might be, but highly useful too. Saqqara Birds are everywhere, and some of us don't always wish to be seen. A man wearing one of these amulets is blurred to a priest's inner eye, all but invisible. He may act in secret, without arousing attention. Spies from every power bloc, not least the Hegemony, use them as a matter of course, although no government would ever admit it. So, they can only ever be transported from place to place by people like those Bedouin, in secret. To traffic in
''They're unholy,'' David added.
''Some would say the same about me,'' said the Lightbringer. ''Including, I suspect, you.''
''I wouldn't put it that strongly.''
''Then how would you put it?
David said, ''I think you're foolhardy, that's for certain, taking on the gods. You're picking a fight you can't hope to win.''
''Gods aren't invincible. How can they be? The One True Pantheon managed to wipe out its rivals, after all. If Jehovah and Allah and Odin and Zeus and the rest were so almighty, how come they're not still around, worshipped everywhere?''
''That was gods defeating gods, in a struggle that lasted centuries. You, if you don't mind my saying so, aren't in nearly the same league.''
The Lightbringer started chuckling even before Zafirah had translated that last remark. David got the impression that the man understood more English than he was prepared to let on.
''The First Family won their victory on two fronts,'' the Lightbringer replied. ''Yes, they battled the other pantheons on a plane beyond our comprehension, but the war was waged down here as well. Men were involved, knowingly or otherwise. All those clashes between the faiths — Christians hounding so-called pagans, Muslims persecuting Jews — were fostered behind the scenes by followers of the One True Religion. We know this now. The Freemasons, the Knights Templar, and the other cults and secret societies famous for their Ancient Egyptian iconography — that was their task, to install acolytes in high places and have them exert influence over governments and monarchs. It was done to keep the other religions at one another's throats constantly. With every battle, every pogrom, every massacre, the other gods lost worshippers and were weakened. They were also distracted, making them easier targets for attack on the divine plane. It was a long, sustained campaign that went on till the last of the First Family's enemies was exhausted, drained of all power, and could be picked off easily.''
''And then the First Family stepped back and passed the world on to their offspring, and here we all are.'' David snorted. ''So? It doesn't change the fact that you're human and they're divine, and thinking you stand a chance against them is like an ant thinking it could topple
''Enough ants, employing the right tactics and leverage, probably could topple me,'' said the Lightbringer. ''My point is that the gods conducted part of their war on earth and I intend to use the same battleground. I doubt I'm going to be able to convince you of this, though.''
''I don't think so.''
''A pity. From what I've been told about you, I could do with somebody like you by my side.''
''Me?''
''A true soldier. A man who understands how to take and give orders.''
''Oh no. No, no, no.'' David shook his head vehemently. ''I'm not up for that. Not at all. I can't defy the gods. I'm a believer.''
''Are you?''
''Of course I am. I was raised that way, I've lived that way all my life…''
''That doesn't mean you
''I trust in Isis and Osiris. I respect them as rulers. I have faith in them to guide our leaders wisely and do what's best for us.''
''Did Isis and Osiris, I wonder, sanction the bombing of you and your fellow paratroopers at Petra?''
David kept his voice even. ''It was a military decision, made for the general good. And in a roundabout way it saved my life.''
''But the gods aren't involved in military decisions?''
''They speak to priests and kings, not field marshals.''
''But field marshals are answerable to priests and kings, are they not?''
''Zafirah,'' David said, ''I've had enough of this. Please tell Mister No Face here that I'm not prepared to argue the rights and wrongs of theocracy with him. I'm not going to be able to persuade him to see my point of view and he's not going to be able to persuade me to see his, and that's an end of it. Oh, and by the way, thanks for telling him absolutely everything you know about me. I love being put at a disadvantage when I'm meeting a complete stranger.''
''He asked,'' she said. ''He's very interested in you, in case you hadn't noticed.''
''Well, if he wants a boyfriend, he's barking up the wrong tree.''
David judged that to be a pretty good exit line, and turned on his heel to go.
Immediately Saeed and Salim closed ranks, blocking the way out.
''All right,'' David said, ''which one of you plug-uglies wants it first?''
The two Liberators folded their arms. David reckoned he could take them down pretty easily. Though both were stockily well built, neither radiated the calm, ready-for-anything aura of an experienced fighter. Street muscle. They would go for obvious blows — face, chest, belly. He would jab at nerve clusters and soft spots — throat, eyes, genitals. No contest.
The Lightbringer spoke, and Saeed and Salim unfolded their arms and stepped aside.
He spoke again, and Zafirah said, ''David, the Lightbringer says you are free to leave if you wish. He will not stop you. But,'' she continued, ''he has heard rumours that you are an accomplished senet player.''
''Oh, has he? News travels fast.''
''Luxor is a small place and the Lightbringer likes to stay informed. He wants to know if you will sit with him in private and play a few games.''
''What for? I can't see the point.''
''Indulge me,'' the Lightbringer said through Zafirah. ''I fancy myself a pretty good player too. In fact, I've yet to meet my equal in the game. Maybe that's you?''
''Not interested.''
''Not interested? Or do you simply fear losing?''
David knew, with an inward sigh, that that was that. A gauntlet had just been thrown down and there was no way he couldn't pick it up. Nobody called David Westwynter a coward. Or even implied it.
Ten minutes later, he and the Lightbringer were alone in the chamber. Everyone else had been dismissed, including Zafirah. Without her as interpreter there would be no conversation, no interaction other than through the game itself. It was just the two of them, hunched on wooden chairs, with the board laid out on an upturned crate between them.
David noted that it was a proper AW Games board, not a crude knock-off like the ones he'd played on earlier in the day. Freegypt was exempt from international patent law, much as it was exempt from all the other rules the rest of the world lived by, so bogus copies of the game could be produced and sold with impunity. The Lightbringer, however, clearly preferred the quality and craftsmanship of the genuine article. The version he owned was actually the deluxe edition, carved from teak, with counters made of polished marble and a small drawer inset into the board in which to stow them. Everything was scratched and scuffed with age and use.
As the Lightbringer set out the counters for the first game, David took the opportunity to study him at close range. The mask was sewn to fit, with seams down both sides, and gathered at the neck. Whatever material it was made from, it was thin enough that the wearer could see out without much difficulty. Seeing in, though, was much harder. David could just make out the glitter of the man's eyes as they flicked to and fro. The mouth was a dim oval. He thought he spied a patch of strange, ribbed roughness covering the skin of most of one cheek, but it might have been shadows cast by tiny pleats and folds in the fabric.
The Lightbringer looked up and David ended his scrutiny. The Lightbringer proffered the casting sticks. David
