The Golden Queen

Twenty Seven

"Ahmose, the tragic king, shall live on forever within these walls. Anyone who disturbs his final resting place shall befall misery and be faced with an eternal curse," I recited, brushing my fingers across the markings. Clair stared at me with wide eyes.

"When did you learn to read Egyptian hieroglyphics?" she asked.

Suddenly, a droplet of water dribbled down my cheek. I held my flashlight up and skimmed over the ceiling, searching for a leak. "Water is dripping into the tomb."

"No, Kara, you're crying!" Clair gasped, handing me her neckerchief. I dabbed my eyes, and realized she was right. My eyes were wet with tears, and my heart was heavy with grief. I recited the inscription over and over in my head, wondering what had made Ahmose's life so tragic. I traced my fingers over his cartouche as memories began to drift to me. There was something I was supposed to remember, something important. The memory was so close, I could almost grasp it, but it was always just out of reach.

Clair and I stepped back, and the diggers began working on the seal, breaking through it with their tools. When the seal was finally cleared, we shined our flashlights into the chamber. I was the first to step through, the first to enter the chamber since the day he was laid to rest, followed by Clair. The diggers remained in the other chamber behind us. My light flashed on the hieroglyphics on the walls that surrounded us. Tall paintings of the pharaoh surrounded by gods were bright with vivid colors. They were the most beautiful paintings I'd ever seen in any tomb.

A glimmer of gold caught my eye, and in the center of the chamber was a shrine. I opened one of its golden doors and saw yet another pair of golden doors. It would take forever to clear all of these shrines out, and I wasn't sure we had enough workers to do it.

"We should come back tomorrow once everyone has rested," Clair said again. I knew she was right, because moving these shrines would take a lot of work and a great amount of care to not damage the mummy inside. Just as we were about to leave, the shrines suddenly vanished, leaving only the sarcophagus inside.

"Incredible," I breathed. I wasn't even surprised to see the shrines dematerialize. Clair didn't seem to notice either. Instead, we both examined the golden lid intently. Adorned with stones and metals, the lid alone was worth a fortune. I peered into the eyes on the lid; a pair of amber gems that stared vacantly into the darkness.

"Gaze into these beautiful eyes," I murmured.

"This is what we've been waiting for," Clair whispered.

I heard a faint sound come from within the chamber. I turned around to see if one of the workers had come in, but they were still in the other chamber. "Did you hear that?" I asked Clair. We were both quiet for a moment, and silence swept over the tomb. The only sound that could be heard was the faint echoes of dust settling around us. I thought I had imagined it, but then I heard it again. I wondered if I was losing my mind, delusional from breathing in the toxic mold that grew in tombs like this. I looked at Clair. She watched the room expectantly, like she had heard it too. Then, there was a strangled cry coming from within the sarcophagus.

Images of Ahmose, bound and trapped underneath the lid, flashed in my mind and filled me with terror. He was groaning, struggling for air, quickly dying in front of us. "He can't breathe!" I screamed and started pushing at the lid of the sarcophagus. It was too heavy for me to budge. "Help me!" I screamed for the workers. They came rushing in moments later, and helped me push the thick lid. It grinded the gold base as it slid over and crashed onto the ground.

I took my flashlight and shined it into the base, searching for Ahmose, planning to pull him free if he was hurt. But when I looked in and saw what was waiting inside, I nearly dropped my flashlight. The workers staggered backwards, and Clair ran out of the chamber and vomited. The light I shined on him shook with my unsteady hand. My face felt cold as the blood rushed out of it. I tried to breathe, but all that would come out were tiny, petrified gasps.