we stepped up to the opening and shined our lights inside. It was dark, blacker than a tomb, and I wondered for a moment if that was what it actually was and if somehow it was meant to house us. Dr. Hassan must have sensed the same thing, as even he seemed edgy.
We could just make out a series of steps leading downward and as I descended the first one, an act that made me appear to be much braver than I really was, Dr. Hassan put his hand out to stop me. “Please allow me to go first, Lily.”
I nodded gratefully and moved aside. I thought it would be much easier to walk behind than in front, but being the last one wasn’t fun either. Little prickles of anxiety trickled down my back like skittering beetles, and I kept turning around to make sure no one was going to attack us from behind or lock us in the creepy pit of darkness.
We descended until the stale air felt cool, and I realized we must be deep underground. I kept my hand on Oscar’s shoulder even when he reached the bottom and stepped into a passageway that was more open than the stairwell had been, but the flashlight only showed dirt walls.
I didn’t know how Dr. Hassan could do this for a living. I was seriously frightened. My imagination conjured a large sphinx sleeping in the cave that was going to rise up, rip us apart with her claws, and devour us before we even figured out what we had to do. The idea that I might become such a creature filled me with a dread I couldn’t even describe.
“One thing at a time,” I mumbled quietly to fortify my courage. Slowly, we moved forward, my sandaled feet sinking into soft sand. When he found an old torch at the entrance to a room and lit it, my fear melted away and was replaced by a sense of wonder.
“Oh my,” Dr. Hassan whispered as we walked farther into the space.
This time I knew he was excited. We stood in a golden room full of treasures. The wealth displayed in even the small section lit by our torch was overwhelming. What was even more amazing was that the room was in pristine condition. The ruby necklaces, gleaming swords, and large golden statues were glistening as if they had just been polished and were on display in a museum. An impossibility, based on the amount of sand underfoot.
“Anubis must have dusted in anticipation of our arrival,” I said.
“This is the most amazing find since Howard Carter and George Herbert discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun in 1922!”
“Right. Except technically we didn’t discover it. We were sent here.”
“Oh, but, Lily. If I could explore this room with my colleagues. Share it with the world. What these wondrous treasures could represent for Egypt. How tragic that it must remain a secret. These things are not meant to be brought forth into the light of day.”
“Maybe Anubis wouldn’t mind if you took just one or two.”
I stretched out a finger to touch a cat statue with emerald eyes when Dr. Hassan grabbed my wrist to stop me. “Do not touch anything, Lily, at least not yet. My policy is to read first and only disturb an object after careful cataloguing and photo documentation.”
I nodded and Dr. Hassan shuffled a few steps forward, moving the torch higher up so he could read the wall carvings. “Ah, here is what we’re looking for.”
“What is it?”
“A message from Anubis.”
“What does it say?”
“It essentially says that we are to only take the items we are instructed to and then copy the spell to perform the Rite of Wasret. The rest of the room should be left untouched, and when we leave, we are to seal it up the way we found it.”
“Right. A spell. Doesn’t sound too difficult.”
Dr. Hassan hesitated. “Oh dear. This is going to take some time for me to translate.”
I smiled a little nervously. “I thought you were an expert,” I teased.
“Oh, I am. It’s not that I cannot read what it says; it’s that I must decipher the message behind the message.”
“The message behind the…What do you mean?”
“As a grand vizier, I was taught a secret code that has been passed down from generation to generation. Where another Egyptologist might read this passage simply as ‘The treasure of she who is powerful,’ I can see there are certain phrases or words that are emphasized. The