Tut's Trumpet

by Allie Burton

  The End

  A Note from Allie Burton

  Thank you so much for trying my Indie published book. If you enjoyed TUT’S TRUMPET please consider giving it a positive rating or review at your place of purchase. In this brave new book world, the only way for a good story to find its way into the hands of other readers is if the people who loved it let others know. We authors appreciate any little bit of help you can give us.

  If you want to learn more about my other books, you can join my newsletter mailing list at www.allieburton.com. I only send out newsletters a few times a year, so it won’t be flooding your inbox on a weekly basis but will keep you aware of what’s upcoming.

  Are the trumpets real?

  While I took liberties in this book, Tutankhamun’s trumpets are real artifacts displayed at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt. There have been claims made by a former Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs that the trumpets possess “magical powers” and have the apparent ability to summon war. Discovered by Howard Carter in 1922, they were first played five months before Britain entered World War II. The trumpets were again played before the 1967 Six Day War, before the Persian Gulf War, and most recently the bronze trumpet was played one week before the Egyptian Revolution of 2011. This same trumpet was stolen from the Cairo museum during the Egyptian riots of 2011, and mysteriously returned to the museum a few weeks later.

  I love to hear what you think of the trumpets’ history and my twist on their heritage. If you have any questions or comments, or just want to say “hi,” please feel free to email me at allie@allieburton.com or connect with me on www.twitter.com/allie_burton and www.facebook.com/AllieBurtonAuthor.

  I hope you enjoyed TUT’S TRUMPET!

  Allie

  About The Author

  Allie Burton didn’t realize having so many jobs would become great research material for the stories she writes. She has been everything from a fitting room attendant to a bike police officer to a professional mascot escort. She has lived on three continents and in four states and has studied art, fashion design, marine biology, and advertising.

  When her kids asked, “when are you going to write a story we can read?” she switched from adult novels to Young Adult and Middle Grade and hasn’t looked back.

  Allie is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators, Romance Writers of America including the Young Adult, Dallas Area Romance Writers and Heart of the Rockies chapters. She is also a member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. Currently, she lives in Colorado with her husband and two children.

  www.allieburton.com

  www.twitter.com/Allie_Burton

  www.Facebook.com/AllieBurtonAuthor

  www.wattpad.com/AllieBurton

  Soul Slam

  Soul Warriors Book 1

  by Allie Burton

  A sixteen-year-old on her first heist to steal an ancient Egyptian amulet inadvertently receives the soul of King Tut…and the deadly curse that comes with it.

  And Olivia is not alone at the museum.

  A member of a secret society, Xander believes it is his place to inherit King Tut’s soul and justly rule. He knows nothing about the society’s evil plan to control the world or the curse. Now, he must deal with the female imposter who stole the amulet.

  Xander convinces Olivia they must form a temporary partnership. The two teens develop a connection, and together they must figure out how to end the curse before it turns deadly. On the run, unable to touch because of the curse, and managing the male soul inside her female body, Olivia must learn to trust Xander.

  As the mystery surrounding the amulet unfolds, Olivia and Xander start to fall for each other. But is love enough to save them and the world from destruction?

  Excerpt:

  Crawling ninja-style out of the sarcophagus, my black gym shoes hit the ground without a sound. But inside, a screech built up in my lungs and released on a heavy exhale, the scream so loud it sounded like an alarm. “Aiyeeeeee!”

  Xander and the old man froze.

  I lunged at the case, swooped in, and grabbed the amulet.

  A jolt rocked my body. Pain rocketed up my spine, but I held tight to the prize. Clutching the piece in both hands, I hit the concrete floor like a football player making a catch, and kept rolling.

  “A girl.” Xander’s surprised voice rose on a high note. “What the…Tut.”

  “Grab her!” The old man spoke in English.

  “Touch her?” Xander sounded horrified like I was the slime of the world. “I can’t.”

  “She’s got the amulet.”

  I tried to get to my feet, but the pulsing inside threw me off balance. I crashed back onto the floor. Pain seared my fingers and heat rushed my veins.

  My body jerked. My head spun.

  Something slammed into me from the inside, like it was in my body trying to get out. Back and forth I jerked. A powerful energy thumped from my ribcage to my stomach and back again.

  I trembled from head to foot. My vision blurred. Images swam before my eyes—a blue river, golden statues, Egyptian pyramids, deceit, and death.

  “What’s going on?” The sound coming out of my mouth warbled. “Am I dying?”

  This felt worse than the time I had pneumonia with no medicine, or the time I broke my arm and Fitch duct taped it…

  Fogginess seeped into my consciousness. If I blacked-out they’d steal the amulet, leave me to be caught, to go to prison, to face Fitch’s wrath.

  Whatever was inside me ignited like a nuclear bomb. My skin could no longer contain my insides. I’d explode into tiny pieces and scatter across the museum floor.

  “It’s happening… To. Her.” Jeb’s voice was faint as if coming from a distance, but I saw his shoes through squinted eyelids.

  “But it’s my right. My inheritance.” Xander stomped his sandaled foot near my head. “My destiny.”

  “It’s too late.” Jeb’s voice curled like a sneer with extra hatred. “The transfer has occurred. This stupid girl is now in possession of King Tutankhamun’s soul.”

  Coming Summer 2015

  Peace Piper

  Soul Warriors Series

  by Allie Burton

  Her mother imprisoned by a murderous Egyptian cult.

  An ancient instrument with powers to ensnare her teenage soul forever.

  A handsome warrior who trusts her with his life and who she must betray.

  Piper Akins hates working with brainy Soul Warrior Math to find the ancient trumpet of peace. She was chosen for the search because Piper doesn’t slip into unconsciousness when the trumpet is played—a connection from an unknown, but powerful father.

  Math was chosen for the quest because of his brilliance, but he wants to prove to his warrior brothers that he’s strong and more than just a brain. When Piper tricks him, he realizes he’s failed at both.

  As they pursue their mission, Math helps Piper discover her hereditary magic and teaches her to use the powers. She finds her true self and is drawn to him as they create their own kind of magic. Until Piper is ordered to betray Math to save her dying mother.

  Excerpt:

  The eerie quietness of my uncle’s pawn shop slithered across my skin, making the hairs stand at attention as if they knew something was wrong. It was the middle of the afternoon on a weekday. The shop should be crawling with down-on-their-luck people who traded precious objects for cash. Uncle Louie profited from people’s misery. The dirtiness of his business clung to me, and I always left needing a shower.

  From the back room, he dealt in stolen and black market goods. Illegal items. Magical relics. The reason for my visit today.

  Inching into the shop, I treaded carefully around the frayed carpet near the stairs and the dented linoleum floor. A moldy smell wafted from the bookcases. The shelves lining the walls were filled with clocks and paintings and other knickknacks the good people of San Francisco could no longer afford. The floor itself held antique couches and rocking chairs, musical instruments, and
even a fake mummy.

  I knew the mummy was fake because living in the basement of an Egyptian museum I’d seen the real thing. I’d seen lots of strange occurrences.

  My gaze shifted to the main counter holding precious jewelry underneath its glass surface. Black boots and the ripped hem of a pair of jeans lay on the floor sticking out from behind the counter.

  I sucked in a sharp breath. Uncle Louie? Stepping closer, my body trembled. Shock pulsed in an uneven rhythm through my veins making me lightheaded. I tried to control my reactions. Dealing with unusual situations was nothing new, but dealing with murder? I never saw that in the museum basement.

  Nausea built in my stomach and crawled up my chest. I slipped my cellphone out of my back jeans pocket ready to call the cops. I didn’t want to talk to the police knowing my uncle’s situation.

  Knowing my mom’s reputation.

  Knowing my secret errand.

  Best to investigate first. Find the object I came for. And then make the decision.

  Instead of calling the cops, I turned on the video app on my phone and started recording. Better to have visual evidence that I didn’t commit murder. The cops wouldn’t trust my word. Neither would Aaron.

  I tiptoed toward the counter and leaned over.

  Bob, one of Uncle Louie’s employees, lay motionless on the ground. A breath shattered out of my chest. My body trembled. It wasn’t my uncle, though I was sad for Bob’s sake. I didn’t see blood or a bullet hole or a knife wound. Bending down, I started to check for signs of life.

  A screeching noise came from the back room.

  My body stiffened. Every muscle contracted and tightened. I jerked my head up, listening. Someone was in the shop.

  The killer? Or my uncle? Or maybe he was both?

  Nothing Uncle Louie did surprised me. Anything to make a buck. I couldn’t take the time to discover how Bob died, I needed to find out who lived, who was making the noise. If it was Uncle Louie, then he could deal with this death scene.

  The screeching continued. The noise sounded like a badly-played instrument. Like a saxophone or a trumpet.

  My heart thudded and dropped, tapping at my feet like one of Tut’s gold sandals. Couldn’t be. Uncle Louie wouldn’t be so stupid to disobey the demands of the Magical Order of Crucis. Would he? I might be scared of Uncle Louie, but I was terrified of the Order. They held my life and my mom’s life in their fists. Or in Mom’s case, their secluded ceremonial temple.

  An urge to follow the sound tugged me forward. Only because it was my job. To retrieve Tut’s trumpet of peace. I didn’t believe in the magical properties the trumpet was supposed to possess.

  I followed the discordant notes into the short, dark hallway leading toward the bathroom, break room, and my uncle’s office. The gross bathroom was to the right. Door open and empty. A person had to be desperate to use the foul facilities.

  The break room was to the left. A shop employee lay on top of the table, a lit cigarette dangling from his hand. Motionless. No blood or gaping wound.

  The pounding in my heart increased to a speed so fast it sounded like a bomb was about to explode. The hairs on my body didn’t just stand at attention, they froze in place. Holy hieroglyphics.

  Moving past, I knew I couldn’t help the guy. I glanced at my cell phone that still recorded my walk through the land of the dead. Calling the cops would be the smart thing to do, the right thing to do. But Uncle Louie would kill me, unless he was dead too.

  And Aaron, the leader of the Order, would anoint a fate worse than death.

  Indecision danced across my own grave. Be killed by the killer or call the cops and be killed by Uncle Louie or Aaron. Which will it be, Piper?

  “It’s a valuable artifact.” Uncle Louie’s greedy voice slid into the hallway like a wheeling and dealing snake.

  Shivers raced down my spine. The fear that he was dead faded. The fear that he might kill me never waned. The instrument still played.

  “Worth lots of money.” Uncle Louie continued his sales pitch, although he slurred his words. Which was weird because Uncle Louie didn’t drink. “The trumpet came with a special shipment from Egypt.”

  Said trumpet blared in my head confirming my suspicion and heralding my demise. Uncle Louie was selling Tut’s trumpet of peace. Aaron would be furious and the Magical Order of Crucis would take retribution.

  On Uncle Louie, and on me.

  The urge to dash into the room and rip the trumpet away from the player pulsed inside of me. To save myself, my mom, and the trumpet.

  “How much?” A nasally-voice asked.

  The trumpet screeched a high, out-of-tune chord so there must be a third person in the room. The need to play the trumpet rushed through my veins and twitched in my fingers. I could play so much better even though I’d never had a single music lesson or touched an instrument in my life.

  The desire to play battled with fear of this same desire. Teasing and taunting, fighting for my soul. My job was to pick the trumpet up from Uncle Louie and deliver it to Aaron, not play the instrument.

  The Magical Order of Crucis believed the trumpet of peace would bring harmony to the world, and Mom would be free from her pain and suffering. Camel dung.

  How could Tut’s trumpet bring peace when it had already caused death?

  Atlantis Riptide

  Lost Daughters of Atlantis Book 1

  by Allie Burton

  Sixteen-year-old Pearl Poseidon ran away from the circus tired of her adoptive parents’ abuse of her special skills. As a runaway, she craves anonymity but when she saves a small boy from drowning she draws attention to herself and her special abilities. Boardwalk employee and aspiring investigative reporter, Chase Thomas, helps her with the rescue and witnesses her amazing dive.

  Now, he has questions. And so do the police.

  Unbeknownst to Pearl, a battle rages under the Pacific between Loyal and Non-Loyal Atlantean forces and each side wants to use her powers for their cause. Will the commotion in the ocean expose her secrets to the world? Will Chase’s reporter-determination ruin their chance for a real relationship? Will staying near the ocean she loves catapult into a battle royal?

  Other Books by

  Allie Burton

  Soul Warriors Series

  Soul Slam

  Peace Piper (Coming Summer 2015)

  Cleo’s Curse (Coming Summer 2015)

  Lost Daughters of Atlantis Series

  Atlantis Riptide

  Atlantis Red Tide

  Atlantis Rising Tide

  Atlantis Tide Breaker

  Atlantis Dark Tide

  Atlantis Twisting Tides

  Atlantis Glacial Tides

  TUT’S TRUMPET

  Soul Warriors Book 2

  Copyright © 2015 by Alice Fairbanks-Burton

  All Rights Reserved

  No part of this book may be reproduced, downloaded, transmitted, decompiled, reverse engineered, stored in or introduced to any information storage and retrieval system in any form, whether electronic or mechanical without the author’s written permission. Scanning, uploading or distribution of this book via the Internet or any other means without permission is prohibited.

  Please purchase only authorized electronic versions, and do not participate in, or encourage pirated electronic versions.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

 

 

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