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“Good question,” Stanley said “Akhenaten had six daughters that we know of, plus his young son Tutankhamun It would have been unusual for a royal to flee the country Perhaps it was due to turmoil after his death” He rubbed his chin “His cult of the Aten was controversial, especially with the high priests There was likely a power struggle after his death, which may have affected the royal faure who may have come from the priesthood He served as pharaoh only briefly, until Tutankha boy under the guidance of elder advisors, and promptly abolished the worship of the Aten”
“Political skullduggery at its finest,” Zeibig said
“What does the Apium of Faras mean?” Summer asked
“That’s rather interesting, if my interpretation is correct Faras was a well-known ancient city and fortress I’m not aware of an associated apium—or cure, if you hich may have been a remedy for the illness”
“Perhaps,” she said, “theexists in Faras”
“A good bet,” Stanley said, “but I’m afraid we’ll never know”
“Why’s that?”
“Because the city of Faras, or what’s left of it, sits at the bottom of Lake Nasser”
A nurse entered the rooroup to say their good-byes Zeibig promised to send Stanley the photos, and Riki committed to meet him in Amarna in a feeeks
Outside the hospital, the group was greeted by a blast of hot, dry air
Dirk turned to Riki “Do you have tiht?”
She nodded “I have an hour or two before I should make my way to the airport”
“Since we’re on a college campus,” Summer said, “there should be plenty of cafés nearby”
They followed a sidewalk that fronted thecampus As they approached a side street, a white sedan cut across traffic and screeched to a stop beside them With their attention drawn to the car, no one noticed a lasses rush up behind the’s back “You, in the car” He shoved Zeibig toward the vehicle, then spun around and waved the gun at the others,them to back away
Dirk glanced at the car The driver held a gun in the crook of his left elbow, aiun that dismayed him, but the man’s neatly trimrenade at him in Amarna