The Mummy: The Tomb Robbers' Secret

The Gleam of Jewels, The Glitter of Gold

"Perhaps the gold put a madness on him? Gold can make men do foolish things."

"Yes, I know, we don't need the money, we're already wealthy. I help to handle the financial matters of the estate, if something was wrong, I would know. Father handed over control of our financial affairs to me because he said I was much better at it than him."

She drew in a breath then exhaled, "That's what makes this so strange. He'd be a fool to try to remove these jewels from Egypt, and he knows it's wrong to do it. Now I've got to get these to Lacau and see if my father is in some kind of trouble." Or if he's gone mad, she thought.

He helped her re-pack the diadem and placed it and the other bundle on the camel. "I wish I never saw this," she told him, "But I needed to know. We must get to Cairo as soon as we can, and I want to confront Father. I'm not going to settle for half an answer, he is going to have to tell me what is going on."

Ardeth had only planned to go as far as Minya with her and get her on the boat. Now she felt afraid, fearing that her troubles would not end with her arrival in Cairo. What she carried was too valuable, if anyone suspected what she had she would find herself in jeopardy.

In the brief time they had spent in the desert together she had come to depend on him. With him, she felt protected and secure. She had never envisioned needing anyone, it had always been the other way around—people depended on her. Her father depended on her; she was the one who made sure that the digs ran smoothly. She hired the best diggers, made sure they were fed, saw to it that they were paid on time. Her father lived only to excavate; he was intelligent but his skills as an administrator were no match for hers.

Ardeth said looked at her closely, "Are you all right?"

"No, no I'm not. If I had any idea of what he was up to I would have turned him down. How dare he place me in danger like this?"

"He knows that I know the desert well, and the tribes that live here," Ardeth replied. "There are always bandits, but this stretch of desert is so barren that they do not frequent here—much," he corrected himself. "I sent out word that we would be traveling through here, if there is trouble, we will have help."

"What about the danger that isn't human? We weren't alone in that cave, what if whatever was in there knew about the jewels? What if it decided it wanted them, what if it attached itself to us?"

His hand reached out and touched her shoulder, "You must not think that. We will avoid sleeping in any more tombs. We only have a few more days and will reach Minya and you will be out of the desert and safely on your way to Cairo."

"Will you come with me, please? I know you promised your father you would return but I am afraid and I don't want to be alone. You know I would not ask you this, but I truly need you. Please stay with me until I can turn over my cache to Lacau. Ardeth, for the first time in my life I am afraid to be alone!"

"I will come with you," he answered, "I won't you leave you alone, I fear for your safety. I will stay at your house in Cairo until your father returns, I think that your father may have put you both in danger."

That afternoon exhausted as she was, she could not sleep. When she tried to close her eyes, she would see images from the cave and remembered the hidden eyes that seemed to follow her every move. Even when she drifted off the sleep, she would wake, fearing what she might see in her dreams.

She fell asleep late in the afternoon but while she slumbered, she heard eerie voices wailing in the wind that had sprung up. Wails, cries, and whispers mingled with the voices, calling to her, trying to draw her to them and if she listened, she knew she might be lost forever.

She opened her eyes to see a tall black hooded figure standing at the foot of her cot. He held something in his hand that he aimed at her, and when she saw the white light emanating from it, she began to scream.

Ardeth seemed to jump out of his cot, "What is wrong, why are you screaming?"

"Can't you see it?" she asked, her voice quivering as she struggled not to yield to hysterics, "He was there, there, there at the foot of my cot."

Ardeth put his arms around her shoulders, "Look," he said, his voice gentle but firm, "There is nothing there, you were only having a bad dream. You have barely slept all afternoon and we have a long trek tonight; I want to get you to Minya as soon as I can." Even in the gloom of the tent, violet shadows showed under her eyes. "You are exhausted from the heat; your father never should have sent you on this fool's errand. Try to rest, I will wake you in a few hours."

That night he insisted that she ride with him, he was fearful that she would fall if she tried to ride alone. Rocked by the gentle rhythms of the camel's gait she soon fell asleep and did not wake until they halted for a brief meal.

The few hours of sleep she'd gotten refreshed her and she was able to mount her camel for the rest of their night's ride. That afternoon her sleep was still restless, but the nightmares seemed to abate the further they grew away from the cave and she tried her best not to think about the cargo they carried.

They arrived at last at their journey's end--Minya. Though it was nothing but a small town, the Nile ferries still docked there and took on passengers. She found a small inn where she could rest for the night while Ardeth booked passage for them to Cairo.

Though it was forbidden for a white woman to sleep in the same room as a Bedouin, he spent the night with her, relieved that her sleep was restful at last. They made sure the door to the room was securely locked, then transferred the jewels to her saddlebags.

"No one will know, they won't even guess, anyway, that I'm carrying a fortune in ancient Egyptian jewelry. We leave tomorrow, yes? I'm going to buy fresh clothes in town, for you as well as me. You'll look just like another digger, except for your tattoos, only cleaner and better dressed. They'll think I'm just another mem-sahib and you work for me."

"I work for you, oh yes I do, mem-sahib." He put his arms around her and held her close, he was not looking forward to his return to the desert and it bothered him. They had grown close during this journey, his feelings for her had taken an unexpected turn. This was a thing that could not be and he knew it, but what he felt for the archaeologist's daughter was turning to love and he did not know what to do about it.