Whispers in the Sand (34 page)

“It’s amazing, isn’t it.” Serena had followed them. “But sad to think that there are so many temples and things lost under all that water.”

“They moved the important ones.” Andy stepped between them.

Serena nodded. “But they lost many more. The dam has not been all good news.”

“No?” Andy was impatient. “How do you work that out?”

“Well, for one thing, the lower reaches of the Nile are becoming poisoned with salt from the sea, because the current is no longer strong enough to hold it back, and the lake is filling up with all the silt the annual floods would have deposited on the fields to fertilise them.” She caught sight of Andy’s face and shook her head. “Yes, I know it has done wonders and everyone has electricity.”

Andy smiled. “Which has been overwhelmingly good for Egyptian prosperity. Economics was never your strong point, my dear.”

Anna saw the colour flame in Serena’s cheeks. “There are more things in life than having a TV in every house.”

Andy scowled. “Of course. And there are all the unhappy little birdies, too, no doubt,” he scoffed. “And miserable thwarted crocodiles, and all the lovely sensitive magical things that the nasty electric fields interfere with!”

Serena closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath. “Buzz off, Andy. Go and annoy someone else, there’s a dear.”

Anna glanced from one to the other impatiently and changed the subject. “There’s a dog down there on the dam wall and she’s got puppies. I want to photograph her. Have you noticed the sand-coloured dogs everywhere we go? I don’t know if they’re wild or stray, but they don’t seem to belong to anyone.” She led Serena away from Andy, and fumbling in her bag, she took out her camera and began to snap the animals as they played at the edge of the water.

“He’s really taken you in tow!” Serena watched as Andy wandered away from them, looking back towards the river. “I take it you don’t mind?”

Anna gave a wry smile. “The jury is still out. He is a bit overwhelming sometimes.” She glanced at Serena. The other woman was staring out across Lake Nasser. Anna could not see her expression behind her dark glasses. “I can’t make up my mind about some of the things he says. He’s fun. He’s attractive—”

“Don’t trust him, Anna. Not completely.” To her surprise, Serena suddenly caught her arm. “Be careful, my dear. Please. You’ve enough problems and he is just the kind of person who could exacerbate the energies that are whirling round you at the moment.” She paused. “As you have probably gathered, we don’t get on too well. Ever since he’s been seeing Charley he’s taken it upon himself to try and interfere in my life, too. I expect he’s told you that he thinks I’m batty.” She studied Anna’s face. “Yes, I can see he has by your expression. Well, perhaps I am. But at least I do things for the best. Andy is single-minded, greedy, and cruel, and for some reason, ever since we arrived in Egypt he seems to have been getting more aggressive and predatory by the minute! So watch yourself, please.” She turned and walked away.

Anna stared after her. “Serena?”

Serena shook her head without turning round. She was moving swiftly away from the rest of the party along the dam, her shoulders hunched.

“Let her go.”

Anna jumped. She hadn’t heard Andy come back. He put his hand on her arm. “She’ll come round. She always does. Very sunny person, our Serena.”

She glanced up at him. “Did you hear what she said?”

He shook his head. “If you’ve been telling her what I said about her, I expect she was very rude!”

She frowned. “You don’t give me any credit for tact, then.”

“Sorry.” His arm moved casually around her shoulders. “Come and stand over here. I want to take a photo of you.” He guided her towards the wall. “If you stand here, I can get the length of the dam in the picture.” He paused and frowned. “What is it, Anna? What’s wrong?”

She hadn’t heard him. She was staring into the middle distance, her mouth open, her body taut with shock, oblivious suddenly to her surroundings.

Only thirty feet away from her, the priest Anhotep was watching her, his hand upraised, his finger pointing at her heart.

8

That which was shut fast hath been opened…Hail ye who carry away hearts.

Hail ye who steal and crush hearts…

The legend has been enduring. The sands shift, and a shadow betrays what once was there. Memories are stirred. Was this the tomb of the priests? Was this the tomb which history recalled but then forgot? The robbers this time are better equipped. They are stronger. The guards of the pharaohs are long gone. When the door cracks asunder and is levered from its place, there is no one there to protect the contents of the grave.

Where is the gold? Where are the precious gems which would adorn the men who served the gods? The mummies are carried out onto the sand. They are broken, desecrated, turned back to dust. The canopic jars are smashed. There is no treasure. No provision for the after life. These were men whom the gods had turned away.

In the corner, hidden, they find the bottle. They carry it outside into the desert, glance at it, and toss it away. Glass by now is common. It has no value to the seeker after gold.

When they leave, the tomb lies open. The spirits of the dead feed on the sunlight and the silver blessing of the desert moon and grow stronger.

But in the night, the men who laid sacrilegious hands upon forbidden places encounter the servants of Anubis and of Sobek. The gods will always protect the sacred phial of Isis’s tears, and the robbers die as all who touch it will die. Their bodies are eaten by jackal and crocodile as the judgement of the gods demands.

“It’s a mirage, Anna. A trick of the light.” Andy pulled her against him as she stammered out what she had seen. “Come on. Let’s get out of the sun. It’s too darned exposed up here.” He began to guide her back towards the end of the dam, where a few trees provided a patch of dense shade.

“Andy! Anna! Wait!” Serena, glancing back at last, had realised that something was wrong. “What is it? What’s happened?” She hurried back towards them.

“It’s nothing to concern you, Serena.” Andy threw over his shoulder.

Anna frowned. She did not need his interference, however well-meaning it might be, especially now. “It was Anhotep,” she said shakily. She stood still. “Serena, he was here, just for a second, on the dam. But I left the bottle on the boat. Surely he should stay close to it? He wouldn’t follow me? Why would he follow me?”

Serena’s eyes were on Anna’s face. “You are sure you saw him?”

“She didn’t see anything.” Andy put his arm round Anna’s shoulder again. “The sun is so bright it’s easy to imagine things—after all, whole cities show up in mirages.”

“I saw something!” Anna stepped away from him sharply. “It was not a mirage, Andy. And I’ve seen him enough times to recognise him.” She shuddered. “He was looking at me! Watching me!”

Feeding on me. The words came to mind unbidden. He’s using my anger. My fear. She gave a violent shudder.

Omar, who had been talking to Ben and a group of others, regaling them with a lively account of the building of the dam by the Russians, turned, attracted by Anna’s raised voice. He frowned. “There is a problem, people?” He strode quickly towards them. “Anna is not well?”

“I’m fine.” Anna forced herself to smile. She could hardly confide in Omar. Between him and Andy, they would have her locked up.

“Too much sun, perhaps,” Andy said. “I’ll take care of her. Nothing a cool drink in the shade won’t put right.”

He began guiding Anna back towards their bus, but she stopped. “Thanks Andy, I’m fine. I think I’d like to talk to Serena, if you don’t mind.”

He laughed. “Ah, but I do mind. I can’t bear to be parted from you, and Serena wants to go and hear Omar’s history of the dam, don’t you Serena?” His voice became hard suddenly.

“I don’t think so.” Serena folded her arms. “I think we need some girl talk, Andy. Something you can’t help with.”

Anna suppressed a smile. “Please, Andy. Serena and I can get a drink in the bus. You go and listen to Omar. Then you can tell us all about it later.”

The two women turned and made their way back along the dam. Behind them Andy stood watching as they headed towards the bus, then, with a shrug, he turned away.

Anna clutched Serena’s hand. “He was here, looking at me. Pointing at me! Oh God! I can’t believe it. Why? Why should he come here? This place is modern. No Ancient Egyptian set foot here, on the dam. And the scent bottle isn’t here.”

Sitting side by side on the grass in the shade of a dusty tree, she and Serena drank from their water bottles. Anna lay back, her arm across her eyes. “Am I imagining all this? Is he right? Is it too much sun and imagination?”

There was a pause. Serena was looking up through the sparse, silvery leaves at the intense blue of the sky. “What do you think?”

“I’m beginning to think I believe it.”

“And I think you’re right. Anna, I’m not sure I know very much about all this. In some ways, as I said before, I’m out of my depth. But I feel I’m all you’ve got, so you must let me help you if I can. Don’t let Andy stop you trusting me. Please.”

A shadow fell across her face, and she looked up towards its source, startled. Andy had changed his mind and followed them. “Why should I try and stop her trusting you?” He stood looking down. “She has enough common sense of her own, Serena. I don’t have to point out the obvious.”

Both women sat up.

“Andy, can you please give us some space?” Anna was beginning to feel really irritated.

He sat down beside her. “Surely you don’t mean that?” He gave her a roguish grin. “How are you feeling? Has the drink done you good? I’ve got some beer in my bag on the bus, if you’d like some.”

Serena drew up her knees and wrapped her arms around them. “You won’t give up, will you Andy?”

He shrugged. “I’m only saying it as it is. Your Ancient Egyptian stuff is all very fascinating, my love, but that’s what it is. Ancient. History. It’s not supposed to be practised today. Your altar to Isis in the corner of your bedroom, and all the incense and stuff. It’s weird. Dangerous. You shouldn’t be believing in it yourself, and you certainly shouldn’t be trying to indoctrinate Anna. She’s too sensitive. This country is a touch paper to anyone with imagination and a bit of a romantic soul. You’ve got to stand back.”

“Like good old solid Andy with his down-to-earth views and steady, masculine brain?” Anna responded gently. “Does it ever occur to you, Andy, that Serena might be in touch with ancient truths? That what she says and believes might be totally valid?”

“It’s crap, darling.” He scrambled to his feet. “I can see I’m not going to convert you instantly, so I’ll go back to the others. You’ve only got fifteen minutes, then we’re heading back to the boat.”

There was a long silence after he had gone. Serena rested her chin on her knees thoughtfully. “Thank you for standing up for me.”

“Why don’t you do it yourself?” Anna was still cross. “Andy is a bit of a bully. He’ll keep on at you if you cave in. What you should do is turn round and give him a good blast of Ancient Egyptian invective.” She gave a sudden giggle. “I’m obviously feeling better.”