Destiny of the Sands

by Rai Aren

  Anjia sensed she had pushed her father enough. “We are both tired. I am sorry to have upset you. Goodnight, Daddy.”

  As she got up to leave, Traeus reached out to stop her. “No, I am the one who should be sorry. Please do not leave yet.”

  She sat back down.

  “In my envy over your relationship with them,” he said, pausing as he searched for the right words, “I sometimes forget how good they were to you all those years. In spite of everything else, I am grateful for that.”

  “They are kind and compassionate people,” she said, “they gave me everything they could, though they had little.”

  He nodded his head sadly, “I know. You have an obvious bond with them.”

  She gave him a rueful smile.

  He leaned forward. The fire was nearly out. The room felt slightly colder now. “You are caught between two worlds. I know I am not the only one who suffers.” He tried to gather his thoughts. He was her father and he was King. He should act better than this. He had seen firsthand how caring and loving Uta and Ehrim were. He also knew his daughter had been having difficulty re-adjusting to her life as a Royal, especially with the burden of being her people’s Chosen One. She tried to be strong, to put on a brave face, but everything she did, said, was scrutinized. People were anxious to see who she would become, what she would do. Traeus observed her struggling, trying to find her path, trying to fulfill a destiny, which she did not yet understand.

  She sat quietly, considering her reply.

  “Having them here would help you to cope with your new role I would imagine,” he said.

  She looked away. “I have found it more challenging than I realized. I am uncertain of what I am to do, what is expected of me.” She paused. “I do not mean to make things more difficult for you, I only…”

  He reached his hand out to her. Her words broke his heart. He was the one who was making things difficult for her. “Uta and Ehrim would be a stabilizing presence for you at this time. They can stay if they wish,” he said.

  Tears of joy welled up in Anjia’s eyes.

  Traeus saw in them how much this meant to her.

  “Oh Daddy, thank-you! Thank-you so much! I will speak to them first thing in the morning.”

  Traeus nodded. “Now, my daughter, it is late and you should go to sleep.”

  “Are you staying up?” she asked.

  “For a little while. Goodnight, Anjia. I love you.”

  “I love you too, Daddy,” she said as she leaned in and kissed his cheek. She gave him a great big hug, then left.

  Traeus sat there for a long time, thinking, watching the fire finally die away.

  yyyyy

  First thing the next morning, Anjia sought Uta and Ehrim out. She could barely contain her excitement. She found them taking an early breakfast in the gardens, watching the birds flying from tree to tree, chirping animatedly. They were in awe of the beauty that surrounded them within the Palace grounds.

  “Anjia!” Uta called out when she saw her. She still could not get used to calling her by that name, but she knew she must.

  “Good morning,” Ehrim said as he stood up to greet her.

  “There is something I have to ask you,” she said excitedly as she came running over. When she reached them she was out of breath.

  “Sit down, sweetheart,” Uta said as she motioned her to a chair. “What is it?”

  She and Ehrim sat down with Uta at the small table.

  “I spoke with Daddy last night,” Anjia said, then looked sideways at Ehrim, at once feeling awkward. She saw how he cast his gaze down when she said ‘Daddy’. This situation was hard on everyone. “I have some wonderful news to share with you.”

  “Oh?” Uta asked.

  “Yes, I had been thinking about this ever since you both arrived. I want you to stay here, to live at the Palace.” She beamed.

  They were stunned.

  “Daddy…the King…agreed to this,” Anjia continued. “He knows how much you mean to me.”

  Uta and Ehrim looked at one another, a silent understanding passing between them. Ehrim spoke first, “Anjia, we have seen how difficult this has been for the King. We could not possibly impose on him any further.”

  “He has already done more than he had to,” Uta said. “He has been very generous and kind, at great cost to himself. We cannot ask more of him.”

  Anjia’s face fell. She was crushed. She had not expected this reaction. “But he has said that you can stay!”

  Uta felt terrible seeing the disappointment on her face.

  “Anjia,” Ehrim said, “let me ask you this. He did not agree to that right away, did he?”

  She could not hide the truth, it was written all over her face. She picked up a piece of bread from a plate, and tore it in half. “No, not at first,” she said looking at the bread. “But then he saw how much it meant to me and…”

  “Sweetheart, we have put him through so much on this visit as it is,” Uta said. “Besides, we would still need to return home anyways, to collect our things.”

  “But we could send someone to do that for you,” Anjia pleaded, putting the bread back down. She could not bear the thought of being separated from them again. As long as they were here, she had something else to focus on. She did not have to think about prophecies or kingdoms. She could just be loved as a simple girl. She needed that connection right now. She needed them.

  Ehrim placed his hand on hers. “We would also need to say goodbye to our friends, our neighbors. We have lived in that village a very long time.”

  Anjia was getting very upset. “But I want to see you often. I want us to be part of one another’s lives.”

  Uta smiled warmly. She hugged her. “We do too, it is hard being at home and not having you there. The house seems so empty.” She released her then looked at her husband. “Perhaps we could return home, just temporarily. It would give the King time to accept this transition more easily perhaps. If he is still willing, we could return in the fall.”

  Ehrim nodded his agreement.

  “We do want to be with you,” Uta said, stroking her hair, to reassure her. “Let us just take a measured approach to blending our two families. To properly prepare.”

  Anjia did not want to let them go. Suddenly she felt very strongly that if she did, she would never see them again. “What if you do not return? How do I know I will see you again?”

  “You will, sweetheart,” Uta said, putting an arm around her. “We promise you.”

  “Do not worry,” Ehrim said. “We are only a day’s journey away.”

  Anjia tried to smile, but their words sounded hollow, as if spoken by specters.

  yyyyy

  A few days later Uta and Ehrim prepared to leave. The King had seen to it they were given many provisions for their journey home and for a long time thereafter. Many tears had fallen as they took their leave from the Royal Palace. Anjia stood watching after them for a long time. She held the ankh pendant tightly, its energy burned in her hand. Finally, darkness fell, and Traeus came to bring his daughter inside. She looked back, but she could no longer see them. She felt empty as depths of sadness swallowed her.

  yyyyy

  Unbeknownst to the two lonely travelers, a solitary figure was following behind them, going by river on a small, quiet raft, so as to stay out of sight. The man had been told by his contacts within the Palace of the two visitors…and who exactly they were. He followed them all the way back to their modest home in the northern village. He watched as they went inside and after a short time extinguished the light in the small house. All was dark. Then he made his way back, to reveal their location to someone he knew would be most interested in this information.

  Chapter 22

  A Hunt Begins, Present-day Egypt

  THE morning sun blaz
ed the sky a fiery red and orange. There was a great deal of commotion at the Sphinx complex. Maximilian and his team had been on site since the incident with Mitch, Alex and company. Hans, now sporting a big gash on his forehead, which had been bandaged, had debriefed him on the events. Maximilian was livid that they had escaped his people a second time. He had reamed Hans out in front of everyone.

  But they had all quickly turned their attentions to what had been revealed during the daring nighttime raid. Tuthmosis’ Dream Stela had been pushed aside, exposing the long-hidden secret entrance. Maximilian wasted no time in sending Dustimaine, Fessel and a handful of other workers, guarded by Maximilian’s men, down through the tunnel into the subterranean chambers beyond to see what might have been left behind.

  After a short time, Dustimaine emerged from the chambers, Fessel in tow. Maximilian was waiting impatiently for them. His scans had already revealed the metallic obelisk was gone, but he had decided to have the chambers scoped out anyway, in case something important could be found to help them locate the lost artifact.

  “I never imagined that there was such an elaborate tunnel system beneath the Sphinx,” Dustimaine said excitedly, as a worker helped pull him and Fessel up out of the entrance. He was talking fast. “There are huge, thick metal doors with what appears to be sophisticated locking mechanisms…unheard of in ancient Egypt! There are walls covered in depictions of royalty that don’t appear in any other records, other mysterious glyphs, as well as an unusual obelisk. The workmanship of it all is second to none. It’s truly a staggering find!”

  Never in his 25 years in archaeology had he been part of such a profoundly important discovery, even if he hadn’t personally discovered it. No matter, he’d still try to get his name associated with the find. This could rehabilitate his entire career, he thought to himself.

  “At least Mitch and Alex were good for something,” Dustimaine continued.” The design of it all is ingenious! So sophisticated, so well hidden, it’s…”

  Maximilian cut him off with a wave of his hand. “I’m delighted to hear that you are enjoying yourself,” Maximilian said as he glared at him. “However, they’re responsible for stealing what I came here and went to all this expense and trouble for, you idiot.”

  “Yes, right, of course,” Dustimaine replied, his shoulders sagging.

  Fessel was embarrassed for him.

  Maximilian grunted in frustration. “Did you find anything that can actually help us find what we are looking for?”

  “Well, no…” he replied, “but you should see what’s down there, those metal doors and the obelisk…”

  “But not the obelisk.”

  “I’m afraid not, no,” Dustimaine answered. “But the rest of the items are truly astonishing in their design…”

  “None of which I care about right now,” he snapped. He motioned Hans over.

  Dustimaine and Fessel stood silently, their apprehension apparent.

  “Yes, Herr Reichmann?” Hans asked.

  Maximilian looked at Dustimaine.

  His skin crawled. “There is still valuable archeological information to be gathered from the secret chambers,” the former professor pleaded. Sweat rolled down his forehead. “We’ll keep looking. Perhaps we can find something that can help us retrieve the device that Mitch and Alex took. A clue to their whereabouts, something they missed…”

  “I guess you’ve left me no choice,” Maximilian sniped. “Fine, go back into your hole and dig around.”

  Dustimaine looked taken aback at the clear insult, but said nothing. He and Fessel grabbed more water and some extra tools and started to head back down into the subterranean chambers.

  “Wait, before you go,” Maximilian stopped them. He took off a heavy gold chain from around his neck. It had a gold ankh-shaped pendant on it. “This has glyphs on the back of it that I’ve never been able to decipher. I believe they could be related to the ones down there. Search the area and report back to me immediately if you find matching symbols.”

  “Yes, Mr. Reichmann,” Dustimaine replied, taking the pendant from him. It was a beautiful piece of jewelry. He turned it over to look at the inscription on the back. It was the same style as the glyphs in the chamber, he was certain of it. He noticed the strange warming sensation in his hand, and felt the soft zing of energy. “Is it supposed to…”

  “Yes,” Maximilian said, cutting him off again. He was at the very limits of his patience. “I don’t know why, and that isn’t your concern right now. Just focus on the symbols, understood?”

  “Yes, sir,” Dustimaine said. He glanced down at the mysterious object in his hand. ‘Who were the people who created all of this?’ he wondered. So many things didn’t add up.

  After they left, Hans took a step closer to Maximilian. “Why do you keep those sniveling worms around?”

  “They’re loose ends,” Maximilian replied, “and I like to have any loose ends close by,” he said as he turned to look at Hans, “in case I need to pull them.”

  The threat was not lost on Hans.

  “Have your men keep a close eye on them. I want that pendant back.”

  “Understood.”

  “The water was spiked!” one of the guards shouted as he ran up to them. The drinking water had been under suspicion and was thus sent for testing.

  “That confirms it,” Hans said. “Someone on Dustimaine’s excavation team must have been involved.” Hans gingerly touched the bandage on his forehead. “Do you think Dustimaine or Fessel themselves might have done it?”

  “No,” Maximilian said, shaking his head. “They would never have the courage to do something so bold, so dangerous for them. Besides, I do believe their hatred for Mitch and Alex is genuine. They wouldn’t help them.” Maximilian paused as he watched the workers coming and going through the secret entrance to the Sphinx.

  It was a hive of activity and excited chatter in Egyptian Arabic, as the men were gesturing to one another animatedly about the discovery, some even shouting.

  “They reek of vengeance,” Maximilian continued, still watching the workers, “and we’re their best option. I will have them learn all they can about the secret chambers, but once their usefulness is gone, you know what to do.” Maximilian leveled a cold gaze at Hans.

  Hans nodded. “I will also enjoy getting rid of the four Americans when the time comes.”

  Maximilian stared off into the distance. “They’re not our only problems. Not only do we have an enemy in our own camp, someone who could get close enough to our water supply, but…” He paused for a moment, thinking. ‘It had to be his doing,’ he thought.

  “What is it?” Hans asked.

  “It has to be someone working for Dr. Khadesh. He is still powerful here in Egypt. Only he has the resources to pull off something like this.” Maximilian looked at the workers with suspicion and disdain, wondering who amongst them could be responsible.

  “Should I question them?” Hans asked.

  Maximilian considered that option. “No, that would take too much time.” He formed a plan in his head. “We need to go direct to the source. Find Khadesh. Bring him to me. I will question him myself.”