Cursed Times - Only Yesterday! Sequel to Wattys 2015 winner!

Chapter 29: Metjen - Night at the Museum Part 2

Metjen inhaled to calm down his ragged breathing, raised his bandaged arms over his head and lurched into the room, mumbling to himself.

'Four long shendyts, embroidered. Four short shendyts, plain. '

On the right, Metjen spotted Seisi gripping an amulet. He had started speaking an invocation, sweat beading his brow. Metjen wondered which spell his friend had been about to use.

Trueth was hiding among the boxes at the back, all he could see was an arm and a hand, the palm glowing in blue. She too must have been ready to tackle the intruders. Instead, she waved once and withdrew her hand.

'Three pleated linen robes bearing the insignia of Ra, Osiris,... .'

The three intruders had been focussing on Seisi, but now whirled around to face the newcomer. They froze in mid movement, their eyes widening with shock. The man closest to Metjen dropped his gun, metal hit concrete with a clink. Fortunately there was no bang, the weapon had still been secured. Guard number two dropped his jaw as well as something else, the smell of urine hit Metjen's nose despite the wrappings he was swathed in.

'Several pairs of leather sandals in all sizes, a spear encrusted with jewels - that can't be one of ours, must be Pharaoh at it again... .'

The guardsmen screamed, Metjen shuffled to the side to free the entrance and the intruders fell over each other in their desperate effort to flee from the room. Their panic echoed through the basement, until all was quiet again.

Seisi attached his amulet back on the necklace he hid under his galabiya and observed him from top to bottom. 'Your methods are unconventional for certain.'

Trueth's dusty mop rose above the boxes like a scruffy princess in a Punch and Judy show. 'Blimey, finally I get my walking mummy.'

Metjen realised he still held his arms in the air, lowered them and spoke the invocation in reverse. The air around him shifted and his body emerged from the wrappings. He scratched his itching arms.

'Fleas?' Trueth asked helpfully and climbed down from her crates.

Seisi compressed his lips to a thin line. 'I was ready to use the Claws of Anubis, I really do not do this often enough, it might have gone wrong.'

'And I was about to knock them out, I just couldn't warn you, Sei. Guys looked like they had itchy trigger fingers,'Trueth said.

Seisi straightened the arms of his garment. 'How about mind-calling?'

She shrugged. 'Can't. Would have to touch you for it.' She poked Metjen's shoulder. 'Hey Your Wisdom, can you explain how they found us? My understanding was these guards would be asleep?'

'Call me by that title once more and you'll regret it. Otherwise, I would say our lookout thinned the veil too much,' Metjen said. 'They must have heard the noise.'

Oh, now it is my fault?

'The boxes you were after are over there,' Trueth pointed over her shoulder. 'Seisi had them nicely sorted, when these guys barged in. Maybe we should get a move on. I'd imagine, it won't take them long to work out that somebody has tricked them.'

Metjen nodded. 'Sod caution.' He sent out his ka and scanned the boxes. No walking sticks. Why was he not surprised? He should have done this earlier and saved them all a lot of time.

'Could it be in another room. Or another box. Or another museum maybe?' Trueth asked.

'Father says no.' Metjen patted dust from his trousers. 'If the thing isn't upstairs, which it isn't, then it could only have been here. The sticks on loan at other collections are not what we need.'