by Overton, Max
"That's it?"
"Yes. Do you want me to repeat it?"
"I have a good memory."
"You'll see that she gets it today? Mr Manouk said the message was urgent."
"I'll see she gets it today."
Al-Din hesitated, as if expecting a more positive response and then shrugged. "I bid you farewell, Dr Zewali." He turned and strode away.
Zewali climbed aboard again and re-entered the cabin. "You heard?" he asked Dani.
Dani wore a big smile. She turned to Daffyd and said, "You see? I knew he wanted to give it back to me. They're going to be at the Khepri pylon and I'll get it back then."
"Didn't you hear the rest of it, lass? You're to take care because some people will stop at nothing. Sarraj already tried to kill us--do you think he's going to allow Nazim to hand you the golden scarab and waltz off to find the tomb? He'll more likely try and finish what Hafiz started."
"He's right," Marc said. Muammar and Nick nodded their agreement.
"Indeed, from what you've told me, that is the most likely outcome, though I doubt he'll try anything while officials of the Department of Antiquities are on hand. There is a difference between evil deeds committed by proxy in the night, and the same deeds carried out in broad daylight in person. I think our best course of action is to find the tomb as quickly as we can and see what we can do to map its location and get the word out. Once the location is official, there's nothing he can do."
"We'll have to move quickly," Nick said. "The message was they'd be there today."
Zewali gave the nod to the captain, the crew member cast off, and the launch motor coughed into life easing them away from the docks. The captain threaded them away, through the numerous other small craft negotiating the river that was the life-blood of Egypt. Muammar and Marc went on deck, wanting to feel the cool breeze on their faces, and watch the far shore draw near. A ferry came toward them, heading for Luxor, and they watched as it approached, close on the port side. People lined the railings of the ferry, men and women both, some laden with produce, others dressed in work clothing, heading off for the day's work.
Muammar stared at the approaching vessel, alarm on his features as the ferry drew alongside. Marc, who had been idly taking in the view, saw his expression and tapped him on the arm.
"What's up?"
"On the ferry there. It's Zufir and the others."
Marc turned to look at the ferry, now receding toward Luxor. "Who's Zufir?"
"The Bedouin who kidnapped us."
"Shit. You're kidding. Did they see us?"
"I think so."
"Why are they here?"
"It seems that Zufir is still determined to get his money and has, somehow, followed us."
Marc blew a raspberry and lifted two fingers in the direction of the ferry. "Well, they're too late. They're in Luxor and by the time they've caught a ferry back, we'll be long gone."
"Let us hope so, though if they have this much determination, who can say what they will do."
The launch pulled into the docks on the western shore, and they readied themselves to disembark. Two jeeps stood waiting, and Zewali went over to meet the drivers and complete the paperwork on the hire vehicles.
Muammar drew Marc aside as they all stood on the dock. "I don't think we should say anything about seeing the Bedouin. If they did not see us, they'll lose our trail in the city. There's no sense alarming anyone unnecessarily."
Marc nodded and sneezed. "Sorry, I think I'm coming down with something."
The two jeeps sped across the narrow floodplain on the western shore, driven by the two men from the museum. Dani and Daffyd rode in the front one, driven by Zewali, and the others followed in the one driven by Dr Hosni Maroun.
"Driving the vehicle yourself?" Daffyd asked. "I thought you'd hire a driver too."
Zewali grinned, slowing as they passed the ruins of a funerary temple dedicated to Amenhotep the Third. "I'm a strong believer in equality. I should be able and willing to perform menial tasks when required. Besides, I don't want to drag innocent rental company drivers into possible danger."
The museum director pointed out the ruined Colossi of Memnon, great seated statues of Amenhotep. "There was a pylon directly behind them," Zewali explained. "We've found some evidence of that, though the temple was plundered for its stonework in antiquity."
"There were three pylons originally," Dani murmured, "Leading onto a long avenue before the Solar Court and the sanctuary. It was a glorious sight in the early morning when the sun's rays shone between the statues, poured through the pylons and illuminated the solar court and sanctuary. The walls were painted in many colours and the sunlight made them glow as if they were made of gold and precious stones. It was truly beautiful."
"I'm sure it must have been," Zewali said, "Though nobody can say for sure whether the temple was painted or gilded." He accelerated away up the road.
"I think you'll find our Dani can," Daffyd muttered.
They came to a fork in the road. Zewali pointed to the left, "Madinat Habu--the temple of Ramses the Third, but we'll go right, toward the Valley of the Kings and Queens. Does your knowledge of Egypt stretch to the Nineteenth and Twentieth Dynasties, Dr Hanser?"
"No further than Seti, son of Paramessu," she said quietly.
"Well, no matter, the Eighteenth Dynasty is firmly in our sights today."
Te road lay north-eastward, skirting the base of the crumbling cliffs and the two jeeps took it at speed, kicking up great clouds of acrid white dust. This early in the morning, there were few people around and no tourists, though Zewali said there would be many later as the ferries started bringing them over from Luxor.
"That's the real wealth of Egypt--tourism. We need to protect our ancient treasures from the plunderers."
Zewali roared past the entrance to the Valley of the Kings, and about half a mile further on, turned up a rough track that led up onto the cliffs that surrounded the burial valleys of the kings and queens of ancient Egypt. He stopped briefly on the high plateau to allow his passengers to take in the arid desolation spread out beneath them. Incongruously, in the jumble of pale rocks and debris, were laid out rough roads, a car park, and paths delineated by concrete posts and wooden markers.
"Now that's a place I wouldn't mind visiting," Daffyd said. "It must be fascinating. All those tombs of kings and queens over centuries of time. Perhaps when all this is over?"
"You shouldn't disturb the dead," Dani said. "They're buried in these lonely places for a reason. It was quite a frightening experience for a young child."
Zewali raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You've been here before?"
"No." Dani turned and got back in the jeep.
Daffyd just smiled at Zewali's puzzled expression.
The road around the top of the valleys was long and tortuous, having to skirt so many eroded gullies and patches of soft sand, but eventually they reached a section of open desert where few vehicles had travelled before. Their speed increased, both Zewali and Maroun guiding their jeeps skilfully between boulders, jouncing over stretches of pavement rock, shattered gravel and firm sand.
"How far to the pylon?" Daffyd asked.
"A mile or two. We'll be there by noon."
Half an hour later, Zewali slowed and waved Maroun to drive alongside. "Somewhere here, I think," he called out.
Maroun slowed further and looked around carefully before pointing to the southwest. He was right, and a few minutes later they pulled up beside some half-buried foundation stones. Dani and the others got out and stretched cramped limbs, going behind large boulders to relieve themselves. Maroun set about building a small fire and brewing up a pot of coffee.
Marc looked around with a scowl and a complaint. "Sarraj and the others said they'd be here today. Why are we wasting time making coffee? We should go find this tomb before they get here." He sneezed, then took out his handkerchief and blew his nose.
"Don't worry, we'd see them coming a long way off," Zewali sai
d. "We drivers need a break and a cup of coffee."
Dani took a tin mug of coffee and walked over to the ruined pylon, Daffyd tagging along behind quietly, leaving her alone with her thoughts for as long as he could. She stood within the gateway looking west and sipping on her coffee for several minutes before turning away with a sigh.
"What's wrong, lass? Not the right place?"
"No, it's the right place," Dani said. "It's just that things are so different now." She smiled and looked at Daffyd. "Maybe not so very different. I'm here with friends and we're being pursued by an enemy. Let's pray we have as fortunate an outcome."
Back at the jeeps, Nick drained his cup of coffee and ate the last of his biscuits. He tossed the dregs aside and turned to pack his cup away, when he stopped and stared to the southwest.
"I say, chaps, what's that?"
"A dust cloud," Marc said. "One of those desert whirlwinds?"
"It's the dust kicked up by vehicles," Muammar said. "I think the enemy is upon us. What do you think, Dr Zewali?" he called.
"I think you're right. Pack up, we're leaving."
Marc yelled to Dani and Daffyd and pointed. They came running. Maroun tipped the rest of the coffee on the fire and scuffed dirt over it, while everyone piled back into the vehicles.
"Is this the pylon, Dr Hanser?" Zewali asked, starting his vehicle. "We drive due west of here?"
"Yes."
"You don't sound very sure."
Dani nodded. "If I had the golden scarab I could tell immediately, but without it, I can only...should we wait for them? Nazim said he'd give me the scarab."
"He might have, lass, but I'll bet you Bashir and Sarraj won't let him. We need to get out of here and maybe give Nazim a chance later on. So, west of here?"
Dani nodded again. "Yes, west of here."
They set off westward through the trackless desert, their attention divided between the rough country they were passing through and the dust cloud that told of the approach of their enemies. The dust cloud inched around behind them and then disappeared, dissipating in the still afternoon air.
"They must have reached the pylon," Daffyd commented.
"With luck they'll stay there to get a dawn fix before pursuing us," Zewali said. "A day is all we'll need if Jebel Shabah is indeed our goal."
The country became rougher, with great blocks of stone upended in their path, and patches of soft sand that had to be negotiated or driven around, taking them off course. Their forward motion became slower and Dani started to fret as the sun sank toward the horizon.
"We're not going to reach it today," she said.
"Don't worry too much," Zewali said. "We're well ahead of them. They won't stir before first light tomorrow, so we'll get there at least half a day ahead of them."
"Then what?" Daffyd asked.
"Depends on what we find. Let's not get ahead of ourselves."
Maroun tooted the horn of the following jeep and gestured for them to stop. When they did, he drew alongside.
"Marc saw something back there at the pylon."
"What?"
"A flash of light," Marc said. "Like sun glinting off glass." He blew his nose and then stared toward the position of the pylon with the setting sun at his back.
"Or binoculars," Nick added. "I think we've been spotted."
"Doesn't matter," Zewali said. "We're well ahead. We continue on until dusk, and then camp for the night. If we're away at first light we'll get there well ahead of them."
They resumed their journey, travelling westward as fast as the terrain would allow. Marc, Muammar and Nick looked backward, hoping for another glimpse of their enemy's presence, praying that there was no pursuit as yet. When the light became too depleted to drive safely, they turned a little off course, stopping for the night and setting up camp behind a huge tilted slab of rock that they hoped would obscure their camp fire and hide them from their pursuers when the next day dawned.
* * *
"It was them, I swear it," Alif said. "Our cousin Muammar and the young infidel."
"Did anyone else see them?" Zufir demanded.
Nobody had, and Zufir paced the boards of the Luxor docks, trying to decide what to do. He looked at the bearded faces of his companions, seeing expressions of trust and fear, mixed in with avarice and frustration.
"What of the other infidels?"
"I did not see them," Alif admitted. "But where two are, the others must also be."
"Perhaps. We look for them first in their hotel, and if they are not there, we take the ferry back to the western shore. I do not know what they seek over there, but we will find them. They have the money that rightfully belongs to us."
Zufir and his men were aboard the noon ferry when it left, heading back across the river.
Return to Contents
* * *
Chapter Thirty-Six
Sarraj's jeep leapt forward, its tyres superimposing their prints on the vehicles that had gone before. The halftrack followed, its motor roaring as it attempted to keep up with the jeep, but gradually falling behind. After half an hour, as the daylight started dimming, Sarraj ordered a halt while they waited for the halftrack to catch up. When it did, Captain Massri got out to talk with his commander. He pointed out that the light was failing and even with the use of headlights it would soon be difficult to follow the tracks.
"We must camp until dawn, sir, and overtake them tomorrow."
"Not good enough," Sarraj said. "If they get there before us, there's no telling what mischief they might get up to. We drive on."
"Yes sir...but how? We cannot follow if we cannot see the tracks, and if we use headlights, we warn them of our approach."
"Then we must take care. We follow until the light fails utterly."
They drove on, following the intermittent tyre tracks until they could no longer be sure the vague markings in the desert sand were man-made. Sarraj ordered a halt and rummaged in the back of the jeep, pulling out a large wooden box. He pried the lid off and pulled out a contraption that boasted lenses, mirrors and tubes.
"What is that?" Bashir wanted to know.
"A photocathode device," Sarraj said. "It will multiply the light over a hundred times, enabling us to travel in the dark."
"Really? How does it work?"
"I do not care how it works, only that it does." Sarraj passed it to Captain Massri. "I'm told you have used one of these before."
Massri took it and examined it. "I have used night-vision apparatus before, Colonel, but this appears to be a more ancient model. It, er, doesn't appear to use ambient light."
"What does that mean? Can you operate it?"
"More modern devices can use moonlight or perhaps even starlight as the source of illumination, multiplying the available light to enable a person to see where he is going. This particular model has an infrared transmitter instead, so we must supply the light ourselves and pick up what scatters back from the ground."
"Very interesting I'm sure, Captain Massri. Can you operate it?"
"Yes sir. We have a battery dedicated to its use?"
"In the back."
Massri attached the leads, fiddled with switches and dials, and as full darkness fell, announced that he could now see moderately well.
"It's all in shades of green, and the shadows are alternately accentuated and washed out, but I think I can follow the tyre prints."
The captain set out on foot, stumbling along at a slow pace, one hand gripping the bag that held the heavy battery, the other making adjustments to the photocathode clamped by leather straps to his head. Behind him, the jeep crept forward, its lights off, and two soldiers sitting on the bonnet with small torches in hand, guiding the vehicle so as to avoid boulders and potholes. The halftrack followed, with soldiers similarly placed, though the larger vehicle could easily extricate itself from any difficult situation it found itself in.
Massri tripped over a rock and tumbled headlong with a cry. The leads tore free of the battery and he was plunge
d into darkness. Torches flickered over him and in their light he managed to reconnect the leads and switch on the photocathode again. Nothing happened. He flicked switches and twisted dials, disconnecting and reconnecting wires until he coaxed a flicker of life from the instrument.
They resumed their journey, more carefully. Massri continued to stumble, particularly as he grew tired, but as the night wore on they inched closer to where they estimated their prey must be camped. Twice, Sarraj sent Massri forward to scout with the photocathode without the vehicles following up, and each time he returned saying the tracks continued onward.
"If we get too close, they'll hear us coming," Bashir said.
"I'm aware of that, you fool. Why do you think I send Massri out to scout ahead of the vehicles?"
Midnight passed and weariness overtook them all, but Sarraj drove Captain Massri to continue, knowing there was no one else proficient with the photocathode. An hour later, the captain reported that the tracks were no longer heading west, but had veered to the south. Sarraj immediately ordered a halt and complete silence, while Massri again headed out to scout the vicinity.
"They're there," he whispered, when he returned. "About five hundred yards away, behind a large slab or rock." He slipped the night vision array off his head and massaged his temples. "I'm glad to be finished with that, sir. It's given me an awful headache."
"How many men were there?"
"Seven, sir. I couldn't see enough detail to tell if one of them was a woman. And two vehicles--jeeps, I think."
"Good. We outnumber them and I doubt they are well-armed anyway."
"Do we attack, sir?"
"Not at night. I don't want any of them escaping. Have the men set up a camp. Cold rations only and no talking."
They slept in and around the vehicles, making themselves as comfortable as possible on the hard ground. A chill breeze had them huddling in blankets before dawn, wishing for a fire or the advent of the new day. Sarraj sniffed the breeze and beckoned Massri, bidding him take out two of the men and find them a location near to the other camp where they could keep watch as the dawn arrived. The captain was gone a long time, returning as the first stars started to fade in the eastern sky.
