Jane Lindskold The Buried Pyram

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goods. Indeed, there is hardly enough room for one person to stand. This mark on this narrow wall
farther from the door indicates the entrance to the burial chamber.
Ra drew a fatter rectangle, almost a square, and indicated another door at one end.
The burial chamber is lined with several shrines. The coffin is within these. The door leads to a room
containing even more treasure, including the canopic shrine. It would be very good if this could be saved
from violation as well.
Jenny sighed. I guess it would be best if we saved everything, but how much can we mess up and still be
said to succeed?
Ra looked at her, his avian gaze unforgiving.
The pharaoh must remain undisturbed in his tomb, secured from further violation. Those are the most
important things, but the burial goods are not mere treasures set as a vain boast of earthly power. They
are meant to sustain the deceased in the afterlife, and as such are important to his well-being.
I m sorry, Jenny said. I guess I just got overwhelmed for a moment. I m not quitting.
That is very wise, Ra said, and something in his tone made Jenny s heart skip a beat.
Uncle Neville looked up from studying the diagram.
Mr. Ra, how large are these rooms?
Their dimensions matter little, Ra said, for they are crowded with furnishings. I would say that one,
maybe two of you could stand within and still have space to move.
The robbers must be small men, Neville said.
Some are, Ra agreed, but not all. However, people of your own day are generally larger than people
of that time. Even Miss Benet would be considered quite a tall woman when compared to the average.
One, maybe two inside, Neville said, glancing around their company. Stephen s out then. He s the
largest of us by far. Rashid and Eddie . . .
Jenny cut in.
Uncle, I m smaller than Eddie or Rashid, and I know how to handle myself in close quarters. Papa
made sure of that.
Neville looked worried, but he nodded.
You re right. I would not be doing any of us a favor if I crowded us in so that the thieves had all the
advantages. Besides, if those of us on the outside do our part, there won t be much to do inside.
That seemed to cheer him considerably, and Jenny permitted herself a small feeling of relief. She was
learning a lot about the consequences of volunteering for dangerous positions, but what she was learning
wasn t just that danger scared her stiff. It was learning that the one thing that scared her more was
standing by and leaving others to take the risks.
Timing is going to be everything in this, Neville said, thinking aloud. Eddie, any thoughts?
Eddie frowned. Much as I hate the idea, we d better let them have penetrated to the inside. Part of
making sure the priests and guards take better care in the future is making sure they realize how close
they came to losing everything. Another thought let s not kill anyone if we don t have to. Let the thieves
rat on their accomplices. That ll do more good than a heap of dead bodies.
I like that, Neville agreed. Then he looked worried. How can we make them understand? I doubt they
speak any language we do.
Stephen said hesitantly, There is some reason to believe that modern Coptic is a survival of the ancient
Egyptian tongue. I have studied it, but I don t suppose . . .
No, Ra said, shaking his head. The language you know is not enough alike.
I didn t think so, Stephen said, obviously disappointed, any more than we d understand Old English if
we heard it spoken or even Middle English. When you think about Shakespeare s plays, even
Elizabethan sounds fairly odd, and that s only a couple of hundred years diverged from our own
language.
Exactly, Ra said. However, if you feel that speaking to these people will make it possible for you to
better do your task, I believe I can grant you that. It will not be a lasting gift, but only a part of
acclimating you to that other time. The gods have agreed I may do that.
But Jenny thought he looked rather uncomfortable nonetheless, and was warmed to think of this strange
being bending the rules for them.
They seem to do a lot of that, she thought. I guess it s up to us not to disappoint them.
However, Ra said in the tones of a teacher proving how strict he is after a moment of indulgence, I
shall keep the kitten and the monkey with me. They are not to be included in this task.
Jenny didn t know whether to be relieved or disappointed. Mischief was certain to be nothing but
trouble, but Mozelle had proven herself oddly useful. If she showed herself as a lion again that would give
the thieves pause. That gave Jenny an idea.
Ra, will this acclimatizing us to another time mean we ll look like the Egyptians? [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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