Beyond the Roundels

“So,” said Evy, who tended to have a one-track mind when it came to excavating powerful ancient artefacts, even in the face of strangers dropping out of nowhere and landing right next to her in the otherwise sealed-off tomb. “I don’t suppose you know how to get through that wall?”

Dayna picked herself up and brushed the dust of a thousand years from her clothes. “I don’t even know where I am or how I got here.”

“Well, the only way that I know of is to get your hands on the Lost Key of Iseum,” said Evy. “And there’s only one of it and, as it happens, I’ve got it – oh!” She stopped abruptly as Dayna held out an identical, if slightly more worn, small stone object.

“Not as unique as you thought,” said Dayna. She shrugged. “Typical.”

Evy studied the two artefacts with great interest. “Oh,” she said. “Oh, I wonder. That might explain it!”

“Explain what?”

“Well, what if this chamber isn’t strictly speaking a place in the usual sense of the word? What if we’re in a sort of, well, limbo? So we could both have picked up the same Key, only at different times. Although, if that’s true, then why aren’t there more of us here? Hmm, it’s a theory, but it could use some more work. If only we had the time…”

Dayna folded her arms. “Look, all I know is that Tarrant and I were down in this old vault, looking for – well, that doesn’t matter, but I picked up this, turned around and I landed here. And if I don’t get back soon, he’s probably going to make a mess of the whole mission.”

“Oh, dear,” said Evy with genuine sympathy. She knew that feeling. She was already busy trying not to worry too much about what sort of ill-advised things Jonathan and Rick would be getting up to now that she’d vanished. “Still, the only way out for either of us right now is through that wall. Do you think you can help me?”

Dayna grinned. “Well, I could blow a hole in it, if you like.”

Evy heaved a disapproving sigh. “And I don’t even think you’re an American.”

“No, but I know what I’m doing when it comes to explosives, don’t worry.”

Evy shook her head. “We’re in some sort of mystical nether-place inside the long-lost tomb of the Forgotten Pharaohs – and you’re completely, absolutely sure that it’ll be quite safe to blow things up?”

“Have you got a better plan?”

“I,” said Evy, brandishing the object in question about, “have a book! Well, a scroll in this case, but it comes to the same thing.”

Dayna wrinkled her nose. “I think I’ll stick with my idea.”

“No, no, no, no – wait!” Evy let the scroll unroll, falling onto the stone floor and over Dayna’s feet. She ran her finger down the text, mouthing words under her breath. “Aha! Yes, this looks like it!” After all, she thought, crossing her fingers with her free hand, no harm ever came of reading out ancient Egyptian texts in mystical places. Well, not very much harm, or at least, they’d always been able to prevent the world ending up till now, so it was worth a shot…

She stepped forward and proclaimed the incantation as boldly as she dared, and then held her breath, waiting for everything to fall in on her, or for angry Mummies to burst out of the carvings on the walls. Instead, a glowing golden line appeared in front of them in a rectangular shape, before burning brighter yet until it faded and all that was left was a door – a door into an inky, unlit corridor beyond. Evy beamed at Dayna, her smugness ineffable. “There, see?”

“Okay, fair enough,” said Dayna. “You’ve got a scroll. I get it now.”

Evy patted Dayna’s hand. “Never mind. I’m sure we’ll need those explosives later when horrible undead things start trying to kill us.”

“In that case,” said Dayna, giving an even wider grin and putting her hand to her gun, “what are we waiting for?”

They stepped out into the darkness together.