Death of a Pharaoh (34 page)

Ryan sat beside Father Josep for the frugal breakfast of bread, butter,
orange marmalade and warm milk colored with black coffee.

“Did you enjoy our
service?” the Abbot asked.

“Inspiring,” was
all he could think to say then added, “Sorry I was late.”

“Not at all,” he
assured him. “A few more moments of contemplation are never wasted.”

“Father, one of
your monks very kindly guided me through the darkness of the cloister but
didn’t come in for prayers. Do you know who it might have been?”

The Abbot appeared
confused. “It couldn’t have been a member of the congregation, everyone was in
their stall before you arrived and your driver stayed at a guest house outside
the walls. Are you certain you saw someone?”

Ryan was about to
answer that he was positive when he recalled the blinding light and changed his
mind. “Perhaps it was only my imagination,” he assured the Abbot.

There was only one
other person in the monastery and he was in a coffin back in the church. Ryan
felt his respirations accelerate. Surely, he hadn’t taken a walk with Jesus
that morning. Yet nothing else made sense. He kept hearing the words, “…we
shall meet again soon.”

The interment
would begin promptly at nine. Almost forty minutes remained and Ryan found
himself drawn to the empty sanctuary, so different in the light of day. He
stood before the coffin and prayed.

“I know it was you
in the cloister,” he began, “but I don’t understand why.”

He hadn’t really
expected a response but he paused anyway just in case.

“Will we meet when
I am called before the Gods?” he asked.

There was only
silence.

“I feel our
destinies are somehow intertwined,” he confessed.

Ryan heard the
side door open. One of the monks entered the church carrying a silver cone on a
long handle for snuffing out the old candles and a long box with new ones. He
had come to prepare the altar for the funeral mass. He bowed to the coffin then
to Ryan. He extinguished the flame closest to where Ryan sat then bent down to
extract a replacement. When he turned back, the flame burned brightly again. He
shrugged and smothered it one more time. Ryan watched in amazement while he
repeated the gesture three times to no avail. The candle would not go out. He
took it as a signal.

“We will talk
again, I am certain.”

This time only a
wisp of smoke drifted upward after the monk removed the cone. Ryan whispered,
“Thank you!” and went in search of the others.

The Abbot performed the simple funeral rites with the congregation
gathered around the casket. No eulogy seemed necessary; what could they have
said. He prepared the Eucharist. His voice faltered during the consecration of
the host when he intoned, “…for this is my body…”

Father Josep
walked to Ryan first to offer communion. He couldn’t remember the last time he
had been to confession. It didn’t seem to matter.

“The body of
Christ,” the priest murmured out of years of habit as he offered the wafer.

The words rendered
them dumbstruck as they turned together and looked at the coffin only a few
feet away. It was a moment of profound mysticism. Ryan barely managed to
swallow with so much emotion. No one present that day would ever forget that
communion.

At the end of the
service, they all filed past and kissed the coffin. Ryan and the others stood
as solemn witnesses while a group of them lifted the casket and slid it into
the dark void of the empty tomb. One of them connected two wires to the
installed monitors and waited for the small green light.

They struggled
with the thick metal sheet to seal the lead lined shell. In pairs, they
inserted long screws then tightened them to fasten it shut. Finally, they
slotted a beautiful bas-relief, carved in translucent alabaster for a nearby
quarry, on top. It depicted the Last Supper and Ryan thought it appropriate.
They stationed a large candle on a sturdy wrought iron base at each end of the
crypt. There would always be two burning as long as Poblet existed the Prior
assured him. Jesus finally had a new home. A sudden gust of wind blew out one
of the candles. Seems he had a sense of humor, as well!

The sleek corporate jet was already well over the Mediterranean. The
afternoon sun sparkled on the azure waters far below. Every few minutes it
glinted off the deck of a freighter or ignited the billowing sail of a yacht.
The onscreen map in front of Zach showed they were to the south of Sardinia and
he glanced out a window to watch the coastline pass by. He was still getting
used to riding in luxurious private airplanes and to seeing new countries. A
few months ago in prison, he’d never dreamed he’d see Africa or Spain and in a
few hours his fake passport would have a new stamp for Egypt.

Everyone else was
asleep; except the pilots, he hoped. Ethan never had a moment to rest on the
ground as he was constantly in touch with headquarters in Philadelphia as well
as teams in London, Dakar and Cairo. His job carried a lot of responsibility.
Luckily, he had the ability to fall asleep anywhere, at any time. He was out
before they left Spanish airspace. Zach felt jealous; he needed a relationship
with his pillow to feel comfortable in a strange bed. It was a Linus thing.

Ryan napped in the
seat facing him. Zach was a bit worried about his friend and he could think
about it now that he was asleep. Ethan had taught him tricks, a few mental
exercises, to hide his thoughts from Ryan’s powers. He was his best friend and
his boss but some things were private. Ryan was acting strange since the
funeral that morning in Poblet. He was more serious and he barely spoke during
the ride to the airport. Something happened in the monastery.

He had changed so
much since they first met in jail. It was like when you saw pictures of
presidents after four years as the leader of the free world. They looked much
older and Zach could see it happening to Ryan, mostly in his eyes. It was
understandable. He had so much on his shoulders what with murderous priests on
his tail, corporate thugs with private armies and the Gods on high reading his
every thought. Not to mention that he was totally in love and about to be
crowned Pharaoh of Egypt; just to make life even more complicated.

“I’m not asleep,”
Ryan whispered with his eyes still shut.

“Sorry.”

“No problem,” he
assured Zach, “just hard to rest with an avalanche of concern at such close
quarters.”

“You’ve been
acting weird lately.”

Ryan opened his
eyes. “My turn to apologize,” he explained, “something strange happened in the
cloister.”

“Like what?”

“I think Jesus
spoke to me.”

“Maybe you can
pick up thoughts from dead people too,”

“No he was there,”
he insisted. “I touched him and there was a bright light just like when my
grandmother died. We talked.”

Zach stayed silent
waiting for Ryan to continue.

“It freaked me
out,” he admitted. “I mean, I’m talking about Jesus Christ.”

“That’s heavy,
dude.”

“When I was a
little kid,” Ryan went on, “I was confused about my powers and the nightmares
so I used to pray to him every night. You know all that now I lay me down to
sleep stuff?”

“We all did,” Zach
nodded.

“Well it’s
something else to have him show up in person.”

“Maybe he was
lonely, after lying around in that coffin for two thousand years.”

“His voice was
amazing. I’ll never forget it.”

“Does he speak
English?”

“I think so but I
don’t know if that was him or my powers.”

“What did he
want?”

“I think he likes
me.”

“Not as in like,
like?”

“Can you get your
mind out of prison already?” Ryan insisted. “I got the sense he wanted to be
friends and that our destinies are tied together somehow. I can’t stop thinking
about it.”

“He was Pharaoh
once and human as well. You guys have a lot in common. What did he look like?”

“Couldn’t really
see his face, he was wearing a hood.”

“Jesus in a
hoodie, whodda thunk it!”

Ryan gave him an
exasperated look.

“Maybe Mariam can
explain what it all means. She tells me that after the Opening of the Mouth
ceremony that my grandmother will be able to talk to me as well.”

“Speaking of
Mariam, how is everything going?”

“We haven’t had
time alone together since the attack,” he confessed, “but I think she’d make a
wonderful queen.”

“Have you told her
how you feel?”

“Are you crazy?”
he responded. “Half the world wants me dead, it’s too risky.”

“Danger can be
sexy.”

“You’re a big
help.”

“Still, once
you’re crowned won’t they be expecting you to get married and produce an heir?”

Ryan looked
terrified at the thought.

“You know like when
Kate and William got hitched.”

“It isn’t enough
that I have to save the world, you want to add teething and diaper rash on
top.”

Zach started to
laugh and Ryan joined in.

“Can’t a guy get
any sleep around here?” Ethan asked with mock annoyance.

“Time for lunch
anyway,” Ryan reminded them pressing the button for the steward. “I need my
strength to support the weight of the crown.”

“Will there be a
party after all the serious stuff?”

“Of course; the
hotel is arranging a banquet with free bar and belly dancers.”

“Don’t stare at
their navels if Mariam is around,” Ethan suggested.

“Other than the
wine last night, I haven’t had anything stronger than tea since we left the
good old USA,” Zach complained.

“Sorry, my
security team can’t drink alcohol,” Ryan decreed.

“I’ve already
arranged for replacements during the coronation,” Ethan countered without
missing a beat.

The atmosphere
improved even more while they ate. Ryan detected that Zach was pleased with
himself; even a king needed friends!

Princess Eshe Hotel, outside of Saqarra, Egypt,
morning of November 13, 2016

Everyone had arrived at the hotel except the guest of honor. Susan and
Alex had already crammed in a full day of sightseeing with a visit to Luxor.
Susan was beside herself on her first trip to Egypt. They still had no idea of
the true nature of their visit. Eduardo Gonzalez and his wife, traveled from
Seville in representation of the group of costaleros who contributed so much to
the success of Operation Nazarene. Diego barely managed to receive a new
passport in time but checked in the evening before. In addition, there were
eighty-two members of the Royal Council in attendance from all over the world
as well as family of the late Chief Mbaye from Dakar.

Mariam had already
been in Egypt for several days organizing the ceremonies. Notable absences were
Pablo Fernandez still involved in the aftermath of the deception in Spain as
well as David and Ryan’s adoptive parents who regretfully elected to stay in
the United States to guarantee the safety of Ricky and Manuel. Herbert Lewis
landed on a flight from London just prior to the Pharaoh’s jet from Barcelona.
He would travel in the motorcade to brief Ryan on the latest developments. Even
though the hotel was not yet open to the public, Ethan’s team led by Hassan had
fully vetted both the guests and the staff.

With the imminent arrival of the Pharaoh, protocol staff isolated Susan
and Alex in a small meeting room so that Ryan could explain the situation in
his own words before they witnessed all the bowing and reverence that now
surrounded their high school friend.

They were enjoying
some traditional coffee spiced with cardamom when the door opened and Ryan
burst in followed by Ethan, Tony and Zach. There was a round of excited hugs
and Alex especially seemed to approve of Zach who pretended not to notice.
Susan chattered on about the Valley of the Kings and all the other marvels they
had seen until Ryan invited them to sit down for a talk. Before he could even
begin, Susan posed a question.

“What the hell are
we doing in Egypt?” she inquired with her usual tack. “Not that I’m complaining
but aren’t you on the lam or something?”

“More or less,” he
responded, “you’re here for a very special ceremony. Tomorrow night a new
Pharaoh will be crowned.”

“Get outta here,”
she proclaimed, “is this something they do for the tourists?”

“Not at all,” he
assured her. “There really are Pharaohs in modern times.”

“So is he here
now?” she asked surveying the small crowd looking for anyone decidedly royal in
appearance.

There was an
awkward silence while Ryan formed a response. “Yours truly,” he announced
pointing to his chest.

Susan’s jaw
dropped.

“You could
certainly pass for a Nubian,” Alex remarked.

“Wait a minute,”
Susan demanded. “You’re the new Pharaoh of Egypt and you never told me before.”

“Afraid so, only
found out myself a few weeks ago.”

“Is this true?”
she asked Tony.

“Absolutely, may I
formally introduce his Majesty Nkosana I, Pharaoh of Egypt, Defender of Ma’at
and Beloved of the Gods.”

Susan’s eyes
widened.

“I always knew you
were special,” Alex confirmed.

“This evening you
will witness the Opening of the Mouth Ceremony for my grandmother, the last
Pharaoh, and tomorrow I will be officially crowned.”

“Can we wear
costumes?” Alex begged.

“I am certain we
can arrange some traditional Egyptian clothes if you want,” Ryan acquiesced,
“but nothing even vaguely like Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra.”

Susan looked
slightly miffed with the limitations.

“I am telling you
this now because the location of the ceremony is a secret and you will need to
be blindfolded before you leave the hotel,” he warned them. “Tony will
accompany you.”

“He can even tie
me up if he wants,” Alex offered.

“A little decorum
would be nice,” the Pharaoh insisted with a smile. “On a more serious note, my
organization has some dangerous enemies and you must promise to keep everything
you see and hear confidential. People would kill to find me and the last thing
I want is for your lives to be at risk. Do you promise?”

“Lips are sealed,”
Susan responded emphasizing her seriousness by drawing two fingers across her
mouth like a zipper.

“I swear on Justin
Beiber’s sweet white ass,” Alex added breathlessly. No one who knew him doubted
the sincerity of such a commitment.

“Good! You’ll need
to be ready in two hours and I have meetings with my staff,” he told them. “I
hear the pool is wonderful at this hour.”

The door opened as
if by magic and Ryan invited them to walk with him. In case any doubts lingered
for either of them, they disappeared when they saw most of the people in the
lobby turn and drop to one knee. It was a sea of bowed heads all around as the
astonished pair gawked in amazement.

After thirty minutes driving in circles, the van carrying Tony, Alex
and Susan drove down the ramp into the underground parking area of the hotel
only a few hundred yards from where they began their journey blindfolded.
Security guards directed the vehicle to one of three secret entrances leading
to the tomb complex. They didn’t need much time to adjust their vision to the
dark interior.

The ceremony would
take place in an amphitheater hewn out of solid rock with seating for almost
four hundred. Fannie’s high-tech coffin rested on a pile of sand brought
especially for the occasion from outside the ruins in Memphis. Just to the
right, there was a full color portrait of the late Pharaoh on an easel. An
impressive two-ton bronze sculpture of the Eye of Horus hung from the ceiling
on massive chains. A ring of gas torches provided a further touch of authenticity.
Two Sem priests were busy purifying the area with incense and prayers. All the
guests were in place and they expected the Pharaoh at any moment. The lights in
the hall dimmed producing the same effect on the noise level among the crowd.

Ryan entered from
the back of the large room accompanied by Mariam and escorted by two royal
guards carrying lit torches. He was dressed in the style of the ancient
pharaohs with leather sandals, the pleated kilt worn by royalty called a
shendyt and the headdress in shimmering gold cloth known as a nemes. Susan and
Alex looked suitably impressed. Each guest had a program with an explanation of
the different steps and translations, in over twelve languages, of the prayers
and utterances that Ryan would pronounce in old Egyptian. A band with hand held
drums, harps, reed instruments and traditional rattles began to play.
Everything was ready.

The first six
steps involved the purification of the coffin to receive the ka or soul of the
late Pharaoh. One if the priests carried a large bowl of water mixed with salt
and soda while the other sprinkled the contents on the coffin as they circled
the mound of sand. Ryan began to recite the incantations from the Book of the
Dead prepared by Mariam.

The priests
replaced the water with an incense burner as Ryan intoned, “"Let her that
come forth, advance with her KA.”

"Horus
advances with his KA.”

"Set advances
with his KA.”

"Thoth
advances with his KA.”

"Sep advances
with his KA.”

"Osiris
advances with his KA.”

"Khenti-maati
advances with his KA.”

After calling
forth the soul of the Gods he continued, "Your Tet shall advance with your
KA.”

"Hail,
Fannie! The arm of your KA is before you,” he repeated the same phrase four
times.

"O Osiris
Fannie! I have given unto you the Eye of Horus, and your face is filled with
it, and the perfume of the Eye of Horus is to you."

The next two steps
involved incense and water made with natron from the Valley of Heaven as Ryan
reinforced his grandmother’s association with the Gods.

"You are purified
with natron, and Horus is purified with natron.”

"You are
purified with natron, and Set is purified with natron.”

"You are
purified with natron, and Thoth is purified with natron.”

"You are
purified with natron, and Sep is purified with natron.”

"You are
purified with natron, and you are now among the Gods.”

"Your mouth
is that of the sucking calf on the day of his birth.”

One of the priests
knelt in front of the coffin offering a ball of incense to Fannie. Ryan called
out the last of the prayer of purification ending with, "Your head has
been censed for you grandmother, your bones have been cleansed thoroughly, and
you are filled with all that belonged to you in life. O Osiris, I have given to
you the Eye of Horus, and your face is filled with it, and it spreads its odor
about you.”

A hush fell on the
gathered crowd. They knew by the explanation in the program that the moment had
arrived for the beginning of the Opening of the Mouth Ceremony. A servant
approached holding a tray. Ryan took a fishtail shaped tool called a kef pesesh
in one hand. He held it close to Fannie’s face in the portrait and proclaimed,
“"O Fannie, your two jawbones which were separated have been rejoined.”

Ryan then reached
for two iron tools in the shape of squared axes. The text explained that the
first was forged of iron from North Egypt and the other from ore mined in the
south.

“O Fannie, the two
gods have opened your mouth.”

The late Pharaoh
could once again nourish herself according to their beliefs and the priest
offered her four balls of cheese and invited her to eat them. Next, he
presented her with four round cakes while Ryan intoned, “O Fannie, the Shaku of
Osiris have been presented to you, the Shaku from the top of the breast of
Horus, of his body you have now eaten."

Jugs of milk and
whey followed then finally pure water. At this point, all the faculties the
Pharaoh had enjoyed in life were now restored. The witnesses broke into
applause. An announcer invited them to adjoin to the funeral banquet while Ryan
and the priests continued with over a hundred different offerings including
wine, bread and other foods for her journey to the other side.

There was joy on
the faces of the guests as well as traces of deep emotion. The symbolism of the
ceremony was patent to all even without the aid of a program. The mood over
dinner was subdued but happy. Susan sat beside an expert in ancient funeral
rites and peppered him with questions. Alex gave up on Zach and turned his
interest to one of the waiters who seemed more open to his charms.

After two hours, a
bell warned the guests to return to the offerings for the end of the ceremony.
As they settled in their seats, one of the priests had just presented two bowls
of fruit to which Ryan proclaimed, “Hail, Osiris Pepi Nefer-ka-Ra, the Eye of
Horus has been presented to you, it is sweet to the taste, and it follows
you."

At this point
assistants carried in two large tables covered with gifts brought by all the
invitees. Even Susan and Alex had contributed.

Ryan brought the
offerings to a close by chanting, “Hail, Osiris Pepi Nefer-ka-Ra, you stand at
the door, O Pepi Nefer-ka-Ra, and wait, O Pepi Nefer-ka-Ra, you take a step.
You whisper words to the ears of Horus, and you go forth. You whisper words to
Set, and you move on. You speak to Osiris, and you move on. Truly a royal
offering in every way!”