by Samit Basu
With a thundering crash, the statues resumed their original positions, and the fires in their eyes went out. The only light in the hall now was the glow of the talking cat. It padded around them slowly, looking silently at them. It stopped again, in front of Asvin.
‘You do not look like grave-robbers,’ she said. ‘What are you, and what do you seek?’
‘We are not thieves,’ said Asvin. ‘We do not come here seeking riches or glory. Great danger threatens the world outside, and we believe the Scorpion Man’s armour can help us overcome the dark tide. But who are you, tomb-dweller?’
‘I am called Erkila, soul-guide and tomb-guardian,’ said the cat. ‘And the dangers that you face, human, mean nothing to me. For those dangers are nothing compared to the danger you are now in – for I am danger, little one. Many have sought the armour of the Scorpion Man–all have failed. They have played my game. And they have lost. Pieces on a board, on a board, on another board, and perhaps more, who knows? But do not be disheartened! It has been many a year since heroes of the world outside came to play the game with me.’
Erkila stood on her hind legs, and suddenly grew. Now she was a woman, incredibly tall, towering over them, and her head was the head of a vulture. The smooth, purring voice disappeared, and was replaced by a harsh screech.
‘In the beginning, I used to release my warriors as soon as intruders entered the pyramid, to kill them instantly. But as the centuries passed, that grew boring. So I devised the game. You will play with me tonight, children, and if you win, you may ask the Scorpion for his armour. And if you lose, you will have the honour of joining the Pharaoh’s army. And when the dead rise, the skies break and the oceans burn, you will march under my banner to eternal victory and eternal war.’
‘Run,’ whispered Gaam. Maya nodded, and tried to move to tell Asvin, but found she was rooted to the spot.
‘Do not struggle, my love,’ screeched Erkila, floating up to her. ‘I know you are eager to play with me, but be patient. I have millions of games to play, and I must decide which ones you will enjoy most.’
She flew up and hovered over their heads. Wings stretched out from her back, huge wings that spanned the breadth of the hall, statue to statue. Large claws suddenly appeared and fastened on to Gaam’s head, lifting him, struggling and kicking, into the air.
‘You are the oldest one, yes?’ asked Erkila.
‘Yes,’ croaked Gaam, wrestling hopelessly in the giant vulture’s grip.
‘And so you should be the wisest,’ said Erkila, flapping her wings and rising higher and higher. ‘We will see.’
‘Don’t run away, children!’ she called as she soared away and disappeared. ‘I’ll be back for you!’
Asvin and Maya found they couldn’t move. They stared at each other helplessly.
Asvin felt something on his foot. It was Steel-bunz. He clambered on to Asvin’s cloak.
‘What are you doing here, Fluffy?’ asked Asvin in amazement.
‘Shh,’ said Maya. ‘She’s coming back.’
‘I forgot to tell you all the rules,’ screeched Erkila, landing heavily on the floor. ‘All of you will have to succeed in the little games I will give you to play. If any of you fail, I win, and your souls are mine. Now then, little man, you look like a warrior. I have something that you will like.’
She grabbed Asvin with her huge claws and flapped away. Steel-bunz clung grimly on to Asvin’s cloak, closing his eyes and flattening his ears as the wind rushed on to his face.
Maya tried spell after spell, but she couldn’t break the enchantment Erkila had set on her – she seemed to be rooted to the floor. She gave up and waited. Soon the sound of giant wings flapping told her Erkila had returned.
‘Two little mortals are playing the game. And as for you, pretty one,’ she croaked. ‘You need to be taught a lesson in patience. I see you can do magic. But can you at solve puzzles? And can you fight, pretty one?’
The doors creaked open, and the invisible bonds that held Maya disappeared.
‘On you lies the burden of finding the way to the burial chamber,’ said Erkila. ‘If your friends succeed, I will bring them to you. You may keep the dog – I have no use for it. If you grow hungry, I advise you to eat it.’ Queeen flattened her ears and looked at Maya beseechingly.
‘I will be watching,’ screeched Erkila. ‘You will make a fine slave, my little love. Now run along.’
Maya left the hall. Then the doors slammed shut again and Maya was alone with Queeen.
She lit a fireball and began to walk down the tunnel that stretched out in front of her. Looking around, she saw graffiti on the walls – strange signs and scrawls made by the workers who had built the Great Pyramid. After a while the tunnel narrowed drastically – it was just about wide enough for her to walk through and quite low: she had to stoop a little.
She tripped on a raised stone and fell. There were several sharp clicking noises. She noticed that the tunnel sloped gently downwards, a thin, square passage into the depths of the earth. She got up, dusting her robes, and heard a rumbling sound behind her. Queeen yelped. Maya turned.
And saw a huge stone sphere, as wide as the tunnel, rolling towards her. If I stay here it’ll crush me, and the only way to go is down. Queeen dashed past her and raced down the tunnel. Clever dog. Maya ran.
Asvin rolled over and sprang to his feet. His shoulders were very sore where the vulture had seized him but he still had his helmet. He looked around in the green light.
A long corridor, with lines of statues down either side. Standing figures with animal heads. The bodies were human, and male this time, arms folded, often holding rods or ankhs across their chests. Some of the heads were vultures, some jackals, and some crocodiles. He half expected them to turn and glare at him, but they sat still, ignoring him.
‘Well, Fluffy, it’s just you and me,’ said Asvin to Steel-bunz, who was doing an investigative nose-twitch.
Far away, at the other end of the corridor, there was the sound of a door creaking open.
‘Or maybe not,’ said Asvin.
Gaam shouldered his battle-axe and trudged along the tunnel where Erkila had dropped him. There was a faint glow ahead of him. He saw what it was, moving towards him gracefully on padded feet.
‘No wonder she wanted the wisest,’ he said wearily. He looked around in the growing light and saw hieroglyphs on the walls. People hunting, fishing, cutting crops. A simple life. I could have tried that.
She walked up to him and sat down. Her beautiful cruel eyes met his. ‘Who are you?’ she asked.
‘I am a vaman, a teacher, and my name is Gaam,’ said Gaam.
‘And I,’ said the Sphinx, ‘am the Sphinx.’
Maya and Queeen stopped running and darted to one side as the tunnel abruptly widened. The stone sphere thundered past them as they flattened themselves against the wall. They heard the sound of the sphere rolling down the slope, and suddenly there was silence. Probably a pit.
‘Well, Queeen,’ Maya said. ‘She said we had to find our way to the burial chamber. I knew there would be a maze somewhere. But first, a little rest, I think.’
But Queeen snarled at her, and began to run fast, down the tunnel. ‘Wait! Queeen! Not so fast!’ called Maya, but Queeen was gone. Maya gave chase, swearing freely.
She soon caught up with Queeen. The sleek wolfhound snarled, crouching at the end of the tunnel, where it emerged as a hole in an endless wall that must have taken thousands of years to make. Probably not the work of the living. She ran to the edge and looked down, and couldn’t see the floor. She suddenly remembered that she’d not heard the sound of the sphere hitting the bottom. If there was a bottom.
She made her fireball brighter, and saw, ahead of her, a stairway, apparently suspended in mid-air, leading down into the chasm. The light was not bright enough to see where it ended, but there was nowhere else to go – she couldn’t see anything except empty space ahead, below or on either side. There was a five-foot gap between the edge of t
he tunnel and the beginning of the stair, probably made by the sphere when it hurtled downwards.
She turned and looked at Queeen, who was bristling all over, and growling continuously. ‘What’s wrong, Queeen?’ asked Maya. She held out a hand, meaning to pat Queeen’s head and snatched it back as Queeen snapped at it.
Queeen rushed back, upwards, into the tunnel. Maya had had enough. She hurled her fireball, and it flew over Queeen’s head and blocked the tunnel, creating a wall of fire just ahead of Queeen. Queeen howled in anger and then turned. She looked a little different – her eyes blazed and her fangs were bared. From her throat emerged a low, warning growl.
‘We’re going to have a little girl-to-girl chat now,’ said Maya, advancing.
Then she stopped in amazement, and stared.
Asvin gripped his sword-hilt tightly.
‘Come on, then,’ he said.
The undead warrior charged. He was practically a skeleton, though some dead flesh still clung to a few of his joints. There was a pinpoint of light in each gaping eye-socket, and his bony fingers clutched an ancient sword and shield. His fleshless mouth grinned horribly at Asvin as their swords met.
The skeletal warrior was strong and fast, but Asvin’s sword was the sharpest in the world. Asvin ducked, whirled and struck at the shoulder. His sword cut through bone, and hacked the warrior’s shield-arm off. The round shield fell with a clatter, but the warrior continued to fight as if nothing had happened. But a few seconds later, Asvin cut his head off. The skull bounced on the floor a few times, and lay still. The rest of the skeleton warrior’s bones fell in a heap and fortunately stayed down.
‘Was that it?’ called Asvin.
Then he looked at the line of skeletons standing silently in front of him, and realized that it wasn’t.
The next undead warrior charged.
‘If you answer my riddle correctly,’ said the Sphinx, ‘I will let you live. If not,’
‘You won’t,’ finished Gaam. ‘I understand. I’ve read about Sphinxes.’
‘There is only one Sphinx,’ said the Sphinx, ‘and that is me.’
Gaam opened his mouth to argue, but shut it with a snap. ‘Well, what is the riddle?’ he asked instead.
The Sphinx looked at him regally. ‘Are you in a hurry?’ she asked.
‘Yes, actually,’ said Gaam.
‘It has been a long time since I played this game. Anyway, here is the riddle, mortal. Answer it, or die.’ She cleared her throat. What walks on four legs in the morning, two…’
‘Man,’ said Gaam.
‘What?’ said the Sphinx incredulously.
‘Man,’ repeated Gaam. ‘The answer is Man. Can I go now?’
‘How did you know?’ asked the Sphinx suspiciously. ‘Did Erkila tell you?’
‘No,’ said Gaam. ‘I’ve heard it before, actually. Now can I go?’
‘No.’
‘No?’
Something was very wrong with Queeen.
She stopped snarling and lay down. She started to whimper, as if in immense pain.
Some kind of spirit’s trying to possess her, some sneaky little undead spirit. Maya cast a healing spell on Queeen, but the wolfhound continued to writhe on the floor, howling loudly and mournfully.
As Maya watched, horrified, Queeen’s fur grew shorter. Her head began to change shape and her claws began to melt, with horrible screeching noises. Her muzzle grew inwards, her tail sank into her back. She thrashed around in agony, and then suddenly her back was lengthening, and so were her legs. Long hair began to sprout out of her scalp, and her fangs shortened and flattened. Her tongue disappeared into her mouth and cherry-red lips sprouted and grew.
Gods protect her, she’s turning into a human.
And as the fur all over Queeen’s body disappeared, revealing fair, soft skin, and her long golden hair framed her perfect face like a halo, and her beautiful, lithe, naked body lay motionless on the stone floor of the narrow passage, Maya knew her secret.
She looks like a Skuan goddess.
She laughed aloud.
‘No wonder Gaam didn’t want you to come!’ she said. ‘So you were Asvin’s forest maiden, Queeen!’
Queeen looked at her beseechingly.
‘I’m not angry at all, so there’s no need to look at me like that,’ said Maya, grinning. ‘But do tell me what was going on.’
Queeen said many things, but they were all in Skuan, and Maya couldn’t speak Skuan. ‘But you do understand Koli, right?’ she asked Queeen, who nodded.
‘Well, we’d better get on with finding the burial chamber, then, if you can’t talk to me,’ said Maya briskly. ‘Can you solve mazes in human form?’
Queeen shook her head mournfully.
‘Of course you can’t,’ said Maya. ‘I do hope we get through this. Because Gaam has a lot of explaining to do. It’s all right, you needn’t look so scared, Queeen. Come along now. And stay behind me until you find some clothes. You make me feel fat.’
They jumped across the gap on to the staircase, and began to climb down.
Fifteen skulls lay on the floor of the corridor, at the feet of the statue. Asvin leaned on his sword and sighed.
The first five had come one at a time. Then they had attacked in twos.
‘I don’t know if I can keep going much longer,’ he muttered. His arm was wounded, and his side bled freely. There was a gash on his forehead as well, and a slow trickle of blood was clouding up the helmet.
Three skeletal warriors marched forward this time.
‘Well, might as well go down fighting,’ said Asvin wearily. Then something moved near his foot. ‘What is it, Fluffy? You know, I’m glad you’re here. I won’t have to die alone.’
The undead soldiers ran towards him.
If Steel-bunz were human, he would have made a speech about courage and brotherhood at this point. Instead, he did what made sense: he charged.
‘Fluffy! No!’ cried Asvin as Steel-bunz shot forward. The rabbit bit the skeleton in the middle hard, under the knee-cap, dislocating the bone completely.
The skeleton tried to hop forward on one foot, but lost its balance. Its sword flailed wildly in the air, and it crashed to the ground, tripping up the other two. For a while the three undead warriors crashed around in a wild tangle of bones. Then Steel-bunz sank his teeth into his victim’s neck vertebrae and one skeleton stopped thrashing around.
Asvin leapt forward and with two well-placed strokes removed the heads of the other two.
‘That was brilliant, Fluffy!’ he cried. ‘Just keep tangling them up like that and we’ll finish them off in no time!’
Steel-bunz gave him a withering look.
Three more skeletons stepped up.
Just follow my lead, boy. Steel-Bunz leapt forward. Asvin, his eyes shining with sudden hope unlooked-for, brandished his sword and yelled, ‘For the Sun!’ and charged.
Oh, please.
‘Well, say something,’ said Gaam. The Sphinx had been looking at him ferociously for some time.
‘I will ask you a riddle, mortal,’ said the Sphinx, finally. ‘If you can answer it, you live.’
‘But I already answered your question!’
‘Well, you’ll have to answer another one!’
‘That’s not fair!’
‘Besides,’ said the Sphinx, ‘you cheated.’
‘I did not!’
‘You did.’
‘This is ridiculous!’ said Gaam, throwing his arms up in despair. ‘Look, just ask me another riddle, then.’
The Sphinx was silent.
‘Do you mean…’ said Gaam after some time, ‘that you don’t know any other riddles?’
‘Silence, mortal!’
‘Right.’
Maya’s fireball was trying its best, but the darkness of the Great Pyramid had existed for thousands of years and no upstart fireball was going to chase it away. In the dim blue light, Maya could see only the staircase – even the wall behind them had faded away. She had lost all
sense of time and space – it seemed as if they had been descending for hours.
They reached the bottom of the staircase. It was a circular platform, apparently suspended in midair. There were two more floating staircases attached to it, one to the left and leading up, and one to the right, leading down.
Maya walked to the stairway leading down. She could see only stairs in midair, fading into darkness. She looked harder – it seemed as if there was a platform below, just like the one she was standing on, with more stairs leading in different directions.
Well, it’s a maze all right. And apart from the fact that it’s a multi-level three-dimensional stair-maze floating in the air in some strange magical dimension, and it’s completely dark, and my maze-solver is a naked woman I’ve known as a dog for months, everything is going according to plan.
She suddenly realized that the thumping noise she had been hearing for some time was not, as she had supposed, the sound of her own heart, but the sound of heavy footsteps on stairs.
Then Queeen screamed.
‘What,’ said the Sphinx, ‘has sixty-seven legs, forty-two heads and two tails?’
‘Have you ever asked anyone this riddle before?’ asked Gaam.
‘As a matter of fact, I have.’
‘And were all the people you asked this riddle to people who had answered the first riddle correctly?’
‘Yes, they were. Stop playing for time.’
‘Just one more question – has anyone managed to answer this question?’
‘No,’ said the Sphinx smugly.
‘Well, the answer to your riddle is very simple. What has sixty-seven legs, forty-two heads and two tails? Nothing. It’s just a trick question you’ve made up to kill people who knew the answer to your riddle. Because you don’t know any other riddles, do you?’
The Sphinx was silent.
‘Well? Was my answer correct or not?’
‘It was,’ said the Sphinx sullenly.
‘Let me go, then.’
