they will probably slaughter all who bear the name as heretics, just as they will kill those of us who do not accept the possessor as the true Mahdi.”
“Then shouldn’t those who carry the Mahdi’s blood be willing to help us?” she asked.
“The descendants of Muhammad Ahmad believe authority over the people and affairs of the Sudan should be theirs by right of birth. They oppose the Mahdists because of the Amulet, but they oppose us because we do not agree that their blood gives them the right to rule us.” Omar smiled. “In this case,” he concluded, “the enemy of my enemy is not my friend.”
“Exactly how many Mahdists are there?”
“Who knows? A hundred thousand, a million, five million. They are spread across all of North Africa, and as far away as Istanbul. Wherever people await the Expected One, there are Mahdists.”
“And how many of your anti-Mahdists are there?”
“There
are
anti-Mahdists, those who do not want the Amulet found, but we do not call ourselves anti-Mahdists,” said Omar. “In fact, we do not call ourselves anything at all. We number a few thousand at most. We coalesced when we learned of Colonel Stewart’s visit to the Temple of Horus. There simply wasn’t anything to do before that, because no one knew where the Amulet was. Once we knew it still existed, it became our holy mission to find and destroy it.”
“There was nothing in the Temple,” said Lara.
“But the Mahdists don’t know that.”
“That fact has been forcibly impressed upon me,” she said grimly.
“And that is why we must now find it, rather than simply stopping anyone else from finding it,” continued Omar. “Otherwise they will kill you, and your friend Kevin Mason.” He paused. “If we have any advantage at all, it is that they will soon conclude that you did not find the Amulet, and I think they will then be content to wait while you and Mason search for it in the Sudan. After all, why should they kill the two people who are most likely to find that which they so greatly desire?”
“I thought I was in big trouble when I was buried in that tomb,” said Lara. She grimaced, remembering her confrontation with the hideous god Set. “Now I think that Fate was just giving me a chance to rest before
really
putting me through the wringer.”
They continued riding through the night, Lara asking Omar an occasional question about the Sudan, Gaafar and Hassam constantly scanning the darkness for enemies.
Finally they came to the shore of Lake Nasser. Lara climbed off El Khobar and filled her canteen.
“Impressive, isn’t it?” she said, straightening up and looking out across the lake.
“It is the largest man-made lake in the world, created when they built the High Dam,” said Omar, “but it is the water of the Nile all the same. There is nothing to compare to it.”
“There is one lake,” replied Lara. “Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe, made when they built a dam across the Zambezi.”
“I have never been there, but I have seen maps. It is nowhere as large as Lake Nasser.”
“No,” she agreed, “but it’s much deeper. In fact, the weight of the water caused the floor of the lake to collapse. It’s known as the lake that put a dent in the Earth.”
“The Zambezi is not the Nile,” said Omar, convinced that if they were having an argument he had just won it.
Gaafar walked up to them. “We’d better start riding,” he said. “We must find a boat before sunrise.”
Omar nodded, and a moment later they were going south along the lakeshore. In three miles they came to a small village, and silently lifted a
felluca
and carried it to the water.
“We will tether the camels and leave them here as payment,” said Omar.
“Won’t the villagers scream to the authorities?”
Omar smiled. “Five camels are worth an entire fleet of
fellucas
. They will consider themselves blessed by Allah, and they will tell no one, for fear that the government will confiscate some of the camels in
“Then shouldn’t those who carry the Mahdi’s blood be willing to help us?” she asked.
“The descendants of Muhammad Ahmad believe authority over the people and affairs of the Sudan should be theirs by right of birth. They oppose the Mahdists because of the Amulet, but they oppose us because we do not agree that their blood gives them the right to rule us.” Omar smiled. “In this case,” he concluded, “the enemy of my enemy is not my friend.”
“Exactly how many Mahdists are there?”
“Who knows? A hundred thousand, a million, five million. They are spread across all of North Africa, and as far away as Istanbul. Wherever people await the Expected One, there are Mahdists.”
“And how many of your anti-Mahdists are there?”
“There
are
anti-Mahdists, those who do not want the Amulet found, but we do not call ourselves anti-Mahdists,” said Omar. “In fact, we do not call ourselves anything at all. We number a few thousand at most. We coalesced when we learned of Colonel Stewart’s visit to the Temple of Horus. There simply wasn’t anything to do before that, because no one knew where the Amulet was. Once we knew it still existed, it became our holy mission to find and destroy it.”
“There was nothing in the Temple,” said Lara.
“But the Mahdists don’t know that.”
“That fact has been forcibly impressed upon me,” she said grimly.
“And that is why we must now find it, rather than simply stopping anyone else from finding it,” continued Omar. “Otherwise they will kill you, and your friend Kevin Mason.” He paused. “If we have any advantage at all, it is that they will soon conclude that you did not find the Amulet, and I think they will then be content to wait while you and Mason search for it in the Sudan. After all, why should they kill the two people who are most likely to find that which they so greatly desire?”
“I thought I was in big trouble when I was buried in that tomb,” said Lara. She grimaced, remembering her confrontation with the hideous god Set. “Now I think that Fate was just giving me a chance to rest before
really
putting me through the wringer.”
They continued riding through the night, Lara asking Omar an occasional question about the Sudan, Gaafar and Hassam constantly scanning the darkness for enemies.
Finally they came to the shore of Lake Nasser. Lara climbed off El Khobar and filled her canteen.
“Impressive, isn’t it?” she said, straightening up and looking out across the lake.
“It is the largest man-made lake in the world, created when they built the High Dam,” said Omar, “but it is the water of the Nile all the same. There is nothing to compare to it.”
“There is one lake,” replied Lara. “Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe, made when they built a dam across the Zambezi.”
“I have never been there, but I have seen maps. It is nowhere as large as Lake Nasser.”
“No,” she agreed, “but it’s much deeper. In fact, the weight of the water caused the floor of the lake to collapse. It’s known as the lake that put a dent in the Earth.”
“The Zambezi is not the Nile,” said Omar, convinced that if they were having an argument he had just won it.
Gaafar walked up to them. “We’d better start riding,” he said. “We must find a boat before sunrise.”
Omar nodded, and a moment later they were going south along the lakeshore. In three miles they came to a small village, and silently lifted a
felluca
and carried it to the water.
“We will tether the camels and leave them here as payment,” said Omar.
“Won’t the villagers scream to the authorities?”
Omar smiled. “Five camels are worth an entire fleet of
fellucas
. They will consider themselves blessed by Allah, and they will tell no one, for fear that the government will confiscate some of the camels in
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