ankle.
‘Mut! Have you tried walking yet?’ For a second, Isis forgot what she had come for.
Mut grinned. ‘Yes, I can put my weight on it, I think,’ she said. ‘But I haven’t tried dancing yet. I want to get this thing off first.’
Isis crouched down at once to help her dance partner take off the bandage. Then she helped Mut to her feet as the three women came to the end of their piece.
Nefert looked stern. ‘Wherever have you been, Isis?’ she demanded crossly. ‘You know it’s the festival tomorrow. We’re very behind as it is.’
Suddenly, Isis realised that if anyone would stand up to Abana, Nefert would.
‘Nefert, please don’t be angry,’ she pleaded. ‘I had to go and find Hopi. One of Abana’s guards came looking for me – I saw him on the street.’
At the mention of the tax collector, Nefert’s lips tightened. ‘What did he want?’
Isis bit her lip. ‘Well, I can’t be sure. I got Yuya to send him in the wrong direction.’ She took a deep breath. ‘But Hopi found Abana’s stolen grain and . . . and I told Abana that we knew about it.’
‘Stolen grain? You told Abana – but how . . .’
‘Hopi found a big storehouse in the grounds of his mansion. And then we had to go back to look for something,’ Isis explained desperately. ‘Abana nearly caught me, and I blurted out what I knew. Please, Nefert, we have to do something – Menna thinks he’ll try to buy our silence with a bribe but that he might threaten us, too.’
Nefert took a deep breath. ‘I’ve seen how this man behaves,’ she said. ‘He won’t try to buy anything. He’s too greedy and cruel for that. Well, Isis, it seems that you and Hopi have brought everything nicely to a head. Who knows, it may even be for the best. We must act quickly. Tell both Paneb and Sinuhe that I want to speak with them at once.’
.
‘The first thing to find out is where the loading will take place,’ said Menna. ‘That’s too active a task for me, I’m afraid. It’s up to you, Hopi.’
Hopi nodded. ‘I’ll start at the embalmers’ workshops. They may be able to point me in the right direction.’ He was still holding the heart scarab. He reached for his linen bag and knotted the precious amulet into one corner. ‘I’ll take this to them at the same time.’
‘Very well,’ said Menna. ‘But be careful. If you must ask for help, choose who you speak to wisely.’
‘I will.’ Hopi shouldered his bag and set off.
His leg felt a little better today, and he made his way quickly through the people milling in the streets. At the workshops, he found Weni watching his assistant at work in the second tent, pulling the brain through the nostrils of a new arrival. The stench was worse than ever. It made Hopi feel sick.
‘Weni,’ he called from the entrance.
The embalmer looked up. ‘Good day to you, Hopi. You got my message, then,’ he said, coming over.
‘Yes, I’ve brought the missing scarab,’ said Hopi.
‘Good. Follow me.’ Weni led the way to the third tent, where Hopi handed over the amulet. Weni summoned Hetep, and they went through the same ritual as before.
‘I wonder if you can help me,’ said Hopi, once the transaction was done. ‘It may be of great help to you, too. I need to find the boat belonging to your supplier of natron.’
‘Really?’ Weni looked surprised. ‘What is it to you, young apprentice?’
‘We suspect him of more than delaying your natron,’ said Hopi. ‘If we track him down, we may uncover a great injustice. But first, I must find his boat.’
‘Very interesting,’ said Weni. ‘It would be a great relief to have this problem solved. Come.’ He led Hopi outside and pointed to the jetty. ‘The boat moors there when it brings us the natron. When it leaves, it goes downriver, towards the north. Perhaps that’s where you’ll find it.’
‘Thank you,’ said Hopi. ‘I hope I’ll soon have good news.’
He followed the little path that led down to the wooden
‘Mut! Have you tried walking yet?’ For a second, Isis forgot what she had come for.
Mut grinned. ‘Yes, I can put my weight on it, I think,’ she said. ‘But I haven’t tried dancing yet. I want to get this thing off first.’
Isis crouched down at once to help her dance partner take off the bandage. Then she helped Mut to her feet as the three women came to the end of their piece.
Nefert looked stern. ‘Wherever have you been, Isis?’ she demanded crossly. ‘You know it’s the festival tomorrow. We’re very behind as it is.’
Suddenly, Isis realised that if anyone would stand up to Abana, Nefert would.
‘Nefert, please don’t be angry,’ she pleaded. ‘I had to go and find Hopi. One of Abana’s guards came looking for me – I saw him on the street.’
At the mention of the tax collector, Nefert’s lips tightened. ‘What did he want?’
Isis bit her lip. ‘Well, I can’t be sure. I got Yuya to send him in the wrong direction.’ She took a deep breath. ‘But Hopi found Abana’s stolen grain and . . . and I told Abana that we knew about it.’
‘Stolen grain? You told Abana – but how . . .’
‘Hopi found a big storehouse in the grounds of his mansion. And then we had to go back to look for something,’ Isis explained desperately. ‘Abana nearly caught me, and I blurted out what I knew. Please, Nefert, we have to do something – Menna thinks he’ll try to buy our silence with a bribe but that he might threaten us, too.’
Nefert took a deep breath. ‘I’ve seen how this man behaves,’ she said. ‘He won’t try to buy anything. He’s too greedy and cruel for that. Well, Isis, it seems that you and Hopi have brought everything nicely to a head. Who knows, it may even be for the best. We must act quickly. Tell both Paneb and Sinuhe that I want to speak with them at once.’
.
‘The first thing to find out is where the loading will take place,’ said Menna. ‘That’s too active a task for me, I’m afraid. It’s up to you, Hopi.’
Hopi nodded. ‘I’ll start at the embalmers’ workshops. They may be able to point me in the right direction.’ He was still holding the heart scarab. He reached for his linen bag and knotted the precious amulet into one corner. ‘I’ll take this to them at the same time.’
‘Very well,’ said Menna. ‘But be careful. If you must ask for help, choose who you speak to wisely.’
‘I will.’ Hopi shouldered his bag and set off.
His leg felt a little better today, and he made his way quickly through the people milling in the streets. At the workshops, he found Weni watching his assistant at work in the second tent, pulling the brain through the nostrils of a new arrival. The stench was worse than ever. It made Hopi feel sick.
‘Weni,’ he called from the entrance.
The embalmer looked up. ‘Good day to you, Hopi. You got my message, then,’ he said, coming over.
‘Yes, I’ve brought the missing scarab,’ said Hopi.
‘Good. Follow me.’ Weni led the way to the third tent, where Hopi handed over the amulet. Weni summoned Hetep, and they went through the same ritual as before.
‘I wonder if you can help me,’ said Hopi, once the transaction was done. ‘It may be of great help to you, too. I need to find the boat belonging to your supplier of natron.’
‘Really?’ Weni looked surprised. ‘What is it to you, young apprentice?’
‘We suspect him of more than delaying your natron,’ said Hopi. ‘If we track him down, we may uncover a great injustice. But first, I must find his boat.’
‘Very interesting,’ said Weni. ‘It would be a great relief to have this problem solved. Come.’ He led Hopi outside and pointed to the jetty. ‘The boat moors there when it brings us the natron. When it leaves, it goes downriver, towards the north. Perhaps that’s where you’ll find it.’
‘Thank you,’ said Hopi. ‘I hope I’ll soon have good news.’
He followed the little path that led down to the wooden
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