Princess history. V. Speys

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СКАЧАТЬ of Agurmi were surrounded by a high wall built by the townspeople from all the same clay found in these places everywhere. Entrance to the capital of the oasis led through the city carved gates with engraving, heavy wings of which were made of palm tree. In the afternoon the gates opened from the very morning, and everyone could enter and leave the city. Agurmi is located around a rocky hill on top, which is the temple complex of the Oracle of Zeus-Amon Ra.

      From a distance, Kshatra was struck by the fact that the elevation on which the temple of Amun stands resembles a man-made gigantic Buddhist stupa. Yes, it could not be otherwise, the priest guessed, because the erection under the temple of a giant, in several underground passages, a labyrinth could only be done when a shelter was built for this purpose. For the departed highly developed races that lived before us, with their construction technologies, this was feasible work. A clay soil, building material, is selected from the vicinity, which is confirmed by the formed valley below sea level around the rock. The departed civilizations possessed technologies of transformation of clay soils on hardness comparable to rocky rocks, which is confirmed by this elevation on which there is a temple complex. Reflecting on this, the path seemed imperceptible. And now the donkey entered the open gates of Agurmi and Kshatr sent him to the center of the city to see the temple complex, surrounded by high walls of four human height. The gate to the temple complex was wide open, and Kshatr sent his donkey to the foot of the steps. At the first step of the staircase he dismounted and standing beside the donkey waited. A long time passed. The sun reached its zenith, mercilessly burning the shaved head of the priest. Here on the dais, though a fresh wind blew, but bumping into a barrier of high walls, lost its freshness and was not felt here at all. Ksatr has become accustomed to the heat of his long life. He learned to endure with ease and patience all the hardships that human existence alone is capable of under the scorching sun of the deserts, blown out by the dry winds of khamsin. Only his donkey could not withstand the searing sunlight. He loudly began to cry for help, issuing such plaintive tones in his voice that he could not hear the animal, could not at all in the temple, who were probably closely following the newcomer. Apparently, however, the desperate cries of the animal became unbearable for the closed priests, as a servant sent by the high priest left the doorway of the sanctuary. He did not go down to the alien and from the heights of the steps shouted to Kshatra:

      «What do you and your companion need here in a holy place?»

      – Drink the donkey, and meet with the supreme Ur Hem Neter, the guardian of the shrines of the Oracle, talking with Amon! Answered Ksatr. Hearing him, the minister disappeared into the temple. After a while he reappeared with a wooden tub filled with water and a scoop, and descended the steps, put the bucket near Kshatra, scooped water out of it and handed the scoop to Kshatra. The donkey did not wait for the invitation to the tub, but immediately lowered his head to the water, began to drink. When the guests got drunk, the clerk said:

      «The Supreme Guardian is waiting for you.» Go straight to you meet the high priest. I’ll take the donkey, I’ll give him food, the laws of hospitality are sacred here, just like our land in the oasis of Amun Ra.

      With these words of a servant, Kshatr, from a sack loaded on a donkey, took out the bundle wrapped in soft linen cloth, and then handed the donkey reins to the temple attendant and began to walk up the steps to the doorway of the entrance to the sanctuary. From here, from the staircase, the interior of the room was not visible, the blackness of the door opening, an impenetrable curtain hanging over the entrance leading into the sanctuary. Kshatr entered the room. The eyes that kept the bright light of the sun’s rays, did not see anything around.

      «What are you asking, guest from the desert?» – the voice of an invisible person who addressed him unexpectedly, sounded out of this darkness, made him start in surprise. Ksatr turned his head mechanically to the speaker’s side. Through the scattering gloom, as the eyes became accustomed, a figure of the high priest Ur Hem Neter appeared in a white, long toe-robed apparel. Below, near the ankles, along the perimeter of the clothing was a red wide with human palm embroidery strip with a woven golden thread, which gave the clothes of the keeper of the temple of the Oracle a rich decoration. The same embroidery ended with wide sleeves at the wrists of the hands. The head of the priest was clean-shaven. The eyes were summed up in black, emphasizing the gleam of the pupils, which made it difficult to tear off the view, which gave the priest a hypnotic advantage of influencing the interlocutor and the ability to subordinate him to his will. The room was cool and full of spicy honey smells, mixed with the smell of wax and incense incense.

      – Greetings to you a descendant of the tribe of the priests expelled from the temple of Shiva Nataraja, that in Hindustan and who found refuge here in the oasis of Amun. I am the supreme priest of the temple of Lord Shiva from the shores of the Indus, brought you a sacred gift that must be preserved in the labyrinth of treasures, along with priceless treasures stored in the bowels of this sacred place. Accept and preserve this divine gift there. With these words, Kshatr unfolded the cloth, and the crown gleamed with a pomegranate ruby sparkle, the stones interspersed with leaves in a frame of black metal.

      – About! cried the high priest of the god Amon. «This is the Black Crown of the Gods!» – This priceless relic should be kept here in the temple of the god Zeus-Amon Ra! – he wailed excitedly.

      Author’s note:

      From the ancient papyrus, the description of the Crown of the Gods – «On a narrow round hoop of black metal, thin, rounded, broadened at the ends black bipartite leaves bent outward. In the three sheets of a slightly larger size, apparently marked the crown, sparkling large scarlet stones, apparently rubies. Above the leaves, the bands of the same black metal were folded inwards. Ahead, where there were rubies, the strip ended with protruding teeth. On each side on the ground, which corresponded to the head on the head, golden discs were embedded in strips. In the center of each disc there were sticks of strange gray color, in the form of short posts, with flat ground ends. They dazzled brilliantly in the sunlight, eclipsing the burning of rubies. Exactly the same stones were embedded in the back strips, joined by two arms above the parietal part of the ornament.

      A careful glance could be noticed that the special brilliance of the gray crystals came from the small particles scattered inside the clouds with metallic mirror-like ebb.»

      – I am forced to bring this sacrifice here in this place, where the greatest commander of Alexander the Great, the Oracle called the son of the god Zeus-Amon Ra! And the Black Crown of the Gods is meant for a man whose veins are the blood of the gods.

      – You, the repository of the relics of the gods, doubted the predictions of the Oracle? – The threatening voice rumbled high priest.

      «No, I do not enter into disputes with the gods, for they lead the destinies of mortals.» I brought this gift for storage in a labyrinth of treasures, and ask to place the Black Crown of the Gods in the vault. Kshatr demanded to the keeper.

      – I cannot do this, because I do not have a second key to open the door to the labyrinth of treasures. The second key must be kept by Pharaoh of Egypt Ptolemy XII. «Pompously with arrogance,» answered the priest, looking contemptuously at the stranger.

      – «It dislikes, and then there is a second copy of the keys.» Those who built the labyrinth certainly took care of this. "Kshatra thought bitterly, and said aloud:

      «Today, on the night of the vernal equinox of the twentieth day of the month of Pakhon, Ptolemy XII will be here.» His caravan is approaching the oasis. Give him honors worthy of his royal person. And lead to the labyrinth. Show all the treasures. Give him the opportunity to replenish the treasury, to restore the power СКАЧАТЬ