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As they sailed southwards, they passed ancient ruins on both sides of the Nyle. Less frequently they passed small villages with goats milling around beside them. They passed few boats and there was no sign of Kamenwati's barge. This far south Aegypt was largely a wasteland now. Once it had been the home of a thriving empire that ruled much of North Africa, but now the ancient gods had abandoned it and left it to moulder and slowly die. The Nyle still flooded every year. The farmers could still plant their crops and be sure of a good harvest. They could still fish the waters of the Nyle and be sure of a good catch. But, the money was all in the north, in Alexandria and Cairo. The farmers in the south were those that hung on and lived a simple lifestyle. Many of their children left for the cities, only to fall prey to the vices of the city when they arrived. British occupation was a mixed blessing. It brought money, but it also brought other problems and it focused all its effort in the areas most accessible to British fleets and British merchants. Throckmorton was pragmatic. He understood the problems of empire and recognised its failings as well as its advantages and he had plenty of time to muse on this and other problems as they travelled.

A few days after his escape from the hawk-headed warriors, Throckmorton sighted a ruin near the bank of the Nyle. This one looked like it had not been dug out by antiquarians yet. He ordered Osman to land near it so that he and his intrepid cohorts could investigate further. The trio jumped ashore, leaving Osman to tend to his boat. They were wary after the last attack.

As they approached, they recognised the ruins as the remains of a mastaba tomb and a large one at that. Someone of importance must have been buried here. The tomb was mostly buried under sand now but two small obelisks remained visible flanking the main entrance. Cordelia rushed over to examine them while Geoff carefully scanned their surroundings for signs of attack. Throckmorton took out his pipe and lit it. It looked like they might be here a while and he might as well settle down.

The hieroglyphs on the obelisks had been scoured by the wind and sand over the ages. It was hard to make out what they said. As far as she could tell, this was the tomb of Emuishere the Fleet of Foot, a Harbinger of Bastet. There was no explanation of what being a Harbinger of Bastet meant though and the context did not clarify anything. The deeds of this Emuishere were manifold according to the obelisks. She had been a great warrior; well, that was novel, a woman warrior. It was certainly not unheard of but Aegyptian culture had no previously recorded woman warriors that Cordelia knew of. Most of her deeds seemed to relate to keeping Aegypt safe from the minions of the Eater of the Dead. This was indeed passing strange. These deeds seemed to read like a penny dreadful and not real archaeology.

Cordelia made up her mind as she worked her way through the writings on the obelisks.

"Colonel, we must enter this tomb and investigate further. This is not your usual tomb and I have a feeling that it relates to our quest. Osman's ancestor may well have been right, even if Osman cannot himself remember the details."

Time to break out the shovels then. They spent the rest of the day clearing sand from the tomb entrance. The overnight camp was uneventful and by midday the following day they were able to enter the tomb. Inside the tomb was brightly painted, although the paint quickly faded as it came into contact with modern air. Still, it was possible to see that the tomb was once as well-decorated as any of the pharaoh's tombs. It was also a maze of tunnels and they could not find the main burial chamber at all. Cordelia was frustrated. To find this and not be able to investigate it fully was torture for her enquiring mind. Still, she did glean more of Emuishere's tale. The paintings depicted this woman warrior fighting hordes of creatures that looked like mummies in the paintings. Most of the people were depicted with the heads of animals too, like Kamenwati.

In an urn in one of the chambers they found a series of half a dozen copper scrolls. The atmosphere in the tomb had preserved the scrolls beautifully and there was not a trace of patina on them. They could not find the main chamber, but perhaps Cordelia could return and investigate properly at a later date. These scrolls might well be more valuable than the gold that probably lay with the embalmed remains of Emuishere.

It took some time to interpret the scrolls. The hieroglyphs were more ornate and developed than those that Cordelia was used to, and the language, while similar to ancient Aegyptian, was different in many subtle ways. The texts described more of Emuishere's deeds. She seemed to have led a life completely dedicated to warfare. There was no mention anywhere of a husband or children, just service to her goddess. Perhaps she was some kind of priestess, but why would the goddess of love have warrior priestesses? This was never made clear. Then suddenly Cordelia came across a section that mentioned the Feathered Crown of Aegyptus. Throckmorton had mentioned that Kamenwati wanted this crown as a prelude to his plans for domination of Aegypt. The object described was a large headdress with a halo of golden feathers fronted by the uraeus, clearly a symbolic linking of the protective powers of Isis and the Aegyptian vulture with the spitting cobra image that was a sign of royalty. The scroll told of how this crown was imbued with powers that granted the wearer dominion over all that gazed upon him. It was a symbol of the godhead of the wearer and simultaneously granted the wearer the status of a god, or did that read that it made them into a god? The language was difficult and Cordelia stumbled over it. Still, it was clear that this crown was a tribal fetish of some description and that it would grant influence over those that believed in its power.

As she explained all this to Throckmorton, it became increasingly clear that the crown might well be the focus of the tribal unrest in the south. They would have to keep going and search out Kamenwati himself. This time they would defeat him, seize the crown and return to His Majesty for safekeeping.

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