The Anubis Plague полностью

Nestled up against the Mediterranean Sea and the Suez Canal is Egypt’s fifth largest city. As its name suggested, Port Said’s bustling harbor community houses over a half-million people. It was founded in 1859 and named after the country’s ruler at the time, Mohamed Sa'id Pasha.

Uncle Wally had given Zahra insight into his hometown when she was a little girl. He always believed that Port Said had always been overlooked as one of the greatest cities in all of Egypt. Typically, travelers came to the country for the historical and archaeological wonders found in places like Cairo, Giza, Luxor, Alexandria, and Thebes.

And he was right, Zahra thought, staring out over the glimmering water.

Besides its noteworthy beaches, Port Said’s other main feature was its now retired lighthouse, a landmark that was completed just one week prior to the Suez Canal’s inauguration in 1869. As the years went by, the infrastructure surrounding the lighthouse changed drastically. Contemporary buildings sprouted out of the sand containing the likes of commercial businesses, restaurants, hotels, and homes. Even a modern shopping mall had been built next door to the architectural marvel. The three-story building looked incredibly odd, sitting directly across the street from the 153-year-old lighthouse.

Zahra glanced down at her watch hand and confirmed the time. Wally had texted her and told her to be at the top of the lighthouse at this time, on the dot. And yet, he wasn’t here. There wasn’t anything for her to do but wait. So, she leaned forward atop the rails of the octagonal tower and appreciated the view. Having some alone time was a blessing, in retrospect. Her father and Cork had, once again, stayed behind to let Zahra work. This time, they were holing up in a motel deeper into town.

Zahra had no idea what to expect from Wally. She also didn’t know whether or not the Scales of Anubis had men on the ground. At this point, Zahra needed to assume they had agents placed in every major Egyptian city. She’d rather be overly paranoid than unprepared and caught off guard.

“That’s probably what Wally is doing right now,” she mumbled, getting a look from a man to her left. He and his kids were atop of the national monument with Zahra, gawking, enjoying the scenic backdrop. The breeze coming off the water wasn’t bad either.

Nothing like Levanzo, though. The balcony view would be forever etched into her mind. Their arrival into Egypt had gone much smoother than she had expected. They had arrived on fumes but did so by using an actual runway this time, instead of a cramped, four-lane road.

Zahra dipped her head and closed her eyes, listening to the world around her. She wasn’t sure how long she had zoned out. But a familiar voice broke the silence.

“Zahra?” She spun around and found herself alone with a very different-looking Waleed Badawi. “Is that really you?” He looked nothing like the man she once knew — but it was him. His eyes gave him away. Gone was his shoulder-length, dark hair and clean-cut face. Wally now sported a shaved head and a graying beard that reached down to his chest. He was also a good thirty pounds lighter than when Zahra had seen him last.

“Hey, Wally. Yeah, it…it’s been a long time.”

His eyes looked sad. “Yes, it has.” He shifted his weight, looking uncomfortable. “Why are you here?”

Zahra had purposely kept the exact reason she had come from him. She wasn’t sure if he would have agreed to meet her, or not, if he had known what was really going on.

Zahra dug into her jacket pocket and removed the picture her father had given her. She stepped forward and handed it over to him. Wally’s eyes locked onto the image and, if it were possible, they became even sadder. This wasn’t the funny, happy-go-lucky uncle from her past. He had obviously been through a lot since Zahra had last seen him.

They all had.

“I know everything about my mother.” Wally snapped his attention back to Zahra. He kept silent and waited for Zahra to say whatever she was about to say. “Khaliq Ayad has her canopic jar.”

If Zahra could describe Wally’s reaction, it would have been one of agony. It looked as if the man’s heart had just been torn out of his chest.

“That is unfortunate to hear,” he replied, handing the photo back to Zahra. She shook her head.

“I want you to have it.”

He nodded his thanks. “Is that all you’ve come to tell me? You could have saved yourself some trouble and called.”

Now, it was really time to bear the real bad news.

“The Scales of Anubis also have the original Book of the Dead.”

“What?” Wally took a step back. “No! How?”

“You, uh, can thank Baahir for that.”

Wally turned and gripped the railing with both hands, squeezing it until the blood drained from his fingers. He took a deep breath and let go.

“Where did he find it?”