Aegyptus Cryogenta
by
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Isis Carolyna approached the gilt archer standing erect yet mobile on his floorboard of the chariot. His bow was at full draw with a high anchor point drawn to his cheeks. The bow was the most curious part: the arrow rest was a small tube, and inside was an arrow ready to be fired. Isis thought for a moment. Could this be a prehistoric revolver? The idea clung to her as her sparkling blue eyes scanned over the rest of this interesting contraption. To her right was a thin disc with twelve bronze tipped arrows, or bolts, as this was rather a crossbow, which connected to the tube by a lever. Movement from the slightly visible platform some twenty yards north from this point activated the lever. The chariot wheels were to move an inch closer to its driver's victims as each bolt was consecutively fired, in turn, until the chariot was in a position next to the chamber exit. Behind her, to the right of the archer, was an empty corridor. Isis flashed her light in that direction. Empty. She continued down the path until she saw something. Adrian unlatched the coffin's lid and slowly opened the mummy case. Inside was a perfectly bandaged mummy. It closely resembled a cocoon from a butterfly in its shape. Its arms were crossed diagonally, a mask of silver gleamed above. Its fingers were individually wrapped and wore rings of faience and jade, bangle bracelets covered its wrists. Adrian touched the heart scarab of enameled cedarwood. Snap! A jeweled glove of fine royal linen lay silently on the untiled floor in front of her. She stepped closer. The floor shifted and Isis felt herself falling. "Adria-aaan!!" she screamed. One of her hands grasped the ridge of the pit and held tightly until she could regain her footing. Her flashlight tumbled downward. It flashed its golden light onto the rigid spikes of gem hard diorite sticking upward to puncture through any falling bodies. "Help me!!" An explosion of dust blinded Adrian as the mummy's arms shot out at him, and the arms were in a position to strangle him! Adrian kicked back at the corpse, but then realized that it was only gunpowder that caused the arms to burst out at him like that. He tried to put the wrapped arms back into its place, tried to avoid the jewels that now fell to the rock floor beneath them and rolled along into the rat grotto to his left. "I'm coming!" He pushed the coffin aside and watched as the mummy crumbled to the dusty floor, its jewels of gold and lapis, colored glass and silver falling in place with it. "Enough! I've had enough! Amyrteos, you devil." "Help me Adrian! I'm falling!" Adrian jumped over the rat condo and into the passage, tumbled past the arrow mechanism, which fired four darts in his direction, in which he dove to the floor. His head landed to face Isis's hand clawing at the dust of the floor. He got to his feet and darted to her rescue. "You okay?" "I-I think it would be better if we stay together." "This way." He sighed at the mess of fallen arrows. They continued down the path to the arrow-studded lintel, and walked down a sloping hall. Adrian walked in first. . . He slipped on the incredibly smooth floor and fell on his back. Isis said something but was silenced when she glanced upward to see a funnel dispense a mass of white sand down to the tub of a sloped passage on which he struggled to keep a foothold. "Adrian! Stand up, or you'll drown in that-" "I think it was intended to be flooded with sand. Another sand trap, no doubt. Here, give me your hand." She helped him to manage a crawl, and back to the doorframe he went. When the sand had filled the sunken hall to a level worthy of walking on, they continued down the path. Adrian halted at the sealed doorway. "What is it?" asked a weary Isis. "I see something up there, above the lintel. It's a wedge of some sort. I don't think I can move it." "Here. Let me. . ." Isis stood beside the doorframe. It had a gilt lining with several partially hidden spikes protruding downward. Isis saw this and backed away. "What's wrong?" Adrian wondered aloud. "Hand me my snorkel." Without asking, he produced the Plytex breathing apparatus. She handled it and touched the sliding wedge with it. The metallic frame charged down and quickly sliced the snorkel into halves. A guillotine indeed.
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About the Book
The year is 3149 AD. Time-traveling archaeologist Adrian Laos and his team have discovered the ancient Pharaoh Amyrteos in his secret tomb, frozen in a cryogenic sarcophagus. His arch-nemesis is a Vampire Emperor from Persia, who once awoken has an old score to settle with Amyrteos. This war continues throughout time as the team pursues the Vampire, Vladimir Magnus, and is later pursued themselves in this sci-fi adventure.
About the Author
Michael J. Costa graduated from California State University in Hayward, CA, in 1999 with a degree in Anthropology-Archaeology option, during which time this book was delayed and completed. His published novels include The Flawed Emerald ©1995 (Eye of the Pharaoh ©1990), Tears for Isis ©1991-1993, Aegyptus Cryogenta ©1998-2002; and his scientific series of Maatism I: the Search for Truth ©1995, and Maatism II: Superphysics ©1998. He enjoys computer games, art, writing, and solving ancient mysteries with psychic ability. He is considered an adept of the Ancient Egyptian occult religion, from which his interests lay.