Revenge of the Scorpion King

BAD-LUCK ALEX Egyptian desert, south of Aswan1937 As he ran, Alex O'Connell tried again to shake the Bracelet of Anubis from his wrist. Still locked tight. Behind him he could hear the bones of the fierce pygmy skeletons pounding against the ground as they chased him and his father through the jungle of Ahm Shere. If Alex and his father didn't get to the golden pyramid of Anubis before the sun hit it, the bracelet was going to destroy him . . . and if they didn't outrun the pygmies, they would be devoured. "Now that the bracelet is on Alex's wrist," Ardeth Bay had warned, "the Scorpion King will wake and raise the Army of Anubis." Ardeth Bay was their trusted friend and the leader of the Medjai. For five thousand years, these bold adventurers had guarded mummies' tombs, trying to keep foolish men from unleashing the evil locked inside. "We must kill the Scorpion King and send his warriors back to the underworld. Otherwise"Ardeth Bay had paused"the Scorpion King will wipe out the world." Only this time, Ardeth Bay's warning had come too late. The O'Connells had stumbled into a disaster. Alex and his father dove into the temple's entrance just as the sun struck the top of the golden pyramid. Pop! The bracelet opened and clattered to the floor. Suddenly, the ground began to shake and tremble. "Who disturbs the Temple of Anubis?" a voice bellowed from the hall, as thundering footsteps headed their way. Alex and his father stared at each other in horror, remembering Ardeth Bay's words. The footsteps grew louder, as Alex prepared to die. . . . Alex O'Connell woke with a start, his heart beating loudly in his chest. He looked quickly around, then breathed a sigh of relief. It was only a dream, the same one he'd had since meeting the Scorpion King four years ago. He was in the desert, and the Scorpion King was dead. By the light of ten thousand stars, a huge black scorpion stalked through the dirt toward his hand. Just what I need now, Alex thought, bugs trying to poison me. Nervous sweat trickled down his face. He hated scorpions, but he didn't move. For hours he had been spying on a camp of men that he suspected were tomb raiders. But the afternoon sun had lulled him to sleep. Now a German guard stood ten feet away, a machine gun cradled in his arm. Fifty yards away, a group of men sprawled around several campfires. Half a dozen of them were guards. Alex hardly dared breathe, much less creep away from the scorpion. If Alex was caught, the men might think he was a thief. By Egyptian law, they could chop off his hands for stealing. These Germans looked like a grim bunch. They might just shoot him. Alex remained perfectly still, hidden in a cluster of rocks. He crouched on hands and knees with his back bent and his head down so that his tan robes looked like a rock. Pebbles cut into his palms and knees. A black turban covered his head. Alex suspected that the robes and darkness could not hide him. The campfires were too bright, and a couple of tents had lamps lit inside, so they glowed like coals. The scorpion scampered forward and stopped mere inches from his hand. Alex tried to calm himself. He centered his mind on the teachings of Ardeth Bay, whispering, "The Medjai protect mankind in secret, not openly. The Medjai should see, but not be seen. The Medjai should strike, and no cry should ever be raised." The Medjai should not fall asleep on duty, he added, blushing. More than anything, twelve-year-old Alex wanted to be a Medjai, a guardian of the mummies' tombs. He had seen the powerful forces hidden in these tombs firsthand and didn't want tomb raiders to make the same mistake he'd made. The risk was too great. He'd been studying the ways of the Medjai every chance he had since meeting his parent's frienWolverton, Dave is the author of 'Revenge of the Scorpion King', published 2001 under ISBN 9780553487541 and ISBN 055348754X.