Page 15

DIN

T he clan's airstrip stretched ahead in the early morning light, the tarmac still radiating yesterday's heat despite the cool dawn air. Din followed Fenella down from the bus to where Okidu was pulling out everyone's luggage and arranging it in a neat row.

"Look at that." She stared at the sleek private jet waiting on the runway. "We're traveling in style."

Din studied the aircraft with a more critical eye.

It was a Gulfstream GIVDP, if he wasn't mistaken, which was top of the line, but after the landing gear malfunction on his flight from Edinburgh to New York, he couldn't help but view it with suspicion.

Private jets, in particular, were prone to accidents because they typically had less rigorous maintenance schedules than commercial airliners.

"You look like you're calculating crash statistics," Max said from behind him.

"Not at all," Din lied smoothly.

Kyra elbowed her mate. "Don't tease him. After what happened to him in New York, it's natural that he's nervous about flying."

"That was a commercial flight with hundreds of passengers," Max pointed out. "This is Kalugal's private plane. He's not going to skimp on maintenance when his own family is on board."

It was a fair point, but Din's unease persisted nonetheless. Kalugal's crew was performing final checks, and through the cockpit window, he could see two pilots running through their pre-flight checklist.

He didn't know that private jets required a co-pilot, but this was going to be a long flight, so perhaps they were going to take turns.

In addition to Shamash, whom Din regarded more as a babysitter than a guard, Kalugal had brought only two men, and Din wondered if that was enough protection for their group. According to Jacki, Egypt was hostile and dangerous to foreigners.

"Is that sufficient protection?" He gestured at the men.

Kalugal handed the baby carrier where Darius slept peacefully to Shamash.

"You forget that with my compulsion ability, I can freeze everyone within earshot with one command.

In addition, I maintain a substantial security force in Egypt to guard my dig sites and also cover my private residence in Cairo, where we will be staying. "

"How substantial?" Din pressed.

"Twenty-three men, all former special forces who are familiar with the area and speak the language." Kalugal's lips twisted in a smirk. "Trust me, Professor. I've been managing Egyptian operations for decades. We'll be well protected."

Jacki wrapped an arm around her husband's waist. "You need to show Din your Professor Gunter disguise."

"Oh, ja ," Kalugal affected a German accent.

"When I flew commercial and had to go through airports, I wore the disguise of an older gentleman.

" He smiled. "Regrettably, my shrouding doesn't work on security cameras, and if the operators are located beyond my sphere of influence, they see the real me and not my shroud. "

The guy was scarily powerful, which was not immediately apparent because he was easygoing, exuding charm, and exhibiting a sense of humor. Nevertheless, Kalugal was a force to be reckoned with, and Din was glad to have him on their side.

Jasmine and Ell-rom joined them, the former looking eager while the latter appeared his usual stoic self.

"This is exciting," Jasmine said. "My first time visiting Egypt. I've always wanted to see the pyramids." She turned to Ell-rom. "Remember I showed you that documentary about them?"

Ell-rom nodded. "The one that claimed they were power plants and not burial sites."

Kalugal chuckled. "Let's get on board, and I'll tell you my version of what the pyramids were used for and how old they really are."

Din was familiar with all the conspiracy theories surrounding the pyramids, and he was curious to hear which one Kalugal favored. Most of them were nonsense, but not all.

The interior of the jet was even more opulent than he'd expected—cream leather seats that looked more like armchairs, polished wood panels, crystal decanters secured in a bar that would have done credit to a luxury hotel.

"Which seats would you like?" he asked Fenella.

"By the window, definitely." She was already moving toward a pair of seats midway down the cabin. "I want to see everything."

As they settled in, Fenella carefully placed her carry-on bag in the overhead compartment.

The figurine Kalugal had gifted to the Clan Mother was inside, entrusted to Fenella's care, wrapped in silk and nestled in a specially designed case.

The Clan Mother had insisted that Fenella take it, hoping it might trigger additional visions.

"Nervous?" he asked, watching her fidget with the seatbelt.

"A little, but not about flying. You?"

He smiled. "I'm crossing my fingers for no trouble, mechanical or otherwise."

Their host stood near the bar. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard. Once we're airborne, I'll be happy to serve drinks. We have a fully stocked bar, and I've made sure to include some exceptional whiskies for those with sophisticated palates."

"Now you're talking," Max said, claiming seats for himself and Kyra across from Din and Fenella.

The pilot's voice crackled over the intercom, instructing everyone to buckle up and announcing their departure.

When the engines revved up and the vibration traveled through the airframe, Din gripped the armrests.

"Hey," Fenella said. "It's going to be fine. Lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place, right?"

He forced his hands to relax. "I'm not sure about that."

She leaned closer. "Tell me something fascinating about Egypt."

"What would you like to know?"

"Anything. You're the professor. Profess."

As the jet began to taxi, Din fell into lecture mode. "Most people think of Egypt as just pyramids and mummies, but the civilization spanned over three thousand years. To put that in perspective, Cleopatra lived closer in time to us than to the builders of the Great Pyramid."

"Seriously?" Fenella's eyes widened.

"The official history dates the building of the Great Pyramid at around 2560 BCE. Cleopatra died in 30 BCE. That's over two thousand five hundred years later, and she's been dead for just over two thousand years."

"Oh, wow."

"The Great Pyramid is much older than that," Kalugal said. "It was already ancient when the Clan Mother was born."

The acceleration of takeoff pressed them back into their seats, and Din closed his eyes, forcing himself to relax.

He'd never been afraid of flying, and even during the emergency landing on the river, he hadn't been overly concerned.

Not for himself anyway. It was only after the fact, when he'd learned what could have happened, that the fear had set in.

"See?" Fenella said. "We survived the takeoff."

"I'm more concerned about the landing," he pointed out.

"Pessimist." But she said it with affection.

Kalugal unbuckled and stood, steady despite the slight turbulence. "Now then, who wants a drink? We have approximately fifteen hours to Cairo, with one refueling stop. Might as well enjoy ourselves."

"I'll have whatever single malt you're proudest of," Max called out.

"A man after my own heart." Kalugal walked over to the bar. "Din? What's your pleasure?"

"The same," he said.

"I could make cocktails," Fenella offered, starting to rise. "Jacki, what would you like?"

Jacki shook her head. "Thank you, but I prefer not to drink during flights. Too dehydrating, and I have this little one to think of." She adjusted Darius's carrier. "Perhaps some sparkling water with lime?"

"Coming right up," Kalugal said. "Fenella, what can I get you?"

"Whiskey, neat," she said, settling back into her seat. "When in Rome and all that."

"Excellent choice." Kalugal began pouring with the skill of a professional bartender. "You know, this particular bottle comes from a distillery near Inverness. Twenty-five years old, finished in sherry casks. I'd be curious to hear the opinions of my Scottish guests."

Din accepted the crystal tumbler, inhaling the complex aroma. "Speyside?"

"Highland, actually, though you're close. The distillery sits right on the border between the two regions."

The whiskey was exceptional, all smoke and honey with a finish that seemed to last forever.

"So, Kalugal," Max said, leaning back with his drink. "You promised us a story about the pyramids."

"What they teach in universities about the Great Pyramid is absolute nonsense. Four thousand five hundred years old? Built by Khufu with copper tools and slave labor?" He laughed. "The real story will blow your minds."

The guy should have been an actor.

Kalugal leaned forward conspiratorially.

"The pyramid is at least 12,000 years old, and some say that it's much older than that.

Personally, I think it's more like 36,000 years old.

It was built by the gods, of course, with the gods' technology.

The limestone casing? Those weren't just decorative stones. They were precision-cut insulators!"

Max cast Din a knowing smile. "What say you, Professor? Is that right?"

Din nodded. "Kalugal's right about the casing stones.

Each one weighed 15 tons and was polished to a mirror finish with tolerances of one hundredth of an inch.

But here's what's fascinating—the pyramid's latitude coordinate is the exact same number as the speed of light in meters per second.

Coincidence? Obviously." He laughed. "The longitude coordinate matches nothing, so there's that. "

"The longitude matches nothing yet!" Kalugal slapped his armrest. "The Great Pyramid wasn't a tomb.

It was a massive piezoelectric power generator.

The granite in the King's Chamber contains high concentrations of quartz.

When the Earth's seismic activity compressed these crystals, it generated electricity.

The whole structure was essentially a giant battery. "