“Do you see any swords down there?” Alex did not wait for an answer. “Of course not. They do not even have anywhere to hide a dagger. If you took a moment to look beyond your anger, if you searched your ancient memories, you could have worked out–” Alex stopped himself mid-sentence. There was a short period of silence before he spoke again. “I guess it’s my turn to say sorry. Today has been such a rollercoaster ride. Bast was the final straw. I never believed she would betray us and I can’t –”
Cairo shook his head angrily as he glowered at Alex. He nearly always observed these conversations rather than took part in them, but he cut across Alex in support of Bast. “She never betray us.”
Had Cairo let Alex finish speaking he would have learnt of Alex’s emotional response at seeing Bast, of his initial feelings of betrayal, though much more importantly he would have heard of his belief in her integrity. Alex decided to play devil’s advocate: “What makes you so sure after what we have just seen?”
“Yes, you were as shocked as I was to see her lying there,” added Emmy.
“Shocked yes, but she not betray us because she Ramses Bast, and he never betray us.”
“That is your argument, is it? Well, she is only half Ramses’,” Alex pointed out in his role as advocate.
“Nakhtifi never betray us either.” It was obvious that Cairo was uncomfortable to join the conversation. It was also obvious that Cairo had his own doubts about Bast, doubts he did not want to have.
Alex’s doubts were about his theory. The Egyptian pharaoh Merenptah craving power, the Egyptian pharaoh Psusennes craving silver, ancient Egyptian gold and modern silver making its way to Tanis, Psusennes’ city, an Egyptian city. It had all made such perfect sense, except that they had been on the very edge of Tanis when their buggy had crashed down into a gaping hole. After walking through such a long tunnel, Alex estimated that they had to be in Tanis proper. The undeniable fact that everything here was so Greek when it should have been Egyptian, did not just knock holes in his theory, it blew it wide apart. He told Cairo that he was upset – though not why – however, he was not ready for the reply he received. “I upset with you. You brighter than this.”
“So if I am brighter than this, why don’t you tell me what I have missed?” Alex hoped that Cairo’s ability to sum things up in a few words might offer him some angle he had not thought of; he was going to be disappointed.
“This no good, Mr Alex. I not know what you missed, but Bast on our side.”
“You know that for a fact, huh, or more likely, you don’t want to accept the facts?” Alex considered that he also did not want to accept the facts of what he had seen. So why should Cairo want to accept them? They all had to deal with this perceived betrayal in their own way. He decided to stop playing the devil’s advocate and mellowed. “Cairo, trust me when I say that I want to believe, I really do want to believe that Bast is on our side. Once we are out of here, and we have all had a good night’s sleep, I am sure things will look quite different.”
Cairo perked up because he was now confident that Alex would come up with a reason as to why Bast was where she was, and why she was as relaxed as she was.
“Right now we must focus on getting out of here.” Alex stood.
“Just before we go, dare I ask what they will attack us with if they do not have swords or even daggers?” Emmy now also stood.
“We are all far too stressed by the events of today. I only thought it was important for us to know our enemy, just in case we came across them on the way out of here.”
“It is, of course it is, so do tell me.” Emmy took hold of Alex’s arm.
“Tell us, Mr Alex.”
“They do not need weapons because they must have been trained to deal with any problem by using hand-to-hand combat. A quick jab to the throat, or swift kick between the legs would be their preferred moves, then instantly in for a clean break of the neck. Honestly, these are some of the most dangerous people you will ever meet.”
“Most dangerous!” Emmy said in disbelief. “They were half naked down there. I would fear a soldier much more.”
“That is my point. That is exactly my point. Come across an ancient soldier, even if his sword is not raised, even if he is leaning on a wall and looks half asleep, and every part of you will be in defensive mode.”
“I be in run mode.”
“Exactly, Cairo. See a pretty girl coming towards you, and you are only likely to think defensively when it is too late. And that does not only go for us boys, because I tell you, Emmy, you would be exactly the same. Who in their right mind would perceive an unarmed girl, who is not much older than us, to be a threat?”
“They ancients, Mr Alex. They thousands of years old.”
“Yes, Cairo,” Alex said with an exasperated sigh, “you know exactly what I meant. Looking at them they look about our age. Possibly a year or two older. They look innocent. THAT is what makes them dangerous. Do you agree with me, Cairo?”
“Yes, Mr Alex, I do. I will protect us. I check out all breasts from now on. It my duty.”
Alex and Emmy were unable to do anything except laugh. As they walked on Cairo expanded on how he was going to do this and that he would not enjoy doing so, it was only so that they would all be safe. This was the release they needed. Now all they had to do was get out of here, and then find somewhere to eat, drink and sleep. Only after that could they start to work out what was actually going on.
A few minutes of walking brought a heavily guarded door into view. It was still someway off in the distance, though it was clear to see that the corridor widened as it reached the door. It had to if it was to accommodate all the soldiers around it. There were easily enough to form a small garrison. Some were sitting, others were resting, though more than enough remained on guard.
“This is the exit we have been looking for. Can you see the light around the door?” Emmy and Cairo could indeed see a pencil thin strip of light around the entire door frame. “To be that bright it cannot be anything except sunlight.”
“Okay, simple, we kill all the soldiers and walk out.”
“That is not helpful, Emmy.”
“Then do either of you have a better idea?”
“I think we do your idea.”
“You are joking, Cairo, aren’t you?”
“We walk out. We stand here now and nobody take notice of us. We walk out.”
“Yes, but we are still quite a long way from the door.” Alex looked towards the door and indeed nobody was taking any notice of them.
“But why they check who walks out? They only check who walks in.”
“Cairo has a point,” Emmy said. “We are all the right colour. We look like Egyptians.”
This was a simple fact, though it was one which had escaped Alex. His skin colour was slightly darker than that of an average Egyptian. Emmy and Cairo both had the perfect Egyptian skin tone. There was just one thing. He looked at Emmy and said, “What you are wearing would only ever be worn by an ancient Egyptian male, and you are far too beautiful to be any male.”
Emmy was thrilled.
“We cut your hair off. All of it,” Cairo said. “We just need good knife.
Emmy was less than thrilled.
They could make out several exits on the left of the corridor, all of which were a good distance before they reached the soldiers. Walking slowly towards the exit, they took the first opportunity to step out of the corridor.
“Whoops!” Emmy said very softly.
“Whoops indeed!” Alex replied just as softly.
They had entered a room full of sleeping soldiers. Wooden bunks filled every centimetre of the room and each bunk was occupied. Emmy turned to step straight back out.
“No,” Alex said as he blocked her exit. “If we stepped back into the corridor so quickly the soldiers by the exit would take notice of us. And we do not want that.”
Emmy could not disagree, but there was no way she wanted to remain where she was.
Cair
o tugged at her ‘galabeya’ as he pointed beyond the arms and legs, which freely dangled from every bed, to a small area at the far end of the room. The bunks there had been pushed aside to make way for the soldiers’ previous evening’s entertainment. Cairo did not bother to whisper as he said, “They so drunk, they cannot snore. We okay here.”
Emmy relaxed somewhat.
“Cairo’s right, you know. Not one of them is snoring. That’s unheard of.”
“They been drinking soldier beer. They not wake today. They get money, they party hard, they dead to world. I show you.” Cairo stepped over, hit a soldier, and he hit him hard. Alex and Emmy were ready to run, though to where was their immediate problem, back to where Bast was, or to the exit. Whichever way they went, they were going to be caught. Stay here and the soldier would slay them. They spun around and then spun around again in indecision. However, they need not have panicked. The soldier did not budge. “See, soldier beer. Nothing like it.”
“And you know this, how? … No … don’t tell me, Ropet and Sanuba.”
“Yes, Mister Alex. Told you, you clever.”
The room proved to be perfect. They ‘borrowed’ three head scarfs. Alex and Cairo quickly wrapped theirs around their heads in typical Egyptian style. It took Emmy several failed attempts before she asked the boys for help. She was unable to make all of her hair stay up. In the end it took both Alex and Cairo to wrap the scarf tightly enough for her hair to be hidden from view.
“You had better walk between us,” Alex said.
“What if they search us for any gold that we might be stealing?”
“I really do not know. Look at it like this, if they do search you, they will not be checking if you are a boy or a girl. They will only be looking for gold.” Alex looked at her face and then moved his eyes down. “Oh, you need another scarf and it needs to be tight.”
Cairo was more than happy to help, and moved closer to do so. Emmy pushed him away with a single hand on his forehead. “This,” she insisted, “I can do for myself.”
A few more minutes had to pass before they could start their walk towards the exit. Emmy had struggled to tie the scarf tight enough in order to hide her burgeoning womanhood. She had, however, remained insistent that she did not require any assistance. Having finally succeeded Alex walked on the left, Cairo on the right, with Emmy in-between. Nerves were at an extreme as they headed toward the door that would either grant, or deny, them freedom.
Emmy became increasingly unsteady on her legs. She wished that the scarfs around her head and chest had not been tied quite so tightly. Her head was throbbing and she was having difficulty breathing. Aware of her faltering, the boys took hold of an arm each. Two standing ancient soldiers in particular were now paying far too much attention to them. The youngsters took just a few more paces before one of the soldiers turned away to voice his concerns to the seated soldier in charge. From the amount of superfluous gold on his uniform he had to be the one in charge.
Cairo spoke loudly, so now all the soldiers by the exit were looking at them. Far too many eyes stared directly at Emmy. It was then that she went totally limp, her head dropped forward and her feet dragged behind her. The boys struggled even more than they already were. They could not, and would not, let her drop to the floor. Alex did not have the faintest idea what Cairo was up to, because he had spoken in the ancient Egyptian language that he knew. The language of the soldiers. However, Alex’s main concern was not the soldiers, though they were a real concern, it was keeping Emmy’s head scarf in place without looking as though he was keeping it in place. Thankfully, as her head had slumped, it made it far less obvious that she was a girl, because it was nigh on impossible to see her face, but should her long black hair fall out they would be undone. If it stayed in place perhaps they still had a chance. Alex really hoped so.
There was much arm waving by the soldier in charge. Soldiers now moved with a certain haste to block their way. Cairo again spoke loudly. This time it caused all the soldiers to laugh, so Alex also laughed. Cairo turned his head and shouted at Alex. He really shouted angrily. Alex looked suitably chastised, though he had no idea what Cairo was up to. The soldiers laughed even more. Some made whooping noises. Those who moved to block their exit moved aside. The soldier in charge, with a simple flick of his hand, had the door opened for them. They walked between the laughing and whooping soldiers. Both Alex and Cairo received several pats on their backs as they passed. Just a few paces more and they were outside, blinded by the sun. The sound of the door as it was slammed behind them was, at that moment, the most beautiful sound in the world.
“Well, look at it this way, the good news is that we got out of there without being captured and put to death.” Alex’s eyes were adjusting quickly. There was nothing except sand for as far as the eye could see. “The bad news is that we are now either going to die from thirst or starvation.” Cairo went to speak, but Alex stopped him. “Don’t say a word, I know that we will die of thirst long before we starve. I have had that conversation before. I was just being–”
Alex never got chance to finish his sentence and Cairo never got the chance to warn him of impending danger. Sand took the form of two people as it rose up either side of them. Alex did not see what hit him, Cairo only managed a fleeting glance. They were both as dead to the world as Emmy. All three of them hit the ground.
Chapter 21
-
North South Argument
“What the hell were you doing coming out of there dressed like that?” Alex was hearing the words, but his head hurt so much he was unable to make any sense of them. “We have been planning for ages to grab a couple workers, and you had to come along and ruin everything. Have you got any idea how hot it was waiting under the sand? We boiled!”
“Don’t be so hard on the boy,” Alex heard a man’s voice say. He had tried opening his eyes, but the swirling colours of his blurred vision just made him feel sick.
“We had reconnoitred that exit for days. It was a perfect plan until you mucked everything up, just as you always do. I thought that I had made it perfectly clear that I never, but you really don’t get it, do you, so I shall say it again for clarity, I NEVER wanted to see you again.”
Alex wondered if he was dead, but if he was, then this most certainly was not any afterlife he wished to be in.
“All that planning, all that effort, and for what!”
The voice started to have a familiar ring about it. The extremely unreasonable attitude most certainly did. He was in a seated position and he was not tied, so though he was feeling the hostility, he doubted that whoever was doing the shouting was hostile to their cause. Immediately he deeply regretted tipping his head back as where he had been hit collided with the wall behind. He let out a scream.
“You still scream like a girl. Thought you might have manned up by now. I suppose you still run like a girl?”
“That’s enough,” the male voice said.
Alex collapsed to the floor upon receiving a violent kick to the shin. He thought he heard feet walking away. He knew that he heard a door slam. The shock waves reverberated around his head. “Kate!” he said.
“Yes, Kate,” came back at him from close by. “She in one really bad mood. David warn me, so I say nothing and keep eyes closed.”
“Are you okay, Cairo?”
“Kate really hit you hard. Glad David hit me. He not so strong.”
“Here,” David said as he lifted Alex back into a seated position, “take some water.” He held out two pottery mugs.
“Is Emmy okay?” Alex asked as he took the water.
“Better than you I would say. She has eaten and bathed. Now she is sleeping.” David topped their mugs up.
“Where … where are we?”
“You are in Tanis.”
Alex was already confused, but this information from David confused him even more, as David and Kate should have been in Amarna, not Tanis. He tipped the mug of water over his head. It was cold and it did the
job of awaking him. “I needed that.” He held his mug out for more. To save effort David poured the ice-cold water over Alex’s head. “I’m awake; I was going to drink that!”
“Oh, sorry, my mistake.” David went to the far side of the room. He returned with fresh water.
Alex was at the stage of opening one eye at a time. He could focus using one eye. They were failing dismally to work as a pair, though things were definitely improving.
“I can see that you are confused,” David said as he watched Alex take in the room. “As I was saying to Cairo before Kate stormed in, we are in ancient Tanis. I am well known here and this house is quite safe. To say that I am well known here is a little bit of an exaggeration, but at least I do not have any enemies here, none of us do. At least I don’t think that we do! Tanis is a generally peaceful place. It is not at all like Amarna, here we can associate freely. There is no Nefertiti type ego here, therefore we do not have to deal with any harsh rules. This is a major trading city, so even us talking English is not a problem. There are so many foreign traders that every imaginable language is spoken.”
“But all ancients … well most anyway, speak English.” Alex was unable to take anything in his current state. Had he been able to, he would have registered that David had said that they were in ancient Tanis. They had stepped back to the time of the ancients, where they spoke ancient Egyptian and possibly some Greek. This was a time long before the people around them had died, had become ancients, and by Alex’s time spoke English, the universal language of the ancients in the twenty-first century. “Why did you attack us?”
“We needed to know what was going on inside. It was Kate’s idea to–”
Alex raised a hand, “Kate’s idea, say no more.” He really did not look too good.
“You both need a bath, bed, and tomorrow is a new day. Hopefully by breakfast Kate may have calmed down a little, though I do not hold out high hopes of that. She is a very difficult girl.”
Gold of the Ancients Page 16
