The Red Pyramid

Page 33

Below me, lightning struck Nut’s form. The wind pushed her violently upward, shooting past me. Then the winds died. Nut settled back onto the couch. She waved her hand and the flat repaired itself. Everything returned to normal.

“That happens,” she said sadly.

“Oh. ”

She gazed at the city lights far below. “It has given me appreciation for my children, even Set. He has done horrible things, yes. It is his nature. But he is still my son, and still one of the gods. He acts his part. Perhaps the way to defeat him is not the way you would imagine. ”

“Hints, please?”

“Seek out Thoth. He has found a new home in Memphis. ”

“Memphis. . . Egypt?”

Nut smiled. “Memphis, Tennessee. Although the old bird probably thinks it is Egypt. He so rarely takes his beak out of his books, I doubt he would know the difference. You will find him there. He can advise you. Be wary, though: Thoth often asks for favors. He is sometimes hard to predict. ”

“Getting used to that,” I said. “How are we supposed to get there?”

“I am goddess of the sky. I can guarantee you safe travel as far as Memphis. ” She waved her hand, and a folder appeared in my lap. Inside were three plane tickets—Washington to Memphis, first-class.

I raised my eyebrow. “I suppose you get a lot of frequent flyer miles?”

“Something like that,” Nut agreed. “But as you get closer to Set, you will be beyond my help. And I cannot protect you on the ground. Which reminds me: You need to wake up soon. Set’s minion is closing in on your hideout. ”

I sat up straight. “How soon?”

“Minutes. ”

“Send my spirit back, then!” I pinched my ghostly arm, which hurt just like it would on my normal arm, but nothing happened.

“Soon, Sadie,” Nut promised. “But two more things you must know. I had five children during the Demon Days. If your father released all of them, you should consider: Where is the fifth?”

I racked my brain trying to remember the names of all of Nut’s five children. Bit difficult without my brother, the Human Wikipedia, around to keep track of such trivia for me. There was Osiris, the king, and Isis, his queen; Set, the evil god, and Horus, the avenger. But the fifth child of Nut, the one Carter said he could never remember. . . Then I recalled my vision in the Hall of Ages—Osiris’s birthday and the woman in blue who’d helped Isis escape Set. “You mean Nephthys, Set’s wife?”

“Consider it,” Nut said again. “And lastly. . . a favor. ”

She opened her hand and produced an envelope sealed with red wax. “If you see Geb. . . will you give him this?”

I’d been asked to pass notes before, but never between gods. Honestly, Nut’s anguished expression was no different than those of my love-struck friends back at school. I wondered if she’d ever written on her notebook: geb + nut = true love or mrs. geb.

“Least I can do,” I promised. “Now, about sending me back. . . ”

“Safe travels, Sadie,” the goddess said. “And Isis, restrain yourself. ”

The spirit of Isis rumbled inside me, as if I’d eaten a bad curry.

“Wait,” I said, “what do you mean restrain—”

Before I could finish, my vision went black.

I snapped awake, back in my own body at the Washington Monument. “Leave now!”

Carter and Bast jumped in surprise. They were already awake, packing their things.

“What’s wrong?” Carter asked.

I told them about my vision while I frantically searched my pockets. Nothing. I checked my magician’s bag. Tucked inside with my wand and rod were three plane tickets and a sealed envelope.

Bast examined the tickets. “Excellent! First class serves salmon. ”

“But what about Set’s minion?” I asked.

Carter glanced out the window. His eyes widened. “Yeah, um. . . it’s here. ”

Chapter 21. Aunt Kitty to the Rescue

I’D SEEN PICTURES OF THE CREATURE BEFORE, but pictures didn’t come close to capturing how horrible it was in real life.

“The Set animal,” Bast said, confirming my fear.

Far below, the creature prowled the base of the monument, leaving tracks in the new-fallen snow. I had trouble judging its size, but it must’ve been at least as big as a horse, with legs just as long. It had an unnaturally lean, muscled body with shiny reddish gray fur. You could almost mistake it for a huge greyhound—except for the tail and the head. The tail was reptilian, forked at the end with triangular points, like squid tentacles. It lashed around as if it had a mind of its own.

The creature’s head was the strangest part. Its oversize ears stuck straight up like rabbit ears, but they were shaped more like ice cream cones, curled inward and wider on the top than the bottom. They could rotate almost three hundred and sixty degrees, so they could hear anything. The creature’s snout was long and curved like an anteater’s—only anteaters don’t have razor-sharp teeth.

“Its eyes are glowing,” I said. “That can’t be good. ”

“How can you see that far?” Sadie demanded.

She stood next to me, squinting at the tiny figure in the snow, and I realized she had a point. The animal was at least five hundred feet below us. How was I able to see its eyes?

“You still have the sight of the falcon,” Bast guessed. “And you’re right, Carter. The glowing eyes mean the creature has caught our scent. ”

I looked at her and almost jumped out of my skin. Her hair was sticking straight up all over her head, like she’d stuck her finger in a light socket.

“Um, Bast?” I asked.

“What?”

Sadie and I exchanged looks. She mouthed the word scared. Then I remembered how Muffin’s tail would always poof up when something startled her.

“Nothing,” I said, though if the Set animal was so dangerous that it gave our goddess light-socket hair, that had to be a very bad sign. “How do we get out of here?”

“You don’t understand,” Bast said. “The Set animal is the perfect hunter. If it has our scent, there is no stopping it. ”

“Why is it called the ‘Set animal’?” Sadie asked nervously. “Doesn’t it have a name?”

“If it did,” Bast said, “you would not want to speak it. It is merely known as the Set animal—the Red Lord’s symbolic creature. It shares his strength, cunning. . . and his evil nature. ”

“Lovely,” Sadie said.

The animal sniffed at the monument and recoiled, snarling.

“It doesn’t seem to like the obelisk,” I noticed.

“No,” Bast said. “Too much Ma’at energy. But that won’t hold it back for long. ”

As if on cue, the Set animal leaped onto the side of the monument. It began climbing like a lion scaling a tree, digging its claws into the stone.

“That’s messed up,” I said. “Elevator or stairs?”

“Both are too slow,” Bast said. “Back away from the window. ”

She unsheathed her knives and sliced through the glass. She punched out the window, setting off alarm bells. Freezing air blasted into the observation room.

“You’ll need to fly,” Bast yelled over the wind. “It’s the only way. ”

“No!” Sadie’s face went pale. “Not the kite again. ”

“Sadie, it’s okay,” I said.

She shook her head, terrified.

I grabbed her hand. “I’ll stay with you. I’ll make sure you turn back. ”

“The Set animal is halfway up,” Bast warned. “We’re running out of time. ”

Sadie glanced at Bast. “What about you? You can’t fly. ”

“I’ll jump,” she said. “Cats always land on their feet. ”

“It’s over a hundred meters!” Sadie cried.

“A hundred and seventy,” Bast said. “I’ll distract the Set animal, buy you some time. ”

“You’ll be killed. ” Sadie’s voice sounded close to breaking. “Please, I can’t lose you too. ”

Bast looked a little surprised. Then she smiled and put her hand on Sadie’s shoulder. “I’ll be fine, dear. Meet me at Reagan National, terminal A. Be ready to run. ”

Before I could argue, Bast jumped out the window. My heart just about stopped. She plummeted straight toward the pavement. I was sure she’d die, but as she fell she spread her arms and legs and seemed to relax.

She hurtled straight past the Set animal, which let out a horrible scream like a wounded man on a battlefield, then turned and leaped after her.

Bast hit the ground with both feet and took off running. She must’ve been doing sixty miles an hour, easy. The Set animal wasn’t as agile. It crashed so hard, the pavement cracked. It stumbled for a few steps but didn’t appear hurt. Then it loped after Bast and was soon gaining on her.

“She won’t make it,” Sadie fretted.

“Never bet against a cat,” I said. “We’ve got to do our part. Ready?”

She took a deep breath. “All right. Before I change my mind. ”

Instantly, a black-winged kite appeared in front of me, flapping its wings to keep its balance in the intense wind. I willed myself to become a falcon. It was even easier than before.

A moment later, we soared into the cold morning air over Washington, D. C.

Finding the airport was easy. Reagan National was so close, I could see the planes landing across the Potomac.

The hard part was remembering what I was doing. Every time I saw a mouse or a squirrel, I instinctively veered toward it. A couple of times I caught myself about to dive, and I had to fight the urge. Once I looked over and realized I was a mile away from Sadie, who was off doing her own hunting. I had to force myself to fly next to her and get her attention.

It takes willpower to stay human, the voice of Horus warned. The more time you spend as a bird of prey, the more you think like one.

Now you tell me, I thought.

I could help, he urged. Give me control.

Not today, bird-head.

Finally, I steered Sadie toward the airport, and we started hunting for a place to change back to human form. We landed at the top of a parking garage.

I willed myself to turn human. Nothing happened.

Panic started building in my throat. I closed my eyes and pictured my dad’s face. I thought about how much I missed him, how much I needed to find him.

When I opened my eyes, I was back to normal. Unfortunately, Sadie was still a kite. She flapped around me and cawed frantically. “Ha—ha—ha!” There was a wild look in her eyes, and this time I understood how scared she was. Bird form had been hard enough for her to break out of the first time. If the second time took even more energy, she could be in serious trouble.

“It’s all right. ” I crouched down, careful to move slowly. “Sadie, don’t force it. You have to relax. ”

“Ha!” She tucked in her wings. Her chest was heaving.

“Listen, it helped me to focus on Dad. Remember what’s important to you. Close your eyes and think about your human life. ”