‘That’s right,’ she told him. ‘We managed to save some of the plans, which say it’s their primary objective.’
‘But we have found no such statue in the outer tomb.’ He thumped his fist against the imposing bronze barrier. ‘This door has been closed for centuries. Nobody could know what is inside. And there are no mentions of a statue of Bucephalus in the texts describing the tomb. I know this for a fact; I have read every one of them.’
‘Then maybe they’ve got a text you haven’t,’ said Eddie.
He folded his arms. ‘I doubt that. And why would they want to steal this one statue alone, and ignore the other treasures?’
Nina hesitated before answering, unsure how much she should reveal to the Egyptian archaeologists — and to Macy, for that matter. But she decided that since they could be at risk if the raiders carried out their plan, they had a right to know. ‘From what we’ve learned, they think the statue will lead them to the Spring of Immortality.’
The revelation produced different reactions from her audience: puzzlement from Macy, surprise from Dina, a look of uncertainty from Habib. But it was Banna’s response that was the most clear and forceful. ‘Hra’!’ he scoffed in Arabic, drawing a disapproving glare from Assad, before continuing: ‘You believe the Alexander Romance?’
‘I don’t believe or disbelieve it at this stage,’ Nina insisted. ‘The point is, whoever these people are, they believe it. And since they’re willing to kill for what they believe, I’m taking the possibility seriously. And so should you.’
‘The Romance is fiction, a fairy tale!’ said Banna. ‘It is not even correct on simple historical facts.’ He searched his memory for an example. ‘Like the role of Ariobarzanes.’
‘Who’s he?’ Eddie asked.
Nina knew the name. ‘In the Romance, he was one of the men who killed Darius, the last ruler of the Persian Empire. Alexander wanted to capture Darius alive, but his own people murdered him first.’
‘So says the Romance,’ Banna continued. ‘But according to the actual chroniclers of history, Ariobarzanes was killed by Alexander and his men at the Battle of the Persian Gates, half a year before Darius died!’
‘Well, that depends which chronicler you’re reading,’ Nina countered. ‘He was killed in battle, or he and his officers surrendered to Alexander, or he survived the Persian Gates and was killed while trying to return to Persepolis. Those are all from accepted historical records — but they’re also all mutually exclusive.’
‘But what you are talking about is fantasy, not history. Giant crabs! Invisible men with whips! Six-eyed horses! It is all nonsense — amusing nonsense, yes, it is very entertaining. But it is not true.’
‘The people who tried to kill Nina obviously think it is,’ said Macy, defending her friend.
Assad intervened once again. ‘There is a simple way to find out. When we open the tomb tomorrow, if there is indeed a statue of Bucephalus inside, then perhaps we should give the possibility more thought.’
‘It would prove nothing,’ insisted Banna. ‘I will be surprised if there is not a statue of Bucephalus in the burial chamber. Alexander and his horse were almost inseparable.’ He shook his head. ‘The world’s most famous archaeologist,’ the words oozed with disdain, ‘believes that the Spring of Immortality is real. What is next? Noah’s Ark? Pandora’s Box?’
‘I dunno, maybe Atlantis?’ Eddie said sarcastically. ‘Oh, wait, Nina’s found that already. Or Hercules — no, hang on, she found his tomb an’ all.’
‘And the Pyramid of Osiris,’ Macy added. ‘And the city of El Dorado, and King Arthur’s tomb…’
Assad chuckled at the younger Egyptian’s growing annoyance. ‘I think Dr Wilde has proven her credentials, don’t you, Ubayy?’
Scowling, Banna spoke in tight-lipped Arabic to the government official. Assad grudgingly conceded some point, then faced Nina. ‘You know that I will always listen to you, Dr Wilde. But Ubayy reminded me that this is his dig; I put him in charge myself! So when the burial chamber is opened—’
‘I never wanted to step on anybody’s toes,’ said Nina, raising her hands in conciliation. ‘My number one concern is to protect a major archaeological site — and my own life, of course! But it looks like you’ve got everything covered.’
‘I certainly hope so.’ Another exchange in Arabic, then Assad checked his watch. ‘It is getting late, and I’m sure you are tired after such a long journey. I suggest that for now, we leave Dr Banna and his team to continue their preparations, and return here tomorrow morning to observe as they open the tomb. Deyab will take you to your hotel, and anywhere else you wish to go.’
‘That sounds good,’ said Nina, nodding. ‘I could use something to eat.’
‘Yeah,’ Eddie agreed. ‘Last thing I ate was on the plane, and even in first class it doesn’t really count as food.’
‘You will not have trouble finding a good meal in Alexandria,’ Assad assured them. ‘And while you are eating, I am sure you will have much to talk about.’
6
‘The thing with the Alexander Romance,’ said Nina, gesticulating with one hand while she stabbed a fork at her plate with the other, ‘is that it’s impossible to know which parts are the original and which were added by later authors. Even the so-called “A-text”, which is the earliest known complete recension, comes from at least five hundred years after Alexander’s death. We don’t even know the identity of the original author — it’s usually accredited to a figure known as “pseudo-Callisthenes”, the real Callisthenes being a historian who accompanied Alexander on his campaigns. But Alexander had him executed,’ she chopped her fork and the piece of lamb impaled upon it through the air to illustrate, ‘five years before his own death, and besides, the writing style doesn’t match. So we know it wasn’t—’
Macy, whose eyes had begun to flicker wearily during the meal, slumped forward in her seat, snapping awake just in time to prevent herself from face-planting into her tahini salad. ‘Guh! Sorry, it’s okay, I was listening,’ she mumbled apologetically. ‘What was that about the A-Team?’
Eddie laughed. ‘Now you know how I feel every time Nina goes off on one.’ Deyab, who had eventually been cajoled into joining the group for dinner, tried to hide his amusement.
‘It’s not my fault if you don’t want to pay attention,’ Nina objected. ‘But even though the more fantastical elements of the Romance aren’t included in the A-text, that doesn’t necessarily mean they were added later. They could have been excised precisely because they felt out of place in what that particular version’s editor considered a serious account of Alexander’s life… Eddie, you’re not funny.’
Her husband had lolled back in his chair, tongue hanging from the side of his mouth. He straightened and gave her a devilish grin. ‘Couldn’t resist, love. But seriously, we’re knackered after flying halfway around the world. Give the archaeology stuff a break, at least until morning. Once they open the tomb, if they find that horse statue you can tell Banna “I told you so” as much as you like.’
‘Oh, all right,’ she said irritably.
Eddie picked up on her mood, but didn’t comment on it. ‘Are you sure you’re okay, Macy?’ he asked instead.
The younger woman rubbed her eyes. ‘I’m fine, but… yeah, I’m really tired.’
‘Jet lag and two glasses of wine, not a good mix,’ Eddie told her. ‘You should go to bed.’ He looked out at the street. Darkness had fallen, but figures were still milling on the busy thoroughfare outside the restaurant. ‘Deyab, will she be okay going back to the hotel by herself?’