to Luxor?” asked Kate between sips from her glass of tamar-hindi which she held with both hands. “I have a father, we found each other, yet he would not come back to Luxor with me. I really didn’t want to leave him.”
Alex and Cairo knew this. They both had the bruises to prove it. David had told Kate in no uncertain terms he loved her, but he had also told her in equally assertive language that he would not, he could not set foot in Luxor ever again. Nobody had seen David leave, though everybody had seen Kate lose it when she realised he had. Alex and Cairo were far too close, and though Kate had apologised through tears in the ARM, on the way back to Luxor, this neither made the pain nor the bruises go away.
“There seems to be far too much of this not setting foot in places,” said Alex. “Dr Margretti and Joe refuse to ever go back to Amarna. Your father, Kate, will not come to Luxor. What is it with not this and not that?”
“Don’t forget Bast,” said Cairo.
“Yes, Cairo is right. Bast will not go into the Theban Hills because of Meretseger.”
“Warlock,” replied Kate. “It all comes back to the warlock.” They sat and nodded in agreement before drifting off into reflective thoughts. After a while Kate broke the silence. “You were very cosy with Emmy before we left!”
Alex immediately went as red as a beetroot, not because of what he had discussed with Emmy, but because of how he felt about her. He had failed, despite his best efforts, to rationalise why his feelings for Kate had died after meeting Henuttawy, and now those feelings had been transferred to Emmy. What he had originally liked so much about Kate, he now found to be extremely irritating. Was this due to the events they had experienced, which he thought should have pulled them together, and perhaps they did? It certainly had pulled him closer to Kate in many ways, though not in romantically involved ways. He had considered the revealing of his ancient memories, the finding of his ancient ancestor, even the better relationship with his father, as factors. Even now as he thought of these and other reasons, he could only come up with emotions as the answer. Intangible emotions which he failed to understand or rationalise. His thoughts were interrupted by Kate snapping at him. “Well, are you going to answer me or not?” Quite involuntarily Alex moved her a few notches further up the list of people he wanted to spend less time with.
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