I stared at the dunes and shook my head. “There’s a major problem. If there’s only one entrance, that means there’s only one exit. We can’t all go in there.”

“Your brother is right,” said Ahmed, nodding to me. He glanced at Frank. “Yet, I wish to aid you in rescuing the others.”

Frank looked over at him. “Do you think they even realize they need rescuing?”

I frowned. “What? Oh—“ I got to my feet and brushed sand off. I felt like it was caked on me. “But surely they wonder where we are.”

Ahmed sighed. “If the tomb is undisturbed, it will be time consuming getting through the first sealed door. It is usually filled with stones and then plastered over. There is usually a signet stamped into the plaster to prove it was sealed and witnessed.”

I arched an eyebrow. “Ancient Egyptians didn’t trust people much did they?”

Ahmed shook his head. “I’m afraid we tend to be suspicious of foreigners still. We are a proud people, with a vivid and rich heritage. But we are a mere shadow of what we once were.”

I glanced at Frank, unsure of what to say. I cleared my throat. “I didn’t mean to offend—“

“Truth is never offending,” said Ahmed. “It is an honest assessment. Kings were vulnerable in ways we cannot imagine. If at any moment, they faltered in judgement, in living, it reflected on their patron god, Amun-Ra. They were considered the living god on earth, they could not seem weak.”

Frank turned to Ahmed. “Do you have any weapons?”

“Only my gun.” He gestured to several boxes. “And kitchen knives.”

“Aha, I knew you were like the cook in Under Siege.”

Ahmed let out a short laugh. “I loved that movie.”

I grinned and nodded. “Me too.”

Frank gestured to the boxes. “We need to arm ourselves, just in case.”

I rolled my eyes. “Last time I checked, blades don’t block bullets.”

“Let’s hope they don’t realize that.”

I’m getting that feeling again, that Frank’s cooking up some elaborate plan – and I’m gonna have to act like an idiot...again.

***

It was Frank who suggested one of us check on Tommy. He vaguely remembered the man passing out. I’m still not sure how I wound up with the job, but I went over to his tent. He was still sprawled on the sand but his breathing was better. Maybe Samantha insisting he down just water flushed his system. I managed to get him back on the cot and went to meet up with Ahmed and Frank.

It was decided Ahmed would wait for us outside the tomb. He said that the two of us work better as a team and there was no reason to split us up just so he could go down into the tomb. I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe old superstitions really do die hard.

The sand had been scraped from the entrance and there was a pile of white limestone chunks that must have blocked the stairs. We made our way down the stairs, with flashlights and knives.

The sealed door had been chopped through, strewing plaster and rock everywhere. The air was musty and old but the walls seemed to glow with fresh paint, rich in colors and gilding. “Frank...”

“I know. No one has ever been in here. Not for at least several thousand years.”

We kept our voices low, mainly so no one else could hear us. But standing in that first room, I couldn’t imagine speaking louder than a whisper. I moved to go to the door only to shift something with my foot. I shown my light down and realized I was staring at a human bone. It was old but an odd color. Then it hit me as I followed the leg bone up. “Um, Frank...”

“What?”

“We’ve got company.”

He frowned at me and then looked where I pointed. “Oh my...”

“Ahmed did say the builders were killed.” I swallowed hard. “I guess he was right.”

“Well, I’d rather not join them. Come on.”

We ducked through the first doorway. In the glow of our flashlights, the room was startlingly empty – except for the rubble of stone and plaster from the second sealed door. Frank shook his head. “This doesn’t make sense. Ahmed said this was where everything was stored. If that’s true, they should all be in here, hefting the treasure.”

“We thought that too.”

Theo stood in the doorway to the third room. “But there’s nothing here. Not a scrap of gold, not a loose ruby. Nothing! Stupid girl led us on a wild goose chase!”

Frank squared his shoulders. “Where are they?”

Theo aimed the gun in his hand right at Frank. “Who are you? I know damn well you’re not reporters.”

“We were hired to protect Samantha Chilton,” I said. “And keep the treasure safe.”

Theo slapped a hand against the wall. “There is no bloody treasure!”

“Where are Samantha and Leila?” asked Frank. “And the others?”

Theo grunted. “There was another sealed door, hidden behind the vault.”

I shared a look with Frank. I turned back to Theo. “And?”

He motioned for us to go into the third chamber. “Oh, you’ll get an up-close-and-personal look at it, don’t fret.” He brandished the gun lazily. “Move it.”

Inside the third chamber we saw the vault was empty. Aside from the colorful paintings, this could have been a mock-up, no treasure, no sarcophagus, nothing but rumors and legend. Frank skirted the vault to examine the third sealed door. It had been hacked through as well.

“Get in,” ordered Theo.

I shared a look with my brother and then followed him inside. It was a simple straight corridor that disappeared into blackness on both sides. Directly in front of us was another chamber, this one brightly lit. As we stepped inside, we saw everyone was there. The walls were covered in hieroglyphs which Volsky was tracing with trembling fingers.

I noticed Nels and Jurgen were aiming weapons at the others. Samantha looked like she’d been crying, Leila looked angry. Dr. Mounir was quiet and almost looked shell-shocked. Theo stepped in behind us and punched Jurgen’s shoulder. “I told you to bury them good.”

Jurgen gave us a shocked look. “I did. Man, I swear...”

Theo turned away, focused on Volsky. “Well?”

“I need more time. Perhaps paper and a pen.”

Theo shook his head. “Sorry, old man. Translate it, so we can get the gold and the jewels.”

“They do not belong to you,” said Leila, her voice low and full of anger. “They belong to Egypt.”

Theo rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I say, finders keepers.”

“You won’t be able to get it out of the country,” Dr. Mounir said sadly, still looking dazed. After a long moment, he blinked and looked directly at Theo. “The authorities will stop you before you step foot on a plane.”

“Shows what you know,” said Nels, laughing. “We’ve got it—“ He broke off at the glare Theo shot him. “Right, mouth shut.”

Frank frowned. “Of course. It’s the perfect cover. You’ll have tons of photographic equipment and film. They won’t be able to scan the containers because of risk to the film and equipment.”

I hate it when he sounds like he’s figured it all out. I could tell from Theo’s expression he wasn’t happy either. I shifted slightly to move closer to the girls. “So, you killed the camel driver?” I asked Theo.

Theo grunted. “The idiot would have ruined everything.”

Volsky turned from the wall. “So it is my fault,” he said softly.

Mounir got to his feet and faced Volsky. “You were behind that? You? How dare you try to usurp my chance. I’ll see that you will never work in Egypt again.”

“Like you hadn’t planned on stealing Miss Chilton’s thunder,” scoffed Volsky, stepping back from the larger man.

Mounir didn’t respond and Leila shot to her feet. “How dare you, Dr. Mounir. Dr. Hawiss will learn of this when he returns.”

I glanced from person to person, feeling a bit out of sorts. It was beginning to look as if everyone had their own agenda. I noticed Frank trying to take it all in. I cleared my throat and turned to Mounir. “So you were going to take claim for finding the tomb.”

Mounir’s face darkened. “It is my right. My chance to recoup the damage done eight years ago. She—“ He gave Samantha a callous look. “She is not even Egyptian.”

Samantha looked puzzled. “But you gave me permission—“

“Only to find the tomb first, before others would attempt to do so.”

Frank eyed Volsky. “And you wanted the same thing, the glory and prestige of being the discoverer. You just hadn’t planned on someone interrupting your plans.”

Volsky stared down at the dusty floor and nodded. Frank turned to Leila. “But where do you fit in?”

Mounir scowled. “Yes, Leila, where? I believed you my assistant. Was that falsehood?”

Leila looked away for a moment. “Dr. Hawiss was...troubled by your financial...situation. He wished to learn if there was an explanation for your excessive spending. He feared you were smuggling artifacts out of the country.”

Mounir went pale. “I would never betray my—“

“All right, that’s enough.” Theo gestured with his gun-hand to Volsky. “Finish up.”

Volsky turned back to the wall, trying to translate the many hieroglyphs. I focused more on Theo and his two buddies. They blocked our exit and there wasn’t much chance of going up against three armed men. I glanced at Frank only to notice he was looking around the box-like room intently.

I scanned the room. Three of the four walls were covered with hieroglyphics and occasional paintings. There wasn’t any sort of order that I could make out, just people, some with animal heads. I turned around and watched Volsky trace the lines of each hieroglyph.

For me, it was much worse than Spanish or French. You can train yourself to read a foreign language but hieroglyphs were tiny pictures. Some stood for a single letter, others stood for the sound a combination of letters make.

Volsky stopped, backed up, apparently re-reading something. After a long moment, he cleared his throat. “We must look for the uraeus.”

“What’s that?” asked Theo.

“It is part of the double crown. It is usually a falcon’s head and the sacred asp,” said Mounir. “It was to protect the pharaoh.”

I took one glance at all the hieroglyphs and symbols and groaned. “It’ll take forever.”

Theo aimed the gun at me, cocked and ready to fire. “You better hope it doesn’t. Get busy.”

At Theo’s insistence, we all began searching for the symbol. It was getting hot in the chamber with the blazing spotlights. The air was beginning to get thick with centuries-old dust as we moved around. I was finding it harder and harder to breathe.

I saw Samantha sway unsteadily on her feet. We were all exhausted, hot and weak. I turned to Theo. “We need water. We need to rest.”

“You must think I’m crazy. You’re not getting out of my sight.”

Frank shook his head and ran to Samantha as she sank to the floor. He caught her and lowered her down gently. “Save your breath, bro.”

“I – I’m okay,” said Samantha. She was pale, her blond hair soaked with sweat. Grime and dirt smudged her face and she looked ready to collapse.

Theo frowned, nudged Nels. “Go get some water.”

Nels looked at him, surprised. “What?”

“Water. Go. Now.”

For a minute I thought Nels would argue but he spun on his heel and stalked out of the chamber. Theo gave us a hard look. “There, happy?”

We all took the opportunity to rest while Nels was gone. Seated on the dusty stone floor, I kept an eye on my watch. No more than five minutes to get to camp, another five to load up the water. I watched the second hand tick steadily on.

At the fifteen minute mark, I expected Nels to walk back in but he didn’t. Two more minutes and I saw Theo check his watch. Suddenly, it hit me. Ahmed was still out there. Maybe our luck was improving.

“The uraeus,” said Leila softly. “I found it.” She pointed to a larger-than-life carving of a pharaoh. He wore an odd conical hat painted red and white. At the forehead was poised a cobra and falcon. She glanced at Volsky. “What now?”

Volsky didn’t answer. He strode over to her and pushed on the carving. The stone shifted and with a loud grinding noise, part of the wall started to swing outward. Beyond was only blackness, so dark it seemed a solid thing.

We all stared at the opening and Volsky started for the new doorway. Mounir clamped a large hand on the man’s shoulder. “I think not, Dr. Volsky.”

Samantha pushed herself to her feet and made her way to the opening in the wall. “I’ll go.”

I snagged her arm. “Samantha, no.”

She tried to toss her head but the movement nearly knocked her off her feet. “I’m the leader.”

“You don’t know what’s in there,” said Frank.

Theo stepped past us. “We’ll soon find out,” he said, motioning to Jurgen.

Jurgen shifted one of the spotlights to focus on whatever was beyond that doorway. Light flashed on gold, winked from glittering jewels. As light flooded the chamber beyond, we realized we’d found it.

Theo moved to step into the chamber, passing between me and Samantha. I slid a glance at Frank who gave me a nod. I swung my arm and punched Theo in the face. He staggered back and dropped his gun.

The gun went off, sending a bullet ricocheting off the stone walls. Shards of stone bombarded me as I tried to duck. I heard a scuffle behind me and realized Frank was taking care of Jurgen. The spotlight tilted sideways, smashing into the floor. The light blinked out, leaving us in dimness.

“We need light,” cried Mounir.

I punched Theo in the jaw and he sagged to the ground. I saw Mounir and Volsky wrestle the other spotlight to a place where the light would spill into the other chamber.

I took a deep breath and got my first good look. Everything in the chamber seemed covered in gold, from weird looking chairs to what looked like a real bed frame. There was a dismounted chariot complete with wheels and harness for two horses.

There was a clatter of footsteps and Ahmed ran into the chamber we were in. He was holding his gun and looking around. He spotted Theo on the ground, and Frank guarding Jurgen with his own weapon. “Ah, it is done then.”

Ahmed flashed us a smile and pointed upward. I thought I heard the faint sound of a helicopter. I looked at Ahmed and sighed. “You didn’t bring any water with you, did you?”

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Disclaimer

The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The authors have just borrowed them for an adventure or two. The authors promise to put the boys back when they are done with them. The authors do claim copyright to the original characters in this story. Please do not borrow original characters without express permission of the authors.