InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Egypt Bound ❯ A New Discovery ( Chapter 8 )

A New Discovery

Inuyasha picked up the oil lamp and entered the tomb first with Miroku in tow. They walked carefully through the antechamber, passing the double storage chambers, stopping finally at the serdab chamber. The chamber itself was rather small, probably suited to hold only a few family members or a ritual priest at festivals; the limestone likenesses of the original owners stared back at Inuyasha and Miroku through painted eyes. Miroku was slightly creeped out, as he was whenever they came upon a mummy or a ritual statue of whomever occupied the tomb they were working in, but the creepiness subsided into pure amazement at the rich culture these ancient people left behind. Nonetheless, the rumors that flew around about cursed tombs still unsettled him a bit, since he was familiar with some of the ritual magic formulas the ancient Egyptians used to preserve themselves and their places in the afterlife.

"Oy, Miroku! Shine that thing over here, will ya? My light's not bright enough!" Inuyasha yelled. Miroku instantly stopped thinking about his mild fear of dark places and shined his light over to Inuyasha, who was examining the false door.

"So, is it really inscribed for Nebmaatre? Or someone else?" Miroku inquired.

"Well, both…you of all people should know about offering formulas and shit since you used to be a seminary student. It looks like the one commissioning the piece was a provincial noble, or at least was related to one…a guy named Huy…hmm, that's interesting," Inuyasha read.

"What is? What's so special about Huy, other than he was some official?"

"He was an administrator to the local government in Memphis. Looks like he had something to do with the Amun priesthood," Inuyasha replied.

"Humph, who didn't? " Miroku huffed at the thought of another boring official extolling his virtues so that the visitors to the tomb would take pity on him and pray for his soul.

"Well, doesn't it seem odd that he would usurp a tomb instead of having one built? I mean, he was pretty high up on the administrator ladder, he could've just had one commissioned, but instead he chose to rob an older one, kinda fishy isn't it?" Inuyasha reasoned. It did sound rather odd though; Huy would've made enough money in his lifetime to build his own tomb, yet here was his false door in another person's tomb just waiting to be found.

"Do you think he might have been involved in a plot or something that would've caused him to hide his body?" Miroku asked. "Because Saqqara was ancient to Huy at that time, and the popular place to bury was closer to the capital, wasn't it?"

"I think Saqqara was still being used because the West Bank was filling up, so tomb usurping was common. What I'm concerned about is whether we'll find anything behind this false door that can clue us in on why Huy chose this tomb, and what his circumstances were.'

"Right. So let's move this bloody thing before it gets dark," Miroku added.

"Okay, Miroku, you get on the other side of this beast and push as I pull, got it?"

"Yeah, on the count of three," he replied.

"Here goes! One…. two…three!" The guys grunted as they slid the false door aside to reveal an opening in the wall that was narrower than the false door that covered it. Inuyasha shone his lantern into the crack. On the ground just inside the narrow opening lay a broken clay seal; Inuyasha picked it up the three pieces and examined them. He exhaled and turned to face Miroku.

"We weren't the first ones here, this tomb has been broken into before," he said solemnly.
"So someone already knows about this find? How much is disturbed?"

"It looks like the plaster here wasn't applied in ancient times, and whoever robbed it left the hole wide enough to comeback later."

"Oh shit. Do you think you-know-who got to it first?"

"I don't know, but at least we can bust this wall to make it wider for us to examine whatever's left," Inuyasha sighed. Yet another tomb ruined. It seemed to be a pattern that plagued many a season. As soon as he would get a firman to dig on a site Sesshomaru thought needed investigation, weeks of work were wasted when Inuyasha's crew found that wherever they were had already been robbed within recent years. Inuyasha was pissed. Miroku was pissed. Hell, even Sesshomaru would be pissed to know that once again a site was ruined. Inuyasha couldn't help but think that Sesshomaru chose the sites that had been recently robbed for a reason; he just couldn't fathom what for.

"Get the pickaxes, it's going to be another fun find," Inuyasha remarked sarcastically.

Miroku left the tomb and came back with a few tools. The dynamic duo picked and pounded away until the hole was big enough for them to squeeze into. Miroku shined his lamp to provide some extra light into the chamber for Inuyasha. His efforts were met with a barrage of curses.

"Goddammit! Those sons of bitches moved the fucking coffin lid! Fucking marvelous! And barely any goddamn furniture in here that isn't smashed! Son of a bitch!"

"I take it that they've disturbed the mummy? And left with the valuable loot?" Miroku asked, concerned.

"Well, smartass, would you like to take a look?" Miroku clasped his hands to his breast dramatically.

"Oh! I thought you'd never ask!"

"Keh!" snorted Inuyasha, "Just get yer ass in here!" And so Miroku's ass went.

Further examination of the coffin yielded some surprising results. After they had removed the wooden coffin's lid, they saw that Huy's mummy had been disturbed---well, ravaged was more like it. It appeared that someone had been looking for something specific, as some of the amulets and the pectoral remained. The mummy's mask was gone, as was the heart scarab that normally accompanied the other amulets during the initial wrapping of the deceased. Inuyasha and Miroku were stunned, to say the least.

Inuyasha, as usual, was the first to speak.

"What the hell? They skip the pectoral and the amulets and go straight for the heart! Then they take the mask and mess up the body so it looks like an old-fashioned tomb robbery! What do you make of this Miroku?"

" It looks like they were after something specific-the heart scarab. Then, the bastard who defiled the body made sure that whoever came next would get the pectoral and the amulets. Or, someone may have known about a tomb robbing prior to the event and did it to spite someone else…. I don't know."

"Sure seems like it. I wonder… why the heart scarab of all things?" Inuyasha pondered. Sounds from outside indicated that Selim was calling for the crew to stop work.

"Akhu el-Afareet! Akhu el-Afareet!Mumkin Nethheb ila bayyutuna delwaati?

( Brother of Demons! Brother of Demons! Can we go home now?) Is dark outside!" Selim called in the tomb.

"Selim! Get Daoud and Hamza to secure the place so we don't get robbed tonight, fahimtum?" Inuyasha shouted back.

"Na'am effendi!"

Inuyasha growled slightly at the mention of effendi, and started to lift the coffin lid back onto the coffin. "Let's close this up for tonight, eh? Maybe I'll get Daoud to install a guard-door for this section of the tomb, " Inuyasha said.

"Some electric light would be nice too," added Miroku as they squeezed out of the opening and into the serdab chamber. The door was returned to its former position and they exited the tomb. Outside, the men were scurrying around with sherd baskets and loading them onto the donkey cart that was to be driven to Inuyasha's "lab". The "lab" was merely a two-roomed mud house in the nearest village where Inuyasha was allowed to keep any site material that seemed important, like pottery sherds for instance. Inuyasha had negotiated the use of the building with the village headman, Selim's uncle Tariq, who took personal pride in keeping the shreds of his ancestors' past safe and sound. All of the important artifacts came home to Cairo with Inuyasha and his associate Miroku, who shared a small house near the European section of Cairo, courtesy of Sesshomaru.

The carriage ride to the train station was not fun at all. Kagome and Sango were sweating to death underneath their woolen clothes and cursed Victorian propriety for making them wear so many layers. It also didn't help that their driver succeeded in hitting every bump in the narrow street, which nearly jostled the girls (and their luggage) out of the rickety carriage. Kagome had never seen so many people in her life-hordes of small, emaciated children rushed to the carriage making "feed me" gestures and shouting "Ya Madame! Baksheesh! Baksheesh!" or "Allo! Allo Madame! Baksheesh min fadlik!" The children were so close that she could feel them pulling at her skirt. Kagome scooted towards Sango on the seat, who had scooted towards her for the same reason.

"Sango, how can we get them off? They're like little hungry demons!"

"Maybe the driver will understand some English," she leaned toward the driver, "OY! Tell `em to get off tha carriage! They're scarin' the lady! Understand?" The driver looked over his shoulder and nodded as if to assure her. The next thing she saw was the driver's riding crop swing around and sting some of the children's hands and arms.

"Imshi'! Imshi' Abna'l Kelab!"(Go away! Go away you sons of whores!) The crop continued its assault on the other side of the carriage until the children stopped to let the carriage continue. Sango stole a side glance at Kagome, who looked absolutely horrified at what had just taken place. She's prolly never seen a beatin' before, nor poor kids, Sango thought. She checked her lap to make sure her valise was still there---it was, thank God.

While Sango was checking her valise, Kagome was immersed in the commotion that was Egypt. As their carriage attempted to squeeze into the thin, winding alleys, Kagome mused at what she saw: women in full, black veils balancing their wares on their heads; children playing in the dusty street; men sitting in the shops smoking out of huge, glass pipes; buildings that had huge carved balconies; laundry hanging on lines far above her head; and lots of cats roaming the streets. The air was so much drier and dustier here, and it smelled of animals and tobacco smoke-much different than the awful towers of filth that belched from the factories in Manchester. The sun seemed to find more cracks to shine into here, which gave all of the approaching edifices a golden color.

The carriage rattled up to the station at last. It must have taken over an hour to get there from the ship, but the local scenery was well worth it. The carriage driver jumped off of his perch and helped both girls off of the carriage, where they were met by the little snub-nosed man who often accompanied Lord Naraku. He said something in Arabic to the porters, and Kagome's luggage was hauled away to her cabin on the train. The driver stood tapping his foot on the wooden station boards; his hand was outstretched. Kagome looked to the snub-nosed man and asked, "What do I do?"

"You are supposed to pay him for his services," the little man looked impatient.

"Huh? What do I owe him?" The little man wrinkled his obnoxious nose and rolled his eyes heavenward.

"That has been taken care of. You should tip him."

"Oh dear! How could I have been so silly?" Kagome reached into her small purse and pulled out a few one-pound notes. "Here you go, thank you," she said with a nervous smile.

"Shukran madame," he replied.

"What did he say?" Kagome asked.

"Saynk yoo" the carriage driver said in his best English. Kagome was still a bit confused with his accent, but understood his great effort. Naraku's lackey turned to her.

"How much did you give him?" he inquired.

"Oh, only about two or three pounds," Kagome answered nonchalantly. The lackey huffed.

"That was way too generous, he'll probably spend it in some hashish den, knowing that lot." Sango did not like where this conversation was headed.

"He probably can afford to feed his family now, thanks to Ka-Lady Kagome. You should be so lucky to have such a person on this trip!" Sango interjected.

"And you should know how to be seen and not heard, maid! I believe you have overstepped your boundaries quite enough!" the toady little man snapped. He never let anyone forget their place-if he was on the low end of the totem pole, then by God, so was everybody else, and he made sure they knew that too. The whistle sounded for the passengers to board. Sango once again checked if she had her valise. She did. The rude little man showed them to their car and gave them their boarding passes.

Kagome began to wonder why Sango was so defiant towards that little toad of a man. I'll ask her later, I am worn out from the heat. Maybe I should rest before luncheon. Sango began to settle things in their berth and produced a cool wash cloth for Kagome's brow.

"I thought that maybe you should rest a bit before luncheon," Sango said.

"Thanks,"

" After I take care of some things, I'll come back to draw your bath. I won't be gone long." Kagome lay down on the cabin bunk and Sango put the cold rag on her forehead and pulled off Kagome's shoes. Kagome was fast asleep. Sango took this opportunity to rummage through her bag. She found the lacquer box and opened it slightly. Good, it's still here. If I lose this, he'll never forgive me! Not after all it took to get it here without anyone noticing. Phew! I still have to tell her though; she's not going to be very happy about this…