Шрифт:
“I’m just on the lookout,” he said. “My paws are not meant for digging, sorry. I’m afraid of being buried under the sand.”
Emma looked at him suspiciously, but didn’t utter a word. A few moments later, her shovel hit something solid.
“The jewelries!” the meerkat exclaimed as he dashed to the spot. He looked hungrily at the carved golden casket.
“Inside this casket lies a surprise. The Scarab!” he said.
Colin was stunned, “How’d you find out about this?”
“Never mind. I’ve just figured it out,” the meerkat said confidently. “Let’s open the casket. Give me the key.”
“What key? I haven’t told anyone about the key. How did you know?” Emma smirked and looked at him with distrust.
“I had deciphered the code lock and found the instructions and the tiny key inside,” Emma the Crocodile said. “I chose to conceal the information from all of you because I suspected that there was a mole in our company.”
“What?! That’s impossible! Who?” cried the meerkat grinning wickedly as grabbed the casket with the artifact.
“Notaspy, perhaps you know better,” the crocodile replied in a loud, steady voice, “or should I call you Ramses? You captured Notaspy when he was buying his favorite ice cream! Did you use the Spy Twinning Technology?”
Ramses tossed back his head in a howl of berserk laughter. His whiskers wrinkled ominously.
He said, “You’re obviously smarter than you look. But you’re mistaken. Notaspy was replaced by me a long before! I had to hinder your efforts to find the artifact!”
Spinning like a whirling dervish, Ramses split into two.
“Thanks, friends. I’m happy to see you,” the trembling voice of Notaspy was faint and weary. He was exhausted.
“Save your energy! Everything will be all right,” Colin said in a supportive voice. “We’re here to help you!”
“Ramses will open the casket!” Derek shouted in despair.
“Don’t worry!” Emma said in a calm voice, “I’ve got the key. He will have to deal with me to get the Scarab.”
“Who’d ever need you to open the casket? I always keep a spare key,” the evil meerkat growled maliciously, “I just wanted to have yours so that you could never open my treasure box. It’s time to show you the power of this artifact!”
Ramses opened the casket and took out the Scarab. He grinned and scratched the Scarab with the crocodile tooth. The Scarab was spinning time back. Everything went into slow motion. It became very cold and frosty; sharp ice – blades hit the dunes. Withered leaves fell from the skies. The strong north wind howled. The sleety snow froze in
Derek was struggling to stand up. Emma was hovering in midair, contorted in a ridiculous position. The suffocating cloud enveloped Notaspy. He was coughing and sneezing. The meerkat could hardly breathe. Colin felt that something had hit him in the chest. “Spinning knives,” the boy guessed. He was not scared because Emma had insisted on wearing the bulletproof T-shirt.
Emma managed to whip Ramses with her tail. He dropped the Scarab. It rolled and fell onto the sand. There was a large crack caused by the earthquake near the Gate.
Ramses screamed in disgust and frustration. His eyes blazed with fury. He saw a burrow in the sand and retreated.
Then… just like that, everything went back to normal.
“Are you all right?” Emma looked at the boy anxiously.
“Sure. Thanks to the bulletproof T-shirt!” Colin answered.
“Let’s take Notaspy to the hospital,” she shouted.
“I’ll stay and do a sweep,” Derek said thoughtfully. “Just in case. If Ramses has the intention to come back, we won’t give him any chance to win the Scarab back!”
“That’s an excellent idea! I’ll come back as soon as I can. Be careful!” Emma looked worried.
“Dad, may I go with Emma?” Colin asked.
“You may go provided that you promise me to wear the bulletproof T-shirt!” Derek said sternly. “Don’t waste time!”
“Of course,” the boy replied. “Take my spy night googles! You’ll need them as twilight’s approaching!”
Then, off they went. Emma looked around, scanning the sandy surface of the desert. At first, they were vividly discussing the fate of the Scarab, but soon their talk faded. Emma the Crocodile was too frustrated to think about the artifact. Notaspy was her only concern at the moment. The silence embraced them. It was interrupted by the muffled shhhsh, shhhsh, shhhsh of their camels’ hooves. They traversed through the dunes, heading towards the city.
CHAPTER NINE