The Cult of Osiris

‘Speaking of stupid ideas,’ said Eddie as Macy sat back tight-lipped, ‘going into that temple and telling those nutters about the time their god had his knob chopped off was pretty fucking dim.’

Nina glared at him. ‘Right, like getting into a macho pissing contest with an armed murderer was a smart move. Way to keep out of trouble there, Eddie.’

‘Excuse bloody me,’ he cried sarcastically. ‘I’m not the one who’s looking for trouble. I didn’t decide to blow up Times Square or wreck the Sphinx or pick a fight with a load of fucking looney- tunes cultists! Quick, tell the shrinks - you’ve found a new way of getting out of a depression!’

‘They don’t like being called shrinks,’ Macy snapped.

Nina ignored her. ‘Yes, of course! Why didn’t I see it before? Obviously what I need to get me past the worst time of my life since my parents died is being chased and shot at!’

Eddie snorted in a mix of anger and dismay. ‘Oh, good to know our marriage got off to such a great start.’

‘I didn’t think you’d noticed!’ she shot back. ‘Since you’d apparently found other ways to occupy your time.’

He looked up at the ceiling, rolling his eyes. ‘For fuck’s sake! Not this again.’

‘What am I supposed to think?’ Nina demanded. ‘I find out that not only are you spending time with another woman, but you’re also lying to me about it!’

‘And I told you there’s nothing going on between me and Amy.’

‘Then why won’t you tell me what you were doing?’

He threw up his hands. ‘You know what? I was going to, even though I wanted to keep it a secret until the right time, but I’m not going to bother. It’s not like you’ve paid any attention to anyone but yourself for the past seven months, no reason you’d start now.’

‘What the hell does that mean?’ Nina demanded.

He made a sarcastic sound. ‘You’re not the only one who got fired, remember? I lost my job too. And look at all the crap I’ve had to do to support us both, working all bloody hours buying orange juice for a bunch of paranoid rich tossers while all you do is sit around and moan about moving out of your precious bloody Manhattan!’

‘I didn’t just lose a job,’ Nina snarled. ‘I lost my career, my reputation - everything! And if you can’t see why I might be a bit goddamn depressed about that, maybe you don’t know me at all!’

‘Maybe I don’t,’ he shot back. ‘I didn’t think the woman I married would be such a bloody whiner, for a start.’

‘What?’

‘You didn’t hear me going on and on about how crap everything was, did you? No, I got off my arse and actually did something about it!’

‘Oh, so the five hundred letters I wrote trying to find work didn’t count?’ she cried. ‘Maybe you think I should have gotten a job at McDonald’s!’

Macy slapped a palm on the table. ‘Okay, look! This isn’t helping. We need to find—’

‘Shut up!’ they both shouted. Macy stared at Nina, then, lips quivering, jumped up and hurried out.

‘Shit,’ said Eddie, after a moment. ‘I’d better go after her, make sure she doesn’t run straight into Diamondback or someone.’

‘You do that,’ Nina replied coldly. Eddie shook his head and followed Macy. ‘God damn it.’ She looked at the screen. Osir’s portrait beamed back at her. Nina regarded him, silently thinking.

And making a decision.

After a few minutes, Eddie and Macy returned. She still looked upset, and his expression didn’t appear to have lightened either. Nina was sure what she was about to say wouldn’t improve their moods. ‘I’ve decided what I’m going to do,’ she announced.

‘Oh, you have, have you?’ Eddie replied suspiciously.

‘That’s right. Macy’s plan wasn’t entirely stupid.’

‘Glad you think so,’ Macy said, unimpressed.

‘I’m going to Osir’s headquarters in Switzerland, like she suggested. But there won’t be any sneaking around. I’m going to give him what he needs to find the Pyramid of Osiris.’ She stood. ‘And you know something? I’m going in alone.’

12

Switzerland

Nina walked along the short road to the edge of the lake, tension churning in her stomach. A gatehouse on the shore marked the entrance to the headquarters of the Osirian Temple . . . which were not what she had imagined.

Some forty feet out from the lake’s edge was a rocky island, bordered by a sheer wall of grey stone battlements with men patrolling them. Circular towers stood higher at the corners, topped by conical roofs of bright red slate; another, larger rectangular roof above the far wall marked the castle’s Gothic keep. A drawbridge, its two halves currently raised, linked the castle to the mainland.

The whole scene, backed by a range of Alpine peaks beyond the blue lake, was almost ridiculously picturesque - with the exception of one thing that stood out as utterly incongruous. Inside the castle’s expansive courtyard, rising above the walls, was a pyramid of black glass. It was the same structure Nina had seen behind Osir in his photo on the Osirian Temple’s website.

The drawbridge’s heavy dark wood beams rose like a wall through the gatehouse archway, blocking her view of the castle beyond. To one side was an intercom, a camera regarding her glassily.

The knot in her stomach tightened. She was taking a huge risk in coming here. But she still reached up and pushed the intercom button.

‘Yes?’ said a voice from the panel’s speaker.

‘My name is Dr Nina Wilde,’ Nina said as she stared directly at the camera to make sure the guard got a good view of her face. ‘Tell Khalid Osir . . . I want to make a deal.’

‘I must admit, Dr Wilde,’ said Osir ten minutes later, ‘I’m surprised to see you again. Certainly here.’

‘I’m still a little surprised myself,’ she said, as she was escorted into a large room inside the keep. It was a museum, dedicated to a singular subject.

Osiris.

‘Why are you even talking to her?’ snapped Shaban. He had met her at the main gate, leading a squad of green-blazered men, and Nina was sure that if he had been in charge rather than Osir, he would have had her killed on the spot. ‘This is obviously a trick. Bobby can dispose of her somewhere she will never be found.’

‘You must excuse my brother,’ Osir said, giving Shaban a dismissive wave that only increased his anger. ‘He has never been one for social pleasantries.’

‘Yeah, I got that impression,’ said Nina, taking a closer look at one of the display cases. It contained an ancient papyrus scroll, carefully preserved between two sheets of glass.

Osir saw her interest. ‘I think you know what that is.’

‘The fourth page of the scrolls that led to the discovery of the Hall of Records, I’m guessing.’

‘Yes. The Osirian Temple funded an archaeological dig just beyond the Egyptian border in Gaza, which my experts - who are also my followers - thought might uncover something interesting. They were more right than I could have imagined.’

‘So you kept the final page for yourself.’

‘I had no problem with the Egyptian government taking possession of the Hall of Records. It’s a national treasure. But once I found out what was inside it,’ he gestured at the papyrus, ‘I knew it was something I had to keep for myself. Whatever the price.’ He indicated the other exhibits, which ranged from carved figurines of the ancient god to large sections of stone, seemingly cut from walls, bearing more hieroglyphs. ‘This is the greatest private collection of Osirian artefacts in the world. I’ve been collecting them for years - but I hope the collection will soon become much larger.’

‘Once you find the Pyramid of Osiris,’ said Nina.

‘Indeed. And apparently you are willing to help me do that.’