Archive for Earth Warriors
Anubis
Anubis copyright c. 2015 T.A. Chase
Part Fifteen-
It was almost as though Ahmed spoke from experience. Jamil gave himself a mental shake. A lot of the scholars of ancient history spoke of the gods like they were real, but if they ever existed, they lost their power when people stopped believing in them.
“You sound as though you believe in them,” he commented, having an urge to know how Ahmed thought about everything and anything.
Ahmed chuckled. “Late at night, when I can see the stars in the dark sky, I do believe they are looking down on us. They might not have a hand in our day-to-day lives, but they are watching. I guess you can take the boy out of the desert, but you can’t take the desert out of the boy.”
Jamil tilted his head. “I can see that. We’re all shaped by what we experienced during our formative years. You were raised as a nomad and your life was controlled by the whims of nature. There are spirits in the sand and wind. Then we learn new things when we move away, but it doesn’t change our inner beliefs.”
“True.”
They fell silent as they wandered along the trail through the canyons leading to the city. Jamil let his mind go blank, absorbing the heat and the stillness of the area. Oh there were people all around him, tour groups heading to Petra, but their conversations were hushed as though they felt the weight of time pushing down on them.
As they approached the steps of the Treasury, Ahmed stiffened beside him and Jamil shot him a quick look. He noticed that Ahmed was staring straight ahead, so he turned and spotted a tall slender man standing at the entrance arches. Sandy and Eesha were talking with him.
“I wonder who that is,” Jamil murmured as they continued on.
“It’s Thomas Hutchinson,” Ahmed told him.
“Really? He told me he wouldn’t be here until tomorrow. Guess he got a earlier flight.” Jamil jogged up the steps. “Dr. Hutchinson, I’m Jamil Ahlid. I’m glad you could come.”
Hutchinson shook his hand then gave Ahmed a quick man-hug, thumping his shoulder with a heavy hand. “Ahmed, I appreciate you telling Ahlid here about me. Glad you’re willing to share the fame from finding this stuff.”
Ahmed grimaced, but simply replied, “I didn’t find this stuff, Thomas. Jamil did, so you should be thanking him for pulling you in. You’ll have to share whatever fame there is to come with him.”
“Of course.” Hutchinson flashed him a bright grin. “When do I get to look at the jars?”
“They’re already at the museum, but you can meet us there in the morning if you want.” Jamil set his pack down then pulled out his laptop. “I have pictures of the writing on here. Maybe you can do a quick translation then do a deeper one later.”
After straightening, he turned his computer on and adjusted the screen so that Hutchinson could see it. Ahmed had wandered over to talk with Sandy and Eesha. Jamil saw how the women seemed charmed by the man. A hint of jealousy swelled in him and he tried to tamp it down. After all, he was the one Ahmed had kissed.
I need to get over myself. It’s not like we’re a couple or anything. Jamil gave himself a mental slap upside the head.
“You don’t have to worry,” Hutchinson muttered, nudging him with his knee. “He’s not interested in those women. Hell…he hasn’t been interested in women since he was born, I bet.”
His cheeks heated and he ducked his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Of course you don’t.”
He heard the amusement in Hutchinson’s voice, but he wasn’t going to acknowledge what the man had said. “Here are the up close pictures. You can look at them out here. I’m heading to my unit.”
Hutchinson took the laptop and grinned, but didn’t stop him as he moved into the darkened interior. Ahmed returned to Hutchinson’s side and pointed something out on the screen to him. Eesha and Sandy joined Jamil, escorting him through the outer chambers while chattering on and on about Hutchinson.
“It was like he appeared out of nowhere. I was outside on the steps right before he showed up and I swear to God, he didn’t walk in. Not from where the main groups do.” Sandy shook her head.
Eesha laughed. “Maybe he repelled in from the top of the canyon like Spiderman or something.”
Jamil chuckled. “He does have the look of a superhero, doesn’t he?”
“They both do.”
At Sandy’s statement, they all turned around to look at the two men standing in the arched entryway of the Treasury. Hutchinson and Ahmed were the same height and had the same dark coloring. Jamil wouldn’t doubt that Hutchinson had Arab blood in his genes. Ahmed was slightly more muscular, which made him more attractive to Jamil.
They held themselves like warriors. They were talking about the jars, but Jamil could tell they were keeping an eye on everyone around them. When they finished talking, Hutchinson closed the computer then they strolled in Jamil’s direction.
The loud inhalation from both women shocked him out of staring at the men. He nudged his friends with his elbows before turning around to continue on to his unit. By the time he got there, Ahmed and Hutchinson had joined their group.
“From my brief perusal of the writing, I think Ahmed is right about it being the Princess and the young prince’s canopic jars. I definitely will take a closer look when I can see the real things, but you’ve made an amazing discovery, Dr. Ahlid.” Hutchinson handed Jamil his computer back.
“Thank you. We do think there might be more things to be dug up in that chamber and a few other rooms that we’ve been given access to.” Jamil rubbed his chin. “The government also gave us permission to go into some of the caves in the area. We think there might be some burials there.”
Ahmed hissed, startling Jamil.
Anubis
Anubis copyright c. 2015 T.A. Chase
Part Fourteen-
“They wanted to adopt more children, but then my mother got sick and my father decided she wasn’t strong enough to deal with more than one.”
Ahmed studied him. “I’m sorry to hear about her illness and that you had no siblings to play with. I also had no siblings, but I do have six other men that I consider my brothers. No matter how much we irritate—or anger—each other, we still care and will defend them against any danger.”
Jamil shot him a quick glance, not wanting to take his eyes off the road for too long. “Do you guys face a lot of danger? I wouldn’t think being a consultant for UNESCO would put your life on the line.” He saw Ahmed screw up his face as though he’d said the wrong thing.
“Some of the World Heritage Sites are in pretty dangerous areas. I’ve had to protect myself against natives and soldiers. I do leave the cities and wander into the wilds of the world. My brothers travel extensively, as do I, to some very troubled areas for humanitarian reasons.” Ahmed rubbed his hands over his jeans. “There have been times when we’ve had to launch rescue missions.”
“You have six brothers and you launched rescue missions? Don’t you mean the government? How well trained are you?” Jamil turned on the signal as he pulled off the highway to the exit ramp for Petra.
Ahmed cleared his throat. “We’re very well trained and we don’t like to involve the governments if at all possible. Most of the time, we don’t need them.”
That gives me an entirely different image of Ahmed than I had before. An image of Ahmed dressed in black holding a rifle popped into his head and his cock stiffened. Settle down, boy. No need to get excited there. I shouldn’t think about getting involved with him anyway. He’s outta of my league.
He chuckled. “At least I’ll know who to come to if I need protection.”
“I’m more than willing to help you out with that as well,” Ahmed said with a slight smile on his face.
“Good.” Jamil navigated along the road to the parking area where all the other vehicles were left. They’d be hiking in from there. If they found anything while digging, they would bring it out on the back of camels or horses. Unless the artifact was really fragile, then he’d cart it out by hand.
Once he parked and they got out, he walked around to the front of the truck where Ahmed waited. When he stopped, he noticed Ahmed was staring at him intently. He started to say something, but froze as Ahmed reached out to cradle his cheek in his hand. He hadn’t been expecting Ahmed to touch him, but his first instinct was to nuzzle into it.
Ahmed stepped closer then bent down while lifting Jamil’s chin enough for their lips to brush. Jamil gasped at the shot of electricity shooting through him.
“Wow!”
Lifting the corners of his mouth in a small smile, Ahmed let his hand drop. “Are you going to be upset with me for that?”
Jamil grabbed Ahmed’s hand, trying to tug the bigger man close again. “Umm…hell no. I was surprised is all. Wasn’t really expecting you to kiss me. Why did you?”
Ahmed shrugged. “I’m not sure. Something in the way the sunshine lit up your eyes called to me and I had to find out how you tasted.”
“You certainly know how to talk to a guy,” Jamil whispered before pressing his mouth to Ahmed’s, not letting him reply.
He swept his tongue in and tasted the coffee Ahmed must have had before he showed up at Jamil’s. There was also a hint of some exotic spice mingled in that Jamil had never tasted before. He slid his hands up over Ahmed’s shoulders then threaded his fingers through the curls at the nape of Ahmed’s neck.
Time and the world around him disappeared as Ahmed folded him into his embrace, crushing him against his hard body while taking control of their kiss. Jamil whimpered, grinding his groin against Ahmed’s then pressing back into the tight grip of Ahmed’s hands on his ass.
The loud screech of a bird startled them and Ahmed eased away to glance up at the sky. Jamil followed his gaze, shocked to see a hawk almost hovering over them. It screeched at them again before flying off. Jamil wasn’t sure why but it felt like the mood had been ruined.
Ahmed released him then moved further away. “We should probably get going. You don’t want to be late and I’m eager to do work with you.”
“What about this?” He motioned between them. “Is that going to happen again or was it just sun madness?”
Ahmed shoved his hand through his dark hair and sighed. “I should say it was the sun on your golden skin and how luscious your lips looked, but I’m not going to lie. I’ve wanted to do that from the moment I met you. I do think we need to consider what it would mean if we took it beyond a kiss.”
Jamil pursed his lips. “I guess I can think about it, though I do want you to know that I wouldn’t be upset if we did more than kiss. You’re fucking gorgeous, man. A guy would have to be crazy to turn you down.”
An eerie sound drifted from the canyons leading to Petra and Ahmed grimaced again. “We need to go.”
Picking up his bag where he’d dropped it, Jamil slung it over his shoulder. “Was that a hawk? I haven’t seen one of those around here in a long time.”
Ahmed shrugged. “It seems like a lot of creatures are appearing that haven’t been seen by humans close to the city.”
“Maybe it’s a sign like the jackal,” Jamil murmured as they walked. “Maybe the gods are blessing us and they approve of what we’re doing here.”
“The blessings of the gods aren’t always wonderful things,” Ahmed stated.
Anubis
Anubis copyright c. 2015 T.A. Chase
Part Thirteen-
Jamil finished getting ready the next morning, excitement running through him at the thought of seeing Ahmed later that day. Silly boy! He’s not going to be interested in a guy who spends most of his time in the dirt.
Not that Jamil was ashamed of what he did for a living, but from what he’d seen of Ahmed, he doubted the man did anything that got his hands messy. The way Ahmed looked in his suit yesterday popped into Jamil’s head.
Broad shouldered and narrow hipped, Ahmed’s slick body seemed to speak of a man who wasn’t afraid of hard work. Maybe at one point, Ahmed had done some heavy lifting. Hell, if he came from one of the nomadic tribes, he’d done a lot of walking and herding of camels.
I’m letting my own bias cloud my judgment about what kind of man Ahmed is. He might not care if he gets his clothes and hands muddy. I only have experience with men who were totally into the academic research sitting in a lab world. Those would never dream of coming out to a dig site with me.
Shaking his head, Jamil grabbed his keys and wallet before heading out to his truck. He had just settled behind the steering wheel when his phone rang. Yanking it out of his pocket, he checked the screen, but he didn’t recognize the number.
“Hello,” he answered.
“Mr. Ahlid, this is Ahmed Al Hazzan.”
Jamil’s heart skipped a beat, but he managed to keep his voice calm. “Hello, Mr. Al Hazzan. What can I do for you?”
“I was wondering if I could catch a ride out to the site with you? I thought it might be educational for me to watch and help you…and your assistants.” Ahmed cleared his throat. “I also might have an idea of where else we might look for artifacts…if you have permission to be there.”
“Sure. You can ride with me. What hotel are you staying at? I can pick you up.” The thought of riding all the way to Petra with Ahmed in close proximity with him caused his cock to get hard.
Ahmed chuckled. “Actually I’m standing on the sidewalk across from your place.”
Jamil looked up then glanced around. He spotted Ahmed standing right where he said he was. The man waved and Jamil laughed. “Come on over.”
Ahmed jogged across the street before opening the passenger door. He tossed his duffle bag into the backseat and climbed in. “Thank you.”
After setting his phone in the center console, Jamil shrugged. “You’re welcome. It doesn’t make sense for both of us to drive out there.”
“True.” Ahmed grimaced. “Though the truth is I don’t like driving. Never really got the hang of it.”
Eyeing him, Jamil wasn’t sure he was joking or telling the truth. He guessed it sounded plausible, considering where Ahmed grew up. There wasn’t a lot of use for vehicles in the desert. Certainly not in the areas where the nomads roamed.
“I don’t mind playing chauffeur, Mr. Al Hazzan.” He turned the engine over and put the truck in gear.
“Please, call me Ahmed. I have a feeling we’ll be working closely together for the foreseeable future.” Ahmed rubbed his hands on his jeans. “It’s been years since I worked a site, so I hope you won’t mind me asking stupid questions.”
Jamil pursed his lips then nodded. “As long as you call me Jamil, and I don’t have a problem with stupid questions as long as you’re truly interested.”
Ahmed touched Jamil’s arm then retreated quickly. “I’m very interested in what you do, Jamil. It’s not just this site, though Petra has always fascinated me. It might be because I’ve lived close to it for half my life and heard so many legends that I feel like I’ve spent time there when it was inhabited.”
“I’ve had digs where I’ve felt like that. Almost like you’re coming home and you didn’t even know you’d left.” He pulled out of his driveway then headed out.
“Our ancestors come from around the world. Genes mingling until there are distant memories stored in our primitive brain. Then we arrive somewhere and a memory is triggered.” Ahmed stared out the windshield, his gaze distant as though he were thinking about such a place.
Jamil agreed. “That actually makes sense. For you especially because you’re from around here.”
Grunting softly, Ahmed acknowledged Jamil, but didn’t say anything for a while. It was as though he was caught up in memories of his own. Finally when they were closer to Petra, Ahmed twisted in his seat to look at Jamil.
“Were you able to get a hold of the gentleman I suggested you talk to?”
There was a tone in Ahmed’s voice that made Jamil think he didn’t really want Jamil to get a hold of the guy.
“I sent him an email last night and he responded this morning. He said he could be here by tomorrow. He was already traveling to Israel for another job, so he could take a few days to help us.” Jamil almost bounced in his seat. It was important to get a second translation on the canopic jars. Not that he didn’t believe Ahmed’s, but other museums and authorities would want reassurance that those names were what were on the jars.
“Wonderful. I haven’t talked to Thomas in a few months. It’ll be great to catch up.”
Jamil snorted. “Something’s telling me you and Thomas aren’t close friends.”
Ahmed rolled his eyes. “We’ve had our differences over the years, but in the end, if he needed me, I’d be there for him.”
“It’s nice to have friends you can count on like that.” Jamil sighed. “My parents are gone now, and I was an only child. They adopted me when I was five.”
“Which explains the dichotomy of the name and your looks,” Ahmed commented.
“Right.” He’d learned to deal with the strange looks he’d get from people.
Anubis
Anubis copyright c. 2015 T.A. Chase
Part Twelve-
::Sekhmet is the only one who ignores my attempts at manipulation.::
Anubis couldn’t help but smile at the annoyance evident in Isis’s words.
Jamil shifted in his chair and Anubis brought his attention back to him. “I might know someone you can ask. He’s merely an acquaintance of mine and we’ve never talked about the ancient languages he can speak or read, but he is quite knowledgeable.”
He tried not to think how gorgeous Jamil looked when his eyes lit up with happiness. The strangest urge to try and keep that expression on the man’s face hit Anubis. He hadn’t felt that emotion in centuries. Well…at least not since the day his lover turned him over to their enemies. He’d never let anyone get close enough to hurt him like that again.
Anubis wasn’t happy about feeling like that again. H shook his head to dispel the thoughts as he stared at the jars. “I wonder what happened to the prince,” he muttered.
“What do you mean? More than likely his jar is somewhere in the room. We’ll just have to do a more thorough search.” Jamil paused for a second then continued, “Unless they buried him in the caves like usual.”
Inhaling slowly, Anubis pursed his lips. “I’m not sure they’d separate them like that. I guess it would depend on who buried them.”
Jamil frowned. “Who buried them? Wouldn’t his own people do that?”
Anubis shrugged. “We’d have to figure out when they died. From the legends I’ve been told, an invading army defeated Prince Okilma around the tenth year of his reign. After that, the information on him gets sketchy. There never was mention of his death or that of his family.”
He was fudging the truth a little on that. Anubis had searched for Okilma and his family once he’d been changed by Anubis, yet he hadn’t been able to find them or any record either. It was as though they’d been wiped from the histories. He’d hoped that the gods had smiled on them and allowed them to live. He should’ve known his wishes wouldn’t have been answered.
“I’ll have some of my students start digging through the ancient histories. Maybe there’ll be some kind of mention of him.” Jamil grabbed the pencil from Anubis then jerked the paper over so he could make some notes for himself. “Can you tell me the names of the Princess and the son?”
Anubis recited them for Jamil to jot down. He couldn’t resist reaching out and tracing the writing on the jars. He remembered the young prince’s bright hazel eyes and shy smile. Okilma had never hidden their relationship from his wife, and she had been fine with him spending time with the family. So he’d come to be a favorite of the young boy. Maybe it was simply because he’d been the only one to really pay the child any attention.
“Hakim,” he whispered.
“What?” Jamil glanced up at him. “Did you say Hakim?”
“Yes. That was the son’s name,” he told Jamil. “The princess’s name was Eesha.” He blinked at the weird coincidence of the young woman working on the site having the same name as Okilma’s wife.
Jamil chuckled. “I’ll have to tell Eesha she shares her name with a princess. She’ll love that.”
Anubis hummed in agreement. An image of the young princess flashed through his head and he realized both women looked remarkable alike, but he couldn’t say that because there would’ve been no pictures or carvings of her. Unless he said he once saw something that had been lost to the desert when he was young. It wasn’t worth the effort of lying. He would just keep it simple and try not to trip himself up over things.
“I’m sure she’ll be happy to know that.” After standing, he took off his gloves then set them on the table. “I’m afraid I have a meeting to get to. Would it be all right if I join you at the site tomorrow?”
Jamil looked a little surprised at his sudden wish to leave, but he nodded. “Sure. Can you give me the contact information for that guy you mentioned? I’ll send him an email while I’m here at the museum.”
Anubis gave him Thoth’s information, not happy about having his brother join him, but knowing Isis was probably right about having someone else there to watch his back.
“Great. Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow then.” Jamil shook his hand. “Do you need me to escort you out of the basement?”
He laughed and shook his head. “No. I’ve been here before and know the way. I hope you’re able to discover more about Princess Eesha and the young prince.”
Anubis could say that because while he did wish Jamil success, he knew there wouldn’t be anything else for him to find. Before he could leave the room, Jamil spoke up.
“Oh wait. I wanted to show you a video one of my assistants shot yesterday after you left.” Jamil dug out his phone and fiddled with it.
Returning to his side, Anubis couldn’t think of anything that would interest him, but he wanted to be polite. His heart skipped a beat when he saw a jackal chasing a rabbit on the screen. Holy fuck!
“He saw this jackal and rabbit racing around and had to get a video of it. We’ve never seen a jackal out like that. It’s so cool.” Jamil seemed fascinated by the animals.
“It is rare to see one so close to any kind of civilization,” Anubis admitted. Shit! I thought I was far enough away that no one would see me.
::You need to be more careful.:: Isis admonished him.
::I know that now. I’m not an idiot.::
“Sandy seems to think it’s a good sign. That maybe the god Anubis has blessed our dig and will help us find more artifacts.” Jamil grinned.
“Anubis is the god of the underworld. I’m not sure he’s willing to give up his secrets to mere mortals like you and I.” Anubis patted Jamil’s shoulder. “Time will tell if she’s right or not.”
Anubis
Anubis copyright c. 2015 T.A. Chase
Part Eleven-
He dropped the paper he’d been studying and glared at Jamil, who laughed and shook his head.
“Dude, you’re jumpy today. Maybe I should wear bells or something to let you know when I’m near,” Jamil suggested.
“No. I was thinking about something else,” Anubis said, forcing his mind back to the present and not dwelling on his past memories. He couldn’t afford to get caught up in them. At least not right then.
“What had you thinking so hard?” Jamil pulled out the chair next to Anubis, then sat. He propped his chin on his hand as he stared at him.
“Just old memories of when I last heard this language spoken,” Anubis admitted. He didn’t have to say when that was.
“Did your tribe used to speak it?”
He could see the gleam in Jamil’s eyes. The man wanted to study Anubis, to learn all he could from him, and while Anubis would usually be willing to talk about the things his ‘tribe’ had passed down to him, the secrets of Petra were his to keep.
“Yes. The young people of my tribe are scattered throughout the world now, but there are a few elders who still speak this language and know our stories. When I was young, I understood the importance of keeping our past alive, so I begged them to teach me.” Anubis stared at the jars, but he was seeing Rahkoum, his grandfather, frowning at him when he pronounced a word wrong. His knuckles stung in phantom pain from being struck by a reed if he spoke poorly while talking to his grandfather.
“My grandfather was a scholar, as much as any of my tribe could be called one,” he clarified. “I guess you would call them storytellers nowadays. He was the one who taught me.”
Jamil tilted his head. “You were close to your family?”
Anubis huffed. “Not really. I was close to my grandfather until I came of age, then I was needed to guard the herds and go on raids.”
He bit his tongue. The nomadic tribes still around in this century didn’t raid any more. Now that the world was more civilized, those who lived in the cities frowned upon those activities. Hell, most of them thought nomads were heathens and beneath their city brothers.
“Does your tribe pray to Allah?”
“Are they Islamic or heathens who worship the old gods? Is that what you want to know?” Anubis turned to meet Jamil’s curious gaze. “They have accepted the new religion.”
“New religion? Islam has been around for centuries. It isn’t new,” Jamil pointed out.
Anubis nodded, acknowledging Jamil’s statement. “That’s true, but my tribe has been around since before Mohammed established Islam. We accepted Allah as our true god, yet we still respect and honor the old gods that called the desert home.”
“Covering your bases, huh?”
“You could say that.” Anubis looked back at the paper he’d written the inscription down on. “The writing states who the jars belong to and when they died.”
Jamil hummed, obviously trying to encourage Anubis to keep talking. He didn’t want to say anything more, but he needed to stay in Jamil’s good graces in case the man discovered more artifacts. There might be things uncovered Anubis needed to take back to Scotland and keep out of enemies’ hands.
“The organs in this jar,” he pointed to the larger more elaborately decorated one. “They belong to Prince Okilma’s wife. I’m not entirely sure when she died or how. It doesn’t say, but she was only nineteen.”
“How do you know that? And who the hell is Prince Okilma? There’s no record of him in any books I’ve read.” Jamil pursed his lips as he thought.
“His reign wasn’t very long,” Anubis muttered. “The smaller jar holds the organs of Prince Okilma’s young son. The boy was only five years old when he died.”
Jamil leaned back. “How do you know that?”
Swallowing, he tried to think about how to cover up what he said. There was no way he could know that. “I might have heard something in my tribe’s legends about the prince.”
“Really?” Jamil’s eyes lit up. “I would love to hear all those legends, especially if they’re about a previously unknown prince. At least, we have proof that he existed.”
“Actually what you have is my word about what this writing says,” Anubis informed him while gesturing toward the canopic jars. “I could be making this all up.”
Jamil laughed and shrugged. “You could be, but you wouldn’t have the reputation of being a honest man if you were going to lie to me about anything. Plus UNESCO wouldn’t allow you to work as a consultant for them if they doubted you.”
That was true. Yet Anubis had every intention of fudging his stories to make sure Jamil didn’t learn the entire truth of what had gone on all those thousands of years ago. Luckily, Jamil would never think Anubis’s knowledge was anything other than legends, not first hand.
“Do you know anyone else who could collaborate what you think this says? Are there any of your tribal elders near that I could talk to?” Jamil eyed him with a rather knowing look in his eyes.
“Unfortunately the answer is no to both of those questions. The elders of my tribe wouldn’t come near here or Petra for that matter. To them, spirits haunt the place and they see no reason to visit there. There are very few elders left who read this language. My grandfather was one of the last and he died years ago.” Anubis wasn’t lying about that. He just kept out how many years it had been since his grandfather lived.
Jamil swore softly. “Damn. Well, I guess we’ll have to go on your translation, though I’ll start sending out emails. Maybe there’s someone we don’t know about out there who can read it.”
“Maybe.” He wasn’t worried about that.
::I’m going to send Thoth to you. He’ll be an expert and also be there to support you if need be.::
::You don’t have to do that. I’ll be fine.:: He didn’t want one of his brothers there, watching over his shoulder.
Isis’s sigh echoed through his mind. ::Jamil wants proof that what you said is the truth. This way he’ll have it without anyone else interfering.::
He didn’t argue, knowing it was worthless. Isis did what he wanted and the only one who wasn’t subjected to his manipulations was Sekhmet.
Anubis
Anubis copyright c. 2015 T.A. Chase
Part Ten-
And for centuries now, they’d been warriors for their gods and goddesses. Throughout the years they’d lived, doing whatever they were bid, they’d learned how important education was to make a person feel like they were worth something.
“I’m impressed, Mr. Al Hazzan.” Jamil tossed a smile back at him before stopping in front of a door. “I haven’t met a lot of people in your position who would care for a museum guard’s son.”
Shrugging, Anubis entered the room after Jamil opened the door and gestured for him to go ahead. “A person in my position?”
Jamil cleared his throat, looking slightly embarrassed. “I guess I’m assuming you’re rich and I haven’t had good experiences with rich people thinking they can make decisions about my digs because they’re funding it.”
“I can see that, but I don’t plan on telling you how to run your dig as long as you’re obeying the rules and guidelines laid down by UNESCO.” Anubis held up his hand when Jamil seemed about to say something. “And so far I haven’t seen anything that makes me think you’re doing anything wrong.”
“Thanks.”
“Where are the jars?” As much as he didn’t want to see them, he glanced around the room to see where they might be. There were tables and shelves covered with boxes, fragments, chards and ceramics.
“Over here.” Jamil motioned to the far corner. “I had them locked up in the vault because I didn’t want to risk something happening to them. Only a few people have permission to touch them.”
Anubis took a deep breath, straightening his shoulders as Jamil unlocked the safe room. It was going to be hard, no matter whose remains were in those jars. He was afraid it was the Prince and the heir. He had no connection to the Prince’s wife, though he didn’t like the idea of her being killed either.
He watched as Jamil lifted a box from a back shelf then brought it over to the closest table. Anubis caught the gloves Jamil tossed at him before reaching in to pick up the first jar. He carried it to the nearest light and set it down gently.
Leaning over it, he held his fingers over the writing and traced the letters without touching them. He didn’t want to take a chance on wiping something. But there was still dirt on some spots.
“Can I brush the dirt off?” He didn’t want to overstep his bounds, just in case Jamil wanted to be the one who cleaned it.
“Here.” Jamil held out a small paintbrush. “This should work fine. I don’t think anything will come off that we don’t want gone.”
Anubis held his breath as he carefully ran the brush over the writing, doing his best to reveal the letters. There was a tray underneath the jar to collect the dirt and debris. It would be analyzed to make sure there wasn’t something important in it. Like paint or ink.
Once the letters were clear, he stepped back to exhale and said, “Do you want to take some pictures before I read it?”
“What?” Jamil jerked. “Oh right. Yeah, I should snap some then you can translate and write it down for us. I need to go grab a camera. There’s a notebook and some pencils over in that desk in that corner. I guess you can start the translation while I’m gone.”
“Fine.” Anubis watched as Jamil left before he went to get the paper and pencils.
::Are you ready for whatever you might find writing on those jars?::
He swallowed and nodded, even though he knew Isis couldn’t see him. ::I’m as ready for this as I’ll ever be. To be honest, I never really expected them to have lived after I was killed. Never trust your enemies.::
Isis’s sigh rang through his head. ::We all learned that lesson the hard way. Contact us if you need us. Your brothers are here for you, plus we all know what you’ve been through.::
::I will.::
He felt Isis leave his mind as he sat. After tilting the lamp so the light didn’t shine directly on the jar, but gave off enough reflection for him to still see the writing, he closed his eyes.
“Are you okay?”
Anubis jerked, not having heard Jamil return to the room. Thank God, I didn’t have the jar in my hand. That would’ve been disastrous.
“Sorry. I didn’t realize you hadn’t heard me come back.” Jamil touched his shoulder lightly then held the camera up. “I’ll grab a couple of photos then you can get working.”
“Okay.” He noticed how his hands shook, so he tucked them under his thighs. He’d have to get a grip. Jamil couldn’t know the jars were more than just an intriguing discovery for Anubis. “Did I do a good enough job cleaning it off?”
“Oh yeah. I’ll probably have some of my grad students go back through and do a more thorough cleaning, but it’s good.” Jamil snapped several pictures before stepping back. “I’m going to go download these on one of the museum’s computers and get them labeled. You get to translating.”
Anubis chuckled. “Yes, boss.”
Jamil joined in for a few seconds then he left again.
The laughter helped ease Anubis enough that he could look at the writing without being too emotional. He started translating it, the scratch of the pencil across the paper filling the room as he mouthed the words to himself. He didn’t allow time for himself to think about what it said. That would come after he was done.
Time slipped away and he was back in the anteroom listening to his prince talking with an emissary from one of the visiting societies. He’d stood in the background, watching for any sign of danger from the strangers, yet his prince’s presence was foremost in his mind. He always knew where the man was, even in a crowd of people.
“So what does it say?”
Anubis
Anubis copyright c. 2015 T.A. Chase
Part Nine-
Anubis glanced at his watch for the third time in the last five minutes. Where the hell was Jamil? They were supposed to meet at the museum by ten and it was already five after. Not that he needed the archaeologist to escort him in to see the jars. With his credentials, Anubis could stroll in and demand to be allowed to examine them without any supervision.
Yet he’d wanted to try and play by the rules. He didn’t want to antagonize Jamil before they even started working together. It made things a lot harder when he had to go above people to their supervisors and get things done.
“I’m so sorry,” Jamil panted as he raced up to Anubis. He bent over, propping his hands on his knees while he caught his breath. “I ended up staying out at the site way longer than I planned last night. Then there was an emergency out there early this morning and I had to go back.”
“An emergency? What happened?” Anubis was no longer annoyed by Jamil’s tardiness. His concern was Petra and the other artifacts hidden in its undiscovered rooms.
Jamil held up a finger and kept Anubis waiting while he calmed down. “Two of our security guards disappeared last night and some weird offering was left in the room where the writing is.”
Anubis wanted to shake the man, but clenched his hands instead. “Do you have a picture of what was left? Did you remove it already?”
“We removed it, but not before we documented everything. Took pictures. Drew it out. Then I had Sandy and Eesha bag it up. I brought it back with me for the professors here to look at.” He glanced at Anubis. “You should take a look as well. It has the same weird writing on it.”
Startled, Anubis jerked. There shouldn’t be anyone else alive who knows that language. Everyone else died shortly after I was killed. He nodded. “Yes. I would love to examine it along with the other artifacts you’ve dug up.”
“Come with me then,” Jamil motioned for him to follow then froze. He laughed. “Actually, you’re more likely to be allowed in then I am. I get patted down and my bag searched when I enter and leave. Even though I’m here at least four times a week.”
“They have to be thorough. Priceless antiquities are big on the black market. I’ve seen even the most ethical man be tempted to make some hard cash that way.” Anubis shrugged. “So many of our oldest societies have lost treasures to unscrupulous dealers and diggers.”
Jamil inclined his head in agreement. “I wouldn’t do that. I cherish the past too much.”
“You wouldn’t do it now, but you never know what the future holds for you and what you might be driven to.” Anubis smiled at the guard watching them approach the main desk at the museum. “Ah, Kalid. It’s good to see you again. How is your family?”
Kalid’s grim face lit up. “They are all doing very well, Mr. Al Hazzan. Thank you so much for asking and for putting in a good word for my eldest son at Cambridge.”
“Bright minds should be give every chance to flourish,” Anubis said as he bowed. “I understand he is doing quite well there.”
“He loves it.” Kalid looked over at Jamil. “Mr. Ahlid, it is good to see you as well. I had the items you brought with you taken to the storage room where the other artifacts from Petra are.”
“Thank you, Kalid.” Jamil stood while Kalid went through his bag then ran a wand over him to make sure he wasn’t carrying any weapons.
Anubis didn’t undergo that much scrutiny, though his credentials were analyzed and scanned into the computer. When he came back clear, Kalid waved them through.
As they headed to the elevator that would take them to the lower levels of the museum, Anubis felt Jamil’s gaze on him. It wasn’t until they were in the elevator car that he met Jamil’s eyes.
“Yes?”
“You recommended Kalid’s son for a position at Cambridge,” Jamil said, his tone more of question then a statement.
Anubis nodded. “Not a position. Samir wants to be an astrophysicist and Cambridge is one of the best places in the world to study that. I merely wrote a letter to the head of the department, recommending he take a closer look at Samir’s schooling and his potential. There were only three scholarships to be given out the year Samir was old enough to go.”
Jamil exhaled. “Your letter had a lot of influence, I’m sure. But why would the head of the astrophysics department listen to an antiquities consultant?”
Chuckling, Anubis said, “He listens to me because I donate money to the different departments there, not just the historical ones. I believe education is important, no matter what the focus is on.”
“Did you give the money for Samir’s scholarship then?” Jamil led the way out of the elevator when it stopped at the basement level.
Anubis followed him through the dimly lit hallways, trying not to let his gaze drop lower then the middle of Jamil’s back. He needed to stay focused on the artifacts and not on how fine the man’s ass looked in those faded jeans. He gave himself a mental slap then answered his question. “I might have given the seeds of money that grew into the scholarship. I was not the only donor though.”
That was true. The other six of his brothers gave money as well and the grant they endowed for Cambridge wasn’t for any specific area of study. As Anubis had said, they believed in education period. It didn’t matter to them who studied what. It wasn’t like they wanted to only help out those who studied Ancient Middle Eastern Cultures or anything like that.
Even when they were still alive in their old lives, they were each fascinated by other things besides the warrior path. Yet none of them had ever been given a chance to be other then what they were, warriors for their kings and queens.
Anubis
Anubis copyright c. 2015 T.A. Chase
Part Eight-
As soon as Ahmed rounded the edge of the canyon, he took a deep breath then shifted. His jackal took over, some long remembered memories surfacing to take him across the desert. He didn’t fight the animal part of his soul.
It had hurt so much and been so very hard to walk up those steps, through the entrance. He’d been swamped with memories and emotions that he’d thought he’d gotten rid of.
Then Jamil had taken him back into the anteroom behind the main meeting room. When he saw the writing on the wall, it was like he’d been punched in the gut, though it shouldn’t have shocked him. Ahmed had known their enemies weren’t to be trusted.
Why did you do it, my prince? Why did you trust them to keep their word after they killed me? They killed you, your sister and your son. Is it your organs in that canopic jar? If I were to touch it, would I hear the last screams you made as they killed you?
The jackal shook its head, not liking the foreign thoughts dancing around his head. He only wanted to run and hunt, then sleep under some brush during the hottest part of the day. He inhaled deeply of the arid breeze with sand particles floating in it.
::It is nice to go home once in a while.:: Isis’s voice eased into his head.
::My jackal is happy only because he knows this is where he was born. He doesn’t remember anything that happened to me before our souls merged.::
::Maybe our lives would’ve been easier if the gods had erased our memories when they changed us. That way we wouldn’t judge our new world on what happened to us in the past.::
Anubis gave a mental sigh. ::Yet we probably wouldn’t be as determined to keep the world safe if we didn’t remember the evil done to us. It’s hard to care.::
::That’s true. I’ll talk to you tomorrow about the canopic jars and whatever else this archaeologist has discovered.::
::His name is Jamil Ahlid.::
There was a ripple of surprise through his brain as Isis tried to put the name to the image of the archaeologist he’d seen.
::I know. It’s a little odd, but I’m sure there’s a good story to go along with that name.::
::Maybe you should spend some time learning Jamil’s story.::
::Are you trying to set me up?:: He snorted, then promptly sneezed when dust flew up his nose.
Isis disappeared from his mind and Anubis curled his lip in a jackal grin. The scent of a desert hare filled his nose, signaling that such a creature hid near by. His animal wanted to go for a chase, though he wasn’t hungry. It was just the thrill of the hunt and being able to straight his legs.
Anubis took off, leaping over rocks and dodging around shorts shrubs. He surprised the hare that took off further into the desert. His jackal yipped then dashed off after it.
* * * * *
“Hey Jamil, come here,” Sandy called, excitement tingng her voice.
He shot to his feet, thinking she’d found some new artifact, but when he went to find her, he saw her standing outside. “What are you doing out here? I thought you were digging near the amphitheater.”
“I was, but someone saw something while they were coming in. They videoed it.” She tapped some buttons on a phone then handed it to him. “I think you’ll like this one.”
“I don’t have time to watch a video, Sandy. I have to go into the city to meet Mr. Al Hazzan tomorrow, so I won’t be here to help with the units,” he told her, taking the phone from her anyway.
His eyes were immediately drawn to the life-and-death chase going on in the video. A large jackal hunted a small desert hare. There were spectacular leaps and lunges. The agile hare dodged a last minute attack from the jackal then kicked the animal square in the face before scurrying off.
“Holy shit!” He met Sandy’s gaze with his own awed smile. “I’ve never seen something like before. Hell, I didn’t even know there were jackals in the area.”
“No one else did either.” Sandy took the phone, turning to hand it to some guy standing near her. “Can you send that to me?”
“Sure.” The guy nodded as he took it from her. “I spotted the jackal first and that’s why I stopped. It’s so odd to see them hunting during the day like this, though I got the feeling he wasn’t trying very hard to catch the rabbit. There were plenty of times he could’ve nabbed it.”
Jamil smiled. “Yeah. I got that feeling too. Maybe he just wanted to play with it.”
He encircled Sandy’s shoulders and gave her a quick hug. “Thanks for sharing that with me. Now I’m going to be looking for the jackal every time I’m coming or going from the site.”
“Wasn’t Anubis, one of the Egyptian gods, often portrayed as a jackal-headed human? He was the god of the Underworld or death, right?” Sandy hugged him back.
“Yes.” They wandered back toward the treasury. “Why?”
“Maybe we should take seeing one as a sign,” she said.
“Seeing a jackal as a harbinger of death is a good sign or a bad one?” He asked as they joined the rest of the group gathering around for a lunch break.
She shrugged. “Sure, though maybe he’s a good sign of more discoveries. More canopic jars or maybe even a burial site.”
He motioned toward the back areas of the treasury. “We won’t find them here. We’d need to search the caves for those and I’m pretty sure most of them have been found, or they won’t let us excavate them.”
Sandy shot him a glance and there was something in her eyes he’d never seen before. “You never know what we’ll find the more time we spend here.”
A shiver ran down his spine as though someone had just walked over his grave.
Anubis
Anubis copyright c. 2015 T.A. Chase
Part Seven-
“We documented every inch of the wall,” Eesha reassured Ahmed. “Believe me, Mr. Al Hazzan, Mr. Ahlid isn’t interested in fortune or fame. He wants to preserve the past so our children can be told about it and maybe their future will be different.”
“Hmm…” Ahmed was obviously no longer paying attention to them. He’d walked on through the opening in the wall and stood in the middle of the room they’d discovered.
Jamil gestured for Eesha to return to her own unit. She nodded then left while Ahmed turned slowly in a circle. Jamil waited, wanting to see if Ahmed spotted the most important thing in the room.
The man froze when he faced the far corner then slowly edged closer to it. He crouched down in the dirt to study the marks carved into the wall. Ahmed reached out and Jamil was about to say something, but Ahmed stopped a few inches away from the wall.
“Do you know what that says?” Ahmed glanced back over his shoulder at Jamil.
“No. Same language as the jars,” he pointed out.
“A prince was held here,” Ahmed murmured as he studied the lines of writing.
“You can really read it.” Jamil was overjoyed. Now they’d be able to find out who—or what—was in those canopic jars.
Ahmed inclined his head slightly but kept his attention on the writing. “There were three people kept in this room by a great enemy. A prince, his wife and a son. They were here for four days then on the fifth day, they took the son.”
He frowned. “That doesn’t make sense. From what we know about the Nabataeans, they didn’t have that kind of trouble with the other nations around them.”
“They weren’t Nabataean,” Ahmed told him, suddenly standing then moving fast from the room as though he couldn’t take being closed in like that any more.
Jamil had to almost run to keep up with the long legged man. “Wait. What do you mean they weren’t Nabataeans? Who the hell were they then?”
Ahmed skidded to a stop at the top of the stairs leading down to the entrance yard. He inhaled deeply then exhaled as though he was cleansing his lungs. Jamil came up next to him and rested his hand on Ahmed’s arm.
“Are you all right? If you have claustrophobia, why did you go in there?”
Shaking his touch away, Ahmed cleared his throat. “I’m not claustrophobic. Hell, if I was, I wouldn’t have even gotten an inch inside that place.”
“Then what’s wrong?” Jamil shook his head. “Was there something else you aren’t telling me about that writing?”
“There’s nothing wrong.” Ahmed rubbed his chin then checked his watch. “I need to go. May I meet you tomorrow at the museum to look at the canopic jars?”
Jamil hadn’t planned on going into the city for the next couple of days, but since Ahmed asked and it seemed like he needed to see those jars right away, he said, “Yes. I’ll meet you there around ten?”
Ahmed nodded. “That will be fine. I’m sorry to be leaving so quickly, but I forgot about an important meeting I needed to attend.”
“No problem. It was good meeting you and I’ll see you in the morning.” He held out his hand to shake Ahmed’s.
“Certainly.” Ahmed bowed slightly before leaving.
Jamil stood in the entrance of the treasury, watching Ahmed stroll away. He wasn’t sure what had happened in the antechamber, but whatever Ahmed read on the wall had upset him, no matter what he actually said. He was going to have to see if he could the truth out of the man, though he wasn’t exactly sure how to go about that.
“He’s a bit intimidating, isn’t he?” Eesha joined him.
“Definitely, but he knows what he’s talking about. He could read the writing, Eesha. We could have a breakthrough on this dig. He said they weren’t Nabataeans though.” Jamil shot her a confused glance. “I didn’t think any other people lived in this place.”
Eesha shrugged. “There are many things I don’t know about Mr. Al Hazzan, but I do know he’s the best expert on ancient Middle Eastern societies and peoples. I’m not sure how he’s come to have the knowledge he does. Maybe some of it comes from his own people. There are few of his tribe left wandering the desert. Most have moved into the cities and settled down. Yet they have histories we’ve never heard and their ancestors were in contact with people we’ve never encountered before.”
“And ones that we’ll never learn anything about because we can’t read what they wrote, or they didn’t have a written language,” Jamil muttered.
“Right. I’ve told my professors over and over that we need to go and talk to the nomadic tribes. We need to learn their stories and legends before they disappear as their elders die.” Eesha gestured to the canyon around them.
“They won’t listen to you because none of them care about the nomadic tribes. They want the big name discoveries and finds, just like they get in Egypt.” Jamil rubbed his hands over his jeans. “It gets them the money.”
“True. That’s why I go out on my own during the weekends and talk to the elders. I ask them about their legends.” She pointed in the direction Ahmed had taken. “They speak of a group of men who live forever. They are brothers fighting to save the world from the greedy and evil.”
Jamil lifted his eyebrows at her. “And you think Ahmed is one of those men?”
She chuckled. “No, but he is such a man who will do what he must to protect the land he comes from and the people who gave birth to him. Al Hazzan is a vocal opponent of allowing national treasures to leave the countries they are from. He fights to make places historical sites to keep companies from destroying them for monetary reasons instead of cultural.”
“You make him sound like he’s a Robin Hood, only he’s keeping the artifacts for the national identity and people of his country. Yet he strikes me as a rich man.”
“Being rich doesn’t mean he’d steal from national sites. I know he has purchased some artifacts that have come onto the black market. Once he receives the object, he returns it to whichever country it came from.” Eesha wrapped her arms around her waist as they turned to go back inside. “Don’t discount Ahmed Al Hazzan as a rich man who dabbles in ancient societies. He knows far more than many others do. It would do you well to cultivate his interest in the site.”
Jamil wanted to cultivate more than Ahmed’s interest in the site. He wanted the man interested in him as well. That’s not appropriate at all.
Anubis
Anubis copyright c. 2015 T.A. Chase
Part Six-
Jamil frowned, but didn’t say anything else. “We’ve just started excavating these two rooms.”
“Do you have any idea what they were used for?”
Ahmed sounded interested, which was more then Jamil could say for most of the people who came to visit the site. They tended to be interested only in what Jamil had found. The concrete artifacts instead of the suppositions of what the people used them for. Some people weren’t interested in the past. Jamil had never been one of those.
He’d always found history fascinating, and learning how ordinary people went about their lives in ancient times. It intrigued him to see the similarities and the differences between them and modern people. In many ways, they had the same wants and needs.
While he explained that they thought the rulers of Petra used these rooms as informal meeting rooms, Jamil led Ahmed around the various pits where people were working.
“It looks like you have a rather large crew. Are all of these people from the university where you teach?” Ahmed motioned toward one of the units where two of Jamil’s graduate students were cleaning off a piece of ceramic.
“No. I have about ten grad students who came with me from Georgia. The rest are students from universities all around the world. When the news got out that Jordan was going to allow me to excavate some of the unexplored areas of Petra, there was a rush of people applying to help me.” He chuckled. “I’d never felt so popular in my life.”
Ahmed smiled like Jamil hoped he would. There was a seriousness to the man Jamil had never sensed in another person before. It was as though Ahmed had lost his ability to enjoy life. Jamil shook his head slightly. Foolish thinking. Not everyone in the world needs to find life enjoyable and happy. I need to keep that in mind.
They reached the unit Jamil had been working in. As they approached, Eesha glanced up from where she crouched, studying a feature they’d been trying to clean up a little better. Her eyes widened when she saw Ahmed. She climbed out of the hole then held out her hand.
“Mr. Al Hazzan, it’s good to see you again.”
“Ah, Eesha, I should’ve known you would be in the thick of things, especially when it comes to Petra.” Ahmed took her hand and bowed over it. His smile actually reached his eyes this time, causing Jamil to feel a hint of jealousy.
Back up there, boy. Why am I feeling jealous? It’s not like we’re dating or anything. I just met the man, plus he hasn’t shown any interest in me. His inner voice scolded him.
Eesha laughed. “What can I say? I’m connected to Petra. It feels as though I come home every time I step within its walls.”
Ahmed released her hand then turned his gaze to the wall behind them. “Sometimes coming home isn’t a good thing,” he muttered.
“Sounds like you know what you’re talking about,” Jamil couldn’t help but comment. “Where are you from?”
He wanted to take the question back as soon as it fell out of his mouth. It was none of his business where Ahmed had been born, plus why going home wasn’t a good thing for the man was definitely something he didn’t need to know.
“I’m from Jordan,” Ahmed informed him. “Born not too far from here actually.”
“Really? You’re from one of the nomadic tribes?”
Ahmed nodded, but didn’t give him any more details. “What makes you believe the Nabataeans used these rooms for meetings? Where did you find the canopic jars? They wouldn’t have been here.”
Jamil shook his head. “No. Those were a lucky find further back in the treasury. We haven’t quite decided why they’re here, considering the Nabataeans buried their dead in caves.”
“True. There must be something special about the people who belonged to those jars,” Ahmed murmured. “Something different about them.”
“That’s what we think,” Jamil agreed then shrugged. “But we have no way of knowing who they belonged to. Unfortunately, we can’t read the writing on them.”
Ahmed shot Eesha a shocked glance. “Even you couldn’t read them?”
Eesha wrinkled her nose in disappointment. “No. Even I couldn’t read them. It’s a language I haven’t seen before. Maybe you can decipher it when you examine them.”
“Do you know ancient languages, Mr. Al Hazzan?” A thrill rushed through Jamil at the thought that Ahmed might be able to translate what they’d found. “This hasn’t been announced to the public yet, but we found a few stone tablets with the same writing on them.”
“Did you find them with the jars?”
Jamil gestured for Ahmed to come with him. “No. We discovered another room behind where we found the jars. It was a smaller one with an altar. We had to break through a wall to get to them.”
Ahmed inhaled sharply. “You destroyed a part of this site?”
“No. Well yes, but we got permission from the government and UNESCO before we did it. A small chunk of rock had fallen out and we could see that there was space beyond it. The barricade was poorly constructed as though whoever built it was in a hurry to hide something.” Jamil continued beyond where the dig units were. “I would never destroy any part of this site. I made sure the proper authorities knew what was going on and I allowed them to make the decision. I would’ve abided by it, if they chose not to allow me to go in there.”
He could sense Ahmed wasn’t completely convinced about his sincerity, and Jamil understood why. There were many unscrupulous people who would’ve gotten overcome with the idea of the huge new discovery that they would’ve done everything in their power to get in the room.
Jamil wasn’t like that. Whether anyone knew his name when he died, didn’t matter to him. He wasn’t in this profession to become famous. He was in it to learn about the past, and maybe learn from it as well.
