The Golden Queen

Twenty Seven

Twenty Seven

OUR return to the palace was quiet since it was the middle of the night, though the few servants that still stirred were especially happy to see us. Walking down the halls, I was suddenly seized by dread as memories of my last moments here rattled through my mind.

We were both tired, but our minds turned over the horrifying discovery of Ahmose's tomb. And then I recalled his monuments in Karnak. I wondered if I should tell him everything I knew, but his grim expression frightened me. It needed to wait. Tonight, Ahmose needed to be left alone with his thoughts. This was something he had to sort through for himself.

He led me to my old chamber, which appeared exactly as I had left it, my clothing tucked away in my chests, and my cosmetics remained by my vanity. Ahmose came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"I will leave my door open for you tonight," he murmured in my ear. "If you need anything at all, please come to me."

"I will," I promised, and kissed him goodnight.

The next day, I overslept, and Ahmose was already gone from his room. He spent much of the day busy with work, so I took the liberty to finally clean up. The hot bath soothed my dirty skin, and the oils were refreshing.

I fell asleep afterwards, worn from the feelings of foreboding that swirled in my stomach. I needed to rest before seeing Ahmose again, debating when the best time would be to confess all I knew; all I suspected. But rest soon turned into unrest as nightmares filled my head.

In the dream, I was with Clair in present day Luxor. We were on a dig in the Valley of the Kings, when we finally came across a sealed tomb. It was late in the evening, and Clair wanted to wait and open the tomb tomorrow when everyone was well rested, but I prompted we go ahead and open the tomb tonight. We had spent months searching for Ahmose's tomb, and I knew this had to be it.

We opened the tomb. We broke through the seal covering the entrance, and the light from our flashlights flooded into the ancient chamber. I felt no guilt in desecrating the grave, though I knew I should. I coughed as debris filled the air, and when the dust cleared, we could see nothing but gold. It glimmered as our flashlights bounced all over the chamber, searching for a corner that wasn't covered by treasure. We could only find one; a doorway that led to another chamber.

My heart pounded loudly in my ears. Ahmose had to be behind that door; I sensed it as fiercely as the flashlight in my wobbly hand. His mummy would be shrouded in a sanctuary of gold. I started to climb through, but one of the diggers caught my arm. Aunt Clair must have sensed my urgency to examine the mummy. She said, "Wait, Kara! We have to let the air clear first. Plus, we should catalogue all of these artifacts before we advance to another chamber." The dirty air made her cough.

"There's no time!" I replied frantically. It could take years to go through all of these artifacts, and I didn't have the patience to wait so long. Though there was no deadline, we were running out of time. I didn't understand why I felt this urgency to get to Ahmose. After all, he was an ancient king that had lived millennia before me; a man I had never even met. Why should it be so important for me to find him? I didn't know how to put these feelings into words, and I could tell by Clair's expression she wanted an explanation. She made no move to stop me when I climbed into the tomb.

The air was musty. A moldy odor lingered inside, built up from all the years of closure. I ran my fingers lightly over a statue of Ahmose gilded in gold. The dust it left on my fingertips was so thick, it almost covered them entirely. My heart pounded harder as I approached the entryway to the burial chamber. Clair was right behind me, followed by the diggers. The seal over the entryway was covered in hieroglyphics. To my surprise, I could read them perfectly.