Area 51: Excalibur-6 Read Free Page B

and by order of the great Pharaoh Khufu no one was allowed outdoors in sight of the Giza Plateau except himself and his high priest Asim. Given the strange apparition the previous day of the flying
    "spider," no citizens tried to resist the command. Khufu and Asim stood on the roof of the temple at the base of the pyramid. The night sky was clear. The red capstone no longer glowed as if lit from within as Khufu had Excalibur inside the scabbard now strapped to his own sword belt.
    Khufu could still see in his mind's eye the black spider that had come down from the sky. He did not understand what it was, but there was no doubt in him that it was a danger. Whatever entity controlled such a flying creature and was capable of fighting the Gods was indeed something to be feared.
    "What are we waiting for?"
    "When the sword is in the sheath, the"—Asim searched for the right words—
    "Chariots of the Gods cannot approach the capstone. You must take the blade out once more."
    Khufu drew the weapon. He watched as the capstone glowed once more.
    Asim continued. "Since you have removed the sword, the capstone can be approached."
    "By who? What Chariot of the Gods?"

    15

    "There, lord." Asim was pointing to the north.
    Something was approaching through the sky. Khufu started, and then realized it wasn't another air-spider. This object was shaped like an inverted dish and golden, reminding him of the glow that had surrounded him in the chamber far below during the day.
    "The Chariot of the Gods," Asim whispered.
    The object passed by overhead and hovered above the very top of the pyramid, five hundred feet above their heads. A glow extended down from the disk and surrounded the red Master Guardian. The Guardian was twenty feet high at the base and had been brought out of the Earth below by Asim and other priests, following instructions as handed down through the ages. It had been laboriously dragged to the top just the previous week to complete the pyramid by being dragged up the scaffolding that had been wrapped around the edifice. Although larger than blocks used in the structure, Khufu knew it was lighter because of the number of men needed to pull it, indicating that it was not solid. No one knew what it was made of, as the red surface had seemed to shimmer, and men feared to touch it.
    Khufu started as the Master Guardian separated from the pyramid, lifting into the air as if by magic. The golden object, with the Guardian in tow, began withdrawing in the direction it had come from, to the north. Khufu watched until it disappeared into the night sky, then he turned to Asim.
    "Where does it go?"
    "To a secure place, my lord. Separate from the key."
    "Why separate the two?"
    "The Master Guardian will be more secure if the key is not with it." Asim absently rubbed his empty eye socket. 'The sword you hold was once wielded by the greatest of the Gods. With it he controlled the Master Guardian, and in turn his entire domain."

    16

    Khufu looked at the smooth blade. He had never seen such fine metal. "It is a great weapon, then."
    "It is," Asim said. "Especially as it controls the power for the Master Guardian. It allows whoever has the sword to be very powerful." "And now?"

    "Have your troops scoured the desert for the spider creature, my lord?"

    "They have found no sign of the sky monster, but have apprehended all the people they found to the west."
    Asim nodded. "The prisoners must be part of what we do in the morning."
    "And?" Khufu pressed.
    "My lord, tomorrow we must complete the undoing of what our people have worked so hard to do over the past twenty years." He pointed. "The facing of the pyramid must be removed." "Why?"
    "It sent out a signal, my lord, but it did not bring the Gods as hoped, but their enemy."
    Khufu knew the pyramid could be seen far away, and he imagined that if one could be in the sky as the spider creature had been, it could be seen at a great distance indeed. He did not wish for a repeat of that. "It will