The Deathstalker

by Gill Harvey

  Isis let out a sigh of relief. She looked over at Neith, and smiled. It wouldn’t be easy for her, a stranger in a new land. It wouldn’t be easy for her brother, either, fighting with Egypt’s great army. But at least there was some comfort for them. They were being allowed to settle here, and both were in good hands. Perhaps, in time, their future would be bright, after all.

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  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  Chronicle Characters

  Hopi The thirteen-year-old brother of Isis. Ever since surviving the bite of a crocodile in the attack that killed their parents, Hopi has had a fascination for dangerous creatures, particularly snakes and scorpions. He is training to be a priest of Serqet, which will qualify him to treat bites and stings.

  Isis The eleven-year-old sister of Hopi. She is a talented dancer and performs regularly with Nefert and Paneb’s troupe. Her dance partner is Mut.

  Mut The eleven-year-old daughter of Paneb and Nefert, and dance partner to Isis.

  Paneb Husband of Nefert, father of Mut, Ramose and Kha, and the head of the household where Isis and Hopi live. He organises bookings for the dance and music troupe.

  Nefert Wife of Paneb, mother of Mut, Ramose and Kha, and sister of Sheri and Kia. She plays the lute and is head of the dance and music troupe.

  Sheri One of Nefert’s widowed sisters, and a musician in the troupe. She has a particularly loving nature.

  Kia The second of Nefert’s widowed sisters, also a musician living with the troupe. She is slightly more cold and distant than Sheri, but is hardworking and practical.

  Ramose Eldest son of Nefert and Paneb, aged five. Mut’s brother.

  Kha Younger son of Nefert and Paneb, aged two.

  Mut’s brother.

  Menna Hopi’s tutor, and a priest of Serqet in the town of Waset. (A priest of Serqet was someone who treated snake bites and scorpion stings.)

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  Other Characters in This Story

  Neith A Libyan girl who hopes to find a new life with her brother in Egypt.

  Anty A wealthy scribe in the town of Waset. He has three sons. His third son, Djeri, belonged to the army.

  Djeri (you say ‘Jerry’) Son of Anty, and a charioteer in the army.

  Commander Meref The commander of a company of the Amun division in the king’s army.

  Mose, the Great Bull A soldier in the Amun division, with a fearsome reputation for wrestling.

  Nes, the Lion One of the oldest soldiers in the Amun division, and a famous wrestler.

  Nebnufer A skilled horseman and chariot driver in the army.

  Henu The former husband of Sheri, and a soldier in the army.

  Userkaf The former husband of Kia, and a soldier in the army.

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  FASCINATING FACT FILE ABOUT ANCIENT EGYPT

  The World of Isis and Hopi

  The stories of Isis and Hopi are based in ancient Egypt over 3,000 years ago, during a time known as the New Kingdom. They happen around 1200–1150BC, in the last great period of Egyptian history. This is about a thousand years after the Old Kingdom, when the pyramids were built. Waset, the town in which Isis and Hopi live, had recently been the capital of Egypt, with an enormous temple complex dedicated to the god Amun. By 1200BC, the capital had been moved further north again, but Waset was still very important. Kings were still buried in the Valley of the Kings on the west bank, and the priests of Amun were rich and powerful. Today, Waset is known as Luxor; in books about ancient Egypt, it is often referred to by the Greek name of Thebes.

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  A Little Bit about Scorpions

  Scorpions belong to the order of creatures called arachnids. You’ve probably seen another kind of arachnid plenty of times – did you know that spiders are arachnids, too? Like spiders, scorpions have eight legs and an outer shell called an exoskeleton. But all scorpions have something else as well: they have a pair of pincers, and a tail with a venomous sting at the end.

  So does that mean that all scorpions are dangerous? Well, only if you’re the sort of bug that a scorpion likes to eat. Most scorpions’ venom isn’t strong enough to harm humans. There are about 1,500 different kinds of scorpion, but only about 25 are known to have killed people. It just so happens that two of the most dangerous scorpions in the world live in Egypt. They are the two that Menna shows Hopi – the fat-tailed scorpion and the deathstalker.

  A scorpion’s venom contains something called neurotoxins, which attack a victim’s nervous system. Human victims of deathstalkers and fat-tailed scorpions have symptoms like Commander Meref’s – convulsions, paralysis, difficulty breathing and intense pain. Sometimes, the victim dies of heart failure. Most healthy adults pull through, but it’s also true that approximately 5,000 people die of scorpion stings every year around the world.

  The ancient Egyptians had a healthy respect for these dangerous creatures, and the scorpion goddess Serqet was worshipped throughout the land. Another version of her name means roughly ‘she who paralyses the throat’, so the Egyptians knew all about the effects of scorpion stings! Like many of the Egyptian gods, she had a double-sided nature: she could punish people, but she could prevent bites and stings, and bring healing, too.

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  The Ancient Egyptian Army

  During the New Kingdom, the Egyptian army was very well organised, and was made up of 20,000 soldiers. The head of the army was the king himself, and he led his men into battle with major enemies. Most of the time, though, he left the day-to-day running of his troops to the commanders.

  The army had four divisions of 5,000 men, each named after an important god: Amun, Ptah, Seth and Re. These divisions in turn had 20 companies, each with 250 men, and every company was divided into 5 platoons of 50 men. So the company that appears in this book is only a fraction of the whole Egyptian army.

  The army could offer a good career for Egyptian men, especially if they came from a wealthy family and had some education. Men like Djeri, the son of a scribe, might be able to progress through the ranks and end up being a commander. There were plenty of perks to be had, too. The king made sure that soldiers were rewarded for bravery with land, gold and slaves. It’s strange but true that a golden fly was a particular reward for valour. We don’t know exactly why, but it might be because flies are tough little creatures that never give up. Think of a fly buzzing at the window – it just keeps going and going . . .

  But life in the army wasn’t all rewards and excitement. For the average soldier, it could be very hard. Foot soldiers were often beaten by their superiors, and had to live in harsh conditions and march long distances. They also had to go through a tough physical regime of weapons training, fitness training and wrestling. And of course, they might become sick, injured or get killed.

  It’s also true that much of the army wasn’t made up of Egyptians at all. There were whole platoons of other nationalities; for example, the Nubian platoon that forms part of the company in this book. Prisoners of war were regularly drafted into the army – and they seem to have been surprisingly loyal to the Egyptian king.

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  Who Were the Libyans?

  The Libyans were a group of tribes who came from the lands west of Egypt. They were usually portrayed in Egyptian wall paintings with beards and colourful robes. They were known to the Egyptians by a number of different names – the Libu, the Temehu and the Meshwesh, for example. They were a big nuisance for a number of New Kingdom kings, who had to keep trying to repel them from Egypt’s borders. However, given that Egypt was a lush land of plenty, I have reinterpreted this a little bit; the Egyptians saw the Libyans as threatening invaders, but I have imagined that they envied the rich lands of Egypt and simply wanted to settle there. In fact, many of them did settle in Egypt. Some descendants of Libyan captives became important members of Egyptian society, and later on in Egyptian history, one of them even became king.

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  GODS AND GODDESSES

  Ancient Egyptian religion was very complicated. There wa
sn’t just one god, but hundreds, each symbolising something different. Many of them were linked to a particular animal or plant. The Egyptians believed that their king or pharaoh was one of the gods, too.

  Not everyone worshipped the same gods. It would have been very difficult to worship all of them, because there were so many. Some gods were more important than others, and some places had special gods of their own. People would have had their favourites depending on where they lived and what they did.

  These are some of the most important gods of the New Kingdom, and all the special ones that are mentioned in this book.

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  Ammut A monster who waited in the Next World to gobble the hearts of people who had not led a good life. She had the head of a crocodile, the front paws of a lion and the hindquarters of a hippopotamus.

  Amun The great god of Waset (Thebes), a creator god and god of the air. When Waset became very powerful in the New Kingdom, he was combined with the sun god Re and became Amun-Re. He was shown with tall feathers on his head, or with a ram’s head.

  Anubis The god of mummies and embalming. He was usually shown with a jackal’s head.

  Bes A god who was worshipped in people’s homes, rather than at shrines and temples. He was shown as a bearded dwarf, often with his tongue sticking out, and was believed to protect people’s houses, pregnant women and children.

  Hathor A goddess of fertility, love, music and dancing. She was usually shown as a cow, or a woman with a cow’s head, or a woman with a cow’s ears and horns.

  Horus The falcon-headed king of the gods, who fought and won a battle with his evil uncle Seth. The reigning king of Egypt was believed to be the embodiment of Horus.

  Isis The mother of Horus and wife of Osiris, the goddess of motherhood and royal protection. She was associated with the goddess Hathor.

  Khepri The scarab god, the god of the rising sun. It was believed that he pushed the sun up every morning in the same way that a scarab pushes its ball of dung.

  Khonsu The moon god of Waset, worshipped in the great temple complex there. He was the adopted son of Mut.

  Ma’at The goddess of truth and justice, balance and order, who helped to judge people’s hearts after their death.

  Mut The great mother goddess of Waset, worshipped with Amun and Khonsu. Because Waset is often called Thebes, these three are known as the ‘Theban Triad’.

  Osiris Husband of Isis, father of Horus and brother of the evil god Seth. He was the king of the underworld, so he was usually shown as a mummy.

  Ptah A creator god, and the god of craftsmen. He was usually shown as a mummy holding a symbolic staff.

  Re (or Ra) The sun god, who travelled across the sky every day in a barque (boat).

  Sekhmet The lioness goddess of war, destruction and disease. She could offer protection and healing from these evils, too, and it was believed that she offered special protection to the king.

  Serqet The goddess of scorpions. She was believed to cure the stings and bites of all dangerous creatures like snakes and scorpions.

  Seth The brother of Osiris, the god of chaos, evil and the Red Land (the desert). He was shown with the head of a strange dog-like creature that has never been identified.

  Sobek The ancient Egyptian crocodile god. On the whole, he was feared by the Egyptians, but he was sometimes seen as a god of fertility, too.

  Tawaret A hippopotamus goddess who protected children and women, particularly during childbirth. Like Bes, Tawaret was worshipped in people’s homes rather than in temples.

  Thoth The god of writing and scribes. He was shown as an ibis, or with the head of an ibis.

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  GLOSSARY

  acacia A small, thorny tree. Some types of acacia grow particularly well in dry, desert regions.

  alabaster A whitish stone that is quite soft and easily carved. The Egyptians used it to make many beautiful objects.

  amulet A lucky charm, worn to protect a person from evil.

  ankh The ancient Egyptian symbol of eternal life. It is a cross with a loop at the top. Amulets were made in this shape, and gods were shown holding an ankh in tomb paintings.

  Black Land The rich, fertile land close to the Nile, where the ancient Egyptians felt safe. They lived and grew their crops here.

  carob An evergreen shrub. Its seed pods are edible.

  castor A shrubby plant widely grown in ancient Egypt. Its seeds were used to make castor oil, which the Egyptians rubbed on their skin and hair to make them glossy, and burned as fuel in oil lamps.

  golden fly A fly shaped in gold, and awarded to soldiers for valour. Golden flies have been found strung on to necklaces.

  hieratic A shorthand version of hieroglyphics, which simplified the hieroglyphs to make them quicker to

  write.

  hieroglyphics The ancient Egyptian system of picture writing. Each individual picture is called a hieroglyph.

  Hittites Enemies of the Egyptians during the New Kingdom. They had a big empire to the north of Egypt and their capital was in modern-day Turkey.

  Ipet-Isut The ancient Egyptian name for the great temple complex just to the north of Waset, now known as Karnak.

  Ipet-Resyt The large temple complex in the town of Waset, connected to Ipet-Isut by a long avenue lined with sphinxes. Like Ipet-Isut, it was dedicated to the worship of Amun, Mut and Khonsu. It is now known as Luxor Temple.

  jasper A popular gemstone in ancient Egypt. As well as green, there were red, brown, black and yellow varieties.

  kohl A kind of dark powder that the Egyptians used as eyeliner to outline their eyes.

  lotus Lotus flowers were actually blue water lilies that grew along the Nile. Their flowers open in the morning and close at night, so they were seen as a symbol of the rising and setting sun, and the cycle of creation. They were used in perfume, and were believed to have healing powers, too.

  ma’at The ancient Egyptian principle of divine justice and order. The principle was represented by a goddess of the same name.

  malachite A green-coloured mineral that the Egyptians used in cosmetics, jewellery and even medicinal remedies.

  mercenary Someone who hires himself out as a soldier. Unlike most soldiers, who fight for their country or government, mercenaries fight for whoever is paying them.

  natron A kind of salt mixture that was found on the bed of dried-up lakes in the desert. It was good at soaking up moisture, so it was used for drying out bodies in the embalming process. It was also used as an everyday cleaning agent.

  Next World The place ancient Egyptians believed they would go after death. It would be better than this world, of course, but quite similar – which was why they needed to take their bodies and many possessions with them.

  Nubian Someone from the region of Nubia, directly to the south of Egypt.

  papyrus A kind of reed that used to grow in the marshes alongside the Nile, especially in the Delta region to the north. It was made into many things – mats, baskets, sandals and even boats – but it is most famous for the flat sheets of ‘paper’ made from it, which are named after the reed.

  pharaoh The ancient Egyptian term for their king. It was only used by the Egyptians themselves in the later stages of their history, but we now use it to refer to any ancient Egyptian king.

  Red Land The desert, the land of the dangerous god Seth. It was greatly feared by the Egyptians because it was impossible to live there.

  scarab A kind of dung beetle that was worshipped by the Egyptians. Scarab amulets were thought to give great protection. The scarab was the creature of the god Khepri (see the Gods and Goddesses section).

  Sea People The name given to waves of people who tried to invade Egypt from the Mediterranean Sea during the New Kingdom.

  senet A popular board game in ancient Egypt. Players had to throw sticks to decide how many squares they could move their pieces.

  side-lock The tuft of hair that boys kept long as part of their hairstyle. The rest of the head was shaved. Once they grew u
p, the side-lock was shaved off.

  temple Temples were a very important focus for the ancient Egyptian religion. There were cult temples for the worship of a particular god, and mortuary temples for the worship of a king after his death.

  terebinth A small tree that produces a substance called turpentine (a kind of resin with many uses).

  turquoise A green-blue semi-precious stone that was mined by the Egyptians in Sinai. They used it to make beautiful objects, inlays and jewellery.

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Imprint

  Also by Gill Harvey

  Dedication

  The Death Stalker

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Cast of Characters

  Map of Ancient Egypt

  Fascinating Fact File

  Gods and Goddesses

  Glossary