The Golden Goblet

Neither Heqet nor the Ancient find information about their targets. After no results and dangerous misadventures, Ranofer loses faith in their spying until he considers that Gebu must be stealing at nighttime. Despite his fear of khefts and his promise to the Ancient, Ranofer bravely follows Gebu one night. He envisions demons in the darkness and encounters something terrifying that he later thinks may have been a cat rather than the kheft he imagined.

Doubting he will become a goldsmith, Ranofer takes the Ancient’s advice and commits to learning stonecutting. While studying a scroll detailing plans of a tomb, he observes a small superfluous room. He asks Gebu about it, but the man strikes him. Later, Gebu confronts Ranofer about his interest in the scroll. He hits Ranofer in the face, bloodying his lip. Ranofer, angry, yells at Gebu that he was trying to learn. When Gebu leaves, Ranofer defiantly searches Gebu’s room for food and discovers an exquisite golden goblet shaped like a lotus blossom, with a silver stem and inlaid silver band, hidden in a chest and wrapped in old rags. Ranofer thinks that no one could craft such a treasure, perhaps not even Zau.