As the conversation reached its conclusion, Rosie bade her friends farewell before switching off the computer perched atop the plain white desk at which she was seated within the modern, minimalistic New Cairo apartment that was her home; soon settling herself upon a coffee-coloured leather armchair inside the spacious living area. Almost immediately, her mind began to take stock of the somewhat unsettling turn the strange sequence of events had taken.

Of course, most would scoff at the suggestion that some ancient, embalmed body could ever be returned to a living state; indeed, she herself had been highly sceptical of such matters before the aristocratic adventurer had opened her eyes to a whole host of strange, supernatural occurrences on their many archaeological expeditions together, thusly the concept of the dead walking the earth once more was nothing new to her.

For instance, there was the time Rosie had accompanied her friend and a handful of fellow archaeologists in search of Shikei; a fabled Japanese island said to have been ruled by the legendary Queen Kusuguri-Zeme sometime in the 7th century CE. The uncharted island, its location long forgotten, lay enshrouded beneath an unshifting fog bank, entirely invisible from above; access could only be achieved by passing through the treacherous teeth of the rocks encircling an inlet, ensnaring the rotting timbers of sailing vessels from centuries past.

Once encamped upon the island, within coastal woodland not far from the cove, the group had sat huddled together around a campfire as darkness descended; discussing details of the following day's exploration. Yet as the first rays of dawn fought their way through the fog bank encircling the island the next morning, it was discovered that Stacey, a student of archaeology based at the California State University, Sacramento, had seemingly disappeared without trace during the night. As a sense of impending doom descended, there had been murmurings amongst the group, some taking the student's mysterious disappearance as an ill-omen; at last it was decided to press on with the exploration survey in the hope that the missing girl would eventually turn up.

Wandering many miles through tangled woodland, crossing fast-flowing, freshwater streams descending from a mountain peak, its jagged summit dominating the skyline like an angry finger aimed accusingly at the gods, the group arrived at the rotting remains of an enormous torii gate; apparently the entrance to the ancient queen's empire. Yet outside the imposing wooden archway, the group were met by a most unsettling sight; that of Stacey, the student's ankles sealed inside a set of wooden stocks, soles exposed. The attractive, 20 year-old blonde was dead, of that there was no doubt, however the actual cause of death could not be determined; upon the body, not a single scratch or any other injury was discovered.

Painted in what appeared to be the rust-coloured remains of dried blood, possibly human in origin, was a centuries-old warning daubed upon the gate; vowing vengeance upon any that dared disturb the long-dead queen's eternal rest with threats of tickle torture. Nevertheless, the increasingly gloomy group had passed beyond the open portal of the torii gate, heading high into the mountain forests in trepidation. Here and there, human skulls sat perched atop wooden poles, seemingly staring down at the group with grinning jaws as they followed the forest paths up towards a plateau; doubtless survivors from the many shipwrecks upon the rocks, decapitated by whichever unseen threat continued to dwell upon the island.

Upon the plateau, many miles from a fortress stronghold nestled against the mountain summit, stood the rotting remains of a settlement, its ancient timbers and tattered tatami matting affording the group little shelter against the elements; the climate becoming decidely cooler the higher they had ascended. It was there that the group had decided to set up camp as once again dusk descended, though in truth, none amongst them relished the prospect of resting within what resembled a ghost town; instead, a sleepless night was spent settled around a campfire, listening intently to every creak and rustle from the forest below.

It was at around midnight that they appeared. From the fortress far away in the distance, a dozen or so skeletal samurai, still clad in ancient armour, still serving their queen centuries after her death, emerged from the shadows; advancing on the group with menace. At once, a battle ensued, some members of the group in the possession of firearms; yet bullets merely bounced off the undead samurai armour. Soon the group were overwhelmed before being bound with ropes, skeletal fingers fumbling with the bootlaces of their captives before baring their feet; the samurai giving a whole new meaning to the term foot soldiers as feathers were flicked back and forth expertly across exposed soles.

Finally the group were marched away towards the mountain peak, bare feet treading tentatively across razor sharp rocks en route; the eerie, forbidding fortress silhoutted against the skyline as dark clouds descended. Soon a storm had blown in as the bound archaeologists were led within the walls of the fortress, its rotting remnants faring no better against the elements than the settlement far below; the group sealed inside a stone cell by the samurai. Escape was impossible, it appeared, for staring from the cell's window, the prisoners had witnessed several hundred skeletal samurai assembled within a courtyard below; a warning, if it were needed, that resistance was futile.

As the hours passed by, presently a pair of samurai returned to the cell, seizing Doctor Brenda Barrow; the expedition's leader. For some time after the unfortunate female was led away, still securely bound, screams of torment echoed across the mountainside, apparently emanating from the palace across the courtyard; continuing long into the night until finally silence descended.

The following evening, once again a pair of skeletal soldiers returned to the cell, this time seizing Sandy and Rosie; soon marching the young women away across the courtyard towards the palace. Inside the once grand residence, the pair's eyesight adjusted to the gloom beyond the sealed portals of the palace, its interior illuminated only by a few flickering torches mounted upon the rotting wooden walls; presently, Queen Kusuguri-Zeme appeared in their midst. The evil empress, doubtless possessed of the powers of a sorceress, took the form of a withered corpse clad in a decaying kimono; parchment-thin flesh continuing to cling tautly to her skull. Long locks of onyx hair enshrouded sneering facial features, the deep set eyes encircled by dark shadows; pale, piercing irises exuding menace; at once, she ordered that a skeletal servant seize Rosie.

As the servant bowed low before the long-dead queen, a feather held forth between bleached finger bones, it was at once snatched as the cackling corpse proceeded to torment Rosie's soles; screams of distress seemingly exciting the empress. Fortunately for Rosie, her friend had not been idle all the while, working at the bonds securing her wrists behind her back; finally she had freed herself. Pulling a pistol from its holster, she had fired upon a wall-mounted torch, causing it to collapse to the timber floor; at once engulfing what little remained of the once fine furnishings. With a hiss of fury, Queen Kusuguri-Zeme advanced upon the aristocrat, however a well-aimed shot to the temple forced the evil empress into the heart of the inferno; the corpse combusting upon contact with the flames.

Upon freeing Rosie from her bonds, the pair still had the unenviable task of crossing the courtyard and its accompanying army of skeletal samurai ahead of them; however upon throwing open the portals of the palace, it appeared the spell animating the undead legion had been broken now that their queen was no more. And so it had only remained to release the others of the group before fleeing the fast-burning fortress...

Rosie shuddered as she attempted to cast all recollections of her experience upon the island out of her mind, a destination the Egyptologist was determined she would almost certainly never return to; the memory of Shikei had done little to inspire any confidence in her. Thankfully, security at the museum had since been doubled following the break-in, and so she could at least take comfort in the fact that the mysterious headband of Queen Tikeltootsi would remain safe; until such time as it could be subjected to scientific study.

Of course, there remained the very real possibility that she herself may well have been in imminent danger, assuming the aristocrat's words of warning were correct, she considered; deciding it safest to remain at home until the following day when her friends would arrive from England. Suddenly feeling decidely sticky in spite of the welcoming breeze of an overhead fan, the city still scorched by the blistering heatwave, she decided to take a relaxing shower after the long journey from Luxor; perhaps it would help to take her mind off the mystery of the missing mummy, she hoped.

Pausing to peer from a window of the apartment overlooking New Cairo, she observed that the few people passing by continued to swelter out in the streets; soon entering the bedroom, she at once perched herself upon the brass-framed double bed before removing her attire consisting of a tan-coloured, cotton safari-style shirt and matching cargo shorts; feet shod in a pair of dusty desert boots of brown leather.

Entering the ensuite bathroom, the Egyptologist soon breathed a sigh of relief beneath the soothing, steady stream of luke warm water cascading upon her head and torso, seemingly washing away her worries; some minutes later she emerged, feeling thoroughly refreshed, before slipping into a white towelling robe and matching coloured foam flip-flops. Yet as Rosie replaced her spectacles upon returning to the bedroom, towel-drying her hair all the while, she was met by a most unsettling sight standing in the open doorway; that of a pair of intruders.

The first was a slender woman attired in coal-coloured robes, facial features buried beneath a hood, though not completely concealing a sneering expression; at her side stood a well-built brute clad in crimson robes, his head similarly obscured. At once, a million-and-one thoughts flooded the thoroughly alarmed Egyptologist's mind. Who were these intruders? Had the pair picked the lock in order to enter her apartment, or had she simply left the front door open in error? Yes, that could be it,she pondered; perhaps the pair were merely a couple of concerned neighbours to whom she had not yet been introduced. And if not, then what could they possibly want with her, she wondered; suddenly realisation slowly dawned upon her, for fairly obviously her friend's warning that she may well be in danger had been correct.

"Doctor Stone, I presume?" enquired the woman in an arrogant tone, her words spoken in Egyptian Arabic before turning to bark an instruction to her cohort, "Tie her up!"

"But Delta, we didn't bring any rope!" bemoaned the brute beside her.

"Well then improvise, you great ox - tear some strips of sheeting from the bed!" frowned the female before turning her attention towards Rosie with an unsettling smile, "I'm so sorry about Sa'id, I'm afraid he isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer!"

Before Rosie could offer so much as a whimper of objection, she was suddenly seized by Sa'id before being forced facedown upon the bed; upon tearing a couple of strips of cream-coloured cotton sheeting, the brute began to bind the Egyptologist's wrists behind her back, her ankles bound between a brass support of the bed frame, feet fast immobilised.

"And now, you will remain silent until you are spoken to, or Sa'id here will break your arm! He may be a hopeless case when it comes to completing even the simplest of tasks, but there are some things he does very well!" warned Delta, turning her attention towards Rosie's soles; slipping off the Egyptologist's flip-flops before dropping the foam footwear to the floor.

"Another pair of pretty feet for me to torture..." she observed enthusiastically, crouching beside the bedpost, "And now, you will answer my questions truthfully if you wish us to leave you in peace! The headband, where is it?"

"Headband? What headband?" bluffed Rosie in a timid tone, for the Egyptologist was fluent in the local language, "I know nothing of any headband!"

"The headband of Queen Tikeltootsi!" snapped Delta, "We were told you had taken it away for further study, so where is it? Answer me!"

"There must be some misunderstanding, I haven't come across any headband, I can assure you!" exclaimed Rosie in rising alarm.

"Have it your own way!" sighed Delta, "To tell you the truth, I much prefer it when I am forced to loosen my victims' tongues, I find the situation to be far more satisfying!"

At once, Sa'id pressed a pudgy palm over Rosie's mouth, silencing the struggling young woman's protestations; at once, Delta produced a raven feather from within her robes, softly stroking the exposed, squirming soles with its teasing touch. As the torturous caress continued, Rosie scrunched her soles, writhing wildly in torment; the muffled sounds of mirth emanating from her mouth causing her captor to flick the feather back and forth with increasing fervour.

"Let us hope that has jogged your memory a little!" sneered Delta after no little time had elapsed, eventually desisting the assault, "And so now I will ask you again! Where is the headband of Tikeltootsi?"

"I told you, I don't know! Please, just leave me be!" implored Rosie as the palm was removed momentarily from her mouth; tears streaming down her cheeks.

"So, it seems the cat still has your tongue, but no matter! You will talk sooner or later!" frowned Delta, fast losing patience.

"The other one wasn't so stubborn!" observed Sa'id with a shrug of his enormous shoulders.

"Other one? What other one? What do you mean?" wondered Rosie.

"Your colleague at the museum!" revealed Delta, "She was soon singing like a canary after a little light tickle torture!"

"You mean Petra?" replied Rosie, "Where is she, is she safe?"

"She's a bit tied up at the moment..." sneered Delta, "And gagged, naturally! But that's enough questions from you! I am the inquistor and you are my victim, don't forget!"

Once again, the fleshy palm was pressed over the hapless young woman's mouth; the feather flicked feverishly back and forth across the exposed, slightly perspiring soles. Soon, the tip of the feather had crept its way between each toe before being swished in a circular motion upon the balls of the bare feet; finally it fell upon the heels in a hellish flurry of frenzied strokes. However before the fanatic could abuse the arches of the Egyptologist's feet, Rosie finally relented; a series of frantic, muffled murmurings indicating her decision to surrender the desired information.

"The vault! It's sealed away inside the museum's underground vault!" she gasped once the hand-gag had been removed, "But you'll never succeed in breaking in, it is electronically locked!"

"We do not need to break into the vault, you will open it for us!" demanded Delta.

"But I can't open the vault, only the curator can do that!" corrected Rosie.

"Then we will return to the museum and force this curator to open the vault for us!" announced Delta with some degree of triumph detectable in her tone; at once, Rosie regretted her statement for fear that the old man may come to some harm at the hands of these obvious fanatics.

"Well this time you won't be able to take advantage of any freak storms causing a powercut to cover your tracks!" she exclaimed eventually in satisfaction.

"That was no freak storm, you fool - it was summoned by the high priestess of our order to assist us in our scheme to steal the sarcophagus!" sneered Delta, the revelation causing Rosie no little alarm; these fanatics fairly obviously possessed great powers, she acknowledged.

"Well your storm-summoning spells won't work a second time, the vault is sealed with an electronic combination!" she shrugged, "It can't be unlocked in the event of a complete loss of power!"

With a groan, Rosie realised that once again she had revealed far too much information. Upon instruction, the burly brute covered the captive's mouth once more; Delta, tiring of the turn the interrogation had taken, began to idly flick the feather back and forth across the exposed, squirming soles. Turning to address her cohort, she quizzed the red-robed acolyte as to their options.

"There is no time to break into the vault tonight!" shrugged Sa'id, "It is the evening of the eclipse, the night that the resurrection ritual is to be performed by the high priestess! We must return to Luxor by nightfall to pay our respects as our queen is returned to us!"

"Yes, the blood moon rises this very evening... I had almost forgotten in my haste to complete our mission..." confessed Delta in dismay.

"But do we dare return to the temple empty-handed?" enquired Sa'id, "For we will surely be punished for our failure to recover the headband!"

"It would seem we have no choice..." sighed Delta, "Yet we have at least succeeded in securing the headband's location! If we are fortunate, we will be granted a second chance to retrieve it!"

Placing the feather upon the floor before rising to her feet, she instructed Sa'id to remove the palm planted firmly over the Egyptologist's mouth; at once the acolyte obeyed the order.

"Now look, I've told you all I know, so please - let me go!" implored Rosie, struggling somewhat against her bonds but to no avail, "You promised you would leave me in peace!"

"You are far too trusting, for it was always our intention to kidnap you - already you have learned too much!" sneered Delta, "When our queen is returned to us, she will require captives such as yourself to torture to her heart's desire!"

At once, the woman removed the restraint securing Rosie's ankles to the brass bed frame before the captive could protest to her treatment at the hands of the fanatics. Tying the torn sheeting over Rosie's mouth, the Egyptologist was fast hauled to her feet before being bundled out of the bedroom door; immediately marched out of the apartment and into the external corridor.

Fortunately for Rosie's abductors, no neighbours appeared that could potentially hinder their plans, for anyone with even an ounce of common sense currently remained inside their own apartments; enjoying the comfort of the air conditioning units that took the edge off the infernal heat. Outside in the deserted street, the bound and gagged Egyptologist found herself being bundled into the back of a battered black van; soon the vehicle sped away to the south, its destination the Valley of the Kings...