Return to Egypt, Chapter Three

Chapter Three:

Sera-Jane and Xander spend the next few days catching up on some much needed rest, somewhat reluctantly on Sera-Jane’s part as she’s eager to start her inspection of Mutyata’s corpse, but she knows she will accomplish more with a clear mind. She’s also eager to find out how the team looking after Amenisis’ corpse are getting on. She hates that she can’t be a larger part of that examination, but there is only so much time, and they want to get their work done while the corpses are in their possession.

After a good night’s rest Sera-Jane and Xander make themselves some breakfast and talk about the excavation.

“So did you enjoy your first excavation? You seemed to have an amazing time?” asks Sera-Jane, munching on a bowl of fruit.

“It was fantastic hun, I had the best time. Well, aside from the whole Eric business.”

Sera-Jane stops chewing and begins playing nervously with her food. Just the mere mention of his name puts her on bad form.

“I know. I was so disappointed with him and his attitude. I knew he wasn’t happy about me becoming lead investigator, but I didn’t think he would act like that. He had a total lack of respect for everyone involved.”

Xander smiles at his girlfriend before coming over to wrap his arms around her shoulders. He kisses her gently on the cheek.

“Jealousy is a terrible thing sweetie. There’s nothing you can do about it. He has to deal with his own issues. You aren’t responsible for him, or what he does.”

“I know you’re right, but it’s not easy. I looked up to him when I first started working in the museum. I was fresh out of university, and he seemed so sophisticated and knowledgeable. I wanted to learn from him, and he did teach me some invaluable lessons. I just never thought it would end like this.”

“He taught you well. You are the best archaeologist I know. I loved watching you in Egypt. I was so impressed with how well you worked, and how you carried yourself. I told everyone I could that you’re my girlfriend.”

Sera-Jane has to laugh, and is so thankful that Xander is in her life. She loved that he shared her love for everything ancient. She knows of many fellow archaeologists who couldn’t maintain a relationship because they were always away on excavations.

~ * ~

Later that morning, Sera-Jane begins the examination of Mutyata’s corpse in earnest. Her body had been placed on a table in the investigation room, awaiting Sera-Jane and her attentions.

The first thing she looks at is the canopic jars, which contained Mutyata’s internal organs. The jars were stored in a large, intricately engraved wooden box with hieroglyphs surrounding the exterior. She makes a mental note to decipher them later.

Sera-Jane gazes over at the corpse. She can’t help but wonder what type of woman Mutyata had been during her lifetime. Was she the soft, feminine type, or argumentative and difficult to get along with? From the few official records she had found on the woman, she was highly regarded by the people, and had a lot of loyal support from her subjects. It was widely accepted that her husband Amenisis was ruler in name only. It has been said by many that he didn’t have the backbone to be the leader of the biggest society at that time, and allowed his wife to take charge.

While studying the jars, something catches her eye. She could have sworn she saw something move on the examination table. She shakes her head, and smiles at herself. She’s obviously still feeling the side effects of the excavation and the wild heat of the Egyptian desert. She goes back to what she was doing.

She’s captivated with everything she finds, looking at every item in miniscule detail. The fact that each item has rarely been seen with human eyes just makes it that much sweeter.

Her attention is stolen when the fingers on the corpse begin to wiggle. Slowly at first, then they begin to quicken, almost as though they were playing an invisible piano.

Sera-Jane’s feet are frozen to the spot in horror. The only part of her body capable of movement are her eyes. She watches in awe at the twiddling fingers before her attention is taken by the newly twitching toes. Then the entire right hand starts to move, stretching out in front of Mutyata. She’s flabbergasted as Mutyata’s eyes fly open. She pops up into a seating position before turning her head to look at Sera-Jane.

She stands down from the table, carefully getting her bearings as she climbs onto her feet for the first time in thousands of years. She moves slowly to Sera-Jane, like a child learning to walk.

“Thank you,” says Mutyata.

Her accent is a strange thing to hear. No one has heard an Ancient Egyptian speak in a very long time, so this is quite a revelation, which initially takes Sera-Jane’s attention. Once an Egyptologist, always an Egyptologist!

“What for?” she asks, after a few moments.

“Freeing me!”

Mutyata moves past Sera-Jane, methodically walking toward the door. She glances over to her right as she reaches for the door handle. Her eyes settle on a picture of Sera-Jane and Xander hanging on the wall. She looks back at Sera-Jane with a devious, menacing look on her face before heading out the door. A shiver runs along Sera-Jane’s spine. This can’t be good.

It’s several minutes before Sera-Jane’s body stops feeling like it’s encased in cement. A shudder instantly runs along her spine. The way she looked at the picture of her and Xander filled her with dread.