Theodosia and the Last Pharoah

by R. L. LaFevers

  Before I could ask for more details, we were all pulled into the great swirling commotion that surrounded the newcomers' arrival and the announcement of the wedjadeen's newfound alliance with the Brotherhood.

  Jadwiga looked down at me. "Are you ever going to let go of your cat?" he asked. I couldn't be certain, but I think his mouth held the faintest hint of a smile.

  "No," I said, looking down to where Isis was purring contentedly and kneading in my lap. Her tiny claws pricked at my stomach through the thin material of my dress, but I didn't mind—I was too happy just to have her back. The truth was, I refused to let go of Isis the entire time, even when Sefu came to see what was going on. I decided that if the wedjadeen and the Chosen Keepers could learn to get along, so could the monkey and my cat.

  ***

  Once all the wedjadeen had been told of the new developments, they were dismissed and Major Grindle, Jadwiga, Rumpf, and I were summoned to the mudir's tent with the soldiers and Weret Hekau. Khalfani and the mudir were already poring over a map. Khalfani looked up as we entered the tent. "Can you show us on this map where the followers of Set are?"

  "Ja," Jadwiga said, stepping around me and going to the table. The rest of us followed, eager to see the exact location. Jadwiga peered at the map a moment, then plunked a thick finger down on an intersection of streets in Luxor. "Right here."

  Major Grindle looked at him. "Right in the middle of the black market. It makes sense, as most of those men either have worked for Chaos in the past or benefit greatly from their traffic in stolen antiquities."

  "How do you know this?" Khalfani asked.

  "That is part of our work in the Brotherhood, keeping an eye on cursed artifacts and preventing the dangerous ones from falling into the hands of Chaos," Major Grindle explained. "Many of the black-market men are your people. Do you have any idea how many are sympathetic to Chaos?"

  "Most likely all of them," Khalfani said. "There are not many occupations here that pay what selling antikahs to tourists pays. You cannot blame them. They have families to feed. It makes no difference to them who takes the treasure from their land."

  Major Grindle met Khalfani's accusing gaze steadily. "No, I do not blame them."

  "But don't they fear the Eyes of Horus?" I asked. "Aren't they afraid of what you'll do to them for siding with others?"

  "Not if they think the others will win," the mudir said.

  Honestly, you'd think the leader of an organization would show a little more confidence than that!

  "So how many are there?" Major Grindle asked.

  Rumpf shrugged. "It was hard to get an exact count because there was so much coming and going," he explained to the others.

  "And the boy? Did you see a young boy?" Khalfani asked.

  Rumpf shook his head. "There is something else you should know. The British officials are blaming the locals for the girl's disappearance. They are rounding up your people and questioning them, rather roughly. This has stirred up quite a bit of resentment."

  Fenuku slammed his hand down on the table. "I say we storm the area," he said. "Bring destruction down on their heads." I wasn't sure if he meant the heads of the Serpents of Chaos or the British officials.

  Khalfani threw him a wry glance. "I fear they will slit the boy's throat at the first signs of attack. Even if they do not, there is too great a chance he could be harmed in the fighting."

  Major Grindle studied the map. "We need to be more subtle than that."

  Khalfani looked up. "What are you thinking?"

  "We need to eliminate their home-field advantage."

  "And how do you suggest we do that?" Fenuku challenged.

  The major looked up and met his gaze. "By luring them out." He turned to the mudir. "They have no doubt learned that the tablet we gave them was a fake. Its magic only lasted until the moon set that night. Send them a message saying that the girl and I were not the ones they needed to deal with in order to retrieve the tablet. That you are the ones who hold it in your possession and that they must deal with you. You offer them a second chance at the tablet, in exchange for the boy."

  Khalfani nodded slowly as the plan took shape in his mind. "Yes, that would draw them out. And the best time to strike would be when they are transporting the hostage to the exchange point. That is when we will strike."

  "Exactly," Major Grindle said.

  "Very well. We move out tonight, under cover of darkness. We will take ourselves to the stronghold at Karnak and plan the rest of the operation there, where we will have greater access to their comings and goings."

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  On the March

  WE LEFT QERERT IHY as the moon reached its zenith, its silvery glow spilling across the landscape and giving us some light to travel by. I tried to coax Isis up into my lap to ride on my horse with me, but she was having none of it. She insisted on traveling behind us on her own four paws. The wedjadeen's blood was running high and they were filled with rising hopes that they could retrieve their pharaoh. And if hope failed them, they had plenty of grim determination to see them through.

  We had timed it so we would arrive in Luxor under the cover of nightfall. Our horses slowed as the city drew near, and Khalfani had us detour around the city proper and any possible scouts Chaos might have posted. We came in through the East Gate of the Karnak Temple and silently filed past the sacred lake to the small Temple of Osiris that abutted the south girdle wall.

  Hashim dismounted, then came over to speak to me. "We leave our horses here," he explained, helping me dismount. "A handful of servants shall lead them just out of sight. They will set up a Bedouin camp, which will explain our presence should anyone notice."

  "Are we going to camp here in the temple grounds?" I asked, looking around for signs of habitable space.

  He flashed me a quick grin. "Not exactly."

  The wedjadeen unloaded their horses and gave last-minute instructions to those charged with setting up the decoy camp. As that group disappeared out the East Gate, the rest of the wedjadeen drew apart to let Khalfani and Baruti come forward. They entered the small Osiris temple, and the rest of the men followed them. As they disappeared inside, I turned to Hashim in surprise. "We're going to sleep inside the temple?" I asked, faintly shocked at the idea.

  "Not exactly," he said again, then motioned for me to precede him.

  After checking to be certain Isis was still behind me, I followed the others to a hatch of some sort near the back of the temple. Khalfani and Major Grindle pried it open to reveal a sunken staircase. I glanced at Hashim, who only smiled and took a lit torch from the fellow handing them out.

  Ever curious, Isis slipped in front of me to sniff at the passageway. After a slight pause, she disappeared down the hatch. Comforted by this, I followed the others down the deep, narrow stairs and tried to ignore the light flickering eerily on the walls. As I stepped into the small antechamber at the foot of the steps, the men used their torches to light the oil lamps positioned around the room.

  We were in a vast underground chamber that stretched out as far as my eye could see. Dark, shadowy shapes danced along the walls, and I shuddered. Those were not mere shadows, but whether they were mut or akhu or simply remnants of the gods or earlier wedjadeen who had passed this way, I could not tell.

  Major Grindle nearly broke his neck trying to see everything at once. His face was alight with wonder. Rumpf's face shone, too. Jadwiga merely looked as if he expected the entire thing to come down on our heads any moment.

  "Does this run the entire length of the Great Temple?" I asked Hashim.

  "Nearly."

  Small rooms opened up off the larger chamber. Some of them held supplies, such as jars of oil, honey, and grain. Others contained a jumble of artifacts and furniture, while

  still others held roll after roll of scrolls and papyruses.

  "Is this where you plan to hide the Emerald Tablet?" I asked Khalfani.

  "No." He laughed. "This is much too close to others and m
uch too easy to find. There is a mountain, hidden deep in the desert, that contains many artifacts of the gods."

  "It wouldn't do much good to hide a map with the treasure it leads to, would it?" I asked, puzzled by this strategy.

  Khalfani gave me a sly glance. "Did I say we would hide the tablet there?"

  Come to think of it, he hadn't.

  "This place that you see is one of our sanctuaries," Khalfani explained. "A place for us to gather away from prying eyes or to wait out unpleasantness."

  "Marvelous," Major Grindle breathed. "You can go to ground here until trouble blows over or pursuers give up the chase."

  "It is also an excellent place from which to launch an attack. Come." Khalfani led us to a large table in the back. He retrieved a map from his saddle pouch and unrolled it on the table, anchoring it in place with small stones on each corner.

  "Gamal, Rashid, I want you to scout out the black-market area. See if you can find any signs of where they might hide a valuable prisoner. Also try to determine how many men are loyal to the followers of Set." They bowed, then left the room.

  Khalfani turned back to the map. "The question is, how do we let them know we have an exchange we'd like to offer? Even if I were to march down their street myself, they would not know me or my face and I would most likely not gain an audience with the man in charge. At least, not alive," he amended. "Do they know your men by sight?" he asked Major Grindle.

  The major glanced at Jadwiga and Rumpf. "They do not, and I am loath to have them break their cover. Years have gone into building these identities for them."

  "They'd talk to me, wouldn't they?" I asked, my voice sounding very high and thin in the cavernous room.

  "I'll go," Major Grindle said, as if he hadn't heard me.

  "You?" Fenuku asked, clearly suspicious.

  "Me. I'm the only one they've seen, other than Miss Throckmorton, and I'm sure we're all in agreement that she is not marching into their midst."

  "Agreed," Khalfani, Jadwiga, and Rumpf all said at the same time. Fenuku was the only one who kept silent.

  "But sir," I said. "You've already thwarted them once. Won't they kill you on sight?"

  Khalfani studied Major Grindle a long moment. "Not if he carries the Orb of Ra with him."

  Major Grindle's face lit up like my brother Henry's on Christmas morning. Honestly, if I didn't know better, I'd think he was just here for the toys.

  "You cannot be serious!" Fenuku sputtered. "Hand over one of our most precious artifacts to the Inglaize?"

  Baruti laid a hand on Fenuku's arm to calm him. "He must have some means of ensuring their cooperation. Besides, we are brothers now, remember?"

  But it was clear from the look on Fenuku's face that he would never call the Inglaize "brother."

  "When could you be ready to deliver the message?" Khalfani asked.

  "Immediately, of course," Major Grindle said.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  A New Wrinkle

  THERE WAS A FAIR AMOUNT OF DISCUSSION as to what Major Grindle should carry with him into the heart of the enemy. "The Orb of Ra, most definitely," he and Khalfani agreed. It was pistols and knives they were in disagreement over.

  "They are not going to let me waltz in there carrying a pistol," the major pointed out.

  "We do not know this. It is worth trying to slip one in," Khalfani said.

  "Then we risk losing what little trust our white-flag venture might gain us."

  Khalfani sighed and I almost stepped in to tell him it was hopeless. I was sure that Major Grindle's skewed sense of sportsmanship had much to do with his decision, and how could one argue with something as odd as that?

  In the end, it was decided that he would walk in carrying the orb so they knew he meant business. Of course, this necessitated a whole new debate: carry it concealed or out in plain sight?

  Khalfani argued for plain sight. That way, everyone who saw the artifact, even if he didn't understand its power, would know that it was very valuable. It would ensure the major got to the top levels of the organization quickly. Second, Grindle could access it more easily should he need to use it.

  "Do you know the proper sequence to tap in order to activate it?" I asked.

  Khalfani shot me a glance. "Our Rekhet never ceases to surprise with the vast scope of her knowledge."

  "Tell me about it," the major muttered.

  "There are many sequences that can be used, but the one to emit a controlled burst is this." Khalfani's fingers twitched out a sequence over the orb's surface, careful never to actually touch the orb itself.

  I leaned as far forward as I could without tipping over and watched as he went through the sequence a second time.

  Major Grindle nodded. "Got it." He repeated the maneuver three more times (also careful not to let his fingers touch the orb) while Khalfani watched. Then it was time to go.

  "Will they bring a horse around for me?" the major asked.

  "No," Khalfani said, eyes sparkling. "We have a better way to travel unobserved." He led Major Grindle to one of the far doorways on the south side of the chamber. No one told me not to follow, so I did.

  Khalfani stopped in front of the doorway. "This is an underground path that leads directly to the Luxor Temple. It mirrors the Avenue of the Sphinxes."

  "By Jove!" Major Grindle was agog at this marvel. "You can come and go between the two temples with no one the wiser."

  "Exactly so. It will bring you up just outside the Luxor Temple, and then it is but a short distance to the market area."

  ***

  I meant to wait up for Major Grindle's return, because honestly, who could sleep at a time like this?

  Apparently, I could. I was absolutely knackered after the long march through the desert. The minute I collapsed onto a bedroll, Isis hurried to my side, as if she, too, was wanting a bit of a nap. With her warm presence cuddled next to me, I closed my eyes and slept like the dead.

  I was awakened by a flurry of excited voices. Someone called out, "He's coming!" I sat up and pushed my hair out of my eyes, disoriented for a moment by the dark chamber and the flickering torches. It took me half a minute to realize I wasn't stuck in a nightmare involving the Arcane Order of the Black Sun and was, instead, stuck in a rather shocking bit of reality.

  Wondering where my cat had gotten to, I pushed to my feet and straightened my frock just as Major Grindle strode into the chamber. Jadwiga, Rumpf, Khalfani, and the others pressed around him, hungry for news of what had happened.

  I hurried over so as not to miss out.

  "It is exactly as Jadwiga and Rumpf reported. The market area runs the entire length of the street and spreads out to include the streets on either side. It is a veritable rabbit warren of crumbling buildings, dilapidated shop fronts, and men with hardened eyes and no smiles. It's hard to say how many live there. It could be one hundred; it could be three hundred. There's no telling."

  Khalfani swore in Arabic. At least, I think he was swearing. He sounded an awful lot like Father when he is swearing. "Then we cannot risk slipping in and rescuing him by stealth?"

  The major shook his head. "I don't think so. Not without risking many of the women and children who also live in that area." Major Grindle's face looked drawn and grim. I could not help but feel that a second shoe was about to drop.

  "Did they agree to the exchange? Did they let you see the boy?"

  Slowly, Major Grindle raised his eyes and looked straight at me. My stomach dropped all the way down to my toes as I prepared myself for his next words.

  "They would not allow me to see the two prisoners."

  "Two prisoners?" Khalfani asked.

  The major's sorrowful gaze never left my face. "I'm afraid they have taken a second prisoner. Your mother," he said gently.

  My mother. His words reverberated in my mind, so horrible that I could hardly absorb them.

  "When they could find no sign of you or me, and none of the locals they questioned would give them any information
, they decided to up the ante in an effort to lure us out of hiding."

  I think I actually swayed on my feet, and then Jadwiga was there, his big solid presence at my back like a fortress. I let myself lean back against him, just the teeniest bit. Von Braggenschnott was sweet on Mother, I reminded myself. surely he wouldn't hurt her.

  Khalfani's face was full of sympathy. "Were you able to verify this with your own eyes?"

  The major gave a brief shake of his head. "I was, however, able to hear them speak, and I recognized both their voices."

  "What about the exchange?" Khalfani repeated. "Did they agree to that?"

  "In a manner of speaking, yes." Major Grindle slowly pulled his eyes from mine and turned to Khalfani. "They agreed to the exchange. However, because of the first botched attempt, von Braggenschnott said that the price had gone up. The new price for releasing Gadji and Mrs. Throckmorton is the Emerald Tablet and the girl. He wants Miss Throckmorton as part of the deal."

  There was a moment of dead silence that was filled by the thundering of my heart. Me?

  "That is impossible," Khalfani said, and I began to breathe again. I hadn't realized I'd been holding my breath, but the truth was, I had no idea what my actual standing was with the wedjadeen. I'd been half afraid they would have said, Certainly. Here she is, and thank you.

  "I'm glad we agree," Major Grindle said.

  Fenuku threw me a look that said he did not agree. "Then what do you propose we do to get the Son of Re back?"

  "We will alter our plans, that is all. We never intended to let them get as far as the exchange point anyway. We will continue with our plan to intercept them on the way to the exchange and they will never even have to see our Rekhet," explained Khalfani.

  Major Grindle cleared his throat, and Khalfani scowled. "What?"

  "They have a few more conditions. They will need proof that this tablet is not a fake." His old cheeks pinkened slightly with embarrassment at this reminder of his earlier trick.