Viking Raiders (10 page)

“Wheeeee!” Tom shouted. “This is better than being tossed on the high seas!”

“And it doesn't smell of fish!” Isis cried.

“Meow!” said Cleo, sounding a little disappointed.

They were catapulted back to modern-day England. Tom landed in his cinema seat with such an almighty
thunk!
he felt his teeth to check they hadn't been knocked clean out. Isis and Cleo landed beside him.
Flump!
Flump!
Both were in their mummies' wrappings once again.

“We're back,” Tom said, looking up at the flickering screen. “And the film is right where we left it.”

On the screen, the hero was grappling with the baddie on the roof of a skyscraper. The baddie knocked the weapon out of the hero's hand, and pushed him closer and closer to the roof's edge.

“Ooh, goody!” Isis said, bouncing in her seat. “This is exciting!”

Tom sighed. He'd had quite enough excitement for one day. In real life, he'd just taken part in a Viking raid and very nearly burned to death on a funeral boat. That was a million times more exciting than what was happening on the screen.

But before he'd even had a chance to recover from his Viking adventure, Tom's seat started to rumble and the curtains on either side of the cinema screen started flapping again.

“Uh oh!” Tom said. “Looks like there's more drama ahead…”

“Honestly,” Isis grumbled. “Why can't he wait until the end of the film? I want to find out what happens…”

Tom groaned loudly as the jackal-headed god burst out of the cinema screen, more terrifying than any movie baddie. “I don't think Anubis wants us to have a happy ending,” he muttered to Isis.

“Shh,” hissed the man sitting behind Tom. “If you don't stop talking I'm going to get the manager.”

The man obviously couldn't see the enormous Egyptian god towering at the front of the cinema, his red eyes narrowed in anger.

“Where's my amulet!” Anubis growled so loudly that Tom covered his ears and slumped down in his seat. The god loomed over the rows of seats and snarled at Isis, showering Tom with a spray of doggy slobber.

Isis dangled the necklace from her fingertip. The pink stone caught the light from the film projector and twinkled in the dark.

“I don't think you deserve it,” she said. “The big wave you caused just wasn't playing fair.”

“HA!” The god of the Underworld laughed humourlessly. “I'll tell you what's not playing fair – hiding the amulet that was rightfully MINE. You got yourself into this situation, Princess Isis. So don't come crying to me about what's fair.”

Anubis snatched the amulet from her. He greedily examined the pink stone, baring his sharp teeth as he growled in satisfaction.

“I'm surprised those hairy Vikings didn't tear you to pieces and throw you on the bonfire,” the god admitted.

“Guess you underestimated us,” Isis said smugly, crossing her bandaged arms over her chest.

“Don't underestimate ME!” Anubis boomed. “I obviously haven't made these adventures hard enough—”

“You have,” Tom interrupted. “Trust me, you have!”

“Silence, boy!” Anubis shouted. “Since you're finding these missions so easy, I'll be sure to send you somewhere more DANGEROUS next time!” Chuckling ominously, the god vanished as suddenly as he had appeared.

Tom turned to Isis. “Why can't you ever hold your tongue?” he said.

“Why can't YOU hold your tongue,” the man sitting behind them said angrily. “You're ruining the film for us!”

Tom settled back into his chair and watched the rest of the film in silence. Soon, the theme music started playing and the credits rolled. Tom blinked as the house lights came on.

“Well, how did you like your first trip to the cinema?” Tom asked Isis, ignoring the glares he was getting from the man sitting behind him.

“It was… BRILLIANT!” she said. “I wish we'd had movies back when I was alive.”

Cleo, who was gobbling up spilled popcorn from the floor, meowed in agreement.

Tom smiled. Isis didn't usually admit that Ancient Egypt wasn't perfect.

As they walked out of the cinema, Isis stopped to stare at the posters for upcoming films. One poster featured aliens coming out of a spaceship, another showed a cowboy.

“Ooh! Can we go and see this one!” she squealed, pointing to a poster of a vampire.

“Maybe,” said Tom. Movies were fun, but he was more excited about their next time-travel adventure. So far, they'd been to Ancient Rome, King Arthur's England and the land of the Vikings. He knew that wherever Anubis sent them next would feature more danger and action than any movie.

And Tom couldn't wait!

Erik the Red was a
real
Viking! Find out more about him and other fearsome Vikings.

IVAR THE BONELESS
was a Viking leader who ruled parts of Denmark and Sweden. No one knows for sure why he got his name – some people believe he had an illness that made the bones in his legs soft, so that he had to be carried around on shields. Even if this was true, it didn't stop him from invading England in AD 865! He must have been a fierce warrior.

ERIK THE RED
is thought to have got his nickname because he had red hair. But it might have been because of his temper… He was thrown out of Iceland after killing two of his neighbours. He travelled across the sea and discovered a cold, icy land, which he called Greenland. He convinced other Vikings to move there, and the settlement grew to 5,000 people. In AD 1002 a new group of immigrants brought over a disease which killed many of the settlers, including Erik the Red. Erik's son, Leif Erikson, was also a great explorer – he was the first Viking to reach North America.

HARALD BLUETOOTH
was King of Denmark from AD 958. According to legend, he got the name Bluetooth because he liked eating blueberries so much that they stained his teeth! During his reign he ordered the building of many forts and bridges. Harold died in battle in AD 986, fighting against rebel forces led by his son, Sweyn Forkbeard. Now that isn't a nice way to treat your dad, is it?

CANUTE THE GREAT
was a Danish king. His army invaded England in AD 1013 and by 1016 Canute was the King of England as well. He didn't stop there – over the next twelve years he became king of Denmark, Norway and parts of Sweden! Even though Canute had invaded England, he was a popular and successful king as he respected old laws and was seen as a fair ruler.

Vikings often sailed to foreign shores and raided towns and villages for gold and weapons. They were terrifying fighters and used lots of different weapons when they attacked.

Viking Sword:
handed down from generations. Made from iron and steel and usually double-edged. Sword handles were decorated in gold or silver.

Spear:
a common, cheap weapon. It had an iron blade and a wooden shaft and was usually two to three metres long.

Bow and arrows:
used to attack an enemy from a distance, or for hunting.