Only these bronzemen’s limbs had melted into formless lumps that had since re-solidified. The only evidence that remained of their former humanoid shapes were their heads sticking up at odd angles from the lumps of re-hardened molten metal.

Jack arrived at the statue.

Tall and man-shaped, it stood with its back to him.

It was similar in design to the bronzemen and silvermen, only taller and made of gold.

A goldman, Jack thought with a jolt of fear, recalling the golden claw that had seized Dion’s men earlier.

He was about to step past the goldman when something else occurred to him: two lines from Imhotep’s skull.

Speak not in the presence of the gold ones: only in silence may you pass.

And:

Look not in their faces, or thine eyes will not see again.

As he looked at the human body and the melted bronzemen on the floor, he also recalled the injuries Dion and his Squires had acquired: melted eyes and skin.

Jack turned to Lily and used sign language:

Don’t speak. Signing only.

Tell Easton no talking.

Wait there. Dead body ahead. Going to investigate.

Don’t look at the statue’s face.

Lily nodded back at him, signing, Okay.

This was, Jack reflected, another bonus of knowing Alby. It was because of Alby that Jack, Lily and Zoe had learned sign language many years ago. Some people—people like Dion—might have considered being deaf a weakness, but here it was a strength.

Jack gazed up at the back of the goldman statue.

It towered over him, facing the other way.

Its pedestal was about a foot high, so the goldman, almost touching the ceiling with the top of its head, must have been close to seven feet tall. Its metallic golden body shone dully in the blood-red glow of the ceiling orbs. Its arms ended at fierce-looking claws. It had definitely been a goldman that had been pursuing Dion’s group.

How am I going to do this? Jack thought.

Just keep my eyes down, I guess. And don’t look back at its face.

Jack peered into the darkness beyond the goldman.

About fifteen metres past the body and lumps on the floor, he saw another under-tunnel.

He signed to Lily, Tunnel ahead. Going to check it out.

Lily nodded in reply.

Jack swallowed and, keeping his eyes determinedly downcast, slowly and carefully stepped around the goldman.

The statue didn’t move.

Didn’t come alive. Didn’t lunge at Jack or tear him to pieces.

It didn’t do anything.

It just stood there, ominously still.