Curse of the Pharaoh: A Brock Stone Adventure

“Ugly girl,” Hawk said. “There’s not enough liquor in the world to get me to kiss her.”

“It’s Sekhmet, the warrior goddess. The Night Queen was obsessed with her.”

The men removed the casket lid. A mummy lay inside. Fischer produced an obsidian knife and sliced through the wrappings. She pulled them apart to reveal the face of the Night Queen. She had alabaster skin, full lips, and jet-black hair. Even in death, she was beautiful and terrible.

“Yineput,” Fishcher said softly, caressing the mummy’s cheek. “Soon you will sleep no more.” She sliced open the wrappings over the queen’s chest, pulled them back. Yineput lay in silent repose, her arms crossed over her chest.

“Idiots,” Hawk said. “Never disturb a mummy. Haven’t they heard of the Curse of the Pharaohs?”

“Bring me the canopic jars!” Fischer ordered. Men hurried to obey. They placed the jars on the ground at her feet. Fischer then cut an opening in the Night Queen’s abdomen.

She turned to Ratliff who stood nearby holding a gold tablet. At Fischer’s command, he cleared his throat and began to read aloud. His voice resonated through the chamber, and as he spoke, the torches dimmed.

The words were in Ancient Egyptian, which Stone had studied for a mission yeares ago. He was surprised at how much he remembered.

One by one, Fischer opened the canopic jars and returned the preserved organs to Yineput’s body until all that remained was the heart. Fischer removed the heart from the jar and held it aloft.

“The Night Queen shall rise again!” she proclaimed. “Their armies will march beneath our flag, and Germany shall rule the world!” With that she returned Yineput’s heart to her body.

Ratliff read one final line from the tablet.

The effect was immediate. The torches flickered and died. The room went black.

“Did it work?” Kane said.

The pyramid blazed to life, filling the chamber with brilliant light. And now Stone could see what he had missed before. Deep alcoves ringed the temple. Each was filled with statues of tall, powerful, jackal headed soldiers. Each was armed with a khopesh and a spear.

“Anubis warriors,” Stone whispered.

The Night Queen opened her eyes. She climbed out of her casket and stood naked before the pyramid. The cut in her abdomen had healed and her skin was now flawless. Beauty and hatred radiated from her in equal measure.

“I know she’s evil, but I would be tempted,” Hawk said.

“The downfall of men throughout history,” Stone said.

The queen looked at Fischer, cocked her head, and said something in Ancient Egyptian.

“What did she say?” Fischer asked.

“I think she wants to know who we are,” Ratliff said.

“Queen Yineput, we have brought you back to life so that you may continue your work. Together, we will conquer Africa and then the world.”

The queen replied with a single word. Stone couldn’t quite make it out, but her harsh tone said she wasn’t pleased.

“I don’t think she speaks English,” Kane said.

Moving faster than Stone would have believed possible. Yineput snatched the obsidian dagger out of Fischer’s hand.

“Finish the incantation quickly,” Fischer said to Ratliff. “We need to control her.”

Ratliff began to read, but his voice was weak, and he stumbled over the words. Sweat dripped from his brow and his shoulders heaved from heavy breathing.

The queen took a step forward and smacked the tablet out of Ratliff’s hands. She grabbed the professor by the throat and held him aloft. Ratliff struggled to escape her clutches, but she was too strong. He kicked and thrashed, his face turning from red to purple. When the fight finally left him, the queen flung his limp body across the room.

“Yineput!” Fischer said, a note of panic in her voice. “I gave you life. Obey your master!”

The Night Queen raised her head and uttered a single word that that shook the temple. The pyramid turned blood red.

“What just happened?” Hawk said.

“She said ‘rise.’ I think she’s waking her army.” Stone pointed to one of the alcoves. The Anubis warriors were coming to life.

26 The Fight

Two at a time, the Anubis warriors marched out of their alcoves. Kane’s men drew their sidearms and fired. The bullets bit deeply into the warriors’ bodies but did not stop them.

“Now’s our chance!” Stone said. He leaped down off the ledge and into the midst of the chaos. Hawk dropped down beside him. “You find Constance and I’ll get Trinity.”

Hawk gave a quick nod, drew his tomahawk and Bowie knife, and dashed into the fight. He ducked a vicious sword stroke from an Anubis warrior, slashed it across the wrist, and kept running.

Stone drew his Webley and looked around for Trinity. He spotted her in the middle of the crowd. She was on hands and knees crawling toward the sarcophagus. What was she doing?

The Night Queen lifted Magda Fischer off the ground. She screamed, kicked and punched, but Yineput did not seem to feel it. She turned and headed toward the pyramid.