C A R T E R So, you found the locker.

You learned the powers of its contents and have traveled to Brooklyn in search of Sadie and I and not a moment too soon. Apophis is rising, sooner than expected, and we need all the help we can get. I'm Carter by the way. Carter Kane, blood of the pharaohs. My sister Sadie and I live in Brooklyn, training fellow magicians in magic (with the help of Bast of course). Our uncle Amos visits from time to time, but he's usually traveling, trying to "gather his thoughts." Why you'd travel all the way to Zimbabwe to think is beyond me, but I figured I better not ask. [Yes Sadie, I'm getting to that part!] Jeesh. That's my sister Sadie by the way. She's thirteen years old, two years younger than me and two times more annoying. [Hey! You know it's true! Besides, I'm telling this story!] Anyway, the 21st Nome has become more like a private school than a millionaire's mansion. We had to clear out a lot of Egyptian artifacts from Amos' study just to make enough room for the new magicians who'll be training here. From papyrus scrolls written in hieroglyphics to decaying, ancient Egyptian mummies, you name it, Amos had it. It was a lot of work, but we've finally cleared out enough historic artifacts to have room for our new boarders. You see, we've been hunting down more magicians who haven't been told who they are yet. Number wise, that's very few. Most of them find their way to the First Nome before we can stop them, so we're sort of low in numbers, but we've been able to convince a lot of trainees from the First Nome to come and join our cause, so we aren't doing too badly. For now Deep down, I know this may not be enough. The only way we can defeat the serpent is if gods and magicians work together, which is sort of hard to do since Desjardins is still threatening Sadie and I, not to mention everyone

who joins us. I guess you could say I'm not very popular with fellow magicians at the moment. This story begins on a humid autumn evening in Brooklyn. Bast was out of New York for the day, searching for more trainees in Benin. I told her she probably wouldn't find anyone there, but she argued that she was positive she sensed one. Don't ask me how she knows this; must be one of her "Cat Goddess" powers or something. Either it's a magician, or some kid with a LOT of felines. For the world's sake, I was hoping for a magician. Besides, Bast ate all the Friskies. While Bast went magician-seeking in Africa, I got the "amazing" task of cleaning the pool. Did I mention it's a crocodile invested pool, full of leaves and soggy cheerios? KHUFU! Well, I guess I shouldn't be complaining. It could be worse. In fact, I could be stuck with the younger magicians, teaching them how to write with the Divine Words and make them come to life, which is what Sadie was doing today. I'd probably end up embarrassing myself again, like I did withI sighed at the memory. Like I did with Zia. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get Zia out of my head, almost like I couldn't get Horus out my mind a year ago. She saved our lives last year, more than once actually, and risked everything to help us. After my battle with Set, I found out she was just a shabti (a hand-made servant placed in Egyptian tombs so they can serve the deceased in the Afterlife.) In other words, she was clay. Why didn't she tell me? It's not like I ever lied to her. I sighed again as I pulled yet another mini box of cheerios out of the pool. Who am I kidding? I guess I'm not mad that she didn't tell me. I'm justcurious. Did she not trust me after all? Then again, she did trust me when"Carter!" A frantic voice whispered. I glanced up from the pool, expecting to see one of the newcomers asking me where the bathroom was or something, but no one was there. That had been happening a lot lately. I'd hear someone whisper my name, but by the time I look up, they're gone. Or they were never there. I lifted the scooper up just in time just before Philip of Macedonia (our albino crocodile) ate it. Phew. It wouldn't be the first time. "Carter!" The voice was softer this time; fading. There it was again! I sat down on the lawn chair and searched the patio, but I was still alone. Philip grunted from the corner of the pool, willing me to

finish cleaning. Man, maybe I'm becoming delusional. Or maybe some of Sadie's weirdness had finally rubbed off on me"Carter! Carrrter!" OKAY, I thought, franticly searching the New York skyline. ow I'm officially freaked out. I decided some god must be trying to invade my head [Hey, it had happened before!] and that I should put an end to it before things got too out of hand. But how do you get rid of someone you can't even see? I was already frightened, so I did the only logical thing I could think of: I slammed the scooper against my forehead and yelled "SHUT UP!" I thought it was working because I didn't hear anything, but then I heard a gasp, and sure enough, there was a kid staring at me from the patio, sucking her thumb. She asked me where the bathroom was. Figures. After giving her directions and thanking the gods it wasn't any of the older magicians who saw me, I threw Phillip of Macedonia some leftover steak and retreated to my secluded bedroom at the far end of the mansion. Just the thought of having my own room made me feel better. My dad and I were constantly traveling, so we never had time to buy a house, let alone stay in the same place for more than a few days. Now I officially had a home to return to, an annoying sister to bicker with, and a room to call my own. Still, I wasn't happy. I found it ironic that I finally had the home I always wanted, but my dad wasn't here to see it. I opened the white, wooden door into my room, number 42. The bed was just how I left it: abandoned and unmade. The sliding door to the balcony was open, and a warm breeze blew into the room, causing pages of my latest Egyptian mythology book to flip endlessly. I picked up the book and flipped through it. Just a bunch of what Sadie would call "Egyptian rubbish." I rolled my eyes at the memory and walked over to my bed, already feeling drained and exhausted. I didn't even bother to change into pajamas, because the instant my head hit the pillow, I knew there was no way I'd be able to get up again until I had some rest. It was only 7:30, but I'd been practicing all day. It takes a lot out of a guy, not to mention the voice in my head was seriously giving me the creeps. Anyway, I feel asleep almost instantly, but apparently my ba had other ideas.

C A R T E R The problem with sleeping as a magician is that you never actually get to stay under your covers. Some outside force just has to rip your ba out of a peaceful dream and drag you halfway across the world, which is exactly what happened the moment I shut my eyes. My ba basically looks like a flying chicken, so I adjusted its form before I got pulled out the window into the night. All I had to do was imagine myself in whatever form I wanted, and poof! You're ba changes into whatever you thought of. Now at least I looked normal with a T-shirt and a pair of jeans. Anything was better than a flying chicken man. I flew over New York, dodging a couple of buildings and a large McDonald's advertisement. The last thing I needed was my soul splattered on an enormous cheeseburger. Suddenly, the New York skyline disappeared, and instead of streets and modern buildings below me, I was flying over miles and miles of endless sand. The air was dry and hot, and the soft breeze lifted grains of white sand into the air. I was soaring above a desert. I must have flown millions of miles in less than a second. Then again, I rode in an Egyptian reed boat from London to New York in a couple of minutes. I guess it's just your average form of transportation as a magician. After a minute or so, I spotted a few houses in the distance. Well, I'm not sure houses are the best word for them. They were falling apart, some burned and others just a pile of red rock and clay against the pale desert sand. I recognized the mud brick houses; they were just like the homes my dad and I would past on our way to the next dig site in Egypt. Whatever happened here, it hadn't been pretty. As far as I could tell, it was abandoned. Only the sound of the narrow, almost completely dry river could be heard. As hot as it was, I wasn't in the

mood for a swim. I was about to try to wake myself up, when something caught my eye. It was of a small figure standing by the bank of the river. Normally, if I saw some person standing alone in a deserted village, I'd keep my distance, but I absolutely no choice, because my ba was heading right toward them. I instinctively reached for my dad's workbag, but then I realized I was in baform. I had no bag. I was about to do something smart, like start running for example, but then I actually saw the figure by the bank, and I almost had a coronary. It was her. She wore a white headscarf over her dark, shoulder-length hair. Her white and gold robes were covered in dust, and she had a familiar glint in her caramel colored eyes, outlined in Egyptian kohl. She looked downright beautiful, the way she does before she tries to kill you. It was "Zia?" I managed. My face must have shown my shock, because she actually cracked a smile. "It's been a long time, Carter. I've been trying to reach you, but I've had sometechnical difficulties." "I-I thought-" There was a million things I wanted to ask her, but before I could remember how to speak, Zia cleared her throat. "Uh, and you might want to step out of the river" Zia suggested; the corners of her lips twitching into a smile. "Um, yeah, right," I stammered, feeling stupid. I jumped out of the river onto the bank, keeping a safe distance from Zia. Hey, the last time I saw the real Zia was when she tried to kill me. I still couldn't believe she knew my name. I mean, it was the shabti who saved us last year. Sadie and I never knew the real Ziaright? Zia laughed. "You can come over, Carter. I don't bite." I decided that I the only way I was going to get my answers was to actually askher, so I walked over to where she was standing; an entrance to a small, dark cave next to the bank. Zia was searching the horizon with worried eyes, which didn't exactly make me feel welcome, but when she turned back to me, she smiled, and my problems seemed to melt away. "It took you long enough," She remarked. "Do you know how many times I tried making contact with you? It's not easy, you know." "Wait, you were the voice at the pool today?" "Like I said, I've been trying to contact you for weeks. That was my latest attempt," Zia answered. Then she looked over her shoulder for the second time.

"What?" I asked as I stared suspiciously at the barren landscape before me. "N-nothing," Zia answered, turning her back to the river. "I must hurry. Time is of the essence." "Why are you hurrying? What are you worried about?" Zia raised a hand to stop me. "Carter! That's not important. The reason why I've been trying to contact you is because of Nyphthys." "Nyphthys?" I remembered discovering Zia had been a host to Nyphthys last year, and that the goddess had told her Set's secret name. It never occurred to me that she'd still be hosting her. Then again, Zia's been missing for an entire year, so she couldn't get rid of the goddess, even if she tried. "Yes, she's told me some information about..." Zia lowered her voice to a whisper. "About how to defeat Apophis." Well, that caught my attention. This is what we've been training the other magicians for all year. He's also supposed to eat the sun and kill everyone on earth. No wonder why they locked him up for eons. He must have been a real party pooper. "What do you mean by 'information'? You know how to defeat him?" I asked earnestly. "Not exactlybut I know how to find out," Zia replied. "I'm listening." "We have to find the-"Zia paused, and turned around again. Okay, it doesn't take a genius to know she was hiding something from me, but at that moment, all I really cared about was figuring how to defeat Apophis, so I kept my mouth shut. Looking satisfied, she turned back to me and whispered, "The Book of Ra." Zia might as well have been speaking Portuguese, because it made absolutely no sense to me. "The Book of what?" Zia rolled her eyes. "Ra, as in the sun god! The-Book-of-Ra!" "Yeah, I know who he is," I replied, "but what is this about a book?" Zia sighed. "Think, Carter. Ra created the serpent. If anyone knows how to defeat it, it's him." Hmmshe has a point there. "Well, yeah, but wasn't Ra, like, banished forever? Isis poisoned him, remember?" Zia arched a black eyebrow. "What's your point?" I had been staring into her eyes. For a second there, I forgot what I was saying. What was my point again? "My point is, wouldn't he have a huge grudge on the gods? Assuming he's

alive that is. And-" "And?" Zia prodded. "And, if we were to go looking for Ra, he'd have a huge grudge on us too, right? I mean, we were hosts to the gods, so I doubt he'd even let us within a hundred miles of him, let alone close enough to ask him to borrow a book from his private collection." "True, Ra has a grudge on the gods, but only one god in particular," Zia answered. She looked at me expectantly. "One god in particular." I racked my brain, trying to figure out what she meant. Suddenly, a feeling of dread washed over me. "Isis," I cursed. "Oh great. He's going to blast Sadie into space if we bring her with us, and I don't go anywhere without Sadie." My annoying sister had been hosting the goddess last year, but after Set's pyramid was destroyed, Isis left her forever. Sadie was simply a host to the goddess of magic. Still, it might be difficult explaining that to a millenniaold, banished god who was overthrown by none other than Isis herself. "Who said you couldn't bring her?" Zia questioned. "You're going to need your little sister on this quest no matter what. She can come along all right, but she's just going to have to wait while you see Ra. That is one thing you'll have to do alone, and from what Nyphthys has told me, it won't be the last," she concluded a matter-of-factly. "Hold it," I argued, not liking the sound of that. "What do you mean I have to do it alone? Nyphthys never said you had to wait too. We'll just march up to wherever this ancient god is hiding and ask him for the book, together." Zia looked like I just set off a bomb. "C-Carter, I won't, I can't come with you." "What do you mean? I've found you! All I have to do is wake up, summon a portal and be here in a couple of hours!" Zia looked down at her sand-covered sandals. "CarterI don't want to be found." Now, I may be a little slow, but it finally occurred to me that Zia was asking to remain hidden. Please. Like that was going to happen. "Zia, we need you! You've been gone for a whole year! I need you to come with me and Sadie! It wouldn't be a quest without you." It only took me a couple seconds to realize what I was saying, so I quickly added, "You know, for your fighting skills and everything. We need someone like you." Zia stared sadly at me. "CarterI can't. I would if I could, but-" "But what?" I demanded. "I-" she began, but before she could finish, a jaw-rattling roar erupted

behind us. I turned around, but nothing was there, just the endless, dark horizon. Before I could ask what the Thoth that was, I heard the roar again, only this time I could make out another sound: footsteps. Heavy footsteps. I was sure of one thing, though. Whatever that was, it was headed in our direction. Fast. "Zia?" Something told me that sound was not a group of happy villagers, welcoming me to their ghost town. Zia turned as pale as the moon. She flung around to face me, and I saw something I've never seen in Zia's eyes: terror. "We're out of time," she muttered. "Carter, go. You're the bravest person I know. You'll know what to do when the time is right. Find the Book of Ra. The goddess said something about Heliopolis. Now hurry! You are our only chance." When I didn't move, she added, "Go!" but the word was lost in the cries of the creature behind me. Then reluctantly, she turned and began to descend into the dark and humid cave before us. I stubbornly followed. "Zia, I'm not leaving you. We need you, Zia! We can figure this out." The sound of the monster was even closer, and I knew that if I turned around, I would see it, but I couldn't leave Zia. I had finally found her, how could I lose her again? "I-I'm sorry Carter. I'm so sorry," Zia whispered, and with that, she snapped her fingers, and everything went black.

C A R T E R I woke up thinking I was about to be eaten. Tons of memories flooded my mind, but only one of them mattered: Zia was in trouble. I had to help her. I leaped from my bed, threw on a shirt, jeans, and a jacket, and was about to tiptoe downstairs when reality hit me. I had absolutely no idea where Zia was. I mean, I knew-or assumed-it was in an abandoned village in Egypt, but it could be anywhere for Thoth's sake! Where do I start looking? I headed out on my balcony to think. The air was cool, and the sound of cars passing by could be heard in the distance. I leaned against the cold railing. Think Carter. Who hid Zia in the first place? Well, that wasn't hard. I remembered the look on the Chief Lector's face when he looked at herlike a father would look at his daughter. Just the way my mother and father used to look at me and Sadie. Iskandar. Obviously he hid Zia. Probably when he found out she was hosting the goddess that night at the museum. He needed to protect her, but where would he have hidden her? If I was Iskandar, what would I do? Wellhe loved her. He would want her to be safe while Set was in powerbut if he believed that the gods and magicians have to work together, then how could he leave her in hiding while she was still a host? It doesn't take a genius to know we'd need Zia later on and Nyphthys of course. Zia was one of the best magicians in the First Nome. Why would he hide her somewhere where she and the goddess would never be found? Because he hid her where she could be found. I mean, he would have had to, right? Zia had her whole life ahead of her; he

wouldn't take that away just because she was hosting a goddess. If he wanted to do that, he would have killed her right then and thereright? Bad thought. Of course he wouldn't. That's why he hid her, so he wouldn't have to. I remembered what Zia had told Sadie and I at the First Nome; something that refused to leave my head: "No one has ever been greater at statuary...except maybe Iskandar..." That's it! He knew she'd be in danger if she stayed in the First Nome, but knowing the world would need her later on, he made a shabti of Zia and hid her somewhere where she'd be safe from Set, but where she'd also be found after everything had blown over! I'm a genius. Then again, I still didn't know where she was. I just reasoned why the heck Iskandar hid her, and what kind of a place she'd be hidden in. I still didn't know where she was but I wasn't giving up. I looked over to the dark horizon. More cars flooded the city, off on their way to work no doubt. That could only mean one thing: It would be morning soon. Come on, Carter, come on! Clock's ticking! I started pacing back and forth, raking by brain; trying to figure this out. Okay, so I know he'd want Zia to be found. Soit'd need to be somewhere where her enemies couldn't find her, but where an ally could discover her. Otherwise, anybody could find Zia if it was in an obvious place, like the First Nome, right? And if it was too difficult, then no one would ever find her. She'd be trapped, forever. Iskandar would never allow that. Therefore, she would need to be in a place that only people she trusted would know of. A place she only talked about to people sheThen, it happened, the whole "Eureka!" moment. Everything fell into place. Gods. That night in the First ome. The shrine. The village. That's when I realized things were a lot worse than I thought. I knew exactly where Zia was, and it was one place I never wanted to venture to. He hid her back where it all began. Iskandar brought Zia home.

C A R T E R Now that I knew where she was, I faced another problem: how am I going to get out of the house without any magiciansor, gods forbid, Sadie hearing me? Then I came up with an idea. Ever since I gave up my connection with Horus, I've been not only training with the other magicians, but with myself. While the others stopped for a break, I'd go to the library and study more spells and tricks that could be the least bit helpful in the dark months to come. Recently, I stumbled upon an old spell, one that instantly caught my eye. It works better with masters of air, but as long as you concentrate and aren't afraid to fall to your death, it works fine! Besides, I'm studying the path of Horus for Thoth sake. How hard could it be? Okay...I admit, I've only practiced on the steps outside my room, but hey, what's a couple more hundred feet? I walked over to the edge of the balcony, looked down, and gulped. Uhmake that a couple thousand more feet. A balcony looks a lot higher up when you're preparing to jump from it. The pedestrians looked like ants from up here, and the height made the world seem to tilt. I swayed dizzily on the balcony and almost lost my footing. One of Sadie's bubblegum wrappers, which I was always picking up around the house (under the rug, behind the couch, in the fridge, everywhere) fell out of my pocket and fell, ever so slowly, to the ground below. As it hit the road, a huge truck ran over it. After the truck was gone, I got a look at the wrapperor what was left of it. It was as flat as a pancake. I was about to chicken out and just risk someone catching me, but then I remembered Zia and that thing in the desert. I had to help her, and I would not risk Sadie's life either. I climbed onto the railingand jumped. You may think that's really brave and all, but I was seriously regretting it the moment my Sketchers left the railing.

I tried to concentrate, but all I could think was: Falling! Falling! Falling! You see, the point is to imagine there are steps leading down to the ground, and with magic and a little imagination, there will be. The only problem: I couldn't think. o. I can. I imagined a step below me, stopping my fall. Then, I took my wand and drew three symbols as I fell through the air: a square and a half horizontal circle onto of a table-like structure; the hieroglyphic symbol for the sky. Suddenly, the air beneath me began to solidify, and within seconds, I was standing on a step. And not a moment too soon. Another few seconds I would have been a grease spot on the pavement below. For those of you who haven't stood on an invisible step before (which I would assume would be all of you) it's really weird. There's nothing below you, and it feels like your floating in mid air. I better get down before I freak out some random pedestrian. I imagined another step, then another, each closer to the ground than the one before it. In no time at all, I was back on the pavement, in one piece, thank Thoth. Now, for faze two. I ran through the crowded streets of New York, earning a couple of death glares and some pretty colorful words. Man, why couldn't I have taken a cab? Finally, I arrived to the museum, the same museum where Sadie and I met Ziafor the second time. The streets were crowded, but the museum was dark and deserted. Well, what did I expect? It's, like, three in the morning. How am I going to get to Zia now? I could try to sneak my way in, but with all the security, my chances of succeeding were pretty slim. Or I could always bang on the door until some guard comes by and opens the door. Then, I could knock him out and get to the pyramid. Again, stupid idea. Ra only knows how many security cameras are in there. I wouldn't last a minute. Besides, I didn't want to hurt anyone. Well, that's it. I'll just have to wait till morning. But there is one other way I flashed back to when we first met Bast, when she turned from Sadie's cat, Muffin, into this knife-throwing-cat woman and destroyed the two serpopards in our uncle's living room. I don't know why I started thinking of thisbut something must have happened then that was important. What had Bast said? Suddenly, everything around me disappeared, and I was standing in Amos's ruined mansion. I heard someone talking hurriedly behind me, but when I

turned around, I thought I would have a heart attack. Why? Because I was staring at myself. It was me, Sadie, and Bast. We were standing in the middle of the Great Room, and I (well, the other me) was wearing my loose linen robes, the ones I had found in my closet my first day at the 21st Nome. My hair was sticking out at severe angles, like I had just woken up. Sadie was dressed the same way, in her long, linen robes, along with her combat boots. She had a red streak in her hair, and looked like she had just seen a ghost. With a start, I remembered this scene. It was Christmas Day. The monsters had just attacked. Muffin had turned into Bast, and she was trying to get us to leave while we still had time. I was seriously having some major dj-vu. If you've ever seen yourself in a movie, then you sort of have an idea how I felt, only I knew I wasn't watching a movie. I was really reliving it, the day when my life changed forever. Besides the fact that I was super freaked out, I didn't run. For one, I (no, the other me) was more scared than I was, and he couldn't even see me. Whatever this was, it had to be important, so I stood there and listened. "Worse? Who-how-what-" The other me stammered. "All in good time," The past-Bast said. "So good to be in human form again! Now, Sadie, can you open us a door through the Duat, please?" Sadie stared at her. "Umno. I mean-I don't know how." Bast looked at her, disappointed. "Shame. We'll need more power, then. An obelisk" Then the scene dissolved, and a split-second later, I was standing back on the sidewalk outside the museum. As far as I could tell, no time had passed, but I knew what had happened: someone, or something, wanted me to see that little episode, so it was obviously importantbut why? All that happened was me stammering to Bast and Bast asking Sadie to open a portal. What's so special aboutI hit my forehead for my stupidity. Of course! Bast asked Sadie to open a portal to the Duat, but since Sadie didn't know how, so she had to use an obelisk. This means if I can't use an obelisk, I'll just have to summon a portal to the Duat instead, which is just what Zia had done when she took us to Luxor! My only problem: I had no idea how to summon a portal. We had been practicing summoning portals from obelisks for a while now, but I never really got the hang of it. Now I had no obelisk, no help, and absolutely no idea what I was doing. o better time like the present, Carter.

Okay. Think, Carter. Concentrate. I raised my hands in the air and yelled "Portal please! To Zia Rashid's village in Egypt!" Silence. I was getting agitated. I threw my hands up and yelled, "Hellooo! Earth to the Duat! Portal, ASAP! Likeright now!" Of course, nothing happened. I did get a few weird looks from the hobos across the street though. Great, not only didn't I summon anything, but I made a fool out of myself in the process. But I wasn't giving up. I took a deep breath and cleared my mind, the way I usually do when I try to relax. I remembered what it was like I traveled through the Duat: the creepy moans, the intense, blinding speed, the screams, the feeling like you're being watched, the strange connection you feel while you're traveling- and then, something DID happen. I felt a tug in my gut, like someone was tying a knot in my stomach. Suddenly, a familiar humming sound buzzed in my ears. When I opened my eyes, I saw a swirling vortex of sand, tugging at me with its invisible force. I, Carter Kane, had summoned a portal to the Duat. I took one last look at the darkened museum, just before I was sucked into the chaotic portal above. Egypt, here I come.

C A R T E R Traveling through the Duat was just as I remembered it, that is to say, it was totally awesome. One moment I was flying at lightning speed, then the next I was falling face first into the desert sand. "Ouch," I muttered as I brushed the dust off my clothes. "I seriously have to work on my landings." When I stood, I realized I was in the exact place as my dream: the destroyed, mud-brick houses, the river But where's Zia? The sun was beginning to rise, and I squinted as I looked onto the barren landscape. There was nothing for miles. Zia had to be around her somewhere, but where? The river? Nah, why would Iskandar hide Zia underwater? Besides, rivers are constantly drying up in Egypt. It would be too dangerous to leave her in there, anyway. It wouldn't be like Iskandar to place Zia underwater, and then say, "Oops! I forgot she can't breathe! So much for that plan!" Yeah, just a minor set-back. Where else? Under the rubble? Nah, too risky. By the bank? Too obvious. I felt like I was forgetting something, like some vital piece to a puzzle. I replayed my dream again in my head. Everything was blurry, but I could make out important parts, like my ba traveling over the desert, and Zia by the river All of a sudden, everything became clearer, like I was reliving my vision. Zia had just asked me to step out of the water. I walked out, and met her by the cave and Gods! Spending time with Sadie must seriously be affecting my brain. How had I forgotten? I ran through the river to the over side of the sandy bank where Zia and I

had talked. What I saw, though, had me baffled. Where was the cave? It was supposed to be by the river I guess I should explain the river a little more, though, so it would be easier to picture for those who weren't there [Yes, Sadie. That would be everyone, including you. Now stop interrupting!] The river's height had decreased greatly of course, so it was more like a small stream within an eight-foot deep, muddy trench than a river. One side was level with the ground; the side where the ruined houses were. The river had obviously overflowed at one point or another, which hadn't helped preserve the already-ruined homes. The other side was much steeper, and much more slippery. I tried to climb it so I could get a better look from the other side, but nooo. I just kept sliding back down into the muddy, sluggishmoving water. So much for that. I could've sworn there was a cave there, right into the side of the bank. But where had it gone? I searched the bank over and over again, but found nothing. This was impossible! All there was here was a few rocks and pounds of water and wet, slippery sand. To top it all off, I was going insane! Caves don't just disappear, Carter. The only answer is that you've gone what Sadie would call "absolutely luney!" I was about to summon another portal and get the heck out of there when a rock in the stream caught my eye. It was your ordinary rock: rough, multicolored and worn down from years of weathering. As I looked closer however, I noticed a symbol, sketched lightly in gold. It looked like a large goblet with a half horizontal circle and an oval next to it. I caught my breath as I stared at the elaborate markings. It was the hieroglyphic spelling for Nephthys. This is it, Carter. It has to be. Still holding my breath, I placed my hand into the bitter water and touched the golden symbols. The moment my flesh touch the inscriptions in the rock, the earth began to shake. Startled, I leaped out of the river. I watched in awe as the rock slowly sunk back into the earth. Within moments, it had disappeared, and I noticed that the rock wasn't the only thing that had changed about the barren landscape. The side of the river had collapsed, revealing a small, dark cave carved right into the sandy bank of the river. For the first time in a while, I wasn't scared. Instead, I curiously walked across the river and went straight into the wet, damp cave without a moment's hesitation. Before I continued deeper however, I looked back at the abandoned village. I promised myself I would not come back out without Zia

and I never break a promise. *::*::* The cave was not a place I would have wanted to spend a year in. It may be in Egypt in the middle of a desert, but gods, it was humid in there. I was sweating bullets within a minute in the stuffy, confined space. The narrow cave continued in a winding, never ending pattern. Total darkness laid ahead of me. From what I could see, hieroglyphics blanketed the worn, sandy walls, but I didn't stop to read them. I had to find Zia, and I would not wait another day, let alone another year. I had so many questions to ask her and"And?"My conscience prodded. Andoh, shut up. I liked Zia; I admitted it to myself long ago. She saved our lives, after all. I owed her, big time. BesidesI haven't had friends since I was eight, and even then I often felt alone. But Ziashe understood how I felt. We had never gone to high school, never used a locker, never sat in a lunchroom and complained about teachers or discussed the latest movies. I mean, who could we talk to? I loved my dad, but he could never understand how I felt. And what about Zia? I mean, at least I had some family and some memories to grasp when I needed them most. All Zia had were a few aged photographs and the forgotten stories Iskandar would tell her. She must have felt so alone. And even if she did have a home, she must have felt like she didn't belonglike I did. She's the only one who could truly understand what I've been through, just like I understand her. Sadie's alrightbut she can't look past the fact that I lived with dad. I'd give anything for the life Sadie had; friends, a home, a sense of belongingand something tells me Zia would too. "Get over her, Carter! You never knew the real Zia, remember? She was clay! She lied to you. End of story." Shut up! Sure, Zia was a shabti, but what if she didn't know she was? What if she believed she was still herself? I know she would have done something if she knew she was hosting a goddess. She would have searched for her real self and destroyed the goddess once and for allfor the House of Life. It was her home, after all. But Iskandarhe knew Zia would remain loyal to the House, so he didn't tell her. He let her believe she was still herself and continue her duties. He knew she'd do the right thing; that's why he hid her. So she could save the world and remain safe at the same time. Zia was all Iskandar had left. My feet started to ache and I suddenly remembered where I was. I was still

trudging through the endless cave; searching... "Searching for what, Carter? There's nothing here. Turn back!"my conscience shouted. Is there something in "shut up" that you don't understand? She HAD to be here. She just had to be. I continued on, sweating and tired. I hadn't gotten much sleep after all, and creating your own portal takes a lot out of you. My throat was dry and I felt like I hadn't eaten in days. Just as I was about to summon some drinking water, I caught a glimpse of light up ahead. I broke into a run, and in moments, I found myself before a door with a lit torch on both sides. Yes, lit torches in the middle of a cave that looked like it had been sealed shut for centuries. Not exactly the most comforting sign. To top it off, they weren't even normal torches. They glowed with a fiery, blue light that made the deserted room look eerie and mysterious. The door was even stranger. It was covered in teal-colored hieroglyphics, and when I say covered, I mean a shroud of symbols from floor to ceiling. I stared in awe at the entry, not for its appearance, but for what lay beyond it. This is it. In a trance, I placed my hand on the elaborate markings. I gasped at how hot they werelike fire. Suddenly, the rock began to crumble around my hand, like ice cracking under your feet. "Open," I whispered, and I pressed my hand into the door. There was a silence, one that was both frightening and exciting. I had trouble breathing. After a few moments, the deathly quiet sound was broken by a hum, that grew louder and louder until I thought I'd lose my hearing all together. Then the door broke apart, splitting into millions of burning blue pieces of quartz. Silence. The light of the hieroglyphics died. The spell had been broken And I wasn't alone. Stunned, I stepped over the rubble, into the darkened room ahead. *::*::* Walking into the chamber was like walking on the dark side of the moon. If I hadn't taken a torch from the entrance, I wouldn't have been able to see an inch in front of me. Even with the fire, the room still looked tenebrous. There was nothing in thereexcept for the large, golden sarcophagus in the center of the chamber on a circular dais. They illuminated the room with a

strange, cobalt-colored light, and the silence returned. I felt like something was watching mewaiting for me to make my move. I stepped onto the dais. Like the walls and the door of the chamber, the cover of the sarcophagus was blanketed in teal hieroglyphics. I can only read a few hieroglyphics myself, but I knew that if Sadie was here, she could read them all. I shook off the thought. You have work to do, Carter. Search now, think later. My eyes examined the symbols on the sarcophagus, searching for symbols I recognized. I was shooting for a familiar hieroglyphic for a pharaoh, like Tutankhamen or Ramesses or something, but instead, I found something I wasn't expecting. Near the top left of the cover, larger than most of the other symbols was one sign I recognized, but had be baffled all the same. It was a half circle with a handle on top of a curved, jagged line. The hieroglyphic symbol for KN, also known as Kane. I stared at the symbol, stunned. Why was our name on this sarcophagus? Who was really in there? Before I found the courage to open the coffin, I noticed its sides, and once again became distracted. All four sides of the Egyptian coffin were covered in paintings, just like the ancient Egyptians had painted them, only these ones looked new and gleamed in the eerie torchlight. As I looked closer however, my heart nearly stopped. I recognized these paintings, and not from any books or museum my dad had dragged me into. In fact, I'd never seen them before in my life, but I could distinguish them all the same. Why? Because they were events in my life. Well, not all of them were, but many I recognized. Like on the left longest side for instance, there was a painting of a boy with copper-colored skin next to a blond haired girl. The young girl had a stylus in her hand, and a substance that looked suspiciously like fire seemed to erupt from the writing utensil. Another girl stood next to them, pointing at the stylus like she was teaching them how to write with it. The blond was cute, but this girl was absolutely beautiful. At first I thought she was Nephthys because of the symbol above her head; the same I had seen on the rock in the river, but I had seen paintings of the goddess, and she looked nothing like the girl on the sarcophagus. For one, this girl looking strangely familiar somehowin fact, I'd even say she reminded me of Zia. Her amber eyes were outlined with Egyptian kohl, and her black hair (unlike Nephythys' hair which was long) was shoulder length. To make things even stranger, the girl in the painting didn't even look Egyptian. In fact, I'd say her features looked

almostArab. Just like Zia. I pushed the thought aside. This couldn't be Zia. It couldn't. Besides, if it was, that would mean the boy and girl in the picture wereGods Carter. It's just a painting. othing to agonize over. Still, that girl looked an awful lot like Zia I glanced at the next painting. There was the boy and the blond haired girl again. They were in the middle of the ruins of a temple, facing each other as if they were having a conversation while they each stood inside a circle, outlined in chalk. I suddenly recognized the circles, and a sickening realization hit me. The people in the painting weren't talking; they were preparing for a duel. I cautiously turned my attention to the painting alongside it. The blond was furthest away. In front of her was a she-lion, its hideous maw inches from the boys faceonly it would have been, if the boy had been on ground. Instead, he was several feet in the air, and looked almost as if he was in a hologram of a chicken. Waitnot a chicken. A falcon. His curved swordhis khopesh was in mid swing, inches from the she-lion, yet in the next scene, the feline was nothing more than a pile of sand. A sliced staff lay at his feet. The black haired girl stood from afar, staring at the boy in awe. And I knew exactly what would happen next. The next painting was mostly of the black haired girl with other magicians I didn't recognize. The boy showed up a few more times too, but this time he had an eye of Horus over his head. Even the blond haired girl had a symbol; an angel-like marking for Isis. There was a painting with the threesome by a salsa warehouse, then a fiery, red pyramid, and another by the Washington Monument... I sighed and looked anyway. I couldn't look at the paintings anymore. Each one brought back painful memories, memories I had been trying to forget. I just couldn't believe...I mean...that was me in those paintings! No question about it. Me and Sadie and Zia. How? These paintings were new, in fact, they couldn't be more than a year old. I mean, these events hadn't happened until last yearand yet Zia had been hidden before they happened. How could Iskandar have known? How could he have painted these pictures before they even occurred? And if Iskandar made the sarcophagusthat would mean Zia I stared at the glowing object before me. I knew exactly where Zia was.

And she was just two feet in front of me. Cautiously I stepped toward the sarcophagus and placed both shaking hands on its cover, which was surprisingly warm. Well, warm probably isn't the best word for it. How about scalding? Yes, that's the word. Holding the sarcophagus was like taking a dip in boiling water. Steam seemed to coil around my hands. Another few seconds grasping that thing and I would be known as Handless Carter. With a yelp, I released the cover and almost fell off the dais. After regaining my balance, I reached for my dad's workbag that was slung around my shoulder. Then I pulled out my father's Egyptian wand and blew on the tip, the way you'd blow out a birthday candle, while imagining I was in the Arctic. Now, I've never been there, but it doesn't take a genius to know the Arctic is ridiculously cold. I pretended I was standing by a nearly frozen ocean. I could see my breath and the snowy icebergs in the distance. I could hear the gentle swishing of the waves and the howl of the wind. I could feel the chill, taste the snow on my tongue, and smell a campfire, miles away. As soon as my breath touched the tip, the entire wand froze. In no time, the wood was covered in a thin layer of ice. I placed the end of the wand on the lid of the sweltering sarcophagus. When the icy tip touched the cover, steam erupted from the coffin. I waited a few moments, and then gingerly placed a finger on a hieroglyphic. To my delight, it was greatly cooler than it was before, cool enough to grasp without getting your fingers burned off. I shook off the pain on my burned hands and carefully lifted the dust blanketed lid off the sarcophagus. After a minute or so of some serious lifting, I finally placed the one-hundred-pound lid on the sandy, tiled floor. "Well?"my conscience finally asked."Aren't you gonna look and see who's inside?" That's when I realized I hadn't gotten up from the floor. My muscles ached after carrying the golden lid [Hey, that thing weighed a ton!] but that wasn't what was holding me back. I was...confused? No, that wasn't it. I felt...scared. But not because of who I may find however, because i had a feeling I knew who would be in there already. Call me a coward if you want, but the real reason I didn't move was because I was worried...scared that it wouldn't be my Zia in that sarcophagus, the Zia I had known a year ago, the Zia I laughed with in the shrine, the Zia that saved our lives...and the Zia who gave up everything to come back and help us. What if that Zia had disappeared long ago, like my mother, my father, and my old life? What if

the person I would discover was someone I had never really met; a stranger? I'm not sure if I could take another loss. First my mom, then my sister for six years, then my dad... I flinched at the thought of my father. Could I bare another death from someone I...someone I cared for? Then I remembered how much Zia had done for us, how much she'd sacrificed. That decided it. If it wasn't the Zia I had known in that coffin, then fine. I'd help her, all the same. I owed it her, even if the girl I knew really was only a memory. I took a deep breath, counted to three, and then rose, ever so slowly... ...and opened my eyes. There she was. It was her. In the sarcophagus laid a girl, fifteen or so. She wore dark blue robes and a golden headscarf over her smooth, ebony hair. I recognized her clothes...they were what she wore that Christmas by Cleopatra's Needle, the first time I saw her, right before the explosion. The day it all began. "Zia?"I whispered. She was sleeping, that I could tell. Her eyes were closed, and her chest rose and fell steadily. For once, Zia Rashid looked peaceful, without a care in the world...like a normal, sleeping teen. All that disappeared when a loud, ferocious roar shook the earth. My hand gripped the side of the sarcophagus as a blinding white light filled the room. The entire chamber began to shake... ...and Zia Rashid opened her eyes.

C A R T E R "Umm" Despite the fact that I'd been longing to talk to Zia all year, I had absolutely no idea what to say to her right then in a creepy tomb underneath the desert. The moment she opened her amber eyes, my mind sorta went blank. At first she looked surprised, but then her expression turned confused. "Carter?" Zia mouthed. She stared up at me and smiled. My heart leaped. I couldn't believe it. She remembers my name? Before I could put the pieces of the puzzle together in my mind, Zia's expression went from joyful towhat was it? Anger? Noit was fear. She sat up the sarcophagus. "Carter! What are you doing here? I told you-" Here we go again. "Yeah, well, I was in the neighborhood, so-" "You were visiting an abandoned village?" Zia asked skeptically. Oh Thoth. "Yeahabout that-" I was interrupted by a jaw-rattling roar that shook the earth. Now I know what people mean by "saved by the bell," only this time, relief wasn't what I was thinking. Zia and I both looked at each other. That blood chilling sound was the exact same one in my dream, the one that had Zia been so spooked about last night. "Yeah, can we finish this fight later? That's our cue to go," I said, staring uneasily at the ceiling. Zia nodded. Now, for someone who's been locked up in a cave for a year, Zia looked great. In fact, it took her only a millisecond to realize what was happening, leap out of the sarcophagus and run...about three feet before collapsing. I caught her before she hit the marble floor. "Hey, are you alright?" "In a moment I won't be," Zia whispered, pointing at the ceiling that was about to collapse.

"Oh. Right," I muttered, feeling stupid again. Then I broke into a run, pulling Zia along with me. And not a moment too soon. A few more seconds in the chamber and we'd have first class tickets to the Land of the Dead, but Zia and I were out the door (or what was left of it, anyway) and ran as fast as our legs would take us before the ceiling caved in. "Looks like you won't be sleeping in there anymore," I panted as I dodged a ton of falling sand on my left. Zia didn't respond, and I couldn't help but wonder what it was like to be trapped down there all year, completely and utterly alone. *::*::* After a few minutes of dodging BMW size boulders and tons of damp, heavy sand, I finally built up the courage to talk to her. "Hey, while we're running for our lives, would you mind telling me why you didn't want to be found?" I asked, turning around to see her. "Good, Carter. Great timing." My conscience mocked. Hey, I'd like to see YOU try to talk to someone who's been gone for a year! ow shut your face! "You mean your face. I'm YOUR conscience, remember?" I glanced at Zia again; who I realized was studying me with those piercing, amber eyes of hers. But something was different about them. Her eyes, usually looking confident and strong, were now full of worry and her face was beaded with sweat. "That's why." she murmured, motioning towards the exit. When I looked at the cave entrance, I thought I'd have a heart attack, because standing in the river was one of the most hideous monsters I've ever seen, and that's saying something, because I've had my share of run ins with some of the ugliest Uglies the Duat has to offer. Its body was pretty normal with glistening, deathly black colored fur that resembled a feline's fur coat, but everything else was completely wrong. Instead of four paws, this creature's legs looked more like Mother Nature's nightmare. The front legs were ordinary for demons, with razor-sharp claws that could rip me to bits. Where its back legs should be though was a long, trunklikething, sort of like a snake, only this creature's hind quarters was scaly AND deadly. Its tail had a death-black stinger, sharper than I would have thought possible, and it was dripping a sickly green substance, something that looked suspiciously like poison. It flicked around at blinding speed, like a scorpion. The monster's upper half was like a jaguar's: sleek, black fur

with bulging, flexing muscles as it stalked the deserted village. Its red eyes glowed in sunken, swollen sockets. Zia looked at the monster, her worried eyes now accompanied with pain. That's when I realized this creature was more than just major bad luck. This was the monster that her father accidently released on this village. The monster that had killed her parents, her friends, and her entire community. Now it was back from the Duat to finish what it had started. It wanted Ziaand probably any stupid magician who would stand in its way. And that's what I was here for. One stupid magician, coming right up! I was not going to lose Zia again. This demon was going to have to learn its lesson the hard way. I took a step towards the entrance. Zia grabbed my arm. Her grip was so weak, and I figured she didn't have much energy left. She looked at me pleadingly. "Carter, please. It took dozens of magicians to defeat this creature. What chance do you have, alone, tired, and in the middle of an abandoned village? No magicians from the House will be coming this time. Our only chance is to go! ow!" "Fight now, run later," I whispered. "I'm going in. Stay here." "Carter, no! You'll be killed!" I smiled. "Thanks for reminding me." I could handle this. This is what I've been training for, after all. Should be a piece of cake, right? I stepped out of the damp cave into the river, ignoring Zia's frantic whispers. "Here kitty, kitty, kitty!" The creature turned to face me at unnatural speed. It had been sniffing under a ruined hut, its back to me. But now, I found myself faced with razor-sharp fangs, all yellow and covered inwell, whatever the demon's last meal was. Its eyes, like I said, were blood red, like they were made of fire itself, and yet, when its eyes met mine, I instantly felt unnaturally cold, as if death was just around the corner. I wondered how many people felt this chill right before they were eaten by a scaguarke (That's what I named it: half scorpion, half jaguar, half snake. Creative, huh?).This thing made Leroy look like a playful, adorable puppy dog. The beast roared a jaw-rattling roar, spewing green saliva everywhere. In a matter of seconds, I was covered in green glop. "Ugh! Gross!" I muttered, the haunting eyes forgotten. "You're gonna pay for that." I trudged through the water. My game plan was to get on land and summon the awesome avatar warrior thing I used to do with Horus and slice this kitty

into pieces before the sun rises. (And no, this didn't leave once the God left my head. I'm taking the path of Horus, after all. That's the whole point of taking a path of a God or Goddess: to learn to use their power without blowing up or having them take over your body. The greatest accomplishment is to have perfect balance with your minds and truly becoming one with them. Since I already did that last year, I'm onto phase two: using Horus' power for my own reasons without an annoying God invading my brain in the process. Or at least, I think it's phase two. Most people don't survive phase one anyway, so I guess I'm on my own on this oneexcept for Sadie of course). Anyway, I was going to go into avatar-warrior mode when things went horribly wrong. The creature cut me off before I could get out of the river. The side behind me was too steep to climb over. I'd be dead before I even slipped back into the water. My only other option was the cave, but that would mean leading the monster to Zia, and that was something I would NOT do. "You do have a Plan Bright?" I'm working on it. The scaguarke must have thought it was his lucky day, because he was already licking his lips and eyeing me as if wondering if I'd go well with ketchup or mustard. Water never really was one of my strengths, but I didn't really have a choice. I summoned my falcon avatar and took out my khopesh. Then I swung it with my entire mite down on the creature who was momentarily shocked. Not a moment later, it gave me a mischievous look, as if he was saying, "Woah, fast food, huh?"and leaped out of the way a millisecond before my blade would have sliced him to pieces. As fast as lightning, it turned around to face me, saliva running down its chin and tail flicking violently is every direction. This is going to get very interesting. I charged, only in avatar form, I might as well have been a snail. I felt like I was running through jello, so it was really a waste of my time. The beast seemed to find my entire presence amusing, as if I was no match for him and he was taking his time killing me. Well, that made me angry. I've been training all year in combat magic. Why don't I use that now? I'm better than this mutant feline. The only problem was that I've never actually been in a one-on-one fight with nothing but a sword and a wand. An avatar always made me feel powerful and secure. Now I realized it wouldn't be enough.

I thought all this as I hacked and swung wildly at the creature, only to miss every time as it dodged me again and again. This had to end. It wouldn't be long before he smelled Zia, and then we'd both be dead. Finally, I made my decision. I broke my concentration and dropped to the ground. The scaguarke looked at me like I was insane. Then it began to circle me, and I had a bad feeling it was no longer playing with its food. In a few seconds, I'd be dead meat. I could feel Zia's gaze on me. She was about to step into the open. I cursed. Was she insane? This is it, Carter. ow or never. "Here goes nothing." I muttered, and with that, I charged at the creature, whose eyes widened in surprise. With astonishing speed, I hacked and sliced, occasionally cutting the beast's coarse fur while avoiding the flailing stinger of death. That thing had to go. I waited until the scaguarke turned around, and then leaped onto its back, slicing its stinger off in the process just before it would have cut me in half. The problem? Well, apparently ten foot long stingers are heavier than they used to be, because when the stinger fell, it wrenched the sword out of my hand before I could pull it out of the flesh, bringing my weapon down to the ground with it. The creature screeched in pain and clawed at me, but I was out of his reach. Granted, I was weaponless and almost out of energy, but I was safe for now, right? Who was I kidding; I'd be toast in a matter of seconds. All it had to do is roll over, or stand up so I's slide off, or shake violently andAs if reading my thoughts, the creature began to shake viciously, trying to get me off. Now, I'd never actually gone bull riding, but I'd say the experience of riding a scaguarke was ten times more difficult and ten times more painful. With each shake, my muscles ached and I felt like I'd fall off at any moment. Yet it was my nose that hurt most of all. Now, I'm telling you, a scaguarke smells way worse when you're up close and personal with the eon old meat eater. Gods, did he ever hear of baths? Wait a minutethat's it! "Man, I hope you're more feline than reptile." I muttered as I grabbed its black, pointed ears. They must have been sensitive, because the demon roared in agony as I pulled them in the direction of the river. Obediently, the scaguarke followed, but it was kicking and clawing at me the whole way. By the time we reached the river, my whole body ached and I was almost deaf from the loud, painful roars the demon was making. I knew I wouldn't last much longer. From the bank, I could see the blurry form of Zia, watching from afar. I

smiled at her and managed to take my wand out of my pocket. The water was far too shallow. I needed it deeper, and I also needed a force strong enough to get this ten ton reluctant demon into the river. What I needed was some magic. I drew a complex hieroglyphic in the air, taking the magic from my own reserves. It was risky, but it was all I had left. From inside the cave, I heard Zia's scream echo over and over. "Carter, no!" I look up at the fiery hieroglyphic as it faded into nothing. Instantly, I felt like a ton of invisible bricks had rammed into me, and the creature and I both towards the darkened water below. The last thing I can remember was the sun rising in the east over the abandoned village and a vision of Zia, limping towards me, screaming my name. Then the world disappeared under the murky water, and everything went black.

C A R T E R I woke up thinking I was drowning. My whole body ached, and I felt like I had gone through the washer. My head was spinning like the dirty clothes as they turn around and around in the machine. I groaned and instinctively reached for my alarm clock, but grasped a handful of sand instead that slipped through my scarred, rough hands. I cocked my head in confusion and stared up at a cloudless, blue sky. Just then, I heard a scream that made me jump a foot in the air. "Carter? Carter! Oh, thank Ra!" I knew that voice, but it didn't make any sense. I must be dreaming, I decided, and lay back onto the hot desert sand. A moment later I got a kick in the shin that almost gave me a heart attack. "What the heck?" I yelped, turning around to face my attacker. Zia was glaring down at me, her hands on her hips. Zia? Just then, all of last night's events came crashing down on me, taking my breath away. Zia. Here. Oh my gods! I found her! "Zia! You're alive!" I exclaimed, leaping to my feet. Zia rolled her eyes. "Of course I'm alive you idiot! You're the one that stupidly attacked an ancient, deadly demon from the Duat! You're the one that almost drowned!" That was not the response I was expecting. "I was trying to save you! Sorry if I committed some sort of crime!" "Stupidity was your crime, Carter Kane!" Zia snapped, stepping towards me. "Well, it worked didn't it? The least you can do is feel a little grateful!" We were nose to nose, and I had to focus real hard on my anger or I'd lose

myself in those eyes. "Maybe I would have been if you had listened to me! Why couldn't you have just listened and looked for the book?" "Gods, Zia! I was-" I was what? Why did I come here? "You know what? I don't know. Maybe I was wrong about you, Zia. Maybe I was being stupid." I turned my back on her and walked towards the river; fuming. I sat down by the bank and looked at the endless desert before me. So much for THAT mission. What was I thinking? Zia was right. I was stupid. Stupid to go looking for a girl I knew for only a couple days. Stupid for constantly thinking about her. Stupid for traveling to Egypt, exploring an abandoned tomb, and fighting an ancient killing machine. And extremely stupid for thinking she'd care. I was a complete loser. Zia sat down next to me and sighed. I hadn't heard her walk up. "CarterI'm sorry," she whispered. Something in her voice made me look at her. Sand was sprinkled in her black hair and she was frailer than usual, but gods, was she beautiful. "I-I was just worried," she continued. "That's why I didn't want you coming here. I knew the creature was out there andand I didn't want you to get hurt, okay? I was scared for you." I was still trying to register the fact that she had been worried about me, so I didn't answer right away. Zia must have taken that as me still being angry, so she continued. "I should have known you'd come. Gods, Carter, you're stubborn! But I really am grateful. You have no idea how much I thought of leavingbut never could. When you cameCarter, of course I was grateful! Then you went out there alone andand then you fell into the rivergods, I thought you were dead!" Her voice caught at the end and I instantly felt horrible. Did I mention I was really, really stupid? "ZiaZia I'm sorry. I didn't realize-" "No," Zia said firmly, raising her hand. "I'm sorry. It just scared me, that's all. I should have thanked you beforebut, thank you, Carter," she said, looking up at me. "For everything." Then the weirdest thing happened. I'm not gonna lie. I seriously wanted to kiss her, and I never have kissed a girl in my life. I hadn't even seen her for a year, yet for some reason I felt like I had known her forever. I felt myself moving closer to heror was she moving closer to me? Zia's wide, amber eyes stared back and me, and I felt my mind go blank. Before I could even react, she leaped up off the ground. "We better get going." She stammered. "Right," I sighed. "Sadie's gonna kill me."

Zia smiled at that. "Ah, yes. Who could forget your sister?" I couldn't help but smile also. Yes, who could forget a girl with blond, red streaked hair, combat boots, and a personality like Sadie's? You'd have to get a pretty strong concussion to forget my sister. [Hey! That was a compliment!] "One problem," I said. "I got here by summoning a portal, and there's no way either of us are going to be able to summon one anytime soon. There's not even a pyramid or obelisk for miles, and we have no food, no water, and absolutely no means of transportation. We're toast." I concluded, glaring at the sun. Zia squinted up towards the sky. "If we stay in this heat, then yes, Carter, we will be toast. But aren't you forgetting something? The Kanes never have trouble finding a ride, if I do recall." We do? I tried to think of last year, when we were saving the earth from worldwide chaos. Then, I remembered the day it all began, on Christmas Eve. Sadie and I were at the Faust's flat being questioned by the police. Dad had just blown up the Rosetta Stone and disappeared in the sarcophagus. I shuddered at the memory and realized that was the last time I saw my dad alive. Just thinking out him depressed me. "Come on, Carter. In the middle of a desert, here!" My conscience complained, breaking me out of the memory. Right. So we were in England andand Amos came. He got the officers to leave and we went to New York. What's so special aboutMy eyes widened and I looked at Zia. "You mean the boat? Amos's reed boat?" Zia smiled. "He's your uncle, is he not? You'll be able to summon it now that your powers are stronger. We'll use the Nile. You're far too tired to make it fly." She said, pointing towards the river. "That's the Nile?" I asked, totally shocked. "But it's sosmall." I had seen the Nile many times, but it was always vast andwell, big. Zia looked at the water sadly. "It's drying up everywhere. If only you could have seen it here when I was little. It was so beautiful." Now I was totally confused. "I thought you couldn't remember anything about your childhood. All you have are those pictures" Zia averted her eyes back to the river. "I'vebeen remembering things lately. It's not much, mind you, but it's something. Like I'll see an image, or hear the sound of a river or smell a certain smell, and know it was from my childhood. I can just feel it. Just recently, while I was sleeping, I saw an image of the Nile, back before the monster destroyed the village. It was

amazing." Zia stared sadly at her ruined home and I knew we shouldn't stay here much longer. It was tough enough for her already, having seen the demon that killed her community and her parents. "I'll summon the boat," I announced, stepping towards the Nile. I took a deep breath, cleared my mind, and tried remember the first time I saw Amos's reed boat back in England. I tried to vision the two eerie lanterns that glowed on board, the coils of plant fiber that held it together, the hut in the center of the boat, the cloaked, invisible figure that manned the tiller... Just then, I felt a cold gust of wind shoot past me. When I opened my eyes, I was starring at an Egyptian reed boat. I instantly felt tired (Well, more tired than before). The unstable-looking boat that could easily burn to the ground from those lanterns was looking rather good at the moment. I turned to Zia. "All aboard," I said proudly. Zia and I boarded the reed boat and collapsed in the hut. "I never realized how tired I was," Zia said, whipping sand off her mat. "You rest," I said gently, exiting the hut. "I'll keep watch." Zia nodded thankfully and closed her eyes. Quietly, I approached the cloaked driver. "To the 21st Nome," I demanded. Instantly, the boat lurched forward, and we were off. I settled down on a mat at the front of the reed boat, facing north. I looked back at the ruined village, the abandoned cave, and the shallow river. I never wanted to come back. A moment later, the boat gained speed, and Zia's home disappeared. I never saw it again.

S A D I E Hullo all. Don't worry, Sadie is here. You didn't think you'd be trapped hearing my brother's rubbish story telling all day, now did you? [Don't get me started on your story telling skills, Carter. I'm telling this whether you like it or not]. So there I was, minding my own business and teaching a bunch of magicians how to write with the Divine Words, which may sound all wonderful to you, but it was anything BUT. They couldn't do anything right, and I obviously don't have the patience for this sort of thing. By the end, I was ready to knock each and everyone one of them with the stylus. Barbarians. I was so tired after my lesson; I didn't even go and bug Carter like I usually do before curfew. Instead, I trudged up the stairs and collapsed on my bed. I didn't wake up until 7:30 in the morning, which was a blessing because Carter is always dragging me up at 6:00 for training. "The early bird catches the worm!" He'd say. I always want to tell him that, quite frankly, I don't want a worm, I want sleep, but it never does any good. I always wake up to the same bloody saying, and my beauty sleep comes to an end. [Carter says that's why I look the way I do. Ha. Ha. Your head looks like Khufu's- OW! That was my foot!] Anyway, when I woke up so "late" that morning, I instantly found it odd. So he's finally sleeping in, eh? Well, it's about time. Still, I couldn't help but feel a little concerned. Maybe he was sick. Well, he better not be. It was his turn to make dinner today, and as horrible as his cooking is, it gives me a chance to relax while he makes the meal. I walked over to his door and knocked. Carter was always a light sleeper, so I found it extremely strange when he didn't answer the door right away. "Carter! The worm's waiting!" I called. "Get up!" Still, no answer. Who did he think he was? I was not going to do all his chores today. "I'm coming in!" I yelled. Then I whispered "Sahad" and the door creaked open.

"Carter?" I whispered. I stepped into his dark room. The bed was abandoned and unmade. The door to the balcony was open, and a warm breeze blew through the door, causing pages of his latest Egyptian book to flip endlessly. I picked up the book and flipped through it. Just a bunch of Egyptian junk. I rolled my eyes at the fact that he found this interesting, and walked out to his balcony, expecting him to be sitting there, lost in thought. He'd been doing that a lot, lately, but he never slept in this late and never failed to open the door for me when I knocked. I knew my brother was thinking based on his expressions. If he's quiet and reading about Egypt or looking at his suitcase (the one he keeps in his closet) I know he's thinking about Dad. When he's looking out into NoWhere's-Land with an ever-changing look on his face (from happiness, to sadness, to confusion, then back to sadness well you get the idea), I know he's thinking about Zia. This had been happening more often than usual. He'd disappear the moment he finished training or lessons or making dinner. Sometimes, I'd go up to his room and knock, but lately, he was never there. But I never questioned him because he was always back in the morninguntil now. My brother wasn't on the balcony. He wasn't anywhere in the house, and he certainly wasn't at the store because he always leaves me a note. Where WAS he? I was very distraught. My idiot brother had disappeared. Yup, he abandoned me in a mansion with nothing but a crocodile and a baboon for company (well, besides the twenty or so magicians in training, but they're always too busy anyway). Please! What if there were robbers? [I don't care if the mansion is invisible, Carter! You never know!] I was in total shock. My only brother was gone, and I had absolutely no idea where he was. Some voice in the back of my head kept whispering "Zia. Zia," over and over and all I knew that wherever my insane brother was, it had something to do with her. And I knew one other thing; that if I ever saw Carter alive again, I was going to kill him. I was about to run out again when I remembered Carter's suitcase. Had he taken it? If he had, did that mean he was gone for good? I opened his closet, expecting to have to rummage through his clothes to find it, only to find the suitcase neatly tucked in a corner, along with the rest of his belongings. My brother is rather odd, if you haven't figured that out yet. He's probably the only boy I know that washes behind his ears and keeps his room spotless. Sometimes, when I look at my cluttered book shelves and clothes-covered bed, I wonder if we're actually related. Well, the suitcase was still there, but it didn't help ease my nerves. Did that

mean he had to leave immediately? Was it an emergency? Thousands of questions flooded my mind, but in the end, I realized I had only one choice: to trust Carter. What else could I do? I had no idea where he was. For all I knew, he could be magician seeking with Bast in Benin. I was about to shut the closet door when an idea hit me. What if Carter left something in his suitcase? It was worth a shot, so I pulled it out and lugged it over to his bed. Gosh, why is it so heavy? I sat down beside the case and pushed a stray red strand of hair out of my eyes. I felt awful going through my brother's stuff, but what if there was something in there that could lead me to Carter? I took a deep breath and opened the suitcase. Once I looked inside, I wished I'd never opened it. There was nothing even remotely exciting in the suitcase. No note from my brother, no suspicious torn articles of clothing, bloody handprints, or helpful clues. Instead, I found myself staring at a packed suitcase, full of his basic necessities and a few pairs of clothes. A wave of sadness overwhelmed me. Carter had never unpacked his suitcase. ever, even a year after Dad's death. He kept it packed, so he'd be ready to jump on a plane with my father at a moment's notice like he used to. It was if he was still waiting for Dad to wake him up and bring him to another airport. Carter was waiting for Dad to come back. That's when I realized that Carter wasn't over Dad's death like I thought he was. I mean, I knew he missed him, but I thought he had accepted it and moved on. But he hadn't. He was still waiting for another trip with my dad; one we both knew would never come. All this time, when he made dinner for us, went food shopping, taught the magicians-in-training combat magic, helped me with my chores around the house and tucked the younger ones in bed almost every night, I just thought he was the stronger one. As Amos had put it before he left to Africa, Carter was the "man of the house." "That will be the day," I had thought, but in a way, I guess he was. He took care of all us, though I'd never admit it. [Shut up, Carter. I only meant you took care of the house, that's all, so wipe that stupid smile off your face!] Becoming a magician had changed him. He was more confident and strong, more outgoing and determined. Yet some things hadn't changed, like how he still missed his old life with Dad. I couldn't take any more of this. Carter was gone, and there was nothing I could do about it. All I could do was wait. On that happy note, I tucked his suitcase in the corner of his closet where I

promised I'd never look in it again. Then I walked out to the balcony and searched the New York skyline. "Carter," I whispered. "God, Carter, where are you?" *::*::* About a half an hour had passed when someone knocked urgently at the door. I leaped up to answer it, but before I could get there, Carter had already lifted the door upward like he had done the first day we arrived at the 21st Nome. Then he was running up the stairs without an explanation or anything. Well, you're OT getting away that easily. "Where have you been?" I yelled after him. Carter stopped dead in his tracks and almost tripped up the stairs, which I would have found funny if I wasn't so angry. He turned around slowly and said, like the stupid brother he is, "Umsorry?" I rolled my eyes. "Sorry isn't gonna cut it! I was worried sick about you! What, you think you can just leave whenever you want and not even bother to tell me?" Carter sighed. "Sadie, I'm really, really sorry. I'll do your chores for a month, okay? But I have a good reason!" I moaned and glared up at Carter, who was now slowly backing up the stairs. "And would you mind telling me this 'good' reason for abandoning your little sister without even a bloody note or phone call?" "I told you, Sadie! I had a good reasonwhich I will explain after you get packed," he replied, and then sprinted up the stairs in the direction of his room. "Packed? What in the name of Ra are you talking about?" I yelled after him, but Carter was already on the move. By the time I reached his room, he was opening his locker in the Duat and stuffing his suitcase in. Then he ran to his desk and began writing a hurried letter. "Carter, what's going on?" I asked, trying to read over his shoulder. "We have a quest," he said simply, capping his pen and sealing the letter. Then he looked at me and asked, "Aren't you packed yet?" Now I was fuming. "What? Carter, I'm not going to embark on some stupid quest that you've told me nothing about!" But Carter only walked around me and ran into my room next door. I sighed in exasperation and followed him. In no time at all, he was flinging open drawers and throwing clothes into my open suitcase, which I didn't even know he knew about, since I had hidden it behind the TV a year ago. It always reminded me of home, which was why I had hidden it in the first

place. Before I could even protest, Carter was onto my third drawer which just so happened to be my underwear drawer, and shuddered. "You finish it," he muttered, handing me the suitcase. "I'll tell the others and get some provisions." I stared openmouthed at him. This was happening too fast. Where were we even going? Why were we leaving? How long would we be gone? Before Carter ran out the door, he smiled at me and whispered, "Trust me." Then he was gone. And what did I do, you may be asking? Again, what could I do? Staying behind and letting my idiot brother mess up was obviously not an option. I finished packing and ran downstairs, wondering what was going to happen to us and if I really wanted to hear the truth after all.

C A R T E R We arrived back at the 21st Nome at around 8:00 AM. Zia was still asleep in the back, and I didn't have the heart to wake her. Instead, I ran inside to get supplies, and most importantly, Sadie. I found her, but she wasn't exactly in a good mood. She practically chased me around the house for answers, but I knew we didn't have time for explanations. Sadie must have realized this, because she finally shut up after I went downstairs for food. She came back fully packed with a new wad of gum in her mouth, a denim jacket, her trite, black combat boots, and her bulky suitcase. Sadie had never gotten the hang of the whole locker-in-the-Duat thing, so I had to put it in my own so she wouldn't have to lug it around everywhere. Hey, it's a big locker. I could fit an entire Set monster in there if I wanted to (long story.) I left the fifteen year olds, our oldest magicians in training, in charge until Bast returned. There were only three of them (not including myself) but if Sadie and I could take care of things without too many problems, then they could too. Or at least, that's what I wanted to think. I couldn't get the image of a burning mansion out of my head, caused by a wand-malfunction or some magician who was stupid enough to summon fire using the Divine Words [No Sadie, I didn't mean anyone in particular!]. I certainly was not willing to ask Amos if he had invisible-house insurance. Anyway, after we told the other magicians about our departure, Sadie and I sprinted back to our uncle's reed boat that I parked beside the back entrance to the warehouse next door. As soon as Sadie stepped onto the Egyptian boat, she let out a moan. I didn't even have to look to know that she'd seen Zia. "So this is why you were gone all night, eh?" Sadie asked as she pointed to Zia's sleeping form in the hut. "You sly dog." I rolled my eyes. "Very funny, Sadie. But as a matter of fact, yes, Zia was the

reason I was gone last night. I got a message from her, and I went to Egypt to find her. End of story." "Uh huh. Sure, Carter. Whatever you say." Sadie replied with a wink, and before I could protest, she grabbed a water bottle from her backpack and dumped it on Zia. "Hey!" Zia yelled, as she hit her head on the hut. "Sorry. Couldn't resist." Sadie said sweetly. Then she walked to the end of the boat, laughing and murmuring something about sweet revenge. I gave Zia an apologetic look. "Sorry about her. She's insane." "I heard that!" Sadie called from the bow. Zia only laughed. "No, I deserved it. I did the same thing to her last year." "Only yours was a bloody bucket." Sadie remarked, walking back over to us. I had absolutely no idea what they were talking about, but I decided not to ask. "So, what's all this about a quest?" Sadie asked, glaring at me. "It better be good, because I've already wasted an entire morning waiting for you." I wanted to argue that it wasn't a whole morning, because she slept through half of it, but instead, I answered, "It's about the Book of Ra. We're going to retrieve it." "The book of what?" Sadie demanded angrily. It took all my will power to keep from cracking up because 1) that was the exact same thing I asked when Zia first told me, and 2) Sadie said this with an extremely strong British accent, so it sounded more like "The book of whawt?" [Hey, I tell it like it is.] "The Book of Ra." I repeated, keeping a straight face. "It's a book that explains how to defeat Apophis." "Well, that explains a lot." Sadie said sarcastically. "Don't tell me; you have no idea where it is, so we'll just travel around the whole bloody world aimlessly until Ra pops up and hands us the book, right?" "Wrong." Zia answered, standing up and brushing the sand off her blue robes. "Our first destination is Heliopolis." "Heliopolis?" Sadie yelled, waving her hands in exasperation. "You're joking! You mean the maze of crummy old tombs and such directly under Cairo? As in, the place right next to the First Nome? Do you really want to go towards the people who want to kill us?" "Wouldn't be the first time." I pointed out. Sadie sighed. "True that." "We'll do whatever it takes to retrieve the book." Zia said. "Even if it means a few nasty run-ins with some rather powerful enemies."

"More like a lot of enemies." Sadie muttered, but Zia ignored her. Then Zia turned to me and asked, "So, are you in?" I grinned. "Well, duh." Zia smiled back as Sadie rolled her eyes. We both turned and looked at her expectantly. "Well, Sadie?" she questioned. Sadie took a deep breath. "Well, of course I'm going. It wouldn't be an adventure without me, now would it? Poor Carter would be nothing without me, and I couldn't very well leave him alone with you, now could I?" Before I could protest, Sadie raised her hand and continued. "Besides, I'm in need of a little excitement. Now, can I drive?" I rolled my eyes. "Uh, no. We've got that taken care of. But you could keep your mouth shut." I offered hopefully. Sadie laughed. "You know me better than that, Carter. This trip is going to be dull as it is. I may as well make the best of it." She insisted on telling me her "dismal" day whether I wanted to hear it or not, but to be honest, I really wasn't listening. I was watching Zia at the wheel. Her black hair was blowing in all sorts of directions and the wind whipped at her blue robes. She was constantly pushing tendrils of long black hair behind her ear. You'd think that would be distracting, but Zia seemed unaffected by her surroundings. A few times, I thought the wind blow us off course, but she knew exactly where she was going. Zia's brown eyes stared into the orange horizon with a determined air about her, like she could take on the whole world if necessary. New York was long gone. I couldn't tell exactly where we were, since Amos's boat travels faster and farther than any boat known to man, but we definitely weren't in America anymore. Magic, of course, was to blame. Still, we were traveling at a slower pace since we weren't using the Duat, but I liked it better this way. I could relax and enjoy the trip, that is, if the world wasn't about to end. I pushed the thought aside. For the first time in months, we had a lead. And we had Zia. That made everything that much more...bearable, though that wasn't quite the word I was looking for. I don't know how long I sat there, staring at Zia and the setting sun, when Sadie pinched me and brought me back to reality. "Ow! What was that for?" I demanded, rubbing my sore arm. Hey, she had sharp finger nails! Sadie rolled her eyes, as if to say, "Well, it's obvious!" She waved a hand in front of my face. "Get out of the clouds, Carter! God, you're so nave."

"What?" I asked defensively, shielding my arm to prevent further pinching attacks. Sadie slapped her hand against her forehead. "Think about it Carter. The real Zia tried to kill us. Kill us! And now you're groveling at her feet for God's sake! She can't be trusted! How do you know the real Zia isn't still working with Desjardins, hm? Actually think about it before you go all starry-eyed again for a girl you knew for-what was it? Six days? Oh wait, the day she tried to murder you does not count." Now I was angry. What was she thinking? I decided to fight back, even though I rarely ever win an argument with my sister anyway. "Hey, knock it off! Zia may have been a shabti, but it really was her! I don't know how, but it was! She remembers everything, Sadie. And she's not with Desjardins. We can trust her. She saved our lives! How about you get over your stupid grudge against her!" Sadie tried to comment, but I wasn't through. In fact, I was just getting started. "We're going to find the Book of Ra, and she's the one who found this information, so stop thinking she's got this master plan to betray us. She wants to help for Thoth's sake!" I abruptly stood and walked away, leaving her in the hut as I walked over to Zia by the wheel. Then I turned around and added, "Oh, and by the way, I'm not groveling, as you put it. We owe Zia, and she's one of the only allies we've got. I'm trying to make it up to her. Maybe it's time you do the same." Sadie said nothing, which was a shock. Instead, she put her headphones in her ears and turned toward the left side of the boat, staring off at the foreign city before us with an unreadable expression on her face. Where we were exactly, I couldn't tell you, but the air was hot and dry, so I knew we were nearing Egypt. "So, what's the plan?" I asked, coming up from behind Zia. She jumped, obviously startled. Before I could apologize, she was hurriedly explaining how she planned on entering the First Nome without being spotted. Zia would show Sadie and I how to use the invisibility spell she used after our discussion with Iskandar last year. Then we'd sneak into the Nome, avoiding any unfriendly magicians. "About that" I interrupted, feeling uneasy about the whole plan in general. "The last time you used that spell, it didn't exactly work. How can you be sure it'll work this time?" Sadie looked lost, not that I blame her. I decided not to tell my sister how I found Zia in her shrine to her parents last year. I don't know why, I guess I was embarrassed. Besides, I wasn't even sure if Zia remembered that night at the shrine, and what she told me.

Zia looked at me thoughtfully. "It'll work, Carter. Trust me." She smiled that dazzling smile, as if reassuring me that she did in fact remember, making me blush in spite of myself. Sadie, thankfully, didn't notice. Then Zia turned back to the wooden wheel and the boat began to descend toward the bustling city below: Cairo, Egypt. *::*::* In no time, we were outside the Cairo airport. The place brought back painful memories. I remembered being sick, leaning against my dad's shoulder as we waited outside the gate for our plane. I couldn't tell you where we were headed. Alexandria, maybe? Or was it Giza? It was impossible to know for certain, since we were always traveling. Only on this trip, my Dad comforted me the entire time. I could almost feel his large, warm hand rubbing my back and whispering reassuring words as I crouched in agony. He told me I was strong enough, that I could make it. And I did. Sure, it was only the flu, but I was nine at the time, and knowing Dad had faith in me made all the difference. It was one of dozens of memories I had in airports with Dad, each one seeming like centuries ago. I pushed the memory aside as we crossed the street into the crowded airport. Zia led Sadie and I to a familiar door inside the building. After whispering a spell, the door opened at her command, and we were once again descending into Heliopolis. My knowledge on the ancient city was limited, but I knew it had something to do with the sun god. I also knew it was home to some very unfriendly enemies, which didn't make the stuffy, endless journey any more enjoyable. Finally, we reached the abyss we had to cross last year. Zia stopped suddenly, causing me to bump into her and Sadie into me. Only me and Sadie fell onto the sandy floor. "Ow. Carter!" Sadie muttered furiously. I quickly got up and looked around. No sign of trouble. "Why'd you stop?" I asked Zia, who was taking out her wand. "Something wrong?' "No." she replied, turning to us with a grin. "I'm going to teach you how to become invisible." *::*::* She recited a spell a dozen times. It wasn't too complicated, but harder and more complex than most of the ones I'm used to. After Zia was convinced Sadie and I knew it by memory, she stepped onto the narrow bridge and began to walk. Sadie and I followed. I was expected the weird ba man to appear, but he didn't. I let out a sigh of

relief and followed Zia into the First Nome. "Are you sure this is going to work?" I asked, looking around at the deserted underground city. "No. But we don't have a choice, do we?" Zia answered. Then she disappeared before my very eyes. "Zia!" I looked frantically around the abandoned market, but she wasn't there. "Zia, for Thoth's sake-" Then I felt someone's hand gently grip my shoulder. I glanced to my left, but no one was there. Suddenly, a voice whispered in my ear. It was Zia's. "Sh! It's the invisibility spell. Hurry, I think someone's coming." I quickly murmured the spell just as two magicians came into view. One was tall and stocky with long, dark hair that looked like it had been cut by a four year old with safety scissors. The other was bald, shorter, and carried a long white staff that was taller than he was. They started searching behind booths that carried spices and produce, their long white robes billowing behind them like flags on a windy day. At first I thought they were robbers, but then they continued to the next wooden booth, empty handed. They were looking for something. I gulped and took my wand out of my bag that slung over my shoulder. When I raised it toward the magicians, however, I noticed that my wand was actually FLOATING in mid air. Wait a second, not floating, because I was holding it. Only where my hand should be...was nothing. I was invisible. "Cool." I whispered, waving the wand in front of me. I laughed quietly to myself and started tossing it back and forth (which is hard when you can't see your own fingers.) The wand seem to be flying in mid air. Before I could toss it again, someone pinched me on the arm. "OW!" "Stop being such a baby! We've got work to do." It was Sadie. I should have known. "Oh, and put that thing away before someone sees it." "Yes, Mom." I muttered, shoving the wand back into my bag where it seemed to vanish. Then I followed the soft sound of Zia and Sadie's footsteps in front of me. They were headed toward the long, mud brick wall at the end of the large, underground chamber. I followed the best I could, but now and then I'd walk off course, earning yet another fierce pinch from Sadie (I officially hate it when she does that.) She'd drag me behind her for a minute or so. Then she'd let me go and I'd stumble behind her the rest of the way...at least until I would lose them again. Hey, it's hard to follow someone you can't even see.

I'm surprised the magicians hadn't spotted us by now. They were already heading back the way they came, but something told me they'd be back. We didn't have much time left. Finally, I slammed into Sadie in front of the wall, so I assumed this was our destination. "Start looking." Zia whispered next to my ear, making me jump a foot in the air. I could almost hear her smile. "Uh...look for what?" I asked, thanking the gods she couldn't see my reddened face. "A symbol." She replied. "Maybe the sun disk, or-" "Or a scarab?" Sadie questioned from somewhere over to my right. Zia stepped toward the ancient wall, and I could actually hear her hand running down the smooth surface. "Um, yes, Ra was the scarab god, Khepri, in the morning, but I'm not sure-" "Well, I guess this mysterious scarab carved into this bloody wall is nothing, correct?" Sadie inquired in a sweet manner. I rolled my eyes, but then I remembered Sadie couldn't even see me. Zia apparently wasn't accustomed to Sadie's sarcasm. Either that or she didn't care in the least. "Perfect Sadie! Can you open it? Use 'Sahad' maybe, or-" Apparently Ra didn't know a thing about security, because the moment Sadie placed her hand on the carven scarab, tons of rock began to crumble at our feet until there was nothing but an enormous, black opening in the wall. "Guess we don't need to knock." I said, taking a step over the pile of rubble in front of the entryway. It took me a couple of seconds to realize Sadie and Zia weren't following. "Guys?" I asked, turning around to face them. Then I realized things weren't going to be this easy. Across the market were the two magicians, only this time, they weren't alone. About twelve others had joined them, and they were all staring in our direction. I guess they weren't fooled by the invisibility spell. It was that, or the fact that we'd just made a huge hole in their wall. I didn't wait to explain. Instead, I reached out, grabbed Zia and Sadie's invisible arms, and plunged into the hole before us. We fell on a pile of sand somewhere in the gloomy room below. The cries of the magicians began to fade, and I looked up just in time to see the wall reform behind us, throwing the room into total darkness.

C A R T E R "Well, looks like we won't be leaving that way." I muttered, shaking sand out of my hair. So much for Ra not having a security system. "Great. ow what do we do?" Sadie moaned, looking around the stuffy, ancient chamber. "There's nothing here!" I had to admit it, Sadie had a point. There was nothing here. Besides some ancient hieroglyphics on the worn, ancient walls, the place was literally empty. Unless, that is, you count pounds of dry sand as a room feature. Zia didn't seem worried, though. She was studying the paintings on the walls intently, as if she was looking for something. I walked up beside her to see what she was looking at, but all I saw was painting of some buff, tan guy with a bird head, holding a book up to the sun as the cover burst into flames. The book itself seemed unharmed though. "Horus?" I whispered, but the moment the words escaped me, I knew they were false. That was not Horus. I'd seen the god in person, and this guy looked nothing like him. Besides, Horus would sometimes appear with the head of a falcon, but this bird looked more like a hawk. "Oh wonderful, a bird-man burning a library book. God, did the Egyptians have no return policy?" Sadie asked. She had started observing the painting as well. "When I got ketchup on that bloody frog book in third grade, the librarian-" "Sadie." I said, before she could continue. "Shut up." She huffed and stomped away, muttering something about amphibians and old ladies. Zia traced the book with her finger. Nothing happened of course, but as she gazed at the drawing again, her eyes sparkled. I swear I could almost see the light bulb turn on above her head. "Sadie!" She called, motioning with her hand for my sister to come back.

"Can you read this?" Sadie sighed. "Please. There's nothing there. Just all this random ceremonial rubbish. Nothing's gonna get up out of-" "Sadie! Just come over here and read this part." Zia snapped, obviously not in the mood for Sadie's complaints. "Please," she added, but there was an edge to her voice that would have made me sprint to read that wall. Sadie must have been thinking the same thing, because she walked hurriedly back over to us, although she was muttering the whole way. Sadie squinted as she studied the faded hieroglyphics above the hawk dude. "Something like, 'The Book lies within the heart of the Noon Sun.' That's odd. Why are noon and sun capitalized?" "A place?" I offered, but it didn't seem likely. Zia's gaze was on the painting, and I saw them widen with shock. "What?" I asked. When she didn't answer, I waved my hand in front of her face. "What?" I repeated. "It's not a place." Zia whispered, without looking away from the painting. "It's a name." Then she placed her finger on the hawk man's chest, right where his heart would be. A moment later, the room began to shake. Sadie, Zia, and I fell to the floor as buckets of sand rained down on us. I used my hands as a shield for my eyes, and in a moment, I was waist deep in the stuff. "It's caving in!" I yelled, looking for Zia and Sadie, who may as well been invisible in the downpour of sand. "We've got to-" "Carter!" Zia yelled over the noise. "Look!" I turned around to face the wall where the painting had been, only to find it gone. Instead, there was a large, black opening that could either be a dark room or a bottomless abyss for all we knew. The problem was that it was already closing up again. I dove in the direction of Zia and Sadie, managed to take their hands, and then sprinted toward the entrance. I pushed Sadie in first, who yelped as she lost her grip on my hand. Then I turned to Zia, but she wouldn't budge. There was no way two more people would be able to get in; the entrance was closing too fast. "Go Carter!" she yelled. Think again, Zia. "No Zia, we-" "GO!" she demanded, giving me a fierce shove. I was not losing her again, so yanked her forward as I fell, causing her to lose her balance and fall in front of me. She pulled me down with her though, and just as I thought we might both make it through, I felt a sharp pain in my leg. My shoe apparently got stuck in the entrance as I went

down. I was dangling in the air, hanging from nothing but my sketcher that was wedged between the two closing walls. In a few more seconds, I may not even have a foot. "No. Way." I muttered, looking back at my shoe. At the last second, I forced my foot to turn at an impossible angle. A sharp pain ran up my leg, but my shoe instantly slipped free and I fell, face first, into the darkened room below. *::*::* I must have landed on my head, because I woke up about 20 minutes later with Sadie and Zia kneeling above me. My whole body ached, but my left leg was the worst. It felt like I'd been stabbed with a dozen needles, and even the smallest movements were painful. I moaned and looked around at my surroundings. We were in the middle of dark and musty tunnel. Like the chamber with the painting, these walls were covered in faded markings, not that I could read any of them. The tunnel continued in two directions, but for all I knew, there could be a shear drop at the end of it, because besides from the faint glow of Zia's wand, I could barely see anything. Zia was staring intently at my ankle. She started murmuring something too softly to hear, but I knew it wasn't English. After a few moments, a glow erupted from Zia's wand to my broken ankle, and the pain immediately subsided. I could actually feel the pain trickling away. After a minute or so, Zia stopped the chant, and I sighed with relief. "Way to go, Carter." Sadie said sarcastically. "How on Earth did you manage to break your ankle? All you had to do was jump." I rolled my eyes and instantly regretted it, because even that hurt. "I did jump," I answered, "but my foot got stuck. I'm lucky I still have a foot." Zia shook her head. "If you had gone first, none of this would have happened." I laughed. "Come on, Zia. Like I was going to abandon you in a chamber with the ceiling caving in? I'd take the broken ankle any day. What's it going to take for you to realize that we're a team?" "Oh yes, one big, happy family." Sadie muttered. I ignored the comment and looked at Zia, waiting for an answer. Instead, she carefully put my shoe back on and said, "You'll be fully healed in a few hours. Don't put any weight on it. We'll set up camp here tonight." "Here?" Sadie asked, not sounding too enthusiastic about sleeping in the middle of a creepy tunnel. "But something's not right. Can't you feel it?" At first I didn't know what she meant, but then I felt a soft breeze rush past me down the corridor to my left. A few moments later, it blew back in the

opposite direction. It was as if the tunnel wasbreathing. "Umis that normal?" I asked, knowing the answer before Zia replied. I'd been in plenty of tombs to know this was way out of the ordinary. "S-ooo," Sadie said, breaking the eerie silence. "We're just going to sit here while the spooky tunnel breathes on us? Are you bonkers?" "I don't see you coming up with any better ideas." Zia said, still looking down the darkened corridor. "Besides, we won't accomplish anything tonight. Carter's foot will be healed by morning, and then, Sadie, we can leave." Sadie still looked weary. "When you say 'leave,' you don't by any chance mean Egypt in general, right?" Zia cracked a small smile, but it disappeared just as quickly as it came. "Right." she said. Sadie sighed. "I knew it would be too good to be true." While Sadie stared suspiciously down the tunnel, I opened my locker in the Duat and took out some of the things I had packed before we left the 21st Nome. Three sleeping bags, some matches, crackers, bottles of water, and a Ziploc bag of rice (which I planned to cook over the fire), a steel pan, and cereal (just because it was in front of me while I was packing.) While we munched on some crackers, Zia poured some water from the bottles into the pan and then dumped some rice in. Then, being a master of fire, she made the flame without using the matches. She simply pointed her index finger at the two logs I had taken out of the fire in Amos's study, and the wood burst into orange flames. I made a mental note to ask her to teach how to do that, and then passed her a cracker, which she accepted with a smile. After a while, we were feasting on the rest of the crackers, rice, and handfuls of fruit loops. Not your average super, but no one complained. After I finished my last handful of the sugary cereal, I carefully crawled into my sleeping bag and shut my eyes. I opened them one last time and found myself looking at the dark form of Zia, who was staring into the darkness ahead of us, looking frightened and completely lost. I wanted to say something to make her feel better, but before I could, my vision went black and my ba left my body. Within moments, I had left the ancient tunnel behind, but for some reason, my ba was reluctant to leave. It didn't take me long to figure out why.

C A R T E R My ba flew over a bustling city; thousands of buildings that filled the night sky with artificial light. I couldn't be sure what city it was, they all look the same to me, especially from up above. I couldn't have flown far though, because the desert sand still stretched out endlessly in every direction. Finally, I came to a bank by a sluggish moving river, the Nile, because it looked similar to the one by Zia's village. Standing by the water was a tall, muscular man, holding something that looked suspiciously like a sword. Perched on his shoulder was a large bird of prey; a falcon, with huge yellow eyes that matched the setting sun's and glistening brown and grey feathers. I knew who the figure was before I even landed. I had to live with the guy in my head for days, so he's sorta hard to forget. The man was wearing a copper colored breastplate covered in elaborate hieroglyphics and falcon wings. His dark arms were muscular with a falcon tattoo on both of his biceps. Strapped to his waist was a sword hilt, also blanketed in hieroglyphics, only these ones were golden, like his peculiar right eye. Only the hilt of his sword, which was a solid gold falcon head, could be seen. The light reflected brilliantly off its glistening surface and momentarily clouded my vision. "Well, when all else fails, he could always blind his enemies to death,"I thought dryly. "Horus," I greeted the god with a wave as I landed onto the sandy desert floor. The falcon ruffled its feathers and glared at me. By the look of Horus's gold and silver eyes, this wasn't going to be a happy meeting. Besides, when gods actually seek you out to tell you something, they onlybring bad news. "Carter," Horus replied, stroking the falcon with his large, dark hands. "Glad you could make it." "UhI was forced to come here. You called my ba, remember?"

Horus made a gesture with his free hand, as if to say, "That's not the point." Then he looked me straight in the eye and said, "Anything could have happened on your way here, now that's it's begun." Suddenly, the idea of ba traveling didn't seem safe anymore. Horus's tone was dead serious, and whatever "it" was, I did notwant to know. But of course, I asked anyway. "Umnow that what's begun?" I reluctantly questioned. Horus looked me right in the eye and studied me for a long moment, almost like he searching for an answer to a vital question; an answer I did not have. Finally, he sighed and looked into the glare of the setting sun. Horus stood there, staring intently at the ball of fire for a long time, as if he could stop it from setting somehow, if he concentrated hard enough. Eventually he gave up and turned his gaze back to me. I may have been imagining it, but in that short amount of time, it seemed like he had aged about ten years. For the first time, he really looked a thousand years old; someone who had seen raging battles and creatures too horrible to exist in even my darkest nightmares. "I have long feared," the god murmured, "that this time would come. But history is bound to repeat itself, no matter how much effort is put into its extinction." He looked at me expectantly, expecting me to comment no doubt, but I was too frightened to say anything. I had a bad feeling I knew what he was about to say, and for once, I prayed every god I could think of that I could be wrong. "The serpent's awakening had begun, Carter. After a millennium of exile, it's finally going to walk the Earth once more, leaving nothing but destruction its his wake." Talk about the bearer of bad news. I didn't trust myself to speak. I guess I wasn't surprised; I knew this was bound to happen, sooner rather than later. Yet, I was still troubled by Horus's tone. The way he'd said it, it sounded like he was already picking out my gravestone, everyone'sgravestone, maybe even his own. "Well, we knew this would happen," I said, my voice sounding calmer than I felt. "We've been preparing for some time now. All we have to do is inform the House of Apophis' rising, and they're bound to join us. The gods would do the same, given our predicament." I studied Horus's face for some reassurance, but found nothing but sorrow. "Right?" I asked timidly. Horus sighed. "The gods arestubborn beings. They despise the House of Life and magicians alike. Even if the world was about to endthe gods

could always escape somehow; hide in deeper, secluded corners of the Duat until the worst blows over, in hopes that they would be spared. By that time, the world as we know it would be no more." "But that's not fair!" I protested. "They have to stay and fight! The gods and magicians-we're in this together! If the serpent escapes, it would lead to both of their dooms, not just the humans. They've got to see that!" Horus only shrugged; causing the falcon perched on his shoulder to rustle its copper colored feathers in annoyance. "They're not blind, only daft. I'm sure they understand the consequences of the monster escaping, but it doesn't exactly mean they'll act. Like I said, they still hold their prejudices, and many would rather die than have to fight alongside a magician. Others will more likely ally with the serpent in order to save themselves, though the odds of Apophis sparing their lives are very slim. But, as I said, many would rather be killed than to aid the House, even if it means the destruction of the planet." I was at a loss for words. "That'sthat's just stupid." "How could they do this?"I thought angrily."Don't they realize that they're supposed to protect human kind instead of destroy it?" The corners of Horus's lips twitched into a smile, but it vanished just as quickly as it appeared. He glanced at the orange sun, now barely visible as it slowly disappeared into the barren, flat horizon. "It is foolish, Carter, but my brethren haven't exactly been known for their intelligence. We may be gods, but we're not saints. We make mistakes, though the consequences are far greater than your average blunder. When gods make mistakes, it's usually the world that pays for it. Therefore, some of us become hasty, causing many to make senseless decisions without bothering about the possible outcome. This is why history tends to repeat itself. We don't take into account how our choices affect others, and that, Carter, will be our greatest downfall." Scowling, I looked down at the sandy ground below me. "You'd think living a thousand years would help them learn from their mistakes," I muttered, digging a hole in the sand with my shoe, as if I could bury my troubles in the desert and abandon them. "Maybe then none of this would be happening." "We don't have time to dwell on what might have been. Our only hope for survival is if the gods and magicians work together, something they haven't done in centuries," Horus stated. "It may be a hopeless cause, but our time is running out. Every second counts." He had one back to stroking the bird of prey, whose eyes had eventually shut. Its head was now buried beneath its

feathers. "So, what do you want me to do? We've tried convincing the House, but they won't listen. The gods are just as stubborn. What else is there?" Horus's eyes darkened. "It seems, Carter, that there is nothing wecan do to convince them. There's only one person the gods would follow, and he's been absent just as long as the serpent has." "Do you mean Ra?" I asked. Horus nodded gravely. "He's the monster's creator, after all. If he can't convince both sides to work together, no one can. They'd be fools not to believe their former king. If Ra ordered them to stand together, no one would dare to object." He had a point, but something about the idea seemed unlikely. "So you're saying that if we find Ra, we save the world." It came out as more of a statement than an actual question. Horus hesitated. "Not exactly. We cannot forget the serpent; our greatest enemy. The only way we could defeat Apophis is if we had-" "The Book of Ra," I interrupted. Horus raised a dark eyebrow. "Yes. That as well. My sister just recently informed me. I don't know how she obtained this information, or how you did for that matter, but yes, we must find the Book. And we cannot push aside the fact that Ra has been missing for thousands of years. No one, not even Isis, knows where he's at. That is, if he's even alive." "So let me get this straight. We have to find this book that's been missing for centuries, relocate Ra, who may not even exist anymore, and then bring him and the Book back here before the serpent rises from his not-so-eternal prison and destroys the Earth?" "In ten days," Horus added as an afterthought. For a second there, I thought I heard wrong. "Ten days?" "That's what I said, didn't I?" I was too shocked to answer right away. "But-but how do you know? Why ten?" "Tonight's the third day of the Waning Gibbous," Horus explained, motioning to the lemon-shaped moon as if the reason was obvious. "Therefore, there are exactly ten more days until the next New Moon, when the sky is nothing but complete darkness. On that night, the serpent will be at the height of its power, and it will rise once more." "Ten days," I repeated. "Ten days before the world could end." "Perhaps," Horus replied, taking his gleaming sword out of its sheath. "But if worst comes to worst, we're not going down without a fight."

"Not that this isn't a happy gathering or anything, but I better get back. I'll do whatever it takes to find the Book of Ra and bring it back before Apophis' rising," I promised the falcon god as I stared at the moon, which now looked more like a clock; counting down the days to our destruction. "We'll keep an eye out for Ra on the way. But Horus, what will you be doing?" Horus shrugged again, causing the bird stir in its sleep. "I'm going to talk to the eldest gods. Maybe they have a clue to where Ra may be hiding. It's a start, anyway. It's also our only hope." Then he studied me again with those multi-colored eyes. "Oh, and Carter," he added, "when you're searching for the Book, beware of the Duat. Only use it as a last resort." "Got it," I replied, not wanting to ask why. "Anything else?" "Yes," Horus murmured gravely. "Ra was never a trusting soul. He always had a backup plan in case anything went wrong. Even when Isis poisoned him, he got the upper hand." "Why? He lost his thrown for Thoth's sake. He was exiled!How is thatgetting the upper hand?" "True, his reign did come to an end, but with him went the last-" Horus stopped suddenly and cocked his head to the side; listening. A moment later, I felt a strong, persistent force pull me skyward. "NO!" Horus yelled before turning into his falcon form and flying after me. I struggled in the force's grasp, but it was unyielding, and nothing I did seemed to phase it. Soon, the falcon was nothing more than a speck in the barren desert. The sky, lit with the lights of the city, darkened as I approached the black sky above me, until even the stars themselves disappeared. Suddenly, the feeling of motion stopped. I was floating, simply floating, in the middle of complete and utter darkness. And I don't mean just your ordinary darkness, I mean the pitch-black, death-like kind of darkness; one you can't even experience in nightmares. It was like I was on the dark side of the moon, and for all I knew, maybe I was. I don't know how long I just stood there before it had spoken; a harsh, hissing sound, no louder than a whisper. And it was ancient, older than I could ever imagine. You could tell in the way it spoke; a combination of a thousand accents and dialects. Even though I couldn't understand what it was saying, I heard the words clearly in English, right inside my head. Its voice seemed to coil around my brain. I wasss wondering when you'd come to sssee me, little pharaoh. It

whispered. Of course, you're preoccupied; trying to sssave your pitiful world. But no matter. I will rise in the end, and I will rule once more. Then it laughed; a horrible, raspy sound like tires over gravel that made my blood run cold. Do you wisssh to see what will become of your kingdom, little pharaoh; what will become of your preciousss planet? Well, I'll be happy to oblige. Suddenly, I was in a battlefield. Magicians and gods, or what was left of them, lay scattered about the bloodied terrain; unrecognizable in the puddles of blood and ashes. The remaining warriors seemed to be engaged in what looked like a deadly dance, stabbing, parrying, and casting spells so powerful that they would kill a dozen of the opposing side at once. A labyrinth of bodies and limbs made it almost impossible to navigate, and the stench of unwashed bodies, sweat, and the metallic smell of blood filled the air. The sky was a dark, crimson shade; reflecting the blood covered soil. The sun, however, was the worst sight of all. Writhing and coiling around the enormous star was the limitless, hideous body of a snake. The earth stirsss, the serpent whispered in my mind. My subjectsss are waiting, and I have become restlesss. It is time for my awakening, and you, little pharaoh, can do nothing to stop me. Just then, the snake fully encased the sun, causing the few remaining streaks of sunlight to disappear. Even the battlefield, the warriors, and I began to fade. Ever so slowly, I felt myself dissolve; starting with my feet, my legs, my waist, and finally, my ears, so I could hear the sounds of the raging battle and the gleeful laughter of the snake even after I was gone.

S A D I E Well, it didn't take Carter long to fall asleep, due the little fall on his head (something he must do often, which would explain his level of intelligence.) I, on the other hand, did not fall asleep so easily, and having a tunnel breathe of me didn't exactly help matters. To make things even worse (which I didn't even think was possible), I wasn't the only one the Sand Man didn't visit. Zia of all people was still awake, staring out into the darkened tunnel ahead. After a while however, she had shifted her gaze to Carter, instantly making me uncomfortable. Could Carter's face really be that interesting? I coughed loudly three times to get her attention. She glanced at me with a weary expression on her face. "What Sadie?" I moaned inwardly to myself. "Do you mind? Some of us are trying to get some sleep here, and you staring freakishly at my brother is not helping!" "What isn't helping, Sadie," Zia murmured, "is listening to your iPod." I rolled my eyes, but took my headphones out of my ears anyway. "That's not the point! My point is that there are dozens of more interesting things to look at here. I think it's about time you start observing them right now so I can sleep in peace." Zia sighed and started rummaging through her pack. Without looking up, she asked, "Sadie, not that I care or anything, but what is it going to take for us to get along?" For once, I was speechless. Was Zia actually trying to be my-no, I refuse to believe it. The thought was too strange, given the fact that she had been a shabti when we knew her, and I still wasn't a one hundred percent sure if I could trust her, despite Carter's outburst on the reed boat. "UmI don't know what you're talking about," I replied, pretending to take great interest in combing out my hair with my sweaty fingers. Zia only rolled her eyes. "Sure you do," she said sarcastically. Did I mention that I hate it when she does that? No? Well, I do. Only I can pull off being

sarcastic. It's part of my personality for goodness sake! "Well, maybe I don't want us to get along. I enjoy making fun of you two love birds. Not to mention that I'm still not over you dumping water on me, or the time you turned your back on me during my duel with Carter, or the time you led the House to us-" "I did not lead them! It was Mel! He told Desjardins!" Zia interrupted, sounding exasperated. "Sure, sure. Blame everything on poor little Mel," I said, knowing that Mel was actually like six foot six and muscular. Hey, I wasn't in a negotiating mood. More like a make-everyone-insane mood. Not to mention I was still seriously suspicious of that day, despite the story I'd heard. Zia's face was burning red, but something told me it was not from embarrassment. "You-Are-Hopeless! Why can't you just accept the fact I risked everything to help you? That I betrayed my only family to give you the information you needed? Gods, Sadie, I don't know why I even bother." She flung her pack angrily into the corner and pulled her sleeping bag over to where she was sitting. Then, without another word, she turned her back to me and fell silent. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was sleeping, but even Carter, as pathetic as he is, can't fall asleep that fast. I sighed and pulled my sleeping bag a little closer to where she was laying, but made sure there was two or three feet between us. If I got her any more angry, she might start throwing fire balls, and I without a doubt would be her living target. Maybe I was wrong about Zia. She did give up basically everything to help us, and still was for that matter. I guess she didn't have to come either. "Well, you better get it over with. You know she's EVER gonna let you live it down, though." I thought bitterly. "Well, listen up, and I hope you are because I'm never saying this again." I waited for her to respond, but after receiving none, I went on. "II'm sorry about how I've been acting toward you. I know you saved our sorry lives, more than once actually, and that you gave up everything to save us. You were the first magician to actually join our cause, and wellwe couldn't have done it without you, alright? I know Carter would say the same thing if he wasn't so nervous around you, which, by the way, is because he's head over heels for you. I mean, it's so obvious that it's become depressing! And even though I tell him to get over his fears and just tell you for god sake-" "Sadie! Let's get back to the apology, shall we?" Zia interrupted, but I could hear her voice shake a little. That's what I get for trying to be match maker. "Hm? Oh, yeah, wellyeah. That's what I wanted to say. That I'm" I took

a deep breath to prepare myself for such preposterous words, "I'm sorry. About everything. That you lost your home and how I treated you and everything. Oh, and that you like Carter. That's rather tragic-" "What? I do not like Carter!" Zia interjected, sounding more surprised than angry. She turned to face me, probably to argue more, but I could see her face was bright red. I sneered. "Ah ha! I knew it! Oh my God, that's so pitiful! Oh-my-God! Wait till I tell Carter! He'll absolutely die-" "Sadie! You will tell him nothing, do you hear me? Gods, right when I think we're getting somewhere, you have to ruin it by saying-" "The truth?" I offered, but by the angry look on Zia's face, that wasn't the word she was looking for. I get that from people a lot. Gramps always said it was because of the heat, but after my second grade teacher looked that way in the middle of a January blizzard, I began to doubt his theory. Finally, Zia just sighed and sat up on her sleeping bag, staring at me. "What?" I demanded, suddenly feeling self conscious. "Is there a scorpion in my hair? Oh Thoth, if there is, I swear to God I'll-" I was interrupted when a sock hit my square in the face. It didn't hurt, obviously, but it shocked me. "What in the name of Ra was that for?" I exclaimed. "For telling the truth," Zia replied, and before I could understand what in the world she meant by that, she added, "And I just wanted you to shut up." "Well then," I said, scooping up a handful of sand, "This means war." I threw the handful of sand, aiming for face of course, because I always believe that if you must fight, fight dirty. Zia, on the other hand, had her wand out and disintegrated the sand in a matter of seconds. Before I could say how bloody unfair that was, she had another handful of sand flying my way. I rolled over just in time before it hit the desert floor, right where I just standing. When I glanced up again, Zia had made somewhat of a wall with the backpacks for protection, almost like a snow fort, only without the snow and without the warm cups of tea that Gram would make for me when I came inside. Just thinking of Gram and Gramps's flat made me homesick, but being stuck in an abandoned tunnel in the middle of a sand fight is not the time to wish you were homeward bound. For the time being, we weren't going anywhere. After fifteen minutes or so of sand throwing (and a few handfuls of sand down our shirts, which, by the way, is something I would avoid having done to you at all costs) we decided to hold a temporary truce. Zia shook the remaining grains of sand out of her black hair and sat back down on her

sleeping bag. I followed her example and yawned, wondering what time it was. "Zia," I whispered, realizing that Carter was still somehow asleep, "Do you think it's true? All this Book of Ra rubbish, I mean. Do you seriously believe it exists, or is it just a bunch of hullabaloo?" "A bunch of what?" I sighed. "How about, 'a bunch of ridiculous lies.' Or do I have to make it simpler for you?" Zia rolled her eyes. "No, I get it. I guess I don't really know if the Book truly exists, but what choice do we have? This book could be our only hope, Sadie. Why wouldn't you want to believe it?" "I never said I didn't want to." I muttered, pulling on my red streak of hair. "The whole thing just seems a little unlikely, that's all." Zia's eyes darkened. "Seeing is how we're risking our lives to find the Book, I'd start believing in it, fast." I guess she had a point, I'd rather not die for something I don't even believe in, but before I could respond, I heard Carter scream. He was curled in his sleeping bag with his hands over his ears, drenched in sweat. Zia was at his side in an instant, but I lingered in the shadows. I'd never seen Carter like this. Was he going insane? Being eaten from the inside from flesh eating cereal? Both ideas seemed unlikely, but after becoming a magician, I've learned to expect the unexpected. Before I could mention that we probably shouldn't eat any more Fruit Loops, Carter thrashed out again, almost giving Zia what my Gramps would call a "knuckle sandwich." The way he was acting, the Fruit Loops theory seemed more and more likely. It took me all of a few moments to realize he was whispering something. Zia had already leaned closer, trying to decifer his words no doubt, but it was pretty risky, considering the fact that he could thrash out at any moment. Then her brown eyes widened in what was either shock or terror. "It's alright, Carter. Wake up, it's just a nightmare." she whispered, shaking his shoulder timidly. "Wake up, Carter. Wake up." That's when she shook it more urgently. "Carter!" At that point, I knew this was more than just a nightmare. I ran to Carter's side and held his hand (something I never do, by the way, but this was an emergency) as Zia rummaged through her backpack. After a few moments, her hand emerged holding what looked like a shiny, black stone. Light gleamed off its smooth surface as Zia muttered something under her breath, though I couldn't hear it over Carter's cries. He was muttering something over and over. With a start, I realized what it was, and it almost wrenched

out my heart. "Make it stop! Gods, make it STOP!" I stifled a sob and tried to comfort my brother. The truth was, I had never felt so helpless in my life. What could I DO? "Carter...Carter, it's okay, I'm right here-" "IT'S KILLING ME!" Carter yelled, slamming his fists against his ears. "Gods, STOP IT!" "Carter..." I whimpered. Really, what could I do? If it wasn't the cereal, was it some sort of disease he'd caught on the way over? What if there was no cure? And even if there was, where would I get it; alone and stranded in the middle of God-knows-where? I searched frantically for Zia, who had her eyes closed tight while she stood silently in the shadows. "DON"T JUST STAND THERE!" I shouted, "God, do something! He's being tortured!" Then suddenly, out of nowhere, she took a deep breath and threw the rock at Carter with blinding speed. Definitely not what I was expecting. I was too shocked to do anything but scream, "Bloody hell!" before the stone hit Carter in the face-or, at least, it would have, if the stone hadn't disappeared before impact. Instantly, I was plunged in total darkness except for a faint light where Carter had been laying. I could barely see his glowing form however, because of the dark, long thing that seemed to encase him. Even worse- it was moving; writhing and coiling around my brother like aa "Serpent," Zia's voice whispered from somewhere beside me. I stared in horror as the black snake coiled around the ba of my brother, encasing him more and more as each second ticked by. The smell of snakes was overwhelming, accompanied by another metallic smell: blood. I couldn't take it anymore. There was a enormous SERPENT on Carter! What was Zia waiting for? Finally, I decided to take action before it was too late. I grabbed my wand, which just so happened to be in my back pocket, and stabbed it into the charcoal-colored flesh of the monster. The moment the tip touched its glistening scales, a blinding light illuminated the tunnel and I was thrown backwards by an invisible opponent. With a sickening thump, I hit the weathered walls of the tunnel and fell to the sandy floor below.

C A R T E R In the course of the night, I died twenty seven times, if you don't count the magician who sent the killing blow through my back just before I woke up. Do you know what it's like to die? No, I suppose you couldn't have, but I have died enough times to last a lifetimeor should I say twenty seven lifetimes. I still don't know how explain the feeling. Knowing you've failed; that your life is about to come to a painful end. Wondering what the outcome of this war will be, and then the sickening realization that you'll never actually know. I experienced all of these, more than once. It all started after I fully disappeared from that battlefield; the one with the serpent encasing the sun. I don't know how or when I left. The sounds of battle still rung in my ears, but something was different this time. The pain. It hit me so hard, my heart nearly stopped. I don't know who I was. I wasn't myself however, because for the first time, I looked down at my hands, now covered in dirt, ashes, and bloodthough if it was my blood, I couldn't telland found that under all the filth, my hands were white. Well, not white white, but looking at the skin, you'd think I was a tan Caucasian. My muscles were also a lot bigger, like I had worked out every day of my life, and blue veins ran up and down my arms like the Nile through the white sands of the desert. It was all too strange and unfamiliar. This wasn't me, dressed in battle armor and gripping the bloodied hilt of a sword. This wasn't my wound; the purple and red gash throbbing on my left side, the cuts and bruises, none of it. I was in someone else's body, and by the looks of it, I was about to die. I could feel my life trickling out of me, ever so slowly, as the pain increased. Memories flooded my mindnot my memories, not my mindbut they hurt me all the same. It was a pain even worse than the swollen, pus covered

wound on my side. My vision blurred, and I saw a little girl, her red hair billowing behind her as she ran through the greenest meadow I had ever seen. She wore a threadbare dress that was once blue but now a faded grey. Her small hands clutched a dozen pansies whose white petals flew off, one by one as she sprinted through the tall grass, laughing an eerily familiar laugh that sounded like its own childish melody. She looked about seven or eight, and just thinking of her made my heart leap. Meara, I thought, and even the name brought me pure joy. In the memory, a brown haired man wearing torn blue trousers and a white, collarless shirt ran up behind the little girl and picked her up. The girl, who must be Meara, giggled uncontrollably as he spun her over and over; her red, curly locks flying after her, struggling to keep up as flew through the air. The man smiled and laughed with her, looking like this was the best day of his life. Suddenly, I was in place of the young man, spinning the little girl with no intention of stopping. It was then that I got a good look at the arms that held little Meara: muscular and tan, like he had spent the majority of his time working under the sun. I felt bile rise to my throat as the realization hit me like a ton of bricks. This was the man dying in the middle of the battlefield. This was me. Movement at the corner of my eye brought me back to realitythis reality. Surrounding me was a battle, one I hadn't even noticed or heard. Maybe it was because of my wounds, or the quenching thirst that made my head spin and my eyes water. Dust was everywhere; dust and blood and the mangled bodies of the dead. The temperature must have been over one hundred degreesor was I imagining that also? Sweat dripped down my face and clouded my vision. What I could see, however, was a man in grey walking towards me. The battle raged around him, but his eyes bore down on me like a vulture on its helpless prey. Around his neck he wore a canteen, and in his arms he held what looked like a gun. "A musket," a voice whispered in my mind; a voice that wasn't mine. As he approached me, he threw the gun aside and took out a knife; a blood covered weapon that gleamed in the hot summer sunlight. With a sneer, he stood over me, blocking my view of the sun and letting his shadow cover me like a deathly blanket. "Right 'bout now, I'd be prayin' to Gawd if I's you," the soldier snarled in a thick southern accent. Up close, he smelled of smoke, sweat, and something I had become all too familiar with: the smell of blood. Finally, he knelt down so his scarred, sweaty face was level with mine. It took all my will

power not to cower away. He smiled. "Heck, even Gawd can't save ya now." And with that, he drove the knife right through my heart. The feeling was something I could never begin to describe. It made me catch my breath and my vision fade. I could feel nothing but the pain-gods, the pain. I couldn't hear anything; not the sound of the wounded soldiers, the gunfire, or even the laughter of the sneering soldier. Within moments, the image of the battle disappeared. No matter how hard I focused, my eyes wouldn't open. All I could feel was the agony; a pain worse than any I could imagine. I saw Meara, her bright smile, her hair the color of fire, the sound of her laugh. The man reading to her by the fire; her eyes wide and reflecting the flames in her bright green eyes. A strawberry blond woman with the same green eyes and a pleasant smile, knitting a scarf in the rickety rocking chair beside them. Then it all disappeared; the memories, my senses, and finally, my life. His life. The last thing I felt was a deep and endless sorrow; mourning something more precious than life itself. Something I'd never see again. *::*::* The rest went by exactly the same way, only they were different bodies; different lives that ended because of war. The brown haired man with muscular arms died from a knife through the heart in 1863, and left behind his only daughter, Meara, with her mother who delivered a baby boy, the crumpled letter had told him, only a month before. He would never get to see him; his first and only son. Another man, much older than the first, followed. He was thinner, less muscular and strong; an easy target. He died of a bullet wound through the head, and my vision blacked out before I could learn any more. Then I was a man in a blood splattered toga, fighting my way through a battle with only one good arm. His long black hair clung to his neck, and sweat covered the warrior from head to toe. He was trained for this, and I could feel his hate like it was my own. All he wanted to do was kill; to end this now so he could go home to his small farm by the olive groves. They needed to win, but what they would gain was unclear. What I did know, however, is that if they didn't win, they were dead. Without a doubt, he thought, they all would be dead. The other arm, which I was too afraid to look at, was his downfall. Eventually, the pain was too great, and heIfell to the ground only moments before a sword was plunged into my back. Another life lost; the outcome of the battle yet another mystery.

I must have gone through at least a dozen more; some took longer to die than others. One man suffered for what seemed like an eternity. He waited for hours in pain; for the wounds to end his life. By the end, I wanted nothing more than death to come. Whether it was his decision or my own to drive the sword through his heart, I can't say, but the feeling of death was all too familiar when it came. The lives of the people I had shared their final moments with left after each encounter, but the pain remained. I could still feel the wound on my side, even though it was no longer there. I could still feel the bullet hole through my skull, the sword through my back, the knife in the heart. Yet, hours later, after the gruesome death of yet another soldier, I looked down to see my mangled, blood covered body, but all I saw was a boy, a little over fifteen years old with copper-colored skin wearing a t-shirt and a pair of faded jeans. His bare foot was propped up on his backpack and the other was under one of his white and blue Sketchers his Dad had bought him. His thumb on his right hand had a small scar, one he had gotten when he cut it on a baked beans can back when he was six, and he could feel his father's wand in his back pocket. I wasn't in battle. I wasn't wounded or dying, but surrounded by ancient, weathered walls that were covered in red and blue hieroglyphics. Sadie was sleeping a few feet away; her blond hair covering her face like a veil. A black haired girl, Zia, I thought, lay beside me, her chest rising and falling as she slept. I am Carter Kane. I'm trapped in an abandoned tunnel, deep within the labyrinth underneath the bustling country of Egypt. I am aliveand yet I pray to the gods I wasn't. For the first time that night, death didn't come, no matter how many times I prayed.

C A R T E R My senses told me it was morning. I had been awake forhow long? For all I knew, I could have been awake for three hours or three minutes. My entire body felt like I had been maimed by an angry mob of villagers who poked at me with their pitchforks and then set me on fire, just for fun. Maybe their maniacal laughter is why I have such a skull-splitting headache. Hey, for all I knew, it was true. It had taken me forever to realize I was no longer being stabbed, shot, or bleeding eternally. I was finally back to reality, where I was trapped in an ancient tunnel, surrounded by weathered walls and desert sand. Oh, and the tunnel was breathing. Definitely real, right? I had to admit, the setting was a bit strange. If I was Carter Kane, why hadn't I woken up to my alarm clock on my warm bed in the 21st Nome? Why was I here? For what seemed like an eternity, I was a soldier or a warrior, and then a dead man. Dying over and over and over. Just as I would convince myself: This is the real me. This is real, I'd get shot or stabbed and then I'd die. And after I died, I'd become someone else, and the pattern would start all over again. And again. And again... The only thing that did remain, however, was the pain. I could still feel every wound I had received from my...what were they? Nightmares? Visions? My head hurt too much from thethree? Or was it four? bullet wounds I had gotten to ponder on anything for too long. I couldn't stand either, because my legs felt like they had been bathed in molten lava. Every once in a while, I'd look down at my hands, my arms, or my legs, expecting to see some pus-covered, red and purple gash, but nothing was there. I was unharmed, that is, on the outside. Apparently my pain couldn't be seen by the naked eye. Eventually, I came up with a system. I'd look at something, like my pack for example, and recite to myself the story behind it. Then I'd remember.

Carter KaneIgot that backpack at a local Walmart with Carter'smy sister when she complained that her bedroom was too "drab" and was in need of a makeover. The thought of my sisterSadie, my sister SADIE, having a sense of a fashion scared me half to death, so while she looked at the bedding sets, I had walked over to the school supplies section and spotted a I struggled to find the memory, to sort through which ones were really mine. Finally, an image of a lone backpack on an empty shelf caught my attention. Khaki. I had found a khaki-colored backpack. Gradually, I was able to distinguish which memories were my own. If I focused hard enough on my backpack, the details would eventually flow into my mind, and somehow, I knew they were real. I had never owned a backpack; even when I went to elementary school for that brief period of time, I had always carried my books to school. I mean, why lug a backpack around when all you're carrying is a pencil case filled with Crayola crayons and a number two pencil? Anyway, this backpack wasn't anything special. Two zippers, one larger than the other. A place to put your water bottle. No fancy lettering or designs. Justplain. Plain and dusty from being on the clearance shelf for so long. In other words, it was perfect. Sadie, however, felt differently towards my miraculous find. "Amos gives you fifty dollars, and you spend it all on a cheap, ugly knapsack?" "It's polyester material!" I objected, but it only seemed to annoy Sadie more. Sadie made an exasperated gesture with her hands. "God, I give up on you Carter. You really do have no sense of style." I laughed. "Says the person who wears combat boots on a regular basis." That didn't go over too well with Sadie. I smiled at the memory, my memory. I knew I would never go to school why bother when the world may end?but I felt sorry for the thing. It was full of potential, waiting for someone to buy it. And now it was serving as storage for our provisions and Aquafina water bottles. Hey, better than gathering dust in Walmart, right? I continued to remember, despite the fact that my brain resisted each memory with an enormous headache on top of the one I already had. Man, just when I thought matters couldn't get any worse... Finally, I couldn't take the silence anymore. Focusing on objects kept my mind off the painbut only for so long. If I was left alone to my thoughts for a second longer, I swear to gods I was going to go insane...if I wasn't insane already.

I glanced at Zia, who hadn't moved since I had woken up. She was breathing of course, but unlike Sadie who tossed and turned frequently in her sleep, Zia hadn't moved a muscle. She looked peaceful, like she hadn't a care in the world, just like she did the the sarcophagus. I had found Zia only yesterdayor two days ago, depending on what time it was. It seemed like an eon ago. I was almost sorry to wake Zia up. I nudged her, and her eyes flew open, as if she had been awake the whole time. She fixed her gaze on me and smiled. As soon as she did, I wondered why I hadn't waken her up earlier. "Morning," I whispered through chapped lips. Zia smiled wider. "Good morning to you to. Though I can't say the same for last night." I flinched at the thought of the nightmares. I was about to apologize for the trouble I had causedgods know how they actually got to sleep with me screamingbut Zia was already on her feet, her eyes still on mine. "Forget I said anything," she murmured, then walked over to Sadie. I was grateful that she didn't question me about the visionsI don't think I could bear reliving them againbut she still didn't quite understand. I didn't want to forget anything she said. *::*::* Sadie is what my dad would call a "late riser." You tell her to get up, and forty five minutes later, she does. Usually I lose my patience by that time though, so I have to literally drag her out of bed. If she has the door locked though, which had been happening a lot lately, I would just keep knocking on the door until she answered several thrown shoes later. Today was no exception, only this time; she didn't have a bed to be pulled out of (as if I even had the strength to do so) or a door to lock. She still had shoes however, but to my surprise, she didn't fling them in my direction. Before I even had a chance to warn Zia of Sadie's crabbiness in the morning, Sadie was already on her feet. In seconds, she was at my side. "Good God, Carter! Are you alright? You were screaming bloody murder for half the night!" At first I thought she was joking, I mean, Sadie worried about me? Over her dead body. Yet, here she was, looking scared and asking if I was okay. Somebody pinch me [Ow, Sadie! I didn't mean literally!] "Is your leg alright? Can you walk? Do you want me to make you some breakfast?" Sadie asked hurriedly, already taking out the cereal before I could respond. "I" "I mean, what in the name of Ra happened? You were thrashing about, and

there was this enormous serpent coiling around you!" Sadie shivered. "Gods, and if that wasn't gross enough, Zia" "thinks we should get going," Zia interrupted, giving Sadie a death glare. " ow." I was about to agree when Sadie cut me off, again. "Of course not! Look at Carter! He's a mess!" I glanced down at myself, expecting once again to see a mangled, bloody body, but I looked fine. Well, not to Sadie apparently. "Hey!" I objected. "Who are you calling a" "And he's in pain!" Sadie said, motioning towards me with her right hand. "We can't possibly go exploring some ancient tunnel with him in this condition!" Well, she was right about the pain, but as a magician, I have come to believe that anything is possible. Before I could say so however, Sadie continued. "I mean, just look at him! He needs rest for Thoth's sake!" "Sadie" Zia began, sounding exasperated. "Alright, enough!" I shouted, and instantly regretted it. My words sounded three times louder through my ears (who knew ears could ache?) I waited before the ringing in my head to cease before I continued. "Listen, I appreciate you worrying about me and everything, but we don't have time. We only have tennine days till Apophis rises." It took me a few seconds to realize that Horus informed me of the deadline yesterday, so we therefore only have nine days before the end of the world, not ten. Yippee. Zia stared wide eyed at me. Even Sadie was speechless, which is a rare occurrence. Zia, however, was the first to speak. "Well then, we better get a move on. Like Carter said, time's a-wastin'." I smiled. I was dreading having to answer their questions, because eventually, it would lead to one of them asking me what happened last night. Yet, once again, Zia surprised me. Somehow, she seemed to know that I didn't want to talk about it, and understood. I had never been more grateful in my life. Sadie looked between Zia and I, a question on her lips. In the end, she kept it to herself. "I guess we ought to," she sighed, and began packing her things. Zia and I copied her example in silence. Within minutes, we had put out the small fire, packed our things, and were off in the direction of the wind. Zia put my backpack into her locker in the Duat. "You don't mind right?" she asked, but something told me that she already knew my answer. Otherwise, she wouldn't have offered. For the third time that morning, I thanked the gods for Zia. Despite the fact that I had no physical damage, I

don't think my shoulders would have been able to carry the backpack. I still felt like I had been run over by a tractor. "Thanks," I replied, and I meant it. Zia only smiled. "Come on then. We've got a long road ahead of us." And with that, she made a scooping gesture with her hand in the air. Instantly, sparks rose from her fingers, and within moments, Zia was holding a crackling, blazing ball of fire. "I'll lead," Sadie announced, leaving Zia and I to follow; Zia's fire lighting the way. The eerie silence returned, and in moments, our camp was swallowed by complete and utter darkness. *::*::* Everything was going fine, that is, until the pain on my side returned. I mean, it was there all morning, but eventually it became numb, just like the rest of my invisible wounds. That all changed about an hour into our journey. Pain shot up my leg like bullets, and with a gasp, I fell to the ground. "Carter!" Zia and Sadie cried in unison, instantly at my side. Despite how happy I was to have them with me, I instantly felt guilty. I was slowing everyone down. Time was running out. "I'm fine," I muttered, hating myself for being so weak. Sadie started to say something, but seemed to think better of it. We walked the next hour in silence. I gritted my teeth and tried to keep my mind off the agony, but I couldn't help it. Whenever I looked down at my side, I would remember the puscovered wound. The memories of the man and his daughter followed. "So, anyone want to play I Spy?" Sadie asked, her cheerful voice cutting through the silence. "I'll go first. I spy somethingyellow." "Sand," I muttered, trying to keep the annoyance from my voice. Sadie nodded and threw a pebble at the wall, which made me flinch. It had sounded a bit like gunfire, something I was much too accustomed to. "How'd you know?" I rolled my eyes as my hands clenched. The pain on my side increased. Don't lose it, Carter. Don't lose it "Well, that means it's your turn, Carter. Give us your best shot," Sadie said; each word seemed to hit me like a ton of bricks. Everything hurt, everyone was too loud. I clamped my hands over my ears, but the moment they touched my skin, my ears erupted in pain. I felt something go through my skullwas I shot? Sadie was saying my name, asking me to hurry up. "What do you spy?" What do I spy? I couldn't see. My vision blurred. Every sound struck my ears like bullets. I couldn't take it anymore.

"SADIE, can you just be QUIET?" "QUIET?" "QUIET?" I heard the last word at least a dozen more times as it echoed through the tunnel. The sound of my booming voice sent my head spinning. After the dizziness decreased, silence followed, and I looked around. Zia had stopped and was gazing at me with a pained expression. Sadie stood in front of me, staring at me like I was some sort of monster. That's when I realized that I had never yelled at Sadie like that. Ever. I mean, sure, we've yelled at each other before, but never like that. I didn't even know I was capable of sounding so loud. Sadie didn't reply. The moment the words escaped me, I wanted to take them back. Sadie had been nothing but nice to me since she woke up this morning, and now look what I did. What was happening to me? "Sadie, Sadie I didn't mean" But she was already off. Before I could even finish my apology, Sadie broke into a run down the dark trail ahead, without a light as her guide. Anything could be down there. "Sadie!" I called; my voice echoing off the hoary walls. I tried to keep the fear from my voice. "Sadie, come" I was interrupted by a scream that reverberated through the tunnel. I froze; willing myself to believe that what I had heard wasn't real. It was a nightmare, a vision. It had to be. But it wasn't. "SADIE!" I was off in an instant, despite the searing pain that shot through me with every step. Zia was right behind me, her light illuminating the walls and leaving darkness in her wake. Somehow, the tunnel looked more sinister than before; the sand seemed to wrap around my aching heels as I ran. I refused to think of what might have happened to Sadie. My whole body screamed in pain as I sprinted down the sandy path, but I ignored it. It was like I shifted to autopilot. All I could do was keep running. Nothing else mattered but my sister. Finally, just as I thought I would collapse, I slammed into something; hard. With a yelp, I fell backwards and landed on top of something soft. I didn't look to see what, because standing still before me was Sadie; unharmed. "OW!" Zia exclaimed from under me. "Sorry," I muttered, glancing briefly at Zia to make sure she was alright. "That's been happening a lot, hasn't it?" Now that I knew Sadie was alright, the fear slowly began to disappear. But not fast enough.

"Sadie, what on Earth was that?" I demanded, trying to keep my voice as level as possible, but failing. "Why did you scream like that? We thought-" "Carter," Sadie whispered, so softly that I had to strain to hear it. "Look." I did, and what I saw was not something I was expecting. Not two feet in front of Sadie was a wide, bottomless abyss, and beyond that, two huge double doors made out of solid gold; reflecting Zia's fire like the sun itself. Sadie pointed to the hieroglyphics carved into the doors that glowed like sunlight. Her hushed voice seemed to flow over the gaping hole like the wind over an endless field; soft and barely noticed. But I heard it. We all did. "Welcome, travelers, to the City of the Sun. Welcome to the kingdom of Ra."

C A R T E R "We made it. We actually made it!" Sadie shouted, her chirpy voice complete with a British accent echoing off the ancient, golden walls. "Nowhow exactly are we getting across?" Sadie did have a point. There wasn't a bridge, and it's not like we had any material to build one. And it was definitely too wide to jump across. How were we gonna get to the other side? "Hey Zia, do you still have that bird thingy?" Sadie asked. " Like, the enormous bird of prey you had handy the day we battled Set? If so, we could all fly across!" I almost laughed at the absurdity of the idea, but I guess Sadie did have a point. With something that big, we could fly across. Zia shook her head. "I haven't seen it since last Christmas Eve. I'm assuming it's wherever the remains of my shabti are." I shuddered at the memory of Zia's face cracking before my very eyes. "Umany bright ideas then, Zia?" I asked, turning to face her. "Like some long, magical bridge up your sleeve or something?" Zia rolled her eyes, but something told me she wasn't really annoyed. "I'm not sure about a magical bridge, but I may have an idea." Then she smiled a mischievous smile, and suddenly, I wasn't too enthusiastic about crossing this abyss. Whatever Zia had planned, it wasn't going to be safe, and something told me I wasn't gonna to like it. *::*::* "I don't like this!" I shouted about twenty minutes later in my falcon-avatar form, not two feet from the bottomless hole. "This is seriously NOT gonna end wellat least for me anyways!" "That's the point," Sadie said as Zia laughed. "Now stop acting like a baby and jump."

I glanced at the hole and quickly looked away. "You do realize that this is stupid, right? I'm heavy in this thing. It's like moving through jello. How do you expect me to jump across a twenty foot wide abyss?" Zia grinned. "I don't." "Wait, what do you mean?" "Just reach in front of you, okay?" she said, though something in her voice made me think that maybe she wasn't so sure of this plan as I thought. "Oh, and don't let go." I didn't like the sound of this at all. "Zia" "Go!" Zia and Sadie shouted in unison, and together, they pushed me over the edge into the bottomless hole below. Did I mention I do NOT like this idea? "Ahhhh!" I yelled as I fell forward into the air. Some small part of my brain that wasn't panicking told me to reach out, but I was too shocked to move. My own sister and Zia pushed me off the edge to my death! What were they thinking? I was doomed. Totally doomed. "Put your arms out, Carter!" Zia shouted. "REACH!" Something in her voice made me obey, and as I reached forward, my large, avatar arms grabbed hold of the sandy floor on the other side of the abyss. It took me a few seconds to realize that I wasn't falling to my death, but after I did, I still wasn't thrilled. I could still fall any second, and I was still in shock over what had occurred. Sadie and Zia were each holding on to one of my legs, and my arms were clinging to the sand-covered edge for dear life. That's when I realized that Zia had planned this all. I was a human bridge. "All aboard!" I heard Sadie shout, and then I felt her walking slowly over my avatar form. It didn't hurt; the avatar absorbed all their weight, but I was still angry. What if I had fallen? My avatar form was too heavy; they never would have been able to hold on to my legs for long. Could I really be that expendable? In no time, Zia and Sadie were across the abyss and standing before me. "You can deactivate it now, Carter," Zia told me. I didn't meet her eyes. Could I seriously trust her again? Then again, if I couldn't trust Zia, who could I trust? Zia seemed to sense my conflicting thoughts and smiled. "I won't let you fall, Carter. Trust me." Trust her? Trust her? Right after she risked my life without even telling me what her real plan was? What did she take me for? Still, it's not like I could hang at the edge of a cliff forever. My legs and arms were already screaming

in protest. Finally, I glanced up at Zia, whose gaze hadn't left my face. Trust me. That decided it. "Okay," I said a little shakily. Zia grabbed hold of my arms and gripped them tightly. "Ready?" she whispered, her face a few inches from mine. If this hadn't been a life or death situation, I would have blushed. For all I know, maybe I did. Hopefully she had mistaken my blush for fear. Hey, you never know. "Ready as I'll ever be," I managed to reply, praying to every god I could think of. Please, PLEASE let Zia be as strong as she looks! With a final glance Sadie and Zia, I deactivated my falcon avatar. As I did so, I felt the outer layer dissolved and my legs fell downward. I was no longer a human bridge. Now I was simply fallingor at least I would have been, if Zia hadn't been hanging half way over the edge, her hands still clamped tightly over mine. "Sadie, slowly pull me up, will you?" Zia called, not looking scared at all, even though she was only hanging by her legs. Whatever Sadie replied, I didn't hear, but then Zia slowly inched her way back toward the edge, pulling me along with her. I tried to hide the fact that I was shaking like crazy, but failed. Zia's eyes never left mine, and I made sure mine never left hers. If I looked down, I would probably pass out. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Zia and I were sprawled on the gold-tiled floor, breathing heavily. It was then that I vowed to never let my feet leave the ground again. At least if I could help it. "Thanks," I breathed, still trying to convince myself that I wasn't dangling over a bottomless pit. Zia, who looked just as tired as I felt, replied, "Anytime." We smiled. Sadie, who was standing off to the side, rolled her eyes. "And thanks Sadie, my brave, amazing sister, for helping pull me to safety along with my girlfriend," she muttered in a bad imitation of my voice. I laughed and prayed my face wasn't as red as it felt. "Thanks Sadie." "You're welcome," she huffed, then turned her back on us. "Now if you two love birds are done staring at each other, can we please try to open these dazzling doors?" I leaped to my feet in spite of my body's protests and held out my hand to Zia, who still sat on the floor. "Shall we?" I asked, sounding extra polite, just to annoy Sadie. Zia must have caught on; because she replied in an overly sweet voice I

didn't know she was capable of making. "Of course, Carter!" Still laughing, we ran after Sadie who was standing in front of the two double doors, her hands on her hips. I tried not to think of the events at the abyss, but again, I failed. Something told me, however, that they didn't purposely push me to my almost-death. I was the only one who could activate the avatar form, after all. We didn't have any other choice. Besides, if I had known, I probably would have freaked out. Zia must have guessed this, which is why she and Sadie pushed me at the last second. And she did manage to tell me what to do before I fell to my death. In a way, she saved my life while endangering it at the same time. "So Carter, can you lift up these doors like you did the 21st Nome's?" Sadie questioned as she ran her hand down the smooth golden surface. "Either that or we could ram your head into it. As thick as you are though, even you couldn't break through these things." I rolled my eyes. "Thanks for the offer, Sadie, but I think I'll go with choice number one." I raised my arms into the air and tried to imagine the doors rising high enough for the three of us to crawl under. When I opened my eyes, however, I realized nothing had happened. "Sorry, was something supposed to happen?" I sighed in exasperation. "Shut up, Sadie! I'm trying to concentrate." "Mouth shutting." I moaned but managed to calm myself down anyway. Sisters. Anyway, it wasn't hard to realize that those doors were much heavier the one at the 21st Nome. I was going to need a lot more strength if I wanted to lift those things. After a moment's hesitation, I decided to take the magic from my own reserves. It would make me stronger, but only for a brief amount of time. Still, we needed to get to the other side of those doors. The importance of the Book outweighed the risks. "Get ready to run," I informed Sadie and Zia. "I won't be able to hold it for long." Zia stepped towards me, looking concerned. "Carter, maybe we should wait. You're already wiped out from the avatar" "No more stalling, Zia. I've slowed us down enough. We're running out of time," I said, turning my back on her before she could protest. I could do this. It couldn't be too difficult, right? Then again, I've been wrong before. "One" I closed my eyes and tried to block out everything around me. All that mattered was the doors.

"Two" I could actually feel the power on the other side of the wall. It seemed to hit me in long waves, and although you could barely notice them if you weren't paying close attention, I knew that whatever was beyond these doors was powerful. Very powerful. "Three!" I raised both my hands at once, instantly feeling a strong pain in my gut, as if a boy scout was tying it in tight, complex knots for another merit badge (not that I had ever actually been a boy scout.) Beads of sweat dripped down my face as the doors sluggishly rose into the air. In an instant, Sadie and Zia were under the doors. I was about to break my concentration when I realized something: there was no way I could crawl under these five ton doors and keep them hovering in the air at the same time. I would have to be left behind. "Carter! Come on!" Zia called from under the golden doors. I gasped as the pain in my gut increased. The doors were beginning to slowly make their way back down to the floor. "Ican't. You and Sadiego. I'll be fine," I panted, desperately searching for more strength inside me that wasn't there. A few more seconds and I could burst into flames. I was about to let go when I realized that Zia was still under there. "I'm not leaving without you, Carter! Either make your way over here right now or let the doors crush me." Was she serious? I could always wait and see if she'd back down, but something told me she wouldn't. She knew I wouldn't do that, I realized. Zia was forcing me to hold on. I really didn't have a choice; I had to get to those doors. Slowly, I edged my way to the opening, despite the growing pain in my chest. The entrance was beginning to disappear; a few more seconds and I'd be trapped. In a few more seconds, Zia would be crushed. I picked up my pace then, trying to focus on anything but the doors. It didn't work. Finally, I made it to the small opening, only about a foot in height. Cautiously, I went down to my knees, my eyes still closed. I could hear Sadie yelling my name, but she sounded miles away. Shaking with exhaustion, I finally began to crawl through the sand. I could feel the bottom of the doors closing in, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't move any faster. Zia, who was still under the massive golden gateway, grabbed hold of my arms and pulled. The moment she did so, however, my

concentration broke. The doors fell to the ground with a deafening crash, just as Zia and I fell to the floor, safely on the other side. *::*::* The sand was painfully scratching at my face, but I was too tired to move. I had fallen face first onto the tiled floor, but at that point, I didn't care. I could sense Zia beside me and Sadie somewhere off to my left. In an instant, my sister was at my side. "Good God, Carter! I thought it crushed you!" Sadie cried as she knelt on the floor beside me. "Why on Earth didn't you follow us? You scared me half to death!" If I had been strong enough to roll my eyes, I would have. Though I had to admit, I was scared to death myself. The thought of Sadie and Zia trapped on the other side of the wall without me sent shivers down my spine. I couldn't leave my sister out of my sightno matter how tempting it may seem [Hey, you have to admit, Sadie, you are a little annoying sometimesokay, don't admit it.] "You alright?" Zia asked, wiping the sand off her robe. "That was a close one." "Tell me about it," I muttered into the floor. I waited another minute to gather some strength, and then, ever so slowly, got to my feet. About ten feet ahead of me, Sadie and Zia were already discussing our next move. "then it should lead us to the Book! It can't be far now," Zia was saying to Sadie, who looked annoyed as usual. "Besides, it's not like we can go back. See those locked doors? We're stuck. All we can do is move forward." "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Between a rock and a hard place," Sadie muttered. "But still, I'm not so sure about going on right away. Maybe we should wait till morning. God knows what else Ra has in his little palace. Just getting here nearly killed us!" "Zia's right, Sadie," I pointed out before she could go on. "Like I said before, we don't have time. We need the Book, ASAP." "Well then, Mr. Know-It-All, where exactly should be go?" Sadie questioned. "There are a dozen corridors in here. Any one of them could lead us to this almighty book." I had been so wiped out, I hadn't noticed our surroundings. The room we were standing in was huge, like one of those medieval ball rooms with dangling chandeliers you see in movies, only this room was covered in gold, and I mean literally covered in pure gold. Everything was glistening with the stuff, making the room seem like it was producing its own light. Even the floor seemed to radiate heat.

As far as I could tell, the place was abandoned. The wind hadn't stopped blowing though, and it seemed to be coming from the hieroglyphic-painted corridor directly in front of us. "I say we go that way. If we follow the wind, it'll likely lead us to the Book." "Told you we should follow the breathing tunnel," Zia whispered with a grin to Sadie, who stuck out her tongue. "Alrighty then," Sadie said at last. "Who wants to go down the freakishly quiet tunnel in the banished god's kingdom first?" No one raised their hand, not even Zia. I sighed. "I'll go first," I announced, walking into the tunnel ahead of me. After a few steps, I realized that my body wasn't aching anymore. I no longer felt like I'd been stabbed, shot, or even exhausted. In fact, despite the fact, I felt great, which instantly made me suspicious. "Wow, nothing like a few close calls with death to make you feel more alive," Sadie observed, quickening her pace. "I feel like a million bucks." Zia raised an eyebrow. "I do feel a little strange" Before I could comment on how weird this all was, Sadie gasped, causing me to jump a foot in the air. I expected to see another bottomless pit or a man-eating demon from the Duat in front of us, but all there was was a door. And from under that door was a strong wind blowing in and out like someone breathing. This was the source of the breathing tunnel. The door wasn't anything special. It was a rickety old thing that was halfway off its hinge. The wood it was made of was old and decayed, and it creaked with each inhale of the tunnel's breath. I was the first to move, and cautiously, I peered into the darkened room ahead; my hand gripping the rusty handle as the door blew open. Sadie and Zia looked from over my shoulder. The room was empty. There were no golden walls, no elaborate hieroglyphics, or mounds of treasure that covered the floors of tombs you see in films. Instead, there was only one piece of furniture in the room, and it was a makeshift, ancient looking pedestal. And resting on top of its dull surface waswas "That's it," Zia whispered, her hair brushing against my ear from the wind. "It's the Book." Etched into the pedestal were a few plain hieroglyphics that looked like they had been written by someone in a hurry. Despite their appearance, the words seemed to radiate power. This was the source of the energy I felt earlier, and despite my limited knowledge of hieroglyphics, I didn't need Sadie to translate the four words before me. "The Book of Ra."

C A R T E R "Oh-My-GOD!" Sadie screamed, being the first to speak as usual. I was still too shocked to move. It was right there, the book that's supposed to save the world. The Book of Ra. The three of us walked slowly towards the pedestal as if the Book was dynamite. Hey, Ra was a powerful god, not to mention the sun god. Who knows how much power is in those pages? One wrong touch and I could become a human torch in seconds. Zia was the first to lay a finger the book. Sadie and I waited to see if anything happened, but she was still in one piece. "Sodo we just open it?" I asked, touching the hard cover that was buried in a thick layer of dust and sand. For once, even Zia looked unsure. "Well, it's definitely powerful, but I think we can" Sadie let out an exasperated sigh. "Oh for God's sake!" she cried, pushing me aside. "I'll do it!" "Sadie" I said in a warning tone, reaching for her arm. Zia looked up from the cover in alarm. "Um, I wouldn't do that" Sadie flung open the Book, emphasis on the word flung.The way she did it would have given any historian a heart attack. I mean, this thing was old. I had expected the material to crumble in her fingers or tear, but the Book opened just like your average twenty-pound math book. So much for that. Sadie smiled triumphantly. "Oh, real scary. And you two were so worried." I shook my head and tried to hide the fact that I had actually been worried about her. "You never know, Sadie. Don't do something stupid like that again. Next time, you might not be so lucky."

She rolled her blue eyes that looked so much like our mother's. "Hey, it worked didn't it?" I knew I wasn't getting to her, so I decided to drop it. Zia and I crowded around Sadie as she flipped through the aged, yellow pages. Sadie whistled. "What?" I asked, wishing I could read hieroglyphics. "What does it say? Does it tell you how to defeat Apophis?" "Nope. It says, 'How to summon gold from the Nile.' That must come in pretty handy, huh?" My heart sank. "I thought this was supposed to help us with the whole savethe-world thing. How is summoning gold from a river gonna kill the serpent?" Zia glanced up from the Book. "This isn't just a book about Apophis, Carter. This is Ra's spell book. He put anything he wanted in here. It helped his during his reign as King of the Gods." Sadie snorted. "Well, he couldn't have been a very good king. He didn't even have cooks! This whole page is full of recipes. 'How to brew Memoria Venenum.' Is that some sort of Spanish dish with venison? Gross! My Gramps brought that meat home once and God was it awful!" I rolled my eyes. "Spain didn't exist back then, Sadie! And venison is eaten all over the worldnot just in Spain!" Sadie looked shocked, as if this was new information for her. "Oh. Well, it sounded Spanish." "Memoria Venenum," Zia muttered to herself. "I know this onethat's Latin! Memory something. Potion maybe? Drug?" "Memory drug?" Sadie asked skeptically. "Like Crack? I hear that does some wacky things to your head" She stopped talking once she saw me looking at her like she was insane, which she sort of was. Gods, when she goes to high school, she'll probably be voted The One Most Likely to Make the Most Stupid Comments. And a competition for the The Most Annoying Adolescent Award? Psh, Sadie would win by a landslide. The possibilities were endless. [Ow! Okay, okay, so maybe you'd receive second placeOW!] Anyway, after rolling my eyes again, I said, "No, as in a drug, like an antidote. You know, a remedy? A form of therapy?" I sighed when I saw her, standing there and looking completely lost. "A cure?"I tried. "Oh. Why didn't you say so?" Sadie asked, unfazed by my annoyed expression. "What are you, anyway? A walking Webster's dictionary?" "So, Memory Drug," Zia stated before I could comment. "He must have used it to wipe the memories of enemies."

"Note to self: Do NOT become Ra's enemy," Sadie muttered. "We just broke into his realm uninvited and are about to read/ 'borrow' his most prized procession," I reminded her. "Yeah, I'm sure that'll get us on his good side." Sadie's eyes widened in shock. "Crap. There goes my education. I'll have to go back to the first grade and learn maths all over again." She shuddered. "On the plus side, I would be able to forget I'm related to Carter..." "Hey!" "And I would be able to forget I've ever been associated with both of you!" Zia shouted. "So shut it before I accidently perform this spell!" We shut up. "Anyway," Zia said in an annoyed tone. "We better keep looking. What else does the Book say, Sadie?" "Well, Mum, it says a bunch of stuff," Sadie muttered, flipping a few pages. "Ah, lovely; 'How to Mummify The Pharaoh's Cat'. Gosh, he has everything in here except 'How to Defeat Apophis for Dummies.'" It took all my energy not to smile. "Or 'Chicken Soup for the Magical Soul,'" I offered in a serious voice. This time, even Zia grinned. "Or 'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Saving the World,'" she said, trying to keep a straight face. In no time, we were all cracking up. After a minute or so, we were back to examining the Book. Now, I'm sure a number of you are listening to this recording and muttering, "God, these are the people who are gonna decide the fate of the world? We're doomed!" but give us a break. I'm not Superman, and Sadie is definitely not Wonder Woman. After about fifty pages of pointless spells, Sadie struck gold. Well, not real gold, but you get the idea. [ o, Sadie. Not gold from the Nile! Now shut up!] "Ah ha! 'How to Defeat Apep, the Embodiment of Choas.'" Sadie read, her voice full of excitement. "Apep is the same thing as Apophis, right?" "Right," Zia whispered. "Sothat's it? Right there? The spell that could decide the fate of the planet?" I had to admit, I was a little stunned myself. Hieroglyphics written in faded red ink (at least I hope it was ink) covered the thick, papyrus pages. It looked extremely complex, and my eyes hurt just trying to read them. "Yup," Sadie said cheerfully. "It's like an ancient form of eHow. Everything is step by step. Now I know what people mean when they say Egypt was ahead of its time." Then she fell silent and quietly read through the spell, her eyes wide as she deciphered the hieroglyphics. After about a minute of

staring at her, Zia and I got anxious. Hey, the world was ending in just a few days. We didn't have time to waste, and I never was really good at standing still for long periods of time. Besides, this place was starting to give me the creeps. "Earth to Sadie! Come in, Sadie!" I said, waving my hand in front of her face. "...Huh? Oh, yeah," Sadie murmured, sounding dazed. I was about to ask if she was alright, but she interrupted me as usual. "I must say, this is a pretty complicated ritual. Who makes these stupidspells, anyway?" She was fine, all right. Sadie wordlessly continued to turn the ancient pages until there was suddenly no more to flip. Her eyes narrowed at the last page. Then she murmured something too quiet for us to hear. "What?" I asked, looking at her dismayed expression. "What?" "We're missing pages," she whispered, running her finger down the last page. Now it was Zia's turn to be shocked. "Say what?" "We're missing pages. Look." Sadie pointed to the Book, and sure enough, small pieces of pages stuck out of the binding, as if someone had ripped them out in a hurry. "The spell to save the world is incomplete," Sadie announced, her voice leaking disappointment and anger. "The final steps to defeating Apophis are missing." *::*::* "So what do we do now?" Sadie moaned. "They could be anywhere! Didn't Egypt have any respect for books? I mean, who does that? That's just stupid!" "Or smart," Zia said, her eyes troubled. "Ra was just thinking ahead. What if this Book fell in the wrong hands? Then they'd not only have all of Ra's spells, but they would also hold the key to defeating the serpent. And what if they chose not to act? The world would end. It's better to split up the spell to prevent it from falling into the clutches of, say, Apophis' demons. Or Set. Or" "Okay, okay, maybe he did have a reason," Sadie admitted. "But it doesn't make our lives any easier. We still don't know where the heck they are, if they even still exist." "Well, how much do you think is actually missing?" I questioned Sadie. "Like, only a few pages, or"

"a lot," Sadie muttered. Look at the binding. We have, like, ten pages of the spell. I'd say we're missing about twenty." "Twenty?" This day was getting worse by the second. "That's what I said, didn't I?" Sadie snapped bitterly. "I hate this! We've come all this way for nothing! Now the world's only tenninedays from ending, and there's absolutely nothingwe can do about it. I hate stupid Ra!" "Sadie" I began. Seething with anger, Sadie lifted the Book off its pedestal (to throw it no doubt.) Just as she did, the ground began to shake. Again, Ra surprised us with his knack for security. He must have set booby traps for a hobby. "Run!" I shouted, doing a 360 around the room to look for possible exits. "Run where?" Sadie yelled through the din, sounding angry and weary at the same time. Slabs of rock had begun to fall from the ceiling, crashing onto the tiled floor and bursting apart in hundreds of sharp, heavy pieces. I glanced at Zia, whose eyes were shut in concentration. Then they opened in surprise, and Zia raised her arms into the air. "Portal!" she yelled, and instantly, a swirling vortex appeared in the air before us. Leave it to Zia to come up with a plan on such short notice. Sadie jumped through it first, the Book tucked under her shoulder. In an instant, she was gone. The second she disappeared, exhaustion and pain hit me like a train at full speed. I gasped and staggered backward just as an endless cascade of sand began to fall. "What the?" Zia's hand grabbed mine. "It's the Book, Carter!" she screamed, as if that explained everything. "Come on!" Bracing myself for pain, I jumped into the portal with Zia beside me. The sooner we left Heliopolis, the better. Anything was better than being underground. I changed my mind as soon as Zia and I fell to the sandy floor beside Sadie. At first, everything seemed fine. I felt better, a lotbetter, as if I had just gotten a good night's sleep and eaten a hot meal. Before I could say so, I heard an anguished cry off to my right. We were lying in the middle of the First Nome. We were surrounded by magicians and they didn't look too happy to see us.

C A R T E R "Uh, hey guys," I said cautiously, giving the magicians a small wave. "Sorry to drop in on yourshopping spree." I took in my surroundings. To my left were a few dozen wooden booths selling from foreign spices to pieces of silk cloth. The air smelled like pepper, making me want to sneeze (not that I would, because that wouldn't look too heroic.) When I glanced back at the crowd of magicians in their long, grey robes, they didn't look any happier. They did look confused though; probably narrowing down their painful, powerful spells to find the perfect one to kill me. Hey, when you have almost unlimited power, the possibilities are endless. Sadie pinched my arm, making me flinch. I shot her a death glare as she said, "Yeah, don't listen to him. He'suhdelusional! In fact, we were just bringing him to his 2:00 therapy session, so if you'll excuse us" She tried raising her arms to summon another portal, but the moment she moved, about twenty magicians raised their glowing staffs and pointed them towards us. Well, so much for that plan. "Any other bright ideas?" I whispered to no one in particular. Before Sadie or Zia could answer, someone in the crowd gasped. "It's Zia!" someone exclaimed. Everyone's eyes trained on Zia, who had been standing as still as a statue behind me. The marketplace instantly burst into chaos. "Traitor!" one shouted. "Wretched spy!" yelled the magician to my left. "You don't deserve to come back here!" another accused. More and more magicians started yelling out cruel comments, and although I couldn't quite catch all of them, I knew they weren't the kind of comments

that would make you go all warm and fuzzy inside. Zia, however, looked unfazed by their insults. She stared into the eyes of the magicians with a determined expression. Behind all her pride, though, I noticed how she seemed to flinch a little with each remark. This was worse than being attacked. The only place Zia had ever really known never wanted to see her again. It was killing her. I was seething with anger as the comments continued. This had to stop. "Hey!" I shouted, my voice echoing loudly off the weathered walls. "Shut up! Who do you think you are? Zia helped save your sorry lives, and this is how you repay her?" Dead silence followed. I didn't dare look at Zia, but I felt her eyes on me. Everyone's eyes were on me. In case you're ever in this kind of situation, I highly advise you not to say what I just said, because insulting pigheaded magicians only makes them madder. In seconds, three Egyptian hulks had their strong, muscular arms around our shoulders and led us towards the Hall of Ages, where our French friend had wanted to kill us last year. We've only met a few times, so we still haven't gotten past the "mortal enemies" level. And something told me that meeting him one more time wasn't going change anything. Yeah, unless the Chief Lector greets us with chocolates and flowers to apologize, I won't be sending Desjardins a Christmas card any time soon. I could tell before we were pushed through the doors that this wasn't gonna be a happy reunion. The Frenchman himself, with his forked beard and cream-colored robes, was seated on a large, wooden throne; the one Iskandar had said was for the pharaoh. The fact that he was actually sitting on the throne really pissed me off. He was the Chief Lector, not the ruler of Egypt. As I got closer, I realized he was smirking at us with a confident, triumphant expression on his face that I instantly wanted to punch (and I'm usually not the violent type, but this guy seriously rubs me the wrong way.) By the time we reached the circular dais, Desjardins' expression hadn't faltered. Anger coursed through me, making it hard to concentrate on anything but wringing his neck. About three seconds later, I realized that something was different about the throne room. Sure, it still had the ancient holograms of the gods dating back to the beginning of time, but the air wasempty. And by empty, I mean that there wasn't any multicolored hieroglyphics floating through the air. It made the room look more depressing somehow, as if it was missing something important. That's when I remembered Iskandar was the one who made the

levitating hieroglyphics. He was the heart of the First Nome, and now he was gone. And maybe, just maybe, a part of the Nome died with him too. "Well, well, if it isn't the little godlings," Desjardins said with forced politeness. Or, at least, I think that's what he said. His French accent was thicker than I remembered. "What apleasant surprise." Something told me he was looking for a worse word than "pleasant." The three of us glared at him in return. "AndZia!" he exclaimed in mock surprise. "My, my, I didn't expect to see you here. Didn't you pass on last December after you betrayed us all? Oh, wait, that's right, you were clay. You shattered into nothing, didn't you? Explains why we couldn't find your body, and why we couldn't burn your remains like we do with every other traitor. Either that or we could have always sold you. You don't see such craftsmanship these days." Desjardins circled around Zia and observed her like she was some livestock was thinking of buying. Finally, he made a tsk, tsk, sound and said, "Shame, you would have gone nice with the rest of the pottery." Ouch. Zia's expression was unfaltering, but I saw a trace of sorrow in her dark, brown eyes. I was about to say something, probably along the lines of "shut your face" and a few unprintable words, but Desjardins wasn't through. "It was old Iskandar, wasn't it, who hid you? Didn't want his number one student going to waste, did he? It's genius, really, how he constructed it." My hands clenched when he said "it." Seriously? Weren't Chief Lectors supposed to be, like, polite or something, because this guy had a mean streak big enough to get him casted for Mean Girls. "I hear you're conscious the whole time, but unaware that you're actually artificial," Desjardins continued. "Strange, because it fits your personality perfectly. I always was suspicious of you; that you'd betray us one day. It was all a cover up so you could run off to New Mexico with Kane, here. What would Iskandar have said if he had known his Zia had betrayed him? It would have shattered his ancient little heart." he concluded in a voice that leaked fake empathy. Zia flinched at the mention of Iskandar, which only made me angrier. What was this guy's problem? I was trying to control my anger (like imagining a huge chunk of marble falling from the ceiling onto Desjardins' head, for example) but in the end, I snapped. Yes, I know it was wrong. Yeah, I'm sure all the health teachers out there are shaking their heads and going through the ways to release bad vibes or whatever, but a) I never went to school, so I never had health class or classes in anger management, and b) at that

moment, I seriously didn't care. "Huh, funny you should mention that. I never told you this Desjardins, but you fit the role of "total backstabber" pretty well yourself," I said conversationally. "Where do you think Zia got that from?" "Carter" Zia whispered in a warning tone. "And I for one am surprised this place is still standing, what with you in charge and all," I commented, despite Zia's anxious gaze. "It seems to me that the market isn't as stocked as it used to be. In a little financial trouble, are we? Spent all the money on croissants? I guess that would explain the bigger robe size, eh?" Desjardins glowered at me. He seemed to be having second thoughts; probably deciding whether or not to disintegrate me on the spot or to let me live for another minute or so. Finally, he put on another fake smile, but I could see the hatred in his dark eyes. "Very observant of you, Kane, but as usual, your assumptions are false," Desjardins stated with an air of superiority. This guy seriously had a huge ego going. "We are merely stocking up. One needs to feed their army, don't they?" "Wait, whaaa?" Sadie said, talking for the first time. "An army? You? Don't make me laugh." "On the contrary, Miss Kane. The First Nome, with the assistance of the other Nomes across the world, is creating an army against the serpent," the Frenchman explained. "We obviously can't count on those hopeless, selfish, and prim? obsolete gods to save us, so it is up to the magicians to save the world. And we will," he concluded, without even a trace of doubt in magniloquent-sounding voice. (That's probably one of the longest words I've ever said, and no, I don't actually use that word in normal conversation. In fact, I was looking up a word for "Desjardins" in the dictionary and came across that one. It seemed to fit his personality pretty well.) In other words, his pompous attitude was pushing me over the edge. Okay, I believe that everyone should have a high-ish self esteem, but this guy's was over the roof. "Don't need the gods? What are you, insane or something?" I asked, throwing my hands up in frustration. "Wait, don't answer that. I already know the answer." From the corner of my eye, I could see Sadie trying not to break into hysterical laughter (and failing.) Well, at least someone was enjoying this. Before the Frenchman could comment, I continued, "Desjardins, we all have

to work together to save the world, and that includes the gods. I know you haven't gotten along in the past" "Gotten along? Along?" Desjardins spat, his voice rising with each word. "Listen, Kane, it's the gods that didn't get along with us. They are selfish, and that will never change. We are no longer going to be pawns for those immortals. We have our own power. Don't you see? The world doesn't need them anymore." "But we do need the gods, no matter what!" I argued, taking a step forward, which made the hulks more nervous. Well, they should be. I was this close to losing it on this freak. Luckily, in the past year, I had a growth spurt (insert applause here), so I was now a few inches taller than Sadie and level in height with Desjardins (who wasn't that tall to begin with, but don't burst my bubble.) I took another step forward and looked him right in the eye. "The world will fall if we all don't work together. The gods want to save the planet as much as you do, Desjardins. True, they're far from perfect, but so are we!" "Obviously," Sadie muttered, glaring at Desjardins. "So I suggest that you fight with the gods, just this once," I continued, glaring at the Chief Lector. "You may think you can take on the serpent on your own, but the reality is that you can't. But neither can the gods; it just isn't possible. But, if you all work together, then we may actually have a chance to defeat it. You won't only save your own life, but billions of others." I, for one, thought it was a pretty good speech, considering the fact that I was being held prisoner by a loony Frenchman and his group of Egyptian hulks. Desjardins, on the other hand, wasn't so moved. "Ah, but we are saving lives, Carter," he said in a persuasive tone. "Like I said before, our army is well equipped, and we will defeat the serpent, including any god or magician that stands in our way." He looked pointedly at us before he finished. "It's time for a new golden age, one where the people rule the world, without the influence of mythological forces. You can either join us or be terminated. Think about it. You have until sundown." There was a long, awkward silence. Desjardins was obviously waiting for us to drop on our knees and beg for mercy. Usually, when people receive death threats, they're flustered and freaked out. My first thought, on the other hand, was: Sundown? Laaaame. After another twenty seconds of silence, I couldn't take it anymore. "Um, is this where the dramatic music is supposed to chime in, 'cause I'm not feeling

the terror." Desjardins' face instantly reddened, and something told me it was not from embarrassment. Sadie, however, seemed just as unfazed from Desjardins' threat as I was. "Gosh, why is every life changing decision's deadline at sundown?" she muttered, more annoyed than frightened. "I mean, talk about old school." "That's it!" Desjardins shouted in a voice I didn't think he was capable of making. "My patience is wearing thin. Five-thirty, then, Miss Kane! See how you like that!" "Actually, 'You have till five thirty' sorta has a ring to it. Don't you agree?" Sadie asked, looking at me and Zia expectantly. "Totally," I said in a serious tone. "Couldn't agree more," Zia chimed in halfheartedly. "Enough!" Desjardins roared, slamming his staff onto the floor (for the dramatic effect, no doubt, since we've already recognized the fact that his evil scheme lacked dramatic music.) "Guards, get these traitors out of my sight!" And with that, our meeting with the Chief Lector was over. The hulks in robes gripped our shoulders (only harder this time, which was no picnic) and practically pushed us down the empty hallway. After directing us through the labyrinth of chambers and abandoned hallways, the hulks finally loosened their grip on us. I was about to attack when a wooden door flew open. Before I could even react, the three of us were shoved into the darkness ahead. I landed hard on the sandy floor, and looked up just in time to see the hulks slam the door shut; throwing the room into darkness. I heard the turning of a key in the rusted, steel lock a few moments later, followed by heavy footsteps that got softer and softer until they had disappeared completely. Instantly, Zia summoned a light. I blinked a couple of times, and then did a 360 of the room, which didn't take long, because it was ridiculously small. We were thrown in adungeon? Nah, I've never actually been in medieval prison, but this definitely wasn't one. It didn't have any human bones or blood on the walls, so I don't think it deserved to have a dramatic name like "dungeon." Living closet, maybe? Yeah, that sounds about right. We were trapped in a small, empty living closet with nothing but a broom and a pail for company. Jeesh, were we so pathetic that our arch enemy didn't even think we deserved a normal prison? Even a bedroom would have been better than this. Talk about insulting. It was like a slap in the face, without getting to slap the other guy back afterward.

"Well, this is a new low for me," I muttered, kicking the broom against the wall. I mean, being trapped with Windex and furniture polish? Gods, even being put in shackles would have made me feel better. At least then I would know they were actually afraid of us. "Yeah, well, it won't be for long," Sadie said in a voice that suggested that she was just as annoyed as I was. "At five-thirty, we can escape and kick some stupid magician butt. They'll never throw Sadie Kane in with the house keeping supplies again!" "Jeesh, Sadie," I moaned, remembering the whole "sundown" conversation. "Of all times, you had to agree with five thirty?" "You agreed with me!" she argued. "That's just because you already made fun of him," I said, knowing Sadie wouldn't understand. "I wanted us to look like we didn't care, but obviously, we do." "Ah, well. I for one enjoyed myself. Seeing his face redden like a tomato made my day." I sighed and leaned against the marble wall. This was a horrible idea. The room was spelled, no doubt, so we couldn't summon a portal, and the door was bolted shut with over a dozen protection spells. I couldn't lift it even if I tried. Besides, the last time I tried to lift doors, I almost killed myself. Not to mention I was exhausted afterwards "Wait a second," I said, which was pointless, since we obviously weren't going anywhere. "I was super tired before we got here, and now I feel better. A little too good, like when we first found the Book. Is it just me, or is that unusual?" "It's the Book," explained Zia, who was seated on the sandy floor. She had been running her finger through the sand, making almost perfect circles. "It's so powerful that it must heal everyone in a certain radius. That's why we could sense its power, even when we were so far away. When Sadie went through the portal with the Book, you instantly felt tired, right Carter? That's because the source of the power that was healing you, the Book of Ra, was gone. When we met up with Sadie again, you felt better. Get it?" "I guess," I replied, squinting so I could see Sadie. "But speaking of the Bookwhere is it exactly?" Zia's eyes widened as we both stared at my sister. Sadie looked up, not really paying attention. "Huh? Oh, the Book? I'm reading it," she responded, pointing to a small, hand-held book in her hand. "I shrunk it the moment I saw our buddies in the marketplace. Luckily, they didn't notice. They were too busy picking up

all the fruit from the stand that I accidently hit when I fell." She smiled at the memory, and then went back to reading the Book. I sighed. "Quick thinking on your part," I commented, partly because it was true, and partly because I still felt bad for yelling at her back in the tunnel. Sadie glanced up from the Book. "Thanks," she said simply, but I saw her smiling a little. "So, what's the plan?" Zia asked, still drawing in the sand. I sighed. "UhI was sorta hoping you had one." Zia smiled, but it faded quickly. She looked away went back to drawing. "Hey, you alright?" I asked, although the answer was pretty obvious. "Listen, about those magicians back there" "Carter," Zia said firmly, not looking up from the floor. "Don't." "But" "Listen! I just don't wanna talk about it, okay?" she snapped, looking up at me with a pained expression. Taken aback, I sat down next to her but said nothing. She was obviously shaken up, so I guess I couldn't blame her. "Listen," Zia whispered, sounding a lot gentler than before. "I'm sorry about that. It's just" "I understand," I said truthfully, looking her straight in the eye. Zia looked like she wanted to say more, but in the end, she didn't. We just sat together for a while, and I was completely aware that our shoulders were touching. I had a flashback of Zia and I in the RV, headed toward Phoenix, when Zia and I sat close to each other. Then again, that wasn't the real Zia, but a shabti. Well, it definitely felt real back then. But this was the real thing. This really was Zia, and I had actually found her. Sure, we were trapped in a claustrophobic broom closet with my sister, probably with no hope of escaping, but still. It felt surprisingly good. In fact, for a while there, I almost forgot that I was trapped while the world was about to end. Almost. After about an hour of listening to Sadie flip page after page of the Book, I decided to break the silence. "So, Sadie, anything in Ra's book that could get us out of here?" Sadie, of course, didn't hear me. It was like she was in a different world when she read that thing; millions of miles away. I called her name three more times, but it took me waving my hand in front of her face to get her attention. "Whaaa?" Sadie asked, sounding a little dazed. "The Book," I repeated. "Find anything that could spring us out of this

closet?" "Oh," she said, sounding confused. This was extremely odd, since Sadie rarely says a sentence that is less than a dozen words long. It just wasn't normal. Like, going against the laws of the universe or something. I expected her to go back into her own little trance, or at least say she didn't find anything, but to my surprise, she replied, "Uh, yes. Actually, I think the spell a couple of pages back would do the trick." I was stunned. "Let me get this straight: you found a spell that could get us out of here, and you didn't say anything about it?" "I forgot," Sadie said simply. "Forgot," I repeated, sounding doubtful. "What, you forgot we were stuck underground in a living closet?" "Yes. No," Sadie said, her voice rising. "I don't know!" "What does it matter?" Zia argued before I could comment. "You found a spell. Great. Now let's perform it and get out of here." Zia was right, as usual, so I decided to drop the subject. For now. "Right," Sadie said, shooting me a glare. "Uh, it's a little complicated, but I can try." "Okay then," Zia agreed, her eyes looking troubled as she glanced around at the rocky walls, Sadie, and finally, the Book. "Let's do this. The sooner we get out of here, the better." *::*::* It took two explosions, one live broom, three purple bruises, and six scorched eyebrows before Sadie got the spell right. I couldn't understand a word she said, but Zia was nodding enthusiastically and not yelling for me to duck, so I assumed she got it right. About ten seconds after she finished muttering the spell, I started to doubt the entire thing. "Uh, was something supposed to happen? Besides the broom coming to life that is. Oh, and the bucket hitting me on the head." "That was an accident," Sadie muttered, but she was acting uncharacteristically distracted. "It should have worked. We should have" She was interrupted by deafening sound outside the door that nearly made me jump out of skin. The noise was followed by a dozen or so angry voices, fighting over something. I could tell by the annoyed edge to their gruff voices. Sadie, with a determined expression, stood up and faced us. For the one hundredth time, I realized how small the room was. With all of us standing up, we had practically no space to move around, and it took all my will power not to dwell on the fact that Zia was this close to me. I could feel her

breath on my neck, and it was sending major shivers down my spine. "We're gonna have to wait until they let us out," Sadie informed us. If she was bothered by the limited space, she didn't let on. "I'm going to be whispering it, so you guys are going to have to create some sort of a diversion. Don't stop talking. If they hear me, we're toast. I think by now I have it memorized." She glanced at Zia before continuing. I followed her gaze and realized that Zia was staring at me. Her expression was unreadable, as usual, and I suddenly wished I could read minds. I felt my face redden and looked back at Sadie, whose expression, unfortunately, was readable. For a second, she smirked, and I instantly felt embarrassed. If you're ever in a place with dimmed lighting (and not just in a broom closet) and you rely on the darkness to hide your expression or whatever, then you're out of luck. It obviously doesn't work. I say this from experience. There was another loud bang, and Sadie's expression darkened, which made her look almost sinister with the dark shadows flying across her face like hurried ghosts. The fiery ball of light glowed with an eerie blue color in the center of the room, which didn't make Sadie look any less evil. I shivered and focused on the Book instead. There's nothing more frightening than imagining your sister looking like Sadie did just then with an ax or something. I'd probably wake up in the middle of the night, screaming, for months. "They're coming. Get ready. I'll say the last line aloud, and that will be the signal," she said darkly. "Grab hold of me or you'll be left behind." "That was little melodramatic," I commented, trying to brighten the mood. It didn't work. The hulks burst into the room at that very moment, pushing us forcefully into the rocky wall behind us. "Did you ever hear of knocking?" I muttered, trying not to breathe, because quite frankly, the magician's breath smelled strongly of garlic. Ugh. "If you know what's good for you, Kane, you'll shut it," he growled, his face inches from mine. "You won't be showing humor in a few minutes. Your time is up." "Oh, really?" I said, trying not to choke on the foul air. "I don't remember having an hour glass with my name on it." "Not just yours," the hulk gripping Sadie's shoulders stated. "The blonde's too. And, of course, the traitor," he concluded, grinning devilishly at Zia. "Oops, looks like I didn't catch the memo," Sadie spat, glowering at the magician. "Now is Dessie going to see us or are we just gonna stay here in the broom closet and chat? I hope it isn't the latter, because you guys are

terrible company; offense intended." The three magicians looked like they were gonna argue, but in the end, they just grabbed us by the shoulders and led us back to the Hall of Ages, with Sadie cursing them the entire way. Every ten seconds or so, I'd hear, "Ow! That was my hair!" or "How rude. Were you absent the day your kindergarten teacher taught you to keep your hands to yourself?" Well, this wasn't going as planned. "Sadie," I said, loud enough for her to hear. "Be quiet. You wouldn't want them to spell you or something." Translation: Shut your face and start the spell already! Luckily, Sadie got the message. "Fine," she huffed. "But don't think you've heard the end of this." Then she put her head down, and if I didn't know any better, I would have thought she was crying. Only I did know better. If you looked real closely, you could see her lips moving, reciting a silent spell. Finally, we arrived at the huge double doors. "Here goes nothing," I whispered as Desjardins came into view. Sadie kept her head down as we approached. The problem? Since Sadie, the girl who was insulting him only hours before; was now strangely silent seemed to catch Desjardins' attention. He studied her suspiciously, but before he could comment, I said, "We've made our decision, Chief Lector." He seemed to like being called "Chief Lector," because he tore his gaze away from Sadie and settled it on me. I could see a flicker of pride in his dark eyes. "Is that a fact?" he asked, looking from Zia and me with interest. "Yes. We've decided that you're right," I continued, hating myself more and more with each word. "We do need an army if we expect to stop the serpent. And since we obviously don't stand a chance against you, what chance would we have against the embodiment of chaos?" "Exactly," Desjardins said, looking at me with pleasure. "I'm glad you finally came to your senses. And what about the traitor? What has she to say?" I bit my lip to prevent me from saying, "Her name is Zia," and barely succeeded. As much as I wanted to say it, it would only cause suspicion. Sadie better hurry up "I agree with Kane, here," Zia said coolly. "I was wrong to go on their side. It was the shabti making the decisions, not me. I had no control over it. If it was truly me, I never would have gone. Their entire operation is a failure, and in my absence, the First Nome has flourished. Iskandar would have been proud, Desjardins. Even he couldn't produce an army such as yours." Okay, okay, I know she was supposed to be lying, but that didn't stop me

from flinching after Zia finished. If all that was a fib, then she was seriously a born liar. Could Zia have really meant all those things she said? I mean, sure, we were still trapped in the First Nome and missing half of the Book of Ra, but still, we weren't doing too badlyright? "Uhyeah," I said, not looking at Zia. "It didn't take long for us to recognize that we were wrong, including my parents. We could have led normal lives if it wasn't for them and the gods." Again, I hated myself for saying it. And the worst part was that I actually meant a little of what I said. I could have had a normal life if the gods weren't real. If they didn't exist, then neither would the magicians. I could have gone to school, made friends, and lived with both of my parents back in California. Mom and Dad never would have died, and Sadie and I could have grown up together like a normal brother and sister would. Everything would have been like it was before I knew Egyptian mythology was real. Nothing would have changed. Still, if the gods and magicians never existed, I never would have met Bast, or Horus, or Anubis (the last person was for Sadie's sake, not mine.) I never would have flown through the sky like a falcon or traveled the world with my dad. I wouldn't have gotten closer to Sadie or learned how to use my powers. I never would have met Zia. Huh, maybe being a magician did have more benefits than disadvantages. Just then, Sadie yelled something in Egyptian. Everyone in the room were too shocked to move, so they just stopped and stared at her. I'm proud to say it only took a split second for me to recognize the signal and grab hold of Zia and Sadie's arms. "Get them" Desjardins began, raising his staff just as an invisible force pulled us upward. "See ya!" I managed to yell, waving at the magicians below. Then three things happened at once. Desjardins shot a stream of green light our way, Sadie screamed, and the three of us crashed head on into the marble ceiling above.

C A R T E R Who knew that Ra's spell would actually transport and allow us to go through ceilings without being harmed? Now that's what I call a spell. One second there was a deadly beam shooting in our direction and a marble ceiling coming towards us. The next I'm sitting on a sand dune in the middle of nowhere. "Huh, maybe this spell wasn't as great as I thought," I muttered, brushing the sand off my dirty jeans. "Hey, it got us out, didn't it?"asked Sadie, who had landed on her feet and was squinting at the sun. "I never doubted it for a second." "Sure," I laughed. "So that scream you made was because?" Sadie glared at me. "Maybe I was a little worried for a moment there, but at least I saved us. We would have beenwhat word did Dessie use? Oh, right, terminated. We would have been terminatedif it wasn't for me. So there" I raised my hands in defeat. "Alright, alright. You win. Thank you very, veryfor saving our sorry lives. Now please shut up so I can make breakfastor dinner," I added, looking over at the sunset to my right. By the looks of it, it must have been around six o'clock, since the days were now getting shorter and shorter (sorta like our time to save the planet, but I wasn't going to be the one to bring up thatcheery information.) After laying down a small picnic blanket I brought from the 21st Nome, I took out the remaining Fruit Loops, which I hoped hadn't gone stale, since I accidently left the box open all night long. However, no one complained, so I guess I was off the hook. Sadie did make a face when she bit into one though, so, desperate for an excuse, I told her the first thing that popped into my head: "You, uh, must be coming down with something." Lame, I know. But the surprising part? Sadie believed me. Yup, she shut up

and finished her Fruit Loops. Now, I know Sadie better than anyone, so believe me when I say this was extremely out of the ordinary. I couldn't even convince Sadie that the chili I made was edible; she always sees right through me and throws it out before I can argue (which is probably why we order out for dinner so often.) Then why didn't she point out that they were stale or yell at me about it? That's what the normal Sadie would have done. Okay, okay, so maybe I am getting worked up over nothing (actually, I'm getting worked up over Fruit Loops, but that's not the point.) The point is that Sadie's acting un-Sadielike, and I was gonna figure out why. Somehow "Carter? Earth to Carter. Come in, Carter," Zia whispered, bringing me out of my thoughts. "Wh-what?" I stammered, looking up from Toucan Sam (apparently I had been staring at it the entire timewell, that's embarrassing.) Zia pointed to my sister, who was sound asleep on her sleeping bag and snoring quietly. I hadn't even noticed her doze off. Then again, I didn't realize I was staring at a Kellogg's cereal character for the past hour either. "Ah," I began, looking back at Zia. "How long has she been out?" "A while," Zia said simply. "A while," I repeated, stalling for time. Hey, I never actually had experience around girls, except Sadie, but I wouldn't consider her as anything but my sister. Talking to her is easy, since we're usually mocking or yelling at each other. Zia'sdifferent. I'm still not exactly sure how I think of her, and even if I did, I'd never actually be able to tell her. And then there's what she said back in the Hall of Ages "Zoned out again, have you?" Zia asked me, standing up and searching the horizon with those amber eyes. I laughed quietly in spite of myself. "Yeah, that seems to be happening to all of us lately." I locked eyes with Zia, who was now a few feet away and looking at me expectantly. I nodded at her silent question, stood up, and followed her. We walked in silence for a minute or so. Finally, when we were out of hearing distance, Zia sat down on the sand. I sat down beside her. "You mean Sadie," she said. It wasn't a question. Her eyes had become troubled, and I couldn't blame her. "Yeah, that's exactly who I mean," I replied, looking up at the darkened sky. "I'm guessing you have no idea what's wrong with her, right?" Zia sighed. "I wouldn't exactly say 'nothing.'" I breathed a sigh of relief. "So you do know something." Again, it wasn't a

question. "A hunch," Zia replied. "It's obviously tied to the Book, since she was acting normal up until the moment we discovered it. That means that the Book is affecting her somehow, mentally. Almost as if" She trailed off with a quizzical expression on her face. "Like what?" I asked eagerly. "As if it was making her want to read more, like it's drawing her in or something, and then taking something from her in return." "Uhlike hypnotism?" I asked, feeling totally confused. "Sort of. There's a reason the Book was locked up for centuries, Carter. Egyptians feared it, not because of Ra's wrath, but for its power," Zia explained. "Those are powerful spells, even for the gods. You saw how simply being in its presence affects you. How do you think it affects Sadie, who's actually reading and deciphering it? I think she's drawn to it, and in return, it's using her power." My eyes widened. "So it'skilling her?" "No. No, I I don't that's the problem. I just think that she should be more careful. I mean, we don't have any other choice; we have to use the Book in defeating the serpent, and we need to find those missing pages, but stillshe just has to be a little more cautious. She may be slowly losing her power. The Book is somewhat of a parasite, Carter. That's why it was hidden so deep underground. It feeds off the power around it and uses that to make it more powerful." That definietly didn't sound good. "That is one freaky book," I noted, looking at Zia's grim expression. "I'm thinking we should tell her after she wakes up," she concluded, looking even more troubled than before. "Yeah, sure. So we'll go up to her and say, 'Hey, Sadie, we think the Book is frying your brain and draining your power, but can you keep reading it until the world is saved in eight days? Thanks!' Something tells me it won't go over too well with her." Zia gave a small smile. "Perhaps, but we don't have any better ideas, now do we?" I sighed. She was right, as usual. Besides, I was worried about Sadie. If this thing was drawing her or whatever, then tough; I was not losing her to some ancient exile's stupid spell book. She was going to stay away from it for as long as possible. Surprisingly enough, I actually missed Sadie's annoying comments and witty comebacks, not that I'd ever admit it. I looked back at Zia, who had also been surveying the horizon. For those of

you who haven't been to the desert, it gets pretty cold at night, despite its torrid daytime temperatures. For a few hours, it's like you're in an oven. For the other few, it's like you're trapped in a freezer with the chocolate chip ice cream. "Cold?" I asked, trying not to dwell on how clich it sounded. I mean, don't all guys in the movies offer the shivering girl her coat? Yes. Would I have done the same? You betcha, if I actually had a coat. This is just another reason why Carter Kane is not meant for romance: he's never prepared. "A little," Zia replied. "But I'm fine." "You sure?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Zia mimicked my expression. "What, you have a jacket up one of those sleeves, Kane?" Busted. I didn't have a coat, as I already pointed out; all I had was my dirty black T-shirt and jeans. I felt sorry for Zia, but I wasn't that desperate. Besides, I was pretty cold myself. Then it occurred to me that I didn't need a jacket. There were other ways to get warm when you have the magic touch, literally. I closed my eyes and thought, fire. Maybe the gods were taking pity on me, because suddenly, a small ball of fire erupted from my right hand and levitated there. Grinning, I willed it to grow larger and larger until it was roughly the size of a football. Even from a few feet away, you could feel the warmth that was radiating off that thing. I titled my chin up in Zia's direction, feigning pride. "How's that for warmth? Now all we need are the marshmallows." Zia laughed. "Are you going to summon those to?" Our stomachs grumbled. Hey, we had to ration our food. Gods know how long it'll be until we get our next meal, and Fruit Loops weren't exactly what you'd call filling. I groaned, thinking of melted chocolate with the fluffy marshmallows my parents, Sadie, and I used to eat on the beach when I was little. We never had granola crackers, because Sadie hated them (weird, I know, but that's Sadie for you.) Instead, we left the Hershey's chocolate bars by the fire as we roasted marshmallows. Then we'd pick up the bar and place the marshmallow on top. The rest of the night we'd spend licking the gooey chocolate off our fingers. "I wish," I murmured, practically tasting the chocolate on my tongue. "You wouldn't have a spell for making instant Hershey bars, would you?" "Alas, no." Zia smiled and looked into the fiery ball of light. Then she laughed, pointed to the fire sphere, and said, "Being a master of fire, I should have thought of that." She face palmed herself and pretended to look

ashamed. "I mean, you thinking of that first? How did that happen?" "Uh, because I'm smarter than you?" I offered, cocking my head to the side. Zia scoffed. "You wish, Kane. I could beat you in a duel any day." "Could not." "Could too." "Not." "Too." "Fine, let's see for ourselves," I suggested confidently. "Once this all blows over, it's you and me; one on one." Zia smiled, but I saw the doubt in her eyes. I knew exactly what she thinking; ifeverything blows over, if we make it out of this, and if the world even survives. Still, I wasn't going to worry about that just now. Not yet. "I'll mark it on my calendar," she teased, leaning back into the sand. I did the same. For a while, we just stared at the stars. My mom and dad had taught me the constellations; something I never forgot. I could spot Perseus, who my dad told me defeated the feared demon, Medusa. I could also see Phoenix, a bird that was said to live up to 500 years, and Orion, the great hunter. Of course, my mother would always tell me the science behind the stars; big, stationary balls of gases that have been forming ever since the universe began. I found myself pointing them out to Zia and telling her the origin of their names. I had gotten to Pegasus when I realized how long I'd been talking and how long she'd been listening. "Uh, sorry," I said, running my fingers through my black hair nervously."It's just that my parents taught Sadie and I about the stars. I guess it's been awhile since I actuallywatched them with anyone." Which was true: I hadn't. I stole a quick glance at Zia, who was watching me closely. Her amber eyes looked even larger in the dark. "I've never learned about the constellations before. Actually, I never really paid attention. Everything was just train, train, train back hoback at the Nome." She closed her eyes for a while, and for a second there, I thought she'd fallen asleep. But then she opened them and stared back at the sky. "They really are beautiful." But I hardly heard her. I could actually see the image of the stars in her eyes, and with her hair blowing in the wind and the moon shining on her like thatI don't know. I was mesmerized. I don't remember seeing anything as beautiful in my entire life. "Yeah. Beautiful," I managed, not taking my eyes off her.

She looked back at me, and I prayed to every god I could think of that my face didn't give anything away. Finally, she grinned and moved closer to me, as close as we were in the living closest, only this time, she didn't have to. I tried not to dwell on that but failed, as usual. "You know, after this 'one on one' duel that you'll obviously lose, you'll have to take the winner," she said, pointing to herself smugly, "to that mall of yours. Or have you forgotten?" It was a simple question, but it was the way she said it that made me curious. The way she said it, you'd think she actually cared. Almost as if my answer really mattered to her. "Nope. I haven't," I replied, and seeing her relieved expression gave me the courage to go on. "And if I win, you'll have to buy me a hamburger. I haven't had a good one in ages. Personally, I think that's fair, since you'll have absolutely no idea where you're going without me." "I can take care of myself!" Zia protested. "Well, I don't doubt that," I replied honestly. "But malls can be deadly. Have you ever been inside one when there was, like, the 'biggest sale of the year' at Macy's? A guy can get trampled in there." Zia laughed. "You shop at Macy's?" "No!" I exclaimed, then glared at her as she burst out laughing. "I only meant that I was there, as in the same building. Actually, I think I was having ice cream with my dad," I smiled at the memory. I could still remember the flavor; cookie dough ice cream with rainbow jimmies. I must have been ten, maybe eleven. I only remembered it because one woman practically sprinted into the store once they opened and started fighting with another over some still-overly-expensive boots. It was probably one of the scariest things I've ever seen. Guys may have fist fights and all, but girl fights are brutal. They are anything but fair. My dad dragged me out of there before the security came and broke it up. "Sure, Carter, sure," Zia mocked. "Not that you'll ever get that free hamburger, but just out of curiositywhat is it?" I stared at her. "A hamburger? Are you kidding me?" Zia stared back at me, totally serious. "Do Ilook like I'm kidding? We weren't allowed to have meat at the First Nome." Still in shock, I asked, "What, was Iskandar a vegetarian or something?" Zia rolled her eyes. "Just answer the question, Carter." "Alright," I said, taking my wand out of my pocket. "So this is a hamburger." I drew two imperfect ovals to represent the buns and thin lines between them, which were supposed to be the ketchup, beef, lettuce, etc. Zia stared at me like I had gone insane.

"You call that a hamburger? It looks more like a mushroom," she accused, using her finger to draw an X through my drawing. "An extremely deformed mushroom." "Hey! I'm no van Gogh, okay? Give me a break," I argued, covering her X and the rest of the drawing with more sand. "And besides, I thought you didn't know what a hamburger was!" Zia cracked a smile. "I may not know what's in it, Carter, but I don't live under a rock. I've seen what they look like." I was about to point out that she did in fact like under a rock, tons of it, while she was in that sarcophagus, but decided against it. "Maybe it would be better if you just tell me what's in it," she concluded, still grinning. "Well, there's these two buns, and inside them, there's this juicy beef topped with anything you want. Mostly ketchup and onions and lettuce. My dad used to put French fries in his and drench them in cheese." I smiled at Zia's horrified expression. "They were good!" I protested. "Ugh," Zia said. "Then it'll just be you ordering that burger, Carter. I'll be seated on the opposite side of the room, eating a salad." "Suit yourself," I warned, trying not to think of any more food. "Then what'll we do?" Zia pondered on that for a moment. "Well, what is there to do?" "Well, they have, like, a gazillion overpriced shops," I explained, "but they're all the same: boring. I only went for the bookshop, as nerdy as that sounds." Zia chuckled. "That doesn't sound too boring." "Nah, it was. My dad was usually off in the Egyptian section or buying some electronics. There wasn't much to do besides read on those uncomfortable chairs in the caf or listen to jazz music." "Well, you won't be going alone next time," Zia pointed out. I smiled at the thought, but it faded as quickly as it came. Sighing quietly, I looked back at the millions of stars. It was ridiculous, really, thinking that I'd ever actually be with Zia, doing something as normal as eating in the food court or going to a book store. With the world about to end, it was hard to think of anything being normal again. But imaging being with Zia, even in a horrible place like the mall, was enough to keep me hoping. "True," I replied, looking back at her. Hopefully she couldn't see the sorrow in my eyes. "What next?" she asked, leaning over to me with interest. "Uhthe movies," I said, trying not to dwell on how close she was and

remember the last time I'd been to one. I couldn't. My dad never liked being in dark, open spaces with a ton of strangers. Now I knew why. For all you know, you could be sitting next to your arch enemy, or be surrounded while you pigged out on salty popcorn and candy. "What'll we do there?" Zia questioned, looking truly puzzled. "Besides watching a movie? Well, there's extremely salty, buttery popcorn and about a dozen or so soft drinks to choose from. Oh, and lots and lots of candy," I said a bit dreamily, thinking of all that food. "Sounds like an unhealthy heaven," Zia observed. "Why do you think I love it?" She rolled her eyes, trying not to smile. "And then?" "Well, after I buy you the biggest, unhealthiest combo there is, we'll go into the theater, find seats, and watch the movie." "Will we be sharing popcorn?" Zia asked, only half joking. "If you want to." "Fine. Then get the biggest popcorn you can, with tons of butter," she said, motioning with her hands to emphasize the size of the bag of popcorn. I laughed. "Alright. Then one jumbo popcorn bag it is." Zia closed her eyes, as if trying to imagine it. "What's the movie about?" "Something full of action. Like exploding cars and stuff, with tons of bloodthirsty aliens and guys with machine guns," I explained, not that I'd actually seen a real action movie. In fact, I don't think I ever went to the movies with my dad, so the last time I must have gone was when I was eight; eating gummy stars and watching movies rated G. Zia raised an eyebrow. "Okay, okay, fine. Maybe only a few small aliens and single-shot pistols," I reasoned. "And then" "Yes?" I thought for a moment. "Then, right as the murderer is about to hit the other guy with a bloody shovel" "Is this rated R?" interrupted Zia. "I'll kiss you," I blurted, looking her right in the eye. There, I said it. I didn't mean to, but it just sortacame out. Zia's expression went from joking to complete shock in a matter of seconds. "Is that so?" she murmured. I obviously couldn't go back now, so I timidly replied, "Uh, yeah." "Well...then, it will be a day of many firsts, won't it?" Zia asked, not looking at me. "I guess it will."

Slowly, she turned back to me with a smile on her face. "Of course, it doesn't have to be," she whispered into my ear. "Oh yeah?" I questioned, trying to keep my cool. "Do you see any malls or movie theaters around here?" Zia's amber eyes glistened. "That's not what I meant." Then she moved closer to me, and it took less than a second to realize what she meant. Oh, gods. I gulped, trying to remember how to breathe. I didn't even know how to kiss. I mean, let's face it, every single movie and story that have people kissing for the first time don't exactly tell you how they do it. They justdo. Not very helpful, if you ask me. Zia was close enough for me to feel her breath on my neck. Major shivers went down my spine, and it was definitely not from the cold. Finally, gathering all the courage I could muster, I leaned closer to Zia just as Sadie yelled our names. Zia shut her eyes. Reluctantly, I glanced over my shoulder and saw Sadie, her blond hair billowing in the wind, searching behind nearby sand dunes and calling frantically for us. Sighing, I looked back at Zia, whose expression hadn't changed. "It'sumSadie," I whispered dumbly. "You don't say," Zia replied, her face unreadable and her eyes still closed. "Weuhbetter go see what's up." "We should," she murmured, opening her eyes. I could have laid there forever. What would have happened if Sadie hadn't interrupted us? I would have kissed Zia, that's what. Gods, sisters. Then again, I didn't have forever. I had nineeightdays now to find the missing pages of the Book, Ra, and get the gods and magicians to work together I offered my hand to Zia, who accepted it with a smile. Somehow, the fact that her hand was in mine drained my frustration and exhaustion from me in seconds. I even found myself smiling like an idiot as we walked back to Sadie, who, to be frank, was freaking out. A few yards away, I reluctantly let go of Zia's hand and ran to my sister. The exhaustion and anger returned, but at the moment, I didn't care. If Sadie noticed Zia and I holding hands, she didn't let on. In fact, she didn't even ask where we had been. Instead, she led Zia and I back to the blanket and pointed to the Book of Ra, which was open to the last page. Seeing the Book near Sadie instantly made me nervous.

"The page! Look in the Book!" Sadie was saying, waving her hands hysterically as if she had won the lottery. "It's there! See! I knew it!" "Sadie, what's there?" I asked wearily, sitting down next to Zia, who was observing the Book. "It hasn't changed since we left it." "No, no. Look." Sadie took out her wand and muttered something I couldn't hear. "Ra writes about this spell in the third chapter," she explained as her wand began to glow a sickly green color. "Watch." Then she placed her wand near the papyrus, and instantly white, glowing hieroglyphics appeared between the lines. "What in the name of Ra" I began. "It's like invisible ink," Zia whispered in awe. "And can only be activated with the light from the spell." "Exactly," Sadie stated, beaming with pride. "It's only on this page; I checked." "What does it say?" I asked, running my finger across the words. "Don't tell me it's a" Sadie grinned. "Yup. It's a clue. A clue to find the missing pages. And if my translation is correct, there are three parts to the Book of Ra. We have the first. There are only two portions left." "Well," I said, sighing with relief. "That isn't too bad. All we have to do is find the final parts, recite it, and presto; serpent defeated." Sadie's expression changed, and it wasn't reassuring. "Umit might not be that simple. It says here that reciting the spell isn't enough. We need power, a lot of it, to make it work. More powerful than all the gods combined. And that means" "that the gods and magicians have to work together," I finished. "Well, so much for avoiding that problem. Now we definitely have to get them to help each other, and we already know we can't do that on our own. So we have to" "find Ra," Zia concluded. "And the final two parts of the Book, all by the next new moon, according to Carter." "No pressure," Sadie muttered, fingering the blue streak of hair that kept blowing in her face. "Well, what exactly does the Book say?" I asked as Sadie relit her wand. "I thought you said there was a clue." "There is," Sadie said, moving her wand over the bottom of the page. "It says, 'Go to the home of the army that formedAegyptus. There you will find the knowledge you seek.'Aeg-whaaaat? Is that some kind of a disease?" "Aegyptus,"I clarified. "It was the Roman providence of Egypt, established

after Octavian led the Romans to Egypt and conquered the place. Cleopatra killed herself, and with her went the last line of pharaohs. It also marked the beginning of the Roman rule. The language was lost, as well as the religion." "Yeah, yeah, yeah. But what does this have to do with the actual Book?" Sadie moaned, not at all interested in the history of Egypt. "I mean, what does all this mean?" "It means," Zia said, her eyes sparkling, "that the second part of the Book is hidden in the Third Nome. Pack your bags, we're traveling to Rome."

C A R T E R For those of you who haven't been to Rome, I suggest you go. Even while I was stressing out about saving the world and running for my life, I had a pretty good time. Now I'm getting ahead of myself, but still, Rome was pretty great. Just take my word for it and stay away from the Third Nome. You'll figure out why shortly. Anyway, after Sadie found the clue in the Book of Ra, she summoned a portal and transported us to Italy. The only problem was that we fell directly into the Trevi Fountain, which is basically a very big and very famous fountain in Rome. "Sadie!" I shouted as I waded in the crystal clear water around me. "What on Earth were you thinking?" "Sorry!" Sadie yelled back, holding the Book over her head so it wouldn't get wet (can books written by the sun god even get wet?) "It's the only tourist attraction in Rome I could think of!" I rolled my eyes and walked towards the edge. Tourists left me room, probably because they didn't want to get wet themselves, while a dozen or so snapped pictures. Great, I was going to be humiliated in family scrapbooks for years to come all because of my idiot sister. After I pulled Zia and Sadie out and received quite a few glares from the natives there, I threw a coin into the fountain. When I looked back at the girls, they were both staring at me quizzically. "It's a tradition," I explained. "I read about it somewhere. Whoever throws a coin over their left shoulder into the fountain will someday return to Rome." I was about to explain the affect the tradition had on the community, but stopped myself. Zia and Sadie did not look too impressed. My sister popped a bubble of her bubble gum and Zia seemed interested in watching a fly as it

buzzed through the air towards a nearby fruit stand. "Somebody doesn't like Italian culture. Well thenmoving on," I muttered, and we started to navigate the crowded streets of Italy. After dodging a few motor scooters and getting lost a couple of times, we found ourselves a street side caf to dry off, which was fine with me, since that statue of Neptune on the fountain was seriously freaking me out. Its eyes seemed to follow us as we walked away; sending major shivers down my spine. Of course, statues aren't alive, but still, I've seen a lot weirder stuff in my one year as a magician, so I wouldn't be surprised if it stood up and started tap dancing or something. It turns out that when you want to buy things in Italy, you need to have Italian money, which unfortunately, none of us had. I looked hopefully at Zia, thinking that she might know how to summon some dinero from the air, but she only shrugged. Well, I guess even magic has its limits. Luckily, Zia could use her magical skills to convince the waiter that we had already paid, so I guess it didn't matter whether we had money or not. I did feel kind of guilty though, since the waiter was just ripped off by some foreigners who were stuffing their faces with free cannoli, but hey, desperate times call for desperate measures. "So, what's the plan again?" asked Sadie with a mouth covered in sauce. "Something about the Third Nomeooh look! They have garlic bread!" I sighed as I poked my meal with my fork. "We're going to the Third Nome to find the second part of the Book of Ra, Sadie. Remember?" Sadie glanced up from her plate and gave me a look that clearly meant, o duh."Of course I remember. What I meant was how are going to find this Nome and" Once again, my sister took another forkful of her homemade pasta, engrossed in her dish. "Gosh, do Italians know how to live," she moaned, savoring the last bite. "I could eat this stuff every bloody day." Leave it to Sadie to get distracted with food right before the world's about to end. I glanced at Zia, who had been quiet ever since we fell into the fountain. She was forming fiery hieroglyphics from the small candle in the middle of the table with her finger. If any of the dinner guests found that odd, they didn't let on. The symbols floated about a foot in the air and then disappeared. "Zia, where exactly is this place?" I asked, bringing her out of her thoughts. Zia looked up from the candle. Then she pointed down the street and said, "Oh, the Nome? It's right there." "What?" Sadie and I cried in unison. Normally I would have laughed when

my sister nearly choked on her cannoli, but it's sort of difficult to be jolly when there's a building full of your archenemies at the end of the block. "And you didn't tell us this because?" Sadie left the questioning hanging and eyed Zia suspiciously. It didn't take a genius to know that Sadie was having second thoughts about trusting Zia, but Zia looked unfazed by Sadie's accusation. Instead, she shrugged and answered, "Well, Sadie was stuffing her face with starchy food and Carter was trying to read the menu aloud in Italianif that gibberish even deserves to be called Italianand we won't be able to enter until midnight anyway,so I let you all relax. You know, since it'll probably be the last time you do." Zia averted her eyes to the window, surveying the empty street. "Besides, there are spies everywhere. If they heard us talking about our plans, well, let's just say we'll have the entire magician force waiting for us on the other side of that wall," she concluded, pointing to the large wall surrounding the tenement at the end of the block. Well, so much for having a peaceful, carefree meal. "Relaxation time over," I muttered, quickly summoning my bag from the Duat and slinging it over my shoulder. "Then why are you making hieroglyphics from the flame?" Sadie questioned, still gazing at Zia apprehensively. "Aren't you concerned that some of the Roman blokes will see those?" "It's an invisibility spell," Zia replied dismissively, still looking down the darkened street. Romans must not really enjoy the night life, because nearly everyone had cleared out of the caf a half an hour ago and the roads were nearly deserted. With the fiery hieroglyphics and a compound full of enemies next door, I didn't exactly feel warm and cozy on my Roman holiday. "Oh, and I would have expected you to recognize those symbols, Sadie," Zia added, just to get on Sadie's nerves. My sister's eyes narrowed, but she looked at the fiery symbols anyway. To my surprise, I actually recognized the hieroglyphics. One of them was shaped like a LEGO piece, another looked like a man praying, the third one was just a long squiggly line, and the last looked like a fan or maybe a tropical leaf. An unlikely combo, but together they represented I'mun: the hieroglyphic word for "hide." When I said the word aloud, even Zia looked impressed. "Well, someone's been studying invisibility," she noted as Sadie rolled her eyes. "Please," my sister moaned. "He only learned that spell because" "because it's useful," I interrupted a little too quickly. "Thanks for that,

Sadie, but I think I can speak for myself." Zia shot a quick smile in my direction and went back to circling the rim of the candle with her finger, causing symbols to float from the orange flames. I would have kept watching her, but I felt Sadie's sharp gaze on me. When I looked up at her, she was wiggling her eyebrows. Then she pointed to me, made an O shape with her hand, and then pointed back to herself. The message, unfortunately, was clear: You owe me. I sighed and gave her a "whatever" look, but sadly, I actually did owe her. I had been trying to master this particular spell of invisibility for ages, since it was the exact same one Zia used back at the First Nome that night I followed her. Worse of all? Sadie knew about it. Why did I master that spell? Maybe it was just because I thought it could be helpful in the dark months ahead, but deep down I knew why I practiced every other night on my balcony. It was because it was all I had left of Zia well, before I found herand maybe, just maybe I wanted to impress her. Besides, that night was really the only time Zia and I really got to talk alone, and it was probably one of my most favorite memories. Sadie knew there was a connection between the spell and Zia, which is why she gave me "the look;" her freaky, "I-know-exactly-what-you're-thinking" look. Gods, am I that readable? If so, then that would mean Ziaman, I don't even want to think about it. "Carter!" Zia shouted, bringing me out of my thoughts. "Huh?" "It's time. I'm going to show you and Sadie a map of the Third Nome," she announced, summoning a 3D hologram of a floor plana map of the Roman Nome. "There are protective wards everywhere, and we still have absolutely no idea where this second section may be, or if the magicians here are aware of it," Zia explained. "I'm assuming it will be hidden near a symbol of Ra, like a statue or a wall painting. I've only been here once, but I remember they had an old Ra statue at the end of one of the hallways. It could be somewhere in there, but no promises. And we can't afford to be wrong." "Well," Sadie said in a sing-song voice. "Everybody makes mistakes, everybody has those" "Ugh!" I moaned, covering my ears before Sadie could sing anymore. "Spare us, please!" "Fine," Sadie huffed. "But it is true. Odds are that it'll take us a few tries to find these bloody pages. I mean, look at the place! It's enormous!" She did have a point; the place was pretty huge. The first floor alone was a

labyrinth of corridors and empty rooms. Looking for a statue of Ra in there would be like trying to find your mythology book in Sadie's pigsty of a room. [Hey, don't give me that look! I know what your room looks like. Besides, I never did see that Egyptian mythology book again.] "Most likely," Zia agreed, rubbing her chin thoughtfully as she examined the glowing hologram. "But the consequences would be too great. The Roman magicians are known for their advanced combat magic and brutal training program. Some of them are direct descendants of the Spartans. They have powerful magic in their blood and have been training since they were toddlers. So I suggest we do not listen to the moral of Sadie's song and don't mess up. Unless, of course, you want to be turned into a piece of metal and melted down to make weapons for mass destruction." Sadie gulped, no longer interested in her canolli."Um, what are these oh-soterrible consequences, exactly?" Zia sighed. "Let me approach this at a different angle: do you value your life?" "Uh, yeah." "How about the lives of millions?" "Um, sure," Sadie replied, not quite understanding what Zia was getting at. "Then don't fail." Her eyes widened as Zia's point dawned on her. "Okay. Not failing. As the wise Yoda once said, 'Do or Do not. There is no try. Only do." I rolled my eyes as Zia ran her hand through the hologram, making it disappear in a shower of blue sparks. "Thank you, Sadie for those inspiring words of wisdom. Now can we please hear the rest of the plan so we can get going?" Mostly I just wanted to hear Zia talk again, since it gave her a reason to speak to me directly, but I was also starting to worry that the waiter would suddenly remember that we didn't pay him. Then we'd end up with a huge bill for all that expensive Italian meals Sadie inhaled in the past hour. "Thank you, wonderful brother for hinting that I'm fat," Sadie muttered. "You're such a charmer. No wonder why Zia likes youoh wait, that's right: she doesn't." "I like Carter!" Zia protested, and just hearing her say it made my heart leap. Then she noticed Sadie's smirk and added, "UmI meanoh, never mind." "Go on, Zia," Sadie coaxed, leaning over the table. "What were you going to say? Sadie's all ears." "I was going to say that I agree with him and that we're wasting time," Zia snapped, not looking at either of us. "So, here's what we'll do"

*::*::* I had to admit, I liked this plan of Zia's a lot better than her last one that involved pushing me into a bottomless abyss. Still, this one wasn't that much better, since we were entering a Nome full of magicians who would gladly turn me into a mouse and feed me to the closest falcon. Oh, the irony Anyway, this plan included us becoming invisibleagain. Hey, it comes in handy a lot when you're hiding from people who are trying to kill you (which, sadly, is normal for us.) We each had to perform the spell individually, because it would call for too much power to encase all three of us in Zia's invisible bubble like she had casted at the restaurant. When I asked her why she wasn't exhausted from it, she explained that by using fire, she was able to perform the spell for a longer amount of time without using as much energy. Since she specializes in fire magic, she can use its energy for her own purposes whenever she pleases. In spite of myself, I wondered what you'd do if you mastered in Earth magic. Would you have to carry around a huge rock or something? Or maybe a fistful of dirt? Well, then you'd probably leave a trail behind you as you went, so that would sorta defeat the purpose of an invisibility spellwhatever. That was the least of our problems. At the moment, our main issue was that we didn't have fire, and something told me if I tried to summon energy from, like, a sword or a khopesh, it wouldn't work. I mentioned it anyway, but Zia, who seemed to know everything there is about magic, informed me that it would be impossible. Why am I not surprised? "It needs to be living, Carter," she explained as she left a gold coin on the table for the waiter. "Like, having a soul. Besides, the spell only works for elementalists." Then she noticed my raised eyebrow and added, "Erm, no offense." "None taken," I replied, trying not to trip on the unpaved street. "Combat magic totally kicks butt anyway." I wanted to add that fire wasn't exactly living, so it couldn't really have a soul (or a ren, if you want to use Egyptian terms) but that probably would have led to me being proven wrong again by Zia, which I normally don't mind (it is Zia, after all) but we didn't have time for another lecture on magic. The next thing I know, we'll be getting into the whole "cheese is an element" argument, and after having that fight with Bast on Memorial Day last year, well, let's just say I don't want a repeat of that. Sadie, Zia, and I approached the Third Nome at the end of the road. Dark

clouds loomed above us, threatening to rain. The street lights flickered, casting long shadows across the abandoned street. Few lights sifted through the dirty windows of the rundown apartments that bordered the road, making the overall setting look abandoned and depressing. Before us was an old house with red shingles and faded yellow paint. There was a welcome mat caked with dirt and grime from years out in the rain outside the door, as if the Roman magicians were trying to make the place look more inviting. Well, it wasn't working. "Do we knock?" Sadie asked, only half joking. She had a point, though. There were no windows to the small tenement. The wooden door, faded and ancient, looked normal enough for the poorer part of the city, but I knew better. There was bound to be dozens of wards and spells on the other side, just waiting for some stupid magicians to fry. One wrong move and we'd probably be incinerated on the spot. I wouldn't want to sell Girl Scout cookies on this street; it could be life threatening. "So what do we do now?" Sadie moaned, staring at the doorknob as if it were a bomb. Hey, for all we knew, it was. "Go invisible," Zia demanded, looking over her shoulder. "They'll be here any minute. It's almost midnight." "Who'll be here?" I asked. "Why mid" "Now!" Then Zia disappeared before my very eyes. Sadie was gone before I turned around. I may be a little slow, but after I heard the heavy footsteps coming from down the street, I recited the spell pretty quickly and faded into the gloomy background. There were three of them, all dark haired and tough looking. The magician in the front was the largest of the threesome, bulky with probably every bicep and tricep you can imagine. His face had a long, red scar that ran from the corner of his lip to his left brow. [Yes, Sadie, sorta like that villain from The Lion King, only I think he made that lion look like a cute, cuddly kitten.] He must have been the leader, since he did not look like the guy you would want to mess with everyday. Well, unless you wanted a knuckle sandwich, that is. The other magician was a foot smaller than the other. In other words, the second guy was six feet tall. He had a bunch of watches on both arms and a dark pair of expensive-looking sunglasses. His hands looked were as big as my head and could probably break down the booby-trapped door singlehandedly. By the looks of him, I wouldn't be surprised if he did. Yeah, maybe now you understand why us Kanes use invisibility so often.

The last magician actually wasn't too bad; a scrawny, devious looking teen with a face covered in acne and a Britney Spears concert t-shirt. He carried two large staffs and as much scrolls as his skinny, freckled arms could carry. Mind racing, body quaking, he hurried after the hulks-in-training. Somehow he was managing not to drop anything as he scampered after the others, and something told me his buddies wouldn't be too happy if he did. Even from behind the bush, I could see the fear in his eyes as he hustled behind them. "Hurry!" the tallest dude bellowed. "The doors will be closing in a minute!" "C-coming! I'm coming!" the small one replied, though I think the leader was talking to the man with the shades. By the way he looked at the little guy, you'd think he was nothing more than a pesky mosquito that kept buzzing around his ear and wanted desperately to squish. "What a dweep," Sadie observed, and I knew she must have seen the black t-shirt that he kept tugging nervously. Or maybe it was the purple socks that gave him away. "Shh! They're opening the door," Zia murmured. "Wait for my signal. When the time's right, recite the spell. Then place your hand on the back of one of their necks." "Their necks?" Sadie wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Why on Earth" Before my sister could finish, the wooden door creaked open. I felt Zia's grip on my shoulder tighten. Then she whispered "go!" and we recited the three verse spell Zia had taught us back at the caf. Almost instantly, a blast of green light shot out of each of our hands. The magicians hadn't stood a chance. All three of them fell to the dirt road with a thud. I felt someoneZia probablybrush past me as I walked towards the fallen Romans. I was about to place my hand on the closest one, the shades guy, when I bumped into someone. I could faintly smell the scent of bubble gum as Sadie yelled, "This one's mine! Get your own!" I shrugged and walked over to the largest guy, who was the closest to my right. Before I could lay a finger on him, I heard Zia's voice next to my ear. "I don't think so, Kane. Slow pokes get last dips," she mocked. "Looks like you get that one, the boy with the ever-so-attractive acne." "Oh, come on!" I protested, but the girls wouldn't give in. With a sigh, I put my hand on the neck of the curly haired kid and muttered a short spell. I couldn't understand most of it, but I did catch the word "ren," which is never a good sign. The last thing I needed was something happening to my soul. Instantly, a hieroglyphic burned above the guy's head. The other two magicians also had a fiery symbol levitating above them. About a split second later, I felt a powerful force tugging at my body, and before I could

even react, I was lying on the ground, staring up at a darkened sky. "What the hec" Stunned, I stopped in mid-sentence. It wasn't my voice, but the squeaky, pre-puberty voice of the scrawny magician. I ran my handmy freckled handthrough my curly brown hair. In dismay, I looked down at my t-shirt, only to find the face of Britney Spears smiling back at me. Sadly, the feeling of being in someone else's body was all too familiar to me. "Looking good, Carter," the shades-dude said in a husky voice. In shock, I realized that Hulk Jr. was Sadie. "I'll get you two for this," I threatened. It didn't come out as frightening as I had hoped for though, since my voice cracked after the first word. Zia and Sadie burst into laughter, really manly laughter, as I rolled my eyes. I found it depressing that my little sister stood a half a foot taller than me and sounded more like a guy than I did. Talk about embarrassing. "Let's get this over with," I muttered, taking a step towards the door. "What do we do once we get in there?" Sadie asked in her new husky voice as we stepped over the welcome mat. "Well, you know what they say," Zia whispered as a bunch of magicians came into view. "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

C A R T E R Turning into a dweeb with long, wiry hair can really ruin your day. Did I mention he hadn't washed it in what smelled like years? [Sadie just called that sentence "horrid," but I think it's worth mentioning, since none of you were forced by a certain sister to have this experience.] I got up close and personal with it as the long, greasy strands brushed across my face with every step I took. Gods, of all the magicians who were walking to the Third Nome that day, I just had to get stuck with the one who had no knowledge whatsoever of personal hygiene. Anyway, once we entered the Nome, there were magicians everywhere. I guess I was wrong about the Romans not liking the nightlife. They all must come here to party instead. Before us was an open garden, or at least, it used to be a garden. Besides the small fountain in the middle, there was nothing beautiful about the place. Dead flowers and weeds sprung up from the dry soil, and the crooked tree was sparse and old. In the center of the garden was a large wrestling platform with two bulky guys in togas, who circled each other like hawks over their prey. A large crowd surrounded them, cheering them on in Italian and making a drum roll sound by crashing their weapons (which every one of them were holding) onto the tile pathway. Now I understood why the geeky kid had looked so frightened before he came here. These people looked like real Spartans, and for all I knew, they were, since I have met magicians much older than that. And since I had shoes that were way too big for me, I started to have horrible visions of me tripping on my shoe lace and impaling myself with one of those swords. I had already tripped and fallen into Sadie twice, who's to say I won't do it again? For the tenth time that night, I cursed this lanky kid with bad hygiene and no taste in music.

Zia led the way, although it's sort of difficult to refer to her as Zia when she's six foot three and looks like a professional wrestler. Sadie followed Zia, leaving me in the dust as I sneezed from the pollen in the air (Did I mention this kid had allergies? Bonus!) and tripped on my worn, blue Converse. It's times like these that I truly despise my sister and Zia. I half expected all the Spartan dudes to run after us with their spears, but none of them acknowledged our presence. They seemed too intrigued in watching the guy in the blue toga twist the red guy's leg at an impossible angle and listen to his cries of agony. Entertaining, right? "This way," Zia demanded, seeming to enjoy the role of leader. The moment she spoke, a few of the men in togas turned around and trained their dark eyes on us. Sadie immediately rushed to my side and shoved me. With a yelp, I stumbled forward and barely managed not to trip and fall flat on my face. (Well, not my face, but you get the idea.) Actually, for this kid, it would have been an improvement. "Keep moving!" Sadie shouted in her husky voice as the others howled with laughter. Seething with anger, I kept my head down and marched after Zia. "This is not the life I ordered," I muttered under by breath. I instantly felt a little sympathy for the kid whose body I had taken over for the time being. If this is what he had to go through every day, then no wonder why he looked so on edge and out of place. He definitely didn't belong here, and neither did we. "You're pushing it, Sadie," I muttered when the Spartans were out of hearing. Without meeting my eyes, Sadie replied, "It's all an act, Carter. They suspect something about us. I had to convince them that we were, well, like them." "You mean you're trying to be cruel, heartless, and a jerk? Well, it's working. All you lack is the blood-stained sword." I understood what she meant though; those were the kind of people who would take pleasure in physical and mental types of torture. Still, it didn't make me feel much better. The sooner we left this place, the better. Huh, maybe I shouldn't have thrown that coin into the Trevi Fountain. "It should be around here somewhere," Zia muttered to herself as she tried to navigate the hallways. "I think the mess hall is down that wayor was that the main hall?" "Well, I suggest we ask for some directions," Sadie suggested, "since this is obviously getting us nowhere." "We can't," Zia said firmly. "We're pretending that we here. How would it look if we started asking where a statue of Ra was when the three of us are

supposed to be magicians who have been training in this Nome for years?" "Ohright." Sadie sighed. "I see your point." "Exactly." "Well, can't we send out some sort of tracking spell to find us what we need?" my sister complained. "This is taking forever." "You're the one with the all-powerful spell book," I pointed out. Sadie's eyes widened as if this was news for her. "Oh yeah. Let me see if there's a spell on 'Tracking Magical, Inanimate Objects.'" She flipped through the ancient pages as we weaved through corridor after corridor. Occasionally, we'd pass a display of century old weapons, or a preserved head of an enemy, which I guess is your normal decoration when you're a Spartan; a few faded maps, a statue of Mars, the Roman god of war (whose eyes seemed to follow me wherever I went, though the dweeb's eyesight wasn't that great, so I must have been imagining it) and even a few sets of battle armor dating back thousands of years. Personally, I found all this stuff pretty fascinating, or maybe the ren of the geeky kid was starting to rub off on me. In fact, after about twenty minutes of pointless searching, I started to have an odd craving for a Britney Spears song and low sodium Trail Mix. I don't even like Trail Mix! "Uh, guys, are you starting touh" Well, I couldn't tell them that I wanted to stop and listen to "Hit Me Baby One More Time," now could I? They'd think I'd gone insane. Gods, maybe I had "Odd? Peculiar?" Sadie offered. "Well, I'm starting to have the strong urge to knock somebody's head in, so yes, I would say I'm feeling a littleoff." "The rens. They're returning to their bodies," Zia explained. "We have to hurry, we're running out of time. Just stay focused on your own ren and try not to think of your host. It may buy us some time." "It's sort of hard not to think about them, since I'm still in a body of a tall, muscular bloke who must eat nails for breakfast," Sadie muttered. "I mean, who craves a javelin at a time like this?" "Focus on the Book, Sadie," I reminded her. "We need that spell." "Oh, right...Wait, here it is!" she shouted. "Recite a few simple lines, and we should be able to find" Out of habit, I nervously ran my hand through my hair. When My fingers touched the strands, though, they weren't long and greasy. Instead, they were shorter and smooth. When I pulled one in front of my face, I realized it was black. Uh oh.

"Um, Sadie? Zia? I think we have a problem." *::*::* It wasn't long before the three of us began turning back to normal. Zia and Sadie seemed to shrink with every minute that passed, and Sadie's tan head was covered in a weird combination of short, black hair and long, blond strands. Normally, I would have found this funny, but not today. If the Romans found us now, they wouldn't be fooled by our appearance, and we still didn't have the second portion of the Book of Ra. In other words, things weren't going too well in the Eternal City. Finally, Zia's eyes, now a combination of dark brown and amber, lit up with recognition. "I know this corridor!" she shouted, breaking into a run. "The statue's down here! Quick!" I followed as best I could with my shoes still untied (And yes, I know how to tie my shoes, but no matter what I did, they kept coming undone. Well, what did I expect? This definitely wasn't my day.) Not too far away, I could hear the outraged cries of magicians, coming in our direction. Something told me they were no longer convinced by our disguises. Somehow, they figured out that we weren't what we seemed, and would be on top of us in minutes. Before I could mention this, we arrived at our destination. Looming above us was a ten foot statue of Ra, carved in obsidian. In his hand he held a crook and flail; the official weapons of the sun god. His lips seemed to be curved into a half smile as he watched over a barren hallway. "Sooowhat now?" Sadie asked, taking a step towards the statue. Her voice had returned to normal at this point, and the black colored hair had practically disappeared. "If that's Ra, he doesn't look too impressive. In fact, he doesn't look like a sun god at all. Why all the black rock?" "Black absorbs sunlight," I explained. "I guess they thought that the spirit of Ra could use the sunlight that the rock absorbs to, like, use for energy or whatever. But yeah, most people would use gold. Actually, I think this is Khnum, which is why he has ram horns. This looks like a replica of the one in the Egyptian museum in Berlin, which also displays a bust of Queen Nerfirtiti, the most beautiful woman in the world." Subconsciously, I glanced at Zia, who was watching me curiously. "So they say," I added, giving her a smile. Sadie yawned dramatically. "Sadie, were you even listening?" I asked, too weary to even care. "Of course, Carter dear," Sadie replied as she rolled her eyes. "I always

yawn when I'm interested." "Hey!" I objected. Before I could say anymore, the sound of the enraged cries of the Spartans' heightened. They were almost on top of us, and we had absolutely nowhere to hide. "Quick!" Sadie exclaimed. "Where do you think the Book would be hidden on this thing?" "Some sort of symbol! You know, like the scarab in the First Nome." I knit my eyebrows in concentration. "Let me seethere was some sort of symbol for KhnumI think it has something to do with potteryand clay," I concluded with uncertainty. But I could have sworn Khnum had something to do with the creation of mankind "Well, this is not the time to have a brain cramp, Carter!" Sadie shouted. "Angry magicians+spears=not-a-safe-situation-that-we-probably-won'tsurvive!" "I'm thinking!" I shouted over the din. The magicians were just around the corner. We didn't have time for thinking; we needed these pages, and fast. I approached the statue and began looking at the carved symbols at its base. The Book had to be activated by one of these symbols, it just had to be. Our lives depended on it. I scanned the symbols, searching frantically for something I recognized. Then, just as the Spartans rounded the corner, I found it; a small potter's wheel etched into the black obsidian. It was the symbol for Khnum, the creator of humankind, who constructed the first man from clay and created the Nile. "Guys, I think this is it!" I cried, turning to face Sadie and Zia. When I turned however, I found myself face to face with four Spartans in black battle armor and about a dozen weapons on hand. Zia looked like she was trying to swallow an orange. She stood her ground in front of the muscular magicians, but I could sense her fear. This was a battle we could not win. We were outnumbered, and these Romans had been training in combat for thousands of years. Not to mention they had powerful magic on their side. In the past few days, I had become all too familiar with weapons and what it feels like to have one thrust into your gut. Yeah, that wasn't a very appealing sentence, was it? Well, it's the truth. Besides, the last thing we needed was more violence. And that's not just my inner Gandhi, people. The world was about to be thrown into total chaos. Apophis was about to kill billions of innocent people. If I killed someone, then how different would I be from the Serpent? "Okay Khnum, don't fail me now," I whispered as I pressed the hieroglyphic

in one final, desperate attempt to find the pages. For a long, horrible moment, nothing happened. All that could be heard was the gruff voices of the Spartans, arguing with Sadie and Zia. "Excuse me, gentlemen. We're here to retrieve some very, very important pages that could possibly save your sorry lives," Sadie was saying. "So you can either try to hurt us or get out of the way." "You can't fool us, girlies," a tall Roman, dark eyes and angry, replied. "We found those magicians you spelled. You'll never make it out alive. Now give up or be killed." Just then the ground began to shake, and the statue of the god split down the middle, revealing a stone pedestal. On the pedestal was a stack of pages; the second portion of the Book of Ra. "Bingo." I quickly ran over the rubble and retrieved the pages, about ten or so, before the Romans could even react. Even Sadie and Zia looked surprised. "How about none of the above?" I suggested, taking out my wand from my dad's bag. "We have the magic of Ra on our side. Now step aside or be destroyed." The magicians stared at me for a long, suspenseful moment. Then they broke into hysertical laughter. "Oh, we're sooo scared. You're the one hiding behind two girls. I wouldn't be looking so brave if I was you." I smiled in spite of myself. "Well, I'd rather have these girls on my side then idiots like you," I replied, meaning every word. "And if I were you, I wouldn't be insulting them unless you want to be crushed. Take my word for it and get out of here. This is your last chance.' Zia stood up a little straighter and Sadie looked up from the Book, which she had been reading as I spoke. The tallest magician in the front shook his head and chuckled darkly. "You are a disgrace to man, Carter Kane. You'll never be a warrior." I considered that for a second. "Well, if being a warrior means I'd end up like you, then I'll take that last comment as a compliment." "Get them!" The leader yelled, raising his sword into the air. Sadie coughed. "Stupidity is not a crime, guys. Therefore, you are free to go. Last warning, because as much as I despise you all, I'd rather not do this." "Huh?" The Spartans said in unison, looking stunned and confused. Sadie sighed, as if the magicians had failed a very important test. "However, lingering is a crime, so I guessyou're done for!" Then she raised her hands and murmured a long, complicated verse to one of the sun god's spells. I couldn't understand a word of it, but I did recognize

one of the hieroglyphics that burned in the air as she spoke: the symbol for donkey. Now, donkey curses are probably the most frightening curses I have ever seen, but after witnessing the effect of Sadie's spell on these Spartans, I changed my mind. The first dude's nose began to stretch outward, sorta like Pinocchio after he had told a lie. Only this Spartan didn't have a long, wooden nose. In a matter of seconds, he had a wide, furry snout. The next guy sprouted ears, and the third had a long, russet-colored tail, as if he had just come from a birthday party and someone had used him for the donkey. The last man's hands turned into black, mud-splattered hooves. As the four Romans ran around in panic, I glanced wearily at my sister, who had a ridiculous grin on her face. "UmSadie?" In moments, we were no longer staring at four Spartans, but four foulsmelling donkeys. Their togas lay in a pile on the floor, along with their staffs and weapons. "Well, that was easy," Sadie commented, quoting the Easy Button in a singsong voice. "That wasfreaky," I decided, stepping back from my sister. "I'm not gonna even ask where you learned that, or why of all things you could do to them, you turned them into donkeys!" Sadie huffed. "Carter, please don't make me explain why I chose this specific animal. I thought it would be rather obvious, seeing how you saw all their wonderful displays and forms of entertainment. Personally, I think this look suits them well." I had a feeling I knew what Sadie meant, but she wouldn't do such a thingwould she? "Ohyou mean?" "Yes, Carter," she simply replied. "Now let's leave theseerm, donkeys be and escape before more of their kind come after us. I'm not in the mood to turn anyone else into a lousy" "donkey," I interrupted before Sadie could finish. Hey, just trying to keep things rated G. "Now let's get out of here." One of the donkeysI can't really refer to them as Spartans, now can I? brayed at me as I passed by and snapped at my shoe lace. Okay, so I probably should have kept walking, but I felt bad for them, even if they werewell, what donkeys were commonly called. They used to be human after all, and they sorta reminded of the warrior in my dream (if you'd consider that a dream) even ifthey were jerks.

I took a bit of a cracker out of my backpack and tossed it to the animal closest to me. Then I wished them luck, hoping that they'd end up in a nice, quiet petting zoo somewhere in Sicily or something. Finally, I chased after Sadie and Zia, who had already summoned a portal and were waiting for me by the display of some king's preserved finger. The swirling vortex levitated about a foot in the air, and I could already fell its power urging me forward. "Two down, one more to go," Sadie said cheerfully, as if she hadn't just turned four men into burros just moments before. "Now let's get out of here before their friends arrive." "Agreed," Zia and I replied in unison. All three of us had turned back to normal at this point, which was a relief. Just as Sadie jumped into the portal, Zia turned to me and smiled. "You know, you played the part of 'dweeb' pretty well," Zia commented as we approached the entrance. I pretended to look offended. "Gee, thanks." Zia grinned. "Well, you were a very cute dweeb." I rolled my eyes. "Thanks, but I don't think I'll do it again," I explained. "I'm done with Rome." "Shame." Zia sighed. "They have good cannoli." The two of us laughed, and together, we stepped into the swirling portal above. So, my advice to you all? When in Rome, don't do as the Romans do. Run for your life.

C A R T E R The portal transported us back to the desert we camped out in a day before. The sun was high in the sky, which meant it was about noon. Exhausted, Sadie collapsed onto the blanket she had packed in her backpack and fell asleep almost instantly. "Don't bother me unless you want to be turned into a donkey," she threatened as her eyes fluttered shut. Her breathing became steady, and for once, Sadie actually looked peaceful. Gazing at her, you would never guess that she had just run for her life from blood thirsty Spartans and turned four guys into burros. I immediately felt badI had forgotten how much energy it requires to summon a portaland Sadie had been summoning them quite a lot recently. I couldn't blame her for feeling beat. "You tired too?" I asked Zia, who had taken out her own sleeping bag and was brushing off the grains of sand. "I'll take first watch if you want." "Tired?" Zia looked at me like I had two heads. "It's one in the afternoon!" "We'llyeahbut we were just chased by a group of crazed, savage Romans," I pointed out, sitting down beside her. Zia shuddered. "Yes, I forgot howuh, sensitive they get. It's been a while since I've been there." "Sensitive? More like murderous. Those guys were barbaric!" I accused, pointing my finger in her direction. "That's the last time I let you chose the Nome we go to." "It's not my fault. I didn't choose the location of the Book," she argued, though I could see the smile forming on her lips. "Ra's priests did, and in a way, they were quite intelligent. No magician in their right mind would agree to travel to the Third Nome unless you're invited, and even that's dangerous."

"Wait, are you saying we're not sane?" I asked, edging closer to her. Zia ignored my comment. "Well, at least we survived. It could have been a lot worse. They could have tried to roast someone on a stake, or tear your limbs apart, or" She silenced when she noticed my horrified expression. "Should I ask how you know this?" I managed to ask, not daring to look at her. Even when I wasn't facing her, I could tell she was smiling faintly. "I wouldn't I were you." "Oookay then." Before Zia could reply, the sky suddenly darkened. And no, I don't mean that the clouds moved in front of the sun. I mean that the sky literally turned black, as if the gods had hit the OFF switch on the sun. We were thrown instantly into total darkness. "What the heck"I started, reaching for Zia's arm. Just then, Sadie screamed, making me jump a foot in the air. In an instant, I was at her side. Body quaking, she sat up in her sleeping bag and stared at the sky in horror. "Sadie?" I shouted, fear creeping into my voice. The odd weather was quickly forgotten as I examined my sister for any wounds. Luckily, she had none, but the terrified look in her eyes was enough to make my blood run cold. "Sadie? Can you hear me? Sadie!" "She's in shock," Zia observed, waving a hand in front of my sister's big, blue eyesso much like our mother's. The thought made my heart skip a beat. "Sadie," I whispered, waving my hand in front of her face desperately. "Sadie! Wake up! Come on, Sadie!" I felt someoneZiarest her hand on my shoulder, but even that didn't help. I had never seen Sadie so horrified. Whatever she had seen Deep down, I knew who did this to my sister. Fists clenching, I rose and walked away from Sadie's side, kicking sand out of my way in frustration. How could we defeat Apophis now? We had even less time, not to mention the serpent was slowly torturing us in our dreams. He was simply too powerful. Was I really fighting a losing battle? "Carter." "What?" I asked, my voice barely audible as I glared at the barren landscape before me. "Sadieshe'll be alright," Zia assured me. "She's just had a bit of a shock "

"A bit of a shock," I muttered bitterly. I had a pretty good idea what Sadie had seen, and if it had anything to do with Apophis, I'm sure it did a lot more than just "shock" her. "It was more than that, Zia." I murmured, not trusting myself to look at her or my sister. "We both know that." Zia sighed. "Carter, I know what Apophis did to you, okay? Sadie and I were there. Sure, I'll never know exactly what you saw, but Sadie's vision definitely wasn't like that. She would have been screaming hours ago, nonstop. Believe me, if the embodiment of chaos touched her mind, we'd know." She paused, probably waiting for me to comment, but I had nothing to say. I had never felt so helpless in my entire life. If Apophis was using this as a way to weaken mewell, it was working. "Sorry," I whispered, turning to face her. For once, Zia Rashid looked startled. "For what?" "Everything," I explained. "We barely escaped Rome alive, Zia. Same with the First Nome. Do you really think we'll be able to find the last portion, wherever it is? Do you seriously believe we can save the world?" Zia sighed again, her amber eyes dark with sadness. "Yes. I do, Carter. And so do you. You need to have faith in this, or all is lost. If the magicians aren't on our side, and most of thegods don't believe in us, then who will?" "Ummy dead parents?" I asked acidly, glancing at my sister, whose expression was the same; clouded and horrified. "Us," Zia continued. "We have to believe in ourselves, or we'll lose to chaos. Apophis feeds off fear and hopelessness. We can't give him the pleasure of watching us give up on ourselves. We cando this, Carter. We're already so close. And I know Sadie feels the same way." I laughed bitterly. "When did you and Sadie become best friends?" Even Zia cracked a smile, her teeth bright against the darkness. "She isn't all bad, Carter. In fact, she's extremely brave, and isn't afraid to, well, speak her mind." Zia's smile broadened. "She's lucky to have you as a brother." "Yeah sure," I muttered. "A lot of good that did her." But I knew what she meant. Still, I couldn't bear to think that my sister had just gone through what I endured only a few nights ago. No one deserved that kind of tortureespecially not Sadie. She was always so full of lifegods knew what those kind of visions would do to her. I had already lost my parents, and I was definitely not losing my sister to some stupid, ancient serpent. "Carterlook," Zia said, her voice alarmed and her eyes alert. "Sadie's staring at something." Zia turned her back on me, gazing at the portion of sky my sister was staring at. Eyes wide, mouth agape, Sadie's terrified

expression remained unchanged. I copied Zia's example, but I couldn't see what the big deal was. The sky was dark (it was night, what did she expect?) except for the moon shining almost directly above us. Before I could point this out, Zia gasped. "What?" I asked, squinting at the stars. "Carterlook closer at the moon," Zia demanded, closing her amber eyes. "Whaaa?" "Just do it," she replied in a no nonsense tone. Shrugging inwardly to myself, I obeyed Zia and glanced up at the moon. It was the same as always: white, bright, a few craters here and there. Before I could say so, however, I realized what was different. Instead of the moon being in its gibbous phase (you know, the phase the moon goes through when it takes the shape of a lemon?) it was small and thin, like the croissant I had imagined Desjardins pigging out on in the First Nome. "But that's not possible," I murmured, recalling the phases of the moon my mother had taught me. "That's the Waning Crescent phase. It's supposed to be at the Waning Gibbousphase, since we have a week before Apophis rises. And if the world's supposed to end on the next new moon" My voice faded as the truth dawned on me. No. I refused to believe it. This could not be happening. The moon can't just speed up its rotation around the Earth. It just isn't possible. "But it is," Zia whispered, eerily answering my thoughts. "Think Carter. What did Nut do in order to gain five extra days to give birth?" Mind racing, I searched my memory for the answer, but it was hard to think of anything when your sister was on the verge of a mental breakdown and the world was about to end. "Ra wouldn't let her have them on any day of the year, so she gambled with the moon god for some extra timefive extra days," I recalled, turning back to face Zia and Sadie. "And she won. That forced the moon god to create five extra days of the yearthe demon days." "Khonsu," Zia concluded gravely. "The god of youth and the moon, also known as the traveler. His role relates to the moon's nightly journey across the sky each night. Win against the moon god, and you can gain extra timeeven reverse it. But I never heard of speeding up time before." Zia tilted her head, curiously gazing up at the stars, as if they held the answer to our problems. "Khonsu has always been the rebellious type, but this just isn't his style. Even he wouldn't side with Apophis." "You sound really sure of yourself," I noted. "How do you know he wouldn't join with the serpent? Everyone else is." "Carter, if the sun is destroyed by Apophis, so would the moon. There has to

be a balance between light and dark. If something upsets the balance, the world is thrown in chaos. Even Khonsu wouldn't want that," Zia stated, as if the answer was obvious. "The moon's his major power source, and the main object that ties him to the human world. Take that away, and he'll be exiled into the deepest corners of the Duat, defenseless and drained of power. No, Khonsu would never take that big of a risk." "Well, he did, and it didn't end in his favor," I muttered bitterly, glaring at the moon and willing it to disappear. "How many more days are left then? How much time do we have before the Earth ends for good?" Zia's eyes, bright and amber, studied the moon for a brief moment. Then they settled on me, and by Zia's expression, I knew we were in trouble. "By the looks of it, we lost five days. That means the next new moon is two days from now." Zia took a deep breath, turning her gaze back to the Book of Ra: our last and only hope. "The world as we know it will endthe day after tomorrow."