The Mummy: The Tomb Robbers' Secret

Sifting the Sands of Time

Roma picked up two electric torches and handed one to Evelyn. "Now you will see what you needed to wait for, this is a surprise worth seeing. Come." She led her towards the opening in the cliff and entered the tomb.

Evelyn looked in amazement. Instead of being dark as she expected, the corridor was lit by the light of the setting sun, the rays beaming directly upon a carving of Set situated at the very end.

The carving covered most of the wall and the sun's ray hitting it made it seemed to glow in the dying sunlight. Evelyn walked slowly toward it, reaching out a finger to touch the delicate lines only to pull back her hand. To touch it now seemed a heresy.

"I've started to think that perhaps this carving was to represent Pentaweret in the likeness of the god Set," mused Roma, "I think he must have had enemies and was afraid that his grave would be desecrated so he chose to hide it here. It makes me wonder how long he and his mother plotted to assassinate Rameses III, this tomb was never finished but they may have started when he was a young boy. I wonder if he would have built a tomb in the Valley if he succeeded."

"Queen Tiye must have been very sure of herself to take such a risk. I wonder why she didn't kill the heir, too, that would have made sense. I always wondered what happened to her."

"There's no record of her fate but I would not but surprised if she was burned at the stake. That was the punishment for unfaithful wives, and you can hardly be more unfaithful than murdering your husband." Roma snapped her lantern off. "We should go, I smell food cooking and Ardeth's look is telling me he's ready to go back. I want another drink before dinner, and maybe another one after."

They went back to the camp where the workmen had built a fire and sang the praises of the great lady who would help them find rich discoveries and had offered to pay them so well. Two of them were performing dances that Evelyn had seen in an Egyptian nightclub, only the belly dancers had not danced so gracefully or so well.

Roma slept the sleep of the exhausted, but her dreams were uneasy and disturbing. The figure was back, taunting her, "You are in my country now," it said, "There is nothing here to protect you.

She opened her eyes and sat up, certain for a moment that it was standing in the corner of the tent. She sat up, waking Ardeth, who had no such dream, out of a sound sleep.

"What is wrong?" he asked, "Were you having a nightmare? Has this place brought back bad memories?" He put his bare arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him as if he would protect her."

"Maybe we shouldn't have come back, Ardeth, or maybe I am still afraid. I wish I had that reckless courage that Evelyn possesses. I pulled her back this afternoon because I was afraid, not because I wanted her to wait to see the carving until sunset."

Rick and Evelyn slept the sleep of the dead if the dead truly sleep. She, anyway, experienced no nightmares or uneasiness and woke refreshed in the morning.

There were still traces of dark blue in the pink morning sky, and the sun was not yet fully risen when the camp came to life. Smells of onions, lamb, eggs, and spices filled the air as the men emerged from their tents, ready to eat then start their day.

Rick, Ardeth, and the men they'd chosen began to patrol the perimeter of the camp, keeping an eye out for bandits, or rogue archaeologists who might try to claim their concession. Roma and Evelyn entered the tomb, now well-lit with torches and electric lights as the photographer sought the best angles to photograph the tomb walls. Outside the tomb entrance, two workers began sifting sand that had been removed from the tomb, searching for even the tiniest particles that might be important pieces of evidence.