Star League 3 (5 page)

Being in a pit full of scorpions is every bit as disgusting as it sounds. As I wade through their scratchy bodies I try not to think about them getting under my clothes and stinging me. Except the more I try not to think about it, the more I end up thinking about it!

I panic and make a break for the other side of the pit, but the moment I do the scorpions start to scuttle around like crazy.

‘You're scaring them,' says Leigh. ‘You need to calm down or they might sting you!'

‘Oh, great!' I say. ‘How am I supposed to calm down now?' I can feel their stingers starting to prick against my clothes. Any more pressure and I'm going to get skewered!

‘Don't run!' says Jay. ‘Take deep breaths and walk slowly. Pretend you're somewhere else!'

Okay. I close my eyes and breathe deeply, trying to ignore the scorpions. I picture my home back in the rainforests of the Amazon. There were lots of bugs there, but Dad always brewed me a special scent to wear to keep them away. Sure, it made me smell like a swamp, but it was worth it.

I get so caught up thinking about the rainforests that I don't even realise I've made it to the other side until my hand brushes up against stone. I open my eyes as the others haul me out of the scorpion pit. I can't believe I made it!

‘Thanks, guys!' I say with a grin. ‘I hope there's an emergency exit in this place, because there is no way I'm doing that again!'

We cross over to a door with a strange carving on its surface. It's some sort of creature with a lion's body and a human's face.

‘It's a carving of a Sphinx,' says Sam. ‘A figure
from ancient Egyptian mythology.'

The Sphinx opens its eyes. ‘I am no mere myth!' We cry out in surprise.

‘Uh, sorry, Sphinx,' says Jay. ‘We didn't mean to offend you. We just need to get through this door.'

‘I am the guardian of this door. To enter this room you must first solve a riddle,' says the Sphinx. ‘If you get it right, I will let you pass.'

‘And what if we get it wrong?' asks Asuka.

‘Then you shall be trapped down here for all eternity.'

We look at each other uneasily. Spending the rest of my days in an underground tomb isn't exactly my idea of fun, but this looks like the only way to get through.

‘What's the riddle, Sphinx?' I ask.

The carving on the door clears its throat and recites a short poem.

‘In this ancient hidden tomb

There is a special kind of room.

For though this is the mummies' place
They may not set foot in this space.

What is the name of this room?'

We stare at each other blankly.

‘Uh, anybody got any ideas?' asks Jay.

‘I have a map of the museum on my database,' says Sam, ‘but unfortunately this tomb isn't on it so the rooms aren't named.'

‘What about the above-ground areas?' asks Leigh. ‘Are there any off-limits rooms where mummies wouldn't be allowed?'

‘Yes. I calculate at least fourteen.'

‘And we've only got one chance,' says Connor.

I can see from the looks on everyone else's faces that they've got no clue. I sigh, wishing I was back at the studio, watching TV in some nice big comfy chair …

An idea pops into my head. I click my fingers, and the others look at me.

‘I've got it! I know the answer!'

The others stare at me with a mixture of hope and uncertainty.

‘Are you sure it's the right answer?' asks Asuka.

‘Yeah, because if you mess this up and I have to spend eternity down here with you, I'm going to be a bit annoyed,' growls Connor.

I step up to the Sphinx carving and clear my throat. ‘Uh, hi Sphinxy! The one room a mummy can't set foot in is the living room. Get it?'

The others groan. ‘You think this is another one of your bad jokes?' spits Connor. ‘I don't think the answer to an ancient riddle would be a terrible jo–'

‘The answer is correct,' says the Sphinx, cutting Connor off. ‘You may enter.'

‘Yes!' I feel like doing a victory dance, but the
others pull me through the door before the Sphinx has a chance to change its mind.

On the other side of the door is a high platform with a ladder leading down to some kind of laboratory. I peer over the edge of the platform and spot Nefertina, but luckily she's talking to someone on a screen and hasn't noticed us come in. I try to move so I can see who she's talking to, but the angle is bad.

‘Don't worry, Professor Pestilence, I've dealt with those annoying kids,' she says. ‘By now they'll be nothing but mush!'

We look at each other in shock. Professor Pestilence? That guy seems to be behind every single one of the missions we've had to solve so far. It's starting to feel personal! I wish I could see the screen. So far, all we really know about the professor's appearance is that he's a master of disguise.

‘I've managed to obtain a recipe for a
Zombification Potion from that loathsome zombie boy,' says Nefertina. ‘As soon as the potions have finished brewing we can begin the process of bringing the Modified Mummies back to life.' She points to two enormous vats that are bubbling away over a fire. One is full of bright green Zombification Potion and the other is filled to the brim with …

‘Loosifying Juice!' I stare longingly at the big vat of red potion. If I don't get some Loosifying Juice soon, all of my limbs are going to drop off for good! If I can sneak down the ladder I can grab some of that Loosifying Juice and, while I'm at it, kick Nefertina's butt. I'll be a hero!

I start to sneak over to the edge of the platform, trying not to make any noise. The others motion for me to come back but I can't tell them my plan because Nefertina might hear us.

When I get to the bottom of the ladder I can see the rest of the room. Underneath the platform are six figures wrapped in bandages – the missing
mummies from the museum! Each is hooked up to a tube connected to the vats. At first I think I've been sprung, but then I see that they aren't awake yet.

I leave them for now and sneak over to get a better look at the screen. I'm careful to hide so that the professor won't see me over Nefertina's shoulder and warn her. I slowly stick my head out until …

I see the professor's face! It's awful – peeling skin, jagged pointy teeth and sunken black eyes. He looks in worse shape than me, and I'm undead! I'm so surprised, my jaw drops open. Then I hear a loud THUNK! I look down to see that my jaw has fallen off and has literally hit the floor. Oh no, my Loosifying Juice has almost worn off completely!

Nefertina turns and sees me. ‘Intruder!' she screeches. ‘Mummies, attack!'

The mummies begin to moan and rise up off the tables.

Uh-oh. This isn't how this was supposed to work. I was supposed to sneak down here and save the day but instead it looks like I'm going to become mummy breakfast. Well, at least I got to see the professor's face …

Except that as I stare at it some more I realise it's not real – it's a mask! I could kick myself for falling for it. I pick up my jaw and put it in my pocket, just in time to dodge a swipe from one of the mummies. I jump out of the way, almost knocking over Jay, who has climbed down the ladder with the rest of the Star League behind him.

‘You six are supposed to be finished!' screeches Nefertina.

‘Guess again!' I say. Except without my lower jaw in place it sounds more like, ‘Ess ah-en!' I fish it out of my pocket and pop it back into place. ‘You're the one who's finished, Nefertina!'

‘I don't think so! My Modified Mummies will take care of you,' she says with a smug grin. ‘They've been engineered to have magical ancient Egyptian powers.'

As she says that, one of the mummies sends a lightning bolt crashing towards us. We duck and it smashes into the ladder behind us, obliterating it. Well, there goes any escape plan!

We run towards the mummies, fanning out and picking a mummy each to fight. I round on one and reach into my satchel for a potion. The mummy glares at me with dull, lifeless eyes and I shudder. I pull out an Itching Fit Mixture and throw it at the mummy. It smashes at its feet, covering it in orange liquid.

Normally when I use this potion it causes
people to itch all over and stop whatever they're doing. It's a great way to buy time. But on the mummy it has absolutely zero effect. It just pauses for a second to look at its orange feet, then moans and keeps stumbling towards me. Maybe it doesn't even have any skin under all those bandages? I gulp. Okay, time for Plan B …

Which is to run as fast as I can! I dash around the room with the mummy in hot pursuit. Out of the corner of my eye I can see the others fighting with their own mummy menaces, and they're having about as much luck as I am.

Connor's strength is no match for his mummy's magic, which is buffeting him with a fierce gale. Asuka is as agile as a cat, but she's having a hard time dodging the fireballs her mummy is throwing at her. Leigh can control animals, but the vulture that her mummy has summoned up seems immune to her powers and is swooping at both her and Chu. Sam's computer skills certainly aren't helping him
against centuries-old mummies, and Jay can usually pick up just about any skill but I don't think even he can learn how to cast a magic spell without practice.

I turn my attention back to my own mummy, who makes a sudden grab at me. I manage to dodge its outstretched hands, but only just. I run behind a table full of beakers and duck as the mummy shoots a bolt of lightning straight at my head. The lightning hits the beakers, which explode in a shower of rainbow-coloured liquids.

The mummy lurches towards me and I realise there's nowhere else to go. I've run into a corner and the only exit is past the mummy. I'm trapped!