The Spitting Cobra (11 page)

Tiya was silent. Then she sighed heavily, as though defeated, and stepped towards a wooden box in the corner of the room. Isis caught a glimpse of soft linen and beaded jewellery as Tiya rummaged in its depths. She plucked something out and walked over to the men, her arm outstretched. On the palm of her hand lay the gold bracelet.

‘Is this what you are looking for?’ she asked.

Isis guessed it wasn’t. The three men gaped, their eyes bulging. Isis saw a smile curl at the corner of Baki’s mouth, which he quickly wiped away.

‘What did I say?’ exclaimed Baki. ‘This is all the evidence we need.’

‘Take it,’ whispered Tiya. ‘Take it away. It is cursed. We thought it was a blessing from the gods, but it has brought us nothing but pain.’

‘How could you be blessed by something you had stolen?’ queried Khonsu.

Tiya’s eyes flew open in protest. ‘It isn’t stolen!’

‘My dear, this is a royal bracelet,’ said Nakht. ‘It cannot possibly be yours.’

‘But . . . but what if something is found?’ Tiya’s eyes searched those of the foremen.

‘Well, that depends,’ said Nakht. ‘Explain yourself.’

‘Seti found it. He took it as a gift from the goddess, for that part of the mountain belongs to no one but her.’

‘And where is that?’ enquired Khonsu.

‘High up, towards the Great Place,’ replied Tiya. She hesitated. ‘Near the entrance to a tunnel.’

‘Don’t you mean a tomb?’ asked Baki.

‘No. Just a crumbling tunnel. Seti took me up there to see if I could crawl in further, but the rocks shifted. One of them fell and landed on my arm. That is how it was broken.’

Baki snorted. ‘You possess a royal bracelet, but you haven’t seen a tomb?’

Tiya shook her head vehemently. ‘No, no. We never saw a tomb.’

The three men were silent. Nakht took the bracelet from Tiya and studied it, a deep frown on his face.

‘So. Their stories match,’ said Khonsu, eventually.

‘Yes.’ Nakht nodded agreement.

But Baki placed a hand on Nakht’s shoulder. ‘Brother, brother,’ he murmured, ‘of course their stories match. They must have made them up long ago. Meretseger herself has brought Seti to our attention, and his sister has shown us this bracelet. What further proof do you need?’

His words had a deep effect on Tiya. She sank to her knees and began to sob. ‘Please believe me,’ she wept. ‘I have told you everything. I swear I have told you the truth.’

Nakht and Khonsu looked troubled. ‘We have no choice, brothers,’ said Khonsu. ‘Baki is right. The evidence does go against her.’

‘I am glad you see sense at last,’ said Baki. ‘We must call the guards and place her under arrest.’

.

Hopi hurried out on to the street. He had been in the house of Rahotep much, much longer than he’d intended, and he limped as fast as he could to Heria’s house. The front door was ajar, and he pushed it open, hoping to hear the chatter of girls’ voices. The house was silent.

His heart sank. Much as he was interested in the village events, it was his family that mattered most. Surely they wouldn’t have left him . . .

‘Is anyone there?’ he called.

Still nothing. Hopi made his way through the house cautiously, looking into each of the rooms as he passed. They were all empty. Then he heard something. A noise in the courtyard; perhaps a scuffling of feet. Then silence again.

He crept to the threshold. There, a strange sight met his eyes. Mut sat in a corner, with her young brothers Ramose and Kha cuddled up close to her. All three seemed frozen in fear, and were staring at something beside the bread oven.

Mut pointed. She seemed unable to speak.

Hopi stepped forward and peered around the oven, his heart beating faster. What he saw was very familiar, with a yellow body and fat, upturned tail.

‘A scorpion,’ he said. ‘Is that all?’

A tiny sound squeaked from Mut’s mouth.

Hopi turned to look at her. Mut’s eyes were dilated with terror and her little brothers clung to her, hiding their faces. His smile faded. Somehow, he had never taken her fear seriously before. He had thought she’d been making a fuss over nothing. But there was no doubting it now.

‘Don’t worry, I won’t let it hurt you,’ he said.

Hopi looked around. He wouldn’t say so to Mut, but this fat-tailed scorpion was particularly dangerous. Its sting could be fatal; it would be foolish to try handling it. Instead, he reached for one of the pottery bowls that lay stacked against the courtyard wall. In one deft movement, he clapped it upside down over the scorpion, trapping it underneath.

‘There,’ he said. ‘You’re perfectly safe.’

‘Take it away,’ Mut whispered.

Hopi looked around for something flat. There was a wooden tray in one corner, which he picked up and slid under the bowl. Now the scorpion was in a little cage. ‘I’ll take it up to the cemetery,’ he said. ‘I won’t be long.’

Mut nodded dumbly. Hopi lifted the makeshift cage and headed out on to the street. Curious faces watched him and whispers followed him as he trod the now-familiar route to the cemetery gate. He ignored them all, concentrating on not letting the pottery bowl slip.

By a mound of boulders, Hopi put down the tray and took off the bowl. The scorpion was still for a moment, then shot off, disappearing between the rocks. Hopi smiled. It was always good to give a creature its freedom. He glanced up at the mountain and was surprised to see several figures high on the cliff path. He shaded his eyes. One of them looked oddly familiar. Paneb . . . and, by his side, the chubby form of Heria.

Paneb and Heria? What were they doing up there? Suddenly, Hopi realised that things weren’t right. Why had the boys been left alone with Mut? Where was the rest of the family? And most importantly, where was Isis?

He rushed back to Heria’s house. Ramose and Kha ran up to him and hugged his legs as Mut came to the door to greet him.

‘You saved us!’ laughed Ramose.

‘Yes. Thank you,’ said Mut. She looked at him shyly, and smiled.

Hopi couldn’t remember Mut ever thanking him for anything. ‘That’s all right,’ he said. ‘I like scorpions. But where is everyone? Where’s Isis?’

Mut’s smile vanished. She turned her back, bowing her head. ‘I don’t know,’ she muttered.

Hopi’s heart plummeted. So something
was
wrong. ‘What do you mean, you don’t know?’ he asked. ‘I left her here with Heria. They were going to wait for me to get back.’

‘We had a fight,’ mumbled Mut. ‘She ran away. Heria tried to follow, but Isis is quick . . . she soon lost her. Some people saw her run off over the rooftops, so everyone thinks she’s gone up on to the mountain, like last time. Mother and Father and the others are looking for her. That’s why I’m here with the boys.’

So that was it. Hopi went cold. ‘I’ll find her,’ he said mechanically, turning towards the door. ‘I have to find her.’

‘I’m sorry, Hopi,’ said Mut. ‘It was my fault.’

.

Isis was frightened. The foremen had taken Tiya away to be guarded in Nakht’s house. It wouldn’t be long before they arrested Seti, too. She looked around, wondering who else lived in the little house. To her surprise, she found an elderly woman dozing in the front room. She opened her eyes as Isis entered, but only stared ahead, mumbling.

‘Hello,’ whispered Isis, taking her hand. ‘Are you Tiya’s mother?’

A smile creased the old woman’s face. ‘Mother of her mother,’ she managed to say. ‘Where is Tiya? It’s time for my bread.’

Isis was horrified. How could she tell this old woman that her granddaughter had been arrested? And who else was there to look after her? There didn’t seem to be anyone other than Seti. With a sudden flood of conviction, Isis felt sure that Tiya was innocent. She and Hopi had seen a different tunnel, a tunnel that was still in use. They had to tell someone about it – before it was too late.

‘Tiya isn’t here. But she will come back,’ she promised the old woman. ‘I’ll fetch you some bread.’

Isis ran into the courtyard. She found a little pile of flat loaves stacked by the side of the oven, and picked a couple of them up. The old woman accepted them with a smile, and mumbled thanks.

Now there was no time to waste. Isis bounded up the courtyard steps and back on to the roof. She glanced down at the street below. It was alive with gossip – many had seen Tiya being taken away, and the rest had soon heard about it. ‘Shocking,’ she heard. ‘Dreadful.’ ‘Our neighbour, too.’ She pulled back from the edge. She couldn’t go down there.

But she had to find Hopi. She had to talk it through with him, and decide who to tell. But where would he be now? Would he still be in the house of Rahotep, or would he have left? He’d had plenty of time to say goodbye.

There wasn’t much choice. Isis was not going back to Heria’s house. Rahotep’s house was worth a try. She looked around, trying to remember which way she’d come. Then she set off, leaping lightly over the low walls that ran around each rooftop.

.

Out on the street, Hopi stared up at the mountain beyond the cemetery. Why ever were they looking for Isis up there? She had no reason to head out of the village. Hopi knew that she would be doing only one thing: she’d be looking for him.

‘Rahotep’s house,’ he muttered to himself. ‘She’ll show up there eventually.’

He limped back up the street to the last house in the row, and knocked. But before anyone could answer, he heard a voice.

‘Psst! Hopi!’

He looked round. Rahotep’s next-door neighbour stood in her doorway holding a broom, keeping an eye on developments.

‘Hopi! Up here!’

He looked up. There was Isis, peeping down from the roof. He felt a wave of relief. ‘Isis!’ he exclaimed. ‘The whole family’s looking for you up on the mountain!’

‘I don’t care!’ cried Isis. ‘They can look for me all they like! Listen, Hopi. Tiya has been arrested. I saw everything. I need to talk to you.’

Hopi gazed up at his sister. How typical of Isis, to say she didn’t care. But as her news sunk in, he realised that Rahotep’s door still hadn’t opened. Perhaps Tiya’s arrest had something to do with it.

‘Go down into the courtyard,’ he called up to her. ‘Tell Rahotep to let me in.’

Isis nodded and disappeared.

A few minutes later, Rahotep’s servant opened the door a tiny crack. When he saw Hopi, he opened it a fraction wider. Hopi squeezed inside. Then the servant banged the door shut, and barred it. Hopi walked through to the courtyard and found Seti sitting in the shade with his back against the courtyard wall, his eyes still bandaged.

Isis was explaining herself to Rahotep, but now she rushed up to Hopi and gave him a hug. ‘I’m so glad I’ve found you!’

‘
I’m
glad I’ve found
you
,’ said Hopi. ‘We’ve got to go, Isis. I saw Paneb and Heria right up on the mountain. We must let everyone know that you’re safe.’

Isis shook her head stubbornly. ‘Not after what Mut said,’ she objected. ‘Anyway, we have to do something, Hopi. We can’t leave until we’ve told someone what we know.’ She looked at him meaningfully.

‘But –’ Hopi still wasn’t sure.

‘We
have
to,’ insisted Isis. ‘I don’t believe Tiya is guilty. Or Seti. Do you?’

Hopi shook his head. ‘Well, no, but . . .’ He was fretting. They were in enough trouble, and he didn’t like to think of Nefert’s wrath when she found out that Isis had been in the village all along.

‘Hopi!’ Isis lowered her voice. ‘Look at Seti. We have to help him. And we don’t have much time.’

Hopi glanced at the figure sitting against the wall. He was a pitiful sight, the visible parts of his face still ugly and swollen. Isis was right. The family would just have to wait.

‘In that case, I think this is the man we must tell.’ And he turned towards the priest of Serqet.

Rahotep looked from one to the other. ‘And what do you have to tell me?’ he asked quietly.

Hopi took a deep breath. He might as well plunge straight in. ‘There is a secret tunnel through the mountainside. It leads to a royal tomb. It is small but well built, with no crumbling rocks, so it is not the one that Seti described. But inside the tomb, there are two holes. It is possible that there is a second tunnel – a tunnel that collapsed.’

Rahotep looked startled. ‘And how do you know this?’

Isis and Hopi answered together. ‘We’ve seen it,’ they said.

‘Of course, Seti could have helped to build either tunnel,’ Hopi carried on. ‘But I don’t think he did, because I overheard one of the robbers on the mountain path early yesterday morning.’

Rahotep narrowed his eyes. ‘A robber? How do you know?’

‘He was with a young boy – too young to be an apprentice. The boy was terrified of the wrath of the goddess. And the man said something that didn’t make sense at the time. I remember it perfectly.’ Hopi thought for a second, to make sure he got the wording right. ‘“The first one was badly made and in the wrong place.” That’s what he said.’

The priest of Serqet folded his arms. ‘And you think he was referring to the tunnel found by Seti. And the second, one assumes, is the one found by you.’