Rise of Ancients: The Sample

Chapter 1: Discovery

"Love, tears, and whiskey went into the creation of this book. I hope you enjoy these chapters as much as I did writing them. While just a sample, I look forward to being able to provide the euphoric kiss of paper on your finger tips, and the warm aroma of autumn leaves rising from the pages."
- Allen

A hot sun beat down on a silent, rolling countryside. Toasted-tipped grass slipped through a boy's fingers as he ran through the golden field behind a rustic cottage. A new day dawned. Bugs leapt from their places of rest to avoid the giggling giant. Stopping in an opening, he spun around and crouched to the ground. From the grass emerged a small lizard that excitedly leapt into the boy's hands without hesitation. With pure delight, he brought the small lizard up to his face. As if sensing his joy, the lizard looked up at the boy's smile and flicked its tongue.

Chapter 1: Discovery

Tuesday 4:30 AM

"The shipment arrived last night!" Running through the lab, Melissa beamed with excitement. "We haven't seen anything like this in years. Today feels like Christmas!"

Jeremy watched as his over-energetic coworker gathered her papers. "You know we've done this before, right?" He was too tired to share in the excitement, but he still enjoyed watching Melissa. How could he not? Every movement she made was like a dance.

Bracelet charms acquired on their recent vacation jingled on her wrist as she moved gracefully about the room. Her light brown hair bounced with each step. As luscious hazel eyes locked onto his, a puppy-love smile spread across Jeremy's face. He was nearly old enough to be her father, but that barely kept them off each other. He ran his fingers through his thick, silver-streaked hair and went back to his work.

"But this one is nearly as ancient as you," Melissa teased. "I can treat this like our thorough examination last night."

Jeremy could feel his heart start to race as the night replayed through his mind. His life had been mundane before Melissa. Weeks, glazed over with excruciatingly similar projects, moved along a seemingly endless lazy conveyor belt. Even the Friday after-work ritual of ordering the same dark ale at the same bar down the street had lost its gleam. Her playfulness made him feel twenty years younger.

"Go prep the room, and I'll be right in there."

"Yes, sir." With a wink, Melissa strutted off into the next room. In the center of the room, on a lowered table surrounded by red lights and standing cameras, lay a stone sarcophagus. Her eyes slipped over the intricate etchings and painted images that adorned its sides. In the nine years that she'd worked for Regenifact, she'd never come across a relic such as this. Instead of proclaiming great deeds and blessings, this individual came with the image of Osiris; the caretakers of this individual went against tradition. Scenes of death wrapped around the stone container. Painted beneath the feet was an image of Anubis and his scales. Tipping the scales and holding a feather high was the head of a jackal. She grabbed a loose camera off a nearby table and started to take pictures of each scene on the sarcophagus.

"Any idea who this could be?" she shouted toward the door.

Jeremy looked up from his work and walked over. "No idea. Based on where this was found, he had to be someone important, though." Curious, he eyed the golden face on the sarcophagus. "The file we got with this says that it was found in a tomb discovered outside of Cairo. Everything was cleared out years ago, but scans picked up a second chamber behind the main one. After they busted the wall down, the only thing in the room was this thing here." He nodded toward the sarcophagus.

"It doesn't make sense," Melissa muttered. "Why would they put so much effort into this sarcophagus but leave so little for him to take into the afterlife? Who was this guy?" Placing down the camera, she eyed the lid. "I know we should wait for the others, but I'm itching to get this thing open now."