Whispers In The Sand Part 22

He nodded. With a final furious glance at Andy he walked out of the cabin.

'Will you be all right?' Anna followed Toby but in the doorway she paused, looking back.

Andy nodded.

'It was your fault. You shouldn't have touched me. And you shouldn't have taken my things.'

Andy looked up. 'I'm sorry, Anna. I'm not sure what came over me. This isn't like me, it really isn't. But you do believe me now, 257.

don't you? He's a killer! Be careful, Anna. Whatever you do, be careful.'

Anna turned and leaving the cabin pulled the door shut behind her. Toby had gone.

Shakily she turned away from the stairs towards Serena's cabin and knocked on the door.

Serena pulled it open. 'Did you find it -' She stopped in mid- sentence. 'Anna, what is it? What's happened? Not Anhotep?'

'No, not Anhotep. Andy came back and caught us in the cabin. He and Toby nearly had a fight.'

'A real fight?' Serena's eyes rounded.

'A real fight. With fists.'

Serena bit her lip. 'Well, I suppose I can't honestly say I'm surprised. Come in.' She pulled Anna inside and closed the door behind her. 'Is Andy all right?' she asked suddenly, almost as an afterthought.

'He'll live.'

'And Toby?'

Anna shrugged. 'He was terrifying, Serena. He almost lost control for a moment. I could see it in his eyes. If I hadn't been there, I think he might have hit Andy.' She bit her lip anxiously, shaking her head. She didn't believe Toby was a killer, of course she didn't! But she had seen a side of him now which had frightened her and suddenly she was full of doubt.

Serena studied her face. 'Did you find the bottle?' she asked quietly.

'No.'

'That's a pity.' She was thoughtful for a moment, then she shook her head. 'I have got a theory, Anna. I hope it is wrong.' She hesitated. 'I desperately hope it is wrong.' There was another long pause. 'The thing is, the other priest, Hatsek, the priest of Sekhmet. He is here. On the boat. I have had my suspicions for some time that when Charley stole the bottle she was in some way affected by him; that maybe he is using her energy and that is why she is growing weaker. There is no question that she is becoming slightly unhinged. She never used to drink the way she does now. And she's mentioned Sekhmet once or twice at night in her sleep, crying out the name.' She shuddered. 'Charley is not a student of Ancient Egypt, Anna. She had never heard of Sekhmet. She is not interested in any of the stuff I do. In fact she hates it.'

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Anna nodded. 'And Charley talked of Sekhmet in the bar the other day.'

'Yes, and now there's something else,' Serena continued. 'Toby and Andy. I think he could be feeding on their anger too. There's this atmosphere on the boat. I can feel it intensifying. It's affecting us all. Did Toby touch that bottle of yours?' Anna nodded again.

'And Andy did, of course.' Serena moved thoughtfully over to the window and stood staring out. Moored as they were against a much larger cruiser all she could see was the glossy white paint of its hull about four feet from her window. 'And then there is you. Anhotep follows you around. He must be using your energies.' She sighed. 'Andy wouldn't give you the bottle back, I take it?

'No, and we couldn't prove that he had it.' Anna sat down on the bed.

'Even though he took it openly and we know he has it. That's not actually like him. Not like him at all. As you've gathered, I don't get on with him. I don't really like him, but he is not a thief, Anna.

'Can you do the ceremony without the bottle?' Anna looked up hopefully. 'Could we do it quickly?'

Serena nodded slowly. She did not look convinced. 'We can try.' She reached into a canvas holdall by her bed and pulled out a spiral-backed notebook. It was full of closely packed writing interspersed here and there with diagrams. 'I've been trying to think of an appropriate form of words and ritual to use. We have to conjure them up, summon them both then dismiss them in such a way that they do not come back.'

'And you know how to do this?' Anna's eyes were on the notebook.

Serena looked up at her doubtfully. 'In theory, yes.'

'What's the option if we fail?'

Serena shrugged. 'I'll have made matters worse. By paying them all this attention we make them stronger.'

'But if we get it right we can help Charley?'

Serena grimaced. 'If we get rid of them it must help you both. That's if I can get it right.'

'Let's do it now. In my cabin.'

'Now? Anna, I don't know if I'm ready.'

'You have to be ready.' Anna grabbed her hand. 'It'll be all right. It has to be. Please.'

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Serena took a deep breath. 'All right. I'll do my best. It'll be a bit like what we did at Kom Ombo only better. More powerful. We'll have time and privacy and we can set it up right.' She glanced round the cabin as though checking she had all she needed, then tucking the notebook under her arm, she picked up her holdall. 'Come on.

Anna followed her. 'Do we need Charley to be there?'

Serena paused. 'I've been wondering about that. I think probably not at this stage. We couldn't do the ceremony if she was there, she'd be too disruptive and besides, the energies are everywhere. What I am hoping is that I shall be so thorough that the various attachments to you, to Charley, perhaps to Andy and Toby - even me - are destroyed and we are all freed at the same moment.' She licked her lips nervously. 'Oh G.o.d, Anna, I hope I'm right about all this.'They closed the shutters and, pulling the bedside table into the centre of the room, covered it with one of Anna's silk scarves. On the makes.h.i.+ft altar Serena put candles held in small coloured-gla.s.s candleholders, a bra.s.s incense burner and a tiny carved statue of Isis. She looked round and shook her head. 'It's not dark enough. The curtains are thin and there's too much light coming through the slats. We have to pin something over the shutters.' They wedged a bath towel across the window and over that, Anna's pashmina. At last the cabin was dark. Serena switched on the light and then delved into her bag. She pulled out an ankh - the looped cross which is the Egyptian symbol of eternal life - which she laid next to the statue and finally she produced an intricate red amulet on a black leather thong which she hung around her own neck.

'What is that?' Anna, who had sat silent through the preparations so far, leant forward and squinted at it.

'It's called the tyet. It represents the knot of Isis's girdle. Or her sacred blood, which is why it's carved in red jasper. It is a very powerful symbol.' Unconsciously Anna groped for the amulet which hung around her own neck. Serena saw the action and gave a quick nod of approval.

She reached into her bag and produced a box of matches. 'I'm going to invoke the protection of Isis before I start. Then I'm going 260.

to summon the two priests before her altar. I made this incense before I left London. It's the nearest I could get to something called kyphi which was sacred to Isis. They used it in the temples during her rituals.' She gave a quick deprecating laugh. 'I did it for fun. It's got so many ingredients. Raisins. Myrrh. Honey. Wine. Resin. Spikenard. Juniper berries. Lots of other things. I never imagined I'd be using it like this.'

Anna bit her lip. 'Are you sure this is safe?'

Serena nodded. 'The worst that can happen is that it has no effect or that they hear, but refuse to come. It may be that we do need the scent bottle here on the altar, but I'm going to try.' She lit the candles then she moved to switch off the light. She stood for a moment in silence, her eyes closed, then she reached into her bag for the last time and produced a small bundle wrapped in a square of white silk. Unwrapping it she held up a metal object about twelve inches high, shaped rather like the ankh with four pieces of wire stretched across the looped head. On the wires were strung small finger cymbals. 'This is a sistrum, the sacred instrument of the G.o.ds,' she said as she laid it on the altar and carefully folded away the white silk. 'It is shaken to invoke, to purify, to protect.'

'And do we need some wine?' Anna sat down on the bed as far away from Serena's centre of activities as humanly possible.

'Not this time. If...' She paused imperceptibly. 'When. When we succeed I'll make an offering to give thanks.' She picked the little incense cone out of the burner and held it to the candleflame. 'I'll bless and protect you, Anna. If you could just stay there and stay quiet, whatever happens. If you feel afraid, visualise yourself surrounded by an impenetrable circle of blue fire.'

Anna nodded. Her mouth had gone dry.

As the rich spicy smell of the incense began to curl out of the burner the candles flickered.

Serena began to intone under her breath. Then she picked up the sistrum and started to shake it towards the four corners of the room after which she spun to face Anna and shook it in her direction. 'Hail, Isis, protector of thy daughters. Be with us here. Hail Isis, watch over us. Hail Isis, keep us safe. Hail Isis, surround us with thy protective fire so that your servants Anna and Serena may serve you and speak with thy priests, Anhotep and Hatsek!'

Anna could feel the palms of her hands sweating in the darkened cabin. The candleflames didn't stir; the fine spiral of blue smoke 261.

from the incense straightened and rose towards the ceiling. She recognised the incense with a s.h.i.+ver of nausea. It was similar to the strange, cloying smell which sometimes permeated her cabin.

Serena was speaking again, her voice rising and falling in a rhythmic chant. In the light of the candles Anna could see the perspiration standing out on her forehead. Her eyes were wide and staring, her fingers clamped round the handle of the sistrum like taut whitened claws.

'Hail to thee, Anhotep and greeting. Come that we might speak with thee . .

The litany was repeated again and again, rising in the airless cabin, trapped by the ceiling, building like a tangible presence, inexorably winding up the tension in the room. Anna found she was holding her breath, every muscle in her body tensed, her eyes darting backwards and forwards seeking in every corner for the shadowy figure of Anhotep until between one breath and the next, with an almost imperceptible sigh, the candles went out.

Anna swallowed hard, biting down the urge to scream. The rattle of the sistrum stopped and the silence intensified. Anna became conscious suddenly of the drumming of her own pulse in her ears, then a strange gurgling noise from the centre of the room. She strained her eyes to see Serena in the shadowy darkness standing still, staring at the altar. The sistrum dropped from her hand with a rattle, then she fell slowly to her knees. For several seconds she swayed groggily backwards and forwards then she slid to the floor.

Anna had frozen where she was. She was too frightened to move, but the sound of Serena's breath rattling in her throat galvanised her into action. Leaping off the bed she ran to the window and tore down the blackout; wrenching back the shutters, then she turned and flung herself down beside Serena, reaching for her wrist.

'Serena! Serena, speak to me!' She shook her hand, then she gently slapped Serena's face. 'Wake up! Come on, wake up! You've got to speak to me!' Serena's face was suffused with a dark, livid red, her eyelids fluttering uncontrollably, her pupils beneath them dilated. 'Serena!' Anna shouted in her ear, then letting Serena's head fall back on the floor she scrambled to her feet and ran into the bathroom. Filling the gla.s.s with the tepid water from the cold tap she brought it back and threw it in Serena's face.

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Serena gasped. For a moment her whole body seemed to gather itself into one great spasm, then she fell back on the floor and her eyes closed. As Anna watched, the colour drained from her face and all the tension seemed to leave her.

'Serena?' Anna stared at her in terror. 'Serena?' She grabbed Serena's wrist again and felt for her pulse. It was there, irregular, light, but growing increasingly steady. Serena took a deep shuddering breath and then another and her eyes opened. She lay looking up at Anna blankly.

'Are you all right?' Anna reached for the towel she had thrown on the bed and used a corner of it to wipe Serena's face and hair. 'Come on. Let me help you sit up. What happened?' She braced her arm round the other woman's shoulders and helped her into a sitting position.

'Can I have a drink?' Serena's husky whisper was barely audible. She leant back against the bed and closed her eyes again. Her hands had begun to shake.

Anna rose to her feet and reached for the bottle of water she kept on the dressing table. Pouring out a gla.s.s she handed it to Serena, steadying the shaking hands around it and helping her bring it to her lips. Serena took a sip and then another, then she took another deep shuddering breath. 'What happened?' Her eyes were focusing better now as she looked up at Anna.

'I don't know. I was hoping you'd tell me.' Anna sat down on the floor beside her. 'You were chanting in the candlelight and the cabin suddenly got very hot and airless, then the candles went out and you started making funny gurgling noises. I thought you were being strangled. I was terrified.'

Serena reached for the gla.s.s and took another deep drink. 'Can you open the window? I can't breathe properly.'

Anna glanced up. 'It is open, Serena. Do you want to go on deck?'

Serena shook her head. 'Not yet. Did something go wrong?' She rubbed her eyes. 'I can't catch it . . . in my head . . . It's like a dream. It's there, but just out of reach. Something happened.' She finished the gla.s.s and held it out.

Without a word Anna brought the bottle and refilled it. 'Anhotep didn't come.' Serena frowned. 'Anhotep,' she repeated.

'Anhotep. That name...' She shook her head again. 'The sunrise. I saw the sunrise. And the sunset.'

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Anna frowned. She was studying Serena's face.

'Eons of sand, drifting.' She fell silent for a minute, then she closed her eyes. 'I died yesterday, but I come forth today. The mighty Lady who is the guardian of the door hath made way for me. I come forth by day against mine enemy and I have gained mastery over him.' She fell silent again as Anna stared at her. It was several seconds before she spoke. 'That's from the Book of the Dead.'

Anna raised an eyebrow and grimaced. 'What's that?'

'It's instructions, really. Written on the walls of the tombs. Ancient texts. Hymns. Prayers. Invocations. I didn't know I knew any by heart.' She s.h.i.+vered suddenly. 'I protected myself, Anna. I did all the right things.'

'He didn't come, Serena. I didn't see him.'

'Then who did?' Serena rested her head back against the bed. Her face was white and strained and she looked totally exhausted.

'I don't know.' Anna stood up. She pushed her hair back from her face. 'I think I probably chased him away. I was so afraid. I thought you were dying.'

'Dying?' Serena's eyes rounded.

'You were gasping for breath. Your eyes were all funny. You collapsed and your pulse was almost nothing. It happened when the candles went out. It was weird. They didn't seem to blow out. They were just extinguished. Suddenly.'

Serena shook her head. 'And the incense?'

Anna turned to the little altar. The small bra.s.s incense burner still stood between the candles. It was cold.

'I don't understand what made that happen. I suppose the energies in the cabin were fluctuating in some way. You probably did stop it happening. Whatever it was.' Shakily Serena climbed to her feet.

'I think he was trying to possess you,' Anna blurted out suddenly. 'I think that, just for a moment, he was inside you. Your face changed. It looked so unlike you. Oh, Serena, what we did was dangerous! I think something awful nearly happened there. Supposing he had succeeded! Supposing he had possessed you?'

There was a long silence as Serena stood deep in thought, then at last she shrugged. 'I suppose it is possible my protection wasn't strong enough.' She sighed, then gave a small uncomfortable laugh. 'Presumably he knows far more about all this than I do!' She bent 264.

and picking the sistrum up off the floor she laid it gently on the makes.h.i.+ft altar. Then she stretched her arms over her head. 'Anna, I think I am going to go up on deck for a little while. Do you mind if I go alone? I need to get my head straight.' Anna stared round the cabin after she had gone, then slowly she began to tidy it. Serena had left everything just as it was, the altar still in place with candles and statue and ankh. Carefully Anna put them one by one into the holdall, rewrapping the sistrum in the white silk square. Then she folded the pasfimina and pushed her bedside table back into place. The semblance of order made her feel better but she was still uncomfortable in the cabin - jumpy, looking over her shoulder at the slightest noise. And there was noise, all around. Noise from the deck of the boat next door; noise from the town; music drifting in the window from somewhere on the quayside, a sudden shout of laughter and conversation outside in the corridor. So where had the silence come from? That extraordinary silence which had preceded the extinguis.h.i.+ng of the candles? The profound silence Louisa had heard in the temple of Isis? She shuddered and went to the door.

Ben was at the bar thoughtfully drinking some fruit juice when she made her way into the lounge. Outside she could see several people sitting at the shaded tables in the afternoon sun, reading, writing postcards, or just quietly chatting amongst themselves, watching those who had taken to the water for another sail.

'Ready for the early start?' Ben smiled at her. 'Four in the morning is a bit of a challenge for most of us, I think!'

Anna nodded. She had forgotten the trip to Abu Simbel.

'I gather there's been a bit of a barney between Andy and your friend, Toby?' Ben raised an eyebrow. 'Do I suspect a touch of the green eye, there?'

Anna frowned. 'I'm not sure I follow you.'

'Oh, come on. They both fancy you rotten!' Ben grinned. 'What power you ladies have!'

Anna shook her head. 'I think my diary was more of a temptation than me.' She sighed. 'Did you know it was missing? Someone has taken it from my cabin. Andy and Toby were both accusing each other.'

Ben looked shocked. 'That's bad. Have you told Omar?'

She shrugged. 'I don't want to make a great fuss. As long as it is returned. That's the important thing.'

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'I'll do a bit of subtle sleuthing.' Ben winked. 'If Andy has it, he'll tell me in the end.'

She smiled. 'Thanks. It's valuable, but there's far more to it than that. Far more.' Like knowing what happened to Louisa and Ha.s.san.

Serena was on the top deck leaning on the rail staring down into the river when Anna eventually joined her. She stood a little way away, hesitating, but Serena glanced at her and smiled. 'I'm OK now. Sorry about all that.'