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Kenooz Siwa Restaurant, Siwa Oasis, Egypt
THE RESTAURANT PROFESSOR Hamza had suggested turned out to be on the roof terrace of the Shali Lodge in the middle of Siwa Oasis. Crowley and Rose had found themselves a place to stay nearby, then wandered the streets of Siwa as the day gently cooled into evening. Heat still clogged the air, but not oppressively like it did during the day. By around seven pm, they headed up to the Kenooz Siwa Restaurant and got a table beside a sandstone arch where they could look out over the town. Stars began appearing in the indigo sky as evening fell slowly into night, an aromatic breeze drifted past, bearing scents of spices and night blossoms.
Their table was low to the ground and they sat on thick white cushions. Palm trees grew along one part of the wall to their left, their deep green leaves shifting and whispering in the soft breeze. They ordered mint tea and some of the restaurant’s Siwan specialties, baked lentils, eggplant with pomegranate sauce, and a goat curry with a rich, spicy sauce.
They didn’t talk much, enjoying the moment’s peace and calm as they ate. Eventually, Crowley said, “Are you okay?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Within the context of what’s happening, sure. Why do you ask?”
Crowley swallowed down nerves and said, “It’s just that you’ve been avoiding me a bit. I’m not trying to seem possessive or stalkery or anything, I’m just concerned that everything’s all right with you.” He felt a little creepy, wished he could have kept his promise to himself and let her address the subject in her own time, but he genuinely worried about her. And his ego was slightly bruised; that was undeniable.
Rose finished her mouthful, looking down at the table. Then she raised her gaze to meet his and opened her mouth to speak, but something behind him distracted her. Crowley glanced around and saw Professor Hamza approaching. Great timing, old man! Crowley thought, but shook his head slightly. It would have to wait.
He stood and shook Hamza’s hand. Rose did the same.
“Thank you for your time,” Rose said.
They sat down again and Crowley gestured to their food. “We have plenty here, please help yourself.”
“Thank you, but I’ve eaten.” Hamza caught a waiter’s eye and ordered an iced tea.
“Earlier, you did mistake me for my sister, didn’t you?” Rose said after the waiter had left.
Hamza nodded, looking at Rose with narrowed eyes. “You say her name is Lily?”
“Yes, though she seems to be traveling under another identity, Iris Brown. Her real name is Lily Black. I’m Rose Black. And this is my friend, Jake Crowley.”
Crowley smiled but kept quiet to let the two of them talk.
Hamza looked over the low wall, his attention drifting out across Siwa Oasis, and maybe across time as well. “She did come to me, yes. You look a lot alike, but she’s older, yes?”
“That’s right.”
His gaze returned to Rose. “I see the differences now I’m paying more attention.”
Rose smiled. “People so often thought we were twins when we were kids. What did she ask you about, Professor?”
“She initially expressed interest in the Siwan Manuscript. You’ve heard of it?”
“I read a little last night, but I know very little about this area or its history.”
Hamza accepted his iced tea from the waiter with a smile. “The Siwan Manuscript was written during the middle ages. It’s the best example we have of a local history book. It tells of a benevolent man who arrived here and planted an orchard. Afterward, he went to Mecca and brought back thirsty Arabs and Berbers, and subsequently established himself, along with his followers, in the western part of Shali. But Iris’s interests...I mean Lily’s interest, didn’t really lie with our history. She guided our conversation around to the Anubis Key.”
Crowley’s heart gave a quick extra thump of excitement at the connection, the long journey seemingly not wasted after all. If Rose shared his enthusiasm, she hid it well.
“We’ve heard about that, but only in passing. What is it?”
Hamza frowned, looked around himself as though checking no one else was in earshot. Then he shook his head. “It’s a myth, nothing more. And that’s what I told your sister.”
“Humor us,” Crowley said. “Suppose it’s real, just pretend, you know? What can you tell us about it?”
Hamza sighed, sipped his iced tea and thought for a moment. Then, “Okay, let’s start with Anubis. He is the god of mummification and the afterlife in ancient Egyptian religion. A man with a canine head, yes?” Hamza smiled. “Did you know, archeologists had originally identified the sacred animal of Anubis as an Egyptian canid. At the time it was called the golden jackal, but recent genetic testing has meant the Egyptian animal needed to be reclassified as the African golden wolf.”
“A wolf, really? I’d always heard the jackal association.” Rose’s interest was genuine. Crowley smiled inwardly, enjoying the sight of museum brain engaging again.
Hamza nodded. “But I digress. So Anubis had many roles depending where in history you read about him, but probably most famously he ushered souls into the afterlife, weighing their hearts to determine if they would be permitted to enter the realm of the dead.”
Crowley knew all this, and he was certain Rose would know it too, but she was smart enough to let the professor talk at his own pace. The more they claimed to know, the more he would clam up, Crowley was sure. As an academic himself, he knew that to let a professor speak on his area of expertise was the best way to put that professor at ease.
“Anyway,” Hamza went on, “assuming that the Anubis Key is a real thing, which it isn’t...” He paused and looked from Rose to Crowley. Crowley motioned for him to go on. Hamza shook his head. “Well, assuming it is real, there are a few theories. One is that, since Anubis was the protector of tombs, that perhaps the Anubis Key is a spell to protect tombs, or even to open tombs. Another theory, related to Anubis’s association with mummification, is that the Anubis Key explains the Egyptians’ secrets of mummification. This, incidentally, is the theory I would consider most likely. The most pragmatic answer is usually the right one. It’s easy to get caught up in ideas of spells and magic and mysticism, but we are intelligent, educated adults, are we not?”
“We are, of course,” Rose said quietly. “But are there any other theories? Perhaps things that educated adults might scoff at but that remain theories nonetheless?”
Hamza smiled crookedly. “We would be delving into the most far-fetched.”
“Let’s do that,” Crowley said. “Just for fun.”
“All right. Given that Anubis is the spirit guide and the weigher of hearts, some believe the Anubis Key unlocks the door to the world of the dead.” He shook his head, his expression clearly betraying what he thought of that idea.
“What would that mean, exactly?” Rose asked sharply.
Crowley frowned, her reaction a bit strong to his mind, but Hamza didn’t seem to notice.
The old professor shrugged. “It means some think the Anubis Key is a spell or a device to allow a person to visit the underworld. Or to communicate with the dead, perhaps even bring the dead back.”
Rose blanched, lips pressed tightly together.
“Is there anything more you can tell us?” Crowley asked.
Hamza shook his head, more decisively this time. “No. I’m sorry, but we need to wrap this up. It’s no good for my reputation to be overheard talking about this stuff.”
“We really need to find Lily,” Crowley said. “Where might she go if she was on the trail of the Anubis Key, be it real or otherwise?”
“I don’t know. Look, I only ever mentioned the damn thing once during an interview about Egyptian legends. Ever since then my name has been scattered across message boards, and conspiracy theorists won’t leave me alone. It’s why Lily sought me out in the first place and I told her I couldn’t help. I realize you’re not crazies like some out there, I understand you’re simply trying to find your sister, but I can’t tell you any more. I wish you the best of luck, really, but I must go.”
He stood and Crowley quickly joined him, held out one hand to shake. “Thank you, Professor. We really appreciate your time.”
Rose stood and shook his hand too, though she was clearly crestfallen. “Thank you, Professor,” she said quietly. “Lily didn’t tell you anything about her plans? Nothing at all?”
“No, I’m sorry.” Hamza gave each of them a polite nod, then walked away.
“You okay?” Crowley asked Rose as they sat on their cushions again.
She smiled sadly. “You keep asking me that lately. But I’m fine. Just upset that we’ve hit a dead end.”
“I don’t think so.”
She looked up, mirrored the grin she saw on his face. “Really? What do you mean?”
“I was watching the old man closely. I’m a pretty good judge of people and he’s hiding something.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know,” Crowley said. “But we’re going to find out tonight.”