Michael Belmont and the Tomb of Anubis (The Adventures of Michael Belmont) Read Online Free Page B

nearly witless and refused to enter the passageway.
    Dr. Farley sent one of the diggers to the surface to bring back some additional equipment and fetch his two assistants so that they could begin to explore the passageway, but when they returned, the Doctor and five workers were dead.   They all had terrified looks frozen on their faces, and rumor has it that their eyes had all turned green.   No other marks were found upon the bodies."
    "Sir, when you say that their eyes had turned green, what exactly do you mean?" asked Michael.
    "The color of their eyes had changed to green.   A brilliant green.   All of the men previously had brown eyes, except for Dr. Farley, whose eyes had been blue."
    Mr. Osiris stroked his beard for a moment, and then said, "But again, this is only a rumor.   The details of the deaths and the state of the site have been kept very quiet, until now."
    "Aiden, do you think the mysterious deaths could have anything to do with the Tomb of Anubis?" asked Mrs. Belmont.
    Suddenly Michael remembered that this was the name of the jackal headed Egyptian god.   The wolfish man he'd seen in the painting was holding a staff that reminded him of Anubis.
    "Come on, Rachel," said Mr. Belmont. "The Tomb of Anubis is nothing more than a legend."
    "Don't be so sure," she told him pointedly.   "You know that references to the tomb have appeared in several of the ancient manuscripts we've come across lately."
    Her husband rolled his eyes.
    "I tend to agree with your husband, Rachel," said Mr. Osiris.   "The legend of the Tomb of Anubis is an interesting one, but some of the aspects of the story are very far fetched, and I'm afraid there's no real evidence for any of it."
    "What aspects are far fetched?" Michael asked him.   "I mean, what exactly is the Tomb of Anubis anyway?"
    His father cut in.   "Michael, the tomb of Anubis is supposedly the very place where the god Anubis would escort the dead through the veil to the afterlife.   We know that it's only a myth because the ancient Egyptian gods aren't real, are they sweetheart?"   This last part he said while giving his wife a patronizing grin.
    She stuck out her tongue at him.
    "At any rate," said Mr. Osiris, ignoring them, "as you may or may not know Declan, your uncle Shamus was infuriated when the site was closed.   He demanded that a more thorough investigation be conducted after the deaths of his companions, and he even volunteered to lead it himself.   He also believed that the excavation should continue despite the unfortunate events.   His requests fell upon deaf ears however, and the site remained closed."
    "Yes," said Declan nodding his head, "I did know.   In fact I spoke to him after the dig was closed, and to say that he was infuriated about it hits the nail right on the head.   It wasn't long after that when he seemed to have fallen off the face of the earth."
    He got a very serious look on his face.   "I've never told this to anyone before, but I think he may have re-entered the tomb to investigate on his own, and if he did, it appears he never came out again."
    Osiris nodded.   "You are not the first to suggest such a thing, but I can tell you that the main entrance to the tomb remained under guard and appears not to have been disturbed, so if that was the case he must have found another way into the necropolis that nobody else has yet discovered."
    Mr. MacDonald stared into the distance, a contemplative look on his face.
    "Is there a chance that Uncle Shamus is still alive?" piped in Liam.
    "No," his father told him, "he was nearly eighty years old when he disappeared, and that was about seventeen years ago.   Also, he wasn't the kind of person who would just disappear quietly without contacting anyone.   He was too much of a people person, to put it mildly."
    There was silence for a few moments.
    "It's a strange story," said Mr. Belmont.   "Aiden, do you have any idea why the government is now willing to reopen the dig?"
    "Well,