Fiction Spectacular by William L. Hamling

Author:William L. Hamling [Hamling, William L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-05-16T00:00:00+00:00

BARRY paced nervously up and down the small confines of his room. For the tenth time he had tried the door and window with no avail. The door was locked from the outside, a sturdy oaken panel, and the window, facing out on the court, had an efficient metal shutter that was bolted securely in place.

Wearily he lit a cigarette and surveyed the room. It was obviously intended to be a guest bedroom. There was a small bureau, a number of lounge chairs, a small settee, and the bedstead itself; a door off to the right of the bureau led onto an adjoining bath from which he had already made certain there was no other exit.

He found himself thinking of Joan, wondering if she were safe, and he suddenly realized that his concern for her ran deeply. Their rooms were spaced far apart, Hassan had seen to that. He had left the girl almost at the head of the second floor stairway. Barry could still feel the misty appeal of her eyes as he had left her.

“Damn!” he muttered, sinking on the edge of the bed and drawing deeply on his cigarette.

His thoughts grew moody as he passed over the rapid events of the past hours. What had started out to be a simple discovery of the stolen mummy, had turned into a weird drama of hidden and veiled menace. Barry pondered the questions that rose in his mind with a futile attempt at logical reasoning.

Who was this man called Anubis? Was the story he had sketched of himself the truth? Was he truly one of the ancient line of Egypt—had he actually found a papyrus at Karnak? Barry himself had walked through those stately marble ruins at Luxor. Was there such a crypt as Anubis alluded to? And Zaleikka . . .

The very thought of her name blotted any other thoughts from his mind. Was it possible that her slim youthful body had lain for ages as a mummy? Was she actually the mummy he had gazed on countless times in the museum? His mind rebelled. It was altogether fantastic—a woman over three thousand years old—alive!

And what was this strange cult over which Anubis presided? Was it all some mammoth hoax to get money from gullible wealthy patrons? Even granting that it were all true—what was the hidden purpose behind it all? Anubis spoke of a key, of time, of—

There was a soft sound behind him. It was the faint click of a latch. Barry spun around.

Zaleikka stood inside the room, her fingers on the closed door at her back!

“You!” Barry spoke in English, his pulse pounding strangely.

She stood silently watching him for a long moment. And once again Barry was aware of those eyes which were so incongruous to the youthfully exquisite face they gazed from. They were deep swirling pools, rushing with ancient flames . . .

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.