Earth Guardian (Deities Series Book 2) Read online

  “That correspond to the four elements, or abilities,” Tage adds, her short brown waves framing her face.

  “Yes.” Dr. Mara looks up. “And the labyrinth was created so only the youths of power could navigate the maze, but without the full use of their powers.”

  “And we don’t have an air person.” Ash looks away. “This could be bad.”

  “The ancients had a purpose for this maze,” the doctor says. “I believe it was to help the youths of power to balance the earth, not to kill us. But maybe to stop anyone who didn’t have those special powers from getting the elemental rituals … or getting through the maze, which is why they designed the challenge rooms.”

  “So those of us without powers are going to die?” Tage looks up, eyes wide.

  “Not if we stick together, Tage. This is important, everyone. We must stick together, use our heads as well as our unique skills, to make it through.”

  “So, we have to find the four elemental rituals of the four elements,” Smoke reads as he writes. “How many rooms did you say are down here? Three thousand?”

  “Holy shit—we’ll never make it.” Ash shakes her head.

  “I’m sure that was an exaggerated description, you know how history can turn into legend.” The doctor flips several pages. “It seems like these rooms correspond to the Forty-Two Judges of Amenti. So we can safely guess there’s at least forty-two chambers.”

  “We barely survived the first three.” Smoke frowns.

  “Yes, and we were forced through those rooms. But look where we are now—a hallway with lots of doors.” We glance up and down the long, lit hall as the doctor gestures. “Surely we don’t need to go through each area to find just four elemental rituals.”

  “So the trick is to figure out which specific rooms we need,” Smoke says.

  “What was the exact clue you found?” Torrent readies his pen.

  The doctor reads the clue and all three of our note-takers bend over their journals. “’Four are the rituals of the youths of power: Earth, Air, Fire, Water.’ I almost missed the second clue with all the arguing in the last room.” Dr. Mara sighs. “But I got it: ‘To save the world, each is vital: Air, Water, Earth, Fire.’” She pauses a moment while they copy the second clue. “So every time there’s a clue, each of the four elements are included—we can watch for this.” Dr. Mara shows us the glyphs of the four elements. “See how the Air symbol is like a ship’s sail blowing in the wind? They’re in varying order, but anytime we see these four together, speak up, get a picture, copy it down—whatever you can. Do you all understand?” We nod, knowing our survival depends on this.

  “So we need to do all four rituals.” Smoke stops writing. “Are we going to skip Air since we don’t have that person?”

  “It seems so. Maybe it’ll be the last elemental ritual and since you’re mapping, we’ll find it easily enough again once we have Air. Now, let’s hope we find clues to which challenge rooms we need for each one.” Dr. Mara returns to reading the walls and taking pictures. “So we don’t have to go through all forty-two rooms.”

  Tage joins her. “I can help with the hieroglyphs, too, doctor.”

  “That’s not a bad idea, in case anything happens to me.” The doctor teaches Tage as they move along, slowing their progress. But her grave words echo in my mind.

  Lord Jesus, please help all of us to make it through this alive. But fear fills my heart as I look at each of the team; my friends, my new family: Smoke, Tage, Ash, Torrent and Dr. Mara. Will we all make it?

  A shiver runs through me.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “I have to pee,” Ash speaks for all of us.

  “Let’s continue this direction down this hall. While Tage and I study the writings, the rest of you explore, but stick together and don’t go too far. Torrent, you know what water symbol to look for.”

  “Aye-aye, captain.” Torrent puts his pack on and moves along the hall with Ash, searching for the water sign and another possible latrine. Smoke maps the corridor as we go slowly along.

  This hall is full of angled stone doors, one every few meters. They alternate between one on the left and then one on the right. I wish I could read more of the hieroglyphs. They’re beautiful, and I see glyphs over each sealed door, perhaps stating what’s inside. Out of habit I check and find the earth symbol to the left of each door. Boy, without my power, or Ash’s, we wouldn’t have access to any of these rooms.

  After a short walk we come to a ninety-degree bend in the passage, going to the right.

  “Here.” Torrent heads straight to the corner. Instead of a long canal, there is a stone square bowl sticking out from the corner, with a small hole above it. Torrent places his hand on the wall. After several seconds of distant gurgling, water pours out of the hole, filling the stone toilet to near the top, where the water flows out of another square hole inside.

  “That will be cold on my ass,” Ash says. “Yo, we found a toilet,” she calls to everyone.

  We let Tage and Ash go first and move away to give them privacy. After we’ve each had a turn, I walk with the doctor back to the first door in the hallway we passed. “Can you read what these rooms are?”

  “I’ll try. Call everyone back, let’s decide together.” I herd the group as the doctor reads the inscription above the doorway. “This one says, ‘Chamber of the Dangerous One of Rosetau.’”

  “No thanks,” Torrent says. “I’m not ready for more danger.” We move to the next door, on the right.

  “’Hall of the Double Lion of the Sky,’” Dr. Mara reads on the next door.

  “Could these be more cryptic?” Smoke asks. “How do we know which one we need?”

  “We don’t know yet, keep looking for clues, the four elements together, wherever we go.” The doctor and Tage go from door to door reading, while the rest of us fan out and search the walls, floor, and ceiling. I search as quickly and thoroughly as I can, but I don’t see a clue anywhere.

  This is slow work. I sigh. We need to get rest, like real rest for longer than a few minutes. I don’t want to appear weak in front of the others, but I need to sleep. Maybe they just don’t want to say anything.

  “Hey, can we set up—”

  “‘Hall of Youth from the Lake at Heqat,’” Dr. Mara’s voice echoes from a door on the outside wall, not far from our Egyptian toilet. “And here’s a symbol for gold.”

  “Wait, what?” Ash walks back to the doctor. “Did you say gold?” Soon we all gather around her.

  “Hall of Youth?” Smoke studies the doorway. “That sounds promising.”

  “And not too dangerous.” Torrent nods.

  “So we’re agreed, then?” Dr. Mara looks at each of us. “Ridge, what were you about to say when I interrupted you?”

  “Nothing. It can wait until after this room.”

  “Okay, then.” Dr. Mara nods.

  I touch my palm to the earth symbol. The door slides open to the left. We peer into the darkness inside—a vast chamber full of tall painted columns in straight rows as far as we can see, reaching to a high shadowy ceiling.

  What is that … all over the floor …?

  Ash steps in and puts her hand on the wall. Light roars into the braziers up and down all four walls and on each column of the long, rectangular chamber. A long hallway divides the columns and the outer walls, leaving the interior of the room open and surrounded by a colonnade. The orange flames reflect off millions of objects crowding the room: ornate boxes and chests of all kinds, gold beds, chairs and tables, gold-covered chariot parts, blue pottery, golden statues and figurines in all sizes—even life-size—piles of goblets, plates and treasures filling all the spaces in-between.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “Whoa.” Tage steps in. She reaches toward a life-sized golden statue of a long-nosed dog on a platform.

  “Don’t touch it,” the doctor barks. “All of you, don’t touch or take anything. We don’t know enough about this room. Tage, let’s read the walls, com
e on. The rest of you, search for the clues.” The two go to the wall on the left side of the door. The doctor turns back around. “I mean it, everyone, don’t take anything from this room, no matter how much you’re tempted. These things are not for you.”

  I nod as we all fan out, studying the walls, floor, columns, the bright colors on the objects dazzling. I start on the wall to the right, being careful where I step. The ceiling is covered with a million faded painted silver stars; there doesn’t seem to be anything else on there, at least. It’s too high up to see well.

  It’s hard to get close to the centers with all this treasure piled everywhere. I move along the perimeter of the room, searching the wall for the four element symbols together. But the shining blue and gold treasures keep drawing my attention. There are so many unique and unusual items, I can’t help studying them. Some of the chests and boxes are on painted legs, others have lids like the angled roof of a house. There’s painting and writing all over the fancy boxes, furniture, everything. Many of the chests are inlaid with beautiful blue Lapis Lazuli. At my feet are a hundred little blue glazed figurines, about thirty centimeters high.

  How are we supposed to search all this without touching anything? It’s impossible. I glance at Ash, a few feet away near a column, just as she’s putting something into her jeans pocket.

  I look over at Smoke. He’s studying the treasures and furniture, too. He scoops a handful of something out of an open chest and zips them into his pack.

  What are they doing?

  Searching for Torrent, I see him holding a small golden statue of a falcon-headed god. After examining it, he puts it back down.

  At least he didn’t take it. But he’s touching things … should I tell the doctor? I look at the others in turn, but I don’t know what to do. These are my new friends, my new family. If I tell, will they ever forgive me or trust me?

  I go back to studying the walls, keeping my eyes off the treasures, trying to decide.

  Well, no traps have been set off, that’s good. And how would a trap like that work anyway, there’s too much in here. So, we’re not in immediate danger.

  I keep silent as I move to the end of the wall.

  And there I see it. The glyph for Earth catches my eye, right below it is the water sign, and then to the left is the fire symbol over the air sign.

  “I found a clue, I found a clue,” I call out. I look at the hieroglyphs surrounding those four, but can’t make heads or tails of it. I step out of the way as Dr. Mara and Tage arrive to read it. She waits for Smoke and Torrent to ready their notebooks; Tage is already ready.

  “‘Earth, Water, Fire, Air Rite finds the ghost wind of Amenti’s night.’” The doctor squints at it. “’Air Rite,’ it must be a clue about the Air ritual.”

  “It ‘finds the ghost wind of Amenti’s night,’” Smoke reads. “What the hell does that mean?”

  “Hopefully we’ll recognize something about it when we come to the right place.” The doctor takes photos. “Everyone, remember the clue, keep it in mind. Great work, Ridge.” She smiles at me. “I can’t believe you found that so quickly in this vast hall.”

  “Me neither, but the Earth sign jumps out at me.” I stand tall.

  “Okay, the other symbols may also be here. Everyone take a wall, look especially near the corners.”

  We continue working. It takes at least an hour, but the four signs together aren’t shown anywhere else that we can find.

  Dr. Mara calls us back together, and we take a long break in the middle of the room, eating a light supper. By now everyone has touched something, often by accident as it’s impossible not to with so much stuff everywhere. I move some ancient statue out of the way to lean against a column. We try to make ourselves as comfortable as possible in this place. Ash finds a leopard-painted bed frame, with leopard’s feet and the beast’s heads near the top. It reminds me of a torture device. Where the pillow would be is a U-shaped piece of metal to cradle the head. She removes several stone boxes before lying down on the hard, gold bed. She puts her pack under her head and is soon fast asleep.

  Thank the Lord I’m not the only one exhausted.

  “Smart, sis.” Smoke shakes his head. “I wonder if there are beds for all of us?”

  “We’re sticking together, right here.” Dr. Mara puts her pack back on. “Just lie on the floor as comfortably as you can.” The doctor glances at her watch. “It’s well past midnight.” She stands to take first watch while the rest of us pull out our thin, silver sleeping-bags and bed down.

  ‘The air rite finds the ghost wind of Amenti’s night.’ I repeat the clue to myself, memorizing it as I drop into an exhausted sleep.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  A firm boot nudging my ribs wakes me. Torrent is standing over me; soft snores surround us. It’s impossible to tell the time in these tombs of endless darkness and flickering firelight.

  “It’s four a.m., time for your two-hour shift.” Torrent lies down and slides into his silver sleeping-bag.

  I put away my bedding, grab some water and an energy bar, and extend my legs before standing. I stretch my arms high, then twist around to one side, then the other. The floor was hard, but the little bit of exercising wakes my mind and muscles.

  An uneventful night, thank you Lord. I’m glad we’re in a room that seems safe and quiet, finally. It’s just a treasure room. Good thing we found it. But if we’re going to sleep here regularly, we’ll need to find more beds and make it comfy.

  Doubt fills me, though. As if I know we’ll never be in one place more than a few hours. We have this huge labyrinth to explore as quickly as we can, before we run out of supplies. I hope Smoke’s mapping is good enough to help us get out again.

  My mind stops. Ya khara, there’s no way we can get back the way we came in. How will we find our way out? My heart pounds for a full minute. Help us Lord, to find the way out when the time comes. You are the God of perfect timing. I trust in You. As my pulse calms, I’m able to think rationally. There must have been workers and priests in here. There have to be some regular entrances and exits they used. We just have to find them – along with all four elemental rituals ... and not die in the process.

  I change my focus so I don’t panic. I have two hours to keep watch. I spend the time wandering the long hall, examining the walls and columns, taking time to look at the amazing treasures, but not straying too far. I pick up a small, golden sphynx. Such precise workmanship. It’s cold and smooth in my hand, yet rings with a frequency that warms my arm. I put it back down and continue my slow study of the room and its incredible contents. I like having the entire place to myself.

  After about an hour I find a beautiful, golden ankh the size of my thumb. I hold it—it’s warm in my hands. It almost looks like a cross … I’d like to have this. I play with it in my right hand, hefting it up and down. This would be worth a fortune. If I took this for myself, I could make it into a necklace. I could take some small treasures to sell … there are millions of items everywhere, no one would notice if something went missing. I open my pack and put the ankh in an inside pocket, then find several golden garlic bulbs to put in, and a few solid gold bangles.

  What am I doing? I’m not a thief; I don’t steal. I don’t know if this counts as stealing, but it sure feels like it. My inner spirit checks me.

  Slowly, I put the treasures back into the pile by my feet. I remove the ankh. Holding it to my face, I give it a gentle kiss, then return it to the painted chest in front of me. It takes great faith for me to put them all back, trusting in God for my financial future.

  Am I stupid?

  I don’t know. But I return to walking about the room, careful not to touch anything else. I don’t know if I could resist the temptation a second time. Even now, I’m having trouble releasing the beautiful ankh from my thoughts.

  At the back of the room, I examine a closed stone door. I’m tempted to open it, but I’ve learned to wait for the team. Don’t want to make a bad mistake again.


  The two hours go by faster than expected. I get back to the group as they stir and find some breakfast. The doctor sets up her tiny burner and brews a cup of coffee. I use my own burner to boil the mint tea I brought.

  “There’s another door at the back of the hall,” I lean my head in the direction behind me. The doctor nods.

  “Okay, then, we need to decide. Do we continue out that way or return to the hallway with all the doors?”

  “Let’s at least see what’s on the other side of the door, then choose,” Smoke says.

  We finish our small rations, then go to the door at the back of the room. I place my hand on the earth symbol and the slab slowly grinds open.

  There’s another chamber on the other side, a medium-sized area, with paintings large and small of millions of blue scarab beetles.

  “Eww, bugs.” Tage looks around the shadowy room. “I say no way.”

  “Actually, the holy scarab beetle was an omen of protection and eternal life.” Dr. Mara motions Ash to reach in and light the room. In the firelight, the beetles glint in beautiful blue, gold, and green.

  “The dead were often buried with the amulet of the scarab resting on their hearts.” Smoke places his hands on his chest. “People wore them all the time during life, too, for protection.”

  “But what if we get stuck in there with a thousand live bugs?” Tage takes a step back. “I’d die.”

  “That’s impossible,” Smoke assures her. “There’s no way the ancient Egyptians could keep a trap like that alive and going for several thousands of years or more. If this place was constructed during the Old or Middle Kingdom periods.”

  “Nerd. They’re still pretty. I say let’s go for it.” Ash leans in to look at the intricate art. “There’s another door on the opposite wall.”

  “To protection and eternal life!” Torrent shifts his pack.

  “Before we go, I found the Judge of this Hall of Treasures.” Dr. Mara consults her notes. “It is the ‘Youth Who Comes from the Lake at Heqat.’ Repeat after me, everyone: ‘Hail, Nekhenu, who comest forth from Heqat, I have not shut my ears to the words of truth.’”