The Amarnan Kings, Book 6: Scarab - Descendant

by Overton, Max

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  * * *

  Chapter Forty-Two

  It was late in the day by the time they came down from the green mountain. Before they left for Luxor, they reburied Sarraj, and made sure the other bodies were secure from scavengers beneath the hot sand. One of the jeeps had taken a few stray bullets through the vitals, so it was left behind after stripping it of everything useful, from tyres to spark plugs, and draining the petrol, oil and water.

  Dani walked apart from the others while they busied themselves getting ready and faced the site of the tomb of her distant ancestress. She held the golden scarab in her hands, but it seemed lifeless, as if the power that had energised it had drained away. It didn't work. Maybe in ancient times an earthquake would have been enough, but modern man has machines that can dig this out. The power of the gods is not enough . She felt depressed and drained, and turned to leave.

  Nobody spoke much as they drove eastward, the nine survivors filling the remaining two vehicles, each person lost in their own thoughts. Captain Massri and Daffyd drove the two jeeps carefully back along the trail, arriving at the ruined Khepri pylon at dusk. They camped for the night, eking out the last of the stores and fuel to create a plain but hot meal. Exhausted, emotionally and physically, they retired early.

  The earthquake struck just before midnight, shocking them awake as a deep-seated rumbling rocked the desert. It went on longer than the previous tremors, and then died away completely. No one could get back to sleep afterward, so they sat around the camp fire, drinking coffee, and discussing what the future held.

  "How are we going to explain all this?" Daffyd asked.

  "All what, exactly?"

  "Everything." Daffyd sighed. "Where do I start? Colonel Sarraj and ten men are killed by Bedouin in the desert, Syrian Minister Bashir dies, buried by falling rubble in the shaft of a tomb, four of us are in Egypt illegally, but it's our information that leads to the discovery of the previously unknown tomb. Anyone care to add anything?"

  "That about covers it, I think," Marc agreed. "We're going to need a good story."

  "Why do we need a story?" Zewali asked. "We just tell the truth of it."

  "Which is what exactly?"

  "That Dr Hanser and Minister Bashir both came to me with descriptions of a tomb. We went looking for it, found it, and plan on returning to excavate it properly."

  Daffyd nodded. "That covers you nicely, but what about us? How do we explain how we came into Egypt, and why would we blow our cover by coming to you? The authorities will prosecute us when they catch us--either jail us or deport us..."

  "Probably both," Marc said.

  "And I will face the same fate," Muammar said. "The Libyan Army may even regard me as a deserter."

  "And Colonel Sarraj," Nick added. "What's his involvement in this? The army in Luxor now has records of Sarraj interrogating Dani and Daffyd, plus we have police records of an attack on your household by thugs whom they'll likely track back Ali Hafiz and thence to Sarraj. They'll probably want to know your involvement."

  "That's true, Dr Zewali," Maroun said. "Minister Bashir is on record of having dealings with the museum in Luxor and with Director Nasrallah in Cairo. He also is connected to Dr Hanser and her team, being responsible for preventing them entry to Egypt--yet here they are."

  "And the Minister is a close friend of Colonel Sarraj," Nazim said. "They plotted together to find and plunder the tomb..."

  "It would serve no useful purpose to make that known," Zewali said.

  "That depends," Daffyd said. "Bashir and Sarraj are painted as criminals, yet they have close dealings with the Director of the Luxor Museum. I imagine questions would be asked."

  "Oh indeed," Nick grinned. "Newspapers would have a field day. Corruption in high places, and all that."

  "Are you threatening me?" Zewali asked tightly.

  "Not at all, Karim," Dani said. "We just need an explanation we can all agree upon that doesn't disadvantage anyone."

  They sat and considered the problem.

  "Let me just voice a few thoughts," Nazim said. "First, there is no one more knowledgeable than Dr Hanser where the Syrian inscription is concerned. Minister Bashir is on record as having had her and her team deported from Syria and has gone to great lengths to neutralise any possible interference by her..."

  "This is all old hat," Marc grumbled. "What's this got to do with anything?"

  "I am coming to that, Dr Andrews. Now, where was I? Ah, yes...Minister Bashir comes to Egypt to find the tomb, engaging the help of his powerful friend Colonel Sarraj. The Minister enquires of the Department of Antiquities, both in Cairo and Luxor, and finds that the descriptions given in the account are insufficient to allow him to find the tomb. Sarraj has his agents kidnap Dr Hanser and her friends from Libya..."

  "What were they doing in Libya?" Maroun asked. "It is rather fortuitous."

  "I'd been suspended from the university," Dani said. "I went on holiday and I'd never been to Libya."

  "Neither had Marc and I, so we accompanied her. All very straightforward. We hired Muammar to show us the desert, and in Al Jawf we..."

  "They were abducted," Nazim continued. "Brought into Egypt and forced to lead Sarraj and Bashir to the tomb. You are in Egypt illegally, but no blame can attach to you. You were brought in against your will."

  "That might work," Daffyd said. "Provided everyone sticks to that story."

  "Where does that leave Dr Zewali and me?" Maroun asked.

  "You were suspicious of Bashir's motives and, in an official capacity, insisted on accompanying the expedition. You were both unaware of Dr Hanser's status at the time. It was only when Sarraj was killed and Minister Bashir disappeared, that you became aware of the whole dreadful business. Your word, together with mine, will exonerate Dr Hanser and her companions."

  "Won't you be blamed too?" Marc asked.

  "Everyone knows I was merely the Minister's secretary, nothing more. When I became aware of what was going on, I went to Dr Zewali and told him. I could not report to the Egyptian authorities, as I was uncertain as to how far the corruption extended."

  Daffyd looked at Captain Massri, who sat quietly in the shadows, smoking a cigarette. "What about you, Captain? You're a military man and were under Sarraj's command. What's your opinion?"

  Massri hesitated. "It is difficult for me to speak of such things. I am a loyal army officer, you understand? It is my career and people who speak out against their commanders have few prospects. However, Colonel Sarraj is dead and I do not believe he will be missed. He was ambitious and ruthless, and...I have heard rumours that...no, I will not say it out loud. Let me just say that President Nasser was once an army colonel, until a coup put him in power."

  "Sounds like Sarraj and Bashir were two of a kind. Neither will be missed."

  Massri nodded his agreement. "I must report back to Edfu, but I am not sure what I should say. They were my men that died, and I bear some responsibility for their demise."

  "It was my understanding that Sarraj commanded," Nazim said quietly. "There is little a conscientious officer can do in the face of a direct order from a superior officer. Besides, Captain Massri, you were wounded in the attack that killed your men, so you cannot be accused of shirking your duties. I would be happy to make a statement to that effect."

  "Thank you, Mr Manouk. I also have to explain the two men who died of fright."

  Nazim smiled mirthlessly. "Would you care to explain how two fine men were attacked by a ghost and died? Far better they died combating Egypt's bandits while on active service, don't you think?"

  "That is true," Massri conceded.

  "You see?" Daffyd said. "We are piecing together a coherent account of what happened. Minister Bashir discovers a description of a lost tomb in Egypt. He packs off the British team so they won't interfere, and hot-foots it down to Egypt to plunder it. Here he discovers the description is inaccurate, so he asks questions of the museum experts and has his co-conspirator Colonel
Sarraj kidnap the principals of the British team while they are holidaying in Libya. Sarraj forces the captives to reveal what they know and sets off with an army guard to plunder the tomb. The museum officers have, in the meantime, suspected his felonious intent due to the loyal revelations of Bashir's secretary, and accompany the army expedition to safeguard any discoveries. They barely find the tomb when they are set upon by bandits who are driven off at the expense of all the army personnel with the exception of Captain Massri, who is wounded. Minister Bashir goes missing..."

  "But he's not missing," Muammar said. "They'll find his body in the shaft when they excavate it."

  "Exactly. He took shelter in the cave and it collapsed on him, killing him, but we don't know that--only that he's gone missing."

  "You think they'll believe it?" Marc asked.

  "If we show a united front."

  "What about the thugs who attacked me in my house?" Zewali asked. "You said the police would track down who sent them. How will that affect the story?"

  "Sarraj didn't want the museum director watching him, so he tried to remove him," Daffyd suggested. "If the police don't make the connection, keep quiet. It was just local thieves breaking in."

  Zewali and Massri contemplated their parts in the cover up, and whether any revelation could show them up in a lie. They looked at each other across the fire and first the captain, and then the scientist, shrugged and acquiesced.

  "It's a reasonable story. I think I can convince my superiors," Massri said.

  Zewali nodded. "I still intend to excavate the tomb, Dr Hanser. Its discovery is a wonderful thing and I cannot allow it to remain hidden. It is a part of Egyptian history."

  "I understand your motivation, Karim," Dani said.

  "Then we're agreed?" Daffyd asked. "Is there anything we've overlooked?"

  "What about Nick?" Marc asked. "He's a news hound. Is he going to be able to control his desires to splash the truth all over the Sunday papers?"

  "Why don't you ask him then?" Nick said. "Instead of talking about me as if I'm not here."

  Marc flushed. "All right then--what about it?"

  "First, I'm a freelance journalist, not a reporter for the Sunday rags. Second, I've agreed to submit anything I write to Dani and Daffyd for their approval before I publish. I'll keep my promise. Is that good enough for you?"

  Marc nodded. "If it's alright with Dani..."

  "It is," Dani said.

  * * *

  The next morning, they drove down to the river and took the ferry across to Luxor, where their story was put to the test.

  Dani, Daffyd, Marc and Muammar gave themselves up to the police and were promptly arrested and jailed. Nazim and Dr Zewali testified that the Libyan and English people had been kidnapped and brought to Egypt against their will. The matter was referred up to the highest levels of government, and an investigation was instituted into the part Syrian Minister Ahmed Bashir had played and his connections with Colonel Michel Sarraj. Dani and her friends were released into the custody of Dr Zewali, until the British Consulate could provide temporary travel documents. The Libyan Embassy would provide similar documents for Muammar al-Hadi.

  Nazim came under suspicion as Bashir's secretary, but Dani gave him a glowing character reference and Dr Zewali, a respected member of the Egyptian scientific community, testified on his behalf, declaring that the plot to plunder ancient artefacts would not have come to light without Mr Manouk's selfless actions.

  Captain Massri reported to the commander of the Luxor army barracks and found himself held for questioning. General Gamal made a special trip down from Cairo and questioned him at length about Colonel Sarraj's actions. After a few days, the General launched a full enquiry into the Colonel's business dealings, arrested Lieutenant Azib, and learned a lot more about Sarraj's intentions, including his political aspirations. Captain Massri was sent back to his unit in Edfu. The police did make the connection between the thugs who broke into Zewali's house and Ali Hafiz, and the agent, who had survived Dani's defence, quickly implicated Colonel Sarraj in yet more wrongdoing.

  Dr Karim Zewali and Dr Hosni Maroun put together an expedition to return to the green mountain to excavate the tomb. While they were gone, Nick came round to Zewali's house armed with tape recorders and notebooks, ready to hear the full story of Scarab. The five of them sat around a large dining room table, and Zewali's housekeeper kept them supplied with coffee and snacks, as well as three meals a day, while Dani recounted the story of the discovery in Syria. Muammar sat in on the sessions, interested in how the whole enterprise had started.

  Nazim had turned over everything that had been confiscated from the British expedition, so Dani was now in possession of the details of the inscription. She was surprised that Nick was so interested in the account and said so.

  "I would have thought your readers would be more interested in the modern day search for the tomb, rather than a long account of dead people."

  "I think many will be," Nick said. "But the account is the guts of the story. Of course I want to know how you found the chambers and what you thought, and how you got into Egypt, but I'm fascinated by Scarab too, and I want her story."

  "One thing worries me right there," Marc said. "You want to know how we got into Egypt, but if you print the true story we get into trouble."

  "I know, and there are ways round that. I've promised I won't say anything that will compromise you, and I really want to know."

  "We trust you, Nick," Dani said. "What exactly do you want to know?"

  "Everything."

  It took several days, working through the journals, poring over photographs of the inscription itself and the artwork on the walls of the chambers, and listening to the tapes made while Dani translated. They took it in turns, working twelve hours a day or more, only stopping for meals, toilet breaks and writer's cramp. When the last words had been copied, the tale brought up to date, Nick threw down the latest stub of pencil and regarded the pile of filled notebooks on the floor beside his chair.

  "That is one hell of a story."

  "A bit long for an article," Daffyd said. "Even a series of articles."

  "Hmm." Nick leafed through the last notebook thoughtfully. "There is another option. I've often thought about writing a novel but I couldn't think of a decent story. Well, you've given me that. I could write this up as a novel--if you had no objection, of course."

  "The finding of the chambers and the tomb? Or Scarab's story?"

  "Both. You couldn't write one without the other."

  "Would you use our real names?" Marc asked.

  "No, and that brings me back to your passage into Egypt. I'd use different names to protect your reputations."

  "They'd still know it was us," Daffyd said. "How many British expeditions investigating Neanderthal migration routes get chucked out of Syria?"

  "Yes, but that's the beauty of a novel as opposed to a scientific article. It's a fictionalised account, so nobody can be quite sure what's true and what's made up. All you'd have to do is deny it and there's nothing anyone could do. Naturally, I'd be as accurate as possible, but I can include all those magic bits and gifts of the gods that I'd have to gloss over in a scientific article. I can tell the whole story."

  "Can I think about it?" Dani asked.

  "Of course. It will take me some time to get this mass of data into some coherent form. Keep in touch, and I'll let you know when I'm ready to start writing."

  * * *

  Dr Zewali returned--in a bad mood. "We could not find the damn thing."

  Daffyd poured him a cup of coffee and took it to where the archaeologist sat glowering in an armchair. "I wouldn't have thought a mountain--even a small one--was easy to lose. Didn't you have the map coordinates?"

  "We had them, and we followed the tyre tracks back for half a day, and then they just petered out."

  "Still, dead reckoning should have got you to familiar territory."

  Zewali sipped his coffee. "You'd think so, wouldn't
you? When we got to the place where I was almost certain it should be, it wasn't. There wasn't a mountain, green or otherwise. No sign of a camp, no abandoned jeep, no mass grave. Nothing."

  "You must have mistaken the place."

  "When I say nothing, we did in fact find the corpse of Colonel Sarraj. It was lying on the surface as if even the desert did not want him. That is how I know it was the right place, but the mountain was gone, taking with it the tomb. If I hadn't seen it for myself, I'd doubt its very existence."

  "A mountain doesn't just disappear."

  "The earthquake," Dani said. "The last big one. It must have swallowed up the tomb."

  "The gods answered your prayer," Marc murmured.

  Zewali grimaced. "It will be there somewhere. The earthquake merely altered the terrain in such a way as to obscure the site. We'll send out another team, and another, until we find it."

  "Good luck," Dani said politely.

  * * *

  Their travel documents came through, courtesy of the British Consulate, so they bade farewell to Dr Zewali and Dr Maroun at the museum, and travelled with Nick and Nazim up to Cairo. Nick was accompanying them back to England, but Nazim was returning to Syria.

  "Are you going to be alright?" Dani asked. "Now that Bashir's out of the picture?"

  "The Ministry has made it plain that my career has been somewhat tainted by my association with ex-Minister Bashir. I have decided to take early retirement and plan on buying a small property near Jarabulus on the Turkish border. I'll grow olives and perhaps even write my memoirs."

  "Scarab's gold will come in handy then."

  Nazim looked startled. "You know about that?"

  Dani smiled. "Scarab said you could take according to your need."

  "So she did."

  "On that note," Marc murmured. He pulled out the four small bars of gold he had removed from the tomb and passed one each to Daffyd, Muammar and Nick. He put the fourth one back in his pocket. "Everyone needs a souvenir or to recoup expenses."

  Nick whistled and stroked the gold. "I'm never selling mine."