Chapter 3:
An archaic painting of the Egyptian Ocean God Nunu supporting Ra’s boat into the sky rested on a cluttered shelf in some Museum of Egyptology in downtown Seattle. We drove all this way to confirm my suspicions. There was something about that Amulet, and it wasn’t right. Who did it belong to? Where did it come from? Why was it made?
“Over here is an 18th Dynasty Map of plundered tombs written by a tomb robber by the name Djed-Ka-Nefer. In the description he mentions two things – a gold-plated bronze dagger, and an amulet of the God AmonRa,” the Curator introduced the collection to a small group of tourists.
“Did he say what the amulet looked like? Was it gold or silver?” asked Carmine. She was dressed in a fashionable mini-skirt with red shoes, with a short matching red shirt.
“This papyrus does not specify exactly what the amulet was manufactured from, but there is this Magic Spell associated with it,” the Curator said. “It will give the bearer the powers of the god AmonRa.”
“Whose tomb was it?” I interrupted.
“Oh… Some High Priest or Divine Scribe,” the Curator replied.
A man watched us from the restroom area. He took a few snapshots of us with his Pear-2 Cell Phone. Then he quickly departed.
“…The bearer having the powers of the god will appear immortal. He can fly, repel arrows, affect the weather, transform rocks into gold nuggets, and anything the human mind can imagine,” he said. “Anything. Now does that sound like a Myth, or some Kentucky Jane novel?”
“Hold on,” I stopped. The man in the back room returned. This time his gloved hands held a Glock handgun with silencer, pointing in our direction.
I instinctively reached into my jacket, and grabbed the amulet. Carmine saw the man, and dove for cover behind an Information Kiosk. The man fired two rounds, one hitting the Curator’s papyrus. The man fired again. I had to do something. So I did.
“Michael! Your face, your skin… And that costume? What’s going on?” Carmine asked while crouching on the thinly carpeted Museum floor.
“My God… You, you have the amulet?” the Curator said.
I appeared in the room wearing Egyptian armor – a Khepesh helm of blue leather, an iron and gold scaled cuirass, white linen kilt with an unknown metal for leg armor, and leather-wrapped sandals. Halloween wasn’t for another 3 months. The man fired in my direction. So I lifted up one arm, and the bullets fell back like water droplets. I thought for a moment. The ground underneath the man transformed into snakes that wrapped about his legs, holding him there.
The man was overcome with fear, so I tackled him to the tiled floor of the Museum Café. I asked him who he is. He told me everything.
“I am a Knight of the Golden Cross. The Amulet was stolen from our organization long ago during the Crusades in the Holy Land, and stolen again recently. We believe the thief hid it someplace in Washington State, according to our GPS tracking on a bug hidden in the Amulet’s chain. That was 40 weeks ago. Now you have it,” the man replied.
“Why did you fire on us?” I demanded.
“I thought you were the thief! Honestly, I had no idea you would actually be using it. Only the Chosen One has the ability to wield its power correctly,” he said. “Its power is mentally controlled.”
“What about Lava rock?” Carmine asked him. “We discovered…”
“No. Whoever is in close proximity to the amulet will access its powers. Lava rocks have no power,” the man said. “Nice tan, by the way.”
“Thanks. Tell me more about the Golden Cross,” I asked him.
“We… We are the protectors of the Lost Shrine of AmonRa. Our people have Genealogical heirs from AmonRa’s priesthood in the last millennia. We swore an oath to protect the Shrine, and guard its amulet. Now you have it,” he said.
“All right, suppose I believe this and you’re correct. What’s next?” I asked him. His face was suddenly overcome with hesitation.
“There is one problem… The Amulet of Apophis was also stolen recently. We have no way of knowing its location,” the man said in dread.
“Apophis? The Asteroid Apophis?” I asked him.
“No… The sworn enemy of AmonRa was the Dragon Apophis. While AmonRa was light, Apophis was darkness. Where AmonRa is Good, Apophis was Evil. They are polar opposites, like Yin and Yang,” he said.
“So who is wearing the Amulet of Apophis?” Carmine asked.
“Legend has it only a bearer of the opposite gender can wield its power. So as your friend has the Amulet of AmonRa, its opposite must be a woman…” the man said in slurred speech.
“Well I’m not wearing it. It’s not even my style,” Carmine grinned.
A dark shadow appeared through the Museum skylight above. The Knight saw this and shivered uncontrollably. With his whole body shaking, he managed to point towards the shape above us before he passed out.
The shadow on the floor resembled a large tentacle or tail of some kind. A moment later the Sun reappeared. As we remained focused on the shadow, the Knight regained consciousness and grasped my left forearm, whispering something into my ear. The day wasn’t over yet.
