Area 51: Nosferatu-8 (10 page)

Two cycles of the moon after getting on board the boat, they passed the southern tip of Africa and began making their way northward. Nosferatu pretended to eat the scant food they offered him, but slipped it overboard when they weren't watching. Nosferatu's eyes had adjusted slightly to the sun, but he still kept them covered with the cloth. He felt the hunger inside growing. The land grew more lush as they made their way up the coast and one day the sailors proposed stopping to hunt. Nosferatu begged off, letting them go inland with their bows and knives. Once they were out of sight, he also left the boat, taking a different direction.

He had to travel far to find a village, arriving just before dark. He waited until the middle of the night before striking, taking down a warrior who came out to investigate when the dogs barked at Nosferatu's approach.

Nosferatu came back to the boat just before dawn to find his two comrades with fresh kill and full of fear over his disappearance. He explained nothing, keeping to his silence, even though he understood their language well now.

Thus they continued. He killed and fed on humans five more times before they rounded the horn of Somalia

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and entered the Red Sea. After such a long sleep and a long journey, even Nosferatu began to become anxious. He was nearing Nekhbet. When he saw the sands of the Arabian Desert to his left, he knew it was time to leave the boat.

He departed one night, leaving the two sailors alive, even though he had the hunger. As he crossed the desert between the Red Sea and the Nile he slept during the day, covering himself with sand to protect his eyes and skin from the sun and moving at night. The third night he fed on a lone Bedouin. The next night he spotted a camp of Bedouins, probably the group from which his earlier victim had wandered.

Nosferatu was stopped by a guard as he approached the cluster of tents. He greeted the guard in the same manner he had all he met that he did not feed on—with a hand raised, holding gold.

The negotiations with the Bedouin chief were fast and simple. Nosferatu hired a half dozen of the desert warriors for a full moon of service. No questions were asked about what tasks were to be fulfilled or destinations. Along with the six desert dwellers and their mounts, he also hired four extra camels. The next evening, right after nightfall, they left the camp and headed west.

On the fifth day the lead Bedouin in his group indicated they were near the Nile.

The moon was three-quarters full as Nosferatu climbed up the steep slope of a large dune and caught his first glimpse of the heart of Egypt since he'd left.

He was staggered by what he saw. A massive pyramid built of stone and almost five hundred feet high capped the Giza Plateau. It was flanked by two other pyramids almost as large. In front of the Great Pyramid, where the Black Sphinx had once lain in a depression, the ground had

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been covered and there was a similar sphinx made of stone with a painted face.

Between the paws of the stone sphinx was a statue that Nosferatu recognized: It was of Horus. A temple had been built in front of the large pyramid, with a long causeway connecting the two. To the north, along the river, there was the glow of a huge city.

The six Bedouins stood behind him, swords in hand, awaiting his commands.

Nosferatu stood still, taking in the changes, particularly the pyramids. There were piles of stone at the base of the Great Pyramid, as if it were not complete, or perhaps, Nosferatu mused, there had once been a facing on it that had been stripped off for some reason. So much change in 650 years. It was quite incredible considering how little change had occurred during his time imprisoned along the Roads of Rostau.

The real issue, though, was who ruled now? The sailors had been able to tell him nothing of Egypt, their home being far to the west along the Inner Sea. They had talked of an island kingdom ruled by a fearsome lord in the Middle Sea but it had meant nothing to Nosferatu.

Even in the deep desert, what happened in Egypt mattered nothing to the Bedouins, who stayed away from the Nile and the rule of law there. To them it was a place to avoid.

Nosferatu could see people on the plateau, even though it was the middle of the night. Soldiers on guard. Priests scurrying about. There were ships moving on the Nile, carrying grain and other cargo.

Nosferatu rode down the far side of the dune and to the Nile, where he spurred his camel into water and crossed over, followed by his small party. On the east bank, Nosferatu skirted the large temple, where armored

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guards stood watch. He moved to the place he remembered, the secret riverbank entry to the Roads of Rostau.

He was surprised to find that the entryway was submerged, the level of the river obviously having risen over the years. Nosferatu considered the change for a few moments, then made a decision. He needed information before he took precipitous action. He left four of the warriors with the camels, hidden among some massive building blocks. He took the remaining two Bedouins with him farther along the riverbank.

The small stone hut was still there, huddled among dozens of others. The mark was still in place above the entryway, faded with time, but visible to those who knew to look for it. Nosferatu didn't bother knocking. He pushed aside the cloth hanging in the doorway and entered without knocking, the two Bedouins right behind.

There were four people inside. A man and a woman sharing a pallet to his left; a young girl sleeping on another slightly raised platform to the right, and a young boy sleeping on the floor directly ahead. Nosferatu was across the room in three steps. He snatched up the boy, hooking an arm around his neck and pressing a blade against the flesh.

The other three in the room were awakened by the noise. The man held his wife back as she lunged for the boy whom Nosferatu held.

"You are the Watcher?" Nosferatu asked. "The Wedjat?"

The man was blinking sleep out of his eyes, fear slowly taking its place. "I am Kajihi."

"The Watcher?"

"How do you know—"

"Tell me what you have seen," Nosferatu said.

"What? Who are you?"

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Nosferatu tightened his grip on the boy's neck, eliciting a yelp of pain. "I ask the questions."

"May they leave?" Kajihi asked, indicating his wife and daughter. "They will go to a friend's. We cannot go to the Pharaoh's guards, as you may know, if you know I am a Watcher."

" 'Pharaoh? " The word was unfamiliar to Nosferatu.

"He who rules here."

Interesting, Nosferatu thought. That was not the name of one of the four remaining Gods. Of course, that might be what one of them was called now. "A man? Or a God?"

Kajihi shrugged, relaxing slightly as he realized his intruder was interested in information. "He appears to be the former. Although there are some who claim he is a God. But each Pharaoh has died after a normal life span, so if they are Gods, they only enjoy the benefits in the afterlife. The Pharaoh before this one caught the water fever just like a man and died shortly afterward, just like a man."

"How many Pharaohs have there been?"

"The Great Pharaoh Tuthmosis, son of Amenophis, is the seventy-fourth Pharaoh to rule and the fourth of the Eighteenth Dynasty."

Seventy-four, Nosferatu thought with a shock as he did the math. Thousands of years of human rule given their life span. Nosferatu felt a chill of unease.

"And the Gods? Where have they gone?"

"Who are you?"

Nosferatu nodded, indicating for the two females to leave. Then he let go of the boy. "Go with them," he ordered. He took a seat, indicating that Kajihi should do the

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same. The Bedouins flanked Kajihi, their swords at the ready, their faces unreadable. "My name is Nosferatu."

Kajihi's eyes widened. "You are the Undead. I was told of you by my father who was told in turn by his father and down the line for many, many years. I thought you were just a myth."

"I have been away for a while," Nosferatu said. "Many years as you note. When I last saw the plateau, there was only the Black Sphinx."

"The Black Sphinx!" Kajihi was astounded. "The Black Sphinx is only spoken of in whispers. Some say it never was. Some say perhaps the Great Sphinx that is on the plateau was once painted black and gave rise to the legend."

"There was a Black Sphinx and it was not made of stone but of some metal,"

Nosferatu confirmed, remembering Lilith's and Chatha's horrible deaths atop the structure. "Most noble and imposing, much more than the stone image that sits on top of it now."

"You are indeed from the First Age then."

Nosferatu spread his hands, indicating he had no clue. "What age is this?"

"The Eighteenth Dynasty of the Third Age of Egypt. The Age of the Rule of the Pharaohs. The First Age is spoken of as legend. The Age when the Airlia Gods themselves ruled."

Nosferatu nodded. "Yes, they ruled. I saw them myself. I killed one of them with these hands. So much for Gods. Who ruled in the Second Age?"

"The Shadows of the Gods made in the image of Horus."

Nosferatu knew Horus well, one of the six Airlia Gods, and his father. "And what are Shadows?"

"Men who have minds of the Gods and are constantly

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reborn. They are long gone although I have heard there is one who still wanders the world, the Shadow of the God Aspasia, made to do his bidding while the God himself sleeps."

That made little sense to Nosferatu. "And now a man rules here?"

"Yes."

"What happened to the Gods?"

"Some say they are still in the Roads of Rostau. Others say they've gone far away. No one really knows. Not even the high priests, although they pretend to know. Often they will point up to the sky, as if that is where the Gods have gone."

Or where they came from, Nosferatu thought, remembering what the strange woman, Donnchadh, had told him when she freed him. "And the Shadows?"

"Gone also, although, as I said, there is rumor that the Shadow of the great god Aspasia is across the Red Sea in the wasteland of the Sinai. That he has been there since the beginning of time. Waiting."

Nosferatu understood waiting. "Waiting for what?"

"No one knows."

Gods, then Shadows, and now men. Nosferatu felt a surge of fear and hope.

Time had worked in his favor, but how much time? More than 650 years, that was certain. "How long has it been since the First Age?" He had an idea how long the humans had ruled here, but none about the Shadows of Horus.

Kajihi spread his hands. "Over six thousand years according to the records kept here by my family."

Six thousand. Nosferatu felt as if he'd been hit in the chest. He'd been off by about a factor of ten when he'd set the tube to wake him. A slight miscalculation in terms of pressing the hexes, a massive one in terms of time.

Was

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Nekhbet still alive? Was the influence of the Airlia Gods now little more than a representation in a human called a Pharaoh?

Nosferatu pointed at Kajihi. "You will take me to the Roads of Rostau. There is something I must get."

"The Roads are guarded. The Gods may be gone, but there are others about who do their bidding. The Ones Who Wait. Guides. They keep the Atlantean truce. They will not allow any disturbance of the truce."

The world had indeed changed, Nosferatu thought. Six thousand years. If Nekhbet was still living, was she sane? Could anyone survive that long in the state they had put her with their mind intact? "Who are the Ones Who Wait? And these Guides?"

"The Ones Who Wait are like you, if what I was told about you is true. Half-human, half-God. They serve the God Artad. I have never seen one, but my order reports they are active. The Guides serve the God Aspasia. They are human but they obey with more vigor and blind obedience than even the high priests. And as I said, there is a belief that Aspasia's Shadow is nearby and can also control the Guides. It is said he is a fearsome creature with little love for any other living thing."

Nosferatu rubbed his head. Even when hidden, the long hand of the Airlia Gods still reached out and affected things. "Can you get me into the Roads?"

"It is dangerous. And it is against my charter as a Watcher."

"Your ancestor took me into the Roads a very long time ago," Nosferatu said.

"He thought it was part of doing his duty." He waited as Kajihi wrestled with the problem. "Let me be more blunt. If you do not take me, I will kill you and your family, then there will be no more Watcher here. How will that fulfill your charter?"

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"What is it you need from the Roads?"

"My love."

Kajihi frowned. "I do not understand."

"My betrothed. She is buried there. I promised her I would return and I have.

And I am late. Very late. Taking me to the Roads will not upset the balance of anything." Nosferatu rose to his feet, towering over the Watcher. "I have had great patience, suffered much, and traveled far, but my patience is wearing thin. Take me where I want to go. Now."

Kajihi had jumped to his feet and he stepped back in fear as Nosferatu came forward. The two Bedouin warriors closed in on either side of the Watcher.

"The Roads are dangerous," Kajihi sputtered. "I have only been down there a few times. I do not know if I can find—"

"I'll find her. You just get me in there. One entry I knew of is now underwater. The one along the Nile. The other was at the base of the Black Sphinx. Is there another way in?"

Kajihi nodded. "Yes. There are several. There is an entry at the base of the stone sphinx behind the statue of Horus, but I cannot enter there. Also one through the Great Pyramid."

"Can you get in that entrance?"

Kajihi nodded.

"Take me. Now. No more words, Watcher. I have no more patience. If you do not take me, I will kill you. And your family."

Kajihi stood still for several moments, then seemed to diminish in size as his shoulders slumped. He grabbed a gray cloak and tossed it to Nosferatu before throwing one over his own shoulders. Then he got one for each of the Bedouins.