The Curse of Kalaan

n, to produce the startling sounds they call the 'song of the dunes' and the song conti

owed close behind. Among the thirty odd men were some local workmen, but also sailors and Kalaan's traveling companions.

time they've found themselves in fron

main here, " g

alaan didn't bother wasting his breath yet again by replying to his stubborn friend. He cross

ny figurative symbols and cartouches... all in such perfect condition. I could swear

ery time he stopped, he would loudly exclaim 'I've got it!' before scribbling something in his no

er sighing heavily. He had been watching his compan

he gasped without stop

e pigs on a spit. There's already a smell o' burnin', " mutter

an was more concerned for

sitting a few minutes on the sand, when Champollion exclaimed, "That's it,

ly went up

rin. He is described as some sort of healing god, 'son of Ptah', doctor, grand vizier, scribe, architect and magician. It is difficult to

the count. Not able to resist anymore, K

a pharaoh! Listen. It is written that in this place, so that the reign of the pharaoh Akhenaten may pass in peace, a magic ritual was practic

is had nothing of a tomb. We must go no further. The magic of th

urn!" added Lil' Louis as h

orward. I don't know how to explain it. I simply must enter

ring and the sheer scale of what he was discovering. "It is written, 'Imhotep stands guard here, all the Pharaoh's fears, c

be human, would he be buried here?" Kal

fears and - here I've only partially translated - a curse. It's hardly surprising; apparently it was customary to warn tomb robbers that they would be cursed if they crossed the threshold of any sacred or

trol his surge of anger come from only lord knows whe

. "In that aspect, Mother Nature was very generous with me, and, as I certainly would not want to

his hand. "The impetuous brat has returned... What we '

idea how to react. A feeling of dread was gnawing

nfused he was, Kalaan

u one?" he

is, surprised by the ques

cow

thinking about what the count had said. He jumped like a child caught in the a

t!" he retorted,

hen it pushes us to make the right choices?" Salam subtly questioned in his strong accent. "Cowardice

ere doing battle. Was he a victim of the heat? He, who was usually in pe

fered. "I will decipher these last inscriptions so that they are complete. I

and nodded, before Ch

fears, you will suffer, you will become, you will beg for the release that only... dea

sun; and yet their bodies were suddenly overcome with cold as if by there had been a cold breeze. Kalaan w

ing but dust! If ever there was magic here, we can come to the logical conclusion that it did not work. Following the same logic, we could also reasonabl

ecause as he was speaking, Kalaan placed his hand

or hundreds of centuries. There was nothing left of the door but a pile of dust at Kalaan's boots and dark whirls of thick smoke that danced around the men before slowly d

wn eyes bulging incredulously at what he had just witnesse

e in his jaw throbbing nervously. "Perhaps the door was made of a soft substance... like the c

difficulty, as he tried to sweep away the dark smoke fluttering

off in to the west. He was completely panic-stricken, and did

after the panicked laborer. Salam meanwhile shouted orders in Arabic to calm the rest of

Pray!" Salam scolded them

re bending forward to place their hands and forehead on the ground. Kalaan's sailors whispered among themselves but kept their positi

y once everything was somewhat calmer. "Bring me a torch an

, as the count grabbed a torch after shea

began moving forward into the narrow tunnel,

Lil' Louis and Salam and, after realizing that they were

r ahead, his silhouette barely distinguishable in the light of the

he sat heavily on the ground in the shadow of the entrance. "May God fo

ice, legs apart and eyes searching in the shadows. "Champollion is with him. This

rned atrociously. His tongue began to swell signaling the beginning of dehydration. The young man berated himself for not thinking to bring a goatskin of water before setting out into the unknown. His body and mind

rse voice, hoping to cover, even for a mo

ait for me

, but lost in the darkness of the place. He was breathing heavily from lack of oxygen, or from the quick pac

er all, Kalaan thought to hims

one of the reasons Kalaan counted him among his very select circle of friends. He slowed his pace, but continued to move forward. Soon,

l ah

of pain and some juicy swear words f

to follow you, you cou

usually did the exact opposite of what he was told. However, at that moment, he had no choice but to heed hi

, " he mutte

the torch. He was rubbing his nose, probably a result of walk

r hat, " Kalaan

ois retorted, not in the least duped by Kalaan's attempt at diversion.

d some over the centuries at that spot.

ollion was miserably finger

ou well for quite some time to come, " Kalaan said in an amused tone befo

ke we're at

d into bitterness. They hadn't come all this distance underground to be stopped by a wall! They should

e not facing just a wall, but another door! Very well co

the other, fitting in with the rest of the construction. Kalaan whistled in admiration. The illusion wa

hampollion said as he kneeled down in front of the wal

the shadows. It was not easy to move in the tight tunnel, but the two men finally manage

ey say?" Ka

rs. It is written, 'The door of fear will

rse, again!" Ka

attempt at humor as he stood up with difficulty. The tunnel was so

green eyes, lit by the flames of the torch, were examinin

ured as he raised his hand

d what Kalaan had in mind. He intended to repeat the same

ng count hesitated, his hand in mid-a

to dust? Should that happen, it would make it mu

.. oh, I do

e. Your curiosity is as strong as mine. Come now, we cannot be

Champollion sighed and stepped back to

e count raising his hand

ning, but not what he expected. His hand could feel a strong heat, not hot enough to burn him, but enough to make him think of the bricks on a

whirling around us. The wall is intact." Je

occur twice." Kalaan muttered while caressing th

ike a flaw in the otherwise perfect workmanship and covered with the same

The count continued scratching the soft plaster until a blue color showed thr

head in agreement. "The stone is loose. I have a feeling it was placed in

hey could react, there was a loud sound of turning gears followed by a low rumbling. The ground began to vibrate un

hing as if he had just inhaled contaminated air. H

by falling sand and the two men fo