Kadin’s eyes bulged also as he and Leoma heard the voice. Then he quickly shown the light beside Leoma and saw the ancient Egyptian grasping her upper arm and smiling crookedly at him.
“It’s the mummy!” Kadin yelled, his light shaking. Then he immediately drew his sword with his left hand.
Leoma managed to yank her arm free and she hurried over beside Kadin, as he forced the mummy backward against the wall with the sword tip.
“All right you...you...thing! Don’t move!” Kadin threatening, trying to keep his arm from shaking.
The mummy pressed herself back against the wall as far as she could, feeling the sword point against her stomach.
They just stood there a moment.
“Well...she’s not moving.” Kadin nervously informed Leoma of the obvious.
“No kidding, Sherlock.” Leoma folded her arms as she stood behind him.
“Sherlock?” The mummy blinked. “You are Sherlock?” She pointed at Kadin.
“Hey, put your hand down and don’t move!” Kadin quickly ordered, moving his body sideways some.
“He’s Kadin, and I’m Leoma.” She perked up from behind.
“Leoma, don’t tell her our names!” Kadin whispered between his teeth.
“Why not?” Leoma set her hands on her hips.
“Well...because...because...”
The mummy raised a black eyebrow. “You two are the strangest explorers I have ever seen.”
“Will you be quiet for a minute; we’re talking here.” Kadin glanced at her before turning back to Leoma. “You should never give out your name to a mummy! Everybody knows that!”
“I am not a mummy.”
“Hey, I told you to be quiet.” Kadin turned back towards the mummy, pushing on the sword slightly harder.
“You have got a lot of nerve you little boy.” The mummy narrowed her eyes and set her fists on her hips.
“Yeah, and just who are you to be trying my patience?”
“Princess Sagira Maya of Pharaoh Akenohotepu and his first wife, Beamonari, of Egypt.” Sagira almost growled while she spoke, smacked the side of the sword blade away so she could walk up to Kadin, and glare at him. “I was ordered mummified alive, against my will, and I was put to sleep for apparently a very long time, and you have the nerve to hold my own sword against me?”
Leoma snickered from behind him. Then she quickly pushed Kadin aside before he could fight back, and she held out her hand to the brown-skinned teenager, “Hi, Sagira. I’m Leoma Marshall.”
Sagira stared at the hand, then back at Leoma, narrowing her eyes, “Are you Roman?”
“No. I’m American. A whole different people.” Leoma quickly shook her head.
“Oh.” Sagira blinked blankly and then folded her arms. “Then what are you doing in the palace of my father?”
“We were here on an expedition. This place is very very old, and nobody remembers what the Egyptians were really like. So we come to the tombs to learn about their life through the way the people were buried, and what they took with them.” Leoma began. “We accidentally fell through a ventilation shaft at the front of the palace, and we’ve been looking for a way out ever since.”
“Ahh.” Sagira nodded.
“Hello?” Kadin stepped in between them. “Leoma, you are talking to a mummy. Not a friend from school, a m-u-u-u-u-m-m-m-m-m-y.”
“She’s just as alive as you or me.” Leoma shrugged, “Why shouldn’t I? She could know a way out.”
“Or she could lead us to a certain death by a booby trap. She’s got that jewel, remember?”
Sagira tapped him on the shoulder. “The jewel only keeps those wearing it in a state of motionless, immortal sleep as long as it’s worn on the forehead. Living beings are helpless while wearing it.”
“Oh.” Kadin flashed her a fake smile, then turned back to Leoma and whispered, “I’ll hold her down, and you put that jewel hanging around her neck back on her head.”
“No.” Leoma backed away. “She seems trustworthy to me. Besides, all she has is a flashlight. What’s she gonna do?”
Kadin and Leoma turned and stared at Sagira, who put her hands behind her back and gave a toothy smile.
Kadin turned back to Leoma, “Okay. We’ll let her stay awake. But if she does one thing wrong, I’m using my sword.” He threatened sheathing it, accidentally cutting his thumb. He quickly complained and stuck it in his mouth to suck the throbbing away.
“Fine fine.” Leoma waved at him as she walked over to Sagira. “Umm...can I have my flashlight back?”
Sagira handed it back to her, then stood there again.
Leoma cleared her throat for a moment, glancing at the ground, “You wouldn’t happen to know a way out, would you?”
Sagira glanced at Kadin, who stood only a few feet away, glaring at her. “Actually...I only know portions of the area. I could only glance at the palace instructions once before I was taken away and hidden.”
Leoma and Kadin both groaned.
“Great! Now we have one of the royals, and even she doesn’t know a way out.” Kadin threw up his hands. “But there are many stairways leading from one level to the next, deeper in the palace. And there was one stairway that lead up and out of the canyon.” Sagira quickly added.
“Well, that’s good. At least we know now that we have a chance.” Leoma rubbed her hands together.
“But...was it sealed off at the top?” Kadin pointed up at the ceiling.
“Yes. But Leoma appears to have the tools nescessary to get us out.” Sagira pointed at Leoma’s belt.
“Great.” Leoma smiled. “All we have to do is find the right stairway.”
Kadin blinked, staring around them at all the tunnels, turns, and passages. “Hmmph. That’s all we have to worry about. Are there any more traps?”
Sagira shrugged.
“Sheesh. You’re a lot of help.”
“Let’s just focus on getting out of here!” Leoma threw up her arms.
“Okay. We’ll go...this way.” Kadin chose a tunnel on the left and began walking again, followed by Leoma and Sagira.
Two camels paused at the pit of the stairs in front of the sandy palace. The two riders gazed down at the jeep, then glared back at the palace again.
“Looks like somebody beat us to the punch.” The larger said, as he sat in his brown pants and shirt. He needed a shave, and smelled like sweating feet.
“Who do you think?” The thinner of the two asked, leaning forwards on his camel’s front hump. He wore lighter brown clothing. And both carried pale robes on the camels with them for disguises. They both carried knives, rope, tool belts, flashlights, and large sacks to carry out the treasure.
“Don’t know. Might just be some school thing. You know about the latest school they put in.” The first grumbled, scratching his arm where there was a black snake tattoo.
“Great. So what we do ‘bout the students then? Come back tonight?” The second asked, folding his tan arms.
“No.” The first paused while his oiled mind whirled in thought. “They only know about the upper palace. We could find a different way in.”
“Cool.” The second hopped off his camel, as did the first. They walked their rides over into the shadows of the canyon and tied them to jutting rocks, so the students wouldn’t notice them if they came out.
Then the two climbed the large staircase quickly, pausing every few moments to glance around for anyone watching.
“Now, Ronny, whisper from here on in.” The first ordered as they came to the top of the staircase. He then took a step to continue into the palace, but his partner grabbed his lapel and yanked him back. “What’s the big idea?” He growled.
Ronny pointed down at the large hole only inches from his partner, Tom’s foot and whispered. “Looks like someone had a little accident.”
Tom gazed down and nodded. “No rope...no one up here on watch...yep. Looks like no one expected this. Must be the actual palace down there.”
Ronny nodded. Then he listened intently to the hallway in front of them, “Sounds like the rest are in there.” Tom glanced up at the hall, then down into the hole, “We’d better get down there now, and leave a rope hooked up. If those students in there lost anyone, they’ll come out here, see the rope and suspect that they went down here on purpose.”
“Cool.” Ronny nodded, swinging a coil of rope from his shoulder. His partner carried the other coil.
He walked over and tied one end around one of the columns, while Tom began to ascend into the darkness.
After the two had landed in the pile of sand at the bottom, and climbed out, they turned on their flashlights and began down the tunnel, paying little attention to the hieroglyphs. They soon came upon the fork in the passage, and the treasure trail.
“Well well well, looky what we got here.” Tom smiled, pointing his light down on the gold.
Ronny pointed to the left passage, showing another path of treasure. “Which first?”
“This one looks longer. So the source might be on the left.” Tom quickly began to lead the way down the left passage.
When they arrived at the tomb, the place lit up with their light beams.
“Wow! Jackpot!” Ronny gave Tom a quick ‘thumbs up’.
“Heheheh, we must be the richest men this side of the Nile.” Tom smiled showing off a couple black holes where some teeth should be.
“Hey...wait. Looky there.” Ronny pointed at the open sarcophagus, and the wraps on the floor.
“What in the world?” Tom walked over and inspected it, while Ronny kept his eye on the gold treasures.
“It looks like...they took out the mummy...unwrapped it...and took it with ‘em.” Ronny half laughed, trying to lighten the strange mood.
“Maybe...” Tom scratched his hairy chin. Then he gazed up at the walls, trying to read them in his simple way. “Someone important was definitely buried here. Hey, look’it that strange picture.”
They both stared up at the picture of a mummy with the blue jewel on its forehead.
“Hey...you don’t think...” Ronny let his sentence trail off.
They were both silent for a moment, then they both spoke at the same time, “Naaaaaa.”
“Let’s start movin’ this treasure.” Tom stuck his flashlight on his hip.
“Wait. What if those others come back this way and see us?” Ronny pointed out towards the door.
“Well...we could always go help them along.” Tom picked his flashlight back up. “Nobody knows that either of us is down here. By the time someone finds out, they’ll see that the students had a little accident.”

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