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Chapter 60 - CHAPTER 59

 

THE DESERT WHISTLED its mournful nightly song, while the impassive face of the Sphinx silently contemplated the mystery of mortals. Two strange figures, dressed in robes of different colors— blue and purple, respectively — passed in front of the guard post on the Giza plain, without any of the soldiers guarding the hieratic monuments following them, intending to stop them, since their eyes were not prepared to discern a reality that had been distorted by the magic of the senses.

The sentries posted at the guardhouse, however, felt a presence that made their hair stand on end. It was as if someone, hidden under a cloak of invisibility, was watching them from the shadows that stretched beyond the floodlights illuminating the desert.

The truth is that they had experienced this on several occasions, to the point of thinking that perhaps they were wandering djinns, wandering around the pyramids, searching for an entrance to the underworld of the dead. It wasn't just them who thought so, but also the rest of the companions who, in rotation, took the night shift — they claimed to hear whispers and moans mixed with the howling of the wind.

Stories of spirits linked to the power of the pharaohs were already circulating in Cairo when European archaeologists arrived at the end of the 19th century, but it was from that time on that the Arabs, always superstitious, took it for granted that in that place, of irresistible charm, lived demons that were awakened when the intruders who came later desecrated their eternal rest.

The elders, almost all of them in their octogenarians, maintained, however, that the tormented souls had been groaning for centuries because of the tomb robbers, and that it was their fault that the twelve rows of stones and the enormous pieces that covered the pyramids were stolen, for they contained the greatest mysteries of humanity. These stories maintained that it was the kings before the Flood who built those temples dedicated to the arts and sciences.

And they were not discredited when they claimed that the celestial bodies, as well as the positions of the stars and their cycles, were engraved on a superimposed layer of coating. The Copts, direct descendants of the early Egyptians, attested to this.

Oblivious to the guards' thoughts, though not so much to the old stories, Balkis and his companion crossed the plateau like specters of the night. Thanks to the power of their magic, they could pass unnoticed by the soldiers, rendering their own bodies invisible, a gift the Great Masters did not possess.

This and other prodigies were reserved only for the Guardians of the Throne.

Hiram looked worried. Balkis saw in his face the impatient shadow that precedes a rebuke.

— What are you waiting for? — she asked, seeing that he couldn't make up his mind. — Will it take you long to tell me what's bothering you?

The Egyptian pretended not to have heard and continued walking toward the Great Pyramid. After a few seconds, he stopped and stared at the person with whom he had shared half his life in complete and absolute celibacy.

— You decided to replace me without consulting me. Don't you think I perhaps deserve an explanation?

Balkis felt embarrassed, though she never once blamed herself for going behind his back. She knew that sooner or later she would have to explain herself. It was impossible to hide anything from someone who could read one's thoughts, another of their magical qualities.

— To everything there is a season, and to each matter its time under heaven, a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to harvest... Do you remember? — Balkis quoted verses from Ecclesiastes. — Our time is up. Now let us live our lives, become human again... No longer like a stone.

— I couldn't live any other way.

Balkis knew very well how stubborn his companion could be.

— Indeed, what we do is edifying — Balkis acknowledged.

— But we must make room and give way to a new generation of Guardians. Our bodies are close to disembodiment. We should enjoy what remains of our lives as a gift from God.

— I don't want to think about that right now... — Hiram turned his eyes to the Great Pyramid. — Besides, you've already decided for both of us.

She decided to ignore the insinuation. Ever since the Master and the others hired a hitwoman to end an innocent man's life, Hiram's infectious joy had turned to desperate sadness. For him, a pragmatic Sufi who hated violence, knowing they had disobeyed one of God's most sacred laws became a wound that would be difficult to heal.

Seeking reasons in the preservation of the mysteries satisfied no one, but everyone accepted the Master's decision unanimously. It was different, however, to share the extermination criteria promulgated by some of the Council's more conservative members. That's why Balkis, who stood above them, had decided to act behind the others' backs. The aim was to put an end to the controversy and, at the same time, take advantage of the situation to tip the scales in his favor.

They continued walking in complete silence, shrouded in their own invisibility. The replacement of their positions was a matter they would discuss at another time. Now, they had to fulfill their duty.

After a few minutes, they reached the vicinity of the Cirande Pyramid. They headed directly to the north side, positioning themselves directly beneath the entrance that opened several meters above. Balkis approached enormous granite blocks, aligned in a staggered fashion, facing the plain. And, extending his hand, he exclaimed:

"Qotor chor chii ykar! Dair ytol dom okchor! Ycholykam daiin dar dyam!"

Seconds later, they heard the stones sliding over each other, so that one of the enormous blocks that surrounded the base of the pyramid was retracting towards the interior, until it gave access to a gallery inclined downwards, a corridor illuminated by a beam of light that seemed to come from the center of the Earth.

Hiram and his companion descended the stairs. The granite stone fell back into place. They were passing from one world to another. Such was the power of those who guarded the Ark of the Testimony.

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