Sean stuck a hand out, which the man shook vigorously. “Thanks for meeting us on such short notice.”
“Not a problem,” when the man shook his head, the black hair on top tossed back and forth.
Sean figured him to be in his mid-twenties. But it could have just been the guy’s very friendly, almost jovial nature.
“May I take your things?” he offered to Adriana and Dr. Firth. Sean only carried a book bag with a few necessities in it. Adriana carried similar luggage while Firth had only a courier bag.
Adriana shook her head, as did Firth. Sahid looked disappointed for a second, but picked up his attitude immediately. “We should probably get going before the sun is too high. The southern part of Egypt gets much warmer during this time of year than Cairo.”
The group nodded and joined their driver in the first Land Rover. “You have the equipment I requested in the second car, correct?” Sean asked as he slid into the front passenger’s seat. He looked back for a second and noticed the intricately decorated Egyptian bird that was placed over the three main doors of the train station.
Sahid nodded proudly. “Yes, Mr. Wyatt. We have all the things you requested.” The young man started up the vehicle and steered it out onto the busy road amid box trucks, compact cars, and pedi-cabs.
Luxor City was a sprawling collection of buildings, most under ten stories high. It was rife with activity, even for such an early time of the day. Sean tried to recall visiting the area, but it was one of the few places his job hadn’t taken him yet. His mind returned to the task at hand before he let it wander too much further.
“Dr. Firth, we may run into some hostiles when we get there. You and Sahid stay in the car until Adriana and I check things out.” She flashed a quick smile with her eyes, grateful he’d not treated her like a helpless girl.
“I’m sorry, but I think it’s time you fill me in on a few details,” Firth leaned forward, gripping the back of the driver’s seat with one hand.
Sean took a breath before speaking. “The Order of the Golden Dawn is being run by a man who calls himself ‘The Prophet.’ His real name is Alexander Lindsey. He is the man behind the bombing in Cairo, and the deaths of several innocent people, including two professors back in the U.S.”
The professor frowned. “If you know who this man is and what he has done, why has he not been arrested?”
“Nothing can be traced back to him. He always comes out looking spotless.”
“I see,” Firth leaned back in his seat and looked out the tinted window at the crowded city. “So, Tommy found the trail to Akhanan’s first chamber. People have searched for that for centuries, with no luck. Some said the chambers didn’t exist.” He laughed. “In fact, I was one of them.”
“You did not believe in the golden chambers?” Adriana asked, curious.
“No,” he shook his head. “It was a fool’s errand to search for such a treasure. So much of it was surrounded by legend and myth. True archaeologists only search through the facts, the things we know, before trudging off into the wild world in search of something.”
“I suppose it is a good thing that some people believe in the fairy tales. Wouldn’t you say, Dr. Firth?” She raised an eyebrow. Her deep, brown eyes sucked him in.
“Perhaps,” he cleared his throat and turned back to the window, clearly made uncomfortable by the Spaniard’s comment.
Sahid guided the vehicle past the final few dilapidated buildings and the small convoy was suddenly out of the city, on the open plains leading to the ancient ruins of Luxor. Sean peered through the tinted windows; out on the flats, small convoys of camels were plodding along to and from the city to the outer reaches of the desert. The bright sun was almost near its peak in the cloudless sky. Off in the distance, several rolling hills of sand and rock eclipsed the horizon.
The convoy passed two tour busses, full of people. Sean hoped the tourists were headed for some of the more popular, mainstream historical sites. He didn’t feel like dealing with a bunch of civilians. They always made things difficult, especially when bullets started flying.
Sahid interrupted Sean’s thoughts. “We have word that there is a dig going on at the Nekhen site. A team of archaeologists is working close to where we will be.”
Sean didn’t like to hear that. “They aren’t going to give us any trouble, are they?”
“No,” the driver shook his head. “They should accommodate us. Besides, they are digging just outside the ruins. We should be out of their way.”
Sean acknowledged the information with a nod. But there was something else concerning him. “Do you know if anyone else arrived in town today? Have you noticed anything suspicious?”
Sahid reflected for a few moments, trying to remember if he’d seen anything strange. “Not that I can recall,” he answered. “But in this part of the world, suspicious things happen all the time.”
The comment didn’t exactly fill the passengers’ hearts with confidence. Sean pulled out his new black Springfield XD, and check the magazine to make sure it was fully loaded. He knew it was. He’d put the rounds in it, himself. But old habits die hard. Sean had been trained to always check and recheck his weapon. As soon as one got careless, that was when bad things happened.
The drive to the Nekhen ruins took a little over twenty minutes. Upon arriving, the group noticed the tents of the other archaeology team set up off to the side of the hillside ruins. A cool dry breeze washed over the area. Something was amiss. Sean couldn’t put his finger on it, but he knew things were too quiet, especially for an active dig site.
“Where is everyone?” Firth asked as he exited the vehicle. “Digs are usually very active places to be.”
“Yeah,” Sean agreed. “Something’s not right.” He looked around, peering into the desert for any signs of a potential problem.
“The ruins are over here. This cave entrance is what I believe we are looking for,” the Englishman informed them, leading the way towards a hill with an opening in the center. On either side of the entrance, obelisks had been carved into the rock, a permanent reminder of an ancient culture that had long since disappeared.
Sean and Adriana followed Firth as he headed straight towards the opening. The professor said nothing, seemingly in a trance as he marched across the desert floor. Off to the right, several large white tents, lighting equipment, and many other tools of the archaeology trade were sitting silently in the bright morning sun. Sahid and a few of his assistants made their way to the biggest tent to see if anyone was home.
Sean and his companions were only twenty feet away from the entrance to the cave when Sahid stopped them. “Sean! You need to come over here.”
Adriana cast a quick, worried glance at Sean. He had stopped and hesitated for a moment before obeying and trudging over the rocks to the tent formation. She stayed close behind while Firth seemed bent on getting into the cave, but he fell in line, curious to see what had gotten the driver’s attention.
The young Arab held back the fabric of the opening to the tent. Sean gave him a look of uncertainty before stepping cautiously inside. What he saw was completely unexpected. Three young men and women were bound to wooden chairs throughout the room. A stout, older man of Arab descent was also tied up by a small workstation in the corner. He spoke up, seemingly the least afraid of the group.
“My name is Dr. Omar Abdulkarim,” he stated. “Please help us.” Sean nodded at Sahid and Adriana.
The three quickly made their way around the room, untying all of the people. Finally, Sean reached the man in the corner who had spoken up. “What happened here?”