“Many people were saved, that is true—good people,” Rohan said. “However, there were others who survived, those who were not supposed to. Later, they committed crimes and did horrible things.”
“Where are you heading with this?” asked the High Priest, narrowing his eyes.
“Good and evil, darkness and light, positive and negative—everything has its place, all exist in perfect balance. We cannot simply remove the evil. To maintain the balance, the empty spot will be filled with another evil. This is the law of nature. Any attempt to alter it is reckless and pointless.”
“This is heresy. Don’t push your luck, Rohan,” the High Priest said.
“You should stop changing the world,” Rohan continued. “Nature has its own ways to work things out. You are not helping anyone.”
“Have you completely gone mad?” exclaimed Khamunaph. “Did you forget the chapter where we prevented World War II?”
“And should I remind you about the one where Hitler won?”
Billy couldn’t believe his ears. What were they talking about?
“Maybe it wasn’t that bad after all,” the High Priest said. “One world, one ruler. There was not a single war for decades during his reign.”
“Millions of people died!” Rohan retorted.
“Some sacrifices are inevitable. Just think about it—world peace. Isn’t that what humanity has been dreaming about?”
“One nation dominates and the others live the life of slaves? I don’t think this is what people are dreaming about.”
“People adjust, adapt, and get used to it.”
“Like the thousands behind these walls who have adapted?”
“You’re forgetting your place, Rohan!” the High Priest snapped.
“And you are delusional!”
“Guards!” yelled Khamunaph. “Take him!”
But the guards didn’t move. They saw the High Priest pointing at Rohan but could not understand the command. In the heat of the moment, Khamunaph forgot to switch from English to Ancient Egyptian.
Using the confusion, Rohan jumped to the wall, pulled the torch from its holder, and threw it overhand at one of the priests beside the throne. The priest’s robes caught fire. In panic, he ran towards the other priest, screaming for help, but instead set his robes on fire too. Both priests ran around the room chaotically waving their hands.
“The fountain, outside! Hurry!” Rohan shouted at them and pointed to the exit.
The two priests, like two fireballs, dashed to the door. The guards moved out of their way.
“Two down, three to go,” muttered Rohan and made a move towards the nearest guard. The guard yelled and lunged forward with his spear. Rohan dodged to the right, parrying the spear with his left hand and making a powerful strike with his right palm to the guard’s face. This maneuver took the guard off balance and threw him a few steps back. He was about to attack again but faltered. Rohan stood frozen in front of him with his arm outstretched, his palm glowing with a mysterious green light.
“Plague on you!” shouted Rohan in English. “Plague on you and your house!”
Then he repeated the phrase in Ancient Egyptian.
Glowing green patches in the shape of Rohan’s hand covered the guards face. The skin appeared to be peeling off. None of the guards knew it was just a glowing spread, but in the darkness of the room the effect was horrifying.
Rohan turned his glowing palm to the other guards.
“Plague on all of you and your houses!” he shouted in both languages in a most terrifying voice and moved towards them.
The guards dropped their weapons and ran to the exit. Rohan walked behind them with his arm stretched out until the guards left the room.
“Rohan!” called Billy. He pointed to the throne—it was empty. They could only catch a glimpse of the High Priest’s golden robe disappearing through a secret passage in the wall.
“Damn it,” muttered Rohan.
“What is it?” asked Billy.
“We just lost our leverage; having Khamunaph as a hostage, we had a better chance.”
Then he commanded Billy, “Quickly, lock the door!”
Billy picked up two spears dropped by the guards and threaded them through the metal rings on the doors.
This isn’t going to hold them, he thought.
“I need your help, Rohan!”
“In a moment!”
Billy saw Rohan on his knees beside the throne. A tiny door to a secret compartment in the throne pedestal was open. Rohan reached inside the compartment and carefully took out an object wrapped in yellow linen. He slipped it inside his robe. Then he closed the door and tightened his belt.
“What did you find?” Billy asked with when Rohan approached.
“Not now. Later.” Rohan cut him off. Then he glanced around. “We need to barricade the door better. Give me a hand.”
They both got on one side of a stone bench and pushed with all their might, but it didn’t budge. The bench was way too heavy.
“C’mon, Billy. We’ve got to do it!”
With a heavy groan, they made another desperate attempt. Finally it moved. Slowly, inch by inch, they pushed the bench across the room until it firmly pressed against the door.
“Good,” Rohan exhaled.
He took a breath for a moment. Then he grabbed a torch and quickly went to the place where they last saw the High Priest.
“Hold it for me, will you.” He passed Billy the torch.
As Billy held the light, Rohan slid his fingers along the surface of the wall, checking every crack and imperfection in it.
“What are you looking for?” Billy asked.
“Some kind of crack in the wall, indicating the entrance to a secret passage. We know it’s here—Khamunaph just used it.” He kept on searching but with no results.
Suddenly the exit door slightly moved. Billy and Rohan held their breath. The door moved again pushing against the stone bench. This time they could hear muffled voices behind the door.
“Soldiers,” said Rohan. “We are running out of time.”
His fingers ran back and forth along the golden frescos that covered the wall. Despite that, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t find anything useful.
“They’ve gotten better,” Rohan said. “Let’s check the other room.”
Behind the golden beaded curtains, the second room was much smaller. There were a few benches by the walls and no other exit. A number of candles gave the room a dim shimmering light and a unique lavender scent.
Rohan took one of the candles and gingerly walked along the wall. Billy stood in the middle, watching.
“Grab another candle and go over there.” Rohan pointed at the opposite wall. “Look for an air draft. If there is a passage behind the wall, the air will be moving faster.”
Billy picked up a candle from a holder on the wall. “How do you know there is a passage here?”
“There’s got to be. There is no way Khamunaph would have only one escape route.”
The noises in the other room became louder. The soldiers would be there at any moment.
Holding his breath, Billy walked by the wall, keeping his eyes on the candle. The lazy flame didn’t move. In the darkness, Billy didn’t notice a stone bench in his way and slammed his shin into the hard edge.
“Ouch,” he muttered. The flame vaguely flickered. Billy thought that was only because of his breath. He bent over and vigorously rubbed his shin. The flame kept flickering. He straightened up and held his breath—the flame was still moving. Billy brought the candle closer to the wall and the flame started dancing up and down, side to side.
“Rohan! I’ve got it!”
“Where?”
“Over here, by the bench.”
“Good boy, Billy. Well done!” he praised him. “Now we need to activate the opening mechanism. Find something to push on, or something to pull.”
Rohan searched the wall while Billy looked around and under the bench, pushing and pull
ing everything he could.
A loud bang came from the other room—that was the sound of the stone bench crashing to the ground.
“Too late,” said Rohan in disappointment. “They’re here.”
Rohan and Billy turned around and faced the golden beaded curtain.
A roar sounded as soldiers burst through the front door. There was a rumble of footsteps. There were too many of them. Rohan and Billy clenched their fists ready for a final fight.
Behind them, a section of the wall swung open. Billy caught sight of a priest’s yellow robe coming out of the darkness behind the wall.
“We’re surrounded!” Billy shrieked.
The priest, wearing a hood, stepped out. Rohan was about to strike, when the priest raised a hand and quickly removed the hood.
“Anna-Maria?” Billy was stunned by surprise.
Their eyes met. The coldness in her eyes from when they had first met in this place was gone.
Rohan lowered his fists and bowed.
“Rohan.” Anna-Maria nodded slightly. Then she addressed both of them. “Please, follow me.”
She stepped back inside the passage and Rohan followed her. Billy hesitated. He still remembered having mixed feelings towards Anna-Maria. Can we really trust her? he wondered.
The soldiers’ voices sounded right behind the curtain.
Oh well, why not? And Billy jumped into the dark passage.
When the soldiers rushed into the room, they were too late—the room was empty.
* * *
Chapter Twenty
The Floating Head
When the door to the secret passage closed, Anna-Maria took a torch from the holder that was on the wall by the door and led the way.
Emotions overcame Billy. There were so many things that he wanted to tell her about. How he was a slave and how he had to work for the whole day under the burning sun; how he met Rohan and together they ran away and later were trapped by the High Priest; how they fought the guards and how Anna-Maria came and saved them at the very last moment when they had almost lost hope. But most of all he wanted to say how glad he was just to see her again, to hear her voice again.
Billy was about to open his mouth when Rohan unexpectedly interjected.
“Anna-Maria,” he said, carefully choosing his words. “Your father and I, we have different opinions about certain things.”
“I know that,” said Anna-Maria.
“If we are captured,” Rohan continued, “it is likely that this will be the last time we see each other.”
“I understand that,” said Anna-Maria, locking her eyes with Rohan’s.
He nodded in a sign of appreciation for what she was doing for them.
Billy didn’t say a word—the moment was lost.
When they got to a fork in the road, Anna-Maria stopped.
“I have to return to the castle, using this path.” She pointed at the pathway to the left. “I cannot be seen with you. You should continue that way.” She gestured with the torch. “This passage will lead you to the Gate Square where you’ll be able to blend in with the other slaves. It will give you some time to figure out your next step. That’s all I can do for you.”
“This is more than we could’ve asked for,” Rohan said.
She was about to walk away but faltered. Then she added softly, “My father isn’t a bad man.”
“I know,” Rohan said, “but sometimes unlimited power can blind even a good man.”
She nodded. Then she turned to Billy.
“Good luck, Billy.”
“Yeah. See you in class.”
She smiled. “Right, see you in class.”
And she left. Rohan and Billy followed her with their eyes until the light from her torch became so weak that they could barely see each other.
“Well,” Rohan quietly said, “will you do the honors?”
“Right,” said Billy and opened his right palm. The fluorescent green light lit the walls of the narrow passage.
It didn’t take long for them to get to a dead end. As a usual precaution, Rohan put his ear to the wall and listened. It seemed to be quiet behind the wall.
What if it’s a trap? Billy thought for a moment. Then he immediately pushed this thought away. He saw her eyes—A.M. would never do anything like this to him.
Rohan kneeled down and pressed a rock on the bottom. The wall moved slightly. Billy closed his palm. Darkness swallowed them instantly. They put their shoulders against the wall and pushed. It opened a bit wider and then stuck.
“The door must’ve jammed,” Rohan whispered.
“I can get through,” Billy said, and before Rohan could say anything, he wriggled himself through the crack.
Billy made the first step and froze in horror—someone or something was heavily breathing right into his face. In the darkness, Billy couldn’t see what it was, but he could definitely tell that the thing was big. Something warm and wet touched his face.
“A-ah,” Billy exhaled and fell back.
“Frrrr,” said something in response.
Rohan stuck his head out to see what happened.
“City boy never seen a horse?”
“A horse? I thought that was a dragon or something!”
“No, my friend, no dragons here.”
Billy wiped his face with his sleeve. Rohan helped him up.
“We are in the stables,” he said. “Couldn’t be better.”
“What’s so good about it?” Billy asked, trying to keep away from the horses as they walked through the stables.
“I have an idea. You’ll see.”
They got to the exit door, knelt down, and carefully looked outside. The main gate was only about three hundred yards away. To get there, however, they would have to cross the Gate Square, which was packed with slaves sleeping under their blankets, resting close to each other to stay warm.
“It is quiet,” Rohan finally said, “too quiet.”
“I don’t see any guards,” Billy whispered. “Maybe they don’t know about us yet?”
“I wouldn’t count on it,” Rohan answered. “I can bet you anything they are probably hiding on the walls watching, waiting for our first mistake.”
“How are we going to open the gate and stay unnoticed?” Billy asked.
“We are not using the gate,” Rohan said.
“We are not?”
“No. Do you see that hut just beside the gate?”
“Yes.”
“There are two wooden barrels next to it.”
“I see the barrels,” Billy confirmed.
“The hourglass is inside the one nearest to the hut.”
“How do you know it is still there?”
“Sometimes you just have to have a little faith,” Rohan said. Then he looked at Billy, his eyes smiling. “So, what’s your plan?”
“My plan?” Billy didn’t expect such a turn. “Basically, my plan was to follow your plan.”
“Anyone can follow, very few can lead. Think, Billy. What would you do to get to that barrel?”
Billy looked outside again, this time thoroughly analyzing his surroundings.
“I would probably go by the wall. The area there is darker, so it would be easier to get through undetected,” he finally concluded.
“Very well,” said Rohan. “What if you wake one of the slaves? He will make noise and you will be easy to spot.”
“Then”—Billy thought for a moment—“I would wake more slaves, so I could blend in and hide among them.”
“Good thinking, Billy, very good,” Rohan praised.
Billy smiled.
“If I could make a suggestion,” Rohan added. “What if instead of waiting for a situation to happen, we create one, only on our terms?”
“What do you mean?” Billy asked.
“At first, we wake all the slaves, and then, using the confusion, we get to the other side of the square.”
“But how do we wake them all at the same time?”
“With the help
of our new friends.” Rohan nodded back at the horses behind them.
The shadow of doubt on Billy’s face didn’t escape Rohan’s attention.
“C’mon,” he said. “Come over here.”
They stepped over to the nearest horse. Rohan took Billy’s hand and placed it lightly on the horse’s head. “Here.” The animal was a bit nervous but not aggressive. Its pelt was warm and fuzzy. Billy gently stroked across its head. The horse jerked its body and shook its head, and then made a step forward, closer to Billy.
“I think he likes you,” Rohan said.
“Yeah,” Billy replied with a big smile of relief. “Oops, I left a mark.” A green glowing streak stretched on the horse’s head. Billy was about to wipe it clean, when Rohan stopped him. “Leave it. It is a part of the plan. Put some more on.”
Billy made a few more strokes painting the horse’s head in fluorescent green. Rohan took out his small round box and also applied the rest of his glowing spread on the horse’s head. In the dimness of the stables, the green light seemed to be especially bright.
“This should really distract them.” Rohan patted the horse, satisfied. Then he turned to Billy and said in a very serious tone of voice, “When the horses start running, stay with them. All we have to do is to get to the other side of the square to the barrel with the hourglass. Once we get there be as close to me as possible. Understood? ”
“Understood,” Billy said.
“All right, then. Let’s do this.”
Rohan swung the stable gate open and slapped the horse’s back. The horse jerked and galloped forward.
“Hup, hup, hup!” Rohan shouted, opening the other gates and letting the rest of the horses out.
“Go, go, go!” Billy shouted too.
When the guards on the palace walls turned their heads towards the noise, they stood there in awe and disbelief—the green glowing horse’s head, like a horrifying creature from another world, flew in midair right through the crowd, scattering people in all directions. Chaos and panic took over the place.
Rohan’s plan had worked perfectly. The running horses created a path in the middle of the square—the road to freedom was open. Billy ran towards the opening, watching slaves literally running for their lives. When he got closer to them, only then did he notice something that gave him goose bumps.
“Rohan!” he shouted. “It’s a trap! They are not slaves!”
Rohan took a better look at the running people. Billy was right—they weren’t slaves, they were soldiers.
“Get on the horse!” Rohan shouted.
“I can’t! I don’t know how to drive that thing!”