by Tom Hunter
Shaking his head to wipe out bad memories, Basile decided to do a circuit of the camp and make sure that everyone was observing the appropriate safety protocols. Maybe he was just a superstitious old fool, but you could never be too careful. If his Chief Engineer had been as cautious, his accident would never have happened.
He headed over to where archaeologists were uncovering a new section of the burial network.
“No need to stop what you’re doing,” he told them. “I’m just here to observe.”
They’d already uncovered what looked like the entrance to a completely new tomb and were working to secure it before entering the tunnel that led into an underground network. There were statues and carvings dotted around the entrance. Although the writing had been worn away by the sand and was no longer legible, the design of the statues alone revealed plenty about who might have been interred here. It looked like they were dealing with a member of the nobility. With any luck, their final resting place would contain a wealth of treasure that would have academics salivating the world over.
“Make sure you put up support as you go,” he advised. “See that section over there?”
The team looked at where Basile was indicating. “As you’re digging, you can see pieces of dirt falling through,” he told them. “That’s a sign that you haven’t shored it up properly. Add a few more crosspieces before you dig any deeper otherwise you could be in trouble later.”
“Will do,” nodded the team leader, motioning to a couple of men to follow Basile’s suggestion.
Basile waited for a few minutes until he was satisfied that the section was safe before moving on to another group. As he made his way through the extensive camp, he was glad to see that there were minimal issues to advise on. It was always good when your team paid attention to you.
However, Basile missed the thrill of being the first to break through the dirt in a brand new chamber. He’d never forget the moment he’d broken through into the tomb of a cousin of Pharaoh Amanineteyerike. Nothing can quite describe the smell that emanates from an ancient Egyptian sepulcher as fresh air hits the mummified remains of animals and servants placed there to accompany the dead King when he enters the afterlife.
Maybe when Samuel was back to relieve him of his leadership duties, Basile could take his turn in unearthing some of the tomb. This site was one of the most extensive he’d ever worked on. They were likely to be here for some months yet, if not years. He only hoped the Ministry would be willing to continue funding when they ran over schedule. It wouldn’t be first time a site had been damaged because work had stopped when money had dried up. Given the quality of what they’d already uncovered, it would be a shame if that happened here.
He walked towards the section of the site set aside for the grunts, the unqualified camp supporters who did all the donkey work, loading and carrying equipment to support the archaeologists. The work was poorly paid and heavy going, so Basile always made a point of letting the men know how much he appreciated what they did. Without them, his job would be infinitely harder.
“Ah, Basile! Just the man I was hoping to see.”
Basile’s heart sank as he saw Waleed approaching. The self-appointed ‘leader’ of the camp supporters, the man always seemed to think he knew best, despite not having any experience at a dig as far as Basile could tell. Still, manners cost nothing, so he smiled, covering his distaste.
“Waleed. Everything going well, I trust?”
“I’m afraid not, my friend.” Waleed shook his head, frowning slightly. “It is the workers. I hear that you have allowed them to take a break when they have barely done any work.”
“That’s not quite accurate,” Basile began, but Waleed spoke over him.
“You need to be much firmer with them,” Waleed said. “More like your colleague, the American. I fear that the workers are taking advantage of your good nature. You need to treat them like the simpletons they are. Tell them what to do and accept no excuses. Otherwise you’ll be paying them to sit around sunning themselves and I’m sure the Ministry would take a dim view of such a waste of funds.”
“Thank you for your input.” Basile bristled at the implied threat. “I’m sure that Samuel would be on top of things were he here, but right now he isn’t, so we do things my way. A kind word has always worked wonders to keep me working at my very best and I like to treat people as I expect to be treated.”
“Of course, of course, my friend.” Waleed clapped Basile on the back. “I only wish to help. I do not mean any--how you say?--offense. In fact, I was just about to go and assist with the packing of the scrolls and relics ready for shipping. Shall we meet at the stacks later? I have a few more ideas I would like to discuss with you that I think will make the dig truly successful.”
“Thank you. Yes.” Basile’s brow furrowed as he watched Waleed walk away. If he was only going to help pack the artifacts now, how could he have known about the short break he’d just given the men? Basile shrugged a little Gallic shrug. In a camp like this, where everyone was on top of everyone else, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that news traveled fast.
Seven
Josh and Nafty crowded round Samuel as he played them the footage he’d shot inside the cave system. When the recording finished, the three men looked at each other, Samuel smiling smugly at the stunned expressions on his colleagues’ faces.
“And this is where the door appeared?” Nafty went over to the wall that had been transformed by the ritual, running his hands over the smooth surface that gave no hint of the secret it concealed.
“That’s right,” Samuel confirmed. “I filmed the doors to demonstrate that there was definitely something worth investigating here, but I sealed them up again without going through. I promised Basile that I wouldn’t touch anything if there proved to be a hidden chamber until he could be here with me. I think he’s feeling nostalgic for the days when he and I were the first to go into a new site back before he was promoted.”
“He wouldn’t mind that much, surely?” suggested Nafty. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to look at what’s inside so that we have actual evidence to take back to the Ministry? A couple of pretty doors aren’t really proof of anything. With funding so difficult to get hold of right now, you’ll need something pretty compelling to convince them to expand the excavation area to this cave, especially since you’ve already run over budget with the extended dig. I’m sure that Basile would rather you were able to continue working on the existing site than lose it all because of some silly promise.”
“Maybe,” Samuel conceded, “but there’s still further investigation that needs to be carried out on the doors before I can be sure of what’s going on here. There’s a lot that doesn’t add up. I mean, I’m pretty certain that it wasn’t really a pair of ancient goddesses who opened the doors for me, so there’s clearly something else going on with the ritual I performed. This cave has technology that’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before. I need to date the doors to confirm that they really are what they appear to be and I’ve left the necessary equipment back at the dig site.”
“Of course you have,” snorted Josh. “It would have been far too easy to bring everything you need with you.”
“I thought I had,” Samuel confessed. “I guess I must have misplaced it back in my tent.”
“What, like the time you misplaced that piece of mosaic in your dirty laundry?” Josh raised an eyebrow. “You do realize that you are supposed to look after Ministry equipment and not treat your tent like a dumping ground?”
“I know where everything is,” Samuel protested. “Just because it looks chaotic doesn’t mean that it’s not organized.”
“Uh-huh. Which is why you remembered to bring everything you needed for this investigation. Oh wait…”
“Instead of being snarky, why don’t you take us to the dig site so I can fetch my equipment?” Samuel suggested. “The helicopter can get us back without any more drama, can’t it?”
“Should be able to,�
� Josh replied. “Unless there are any more invisible caves lurking about for me to fly into. When do you want to leave?”
“How does now sound?”
The two men turned to leave, but Nafty put out a hand to stop them. “We shouldn’t go yet,” he said.
“Why not?” asked Samuel, while Josh huffed impatiently, shaking his head at the interruption. “We’ve got everything we can for now. The sooner we go, the sooner we can get back and investigate more.”
“There’s still a chamber none of us have seen,” Nafty pointed out. “You’ve confirmed that there aren’t any armed men in there. They would have shot at you when they saw the door open, so it’s perfectly safe to enter. I think we should go in and see what’s really there. What if it’s empty? Do you really want to waste time and even more resources on an empty tomb?”
“It won’t be empty,” Samuel assured him. “Besides, the technology alone makes this place worth investigating. Whatever happens, we won’t be wasting our time.”
“But that’s the point!” Nafty whined. “Do you really think the ancients would have put such measures in place to protect nothing? There will be untold treasure hiding behind those doors. It would be so much better if we took a little…”
“And there it is. Your true colors at last.” Samuel shook his head in disgust. “This has everything to do with you wanting to line your own pockets, hasn’t it?”
“Of course not! How dare you!” Nafty narrowed his eyes, stepping forward to stand toe to toe with the taller American. “Just because I want to have something for my troubles doesn’t mean that I don’t care about the excavation. I nearly died getting here. I deserve a little reward.”
“You greedy, shortsighted-” began Samuel, but Josh interrupted him.
“It’s fine,” he said. “Let’s leave Nafty here while you and I go back to camp. I’m sure he’ll be able to figure out how to conjure up the doors in the week or so it’ll take for us to come back here from the Ministry with permission to investigate. In the meantime, he can loot the secret chamber to his heart’s content.”
“Good idea,” Samuel smirked. “I hope you’re good at water divining, Nafty. A man can go for weeks without food, but water? Out here in the desert, you’d be lucky to last a day, although since it’s cooler in the cave, you might be able to push that to three, so you’d only miss our return by a few days. Initially, the lack of water will just make you a little bit irritable and foul tempered.”
“No change there then,” broke in Josh.
“Right,” Samuel agreed. “As the thirst kicks in, your body will start to retain whatever moisture it can. This means that your kidneys will send less water to the bladder, so when you take a wiz and your urine’s black, you know you’re in trouble and really need to drink something. But since you won’t have any water to hand, your temperature will go up because you’ll stop sweating and your heart will beat faster to try and cope with the fact that your blood has thickened.
“But that’s just the start. Eventually, your blood will become so concentrated that your skin will shrivel because there isn’t enough blood pumping through your body to hydrate it. Your blood pressure drops and you’ll suddenly find yourself on the floor because you’ve fainted. I hope you don’t knock your head against the stone. Concussion can be a real bitch.”
Josh sniggered as Samuel continued.
“Since your blood pressure is so low, your body will stop sending blood to the organs it considers less important, like your kidneys and gut. Since your kidneys will stop functioning, waste products will quickly build up in your blood stream. You’ll be literally dying for a drink. Then you can take your pick. Go out to the desert and overheat your vital organs so you die of liver failure or stay cool in the cave and let kidney failure take you. It’s entirely up to you, so pick your poison.”
Nafty’s usual olive complexion was now firmly green.
“All right, all right, I give in!” The man threw up his hands in surrender, racing back to the helicopter before him.
“The poor man’s probably feeling very thirsty all of a sudden,” laughed Josh. “Do you think you might have gone a little overboard?”
“Nah.” Samuel shrugged, a self-satisfied look on his face. “I was never really serious about leaving him here. If need be, I would have just knocked him out and carried him back to the helicopter myself. I didn’t go to all the trouble of saving his life just to let him throw it away.”
He grinned. “Still, it was fun winding him up like that. Did you see his face?”
Josh laughed as the two men made their way to the helicopter.
Eight
Josh carefully eased the helicopter down to land on the temporary helipad laid out near the dig site. The sun had long since set, so he had to rely on the small colored lights marking out the space to guide him, but he still managed to make a perfect landing that was a world apart from their near crash at the cave.
Despite the lateness of the hour, the site was a hive of activity, powerful floodlights illuminating the dig with a bright, white, artificial light that was almost painful to look at. The archaeologists who were working on unearthing the site wore lights on their helmets so that they could see what they were doing, while workers carried flashlights that were almost redundant in the glare from above.
“Good old Basile,” chuckled Samuel as he disembarked. “Always puts safety first!”
Nafty climbed out and stood next to him, gazing around the site.
“I bet that they don’t find anything here that’s half as impressive as what we’ve just left behind,” he muttered bitterly to himself, as he turned and started to unload equipment from the helicopter.
“All right, gentlemen. This is where I’ll leave you,” Josh announced from the pilot’s seat, checking dials and flicking switches to prepare the helicopter for immediate takeoff.
“Are you not going to get some rest first?” Samuel asked.
Josh shook his head. “I’m heading back to Cairo for a refuel in case the Ministry decides to send me straight out again. You never know with those bureaucrats. Rest doesn’t seem to factor into their plans. Apparently I can fly for days without a break and it’s perfectly fine.”
“Why don’t you stay here?” Samuel offered. “I’m sure we can find you a spare bed somewhere in camp. It’s been a long day for all of us and I’d feel better knowing that you had some shut eye.”
“I’m all right.” Josh reassured him. “I’d much rather go for another hour or two and collapse into my own soft bed than lie awake all night itching from sand or worrying that a poisonous insect is going to take a chunk out of me.”
“Fair enough,” laughed Samuel, helping Nafty take out the last of their gear. He saluted the pilot, then slid shut the helicopter door. Samuel and Nafty headed over to their camp, bags slung over their shoulders, as Josh took off into the night sky.
Seeing their approach, a number of porters rushed forward to take their bags. Samuel handed over most of the equipment, making sure that he kept tight hold of the holorecorder and his notes. He wasn’t going to let them out of his sight until he’d had a chance to submit his report to the Ministry.
As he juggled his things to make sure that he didn’t give the porters anything important, Samuel failed to notice Nafty slipping away into the camp.
“Samuel, my friend! Good to have you back with us.”
Samuel plastered on a fake smile, as Waleed strode towards him, arms spread out to give him a welcoming hug. His hands full of equipment, Samuel awkwardly leaned towards Waleed, as he squeezed him tightly, patting him on the back.
“We were all so worried about you,” Waleed told him. “Your poor colleague Basile was beside himself. I had to reassure him that you were fine, wherever you were.” A cunning look flashed over his face too quick for Samuel to notice. “Where were you again?”
“Oh, just out in the desert,” replied Samuel lightly, vaguely gesturing out towards the sand dunes with his head. “I figu
red that with such an impressive haul here, there might be something else worth exploring nearby, but we got lost and only just found our way back.”
“Then we are doubly blessed!” cried Waleed. “First for you finding your way and second for you coming back safe to us. I do not know what we would do without you to lead the excavation.”
“Samuel!”
“Basile!” Samuel’s smile was genuine this time as he turned to greet his friend.
“Did you enjoy your vacation while you left us to slave away in your name?” asked Basile.
“Any chance to have a break from you,” Samuel quipped. Waleed stepped closer to the two men so he could hear their discussion, but Samuel shooed him away. “Sorry, Waleed. Could you give us some time alone? Basile and I have some things we need to talk about.”
“Of course.” Waleed pressed his hands together, bowing his head a little, before turning and going back to the camp.
Samuel waited until he was out of hearing before turning to Basile and leading him away from the porters so no one else could eavesdrop.
“So?” asked Basile excitedly. “Did you have any luck?”
“And then some,” grinned Samuel. “You wait until you see the footage I got.”
“The map was right then,” beamed Basile. “I had a good feeling about it.”
“Yeah, the map told us a lot.” Samuel sighed, the loss of the map still smarting. “I wish I had had more time to study it. I could have learned so much from it.”
“What do you mean?” Basile’s ears pricked up. “Why can’t you study it anymore? What have you done with it?”
“We had a bit of drama on the way to the site,” Samuel explained. “Josh lost control of the helicopter and the map was lost in the confusion.”
“Lost?” Basile screeched before he could stop himself. “Lost?” he hissed, lowering his voice to a whisper so no one else could hear. “How could you be so careless? That map was priceless!”
“I know, but we found something better,” Samuel soothed.
