Page 71 of The Stolen Queen

A second later, several large stones fell right where the box had been sitting, obliterating the shards of pottery that had been scattered on the ground and creating a massive cloud of dust.

The three of them sprinted for the exit, the dust storm following close behind.

Annie eagerly gulped in the fresh air outside the tomb. As she’d run, she’d tucked the box under one arm and used the other to cover her nose and mouth, not that it had done much good. She was coated with dust, as were Charlotte and Jabari. Annie handed Charlotte the canopic box, and they both paced back and forth, coughing, while Jabari called out in Arabic to the staff nearby; some ran over with bottles of water, and others scattered, presumably to get more help.

“What about the mummies?” said Charlotte once she’d taken a few swigs of water. “We have to get them out, make sure they’re safe.”

“We’ll need to make sure the tomb is secure first,” answered Jabari. “The change of air pressure when a tomb is reopened or a new section discovered can make it unstable.”

Charlotte turned to Annie, her face full of concern. “If you hadn’t grabbed the canopic box, it would have been demolished. Why did you do it? You put yourself in danger.”

“I could see how badly you wanted it. Are you going to look inside?”

Charlotte shook her head. “It’s sealed. They’ll need to run it through a CT scan machine.”

“What’s that?”

“A new technology, only been in use for about five years. With it, they can see inside something without having to open it. Like X-rays.”

“That’s cool. Does the fact that the box has Hathorkare’s name on it prove that the mummy with the crossed arm is your lady pharaoh?”

“I’m afraid not. But it’s better than nothing. If the mummy is still intact, that is.”

By now, several men in hard hats had ventured into the cave to assess the damage as Charlotte and Annie, as well as a group of tourists, watched. They eventually reemerged and spoke with Jabari, who turned to Charlotte with a smile. “The only damage was in the niche. The rest of the tomb is stable, for now, but we’ll be extracting everything that’s inside over the next couple of days. We don’t know how long it will hold up.”

“Can I get inside to take more photos?” asked Charlotte.

“I’m afraid not. Only trained personnel allowed.”

“Damn.” She looked longingly over at the tomb entrance. “Everything else will go straight to the Egyptian Museum?”

“Of course.”

Charlotte handed him the canopic box. “This needs to be sent there as well.”

“Who exactly was this Hathorkare lady?” asked Annie as they walked away.

Charlotte looked up at Annie with a huge grin on her face. “Come with me. I’ll show you who this Hathorkare lady was.”

They left the Valley of the Kings, winding around the hills until they reached a massive temple three stories high. The limestone cliffs behind it had eroded into irregular shapes, so that in the late-afternoon sun it appeared as if dozens of crudely carved, ghostly figures looked down on the temple, watching over it, protecting it. Charlotte and Annie followed a ramp to the second level, where Charlotte explained that this memorial temple had been built by Hathorkare, who it turned out wasn’t a nasty usurper at all, according to Charlotte’s research, but a smart, savvy leader who didn’t get nearly enough credit for her contributions to Egyptian culture and government.

Annie turned in a slow circle, taking in the terraces and porticos and the hundreds of columns, many of which still had the likeness of the female leader carved into them. As Charlotte spoke, the macabre creature in the tomb was transformed into a woman with eyes lined with kohl, dressed in white linen, her arms covered in gold bracelets and her fingers adorned with rings, striding across the promenade, giving orders and overseeing the construction of her grand temple.

With Charlotte’s words, a long-dead, long-disdained woman was brought to life.

“Thank you, Annie, for going back for the canopic box. I know I’ve been a beast, but I’m glad you’re here with me.”

“I’m glad I’m here as well.” It had been the most exciting, surprising day of Annie’s life.

Then, in a low voice, Charlotte confided to Annie the true reason for her trip to Egypt. That she’d been married before. That she thought her husband had been killed in a boating accident on the Nile, which she herself had narrowly escaped. That a colleague—Leon Pitcairn—had been with them and was also thought drowned, lost, along with the broad collar. Which was why Charlotte had been so stunned to see it on display at the Met, and why she had decided to come to Egypt to track down Leon, who was rumored to have ties to a criminal organization called Ma’at.

There was more to the story, Annie could tell, from the way Charlotte’s voice cracked as she spoke.

But Charlotte didn’t offer and Annie knew better than to press.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Charlotte

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