The Crocodile Caper Read online

  Text copyright © 2020 by Amy Butler Greenfield

  Illustrations copyright © 2020 by Sarah Horne

  All Rights Reserved

  HOLIDAY HOUSE is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

  The artwork was created with pen and ink with a digital finish.

  www.holidayhouse.com

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Greenfield, Amy Butler, 1968- author. | Horne, Sarah, 1979–illustrator.

  Title: Ra the mighty : the crocodile caper / by A. B. Greenfield; illustrated by Sarah Horne.

  Other titles: Crocodile caper

  Description: First edition. | New York : Holiday House, [2020] | Includes bibliographical references. | Audience: Ages 7–10. | Audience: Grades 2–3. | Summary: Ra, the pharoah’s pampered cat, and his scarab beetle sidekick, Khepri, investigate when crown prince Dedi disappears from the palace of one of Pharoah’s wives in ancient Egypt.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2019055118 | ISBN 9780823446490 (hardcover)

  Subjects: CYAC: Cats—Fiction. | Scarabs—Fiction. | Missing children—Fiction. | Smuggling—Fiction. | Egypt—History—To 332 B.C.—Fiction. | Mystery and detective stories.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.G8445 Rc 2020 | DDC [Fic]—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019055118

  Hardcover ISBN 9780823446490

  Paperback ISBN 9780823449996

  Ebook ISBN 9780823448807

  a_prh_5.6.0_c0_r0

  For Milo and Gideon,

  mighty readers and brothers

  —A.B.G.

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter 1: A Nile Cruise

  Chapter 2: Ra–baby

  Chapter 3: Danger, Ahoy!

  Chapter 4: Crocodile Smile

  Chapter 5: Oop–Oop!

  Chapter 6: Lion on the Loose!

  Chapter 7: Nightmare

  Chapter 8: Kittycat

  Chapter 9: A Trick

  Chapter 10: Homeward Bound

  Chapter 11: Great Detectives?

  Chapter 12: A Deal’s a Deal

  Chapter 13: Don’t Lose Your Nerve

  Chapter 14: Royal Son of the Pharaoh

  Chapter 15: A Classy Café

  Chapter 16: Taweret

  Chapter 17: The Fate of Two Kingdoms

  Chapter 18: Yaba

  Chapter 19: Brainpower

  Chapter 20: Who Benefits?

  Chapter 21: Kidnapped

  Chapter 22: Another Crocodile

  Chapter 23: Plan B

  Chapter 24: Crunch

  Chapter 25: Tripped Up

  Chapter 26: The Surprise

  Chapter 27: The Royal Babysitter

  Ra’s Glossary of Names

  Author’s Note

  Acknowledgments

  CHAPTER 1

  A Nile Cruise

  I am Ra the Mighty, Pharaoh’s Cat, Lord of the Powerful Paw. Everyone knows I’m special. That’s why they bring me offerings. And by offerings, I mean snacks—the best in all of Egypt.

  “I can’t wait.” I pranced onto the royal barge. It was anchored at the palace docks, ready for my voyage down the Nile with Pharaoh. “I hear they’ve stewed an oxtail just for me.”

  “Oxtail? Seriously?” said a tiny voice between my ears. It came from my best buddy, Khepri. He’s a scarab beetle, and he likes to perch there. “I don’t know how you can eat that stuff. Give me dung balls any day.”

  I sighed. Like most scarab beetles, Khepri lives for dung. (Disgusting, I know. Don’t think I haven’t told him.) “Keep it to yourself, buddy.”

  “I hope they have some ox dung for me,” he murmured. “Though I’ll settle for horse.”

  “Khepri, please!” I stretched out in a sunny spot on the deck. “You’re spoiling my appetite.”

  “Is that even possible?” a mild voice asked. Turning my head, I saw my friend Miu, the kitchen cat. She was gliding out of the cook’s quarters.

  “Miu, did they bring my oxtail on board?” I asked.

  “And is there any ox dung?” Khepri chirped.

  “I have no idea,” Miu said briskly as sailors tramped past us. “But there’s something going on, you two. A change in plans. I heard the cook grumbling, but he didn’t say much. We should find out what’s happening.”

  “Ra, did you hear that?” Khepri leaped down to the gleaming deck. “It’s a mystery!”

  “Make it go away.” I rolled over, narrowly avoiding more sailors. “I mean, I know we’re Great Detectives—”

  “The Greatest,” Khepri put in modestly.

  “—but we’ve already solved two mysteries, and I think that’s enough for anyone.” I closed my eyes to block the sun’s glare. “Anyway, this is supposed to be a pleasure cruise. The next few days are for snacking and sleeping.”

  “I wouldn’t bet on it,” Miu said. “I saw Kiya headed this way.”

  “What?!” I flipped over in shock. “Pharaoh said she was going in the other boat—”

  “I think she wants to visit you before we sail,” Miu told me.

  “I’m getting off!” I shrieked. I darted forward, then froze. Kiya was coming on board with scraps of linen in her hands.

  “Don’t be silly, Ra,” Miu scolded me. “She’s Pharaoh’s daughter. She’s part of your family. And she’s only six years old. What is there to be so scared of?”

  “You don’t understand, Miu,” I yowled in despair. “It’s dress-up time!”

  Pounce! Kiya grabbed me around the belly and scooped me up.

  “Hi, Ra-baby!” she cooed.

  Ra-baby. Of all the silly, goopy names…

  “It’s Ra the Mighty,” I meowed. “Lord of the Powerful Paw.”

  But she didn’t understand me. No surprises there. Humans never do, even the small ones.

  “Come on, Ra-baby.” She lugged me over to the shade in front of Pharaoh’s decktop cabin, built to protect him from the relentless sun. “I’ve found you some great new clothes.”

  Let me set the record straight, in case you’re like Kiya and you have some funny ideas about felines. Cats don’t wear clothes.

  Okay, okay. They wear a little jewelry sometimes. I admit I’m quite attached to the bead necklace Pharaoh gave me when I was a kitten. But clothes?

  Never.

  Ever.

  Try telling that to Kiya, though. “Ra-baby, how about we put on your head scarf first?”

  Head scarf?

  “You’re going to look so cute with your ears tucked under it!” Kiya chortled.

  “Did you hear that?” I yowled to Khepri and Miu. “Get me out of here!”

  I squirmed and clawed at the linen.

  “Ra, be careful!” Miu warned me. “You don’t want to hurt her. Remember, you’re one of Bastet’s own, sworn to protect children. Especially the children of your very own family.”

  With her torn ear and grizzled coat, Miu looks like a tough customer, but her heart’s as soft as they come. And she was right. I’m one of Bastet’s own. All cats are, but me more than most, since I’m one of the great cat goddess’s direct descendants.

  Still, it took me a moment to remember my royal duty and retract my claws.

  “Silly Ra-baby.” Kiya smooched me. “Now let
’s put on your veil.”

  No claws, I told myself. No claws, no teeth, no claws, no teeth—

  “KIYA!” a voice boomed. A voice that made me pull my claws in as far as they could go. A voice that made Kiya jump.

  I twisted my head back, and there he was, standing on the deck: the Ruler of Rulers, the Lord of the Two Lands, the High Priest of Every Temple.

  Also known as Pharaoh, Kiya’s father.

  He was my human. And the moment I saw him, I knew something was wrong.

  CHAPTER 2

  Ra–baby

  “Kiya, what are you doing to poor Ra?” Pharaoh demanded.

  “I’m dressing him up, Daddy!” Kiya held me so her father could see.

  “Well, I don’t think he likes it, Kiya.”

  “Sure he does, Daddy. He’s my Ra-baby.”

  I twisted in her hands and bolted down the deck, leaving the head scarf behind. She gathered the linens and started to stalk me. “Here, Ra-baby! Come and play!”

  No way. I leaped onto the roof of Pharaoh’s royal cabin.

  “Leave Ra alone, Kiya, and come here. I have news for you.” Pharaoh motioned to a tall boy behind him. “And for Dedi, too.”

  Maybe you’ve heard of Ramses Dedumose, Pharaoh’s oldest son and heir? We call him Dedi, and he’s the Great Son, the crown prince. Not that he looked too princely that morning. He was just a twelve-year-old boy with long, skinny legs and a thoughtful expression in his eyes. Still, I was fond of him. He had a real talent for mischief, like his sister, but fortunately he had a smidgen more sense. For one thing, he had never tried to dress me up.

  Kiya skipped over to Pharaoh. “What is it, Daddy?”

  “I have to stay here in Thebes for a few more days,” Pharaoh said. “Something has come up.”

  “Daddy, no!” Kiya cried. Dedi looked disappointed. But not as disappointed as I was. What about my oxtail?

  “Never mind,” Pharaoh told his children. “There’s no reason why you two shouldn’t sail today. The festival is over, and your royal mother will be longing to see you.”

  Well, that would put plenty of distance between me and Kiya. I stifled a yowl of delight.

  Pharaoh added gravely, “Besides, Thebes isn’t the best place for you to be right now, under the circumstances.”

  I couldn’t agree more: Thebes was definitely not a good place for Kiya to be. Not while I was in it, anyway.

  “What circumstances?” Dedi asked. “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing for you to worry about,” Pharaoh said. “The point is that you will set out today. Lady Satiah has invited you to spend the night at her palace on the Nile.”

  “Lady Satiah?” Dedi wrinkled his nose.

  I wrinkled my nose, too. Despite her beauty, Lady Satiah isn’t the kind of person who warms anyone’s heart, including mine. I don’t think she even warms Pharaoh’s heart, although she’s one of his wives. His father set up the marriage as a favor to one of Egypt’s most powerful lords. Like most political matches, it didn’t work out. Pharaoh and Lady Satiah haven’t lived together for years.

  After Lady Satiah had her royal son, Ahmose, she went to live in one of the more remote palaces. The Great Wife insisted on that. As everyone in Egypt knows, the Great Wife is Pharaoh’s real wife: the partner of his heart and the mother of almost all of his children, including Dedi and Kiya. (Plus she’s fond of cats—especially me.)

  “We can’t stay with Lady Satiah!” Kiya cried. “She hates us.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Pharaoh said patiently. “Lady Satiah does not hate you.”

  “Yes, she does,” Kiya insisted. “She’s awful.”

  Pharaoh frowned—a sight that made even Kiya go quiet. “Lady Satiah is a noble and gracious lady. If she was strict with you two last year, it was because you deserved it. Have you forgotten that you stuck a lizard in her bed?”

  Kiya and Dedi exchanged a joyous look.

  “Oh, we remember,” Dedi said.

  “We did it because she was so horrible,” Kiya explained. “She was horrible first. She—”

  “I don’t want to hear any more,” Pharaoh said, his voice a low rumble of thunder. “Lady Satiah is one of my wives, and she deserves your respect. That is final. Understood?”

  Dedi bowed his head. “Yes, Dad.”

  Kiya pouted at first, but when Pharaoh’s frown deepened she gave in. “Yes, Daddy.”

  “Very good.” Pharaoh put his arms around them both. “Judging from her letter, she is eager to see you. If you mind your manners, all will be well.”

  “Can’t you come with us?” Kiya pleaded.

  “I wish I could,” Pharaoh told her. “But never fear, you’ll have plenty of company.”

  I listened with half an ear as he explained who was going: Kiya’s nursemaid, four of Pharaoh’s guards, and a whole boatload of sailors. They were also taking a cook, but that didn’t bother me. Pharaoh has dozens of cooks, so there would be plenty of them left to make my snacks here in Thebes while I waited for Pharaoh to finish his business.

  “You will also travel with Ra the Mighty,” Pharaoh told the children. “He is a favorite of the gods, and he will keep you safe.”

  What?! My ears swiveled, and I lost my balance. I fell from the cabin roof.

  Pharaoh, Dedi, and Kiya turned around as I landed feetfirst.

  “Silly Ra-baby,” Kiya said fondly, coming up to me. “Isn’t it great that you’re coming with us? We can play dress-up all day!”

  “Noooooooooooooooo!” I yowled.

  “Ah!” Pharaoh said, looking pleased. “That’s the sound he makes when he’s warding off intruders. He’s trying to protect you already.” Bending down to rub the fur between my ears, he added, “I know I can trust you, Ra. Do what you must to keep my children from harm.”

  Never let it be said that Pharaoh’s Cat doesn’t know his duty. If Pharaoh was ordering me to protect his children, then protect them I would. But as Kiya grinned down at me, I only had one thought:

  Who was going to protect me?

  CHAPTER 3

  Danger, Ahoy!

  Have you ever cruised down the Nile? If not, I’ll let you in on a secret—a royal barge is the way to go. Pharaoh has several at his disposal. Built of pricy cedar from Lebanon, they’re fitted out with top-grade quarters for the family (and for Pharaoh’s Cat).

  We set off at noon, and I claimed my usual nook near the bow, where I could enjoy the cool river breezes.

  “Wow,” Khepri said from the top of my head. “Look at that view!”

  As we slipped away from Thebes, the great temple shone like polished ivory in the noonday sun. A light breeze made the water sparkle like jewels. Perfect napping conditions!

  Miu trotted over to me. “Dedi is talking with the captain, but I think you’d better keep an eye on Kiya, Ra. She’s checking out every inch of this ship. The sailors aren’t happy about it.”

  “Oh, let her explore,” I said airily. “If the sailors are unhappy, that’s their problem.”

  Miu wasn’t looking too happy herself. “But—”

  “Look!” I meowed in delight. “Here come the snacks!”

  Sure enough, the cook was headed our way. He set a platter in front of me and headed back to the kitchen.

  “Oxtail!” I licked my chops in approval. “Miu, there’s some for you, too.”

  “There’s no dung,” Khepri said sadly.

  “I smelled something stinky on a sailor’s sandals,” Miu told him.

  Khepri brightened. “Thanks!” He scuttled off happily.

  Normally, snack time is my favorite time of the day. I love that it comes around so often. But as I chomped on my oxtail, Kiya crept past a knot of sailors so she could watch me. It made me nervous.

  After I lapped up the last trace of sauce, I said to Miu, “You know w
hat? It’s been a long day already, and I could use a nap. I think I’ll go lie down for a while.”

  “No napping, Ra,” Miu said sternly. “You’ve got to look after the children. Kiya especially.”

  “I thought maybe you could do that, Miu. You’re so good with kids.”

  Miu didn’t budge. “Ra, these are Pharaoh’s kids, and you’re Pharaoh’s Cat. It’s your duty to look after them.”

  “But think how nice you’d look in a head scarf,” I pleaded.

  I was still pleading when Kiya pounced. “Ra-baby! Time to play dress-up! Here we go.” She whipped out a piece of linen and tugged it over my head. “That’s your tunic. Now let’s wrap you up.”

  I was too startled to meow, but I heard a tiny giggle and looked up. Khepri was watching, with Miu right behind him, a tiny cat grin on her face.

  “You look quite fetching, Ra,” she purred.

  “Actually, he looks like a mummy,” Khepri said. “Only with more fur.”

  I looked down. I did look like a mummy. I twisted, trying to free myself. And when Kiya draped me in yet more linen, I showed my teeth.

  “Ra!” Miu sounded shocked. “Calm down. She’s being quite gentle, for a six-year-old. And it’s not the end of the world to play dress-up.”

  “It isn’t for us, anyway,” Khepri put in. “It’s fun to watch.”

  Miu gave him a cat wink. “So it is.”

  “Sweet Ra-baby.” Kiya smooched the top of my head. “Now be a good kitty and let me put on your loincloth.”

  A loincloth?

  “Okay. That’s it. I’m done!” With a thrust of my powerful paws, I broke free. Darting past Dedi, who was striding toward Kiya, I climbed straight up the mast, shedding linen as I went.