Tut

by P. J. Hoover

  “You never deserved to rule,” I said. “And you’re the one who ruined everything. It all came down to you. Because you were worthless and jealous and angry that your son died. That wasn’t my father’s fault. Things like that happen. You can’t look for excuses and blame other people. You should be thankful he’s gone, because he couldn’t stand to see what kind of monster his father has become.”

  Horemheb’s face reddened like he was choking. “Don’t you dare act like you’re better than me, Tutankhamun. You have never been better than me. You are nothing.”

  I’d had enough. “Maybe I am nothing. But I’m not going to play this game any longer. I’m done. Let Henry go, and you’ll never see us again.”

  Horemheb laughed as if I’d told a joke. “Please. I will never give up my quest for revenge. Now give me the knife.”

  “No.”

  “Careful, Great Master,” Colonel Cody whispered from my shoulder.

  Horemheb wrapped his fingers tightly around Henry’s throat. “It’s going to get hard for him to breathe.”

  I stood frozen in place. What could I do? There had to be a way out of this that didn’t end up with Henry dead.

  “I don’t have it.”

  “You’re lying, Boy King,” Horemheb said between his gritted teeth. “I can sense its power.”

  I couldn’t sense anything but my situation spiraling out of control.

  “The knife. Or your little friend dies.” Horemheb looked down at Henry, struggling in his arms. “Hanging out with the royal family can be dangerous.”

  “Let Henry go,” I said. Even as it came out, I knew it sounded like a plea, because that’s exactly what it was. I was not going to let this happen. Henry had done nothing to deserve this. Nothing except be my friend. And even if that meant a death sentence for me, it was not going to be one for Henry.

  “What did you say?” Horemheb asked.

  “Let him go, and I’ll give you the knife.” I pulled it out from under my shirt.

  Horemheb’s eyes widened. “Ah, now that’s more like it.”

  “Don’t give it to him, Tut!” Henry said. “Take the knife and run!”

  I smiled inwardly. Henry had no idea. There was zero chance I’d run away and leave him here to be killed by Horemheb. The earth was more likely to implode on the spot.

  Horemheb ignored Henry, licking his lips at the sight of the knife. “Bring it to me slowly.”

  I took a deep breath … and felt the scrolls from the Book of the Dead still tucked under my jacket. And remembered that I still had one spell left.

  Maybe I couldn’t kill Horemheb in vengeance. I couldn’t use the knife. But I didn’t have to be the one to sentence him to death. He deserved to be judged. And he would be.

  In my mind, I went over the spell from the Book of the Dead.

  I took another step toward him.

  Horemheb reached for the knife.

  I held it out. And in one swift motion, I slashed at him, nicking the side of his hand.

  Blood sprang up from the cut. Horemheb let go of Henry, and the cut on his hand sizzled as his exposed blood hit the air. Just like when he’d cut my side, the knife had wounded him. Not enough to kill him—but I didn’t need to kill him.

  Horemheb snarled at me and grabbed the knife. And then before I could stop him, he lunged out for Henry with the blade.

  Henry dropped to the ground. I barely had time to see his blood before Horemheb was on me. He held the knife over my chest, directly above my scarab heart. Great Osiris, he really was going to use it.

  24

  WHERE I END MY IMMORTAL LIFE

  “Ready to die?” Horemheb asked. He shifted his grip on the knife and blood from the cut on his hand dripped down on me. I moved so that the blood would fall on my chest. And then the words came to me—the same spell I’d chanted so long ago in my tomb: “The Judgment of the Dead.” It hadn’t worked back then because I didn’t have power over the Book of the Dead. But this time I did. The words to the spell were hidden in my memories. I was going to get them right. I was out of time and options. This had to work. Horemheb’s blood seeped through my shirt and onto the scrolls. I chanted faster.

  Behind Horemheb, the wall of the monument started to glow. Light sprang from the scrolls. I kept chanting.

  “Don’t waste your time,” Horemheb said. “It’s too late.”

  He thrust the knife downward.

  Colonel Cody leapt from my shoulder onto Horemheb’s hand, knocking his hand to the side just before the blade pierced my skin. He struggled with Horemheb, trying to pry the knife from his fingers.

  Edges became distinct on the glowing wall and a portal appeared, pure gold and glittering with gems. Engraved with spells from the book itself. This was it. The spell was working. This was the door to the afterworld. When the last word dropped from my lips, the spell was complete. The portal to the afterworld was active.

  “It’s not too late for anything,” I said.

  With every bit of strength I still had, I kicked Horemheb away from me.

  He flew toward the portal. Colonel Cody still struggled on Horemheb’s hand, pulling at his fingers. The knife Horemheb clasped finally fell to the ground. Horemheb passed through the portal. I barely had time to see Horemheb open his mouth to scream before the portal sealed and the light extinguished. And then Horemheb was gone. He’d have to face Maat now. It was the only way to pass on to the Fields of the Blessed. She’d weigh his rotten heart and feed him to the crocodile goddess, Ammut. He would be devoured.

  It was only then that I realized Colonel Cody was gone, too. My faithful shabti. He’d passed through the portal with Horemheb. I’d never see him again. He’d given his life helping me defeat my enemy. The price was too high. My heart ached, but I didn’t have time to mourn him. As the power from the spell drained from me, I jumped up and ran over to Henry.

  “Great Osiris!” I knew it was useless, but I pressed my hands over his neck.

  The ground below him was a pool of blood. His neck looked like someone had done a bad job of trying to cut off his head; the cut extended from just under his left ear almost to his chin.

  Henry’s eyes opened. “Is … he … gone?”

  “Shhhh!” I said. “Don’t talk. I’m going to get you to a hospital.”

  “You … did … it,” he rasped. “Horemheb…”

  I nodded, hoping the horror wasn’t showing on my face. Not that Henry would have recognized it. I’d seen people die before. I knew what death looked like. Horemheb had delivered a fatal wound to Henry, and now he was going to die.

  “We did it,” I said. “I sent him to be judged by the gods.”

  A small smile reached Henry’s white lips. “Thanks … for being … my friend.”

  He had a hard time getting it out, but I had a harder time listening to it. What kind of friend was I? Henry was going to die.

  I slammed my fist into the ground. “It’s not fair! You can’t die.” I couldn’t believe I’d let this happen. “I never should have let us become friends!”

  “No…,” Henry started, but stopped from the effort of it.

  How could I even look him in the eye? I may as well have sliced his throat myself. If only I could heal him. At that moment, I would have done anything, and yet there was nothing I could do.…

  … except …

  I dug up every bit of faith I had.

  “Please, Osiris, save him,” I prayed. “Take my immortality. Take my life. But please save him.” I knew it might be futile, but it was all I had left.

  I had to have faith. Without faith, there was no hope. Without hope, there was nothing.

  Osiris heard me.

  He appeared in front of me and bent down, placing one hand on my chest and one hand on Henry. And then every bit of energy that filled my scarab heart drained from me.

  25

  WHERE GIL TURNS UP THE HEAT

  I guess that’s where Gil found us, even though I didn’t wake up until the next day
. I opened my eyes and found Gil hovering over me on the futon back in our town house.

  “You almost died,” he said. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days. His dark hair hung in greasy strands, escaped from a bad attempt to be pulled back. His face was the color of rice. And the bags under his eyes could have held a gallon of water each.

  My hand went to my chest. The warmth I’d known for so long was gone. My scarab heart was dead. “Are you sure I didn’t die?”

  “Pretty sure.” Gil handed me a glass of water.

  I took a long drink and set the glass on the table. Lieutenant Virgil rushed forward and filled it back to the rim. I instinctively looked around for Colonel Cody.

  He wasn’t there.

  He’d been lost in the battle, giving his life to ensure Horemheb reached the afterworld without the knife.

  Great Amun, I was going to miss the little shabti. I could almost imagine his small golden face offering to end his own existence for some ridiculous oversight. I’d counted on him for everything. He was the only one who’d never lied to me, never failed me. I’d never told him how much he meant to me. Now I’d never have the chance.

  The rest of my shabti army stood at attention, with one arm crossed over the other, in concentric circles around me. They didn’t move, almost like they were truly statues instead of sentient beings.

  My head spun as I sank bank into the futon. “I feel horrible.”

  Gil tried to smile, but it couldn’t seem to fully form on his face. “You looked horrible when I found you.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “How’s Henry?”

  “He’s fine,” Gil said. “Happy to be alive.”

  Would it be hard for me to adjust to my drained scarab heart? Already I felt the emptiness in my chest like a hole begging to be filled. But there was nothing to fill it with. Henry needed the energy from my heart more than I did. He would have died otherwise. And anyway, I’d been immortal an awfully long time.

  “You know, what you did up there—” Gil started.

  I put up my hand. “I don’t want to talk about it.” Maybe I’d want to in the future, but right now, I felt too … empty. Even though I’d never have changed what I’d done for anything.

  “If you ever do…”

  I forced out a smile. “I’ll let you know. Did Horus make it back yet?”

  Gil’s face tensed. He was actually worried about Horus, too. “I haven’t heard anything from him.” And then he looked away.

  “What?” I shifted on the futon and felt sweat start to bead up on my forehead. I motioned Major Rex forward. He seemed to be in charge now that Colonel Cody was gone.

  He ran to me and bowed. “Yes, Great Master?”

  “Would you mind opening a window?”

  Major Rex bowed again and snapped his fingers. It was nice to know they still loved me, even if I wasn’t immortal anymore.

  Two shabtis opened the window and cool air blew into the town house. But I kept sweating.

  Gil let out a deep breath and spoke. “It’s all my fault.”

  I shook my head. “Nothing’s your fault.”

  “I’m supposed to protect you,” Gil said, ignoring my words.

  “No,” I said. “If anyone’s to blame for anything, it’s me. Henry was about to die, all because I let him get too close. I should have never become friends with him in the first place.”

  “Tut, having friends is never something to regret,” Gil said. “You’re the best friend Henry’s ever had.”

  Drowsiness was starting to cloud my mind. “How do you know that?”

  “He told me,” Gil said.

  “When?” I asked.

  “This morning while you were still asleep,” Gil said. “Henry recovered quickly.”

  “He came by?” I asked.

  Gil shook his head. “No, he called. He’s afraid to come over.”

  “Afraid?” I narrowed my eyes. “Why?”

  “Because he thinks you’ll regret what you did,” Gil said. “He thinks you’ll be sorry and never want to see him again.”

  I opened my mouth to say something, but stopped. Sure, part of me did regret it. Losing my immortality. My future. But it was the only thing to do. It’s what a friend would do. And I was Henry’s friend.

  “It’s not Henry’s fault,” I said. “I made the decision, and even if it’s a change, I’ll get used to it. Maybe I should go see him.” I stood up, but the change in elevation made stars spin in my head. Gil caught me and settled me back on the futon. I wiped sweat off my forehead, but our town house had gone from warm to downright hot.

  “You’re not going anywhere,” Gil said. “This will be my last failure.”

  “Failure!” I said. “You never fail at anything.”

  Gil put on a wry smile and sighed. “I’ve lived my life as one constant failure after another. I ruined tons of people’s lives. My best friend died because I was stupid and selfish and only thought of myself. I lost the throne. And then that kid died.”

  “I’m as much to blame for that as you,” I said.

  Gil ignored me. “I’ve always felt like no matter how much good I do, I’ll never be able to balance it all out.” He grabbed my shoulders and looked me in the eye. “Now I’ve failed you. And I will make this up to you, Tut. I swear it on my mother’s name.”

  My eyelids started to droop at that point. Maybe being mortal, I’d get tired more often.

  “You don’t have anything to make up,” I said. “And could you turn down the heat?”

  “No. I don’t think so.”

  I tried to force my eyes wide at that point, because the tone of his voice clued me in to the fact that something was seriously wrong. But heat descended on the town house. I realized, even through my drowsy mind, where it was coming from.

  “What are you doing, Gil?”

  Gil smiled, and clarity like I hadn’t seen in ages moved onto his face. “Don’t you know?”

  I sat up, but the heat kept coming—from Gil. He was turning the entire town house into an oven. The shabtis ran over, ostrich fans in hand, but one look from Gil and they stopped in their tracks.

  I knew what he planned to do then.

  “Stop it now,” I said. “This isn’t what I want.”

  Gil held up the golden knife. “You don’t have a choice. I said I’d make it up to you, and it’s what I’m going to do.”

  Inside my chest, my human heart started to pound. And Gil’s scarab heart started to glow. I fought to keep my eyes open, but the heat was too much. The last thing I remember seeing was Gil talking to the shabtis. For a moment I wondered if they wouldn’t listen to him, since they thought he was a heathen. But then I realized they would. They’d want to help me as much as Gil wanted to. I opened my mouth again, thinking I could tell them to hold Gil back, but words wouldn’t come out.

  26

  WHERE I DREAM ABOUT BUGS

  I had a strange dream. I was back in the monument, cutting open my chest. My side ached in my dream, but it didn’t stop me. I hardly had to touch the knife to my skin before it opened. And then I reached into my chest and closed my hand around what I found inside.

  In my dream, when I pulled my hand out of my chest, my heart pulsed between my fingers—my human heart. I watched it beat—over and over—hypnotized by the rhythm. And even though my human heart was no longer inside me, life poured through me.

  I sort of floated over to a table that had been set up against the wall. There lay the Book of the Dead. I placed my beating heart in a shallow clay bowl and unrolled the scrolls. From the book, I heard a spell. I wasn’t speaking it myself. Somewhere in my dream, the spell came, words in ancient Egyptian. I heard it over the sound of my beating heart. I picked up a roll of gauze and my human heart, and with swift movements, I began to wrap the heart—to mummify it.

  When I finished, I shoved the wrapped heart back into my chest. Even in my dream, I gasped when I felt it reconnect. This was the start of it. I was being mummified. But here in my dream
, it didn’t frighten me.

  Next, I picked up a Canopic jar. I wanted to see what was inside, so I lifted the lid.

  Scarabs poured out and began to crawl over me. But where they crawled my skin stung, as if somehow they were digging into my flesh.

  “Don’t slap so hard,” I heard.

  Another slap.

  “He’s waking up.”

  My eyes fluttered open to see Major Rex’s green face only inches away.

  Slap. This time on my leg.

  “Stop it!” I said.

  “But, my lord, the scarabs are getting out of control,” Major Rex said. “We formally request permission to annihilate the beetle population.” He made sure to stand all of his six inches tall when he asked it.

  “Wow, that sounds a little final,” Henry said from somewhere in the room.

  I rubbed my eyes, sitting up. Slap. Near my foot this time.

  “You can kill half of them. No more.” Fifty percent should be able to hold the population until Horus got back. If Horus got back. Which I really hoped he did.

  “But Master,” Major Rex said. “That would still leave approximately—”

  I put up my hand. “Half. No more.”

  I looked around the town house. Gil was gone, but Henry sat on the green camel seat.

  “Hey,” I said carefully, not sure how he would react.

  Henry ran his fingers through his mop of blond hair, pushing it off his forehead. He looked different, but I couldn’t quite place why.

  “Hey,” he said. “You slept for a long time.”

  I stretched to get my blood circulating again. “I guess I was tired.”

  Henry shifted like he had a thorn in his bottom. Camel seats weren’t the height of comfort, so I could understand.

  “I wanted to thank you,” he said, placing a hand over his chest. I’m not sure if he even knew he was doing it.

  “It was nothing,” I said.

  But Henry shook his head. I guess he wasn’t going to let the fact that I’d healed him and drained my scarab heart in the process go. “No, it wasn’t nothing. It was everything. I’d be dead right now if it weren’t for you.” He looked down at his feet. “That’s like the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me.”