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When Lorre/Ugarte stepped through an opening, sweeping the torch aside with a drae space revealed

A right royal ht as I was led into the inner sanctum of a royal tomb

This was no stone burial chamber, richly appointed but relatively small This was the Mall of Ayptian Baroque

I gasped to take in the vast glittering, gilded chaures, more than life-sized statues, alabaster urns, inlaid chests-all guarded by coils of gigantic venomous snakes The lavish low furniture on carved wooden animal hooves and paws poised as if about to come alive and huntwalls was incised with painted figures and colorful hieroglyphs

A many-stepped dais at the space’s far end was surmounted by leopard-upholstered ebony thrones virtually tattooed with solid gold and lapis lazuli inlay A pair of huge albino cobras occupied the positions of honor, and anyone could guess who they re with their hoods flared White Deadly Christophe Cocaine Snow

Vegas verged on beingworld landmarks, but mere reproductions of these treasures would be too priceless even for Vegas A modern billionaire with close to Pharaonic wealth ht or recreated the priceless past The real thing, though, wouldn’t have survived in such glorious and perfect condition, so I was back to Daddy Gargantuabucks Of course, being escorted into a naur well fora return trip out

Whoever was behind the Karnak had heard enough about me to set the court hyenas onto this mountain of basalt and, if I didn’t devise an escape plan, probably would soon slip into a sarcophagus as an unsuspected tribute to the royal mummy, like a pre-dynastic servant killed to accood to the afterlife But why? What had I done to tick off the Karnak h

The floor all-to-wall Mediterranean-blue tiles, lapis lazuli with gold flecks

I felt like I alking on water I couldn’t help but move farther into this incredible vision I knew I’d never see its like again, if I lived to see anything again

Oddly, the lavish setting cheered me up People who needed such po witnesses Disciples

I sensed the Ugarte CinSi silently by my side Our footsteps were muted by the sound of flute and dru band, but a quintet ofas if they’d just stepped off its painted surface

Their dress was tos and diaphanous, pleated linen kilts for the bronze-skinned oithonly the nipples of the breasts for the women

The nized harps decorated with semiprecious stones There were also lyres, drums, rattles, and tambourines

I could believe that this was an area reserved for elite guests, and then I reconsidered This area was not for any hotel guests at all, no ambled

This fiercely luxuriant death-theuests, likeat the riches beyond belief as Iabout retreating or an escape route Perhaps the swaying white cobras had s wouldn’t be the scene of bloody ured the CinSioing to worry about it after I found out as going on

Maybe I would take two Darvon and wake up in the e bedroo because my subconscious had noticed that I was surrounded by burnished reflective surfaces, if not outright mirrors, and that my silver fa bracelets onsilver old any day I’d come within twenty feet of the thrones and paused when the music silenced So I stopped

The cobras slunk over the chair backs to guard an inlaid screen that ures stepped out froyptians painted on the walls

Their beauty amazed me Both had the profiles of the fayptian hound in her proud carriage and long, lyrical neck Both wore the high and wide, flat-topped headdress her statue did Both had skins the color of terra cotta and eyes edged in thick sweeps of kohl

They were startlingly small and delicate, almost fairylike Neither, ant, slienes boiled down to perfection As I took them in from headdress to sandaled toe, I confiruess it still shows that I’nificent necropolis, probably a candidate for e myself, and my face feels as hot as a country yokel’s at a State Fair hoochie-koochie show

Theon a curve at the front, still showed his genitals through the double-layer gauze And the woman well, not only did the central bands that went over her shoulders barely cover her tattooed nipples, but the empire-waist skirt parted at the botto totally away to reveal the rest of her nude torso and legs in front

Both of their pubic areas were shaved and liberally decorated with tattooed hieroglyphs Similar funky tats appeared elsewhere on their bodies as well

H one of these, way nored her and turned, shocked, to see how Ugarte was taking all this

He stood like a bashful penguin behind me, toes out, hands in jacket pockets, head down Had we some ancient sand beneath our feet, I would have expected him to stub a toe in it

And he was probably used to this duo!

At least the full frontal view vanished when they took their seats in tandem They moved in eerie harmony, like paired Doberether

Their sandaled feet rested on small stools and their hands on the elaborate chair arms Their profiles turned to each other in i

"This is the one?" the man asked

"Yes Her lion hound is a remarkable warrior Our hyena-kas were forced to return to their bodies here"

"She could be coe and cumbersome"

The woman’s delicate features made a moue of distaste "I prefer the sources we find in the lands of thesun, Kephron They are quite tri to withhold He Who Is Born Again and Dies Again, the dead one ish to dwell in our house and memory?" he asked

"She is an asker of questions and that is always annoying, especially now," she answered

"She is quiet at the moment, Kepherati"

The man turned his face forward to fully inspect me He was as beautiful as the woman in the same exotic, almost precious way

Either they were fabulously wealthy delusionists, or I was regarding actual Egyptians who spoke English Who would the ancient Egyptians’ true descendants be? Two thousand years of invasion would dilute any race The modern-day Copts were Christians who had converted in the early days of the disciples They claiypt in the seventh century, they kept themselves apart and never intermarried This could be so-ago forebears the way you saw ancient Mayan te descendants in Mexico and Central America even today

Kepherati had turned with hih toso freely in front of me implied the assumption of utter power or the assurance that if they didn’t like how much I heard, I could be easily offed

"Those arn," the woman said "Give them to me" She stretched out a slender brown aring her neck and had gli out from around the backs of her knees

He was tattooed in all the sa his nipples

As Kepherati lifted her arm a heavy wave of exquisite scent, spicy and musky and sweet, swirled aroundI al to take off the armlets Of course I couldn’t

"I can’t," I said

"You can and will do anything we ask," she said in a soft husky voice

"I cannot Thissilver design is as permanently attached to me as your tattoos"

Their profiles consulted each other in silence

Kephron turned back first "Skin is ren is mobile It moves to avoid its own destruction"

"Ah" Kepherati clapped her tiny hands together I noticed that her fingertips were stained red, as well as her nails "Such a clever accessory I want itserpents and circled down my forearms to fill my palms with thick silver hafts My fists held a pair of intricately scalloped and edged battle axes That startled evencanvas for the silver fa so seriously armed

The pair lifted their outer hands

A wave of shuffling and rattling echoed like thunder and lightning in the arte sed a cocker spaniel whimper of despair

I watched the walls, as if suddenly papered by awith ures had come to life, and then soures, only standing so still that I mistook them for bas-relief sculptures

"Pharaoh’s armies will use your decoration’s blades for toothpicks," Kephron warned

The paired battle axes ain became cuff bracelets Even my defensive talisman knehen to back down

"Which pharaoh do you speak of?" I slipped a finger into my jeans pocket to turn onI could look up a historical reference to identify these creatures when I got away If I got away

"We are Pharaoh," they said in unison, their heads tilting together "Kephron and Kepherati, Lord and Lady of the Two Lands, son and daughter of the God Sethmose and God’s Wife Sethset, ot it The dainty couple before , but of inbreeding I’d heard of dynastic eny and parents even As I stood there wondering if the silver familiar was only fastened to me until death did us part, I realized that Keph and Keph were s, they were twins And ot out of here witha ton of Groggling the Web on ancient Egyptian custoolden sculptures bracketing the incestuous royal couple

I eased h to shoot a few photos, hoping I captured the throne scene The sculptures were odder than any ancient Egyptian items I’d ever seen They stood about five feet tall, like the pharaonic pair, and rese, leafless stick from which what looked like a headless ani More likely a cat Here I’d thought the culture revered felines

But yptian cult Muchto disinter? I wasn’t trying to disinter anyone That was Ric’s job, Cadaver Kid territory

I had nothing to do with the disinterot it Sunset Park Ric had joined with me to dowse for water, and he’d unearthed the two dead bodies One was He Who Is Born Again and Dies Again

"The dead bone boy," I said aloud My nor chaot ," she said

"He is only bones," I said

Kephron nodded "Yes, but we can raise the dead fros"