He had more than a sneaking suspicion of where he should look for the Benefactor, though it didn’t make any sense. He turned to his right and headed through an abandoned security cordon. Noseless and Faceless followed behind, their feet shuffling on the flagstones. They passed through a long corridor lined with tomb paintings showing scenes of Egyptian daily life and then into a dark chamber lined with glass display cases.
One of the first things they came to was a case holding a mummy wrapped tight in linen bandages like an enormous cocoon. A golden mask stared up at them from the depths of the dark glass, its facial features composed in an expression of perfect serenity as it stared through Gary and into eternity. The enormous eyes seemed pools filled with placid understanding and a pleased acceptance of immortality. This couldn’t be the Benefactor, Gary was sure of it. He placed a hand on the glass.
The mask came crashing up into the top of the case, the pale limbless body thrashing below, the pupal form of something horrible.
Gary jumped back. This was impossible. Yet here it was, the mummy convulsing in its glass cage. Gary reached out across the frequency of death and felt the barest shadow of dark heat there-rage and anguish were the only things keeping the mummy going and even those were in short supply. Soon enough this creature was going to exhaust itself and succumb to entropy. Yet it was patently impossible for it to have any kind of afterlife at all. God! It wouldn’t stop thrashing! The gold mask had dented and flattened from the forceful beating against the glass, smearing and distorting the features.
Gary might be undead himself but he couldn’t look at the thing in the case. It forced him every time it bent in the middle or smashed its face against the glass to imagine what its existence must be like: blind, bound, hungry-forever, not knowing how you got where you are, wondering if you were even alive or dead-it would be hell. He turned to Faceless and tried to explain to her. “No, no, this isn’t right-they used to dig out the brains with a, with a spoon or something when they mummified people!”
What you say is truth,the Benefactor said.As far as it goes.
Gary looked up in a panic. The words made his teeth hurt: as intimate as his own thoughts, as loud as sirens. “What do you mean?” he demanded.
They took the brains, yes-but only in some of the dynasties. Before the 18th dynasty the practice was unknown. After the Greeks conquered Egypt they outlawed excerebration altogether.
“How do you know that?” Gary spun around, trying to find where the Benefactor might be but it was impossible-the voice could be coming from anywhere.
I know many things, Gary. I have seen into your heart. I know things you’ve forgotten and things you’ll never dream of. Come to me, Gary, and I will teach you everything. Come quickly-we haven’t much time left.