“Oh yes, Google Earth, too,” Lachlan said. “In the end, according to the data, the first site lies in southern Egypt, not far from the Sudanese border.But…”
“But what?” Scimitar asked warily.
Julius winced. “But there’s a problem with our analysis. We’ve run the data over and over again, and one issue remains. This first site, it seems, lies underneath a lake.”
“A lake?” Vulture said.
“Yes, Lake Nasser, in the deep south of Egypt,” Lachlan said. “One of the largest lakes in the world.”
Julius said, “And sadly, that’s as precise as we can be from the available data. We’re not sure how you find the exact location of the temple-shrine if it’s underwater, let alone its entrance.”
A general murmur of disappointment went through the room, and the twins—Lily saw—seemed a little embarrassed not to have done better. She felt for them.
But then a voice spoke up from the darkness.
The voice of Jack West Jr.
“Whichend of the lake was it?”
“The southern end,” Lachlan said.
Jack nodded. “Thank you, gentlemen. Well done. I think I know where the first temple-shrine is.”
“WHERE?”Vulture asked quickly.
“Yes, where?” Iolanthe snapped around in her chair.
Jack stood up, examining the image on the screen closely.
“Lake Nasser is a not a natural lake,” he said, gazing at the picture of the first trilithon. “Technically, it’s part of the Nile. It’s an artificial lake that formed behind the Aswan High Dam in 1971; stretches for about two hundred miles to the south. It could easily have covered the entrance to an ancient subterranean structure.
“The dam was also built by the Soviets, after the US pulled out at the last minute.” A glance at Paul Robertson. “Its construction was a Cold War battlefield for Egypt’s allegiance. After much initial excitement and promise-making, during which the Americans did extensive surveying of the area, the US suddenly decided that they didn’t want to go ahead with the project. Maybe their surveyors just didn’t find what they were looking for.”
Paul Robertson was poker-faced.
Jack looked directly at him. “You guys have been at work on this Dark Sun project for a long time.”
Robertson shrugged. “We all have our secrets.”
Jack’s gaze lingered on him before he went on, grabbing a sheet from Wizard’s black folder and placing it on the projector:
“This is a scan from Wizard’s notes. It’s a carving from the sarcophagus of Rameses II, written in the Word of Thoth. Translated by my learned colleague”—a nod to Lily—“it reads:
“With my beloved, Nefertari,
I, Rameses, son of Ra,
Keep watch over the most sacred shrine.
We shall watch over it forever.
Great sentinels,
With our third eyes, we see all.
“‘With our third eyes, we see all.’ That line didn’t make sense to me until now.”
Astro said, “What are you saying?”
“At the extreme southern end of Lake Nasser stands one of Egypt’s greatest monuments, the four colossal seated statues of Rameses II at Abu Simbel. Each one is over sixty feet tall. Gigantic.
“Back in Rameses’ time, they sat on the banks of the Nile at the border of Egypt and Nubia as a warning to any would-be intruders: ‘This is how powerful the King of Egypt is. Think twice before you enter our lands.’
“Abu Simbel, as it’s called, is also the most distant monument in Egypt—its distance from the major Egyptian centers of Thebes and Cairo is astonishing, making it the subject of much speculation. Why build such a dazzling monument so far from the centers of your civilization?
“The thing is,” Jack said, “there’s asecond set of statues at Abu Simbel, about a hundred yards from the four well-known ones of Rameses. It’s a smaller rock-cut temple dedicated to his favorite wife, Nefertari. That second temple features some giant statues of Nefertari, all of whichalso gaze out over the lake.
“These two sets of immense statues are still there today, sitting on the banks of the Nile, now Lake Nasser. But they don’t just keep watch over an old border. According to this carving from Rameses’ own sarcophagus, they keep watch over the most sacred shrine. The temple-shrine.”
A hush fell over the room as the magnitude of what he was saying set in.
“So how do these statues reveal the shrine’s location?” Vulture asked.
“With their third eyes,” Jack said, smiling.
“Oh, Jack…” Wizard said. “You’re a genius.”
“What? What do you mean?” Scimitar said.
