The Adventurer & The Librarian

Chapter 2: Bonnie

"You see the cartouche there?" William asked his boss as he pointed at the map. 

William had unfolded the paper to discover a map to the ancient city of the dead, famously known as Hamunaptra.  It was legend.  No one had ever come close to discovering its location, and his son of a bitch brother managed to find the map to it.  William would sell his soul just to see the ruins of the once beautiful city.  And the amount of gold and other valuables would certainly sate Jonathan's wallet, and eventually his bank account if he ever got one.

"It's the official royal seal of Seti the first, I'm sure if it," William continued.

Dr. Bey cleared his throat, looking uninterested.  "Perhaps," he mumbled.

"Two questions," Jonathan asked as he made his way behind the desk.  "Who the hell was Seti the first, and was he rich?"

"He was the second pharaoh of the nineteenth dynasty, said to be the wealthiest pharaoh of them all," William replied with a cheeky grin.

"Good.  That's good," Jonathan said with a smile.  "I like this fellow.  I like him very much."

"I've already dated the map.  It's almost three thousand years old," William said before pointing at the writing on the map.  "And if you look at the hieratic just here, well, it's Hamunaptra."

Dr. Bey paused before rolling his eyes.  "Dear God, don't be ridiculous," he said.  "We're scholars, not treasure hunters.  Hamunaptra's a myth told by ancient Arab storytellers to amuse Greek and Roman tourists."

"Yes, I know all the silly blither blather about the city being protected by the curse if a mummy nonsense, but my research has led me to believe that the city itself may have actually existed."

Jonathan squinted his eyes at William.  "Are we talking about the Hamunaptra?" he asked.

"Yes," William said, grinning from ear to ear.  "The City of the Dead, where the earliest pharaohs were said to have hidden the wealth of Egypt."

"Yes, yes, in-in a big, underground treasure chamber," Jonathan stuttered happily, making Dr. Bey scoff.  "Oh, come on.  Everybody knows the story," Jonathan argued.  "The entire necropolis was rugged to sink into the sand in Pharaoh's command.  A flick of a switch, and the whole place would disappear beneath the sand dunes, taking the treasure with it."

Dr. Bey held the map up to the lit candle as he examined the map more thoroughly.  "As the Americans would say, it's all fairy tales and hokum-oh, my goodness!" he shouted as the map started on fire, drawing the other's attention.  "Look at that!"

Dr. Bey tossed it and Jonathan and William both clambered around it on their knees to pat out the flames.  They lifted the map and Jonathan gasped.  "You've burnt it!  You've burned off the part with the lost city!" he shrilled.

"It's for the best, I'm sure," Dr. Bey replied, making both William and Jonathan's jaws drop.  "Many men have wasted their lives in the foolish pursuit of Hamunaptra.  No one's ever found it.  Most...have never returned."  Dr. Bey huffed before clearing his throat.  "Now go clean up the library...and no more knocking off mummy's heads.  I don't want to hear anymore about this Hamunaptra nonsense."

William started to argue but Jonathon stopped him.  "C'mon, old chap.  I'll help you clean up."

William sighed and nodded before making his way out of Dr. Bey's office, taking the map and object with him, Jonathan close on his tail.  "That man is bloody infuriating," the librarian growled. 

Jonathan laughed and slung an arm around his brother's shoulders.  "He's lucky to have you, and he knows it."

"Not likely," William grumbled as they walked into the library, then he rubbed his hands together.  "Right, shall we start then?"