Theodosia & the Eyes of Horus by R. L. Lafevers Page A
Authors: R. L. Lafevers
Tags: Fiction, General, Historical, Children's Books, People & Places, Action & Adventure, Family, Juvenile Fiction, Action & Adventure - General, Magic, Fantasy & Magic, YA), Fantasy & magical realism (Children's, Children's Fiction, Ages 9-12 Fiction, Science Fiction; Fantasy; & Magic, Social Issues, Europe, Children: Grades 4-6, Girls & Women, Adventure and Adventurers, Siblings, middle east, Mysteries & Detective Stories, Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance, Legends; Myths; Fables, Museums, Ancient Civilizations, Adventure stories (Children's, Norse, Historical - Europe, Exploration & Discovery
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examine the stele. Sure enough, a huge crack ran right through the middle. "Oh, Henry, you've destroyed it!"
74
"Have not." He replaced the lance in the corner and came to kneel beside me. "Maybe we could glue it?" he suggested.
"And hope that no one would notice? I don't think so."
"Well, it can't be very important if it's been moldering down here for ages."
"All artifacts are important, Henry." I reached out and picked up the stele, horrified when the top right corner fell onto the floor. The damage was much worse than I'd thought.
"I say! Look!" Henry pointed. Under the corner that had fallen off, a dull green stone peeked out.
I frowned in puzzlement and brought the stele closer so I could examine it more thoroughly. Henry leaned in to see better too. I glared at him. "You're breathing on me."
"Sorry. But what is that underneath, do you think?"
"I'm not sure. It almost looks as if the stele was covering something else."
"Well, then, this isn't a disaster, it's a find," he was quick to point out.
I wasn't ready to let him off the hook that easily. "I'm not so sure ..."
"It is. Look!" He grabbed the stele out of my hands, set it on the floor, and began breaking off the rest of the outer layer.
"Henry! Stop! That's not how you do it."
75
But I was too late. In less than ten seconds he had completely peeled off the outer layer. It came away as easily as the skin of an orange, revealing a dull green stone of some sort.
I couldn't tell what kind of stone it was. Even more intriguing, there were symbols carved into its surface. They were unlike any I'd ever seen and were certainly not Egyptian hieroglyphs. Which was odd, because there were also figures of Egyptian gods carved into the surface. I recognized the ibis-headed Thoth, who was handing something to the falcon-headed Horus. They stood in front of three mountain peaks with light from Ra shining down upon them.
"This is an important discovery, isn't it, Theo?" Henry said, his chest puffing up a bit.
"Well, it was completely the wrong way to go about it, but yes," I finally admitted. "This would definitely qualify as a discovery. Of some sort."
Just then, a creak on the stairs had Henry and me jumping to our feet. Instinctively, I stepped in front of the green tablet, hoping to hide it from view.
Edgar Stilton hovered on the second stair from the bottom. I was relieved to see he wasn't looking at us but instead staring rather uneasily at the mummies against the wall. Specifically, at Tetley.
"Stilton, what are you doing down here?" My question
76
came out rather harsh, but I hadn't forgotten that his snooping on my activities was what had led Aloysius Trawley to suspect I had magic powers to begin with.
"Your parents asked me to come find you and tell you they are ready to leave for--I say! What have you got there?" Eyes fixed on the green stone tablet, he came over to where Henry and I stood.
Without thinking, I reached down and grabbed the heavy stone from the floor and clutched it tightly in both hands. "I'm not sure," I said with a warning glance at Henry. "It's just one of the steles from the shelf." I tried to turn away as if to put it back, but Stilton reached out and stopped me.
"Can I have a look?" His face was shining and eager. And, I reminded myself, he was almost as good as I was at picking up odd threads of power and magic. Of course, he didn't know it, but I could tell. He always twitched and shuddered like a bug on the end of a pin when there were vile curses about. Rather handy, that. Especially in our museum.
He took the green stele from my hands, and I had to resist an urge to grab it back. I watched his face as he studied it, his academic interest quickly giving way to something else--awe. He looked at me, his face glowing eerily in the faint green reflection of the stele. "Do you realize what you've found, Theo?"
77
"Actually, it was me that found it," Henry said with a bit of a swagger.
"No, I don't," I said, elbowing
74
"Have not." He replaced the lance in the corner and came to kneel beside me. "Maybe we could glue it?" he suggested.
"And hope that no one would notice? I don't think so."
"Well, it can't be very important if it's been moldering down here for ages."
"All artifacts are important, Henry." I reached out and picked up the stele, horrified when the top right corner fell onto the floor. The damage was much worse than I'd thought.
"I say! Look!" Henry pointed. Under the corner that had fallen off, a dull green stone peeked out.
I frowned in puzzlement and brought the stele closer so I could examine it more thoroughly. Henry leaned in to see better too. I glared at him. "You're breathing on me."
"Sorry. But what is that underneath, do you think?"
"I'm not sure. It almost looks as if the stele was covering something else."
"Well, then, this isn't a disaster, it's a find," he was quick to point out.
I wasn't ready to let him off the hook that easily. "I'm not so sure ..."
"It is. Look!" He grabbed the stele out of my hands, set it on the floor, and began breaking off the rest of the outer layer.
"Henry! Stop! That's not how you do it."
75
But I was too late. In less than ten seconds he had completely peeled off the outer layer. It came away as easily as the skin of an orange, revealing a dull green stone of some sort.
I couldn't tell what kind of stone it was. Even more intriguing, there were symbols carved into its surface. They were unlike any I'd ever seen and were certainly not Egyptian hieroglyphs. Which was odd, because there were also figures of Egyptian gods carved into the surface. I recognized the ibis-headed Thoth, who was handing something to the falcon-headed Horus. They stood in front of three mountain peaks with light from Ra shining down upon them.
"This is an important discovery, isn't it, Theo?" Henry said, his chest puffing up a bit.
"Well, it was completely the wrong way to go about it, but yes," I finally admitted. "This would definitely qualify as a discovery. Of some sort."
Just then, a creak on the stairs had Henry and me jumping to our feet. Instinctively, I stepped in front of the green tablet, hoping to hide it from view.
Edgar Stilton hovered on the second stair from the bottom. I was relieved to see he wasn't looking at us but instead staring rather uneasily at the mummies against the wall. Specifically, at Tetley.
"Stilton, what are you doing down here?" My question
76
came out rather harsh, but I hadn't forgotten that his snooping on my activities was what had led Aloysius Trawley to suspect I had magic powers to begin with.
"Your parents asked me to come find you and tell you they are ready to leave for--I say! What have you got there?" Eyes fixed on the green stone tablet, he came over to where Henry and I stood.
Without thinking, I reached down and grabbed the heavy stone from the floor and clutched it tightly in both hands. "I'm not sure," I said with a warning glance at Henry. "It's just one of the steles from the shelf." I tried to turn away as if to put it back, but Stilton reached out and stopped me.
"Can I have a look?" His face was shining and eager. And, I reminded myself, he was almost as good as I was at picking up odd threads of power and magic. Of course, he didn't know it, but I could tell. He always twitched and shuddered like a bug on the end of a pin when there were vile curses about. Rather handy, that. Especially in our museum.
He took the green stele from my hands, and I had to resist an urge to grab it back. I watched his face as he studied it, his academic interest quickly giving way to something else--awe. He looked at me, his face glowing eerily in the faint green reflection of the stele. "Do you realize what you've found, Theo?"
77
"Actually, it was me that found it," Henry said with a bit of a swagger.
"No, I don't," I said, elbowing
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