Doom in the Bent Pyramid
It was a much diminished group who investigated Meidum and Dahshur. Cecil had met a grisly death in the leech pit in the Great Chamber below the pyramids; Basile and Raskolnikov had been consumed by a terrible ball of sentient plasma which fell from the sky. Daniel was still recovering in hospital in Port Said, attended by Arthur and Jack. Even steadfast, reliable Frank was so appalled by the horror he was unable to go on and departed from the others at Meidum.
So it was that from the original group, only Bessie and Jude arrived in Dashur, on 9 May 1925. Accompanying them was Al Corleone and his hired muscle, a taciturn man known as Hans Gruber. Al was following his own investigation, and the two parties decided to continue together.
There are two pyramids near Dahshur: the Red Pyramid and the Bent Pyramid.
The Red Pyramid
The Red Pyramid is so-called because it is faced with pinkish limestone. This unusual construction material led the investigators to conclude that the fragment of carved limestone given to them by Nuri of El Wasta had originally been taken from this site. However, the pyramid had not yet been excavated and they were unable to find any entrance.
The Bent Pyramid
About a mile from the Red Pyramid stands The Bent Pyramid, so called because the angles of its walls change between the upper and lower sections. There were two entrances, on the west and north faces. The north entrance was guarded by soldiers wearing the uniform of the Egyptian army. The west entrance was boarded up.
Coming back under cover of darkness, the investigators were able to pull aside some of the boards and sneak into the funerary chamber beyond, somewhere in the centre of the pyramid. The only features were two remarkably thick and startlingly white alabaster columns. Remembering the notes he had made in Erica Carlyle’s library all those months ago, Jude insisted that there must be a secret passage. Indeed, a careful search of the pillars revealed a secret door in the right-hand pillar. Inside the pillar, a narrow spiral staircase led upwards.
At the top of the staircase, a series of ramps ascended up towards the pyramid’s capstone. At the end of this passage, an asymmetrical arch opened into an ominous throne room. The most striking feature was an obsidian throne on a stepped dias. Around the throne were six half-height pillars, each topped by an alien gemstone.
The wall behind the throne was covered with bas-reliefs and strange inscriptions, some of which looked Egyptian, others which could not be identified. The wall to the left depicted a star chart and a smaller image of planetary positions in the solar system, ringed by astrological symbols. On the right-hand wall was a distorted map of Eurasia, Africa, Australia and the Western Pacific. Set into this latter map were three uncut rubies, one marking a point in the East China Sea, one in central Kenya and one in western Australia. An inlaid ebony band marked an arc crossing the Indian Ocean. Arcane symbols bordered this map.
Al’s companion started trying to loot the chamber by prying the weird gemstones from the tops of the pillars. As he did so, all six gems burst into a cold, white flame. Jude made for the exit, but it condensed into solid rock before him. Spinning around, he saw a dark humanoid shape materialising on the throne. The room filled with an echoing laughter, faint at first, but rising in volume as if arriving across a great distance or the span of the centuries. Al drew his pistols.
As the figure on the throne coalesced into existence, it took on the form of the Black Pharaoh, awesome in his majesty. Al realised [fails Sanity check] that his companions were in league with the Pharaoh and were about to kill him. An expert sharp-shooter, he fired wildly at each of them in turn, killing Hans instantly with two shots to the head. Bessie took three shots to the midriff at close range and crumpled to the floor in a pool of blood. A sixth bullet injured Jude as he was diving behind one of the pillars for cover. Al continued fitring, emptying his remaining rounds into the unyielding stone.
The Black Pharaoh was deeply amused by this carnage. “So, Al Corleone,” his voice boomed. “Welcome to my royal throne room! I can see it has made an impression on you.” Al stood staring at him, babbling incoherently, pointing his empty pistols and clicking the hammer time and time again on the now-empty chambers. The Pharaoh chuckled.
“And what about you, Jude Gregson? What is it your heart desires in all the world?”
Jude yelled back at him, “Vengeance against Gavigan and Al-Shakhti and all those who had a part in the death of Jackson Elias and all my friends! And the safe return of my friends!”
The Black Pharaoh seemed to consider this for a moment. Then he continued, in a voice seductive and dripping with promise. “Give yourself over to me, willingly and completely, and I will grant what you desire.”
Jude shouted back, “Never! You are lying, I will never serve you!”
The Black Pharaoh’s expression changed to one of intense irritation and his tone grew cruel and mocking. “You are foolish to continue along this path. The gods you defy are too powerful to be hindered by the efforts of mere mortals. After all, unless you can be in three places at once, you have no hope of stopping what is to come. As with the hydra, unless all its heads are removed, the creature still lives. You should meekly return to your home. Be grateful that you may enjoy the rest of your insignificant life. Give up your doomed and pathetic struggle and await the fate which must come. It is inevitable.”
To emphasise his point, the Pharaoh waved his hand and the map on the wall was replaced with an image of a camp in Africa. The members of the Carlyle Expedition and their camp crew could be recognised moving around the camp.
“Look you,” sneered the Pharaoh, “at the fate of those who came before you, and see how they prospered.”
With that, terrible screams were heard as scores of winged, gigantic snake-like things swooped down from the sky, while diseased mockeries of humanity erupted from the earth below. The members of the expedition were torn to pieces in a scene of unspeakable carnage. There were no survivors.
“It’s not true! This is a lie! That’s not what happened!” yelled Jude.
The Pharaoh laughed, a pitiless harsh sound that echoed in the sealed chamber. “Even the brave know their lot. All doors are closed to you. All your dreams are doomed. All your struggles are futile.” The Black Pharaoh dissolved from view to the sound of his echoing laughter.
The departure from Egypt
The visions faded and the chamber fell silent. Jude turned around and saw that the exit was open again. Between them Jude and Al dragged the bodies of their companions down the ramps and out to the moonlit sands outside. Digging graves and burying their fallen comrades, Jude swore to himself that Bessie’s death would not go unavenged.
Depleted in numbers, Al and Jude had no choice but to return to Port Said to regroup with the others. They discussed whether they should attempt to deal with Omar Al-Shakhti. However, the cultists of the Black Pharaoh were now looking for them and a return to Cairo seemed too dangerous. Weakened and outmaneuvered, at least for the time being, the investigators reluctantly decided to leave Egypt. After some discussion they decided they should continue to Shanghai.
“Let’s send a telegram to Dorothy,” suggested Jude. “We need all the help we can get. She was with us in Peru and survived the Khaisiri. Maybe she will be willing to help us in China.”
