The Cult of Osiris (21 page)

Osiris's brother - and murderer. He was jealous of him, and wanted to take his kingdom. But he was also the champion of Ra, the sun-god, just as important a part of the Egyptian pantheon as Osiris - and in some parts of the country he was actually worshipped
over
Osiris.' The middle-aged woman to Eddie's other side irritably shushed her.

Osir spoke again, no longer with the voice of a preacher, but more like a salesman. 'My friends, following the guidance of Osiris will bring you life everlasting. And
I
am here today to tell you that as the voice of the spirit of Osiris, I have channelled his wisdom once more. His words are my words, and now they shall be your words too. The twelfth volume of the Book of Osiris is now finished, and all his followers must now take it to their homes, and to their hearts.

Is this a sermon or an informercial?' Nina asked quietly as Osir continued what was rapidly turning into a sales pitch. But the audience was lapping it up, all but holding out their credit cards. She wasn't sure what she found more appalling - Osir's almost transparent hucksterism, or that everyone seemed to be falling for it.

All the books, and more, will be available to you before you leave the temple today,' said Osir. He smiled. And now, it is time for something I know you have been waiting for - the chance to ask me personally any questions you have about the teachings of Osiris!' A good proportion of the congregation responded by thrusting their hands into the air. Osir laughed.
I
wish I had the time to answer each and every one of you,' he said. But unfortunately, I soon have to return to the Osirian Temple's headquarters to take care of matters there, then after that I will be travelling on to Monaco to spread the word at the grand prix - and I hope you will all be cheering Team Osiris to a win!

Those cultists who were apparently also motor racing fans cheered. Shaban looked irritated, but he remained silent as Osir waved them down. Thank you, thank you. So now, I will send Gerard among you,' he nodded to the translator, 'for your questions.'

Gerard moved down the central aisle, scanning the field of waving hands before extending a microphone to a young and pretty dark-haired woman. She seemed almost overcome, stuttering out a question in French. The translator delivered it to Osir: 'The thought of the journey through the Underworld frightens me. What happens if I fall to the guardians before
I
reach Osiris?'

Osir gave her a reassuring smile. "There is nothing to fear in the Underworld for those who truly follow the words of Osiris. The guardians can only harm the unprepared or the

unworthy.' The smile widened, his dark eyes gleaming. Tf you come to Switzerland for my personal teachings, I will show you everything you need to reach Osiris, and more besides.'

Did he just try to chat her up?' Eddie whispered as the young woman gave her heartfelt thanks.

I think he did,' said Nina.
¹
"Personal teachings", my ass.
Shhhhf
the woman next to Eddie hissed.

The translator picked the next questioner, another young, attractive woman, though this time a blonde. The next was also a blonde, followed by a brunette. T think I'm seeing a pattern,' Nina said.

Eddie shook his head in a mixture of disbelief and admiration. 'Jesus. He's figured out the ultimate bloke fantasy - how to get rich
and have
hot women worship you like a god.' His grin froze as Nina raised her hand. What're you doing?'

I've got a question.' Osir's mangling of Egyptian mythology for personal gain had made her increasingly annoyed on a professional level - but she was also curious about how seriously his followers took their religion. Was it just some transitory New Age nonsense to fill a void in their lives for a time before they moved on to the next new thing ... or did they genuinely, deeply believe it?

The translator had almost reached the back of the room, still focused on finding one particular kind of questioner - and Nina fit the bill. He held out the microphone to her.

We're supposed to be inconspic—oh, for Christ's sake,' Eddie muttered, hiding his face beneath his baseball cap.

T, ah, I have a question?' Nina said, raising the pitch of her voice to bimbo level. She regarded Osir on the stage - but also watched Shaban and Diamondback for any signs of recognition. I was wondering how we can have eternal life in both this world and the next, when to get into the next life we kinda have to die in this one?' Faces turned to her, the crowd's disdain almost physical.

From Osir's condescending smile and the ease with which he replied, it was a question to which he had long since devised a stock answer. Both lives are the same life,' he said. As one ends, another begins, as long as Osiris has judged you worthy of life everlasting. The next life follows on from this one without interruption.' His salesman voice returned. 'These things are taught in the first volume of the Book of Osiris. If you have not yet read it, then copies are available outside/ There was a ripple of mocking laughter - aimed not at the cult leader, but at Nina. The church clearly had little patience for those who weren't up to speed on its scripture.

Gerard was about to back away when Nina spoke again. And I have a question about mythology,' she said in her normal voice, edged with irritation at being patronised. 'How do you reconcile your interpretation of the Osiris story with the accepted Egyptian myths? You know, the part where Osiris wasn't actually granted immortality until
after
he died and was briefly resurrected by Isis only for Set to cut him into fourteen pieces, and then had his severed penis eaten by a fish?'

Hostile murmurs ran through the crowd. On stage, Shaban's eyes suddenly bugged as he realised who was speaking. Time to go,' Eddie muttered.

Osir was ready to deliver another canned reply, but looked round as Shaban said something. He raised his eyebrows. 'We have a surprise guest: Dr Nina Wilde. I'm sure you all saw her unexpected television appearance a few nights ago.'

Hello, hi,' said Nina with a sarcastic wave as she and Eddie pushed their way to the aisle. Behind Osir, Diamondback quickly made his way from the stage. 'Okay, so if you don't want to talk about the penis thing, how about the Osirian Temple's connection with the theft of the zodiac from under the Sphinx, and why you're looking for the Pyramid of Osiris?'

I have no idea what you mean, Dr Wilde,' said Osir, though his acting skills couldn't conceal his surprise at her use of the term.

Behind him, Shaban stood, signalling to the green-blazered men at the rear of the room before calling out to the congregation. Our temple has been defiled by unbelievers! Are you all going to take this insult?'

Some of the cultists began to boo, several standing with enraged faces. Osir looked concerned. 'Wait, there is no need for anger,' he began, but the men ignored him, shoving towards the aisle in response to Shaban.

Definitely time to go,' said Eddie. He turned to the exit, seeing the greenjackets closing ranks. 'Bollocks! You tvou/t/have to get mouthy, wouldn't you?'

Okay, not my smartest idea ever,' Nina admitted. She now had the answer to her question of how seriously Osir's followers took their religion -
very.

Eddie looked towards the stage. Diamondback, marching down the aisle, was almost certainly armed - but there were now several people between him and them. If they could get outside before he had a clear aim . . .

One of the green-blazered men reached out to grab him—

Go!' Eddie shouted, smashing a fist into his jaw.

Nina jumped the falling man and ran for the door. Another man clawed at her - but caught only her hat, pulling it from her head. She lashed out, hitting him hard on one cheek, and kicked open the door. The room outside was set up with display tables, loaded with books and DVDs and pyramidal geegaws. The people at the stalls jumped back in surprise as she burst in. 'Eddie, come on!'

The man Nina had hit started after her - only to take a savage kick to the groin from Eddie's booted foot. He collapsed with an animalistic squeal.

Someone clutched at Eddie's leather jacket, pulling him back. He punched the man's face, red blood squirting on to his green blazer. The man tumbled, hitting the statue of Osiris beside the door - and falling through it with a splintering crack, what looked like stone turning out to be nothing more than fibreglass and plaster. The statue rocked.

Osir's shouts for order went unheard as the cultists in the aisle reacted with fury to the desecration of the statue, running at Eddie. Diamondback charged after them.

Eddie jumped and grabbed the statue's arm, kicking back off the door frame to pull it over He threw himself through the open door as the nine-foot sculpture crashed down behind him and exploded into sharp-edged fragments.

The shocked cult members stopped. Diamondback barged through them, drawing his revolvers.

Nina was at the exit to the street. Eddie slammed the temple door and tipped over a table, stacks of DVDs clattering across the floor. The next stall was still being set up, a cardboard box of books half-unpacked upon it. The flat plastic tie that held it closed in transit had been cut; he grabbed it and sprinted after Nina.

The temple door crashed open. One of the men in green ploughed through it, Diamondback right behind him, guns raised—

The goon stepped on the scattered DVD cases - and fell, plastic gliding over plastic like ice beneath his foot. Diamondback couldn't stop in time and tripped over him. One of his guns went off as he hit the ground. The stallworkers fled screaming.

Eddie ran through the wooden double doors after Nina and slammed them shut. The handles were heavy knobs of time-worn brass; he looped the plastic tie repeatedly round them and knotted it, pulling it as tight as he could.

Macy ran to them. 'Dr Wilde! What happened?

They didn't like having their beliefs challenged,' Nina said. She looked for the fastest escape route.

Eddie had already seen it. He whistled sharply to signal the women, hurrying to Osir's parked limousine. The startled chauffeur took the impacts of Eddie's fist and the road surface to his face in rapid succession as he was thrown out on to the street. 'Come on!'

We're stealing his
lima?'
Macy cried.

Nina opened the rear door and shoved her inside. It's better than a cab!' She dived in after her. 'Eddie, go!

Eddie floored the accelerator. The limo leapt away from the kerb, clipping the car parked in front of it as he swerved. Then they were clear.

Nina looked back, seeing the wooden doors shaking violently before the plastic tie finally broke. Diamondback ran on to the street, shouting after them - but with enough presence of mind not to open fire right outside his employer's building on a busy thoroughfare.

Eddie powered through the Parisian streets for barely more than a minute before skidding to a stop near the entrance to an underground Metro station. All out!' he called. They abandoned the vehicle - though Macy was surprised that they ran past the station rather than into it. They'll think that's where we went,' he explained. Tf
les flics
are all busy checking the subway stations, they won't be looking for us in a Starbucks round the corner.'

You're pretty good at this stuff, aren't you?' said Macy with a certain amount of admiration.

Not bad,' he said, smiling as they rounded a corner to see an Internet cafe ahead. 'There we go. Not a Starbucks, but near enough.' They went inside.

A police car sped past the cafe a few minutes later, siren wailing, but that was the only sign of pursuit they saw. The authorities and the Osirian Temple appeared to have fallen for Eddie's ruse. All the same, he remained tense, looking out through the front window until the noise faded. I think they've gone,' he finally said, turning back to Nina and Macy. They had booked time on a computer, initially so as not to attract any attention, before looking up the cult on the Internet again. 'So, what now?'

Nina had been giving that exact question some thought. 'Osir's definitely got the zodiac, and he really is after the Pyramid of Osiris. You saw how he reacted when I mentioned them.'

Yeah, and we were bloody lucky to get out of there. I think we ought to tell the Egyptians what we've found out and let them handle it. It's their zodiac, they can get it back themselves.

We don't have any proof yet,' Nina objected. Tt's probably at his headquarters in Switzerland,' she indicated the Osirian Temple's web page on the PC's screen, 'but we'll need more than that to convince the minister or Dr Assad to take anv action/

Whatever we do, we'll have to do it fast,' said Macy. Otherwise they'll find the pyramid and take everything inside it.'

There's not a lot we can do to stop them, is there?' Eddie said irritably. 'They're not just going to let us stroll into their HQ and take a gander at the thing.'

Well,
obviously
not,' Macy replied, annoyed, 'but - but you could break in!' she went on, suddenly enthusiastic again. You were like some special forces guy, weren't you? Dr Wilde and I could cause some sort of distraction, and you could sneak in and do your ninja thing to find the zodiac—'

Nina put her fingertips to her temples. 'Oh, shut up, Macy,' she growled. Macy was startled, and hurt. No, really, we could—

This isn't a movie, and Eddie sure as hell isn't a ninja. It's a stupid idea.' She frowned, rubbing her forehead. 'Let me think.'

Speaking of stupid ideas,' said Eddie as Macy sat back tight-lipped, going into that temple and telling those nutters about the time their god had his knob chopped off was pretty fucking dim.'

Nina glared at him. 'Right, like getting into a macho pissing contest with an armed murderer was a smart move. Way to keep out of trouble there, Eddie.'

Excuse bloody
me/
he cried sarcastically. 'I'm not the one who's looking for trouble. I didn't decide to blow up Times Square or wreck the Sphinx or pick a fight with a load of fucking looney-tunes cultists! Quick, tell the shrinks - you've found a new way of getting out of a depression!