Free 05 - The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb by R.L. Stine - (ebook by Undead) Page B

him grow
bright, then fade into shadow.
    “Warn him?” Sari asked.
    “About the curse,” Ahmed said without emotion.
    “Uncle Ben mentioned some kind of curse to me,” I said, glancing nervously at
Sari. “I don’t think he takes that kind of thing seriously.”
    “He should!” Ahmed replied, screaming the words, his eyes glowing with
anger in the torch light.
    Sari and I stared back at him in silence.
    Where is Uncle Ben? I wondered.
    What’s keeping him?
    Hurry, I urged silently. Please—hurry!
    “The curse must be carried out,” Ahmed said softly again, almost sadly. “I
have no choice. You have violated the priestess’ chamber.”
    “Priestess?” I stammered.
    Sari was still squeezing my arm. I tugged it away. She crossed her arms
resolutely over her chest.
    “This chamber belongs to the Priestess Khala,” Ahmed said, lowering the
torch. “This is the sacred Preparation Chamber of the Priestess Khala, and you
have violated it.”
    “Well, we didn’t know,” Sari snapped. “I really don’t see what’s the big
deal, Ahmed.”
    “She’s right,” I said quickly. “We didn’t touch anything. We didn’t move anything. I don’t think—”
    “Shut up, you fools!” Ahmed screamed. He swung the torch angrily as if
trying to hit us.
    “Ahmed, my dad will be here any second,” Sari repeated, her voice trembling.
    We both turned our eyes to the tunnel. It was dark and silent.
    No sign of Uncle Ben.
    “Your father is a smart man,” Ahmed said. “It is too bad he wasn’t smart
enough to heed my warnings.”
    “Warnings?” Sari asked.
    I realized she was stalling for time, trying to keep Ahmed talking until
Uncle Ben arrived.
    “I frightened the two workers,” Ahmed confessed to Sari. “I frightened them
to show your father that the curse was alive, that I was prepared to carry out
Khala’s wishes.”
    “How did you frighten them?” Sari demanded.
    He smiled. “I gave them a little demonstration. I showed them what it might
feel like to be boiled alive.” He turned his eyes to the tar pit. “They didn’t
like it,” he added quietly.
    “But, Ahmed—” Sari started.
    He cut her off. “Your father should have known better than to return here. He
should have believed me. He should have believed in the Priestess’ curse. The
Priestess cursed all who would violate her chamber.”
    “But, come on, you don’t really believe—” I started.
    He raised the torch menacingly. “It was decreed by Khala more than four
thousand years ago that this sacred chamber would not be violated,” he cried,
gesturing with the torch, leaving a trail of orange light against the darkness.
“Since that time, from generation to generation, descendants of Khala have made
sure that the Priestess’ command was obeyed.”
    “But, Ahmed—” Sari cried.
    “It has come to me,” he continued, ignoring her, ignoring us both, staring at
the ceiling as he spoke, as if speaking directly to the Priestess up in the
heavens. “It has come to me as a descendant of Khala to make sure the curse is
carried out.”
    I stared past Ahmed to the tunnel. Still no sign of Uncle Ben.
    Was he coming? Had Sari’s beeper worked?
    What was keeping him?
    “I volunteered to work for your father to make sure that Khala’s sacred
sanctuary was not violated,” Ahmed continued, shadows flickering over his
menacing face. “When he would not heed my warnings, I had to take action. I
frightened the two workers. Then I planned to take you away, to hide you until
he agreed to stop his work.”
    He lowered the torch. His face filled with sadness. “Now, I have no choice. I
must carry out my sacred duties. I must keep the ancient promise to Khala.”
    “But what does that mean ?” Sari cried. The orange torchlight revealed
her frightened expression.
    “What does it mean?” Ahmed repeated. He gestured with the torch. “Look around
you.”
    We both turned and glanced quickly around the chamber. But we