Egypt

Egypt is the destination of a return mission and the setting of Theodosia’s first close encounter with a pharaonic necropolis. In the account of her arrival and journey inland, the country shifts from a place associated with antiquities and the artifact’s rightful resting place into a landscape she can see and explore for herself.

Destination and Return

The Brotherhood asks Theodosia to take an object back to Egypt, describing the country as its rightful resting place. The request comes with an explanation of why the task has fallen to her: the Brotherhood has sent all its operatives to Germany in pursuit of von Braggenschnott, whom they believe has the Heart of Egypt. Messages to those operatives would take weeks to arrive without exposing their cover, leaving the local offices deserted and no one available to carry out the return themselves.

Arrival at Alexandria

A few mornings later, Theodosia stands aboard the Rosetta Maru as it approaches Alexandria. She sees the city’s towers, turrets, and flags outlined against a brilliant blue sky, then turns her attention to the harbor. The sunshine itself is a striking part of the arrival: after a long stretch without seeing a ray, she welcomes its warmth. Alexandria’s name already carries associations with mystery and antiquity for her, so the city is at once a real port coming into view and the threshold to a history she has long studied.

The Valley of the Kings

From the harbor, the journey reaches the Valley of the Kings. Nabir leads Theodosia through a maze of canyons to a narrow gorge at the valley’s bottom, where the necropolis comes into view. Her excitement arises from the difference between studying historic finds and seeing a tomb in its entirety, as it was originally built and conceived rather than in fragments. The tomb of Thutmose III lies at the far end of the valley. A lone guard recognizes Nabir, exchanges a few words with him in Egyptian, and lets them pass; Nabir then leads Theodosia to a small cave and returns carrying a long ladder. Egypt thus becomes more than the faraway source of artifacts: it is the place where archaeological knowledge gives way to direct, physical exploration.