Free The Sacred Scarab by Gill Harvey

.’
    ‘You could wait, at least,’ Hopi insisted. ‘Give me a day.’
    The boy relented. ‘All right. I’ll say I couldn’t find you. I’ll give you until this time tomorrow. But that’s all, or I’ll be in trouble myself.’

.

    CHAPTER SEVEN
    Isis grasped her brother’s hands and gazed earnestly into his eyes. ‘ He took it, Hopi. Sinuhe. I know he did.’
    Hopi shook his head. ‘You don’t know that, Isis.’
    ‘But it’s obvious! He was listening to us when you told me about the amulets. He heard everything. And then I saw him looking at something today – something he wouldn’t show me, Hopi.’ Isis felt exasperated that her brother wouldn’t listen.
    ‘What would Sinuhe want with a heart scarab?’ asked Hopi.
    ‘All sorts of things! It’s magical and it’s made of gold and jasper. It’s valuable and he’s really poor.’ It was as clear as the waters of the Nile to Isis.
    But Hopi still wasn’t convinced. ‘I just don’t think it’s possible,’ he said. ‘He would have had to steal it while I slept. That means climbing the stairs, coming on to the roof without waking anyone, going through the box in the dark. Don’t you think one of us might have noticed?’
    Isis thought about it. It was a good argument, she had to admit. ‘So where did it go, then?’
    Hopi sighed. ‘I think I must have dropped it.’
    ‘ Dropped it? How?’ Isis stared at him.
    ‘At Abana’s house,’ said Hopi. ‘I had my bag with me the whole time, because I didn’t want to leave it anywhere. I was careful enough when I climbed into the grounds, but on the way back . . .’ He looked over the rooftops, thinking. ‘I had to run for the wall. Then I had to climb really fast and scramble over. I fell when I landed, so that must be when it dropped out.’
    Isis frowned. This argument made even less sense. ‘But how would just one amulet fall out of the box?’ she asked. ‘Wouldn’t they all have tipped out?’
    ‘It was the biggest and heaviest,’ said Hopi. ‘Maybe that’s why.’
    ‘Do you really believe that?’ Isis looked at Hopi. Her brother’s face was miserable. She knew that this was important, and she hated seeing him upset.
    Hopi shrugged. ‘It’s the only time I didn’t take proper care of my bag.’
    ‘So what are you going to do?’ Isis felt her heart quake, because she already had an idea what Hopi would say. And she already knew what she would have to do about it.
    ‘I must go back and look,’ said Hopi.
    She was right. Isis took a deep breath. ‘I’ll come with you,’ she said. ‘I’ll distract the guards at the gate, just in case.’
    Hopi looked appalled. ‘You can’t do that. What if Abana sees you? You could end up in a terrible mess. It’s all right, Isis – I’ll go by myself.’
    ‘No.’ Isis could be very stubborn. ‘You came with me when I had to go back. It’s not your fault that they wouldn’t let you in, is it? You tried your best to check on me. Now it’s my turn to come back with you. It’ll be fine, Hopi. It’s not like we have to go inside. You probably won’t even have to climb the wall.’
    Isis knew that Hopi wouldn’t force her to change her mind – they had always backed each other up in the past. Hopi gripped her arm in thanks, and relented.
    .
    With the Beautiful Festival of the Valley getting closer, the streets of Waset were full of people bustling around in the afternoon sun. Laughter and chatter filled the air. However, Hopi felt anything but cheerful. He was hot, his leg hurt and he couldn’t believe he’d gone and lost something so precious. Now he was going to put Isis in danger, too. He cursed himself inwardly all the way to Abana’s long, dusty road with its spacious mansions.
    ‘Now look,’ said Hopi, ‘if the guards get difficult, I want you to run. Don’t stop. Don’t worry about me. Just run until you’re safe. Is that clear?’
    Isis pouted. ‘Don’t tell me what to do, Hopi.’
    ‘I’m worried about you. I