Things were moving too fast. Rhonda could feel herself babbling, “But... but... I mean... I’d have to sell the existing business. How am I supposed to live if my shop closes down? And Cassie’s my business partner.” The shopkeeper could feel a panic attack coming on.
Maddie patted her arm reassuringly. “Take a deep breath! You let us handle the details. As a matter of fact, it might be best if you were out of the country entirely while we arrange things for you.”
“But where am I supposed to go?” Rhonda asked feebly.
Maddie gave a mischievous smile. “I’ve heard the sea air is very good for what ails you. How would you feel about an all-expense-paid cruise around the world?”
Chapter 33—Serpentine Logic
Cassie rested her head against the back of her lounge chair and lazily contemplated the star-spangled Egyptian night sky. Abu Simbel wasn’t a big enough town to create much light pollution. The trio had made an uneventful trip back from the desert that afternoon. After dinner, they had gathered around a poolside table at their hotel to discuss the next step in their artifact quest. Thankfully, none of the hotel’s other occupants felt inclined to take a swim this late in the evening.
“Even though the days here are hot, I can’t complain about the nights,” Cassie observed.
She and Erik waited patiently while Griffin hammered furiously at his computer keyboard trying to find some answers about the mysterious helmsman named Canopus.
“Aha!” Griffin exclaimed in triumph.
Cassie and Erik traded knowing glances. “Did you bet that he was gonna say ‘Eureka’?” the paladin asked.
“Nope, dude. My money was on ‘Aha.’ Pay up.”
Erik handed her a quarter.
Griffin glanced up at them. “Am I really that predictable?”
“You are.” Cassie straightened up in her chair. “But in a good way. Tell us what you found. We’re all ears.”
Griffin leaned over the table confidentially. “Well, it seems our mythological friend Canopus was a favorite of Menelaus, the king of Sparta. Canopus delivered the king safely to Troy which was quite an accomplishment in those days. Sadly, on their return trip, the young man had the misfortune to be fatally bitten by a poisonous snake somewhere along the coast of Egypt. In honor of Canopus, Menelaus built a monument on the spot where he died. Later a town bearing the helmsman’s name sprang up around that site.”
“The course he sets reveals his fate,” Cassie murmured. “Maybe we’re supposed to go to the place that was named after him.”
Griffin shook his head. “The ancient city of Canopus doesn’t lie southeast of here. It’s on the outskirts of Alexandria.”
“Do you have a map of this part of the world?” Erik asked.
“Of course.” Griffin rummaged around among his papers and produced a map of Egypt.
“What if we were to draw a line directly southeast from Nabta Playa. What would we hit?”
“In Egypt, not much of anything,” the scrivener replied. “We’re very near the southern border of the country. Let me get the map of Sudan.”
“Now that’s a country I’d like to stay out of,” Erik commented.
“Why?” Cassie asked.
The paladin shook his head. “There’s another civil war going on in South Sudan.”
“We may not have to go that far,” Griffin retorted. He had already spread the maps of Egypt and Sudan out on the table and was drawing a line with a ruler across them. “This will give us a rough idea. I’ll check actual coordinates, of course, once we have a possible location.”
The other two rose out of their chairs and came to stand behind him, craning their necks over the map.
“Hullo, what’s this?”
“Did you call that?” Erik whispered to Cassie.
“Nope. ‘Hullo’ is a new one. I would have gone with ‘By Jove.’”
“I can hear you mocking me,” Griffin murmured, never taking his eyes off the map.
“We mock with affection.” Cassie gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
“Please suspend your raillery for the time being. I believe I’ve found something.”
Cassie and Erik followed his index finger as it pointed to a location in the upper third of Sudan which was situated right on the banks of the Nile.
“Meroe is a historically significant town. It was the ancient capital of the kingdom of Kush, but I don’t believe Meroe itself is our destination. The city wasn’t founded until 800 BCE which places it after our Minoan travelers would have visited the area. No, I believe we’re looking for something far older but close by.”
“What about this spot?” Cassie placed her finger on another location on the map. “Karima. I’m feeling a strong pull toward it.”
“So, you’re dowsing now?” Erik raised his eyebrows in surprise.
Cassie shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s a hunch, and I’m just gonna go with it. Griffin, can you look up something about Karima?”
The scrivener typed for several seconds, scanning his monitor for information. His eyes widened. “Good goddess!” he exclaimed.
“See, I would never have called that one,” Erik whispered to Cassie who nodded in agreement.
Ignoring his colleagues, Griffin continued to stare at the screen. “This is remarkable!”
“What is?” Cassie prompted.
“So, tell us already,” Erik insisted.
When Griffin looked up from the screen, his expression was jubilant. “I believe Cassie has found the spot. It’s not Karima. Or more precisely, the location is the same, but in ancient times the place would have been called Napata. It was a city founded by the pharaohs of Egypt to mark their southern boundary with Nubia. The area was hotly contested as Egypt lost power and Nubia gained it. The ownership of Napata changed hands a few times.”
“I don’t get it. What was so special about this town that everybody was fighting over it? Did it have gold mines?” Cassie asked.
Griffin began typing again. “It wasn’t the town that was significant. The town was founded because of a topographical
