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Category:
Fantasy
Publisher: Book Baby
Type: Fiction
Pages: 355
Copyright: Oct 2. 2013
ISBN-13: 9781483508467
Price: $1.99 (eBook)
To see a dragon hurtling from the sky—scary!
To ride on a dragon's back in a fantasy book—priceless.
THE DARKSIDE OF THE MEDALLION
An air of excitement surrounds the Standford family house. Jen's twenty first birthday party, was yesterday; today she celebrates her special day and tomorrow graduates as an archeologist in ancient Egyptian studies. Later that day she leaves for Egypt to join her uncle's dig site at a First Dynasty mortuary temple and mastaba tomb. She carries with her two birthday gifts that her grandfather gave her; one that cures all of her ailments and leads her, and her four friends with secrets, to another galaxy where ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses teach them how to fight their battles for them. Beguiled with their success at learning magical powers they soon find themselves in a deadly war between the indigenous ancient races on the planet and aliens under the cruel iron-fist of Seth, the ancient god of chaos and evil; and the other gift, might save her life, if she can figure out how to use it in time.
Seth's goal is to usurp the Supreme Deity. Jen's purpose is to prevent that from happening, even if she has to wager her eternal soul. But first she has to overcome her principles against killing an enemy, even if they are trying to eliminate her.
Did I mention the protector sent by the gods that she named Bast, or the intelligent seven foot Narkin named Michael and the dragons; whose side are they on?
Excerpt
MYSTERIOUS GIFT
Davenport, Maine, 2014
Standford
At the stroke of midnight, the guardian formed a shield of protection around the Standford family home. The guardian remained alert until the early morning, when her ears detected the high screech of a hunting falcon.
Looking out of her bedroom window, Jen gazed at her front yard. The pole light in front of her driveway illuminated freshly cut grass, her mother’s pink roses and motionless trees. This was in contrast to the hurricane-like wind, lightning and waves of hailstones doing a Bojangles tap dance on the street in front of her house. Jen swept her long red hair behind her ears and turned toward the avenue.
Something was forming at the end of the driveway. Jen blinked and looked again. Three apparitions floated at the entranceway of her home—staring at her, beckoning to her, grinning at her.
The torrential wind flapped their black hoods, cloaks and stringy hair, giving them the appearance of scarecrows flying pell-mell in a hurricane.
Lightning illuminated their chiseled features, pointed teeth and bony arms. A green mist emitted from their mouths as the three wraiths moved their right arms in Jen’s direction. Their sinister breath glided towards her.
"What the—?" she exclaimed. She raised a hand as if to repel the green mist, panicking as she discovered she could not move any further. Her breath grew faster as she watched a red glow bathe the three hags as they faded back into the storm’s fury. Her eyes opened wider as she watched the green mist settle to the grass, turning it brown. Her right arm suddenly became heavy and dropped toward the windowsill.
"What the heck?" Her hand brushed against something furry. Looking down, she saw only the empty ledge. Turning around, she observed her cat resting on her bed.
What happened? She thought. Her chest suddenly constricted.
"Damn, I’m having another asthma attack," she wheezed desperately. Going to the dresser, Jen took her inhaler and shoved it into her mouth. The medicine brought quick relief; several deep inhales and exhales sounded in the room.
Jen looked at the tall mirror that stood next to her dresser. Her trim, five-foot-eight body reflected back. Hunching her shoulders, she peered closer and saw a pale, nervous face. Her breathing increased again and she began to shiver.
Making the sign of the cross, she walked to her Siamese cat, leaned down and whispered, "You didn’t have anything to do with this, did you?" Jen pointed toward the window. The animal ignored her. Jen took a few seconds to calm down. "If you want your dinner, you’d better shake a leg to the kitchen before it closes for the night."
Miss Lickey lifted her head, yawned, stood, jumped from the bed and left the room.
Jen closed the bedroom door with more force than was necessary. A loud bang echoed in the darkened hallway, adding to her jitters. Expelling a few deep breaths, she hurried downstairs and entered the music room, almost running into her grandfather.
"That was a close call," her grandfather greeted her. "How does it feel to join the ranks of adulthood?"
A strained smile spread across Jen's face. "Evening gramps. I’m wiser, not older. What’d you do today?"
"You’d make a great politician," he smiled. Jen’s eyebrows arched. "I mean with your ability to slyly sidestep the question asked, and move on to misdirection." He grinned at her. "Most of the day I spent working on my autobiography and reading a new book on the tomb of Menhotep, keeper of the king’s royal horses."
Dialogue on Egyptian archeology was commonplace in the Standford home. Every member of her immediate family was an archeologist. Jen’s grandfather, Dr. Henry James Standford founded the J. P. Simmons University of Archeology in her town of Davenport, Maine. Her father, Dr. William Paul Standford chaired the Ancient Egyptian Department, while her mother Phyllis taught ancient languages and art. Jen’s uncle, Dr. Henry Standford, also an accomplished archeologist, promised upon her graduation to let her join him in Egypt and begin her field work. After tomorrows graduation it would be official: Jennifer Standford, archeologist.
The house lights flickered several times, reminding her of the heavy storm outside. Jen struggled to speak; the sounds of deep inhaling and exhaling sounded in the room.
"Your voice sounds hoarse, another asthma attack?"
"It happened a few minutes ago and scared me to death. I saw something out of my window that I can't explain." Jen looked at her grandfather. "I thought I was going to make it to three months before my next one. Do you remember, my last attack was two months ago when mother started wearing a new perfume?"
"I remember that. She couldn’t force herself to toss it so she gave it to me to do. It did smell god-awful." Her grandfather looked at her. "Beautifully dressed and no place to go."
"My date called and canceled because of the storm." Slumping into a chair, she removed her heels and massaged her feet.
"I knew I shouldn’t have worn these new shoes tonight. Look at the redness. I’m befuzzled and my feet are sore." Her foot lashed out, sending one of her shoes sliding across the floor.
"Befuzzled isn’t in any dictionary that I know."
"Gramps, get your head out of Webster’s; it’s in the Urban Dictionary and means to confuse one’s mind with trivial events occurring around you, like these new stiff shoes and a tempest that started in the wee hours of my birthday, dumping hailstones everywhere," Jen's eyes met her grandfathers, "except near our house."
Her grandfather nodded, sat in his favorite blue recliner and leaned down, picking up something from the floor.
"Jen, I wanted to talk to you before I headed to bed. So much is happening in such a short time." Jen perked up.
"I know; my awesome party last night, birthday today, graduation and trip to Egypt tomorrow. What can I do for you?"
"Nothing. I wanted to give you my presents and explain their significance."
Jen noticed the small hand-carved box in her grandfather's lap. Curiosity grew in her mind as she positioned her chair opposite him.
"Many years ago the university tasked me with leading an excavation in Egypt. The site was on the east side of the Nile River, opposite the ancient city of Abydos.
"During our third week an undergraduate found four First Dynasty ivory and ebony labels. One tag had the name of King Djer, second king of The First Dynasty, and the identity of his senior official, Pente, whose tomb we were excavating. His title translated to ‘He was one with Horus.’"
Opening the small container, he removed a piece of ivory and handed it to her. Jen took the object, holding it carefully in her fingers. She opened the small compartment of the seat’s armrest and took out her coke-bottle glasses. Adjusting them over her ears, she looked at the label, recognizing the names and the Horus figure. A look of bewilderment crossed her face as she returned it.
"I don’t understand why the king granted Pente such an honor."
"Ah granddaughter of mine, you failed to turn it over." He exposed the other side, revealing three signs.
Jen took it back and studied the ancient language. Unlike the front, this side had no engravings. The artisan had scraped away the ivory, leaving the signs raised above its surface.
"I’ve never seen symbols like these," she said.
"Neither I nor my mentor could identify the language of the cipher on the back. We both agreed this writing is not Egyptian in origin and didn’t belong there.
"A week after this find, sand storms swept through our site. Sand blanketed the area we’d excavated and sculpted a new sand hill a half mile behind our camp.
"The next day I explored this area and saw that the winds had scoured sand down to polished rock. I concluded that ancient Egyptians made this object, and I moved our camp. It took us a full day to clear the sand from the top and another day to clear the north side as we looked for an opening." Her grandfather coughed and took a sip from his brandy snifter.
Jen, fascinated, couldn't take her eyes off him, drinking in every word he spoke.
"Eleven feet down from the top, we unearthed a door. You can imagine our excitement when we realized we might have discovered a very extraordinary, unopened tomb. We spent another day clearing sand away before we reached the bottom of the burial chamber—twenty feet down. The most astounding feature was the shape of the portal; not rectangular, but a perfect eight-foot circle."
"An eight-foot circle!" Jen looked into her grandfather’s eyes. "I’ve heard of round tomb doors being found in the Holy Land and early Christian burials, but never in Egypt and never from the First Dynasty."
"I agree with you, and there lies the quandary. We couldn’t deny what we saw—only embrace its absurdity.
"The door had a large handle with a cavity behind it carved out of the solid rock. We tried to open it, with no success. One of the associate professors suggested that we tie a rope to it and all of us pull.
"At first, the door resisted. When we heard the sound of air sucking into the tomb, we realized it would release. Without warning, the portal opened. We were like children visiting a candy store, all eager to rush in and discover the vast riches that awaited us."
Jen saw in her grandfather’s face a youthful glow while he relived his discovery.
"Containing our excitement, we waited thirty minutes to clear out any bad tomb air. Taking a lantern, I approached the round door and noted a series of rock steps leading to the chamber floor. When I first stood inside the cavity, a static charge covered my body. From the lantern’s light, I noted the absence of anything inside. The chamber appeared empty."
Jen stared at her grandfather in astonishment...
"Nothing, gramps, not even a broken pot?" How can this be? Even tomb robbers leave damaged artifacts.
Her grandfather coughed and continued.
"After the initial disappointment of not discovering a tomb, we began to examine the compartment. Every corner proved to be set at ninety degrees. The floor and walls looked like a mirror—our reflections followed our every move. The ceiling held the only carving in the room. It depicted a night sky, like nothing I ever saw before. Alien stars, suns and planets carved with such clarity you would expect them to move and shine down on you.
"The south end of the chamber held the only artifact. A four-inch gold disk, set flush in the wall. At first glance, it looked Egyptian. I mean, it had a line of hieroglyphics along the outside edge. The left side depicted a smaller section of the night sky that was on the chamber's ceiling. The right side held three more of the unknown glyphs, similar to the ones on the reverse of the ivory label. However, the strangest object sat in the center—a true representation of a pyramid!"
Jen’s head snapped up. "How’s that possible? True pyramids weren’t introduced until the Fourth Dynasty."
Her grandfather nodded. "That night, I couldn't sleep and sat by the dying embers of the campfire. A pale bluish light emanating from the opening of the chamber caught my attention. It was mesmerizing, drawing me to the tomb's entranceway. Entering inside, I raised my eyes. The carving of the alien sky was alive with beauty and movement. The suns were shining, stars twinkling and the planets were in holographic motion." Jen gasped.
Looking seriously at her for a few seconds, he continued. "This sounds crazy, doesn’t it? That feeling also occupied my thoughts while I observed the night sky of another time or place. Turning around, I noted a yellow halo of light surrounding the object at the far end of the chamber. The radiance pulsated, making the pyramid appear to float away from the wall. Holding one of my hands near the disk brought forth another strange feeling, which made my fingers twitch. Touching the pyramid caused the disk to slide into the wall.
"The polished walls in the chamber came to life with depictions of surreal Salvador Dali scenes. One wall showed a vast canyon stretching for miles and a city of glass at the far end. The other side of the chamber depicted a beautiful and peaceful beach scene of either an ocean or large lake. Trees, the likes of none I’ve ever seen, swayed to an invisible breeze, and strange animals flew and walked around on the ground. The pictures overwhelmed my senses, almost too much for me to comprehend in one glance. When I gazed on one wall, the scenes on the opposite side changed and something very different emerged. The one I remember clearest showed a view with a planet below illuminated by two stars and circled by three moons.
"Wanting the other members to witness this display, I walked to the door and called my team to join me. Turning around I saw that the walls and ceiling were starting to dim.
"By the time they gathered inside, the pictures were a memory. I explained what I’d witnessed and returned to the disk that was again flush with the wall. Placing my fingers over the object brought no response. I pushed it into the recess. Nothing happened until a few seconds later the disk flew out, landing in my hands.
"The chamber started to vibrate, and we rushed for the opening. When we reached safety, the portal closed. We turned, and watched the compartment shimmer, and then it vanished from our sight!
"Several days after the chamber’s disappearance, I remembered the disk in my field coat pocket and have kept it all of these years in hope that something similar might be found."
He reached into the box again and handed her a four-inch gold disk.
Holding the medallion, Jen’s mind flooded with visions of ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses along with alien images locked in a deadly war. Spacecraft with lasers blasting flew past Jen’s inner view. As she blinked her eyes, the mental pictures faded.
"I hate chaos," she muttered. Inspecting the symbols and the pyramid, she let out a breath. Her vision suddenly blurred. Removing her glasses, she rubbed her eyes and looked at the medallion.
I can see the smallest details without my glasses! This is nuts.
Shaking her head, Jen remembered her last mistake and turned it over. Her eyelids shot open. The back of the disk had three images. On the left stood a full figure of the Goddess Neith, a creator goddess. Her right hand grasped a bow and quiver of arrows while the left rested upon a shield that stood upright in front of her. The opposite side showed Horus, the falcon god of the sky, identified as a protector of the kings of Egypt from the earliest times. The two deities faced inward and stared at the face in the center of the disk. The head they were protecting resembled an Olmec head, with hypnotic red eyes. Jen's fingers tingled when she brushed them over the relief of the face.
I can’t believe how much this looks like the stone carvings made by the Olmec culture in Central America. Yet this face isn’t crude, like the large Olmec stone heads.
The eyes—inlaid with beautiful faceted rubies—looked real and frightening—almost as if they possessed a power that could control or kill an enemy. The lips were not over-large, suggesting this could be a portrait of an actual being. The helmet he wore emulated a modern pilot’s or an old football helmet from the 1920 or 30s, shaped to fit snuggly over his head. The top section looked like a protective face shield. What has grandfather found?
"Jen," her grandfather continued. Her gaze met his. "This enigma has kept me interested in archeology for many years, and I need resolution. You have a full life ahead of you; take up this quest and discover the secret of the medallion."
He reached into the box one more time and retrieved a small notebook and a cased CD.
"Here’s my field journal of that excavation. All of my notes are on this disk, including the maps of the area. When your parents arrive for their summer dig, they’ll be about fifteen miles from the chamber’s original location. If you join them for a week or two, it’s possible you’ll find other clues to its origin."
Her grandfather placed the journal and computer disk back into the box, closed the lid, placed a birthday card on top and handed it to her. Jen opened the envelope and smiled when she read the handmade card. Egyptian hieroglyphs spelled out her name and wishes for health, longevity and prosperity. Jen stood, brushing away the tears that welled in her eyes, and gave him a big hug and kiss.
"I love you grandfather, I’ll investigate your mystery and see what else I find."
"I see it’s almost nine thirty and I must be off to bed if I’m to be of any use tomorrow." With that, he stood, turned and started to leave. Before reaching the door, he faced her and said, "That box came from a dear friend of mine numerous years ago. He was a likeable scoundrel who robbed tombs for a living.
"Many artifacts in major museums came from him. He told me that the container held a secret. However, what that mystery is, I don’t know...it has always eluded me. My friend passed away several years back and now that mystery is also yours." Her grandfather looked relieved and went to leave.
The lights in the room suddenly extinguished, leaving them in total darkness.
From Jen’s closed fist, a red glow spilled between her fingers. Opening her hand the medallion’s light sprang forth, illuminating the room in a bath of scarlet.
"I’ll check the fuse box," she heard her father’s voice call from down the hallway. Her gaze remained welded to the medallion. Jen’s heartbeat increased as her chest slowly depressed, expelling her breath.
Her grandfather watched the light, a smile crossing his face when he turned to leave. The lights in the music room came back on and the medallion's light extinguished. Twenty minutes passed before Jen’s nerves settled down and she was able to return to her room.
That night while Jen snuggled under her covers she watched a soft red glow emerge from the medallion’s eyes and surround her. Without knowing why, a feeling of calm, safety and love filled her mind. Barely awake at two in the morning, she froze as she imagined a figure with the head of a lioness and the body of a woman standing next to her bed.
The ancient Egyptian goddess of war and healing, Sekhmet, placed her hands near Jen’s chest; a bright white light filled the room, casting a shadow of Miss Lickey on the wall. After a few minutes, the radiance diminished.
Sekhmet whispered words of ancient Egyptian to Miss Lickey and vanished from the room. Jen sighed, rolled over and slipped deeper into a dream world.
She dreamt of an Olmec face emitting light that illuminated a darkened room, and of a mysterious black chamber, with a ceiling full of suns, planets and moons from another galaxy.
The guardian resumed her position on the windowsill.
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