“Then how is it you were welcomed with feasting and song?”
“There was always a group of priests who passed the knowledge of us from generation to generation. They made sure that we were well cared for when we woke, that our burial sites were protected, and that the rituals were fulfilled. The people who celebrated our return were the humble, the poor. They kept our secret, not those in power. Though each rising is different, they have always been our watchers.”
“So since your sarcophagus was taken, what you’re saying is that somebody stopped watching.”
Amon shrugged as if it meant nothing, but I could tell my words hit the mark. “It is a different time now,” he said after a moment. “Perhaps in this world they have forgotten.”
We stopped at a cave opening that was almost completely boarded up. I consulted my map. “This one is called KV29. The guide says that it’s likely just a shaft, that it hasn’t been excavated yet, and that it’s full of debris.”
“This is exactly what I seek.”
Amon began ripping the boards off the entrance with a godlike strength.
Nervously, I said, “Uh…I might be a little claustrophobic. Just saying. Also, I don’t have a flashlight. Or a rope. Or mountain-climbing gear. Or a death wish!” I called out as Amon disappeared inside the dark hole.
Sticking his head back out, Amon held out his hand. “You will not die, Young Lily. I will be with you.”
Gingerly, I stepped closer, avoiding the rotting wood that might hide rusty nails. I should’ve gotten a tetanus booster and probably a dozen other shots before I agreed to go on this crazy trip. If only the girls at my school could see me now. My classmates would be shaking in their designer shoes at the thought of trekking through the desert and entering an unexcavated tomb. I could tell my skin was getting sunburned, and there were grains of sand ground into my hair. If I ended the day with just those irritants I’d consider myself lucky.
We made it only fifteen feet or so into the tomb, the light from the opening still showing the way, before we were stopped by a wall of loose rocks. “How exactly did you expect to get through here?” I asked. “Tunnel?” Coughing from the thick dust we’d stirred up, I took a sip from a water bottle to clear my throat.
“I must use my power. Prepare yourself.”
“Prepare myself? For what?”
Amon didn’t answer, instead raising his hands in the air and closing his eyes. A rumble shook the cave, almost knocking me off my feet. “Hold on to me, Lily!” Amon shouted.
I didn’t hesitate and quickly wrapped my arms around his waist, burying my face into his chest and yet unable to resist turning just enough so I could see the magic he’d caused.
Rocks and debris shifted, rising into the air. At first, it was just a light layer, but then loose gravel ascended and even the heavier rocks moved in their stony beds. Amon continued to murmur in ancient Egyptian and the rubble rose higher, shooting past us in a cloud of stinging dust. Pebbles came next, firing through the air like bullets. They blasted out of the cave opening, ripping off the remaining boards that covered the entrance and cascading down in a shower outside the tomb, where they quickly built up a large pile.
Amon strained a bit as he focused on the bigger rocks. They weren’t moving as fast as the lighter debris, and he had to move them one by one. The last two were massive boulders and Amon brought us up against the gritty wall, pressing me tightly against his body as the rocks passed. I could feel him shaking as he guided them. With a heavy thump, they hit the entrance and blocked out all the sunlight.
“I guess we aren’t getting out the way we came in,” I murmured as Amon bent over, panting. His breaths echoed in the black space, and I felt his hand gripping mine.