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TOMBQUEST
1. The Tomb
Slowly, painfully, Abun Ke opened her eyes. At least she thought she opened them. As everything remained pitch black it was hard to tell. The back of her head hurt terribly and, when she gingerly touched it with a hand, it was warm and slimy. She felt sick. She was frightened too, more frightened than she ever remembered being in her life. Abun Ke had no idea where she was or how long she had been there. She was hurt. She was scared. She was alone.
No that wasn't quite true, thank goodness. She wasn't alone. Thoughts of her ka flooded her mind, and she sensed Hathor's spirit form beside her. A feeling of warmth and longing flooded through Abun Ke, and, just as she had many times through her childhood, she wanted to throw her arms around Hathor and cry. She knew it wasn't possible. You couldn't touch a ka, not even your own. She felt better all the same.
Then she remembered the ka light. Hathor was a spirit. She could make her own light. "Hathor," whispered Abun Ke, "I know you are there. I can sense you but I can't see you. I can't see anything. Can you make ka light for us?" "Of course, " the ka whispered back, and a thin greenish glow began to radiate from her body, illuminating both her own vague form, and a little of the space around.
Now Abun Ke could see that she was in a small chamber, every wall of which was covered, floor to roof, with magnificent paintings. There were gods and goddesses, pharaohs and animals, scarabs and serpents, ankhs and palms. Seeing them did not make her less frightened. They terrified her more. She knew now where she was. She had never seen this place before. No one had except those who built it. But she had heard it described by the priests. She was inside the pyramid, the great tomb of an ancient Pharaoh, Khufu.
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