“It’s a vertical shaft, and there’s a ladder.” I can see a pair of thin, rusted metal chains leading up about ten meters to another passage.
“How is Smoke going to get up there?” Tage helps Smoke stand. Everyone crowds around them and Ash shines her light onto her brother’s leg. A thin rivulet of red flows down his wet pants.
“I don’t want to think what’s in this water.” Dr. Mara takes the time to re-bandage him. “This is the last of our gauze. As soon as we get out you need proper medical attention.”
Smoke nods.
“Hang in there, Nerd,” Ash says as she lightly punches his arm.
“I’m hanging. Someone has to keep you in line.” Smoke rubs his shoulder. “What I find interesting is that the ladder is metal. Ancient Egyptians didn’t use that materials either. So someone in modern times must have been down here digging.”
“Of course you would know about the materials used.”
We make our way slowly up the long metal ladders, two at a time. Someone has clearly made additions down here. We enter a roughly carved, rectangular room, smaller than the one we’ve just left, about six or seven meters long. There are three deep cavities on each side, like a horse stable. A couple of giant, black stone boxes nestle into two of them, their heavy lids ajar. The other rectangular stone recesses are empty. Ash shines her brightest light, but the shadows move weirdly in this space.
“Over here, there’s another ladder.” Dr. Mara guides us to the left of the shaft we came up. Ash and I go in.
“It’s another vertical tunnel.”
“Smoke, can you do it?” Tage seems worried.
“I can tough it out. The bandage is holding.”
Again, we climb, like sixteen meters, which feels like forever. At the top, Ash holds her light up while I aid everyone coming into another small rectangular room.
“Do you smell that? It’s fresh air.” Tage is excited.
We move along the room that is more like a wide hallway, and come to a final vertical shaft, only about five meters up this time.
“Are those stars?” Smoke asks, straining his eyes upward. Straight up this shaft we can just make out metal bars in a grid, and dark sky above, twinkling with stars. It’s a welcome, lighter darkness than the blinding black of the tunnels.
“Thank God,” Dr. Mara says. We climb, our arms hurting from the exertion. A narrow passage leads to a doorway leading out.
“Fuck, the gate’s locked.” Ash shines her light, and we see a metal gate right at our exit. Ash kicks the gate; the clang makes us jump. “I could also try melting it down.”
“Calm yourself, soldier. Torrent, Pamin, is there anything you can do? Freeze the lock and then smash it?”
I place my hands on either side of the gate, on the rough, pale rock. Closing my eyes, I get the wall to tremble, then crumble to pieces on either side, enough to loosen the gate. Ash and I try to pry it out, but we need Torrent to help us. With our combined strength, we toss it to the ground outside.
Torrent and Ash share a quick moment, like an inside joke.
I quickly glance away. I’m not blind, something is going on between them, too.
We come out into a trench that slopes up to level ground. Towering above us close by, lit with white floodlights and a full moon, are the three giant pyramids of Giza.
Chapter Seven
We stand a moment, looking around. The air is warm but fresher than the tunnels; we breathe it in. Nothing moves on the plateau this time of night, after the tourist leave. The monuments rise in silent strength. The vast city of Cairo shines in a millions lights to the north and east.
“Okay, all clear, Team. Smoke needs medical care. Pamin, is there anywhere we could go that isn’t public?”
The weight of loss crushes me again. “Zabbaleen, I don’t even know if it’s still standing, who’s alive … I have to get back. They need me.”
“I’m sorry, son, you’re right.” Dr. Mara comes to my side and lays a hand on my shoulder. “Let’s try to get some information about your family and city.”
Deep vibrations begin pulsing inside my skin, my blood, my being. I turn toward the pyramids. The Great Pyramid, on the far right, pulls me like a force. I try to turn toward Cairo, but my feet start walking in the direction of the Great Pyramid instead. I stop.
“What are you doing?” Dr. Mara asks.
“I must get back to the city, but the pyramid, it’s making me go to it. This is really weird. I’m trying to turn my body, but something isn’t letting me.”
“Pamin, you are earth. There must be a reason, a purpose.” The doctor turns to Smoke. “Can you hang on just a little longer?” He nods, but Tage looks furious. “If we can find a medical facility on the way, we can stop though.”
“No fucking way,” Ash is loud in the night. “My brother needs help now.”
“Ash, remember what happened with your powers when you were near the volcano in Hawaii?” Dr. Mara is calm. Ashley nods. “Pamin needs that kind of surge, too. And it looks like the pyramid will give it to him. We need all the power you guys can muster if we’re going to make it. Besides, I’m not sure taking Smoke to a hospital in Cairo is a good idea. We should consider going up the Nile on a boat to the next town that has a medical facility since the army is still looking for us.”
“What if he doesn’t make it?” Tage’s voice has a tremor.
“He’s okay, the bullet went clean through.” Dr. Mara points. “The bleeding has stopped, see? There’ll be a first aid kit on whichever boat we charter, and I can bandage him with antiseptic. Smoke and Tage see if you can find us a boat. I’ll pay when we board, get one that can leave at dawn. The rest of us will meet you there.” Dr. Mara’s orders leave no room for argument. I give them suggestions on where to find a boat, there’s only one dock this side of the Nile and then meet at the park that’s adjacent to it. The others hesitate a moment, then help Smoke.
“It’s all right, Ash, we need to help Pamin,” Smoke says. He walks away with his friends helping him.
“Let’s go.” I start forward.
Dr. Mara, Ash, Torrent, and I walk toward Khufu’s pyramid, on the right. It takes a while to trudge through the shifting sand and camel dung. The whole place is empty except for a few guards, it’s kind of spooky.
Finally we get to the Great Pyramid. I’ve been here before. I lead the way to the north side and up the stairs carved out of the pyramid itself, leading to the main entrance a little ways above.
We don’t get in very far when we’re met with another locked gate. I know what to do, though. As I tremble the rocks, the gate loosens, and I’m filled with a sensation I’ve never experienced before—it’s like the stones of the pyramid are singing through me.
Ash and I pry the gate loose enough to squeeze through. Dr. Mara keeps watch for the passing guards.
We go along the rough rock tunnel, then start the long climb up to the King’s Chamber on the slatted wooden walkway. If we get caught, it’s death. These monuments are priceless and our people pride ourselves about these old creations. But knowing that, doesn’t stop me. It’s like my feet are leading the way. We have to bend almost half over just to fit. Even though Ash is shining her light behind me, it’s still so dark I can feel it. For some reason, I don’t mind being back inside stone again.
It’s like I belong here. I feel calm and peaceful, yet filling with power and strength at the same time. It’s really strange. There’s a zipping of energy flowing through the stones and throughout my body.
We reach the beginning of the Grand Gallery. Finally, we can stand up straight. I climb onto the ramp on the left and we continue up for many meters. The energy is growing, flowing to the narrowing ceiling high above us, filling the entire gallery.
At last we reach the top, to the low, short passageway. We stoop and make our way into the King’s Chamber.
Once inside, I stand still in the middle. It’s so dark without the lights. But I’m not creeped out. I close my eyes. A c
alm strength and sense of peace, fill my being.
For some reason I feel the desire to chant. An overwhelming urge to speak wells up inside me and when words do spill out of my mouth, it’s in a strange, ancient language, I think. It echoes and resonates, bouncing around the room louder and louder.
My feet are rooted to the ground, and my energy flows through the two million year old giant stones, the granite slabs suffused with crystal. Crystalline granite, meteoric lead, lots and lots of limestone … each material has its own sensation and signal.
Someone gasps, but I keep my eyes closed. My energy is lifting, melding, surging with might.
Chapter Eight
After what feels like forever, the power settles within my being; my voice has stopped. I open my eyes. Ash and Dr. Mara are staring at me with saucer eyes. Torrent’s expression remains neutral. I know he cares but I think like all dudes, I’ll share when I’m ready and he won’t push.
“What were you chanting?” The doctor asks. “You kept repeating the same phrase, starting and ending with a word like tehutay or something like that.”
I try to remember. “I think it was an old saying, maybe from the ancient Egyptians here, a long time ago. Something about wisdom is power, and power is wisdom … one with each other, perfecting the whole. I think that’s it.”
There was a woman’s voice inside my head, clear as if she were standing in front of me. I’m not sure if she meant that I have to become one with the earth or with Ash and Torrent. But we’re missing our fourth member. Maybe it’s Smoke or Tage.
“Some kind of energy came out of the two narrow shafts and lit up into you.” Ash sounds a little freaked out. “You were glowing like a beacon.”
All is dark now, with only Ash’s small light.
“I feel different, like there is something else – someone else – also inside of me. We are sharing this body. I’m not me anymore. I wonder, can I have a name like you and Smoke and Torrent? I don’t want to be Pamin anymore.”
“That is Smoke’s real name,” Ash says. “My real name is Ashley.”
“Oh.” I drop my eyes.
“That’s a good idea, son,” Dr. Mara says. “Do you have something in mind?”
“What about Ridge?” Ash suggests. “It’s a rockin’ name. Get it?”
Torrent shakes his head.
“Ridge. I like it.” Ash seems back to her usual snarky self. I know she hasn’t forgotten that we are taking a side tour instead of getting her brother’s wound looked at.
“If you think you’re done, let’s get out of here.” Dr. Mara turns to leave.
“Yes.” I feel a certainty, a strength. “That was it, whatever that was. Maybe I just needed to hear a voice or something. Now I need to get back home.”
“Ash, on our way out, maybe you can tell Ridge about your experience in Hawaii?” Dr. Mara asks her. “That might help him understand. Plus, you and Torrent are the only ones who really know what he’s going through.”
Ash nods. “We had to stop a volcano and lava to save a bunch of people. Tor and I were at it for days. What we used to know didn’t work there. I finally connected to the lava on a level that put me in a deep sleep.”
“It almost killed you, Ash,” Torrent said.
“Naw, I had it under control,” Ash continues. Torrent shakes his head, but doesn’t contradict her. “Anyway, once I became the lava, all was good. The fire and I understood each other and we’ve been partners ever since.”
We make our way out the small square passage and down the interminably long Grand Gallery, climbing down to the short, slatted walkway. Before we can continue, my feet turn on their own again, facing back the way we came. I’m staring right at Ash and almost run into her.
“Uh, what are you doing, Ridge?” Ash lifts her light to my face.
“My legs are doing it again. Why am I turned around? Do we have to go all the way back up?” I look back up the Grand Gallery. Then my eyes drop, beyond Ash’s shoulder. The horizontal tunnel going to the Queen’s Chamber, it’s right here. “The Queen’s Chamber, I guess I’m supposed to go there.”
“At least we don’t have to fucking climb anymore. My legs burn. Let’s go.”
I reach the gate at the entrance to this tunnel. This time I touch the wall on either side for only a moment, and the gate loosens and falls inside with a bang. We pause and then step over it carefully and make our way down the tunnel. All of us alert to approaching guards. Again, we have to stoop. But after a while, there’s a step down and we can walk upright the last meter or so, into the Queen’s Chamber.
I’m excited—the public isn’t allowed into this room anymore. Ash shines her light around. It’s smaller than the King’s Chamber, but it sizzles with some kind of resonance, I can feel it. As we enter the room, there’s a tall geometric doorway shape. It’s like the ceiling in the Grand Gallery—wider stones at the bottom, but going up it gets narrower and narrower with ninety-degree angles. It’s almost like a tall, squished step pyramid outline. I think this is the Egyptian symbol for Ascension.
How do I know that?
I go closer, but there’s just a smallish square hole in the wall inside the shape. Though this looks like a doorway, it doesn’t seem to lead anywhere. The passageway goes back a ways and Ash’s light won’t reach farther. It’s too small to enter. Ash steps into the middle of the room and shines her light high.
As I turn around in the doorway shape my vision blackens and the strange words start pouring out of my mouth again. I close my eyes, giving in to the powerful sensations of electricity, serenity, stone. Again my voice echoes and bounces off these dark, ancient walls.
It feels like I’m disintegrating, melding into this shape, these stones, like I’m floating up into it, becoming the rock, mud, and dirt itself. I fall silent and my atoms explode.
I open my lids. I’m lying flat on the cold floor, Ash shining her light into my eyes. “Thank God, I thought we’d lost you, Pamin. I mean Ridge.”
“Are you okay, son? How do you feel?” The doctor is checking my pulse.
My senses settle back into my body like dust. We’re in the Queen’s Chamber. “Yes, I’m fine. I feel better than ever.” I jump up. “Wow, what happened?”
“More effing light shot through two shafts from the floor and lit your whole body. It was weird. I could feel the energy in the room. My hair literally stood on end.” She extends her arms out so I could see how long her hair flew.
“Something strange happened,” Dr. Mara said. “We couldn’t see very well, you were so bright. It was almost like your body disappeared and became the light or something. Do you feel stronger, son?”
“Yes, I feel great, and strange, and tingly. And calm.”
“You okay to walk? Do you think it’s done now? Is there power pulling you in another direction? Do you feel a stronger connection to your power?”
“I think so. Come on.”
We stoop and make our way back out to the main passageway.
As we emerge by the Grand Gallery, lights and shouts come from below. Too much of a commotion. I glance toward the chaos. Green, uniformed clothed men are rushing toward us.
“Damn, how’d they find us?” Ash asks.
“They might not have, maybe they’ve just opened for the day and seen the wrecked gates.” Dr. Mara turns to Ash. “Put the light out, now.”
It’s too late. We plunge into darkness, but a second later the electric lights come on. We are clearly visible at the top of the slatted walkway.
Chapter Nine
“What the fuck do we do now? Where can we go?” Ash panics.
I place my hands on the stone, willing the pyramid to speak to me. A narrow shaft, going down. Now the power runs through my veins, it’s easy to call upon. Like it wants to listen to my every whim.
“Here.” A tunnel is right next to us, plunging down, but we hadn’t noticed it in its small, dark recess. Quickly I loosen the metal grate and pull it out.
“How the hell ar
e we supposed to go down there?”
“Let me try first.”
“Hurry then, Ridge.”
I lower myself into the rough shaft. It’s a little larger than my body. On instinct I put my hands on the walls as I descend, laying my feet against the sides. The rock sings through my arms, and my hands become the rock. I lower my legs inch by inch. My shoes also adhere to the stone, turning the same dusty color as the pyramid.
“Holy shit! Can you move, or are you stuck there?”
I close my eyes and concentrate. Slowly, I let myself down an inch, my hands and feet staying part of the rock. I slide another inch, and another.
The shouting is getting louder. “Faster, Ridge!” Ash is motioning me with her hand. Dr. Mara is right behind her, followed by Torrent.
I lower myself more and more.
To my surprise, Dr. Mara directs Ash to climb in and stand on my shoulders. We slip down a couple of feet until I gain control; a little yelp escapes her.
“That’s it, son, hold steady. I’m climbing on top of Ashley, then Torrent will replace the grate. He can support his own weight. Then lower us girls gently, please.”
What is that, like three hundred pounds? You’d think the weight of two women on my shoulders would crush me, but I’m stone. I’m solid strength, unmoving. Power radiates through my body. I am the earth. Until I decide to move.
Wow, this is awesome!
On the doctor’s signal, I gently lower us, sinking into a steady pace. I’m surprised my hands aren’t injured by the sharp, rough rock, but my hands are the stones. It doesn’t matter when the shaft turns or twists slightly here and there. We go down as smoothly as if we were on an elevator, though sometimes we’re lowering at an odd angle.
Ash is breathing hard, but she keeps her light steady as she can.
The sensation of the rock shifts under my skin; dense, more natural. Down we go, another couple of meters. Right in front of me an opening appears. It looks like the entrance to a small, natural cave.
Earth Guardian (Deities Series Book 2) Page 3
