October 5th, 1924
George remained silent as they traveled through the city and back to the barracks. He had a lot to explain and sadly could not say everything. Things had to be worded correctly. It was not that he was trying to hide anything about the piece of metal that was in Peters pocket when he died but if one was not careful during a time of loss the smallest of things could set one off. This was not something he wanted to do. He didn't want to upset the Lord Major anymore than he already was. George knew the feeling of loss. Peter might not have been blood but he did look at the man as if he was a brother. Peter had been the closest person to him other than his sister and she never could understand what they had been through during the war or after. He hoped she never would.
Thankfully the thought of death was not playing on the minds of the vendors that ran back and forth outside of the museum. There were plenty of them and rightfully so. The museum was a prime location for tourists to come and see all the treasures of Egypt. They could sell their wares for a hefty mark up, passing many worthless items off as historical artifacts. Most didn't know the difference. Many would approach Lauren while she was outside, trying to sell her trinkets or statues. To anyone that had lived in Cairo more than a month, it would be easy to spot a scam. Thankfully there were two cat meat sellers out front and they wouldn't be hard to spot. Their carts smelled of heavy burning incense to cover the smell of the meat. Both were middle ages men, one more robust than the other. The thinner one would be easier to deal with but drive a higher price. The more rotund one would be an ass to deal with but one could haggle the price down further. (Feel free to control and have fun with the haggle.)
Vera nodded slightly as she reached out to the arm of a chair to steady herself and sat down.
"Set is the patron God of the Desert, of Chaos and Disorder." There was much about Set, he was a big player in the history of the mythology of Egypt. The first thing that came to her mind though was his symbol.
"He is said to be the destroyer and ruled over Lower Egypt..." her words dwindling slightly as her eyes traveled around the room.
"In conflict with Bastet." Watching Lauren head out, Akhmed turned his attention back to Mosi. "Yes of course, this way," he said before leading her further into the museum and up the stairs to the second floor. As he went he explained. "That is the symbol of Set, or Seth. He was lord of the red, the desert, land where he was the balance to Horus' role as lord of the black, the soil, land. He was a skilled fighter but he killed his brother Osiris, wanting to rule over all of Egypt. Osiris was Horus's father. In the end, Set got the Lower Kingdom but he represented everything that threatened Egypt."
"Oh balderdash. Set was great and he had a right to rule as he was the decedent of Ra," the curator pipped in as they came to
three statues. "Here he is crowning Ramses III with Horus."
"The same could be said for Bastet and she had much more claim to Egypt being the eye of Ra than any others," Akhmed chimed back.
Vera nodded.
"Oh yes. The lioness. Cats. The Udjat. The sistrum even. She was attributed to the sun and the moon, the colors yellow, green, and gray. She was the daughter of Ra and the goddess of birth. I doubt there is much in Egypt that isn't attached to her in one way or another. She was life, while, well Set was death." Being the daughter of Ra, it made Bastet a key player in life and history or Egypt. Yet that was not a text that Josephine came across. She came across a book titled A Family Feud: The Contendings of Horus and Seth taken from the Chester Beatty Papyri.
Back at the barracks, George exited the car and waited.
"Perhaps a drink is in order sir, mmm." His voice was solemn as he spoke and he kept his head down. Whether that was in respect of trying to hide his mask was up to debate but there it was. He was ready to explain once he and the Lord Major had some privacy.
