by Chris Blake
She was carefully painting kohl round the king’s eyes.
Tut waved Isis away. “I’m so nervous,” he told them. “Tom! Come over here and fan me.”
Even though it was night-time, it was still hot. Tut walked over to the window and looked up at the full moon. Tom followed, waving a giant feathered fan.
“Why are you worried?” Tom asked. “You’re going to a party, and parties are fun.”
“This isn’t just any old party,” explained King Tut. “It’s in honour of the god, Amun. I need to show everybody in Egypt that we’re returning to the old ways. Hopefully, they’ll all cheer up then, and I can drag the country out of the mess my dad got it into!”
“You’d better get ready then!” said Tom, pointing at the linen outfit laid out for the king.
Tut chuckled. “You too. You need some kohl round your eyes. A king’s servants must always look their best.” Tut clicked his fingers in Isis’s direction. “Make him look presentable, Isis.”
“Good idea! But less of the clicking, Tutty Boy!” Isis said, grinning. She rushed over to Tom, holding a fine brush loaded with the black goo.
“No way!” Tom cried, pushing her away. “Makeup is for girls!”
“No, it’s not!” Isis said. “In Ancient Egypt we used it to protect our eyes from infection and the rays of the sun. You should know that, Professor Smartypants!” She smiled smugly at Tom. “Besides, I’ve had to disguise myself as a boy on our adventures – so it’s only fair that you wear this kohl.”
Although he hated the way the brush tickled, Tom groaned and let Isis paint round his eyes.
When Tut had finished dressing, Tom and Isis helped the king put on his jewellery. Tom lifted a heavy collar that had been hanging on a stand by the bed.
“Wow! This weighs a ton,” Tom said.
“It’s solid gold, studded with precious stones,” Tut said. “It looks fancy, but wearing it makes my neck ache.”
Tom spotted an ankh containing a gem that looked very much like one of Anubis’s amulets.
“Look at that!” he whispered, nudging Isis and pointing at the ankh. “Do you think that could be the sixth amulet?”
Isis squinted at the bright stone, sighed and then shook her head sadly. “I don’t think so.”
Once again, Tom wondered if Anubis had set them an impossible task.
As he strode into the torch-lit banqueting hall behind King Tut, Tom’s glum mood lifted. The hall was packed with richly dressed people. All the guests, even the men, were wearing makeup, jewels and headdresses.
“It’s like a fancy dress party,” Tom said to Isis.
“They look gorgeous, don’t they?” Isis sighed, staring at all the ladies’ dresses.
Balanced on top of everyone’s head were wax cones. As they melted slowly, they filled the air with sweet-smelling incense. In a corner of the room, musicians were playing a harp, a flute, a lyre and a lute. Best of all, the tables were spread with a feast.
Cleo didn’t wait to be invited. She sneaked a fish from a platter and gobbled it down.
“What is all that?” Tom asked Isis, eyeing the strange dishes.
Isis rubbed her tummy. “Oh, proper food!” She grabbed a hunk of meat and sandwiched it in a flatbread. “There’s all sorts of yummy things here. Gazelle, pelican …”
“I love nuts!” Tom said, grabbing a handful. Then he helped himself to some pelican. It tasted a little like roast chicken. “A bit chewy, but not bad at all.” Next, Tom started to eat some bread. “Aargh! There’s grit in this!”
“A bit of sand won’t hurt you, silly!” Isis passed him a goblet of some strange-looking liquid. “Here,” she said. “Wash it down with some beer.”
Tom peered into the goblet and saw some odd, floating lumps. “Er … no thanks,” he said. “It looks worse than pirate grog.”
King Tut took his place on a throne at the far end of the hall. Isis and Tom were ordered to stand on either side of him while the guests came forward to greet their king.
“The fine lady Neferet,” Vizier Ay announced, as the ugliest old woman Tom had ever seen shuffled up to Tut.
Her teeth were black stumps. She was so overloaded with jewels that she walked with a stoop. She eyed up Tut and snorted. “How’s a little boy going to defend Egypt?” Shaking her head, she added, “And the meat in the buffet was too tough. I couldn’t chew it!”
“Those teeth would find anything hard to chew,” Tom whispered to Isis and Tut.
Tut erupted into a fit of giggles, which soon got rid of the old woman.
The next to approach was a tall man dripping in gold jewellery. He was even more finely dressed than King Tut.
“The chief of police, the great Mahu!” Vizier Ay announced.
“Your Majesty is so gracious and strong and handsome!” Mahu said with a fake smile. “But if only he could give me more gold, I could keep the kingdom much safer.”
“Judging from the amount of gold he’s wearing, you pay him plenty already,” muttered Isis.
This time, Tut laughed right in Mahu’s face and the chief of police walked away scowling.
Tom thought about the riddle saying a ‘neighbour from the north’. Could one of the guests be the neighbour?
Tut clapped his hands. “Let’s have some music, Isis,” he said. “We need to liven up this party.”
Isis grabbed a lyre from one of the musicians and started to strum its strings.
“As you already know, I’m very musical,” she boasted to Tom, who rolled his eyes.
As Isis’s quick fingers played a lively tune, the party guests began to dance. Even Cleo and the palace cats joined in. Tom tapped his toes from the side of the dance floor. It wasn’t exactly his sort of music, but he had to admit that Isis was talented.
The fun didn’t last for long. Suddenly, a messenger ran into the banquet hall.
“Egypt is under attack!” he cried. “The Hittites have crossed the sea and invaded.”
Before King Tut could say a word, the guests panicked. Everyone stampeded towards the courtyard garden and one party guest slipped on a banana skin and fell into the pond. The buffet table was knocked over and an ostrich egg the size of Tom’s head hurtled through the air towards him. He ducked just in time. It landed with a loud splat on the chief of police’s head.
“Shall we get you somewhere safe, Your Highness?” Tom asked, trying to help the king out of his throne.
King Tut shook his head. “It’s all right, Tom. I’m staying put. Let all the guests go! Then I’ll have some peace and quiet.”
Shouting at each other, General Horemheb and Ay marched up to the king.
The general spoke first. “We must go to war!” he snapped.
“Nonsense!” said the vizier. “I think we should speak with the Hittite leader and sort this out. You must reason with him, King Tut!”
Tom nudged Isis. “So the Hittites are what the riddle was talking about! They’re the northern neighbours, planning to conquer the banks of the Nile.”
Isis nodded slowly. She turned to face King Tut.
“What do you think?” she asked him. “Are you just going to let those Hittites invade Egypt?”
Tut looked at the stern faces of the vizier and the general. Then, gripping the arm of the throne, he rose and stood as tall and straight as he could.
“No,” he announced. “And what’s more, I’m going to lead the army into battle!”
“You? Lead an army? What utter nonsense!” General Horemheb scoffed. “You’re far too weak. You’re an invalid, not a warrior!”
Tut looked at the floor and his shoulders slumped.
Tom clenched his fists. “That’s typical,” he muttered. “Grown-ups always think they know best, even when they don’t.” He stepped forward, hands on his hips.
“Tut is a very fierce warrior, actually,” Tom told the general. “And he can prove it!”
“I can?” Tut asked doubtfully.
Isis clapped him on the back. “Of cours
e you can!” she said.
General Horemheb folded his thick, hairy arms over his leather tunic. “Very well,” he said. His eyes narrowed. “If you can go hunting and bring back something big – and I mean really big, like a lion – then we’ll know you’ve got the skill and courage needed to lead an army in battle.”
Then the general started to snigger. It was obvious to Tom that he didn’t think Tut could complete the task or lead an army.
Tut gulped. “Right. Then I will!” he said in a shaky voice.
You can, Tut! Tom thought. You really can! He knew that the king didn’t believe he could succeed, but luckily Tut had Tom and Isis to help him. It wasn’t going to be easy to turn the boy king into a fierce warrior – but no challenge had ever stopped them before!
“Cheer up, boys! I’ve seen camels look happier than you two,” Isis said to Tom and Tut as they climbed into the king’s chariot. “Tutty Boy here is going to be a big success!”
Tom looked at Tut, who was getting tangled up in his bow and quiver full of arrows.
“Do you really think so?” King Tut asked.
“Of course,” Isis said, winking. “You’ve got a brilliant teacher – me!”
Tut shook the reins and the horses pulled the chariot slowly out of the palace grounds. Before long, they picked up speed. Tom closed his eyes and enjoyed the wind whipping through his hair as they raced towards the dry, sandy desert.
“I’m going to be terrible on the battlefield,” Tut said, sighing. “How can I fight with my bad leg? Maybe General Horemheb was right – I’m not strong enough to be a warrior king.”
“Strength isn’t the only thing a warrior needs,” said Tom. “Brains and bravery are just as important.” He thought back to all the opponents he and Isis had fought – powerful pirates, vicious Vikings, and great big gladiators. Even though they had been much smaller, Tom and Isis had managed to defeat them all.
“Listen, as long as you can use your bow and arrow, you’ll be fine,” Isis said. “Plus, you’ve got a fantastic chariot.”
As they flew over the rocky ground, Tom had to agree – riding in a chariot was even more fun than he could ever have imagined. He’d happily trade his bike for one any day!
“You don’t need to be the fastest sprinter in Egypt to be a great pharaoh,” Isis continued. “But you do need to be a good hunter if you’re going to win the respect of your people. So I’m going to teach you how.”
Tut raised an eyebrow at her. “You seem to know an awful lot about being a pharaoh.”
Isis giggled. “Natural wisdom,” she said.
Before long, the dry plains ended and the path became lined with long grass and trees. Tut reined in the horses and the chariot came to a halt near a large tree.
“Pass me your bow and arrow,” Isis told the king. “I’ll teach you how to use them.”
Isis walked fifty paces away from the tree. “Target practice,” she explained. “Tut, you’ll start here and then move further away as you get better.”
She nocked an arrow and fired it straight into the trunk of the tree. It hit the target with a satisfying thwack. Isis grinned.
“You’re such a good shot!” Tut said, clearly impressed.
“My father taught me,” Isis explained. “He was an expert hunter. And soon you will be too. Thanks to me, obviously.”
Isis passed the bow and arrow to Tut, who fumbled with it but eventually fired a shot.
“It’s nowhere near!” Tut moaned, as the arrow sped past the tree trunk.
“Never mind,” Isis said. “Just keep practising. And always get your next arrow ready as soon as you’ve fired one.” She turned to Tom. “You’ll have to collect the spent arrows or he’s going to run out.”
Tom didn’t like being bossed about by Isis, but he knew they had to work as a team if they were going to help King Tut and get the amulet.
One shot after another missed the tree trunk completely.
Tut flung his bow on the ground. “Oh, it’s hopeless. I just can’t do it!”
“Again!” Isis demanded, handing the bow back to him. “And this time, aim more to the left. You’ve got to allow for the breeze.”
After what felt like hours, Tut’s arrows finally started hitting the target.
“Right, now you’ve got to try to shoot something while you’re on the move,” Isis said.
Tom, Isis, Tut and Cleo piled back into the chariot. Tom held the reins.
“Yeeee-ha!” he cried as the chariot thundered off over the plains.
“See that clump of trees in the distance?” Isis shouted. “Try to hit them as we go past!”
As the chariot sped over the bumpy ground, it startled a herd of grazing gazelles. On long, nimble legs, the gazelles took off across the plain, kicking up a cloud of dust.
As they approached the trees, Isis instructed Tut, who took aim.
Tom skilfully steered the horses through the trees. They swerved round one tree trunk so fast that the chariot tilted on to its side.
“Now!” Isis cried, and Tut fired off an arrow.
One, two, three arrows pinged their way towards the trees … but not a single one found its mark. The arrows landed in the sandy soil.
Tom brought the horses to a halt. Panting and red-faced, King Tut slumped down to the floor of the chariot.
“I didn’t hit anything,” he said, sighing.
“You will next time,” Isis said, passing him the water bottle.
Suddenly, Cleo yowled and hissed. Her fur stood on end and she cowered at the bottom of the chariot.
“What is it, Fluffpot?” Isis asked.
They all peered into the long grass. Then Tom saw the problem. It was golden, with the biggest, shaggiest mane he had ever seen. And it was stalking towards them!
“A lion!” he whispered.
Tom looked at Tut, who was clinging on to his bow and arrow, frozen with fear.
“Tut, you need to do something!” Tom said.
“I can’t,” Tut said, trembling. “I can’t even hit a tree!”
Tom knew he had to take charge.
“You can,” he said, in a voice that was a lot calmer than he felt. “Get the lion in your sights and fire.”
The lion let out a low growl and flicked its tail. It took a step closer to the chariot, never taking its yellow eyes off them.
Tut took aim with his bow and arrow. His arm shook a little.
“When you’re ready, take the shot,” Tom said.
Tut let off his arrow. Tom bit his lip as he watched the arrowhead whizz through the air. It was a good shot, but at the last second the lion tossed his head and the arrow just grazed his ear.
The wounded lion reared up on its hind legs, towering above them.
RRRRROOOOOOOOAAARRR!
The sound was deafening. The lion’s jaw opened wide, flashing teeth as sharp as daggers. The ground beneath them shook as the lion charged at the chariot.
Tom gulped – he was out of ideas …
The lion let out another deafening roar. It was so close, Tom could see the fury in its eyes.
In a flash, Isis grabbed the bow and arrow from Tut and took aim at the lion.
Whizz … thwack! The arrow flew through the air and struck the lion right between its eyes. The snarling creature slumped to the ground.
Tom bent over and clasped his knees with relief. “That was close!” he said.
“I don’t believe it!” said Tut, staring at the dead animal. “You saved us, Isis! You’re a hero!”
Tom looked down at the lion and felt sad that his friend had had to kill such a magnificent beast. But he knew that she had saved their lives.
Isis didn’t seem troubled by the lion’s death, but Tom understood that it was because in Ancient Egyptian times, hunting wasn’t just for sport, it was for survival. Isis polished her nails on her linen dress. “Ready to head back?” she said, smiling.
Tut suddenly looked worried.
“But I’m supposed to have killed the lio
n,” he said. “If I return to the palace empty-handed, the general will—”
“Nobody needs to know it wasn’t you,” Tom said. “Besides, you did hit its ear.”
With the lion’s body strapped to the back of the chariot, the hunters began the journey home. As they rode through the dusty streets that led to the palace, people stopped and stared.
“Look!” one woman cried. “King Tut has killed an enormous lion!”
“The gods favour the king!” a man yelled.
Everybody started to join in. “King Tut is blessed by the gods,” they shouted. “Our leader will save us from the Hittites.”
The Egyptian people clapped and cheered them all the way to the palace. “You’re a star,” Tom told Tut. “They love you.”
Tut smiled half-heartedly. “They all think I’m a warrior king,” he said. “They wouldn’t be cheering so loudly if they knew the truth.”
“It doesn’t matter who killed the lion,” Isis said. “The main thing is you’re ready to lead your army into battle now. The Egyptian people wanted a strong leader, and now they’ve got one!”
Tut looked at the lion and bit his lip. “I don’t know if I’m ready to fight a war,” he said. “At least, not without you two – I owe you both my life.”
Casting his mind back to the riddle, Tom suddenly remembered the line about crushing the boy king’s foe beneath the chariot’s wheel. Going into battle would be dangerous; more dangerous than any challenge they had faced so far. But if they wanted to break Anubis’s curse, there was no other way. If we’re going to find the amulet, we’ve got to stick close to Tut, he thought. After everything he and Isis had been through together, there was no way they would give up now.
“We’ll go into battle with you,” Tom said, as he helped the king out of the chariot. “Won’t we, Isis?”
Isis nodded. “Of course. We’ll be by your side all the way.”
“Oh, all right then,” General Horemheb said to Tut. He wore a sour expression on his face. “You can lead the troops into battle.” He turned to Tom and Isis and pointed. “But I don’t want these two going with you.”
