The Belial Ring (The Belial Series 3) (27 page)

Although Laney had been here before, it still felt eerie.
She supposed it was the fact that it was night, but still, the light was the same regardless of the time of day: there was no natural sunlight in here.

“
It’s the stillness,” Laney whispered.

“
What’s that?” Henry asked.

“
I was trying to figure out why it’s so creepy. It’s the quiet. Last time I was here, there were workers, people milling about, lots of noise. Right now, it feels like we’re the only people on earth.”

Jake walked over to her and squeezed her hand.
“So where do we start?”

Laney glanced up at him.
“I’m not sure.”

Henry
’s voice was low. “You know, Laney. You just have to remember.”

You all make it sound so
simple.
She had been trying—the whole plane ride over here. And then again all through the night.

If Victoria was right and she was the ring bearer, shouldn
’t this be as easy as they all made it sound? Shouldn’t she be able to tap into the memory with ease?

But that wasn
’t the case. She didn’t even know whom to focus on. She’d dreamed of Joan of Arc, Helen of Troy, Makeda, and a half dozen other women. Who was the last one to hold the ring?

“
Okay. I know I’m supposed have this great emotional connection to my past . . .”—Laney struggled for the right word—“. . . selves. But how about if we start logically? Helen lived around 1,500 BC, and Solomon around 1,000 BC—which would be when Makeda took the ring from him. Amaris was the student of Hypatia, who was the last librarian of Alexandria, around AD 600.”

“
Wait—Hypatia?” Henry asked.

“
Oh, right. It was actually one of my first dreams. Although I’ve had a few others since then about her. And the dreams weren’t about Hypatia, exactly. They were about this young girl. She was a student of Hypatia and Hypatia wanted—”

Laney looked up
, her eyes going wide. “Hypatia gave her something from the library to hide. A small something. She’s the one.”

“
You’re sure?” Henry asked.

Laney nodded.
“Actually, I’m positive.”
Amaris.
It had to be. It made the most sense. She smiled and looked over at Jake and Henry.

They looked back at her expectantly and her smile dimmed.

She sighed.
“How about you two look somewhere else? You’re making me feel awfully self-conscious.”

Jake gave her a small smile, tapping Henry on the shoulder.
“Come on, Henry. Let’s go check out the pictures back at the entrance.”

Laney waited until they
’d disappeared down the pathway. She let out a breath, shaking out her arms, rolling her neck. “Okay. I’m the ring bearer, destined to find the ring, fight the Fallen, and save the world.”

A wave of panic rolled through her.
Laney shook her head.
Nope. Too much pressure.
She focused on reining in her breathing.
I’m just going to find a ring. That’s it. Nothing important.

She sat on the ground, her back against an ancient wall.
She closed her eyes, trying to remember all the dreams of the young girl. “Okay, Amaris, show me where you put it.”

CHAPTER 53

Giza, Egypt

AD 650

A
maris held onto Gaius’s big forearm. The crowds made her nervous. She could still picture the mobs at Alexandria. The poor people trampled under their anger.

Gaius
leaned down, patting her arm. “It’s all right, Amaris. This isn’t an angry crowd. Look around. They’re celebrating. They’re happy.”

People circled about them, some chatting, some rushing by, others talking excitedly.
But Gaius was right: no one looked angry.

Fires were being lit as darkness had begun to fall.
The fires brought up memories of Alexandria.

Amaris struggled to figure out why
the crowds scared her. Finally she said, “It just—it looks different.”

But that wasn
’t really it. Since Gaius and Amaris had escaped Alexandria, living in Rome until the situation in Egypt had calmed, the Muslims had cemented their rule.

Gaius
shook his head. “It’s no different—not for the people. One ruler or another, the only thing that truly changes for everyday people is the names.”

She knew he was right.
Rulers rarely concerned themselves with the plight of those under their control. Even before the Muslims took over, the life of everyday Egyptians was worth very little. It was no different now.

Amaris and
Gaius continued through the crowd, skirting around a group of people that had gathered to watch two young men dance at the base of the Djoser pyramid. They stopped to watch for only a moment before continuing on their way.

Soon Amaris and
Gaius left the crowds around the Djoser pyramid behind, heading southeast toward the Serapeum. Amaris imagined the ancient people who had built these towering monuments of Egypt.

But then her mind focused on one.
Helen, the creator of the prison.

Gaius
interrupted her thoughts. “Look, there it is.”

Up ahead, two rows of sphinxes, twenty hundred in all, faced each other, creating a path that led to the Serapeum.
Gaius and Amaris stopped at the beginning of the path. The sphinxes, although much smaller than the Great Sphinx, still towered above them. Already, though, the desert was beginning to reclaim them.

Years ago,
Amaris would have felt frightened. But today, she felt empowered. This was where she was supposed to be. She could feel Hypatia urging her on. “Let’s go. Will we be able to get in?”

“
Yes. I had the entryway uncovered.”

The Serapeum had been all but abandoned centuries earlier, when the animal cults died out.
But still, some believers made their way through. Amaris noticed their footprints in the sand. Or perhaps those were the footprints of the merely curious.

Up ahead a faint light spilled through the ancient entryway.
Amaris grabbed Gaius’s arm. “Someone’s here.”

Gaius
patted her arm. “It’s all right. He’s a friend.”

Together they walked through the avenue of sphinxes.
Amaris’s dagger felt cool against her side. Her hand reached up and grabbed the leather satchel on the string around her neck. In contrast to the coolness of the dagger, the ring inside the pouch felt warm.

Up ahead, a small man appeared holding a torch.
He had very little hair, but what he did have reached his shoulders. Most of his teeth were gone, but he grinned broadly, giving him the look of someone slightly deranged.

Gaius
let go of Amaris’s arm to greet him. “Dredgos. It is good to see you.” Gaius wrapped the man in a hug, clapping him on the back.

When
Gaius released him, Dredgos gestured toward Amaris, saying something in a language she didn’t recognize.

“
What did he say?” Amaris asked.

Gaius
grinned back at her. “He said he knew you were the one. He could feel it as you approached.”

Dredgos stepped back with a bow.

Amaris stepped onto the sloping rock floor. Dredgos said something else to Gaius, and Gaius translated. “He says you should take his torch. He has lit the farther regions, but didn’t want too much light at the opening in case it drew attention.”

Taking the torch,
Amaris nodded her thanks to the strange little man. She made her way into the cool earth, a refreshing change from the beating heat above.

At the end of the hall, she turned left and went still.
The granite sarcophagi lined the rough-hewn hallway. Torchlight lit the way, the flames causing shadows to dance on the walls. She glanced to where the shadows stretched along the floor toward her. They looked like monsters, reaching for her as she passed.

Amaris gaped as she made her way down the hall.
She had expected the graves to be big, but these were enormous. They towered above her. Which, she realized, was appropriate. They were the only structures that could contain the real monsters.

“
Amaris? Are you all right?” Gaius called from behind her.

Amaris glanced over her shoulder at
Gaius, who stood next to Dredgos back at the beginning of the path.

“
I’m all right.” She felt warmed by his concern. Until Gaius, she’d never felt a father’s love.

“
Do you want me to come with you?”

She shook her head.
“No. This is my duty.”

He nodded.
“We’ll wait back at the entrance for you.” He disappeared back up the tunnel with Dredgos, leaving her alone.

Amaris looked around.
Hypatia’s note had said that she would be able to find the hiding spot, but as she looked around she wasn’t so sure. The place was massive, and yet, there didn’t seem to be any hiding spots, at least not any that wouldn’t be readily discovered. Everything was out in the open. And she knew without even trying that she’d never be able to move one of the sarcophagi’s lids.

Recalling Hypatia
’s letter to her, Amaris closed her eyes, calming her breathing, waiting for the knowledge to come to her.

Hypatia
’s voice drifted through her mind. “Focus, Amaris. Think of the ring. You’ll know what to do.”

It didn
’t take long. An image appeared in her mind.

Amaris smiled.
“Got it.”

CHAPTER 54

L
aney’s eyes popped open and she sat still.
I can’t believe that worked.

Springing to her feet, she made her way halfway down the second set of sarcophagi.
She stopped at the sarcophagus second from the back on the right-hand side, and walked around to the back of it. She traced the small cut marks at its base. They would be easily overlooked if you weren’t looking for them. Two small interlaced triangles.

Laney
then walked around the sarcophagus until she was at the midway point of the left side. Stepping up to the edge of the ancient cell, she ran her hands over its granite. Still smooth. Incredible.

Laney
slid her hand over to the seam where the lid met the base. Not a single seam was visible.

Doubt crawled through her.
Was she wrong?

Laney placed one hand just below the seam and another at the bottom of the sarcophag
us. She had to really stretch. Her arms were barely long enough to cover the expanse. Whoever had thought of this hiding spot hadn’t taken into consideration the smaller stature of those who might have to use it.

Grunting, she pushed.
Nothing. Panic began to rise in her.
This is it. It has to be.

Closing her eyes, she pictured what she
’d seen in her memory. Not the full hand. Three fingers. Just like the triangle.

Repositioning her hands, she placed only three fingers on the same spots.
She pushed all three fingers at the same time.

T
he granite moved.

Just an inch, but it moved.
She heard a small sound from the back of the sarcophagus.

Heart pounding, Laney walked around.
A little door, only four inches square, lay open. On trembling legs, she squatted down, swallowing hard.

Here goes nothing.
Laney reached her hand in.

The space wasn
’t deep, only a few inches. Her fingers wrapped around a metal object. Trembling, she pulled it out.

Laney
sank down to the earth and opened her hand. The ring was small, made of a dark, heavy metal. On its face were two interlaced triangles. Blowing off the dust, she noticed the four small jewels in each corner of the square ring’s face. Each jewel represented one of the elements, which the ring bearer could allegedly control.

Laney stared
at her find with both excitement and dread.
The Ring of Solomon. Not touched by human hands in almost fifteen hundred years.

And she had found it.

As she closed
her hand, the metal felt warm against her palm. She took a steadying breath. There was no doubt left.

Her whisper sounded like a yell in the still space.
“I’m the ring bearer.”

CHAPTER 55