by Scott Peters
"What did they look like?" Zet asked.
"One was quite fat, a large man with a short, beaded wig. Wealthy. Rings on every finger. And in one hand, he had what looked like a large scroll wrapped in leather."
"A scroll—the building plans they were talking about," Ama said.
"Exactly," Padus said. "But building plans for what, I don't know."
"What about the other man?" Zet said. "You said there were two."
"Yes. The other one was tall and thin and bony, with a long neck. He looked like a boiled chicken, if you know what I mean."
Zet grinned at this description. "So what happened after they saw you?"
"I looked at them, and they looked at me, and the fat one shouted, 'Get him!' Well, I could have told them they were trespassing, but that didn't seem like a good idea because the thin one pulled out a knife. I didn't wait to find out if he planned to use it. I just started running! I ran for town, hoping I'd lose them in the alleys."
"So then why were the medjay chasing you?"
"I think the big man must be some kind of official, because a medjay recognized him, and he yelled that I was a thief and that I'd stolen something. I was lucky to make it home."
Zet nodded. It had been close. "It's good you're a fast runner."
"That won't do me much good now, though. I'm afraid to leave my house. They've seen my face. You know what happens to thieves. And if he's official, and it's state business, it's death for certain. But if I don't leave home, how can I tend my fields?"
Ama looked stricken. "But you're innocent!"
Zet jumped to his feet. "That reminds me, you'd better bring your sandals inside!"
"Why?" Padus jumped up, hearing the warning in Zet's voice.
Chapter Four
The List
Zet was closer to the door. He ran for it.
"I told a medjay the man they were chasing had mismatched sandals," he told Padus.
Throwing the curtain aside, Zet snatched them up. Barely had he done so when a medjay turned into the alley. Zet clutched them to his chest. The medjay glanced curiously at Zet.
"Good morning," the medjay said. His muscled shoulders shone with sweat.
"Good morning," Zet replied. "Just-er-getting my sandals here!"
"Those look a little big for your feet, boy."
"Oh! Yes. Growing into them."
The medjay stopped and scanned Zet's face more closely. "Do I know you? You look familiar."
"Me?" Just his luck. That was the thing about working in the market. People sometimes recognized him. "I don't think so."
The man grunted. After a moment he said, "Have a nice day." And he kept going.
Zet let out a huge sigh of relief and slid back into the house.
"Just on time," he said, handing them to Padus. "But keep them inside until the real thieves are caught."
"I don't see how that will happen." Padus said, rubbing his neck.
"I'm going to solve this mystery, that's how," Zet said.
Padus shot him a typical adult look. One with doubt written all over it.
"I found you, didn't I?" Zet said. "I'm already ahead of the medjay."
"That's true."
Zet said his goodbyes and told them he'd return with any good news. He left, pondering all the things he'd learned. When he reached his market stall, Kat was nearly frantic.
"You've been gone forever!"
He pulled her back into the shadows. "You won't believe what I've learned."
Crouching behind the tall piles of stacked clay pots, he told Kat everything that had happened. Her look of terror when he told her about Padus yanking him through the door was definitely satisfying. She whacked him when she realized he was scaring her on purpose. When she knew everything, she sat back, looking thoughtful.
"Let's take stock of everything we know so far," she said, reaching for her brush and ink.
"Why? It's not like I'm going to forget."
She found a scrap of broken pottery and pulled out the cake of ink. "Because it might be helpful. Maybe we'll get more ideas." Kat mixed the ink with a little water, and dipped the brush. "Go ahead, tell me what to put first."
Zet told her, and she began to write.
When she finished, the list looked like this:
Who:
Man #1 has a big belly and wears gold rings.
Man #2 is tall and thin. Looks like a boiled chicken.
Where:
Padus's Papyrus plot
What:
Large leather-wrapped scroll with building plans on it
Zet's heart leapt looking at the list. "We know a lot!"
"A lot more than the medjay," Kat said. "Do you think he'll pay for this list?"
Zet considered it. "Possibly. But I told him I'd bring him the thief."
"Well, did you get any other ideas while I was writing?"
"Maybe we should write what to do next? How about, 'Look for the two men', and then, 'Figure out why building plans are important'."
Kat added them both. "That's a good question. How could building plans be so important? Is it for a new building, I wonder?"
They pondered this, both lost in their own thoughts.
Overhead, the sun god Ra was nearing the end of his daily voyage across the sky. Soon, he would reach the horizon. Sunlight slanted across the rooftops. It bounced off the copper plates in the market stall across the way. The stall-owner sang as he gathered them up and stacked them in two locked trunks for the night.
"We'd better pack up, too," Zet said.
They draped their pots up with linen cloths, and tied the linen down. It wasn't the most secure way of closing shop, but they couldn't exactly carry everything home. And it's what their family had always done. So far, they'd been lucky. People respected the market at night, and medjay had a habit of crossing the square frequently, knowing it was full of goods.
The date-seller left just as they did.
"Goodnight, Salatis," Zet called.
"Meddlesome boy," Salatis complained.
"Uh oh," Zet said to Kat. "I guess he's not too happy with me."
"He'll get over it, the old grump," Kat said.
He hoped Kat was right. He didn't like the idea of having an enemy, especially one in his market.
On their way home, Zet and Kat kept an eye out for the two men Padus had described. They passed dozens of people. A scribe with a sack of writing tools. A barber with a box of razors and shaving oils. A woman carrying a baby in one arm and leading a goat with the other.
But none of them matched the description Padus had given.
Chapter Five
Home
Soon Zet could see their doorway up ahead.
Cozy lamplight spilled through the front window into the narrow street. The air smelled of rich stew and baking bread. Zet's stomach roared with hunger. He turned to his sister and said,
"Let's not tell Mother about this, all right?"
She frowned. "Why not? You mean lie?"
"I don't mean lie. I mean, just don't mention it."
"I'm not going to keep things from her. Why should I? First, she'd probably think it was interesting. And second—"
"And second, she'd think it was dangerous, that's what she'd think! And she'd tell me not to do it!"
"Well then maybe you shouldn't. Maybe you should be focusing on the stall instead of wasting time chasing after a thief. That's the medjay's job!"
Zet stared at her open mouthed. "You were excited about it before!"
"Yes, well that was before I had to keep it all secret."
"Kat, Mother has barely been out of bed since she gave birth. She's finally up and well enough to get around a little. I don't want to worry her! But this deben could mean a lot. Think of it! We need it."
She stared at him with that stubborn set of jaw he hated. "I am thinking of it. You'll be off running around on some wild chase, and I'll be at the stall alone. And it's hard enough getting customers with two of us!"
&n
bsp; "I'll do both. I promise, I'll figure out a way."
Kat's lip jutted out a little, and she wound her braid around her fist. He could tell she was beginning to waver.
"Just one day," he said quickly. "Tomorrow. And if I can't figure out any more clues, we'll forget it. Deal?"
Kat blew out a breath. She glanced at their home, and back at Zet again. "Fine."
He grinned, elated.
"But just until tomorrow!" she said, rolling his eyes at his victory dance.
Over dinner, the mystery was temporarily forgotten. The family sat comfortably on overstuffed cushions before a low table. Lamplight danced on the whitewashed walls. Zet, Kat and his mother talked and laughed. It felt so good to see their mother back to her old self again.
Their baby brother, Apu, earned the most attention; he was trying to walk. The three cheered him on. The baby rewarded them by taking his first three unsteady steps. Then he squealed with delight and fell over.
Everyone wanted their turn to give him a hug of congratulations.
Later, while everyone got ready for bed, Zet knelt before the household shrine. Their statue of Bastet, the cat goddess, was small but made of the finest ebony. She had been the household god of his father, and his father's father before that. The statue had been handed down from father to son for many generations. One day it would be his. Age had softened her features. He lit a stick of incense and prayed to her for help in finding the thieves.
"Because it's not right to steal, and Padus shouldn't have to live in fear for something he did not do."
He rubbed Bastet's carved, ebony head. Even though she was a statue, he felt sure she enjoyed it.
He climbed up to the rooftop. During the very hot months, he and his sister liked to bring their sleeping pallets up there where it was cooler. Zet lay down under the vault of stars. For a long time, he tossed and turned. Finally, he pushed the linen sheet from his shoulder and sat up.
"Are you still awake?" he whispered to Kat.
"Yes," she mumbled.
"I want to go to the papyrus field. There might be a clue we're missing that the men left behind."
"Good idea. As long as you get up early and go before work."
"No. I'm going right now. What if those men go back to check and make sure they didn't leave anything?"
Kat struggled upright. He could see her staring, wide-eyed, in the moonlight. "That's exactly why you shouldn't go tonight. It's too dangerous!"
"I'll be careful," he said. He pulled on his kilt.
"I'm coming with you," Kat said.
"Forget it. Like you said, it's too dangerous."
She fastened her hair behind her neck in a low ponytail. "That's exactly why I'm coming. Someone has to keep an eye out while you search."
He had to admit it was a good idea. He could use a look-out.
He nodded. "All right. But we have to be quiet leaving."
"I know that!" she said. "I might be your younger sister, but I'm not a baby."
They crept downstairs. Zet found the oil lamp in the kitchen, along with a flint and an extra wick. Barefoot, they padded outside.
In the narrow streets, they kept to the shadows. Even though they weren't doing anything wrong, people would question why two kids were out at this hour. They didn't need strangers slowing them down with questions. They needed to move fast, before their mother awoke and found them gone.
"How far is this place?" Kat whispered.
"Past the old palace, and then down the long road that leads south out of town."
"All the way out there?"
"You're the one who said you wanted to come. Now come on, let's hurry up."
It was hard to find their way in the dark. Things looked different at night.
"I recognize that chapel," Kat said. "It's the chapel of Mut. Look, there's the goddess's Hearing Ear shrine. I'm pretty sure we turn left."
She was right. There was the niche on the chapel’s side wall. Inside was the shrine with the stele—the stone carving—covered with dozens of engraved ears. During the day, the Hearing Ear shrine would often be crowded with worshipers coming to speak to the goddess. They’d ask her for favors or help with whatever ailed them. Now, it was empty.
Moments later, they were passing the old palace.
Soon, they reached the road out of town. The air smelled different. Night-blooming flowers perfumed the soft breeze. Mixed with the flowers came the brackish smell of the Nile River.
It felt strange and exciting and dangerous to be out walking at this late hour.
"I think we're almost there," Zet whispered. "He said there was a white road marker, followed by a stand of acacia." He pointed. "There's the road marker."
"And there's the stand of acacia!" Kat said.
And beyond that, they could easily see the thick shoots of papyrus rising to meet the dark sky. Zet, excited, sprinted ahead. Kat caught up quickly.
He paused before a path that led into the dark, towering plants.
Chapter Six
The Search
Zet looked at Kat, whose eyes were wide.
"I'm not standing guard out here, if that's what you're thinking," she said.
"Then let's go. This has to be where the men entered."
Kat stood rooted to the spot, peering into the black, murky pathway. "Maybe we should leave."
"We're not leaving! We came all this way."
"And we can just as easily go all the way back," she said. Still, she followed him into the inky tunnel of plants.
"Ow!" Zet stopped and she banged into him.
"Why did you stop?" she whispered.
"Because that's the fourth time you stepped on my ankle!" he whispered back.
"Oh. Sorry."
They carried on. Soon, the ground turned soft and muddy under their bare feet.
"Wait!" Zet whispered suddenly.
"What is it?" came Kat's frightened reply.
"We might be stepping on evidence."
Kat whacked his shoulder in the dark. "You almost scared me to death! I thought you heard someone."
"At this hour? Don't worry, we're alone," he said. He sure hoped it. "Let’s light the lamp. Here, hold it while I do the flint."
A moment later, light sprang up. Kat's face looked eerie, all shadows and bouncing light. She set the lamp near the ground. They both got down on all fours to search. They scoured the ground for some time in silence.
"Anything?" Kat whispered.
"It's muddier up there. Keep going. I think I see something."
Sure enough, a chaotic jostle of footprints had been etched deeply into the mud.
"This must be where they saw each other!" Zet said.
There were three distinct sets of footprints. One set, whose soles didn't match, which clearly belonged to Padus.
"And look, these deeper ones must belong to the fat man," Kat reasoned. "Since he weighs more."
There was a third set; the feet were huge, but failed to make deep impressions. They had to belong to the tall thin man.
Together, Zet and Kat combed the area for other clues. He'd hoped maybe they'd left something behind, like a ring or a piece of torn fabric. Some kind of information they could use.
"Nothing," he finally said, when he'd gone over everything three times to be sure. "You?"
"Nope." Kat sounded as disappointed as he felt.
"We better go," Zet said.
He doused the lamp and they headed for the road.
"What a waste of time!" Kat said. "And I was really starting to get hopeful."
"It wasn't a complete waste of time," Zet said. "At least we know Padus was telling the truth."
"True," Kat said. "But still. What more can we possibly learn about the thieves? All we know is their description. Thebes is a big city, and even if we did see a fat man and a skinny one, there’s no crime in that. It could describe dozens of people."
Zet’s heart sank, because he knew what she said was true. And he’d felt so certain he could solve t
he case! The medjay was right. Zet had been foolish and arrogant to think he could do a better job than the official medjay.
"I guess this whole thing was a dumb idea," he said. "Sorry I dragged you out here."
He was glad Kat didn't say 'I told you so', even if she was obviously thinking it.
Papyrus stalks brushed his bare shoulders. The fluffy plant tops wavered overhead. Beyond them, a sea of stars sparkled in the black sky. Tomorrow he’d be back at his market stall, praying for customers. Just like any other day. Except things would be worse now. True, they were rich in pots. But one couldn’t eat clay. And he’d imagined the money so clearly!
"Who passes there?" came a voice.
Kat squeaked in fright.
Zet spun, crouching, ready to attack.
At first, he saw only a pile of rags in the ditch alongside the road. But when the rags moved, he stepped closer. It was a beggar woman. Her bony arms jutted from an old linen tunic that was at least six sizes too big. Deep wrinkles lined her face, but her skin looked soft for someone who clearly spent her life outdoors, and was the color of washed linen.
"We’re just on our way home," Zet said.
"I’m sorry we don’t have anything to give you," Kat said. "I wish we had!"
"Thank you. You’re kind," the old woman said.
Zet suddenly had an idea. "Were you here yesterday?"
The old woman nodded. "My ears were listening."
Kat and Zet looked at each other. It was a strange answer, but clearly it meant she'd been here. He could feel his heart increase in speed. Maybe she'd seen something. Maybe they’d get some more information.
"I wondered if I could ask you something?"
She nodded, and turned to him.
Silver moonlight lit her face, and he saw her fully for the first time. Although she was old and wrinkled, he could see that she must have been pretty once. But it was her strange eyes that drew his attention.
Without thinking, he sucked in his breath.
"Yes," she said. "I am blind."
"I’m sorry," he said, understanding the curious answer she'd given earlier. "We shouldn’t bother you."
"Ask me your question, young man. You may be surprised by the answer."