The Jackals of Anubis

Before we could duck back into the tomb, the jackals cut our way off. Within moments, they had us hemmed against the cliffs.

“We’re trapped! ” Khepri cried.

“Beware the jackals of Anoooooooobis! ” The whole gang took up the cry. At noon, they had laughed at us, but there was no laughter now. Only menace. “Anooooooooooooobis! ”

The leader stepped forward, wolfish teeth gleaming in the moonlight. “I warned yoooooooooooooou, ” he howled. “I told you to stay away from the toooooooooombs! ”

“Up here, Ra. ” Miu flashed past me, leading the way to a tiny gap in the rocks. With Khepri clutching the top of my head, I flew in after her, just in time to avoid becoming a jackal’s dinner.

“I hope you’re satisfied, ” Miu said, once we were settled.

“Um…sort of. ” The new quarters were extremely cramped, much more so than the last tomb. But that wasn’t so bad. “At least there’s no space for anyone to lurk in the dark with us. ”

“Shhh! ” Khepri warned. “If we talk, those jackals will stay close by. We want them to give up and go away. ”

We were silent for a long while, listening to the howling outside our hidey-hole.

“Beware, introooooooooooooooders! The jackals of

Anoooooooooooooooooobis will have their revenge! ”

Eventually, worn out, I dozed off, only to wake up with a start, my heart pounding.

“Who’s there? ” I called out.

“Only Miu and me. ” Khepri crept back over to me. “We were talking. ” “I thought we weren’t supposed to talk, ” I said.

“That was ages ago, ” Khepri said. “It’s past midnight, I think. And the jackals have backed away, at least for now. ”

“Well, I’m not taking any chances, ” I said. “I’m staying until daylight. ”

“I think that’s wise, ” Miu agreed. “Though I wish we could investigate that last tomb again. Ra, what made you think someone was in there with us? ”

“Didn’t you hear the rustling? Couldn’t you feel his breath? ” Remembering made me shiver again. “I tell you, Anubis was there. And he called the jackals to him. ”

Outside, a faraway jackal howled, as if in echo.

“Anooooooooooooooooobis! ” I shuddered.

“That’s what you keep saying, but I don’t believe it, ” Miu said flatly. “If there was someone in there, I bet it was Huya. Or maybe Kenamon. ” “Why would they be hiding in a tomb? ” Khepri wanted to know.

“Maybe they were retreating from the jackals, ” Miu said.

“But why would they be up here on the cliffs in the first place? ” Khepri wondered.

“Because they’re guilty, and they’re trying to avoid the authorities, ” Miu said. “Or maybe because they think the treasure’s somewhere up on these cliffs. Somewhere we haven’t looked yet. ”

“There certainly are a lot of hiding places up here, ” Khepri mused. “These cliffs are riddled with holes and gaps. ”

“Kenamon’s innocent, ” I reminded them. “I’m sure of it. ”

Miu hardly seemed to hear me. “Maybe Huya blackmailed Kenamon into helping him. ”

“Or maybe Huya robbed the tomb by himself, ” I countered. “Or maybe he’s cooperating with the Scribe and the Vizier. I thought we agreed it was fishy that they didn’t want to investigate inside the tomb. ”

“There are endless possibilities, ” Khepri said, sounding discouraged.

“Sometimes I think humans are too complicated—”

“I don’t think the thing in the tomb with us was a human, ” I said unhappily. “I tell you, I felt the breath of Anubis on my fur. ”

“Oh, Ra. ” Miu nudged me with her paw. “Don’t start that again. ”

“I did. I really did. It’s the creepiest thing that’s ever happened to me. ” I sank my head onto my paws, looking for some kind of comfort. “I wish I was back home at the palace. ”

“No point thinking about that now, ” Khepri said.

“I can’t help it, ” I moaned. “What if we never get back there? What if the jackals get us first? What if Anubis does? ”

“Ra, please. ” Miu nudged me with her paw again. “Let’s talk about something else. ”

“The case, ” Khepri suggested. “Let’s talk about the case. ”

“Why? ” I wailed in despair. “We’ll never crack it. Not if the gods are involved. ”

“It’s not the gods, ” Miu insisted. “And I’m sure we can solve this case. If worse comes to worst, we can just follow the money. ” I sat up, bewildered. “What are you talking about? ”

“Whoever has all that loot is rich, Ra, ” Miu explained. “Eventually he’ll give himself away because he’s spending too much money. ”

“There’s not a lot of money in Set Ma’at, so he’ll stand out, ” Khepri added. “If somebody buys precious jewels, or starts making his tomb or his house extra fancy—”

“Huya’s tomb is fancy, ” I said, remembering that intricate ceiling. “And so is the Scribe’s house. And Neferhotep was going to buy a tomb portrait from Kenamon, remember? He ordered an extra-big statue from Bek, too. ”

“True, ” Khepri said. “And Kenamon hushed his little sister when she asked if they were rich now. So I guess it could be any of them. ” “It wasn’t Kenamon, ” I muttered.

“It sounds like none of them makes much money, ” Khepri went on, “so I can see why they’d be tempted to steal from a tomb. ”

“You know, I thought the tomb workers would be paid better, ” Miu said. “It’s sad to see so many families struggling to get by. ”

“When you think of the beautiful art they make for Pharaoh, it seems like they deserve more, ” Khepri agreed.

“Yes. ” Miu sighed. “I’m not saying it’s right to rob a tomb. But how can it be right to bury all that gold when people need it? ”

I shuffled my paws uneasily in the darkness. I wanted a beautiful tomb. But I agreed that the people of Set Ma’at deserved better—especially Kenamon.

“People get so worked up about their tombs, ” Miu went on. “I just don’t understand it. If you ask me, what matters is how we treat others in this life. That’s the true memorial, and that’s what will count when Anubis weighs our souls. Not some golden rooms in the side of a cliff. ”

“Anooooooooooooooooooooooobis! ” The howls outside were growing louder. “Anooooooooooooooooobis! ”

A muzzle snuffled at the gap in the stone.

“They’re trying to get in, ” I yelped, drawing back.

“They’re too big to fit, ” Miu said. “I think. ” But she retreated, too.

I squirmed into a fold in the rock and burrowed as deep as I could. Some of the rock crumbled, letting me worm my way farther back.

Khepri let out a strange click.

“Hey, buddy, ” I said. “Are you all right? ”

“I’m okay, ” he said. “But there’s something odd about this rock. ”

As he spoke, the rock gave way beneath me, and we tumbled down in a flurry of stones.

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