HOW TO DESCRIBE IT? Not a nightmare. It was much more real and frightening.
As I slept, I felt myself go weightless. I drifted up, turned, and saw my own sleeping form below.
Iโm dying, I thought. But that wasnโt it, either. I wasnโt a ghost. I had a new shimmering golden form with wings instead of arms. I was some kind of bird. [No, Sadie, not a chicken. Will you let me tell the story, please?]
I knew I wasnโt dreaming, because I donโt dream in color. I certainly donโt dream in all five senses. The room smelled faintly of jasmine. I could hear the carbonation bubbles pinging in the can of ginger ale Iโd opened on my nightstand. I could feel a cold wind ruffling through my feathers, and I realized the windows were open. I didnโt want to leave, but a strong current pulled me out of the room like a leaf in a storm.
The lights of the mansion faded below me. The skyline of New York blurred and disappeared. I shot through the mist and darkness, strange voices whispering all around me. My stomach tingled as it had earlier that night on Amosโs barge. Then the mist cleared, and I was in a different place.
I floated above a barren mountain. Far below, a grid of city lights stretched across the valley floor. Definitely not New York. It was nighttime, but I could tell I was in the desert. The wind was so dry, the skin on my face was like paper. And I know that doesnโt make sense, but my face felt like my normal face, as if that part of me hadnโt transformed into a bird. [Fine, Sadie. Call me the Carter-headed chicken. Happy?]
Below me on a ridge stood two figures. They didnโt seem to notice me, and I realized I wasnโt glowing anymore. In fact I was pretty much invisible, floating in the darkness. I couldnโt make out the two figures clearly, except to recognize that they werenโt human. Staring harder, I could see that one was short, squat, and hairless, with slimy skin that glistened in the starlightโlike an amphibian standing on its hind legs. The other was tall and scarecrow skinny, with rooster claws instead of feet. I couldnโt see his face very well, but it looked red and moist and…well, letโs just say I was glad I couldnโt see it better.
โWhere is he?โ the toadie-looking one croaked nervously.
โHasnโt taken a permanent host yet,โ the rooster-footed guy chided. โHe
can only appear for a short time.โ โYouโre sure this is the place?โ โYes, fool! Heโll be here as soonโโ
A fiery form appeared on the ridge. The two creatures fell to the ground, groveling in the dirt, and I prayed like crazy that I really was invisible.
โMy lord!โ the toad said.
Even in the dark, the newcomer was hard to seeโjust the silhouette of a man outlined in flames.
โWhat do they call this place?โ the man asked. And as soon as he spoke, I knew for sure he was the guy whoโd attacked my dad at the British Museum. All the fear Iโd felt at the museum came rushing back, paralyzing me. I remembered trying to pick up that stupid rock to throw, but I hadnโt been able to do even that. Iโd completely failed my dad.
โMy lord,โ Rooster Foot said. โThe mountain is called Camelback. The city is called Phoenix.โ
The fiery man laughedโa booming sound like thunder. โPhoenix. How appropriate! And the desert so much like home. All it needs now is to be scoured of life. The desert should be a sterile place, donโt you think?โ
โOh yes, my lord,โ the toadie agreed. โBut what of the other four?โ
โOne is already entombed,โ the fiery man said. โThe second is weak. She will be easily manipulated. That leaves only two. And they will be dealt with soon enough.โ
โEr…how?โ the toadie asked.
The fiery man glowed brighter. โYou are an inquisitive little tadpole, arenโt you?โ He pointed at the toad and the poor creatureโs skin began to steam.
โNo!โ the toadie begged. โNo-o-o-o!โ
I could hardly watch. I donโt want to describe it. But if youโve heard what happens when cruel kids pour salt on snails, youโll have a pretty good idea of what happened to the toadie. Soon there was nothing left.
Rooster Foot took a nervous step back. I couldnโt blame him.
โWe will build my temple here,โ the fiery man said, as if nothing had happened. โThis mountain shall serve as my place of worship. When it is complete, I will summon the greatest storm ever known. I will cleanse everything. Everything.โ
โYes, my lord,โ Rooster Foot agreed quickly. โAnd, ah, if I may suggest, my lord, to increase your power…โ The creature bowed and scraped and moved forward, as if he wanted to whisper in the fiery manโs ear.
Just when I thought Rooster Foot was going to become fried chicken for sure, he said something to the fiery dude that I couldnโt make out, and the fiery dude burned brighter.
โExcellent! If you can do this, you will be rewarded. If not…โ
โI understand, my lord.โ
โGo then,โ the fiery man said. โUnleash our forces. Start with the longnecks. That should soften them up. Collect the younglings and bring them to me. I want them alive, before they have time to learn their powers. Do not fail me.โ
โNo, lord.โ
โPhoenix,โ the fiery man mused. โI like that very much.โ He swept his hand across the horizon, as if he were imagining the city in flames. โSoon I will rise from your ashes. It will be a lovely birthday present.โ
I woke with my heart pounding, back in my own body. I felt hot, as if the fiery guy were starting to burn me. Then I realized that there was a cat on my chest.
Muffin stared at me, her eyes half closed. โMrow.โ โHow did you get in?โ I muttered.
I sat up, and for a second I wasnโt sure where I was. Some hotel in another city? I almost called for my dad…and then I remembered.
Yesterday. The museum. The sarcophagus.
It all crashed down on me so hard I could barely breathe.
Stop, I told myself. You donโt have time for grief. And this is going to sound weird, but the voice in my head almost sounded like a different person
โolder, stronger. Either that was a good sign, or I was going crazy.
Remember what you saw, the voice said. Heโs after you. You have to be ready.
I shivered. I wanted to believe Iโd just had a bad dream, but I knew better. Iโd been through too much in the last day to doubt what Iโd seen. Somehow, Iโd actually left my body while I slept. Iโd been to Phoenixโ thousands of miles away. The fiery dude was there. I hadnโt understood much of what heโd said, but heโd talked about sending his forces to capture the younglings. Gee, wonder who that could be?
Muffin jumped off the bed and sniffed at the ivory headrest, looking up at me as if she were trying to tell me something.
โYou can have it,โ I told her. โItโs uncomfortable.โ
She butted her head against it and stared at me accusingly. โMrow.โ โWhatever, cat.โ
I got up and showered. When I tried to get dressed, I found that my old clothes had disappeared in the night. Everything in the closet was my size, but way different than what I was used toโbaggy drawstring pants and loose shirts, all plain white linen, and robes for cold weather, kind of what the fellahin, the peasants in Egypt, wear. It wasnโt exactly my style.
Sadie likes to tell me that I donโt have a style. She complains that I dress like Iโm an old manโbutton-down shirt, slacks, dress shoes. Okay, maybe.
But hereโs the thing. My dad had always drilled into my head that I had to dress my best.
I remember the first time he explained it to me. I was ten. We were on our way to the airport in Athens, and it was like 112 degrees outside, and I was complaining that I wanted to wear shorts and a T-shirt. Why couldnโt I be comfortable? We werenโt going anywhere important that dayโjust traveling.
My dad put his hand on my shoulder. โCarter, youโre getting older. Youโre an African American man. People will judge you more harshly, and so you must always look impeccable.โ
โThat isnโt fair!โ I insisted.
โFairness does not mean everyone gets the same,โ Dad said. โFairness means everyone gets what they need. And the only way to get what you need is to make it happen yourself. Do you understand?โ
I told him I didnโt. But still I did what he askedโlike caring about Egypt, and basketball, and music. Like traveling with only one suitcase. I dressed the way Dad wanted me to, because Dad was usually right. In fact Iโd never known him to be wrong…until the night at the British Museum.
Anway, I put on the linen clothes from the closet. The slipper shoes were comfortable, though I doubted theyโd be much good to run in.
The door to Sadieโs room was open, but she wasnโt there.
Thankfully my bedroom door wasnโt locked anymore. Muffin joined me and we walked downstairs, passing a lot of unoccupied bedrooms on the way. The mansion couldโve easily slept a hundred people, but instead it felt empty and sad.
Down in the Great Room, Khufu the baboon sat on the sofa with a basketball between his legs and a chunk of strange-looking meat in his hands. It was covered in pink feathers. ESPN was on the television, and Khufu was watching highlights from the games the night before.
โHey,โ I said, though I felt a little weird talking to him. โLakers win?โ Khufu looked at me and patted his basketball like he wanted a game.
โAgh, agh.โ
He had a pink feather hanging from his chin, and the sight made my stomach do a slow roll.
โUm, yeah,โ I said. โWeโll play later, okay?โ
I could see Sadie and Amos out on the terrace, eating breakfast by the pool. It shouldโve been freezing out there, but the fire pit was blazing, and neither Amos nor Sadie looked cold. I headed their way, then hesitated in front of the statue of Thoth. In the daylight, the bird-headed god didnโt look quite so scary. Still, I could swear those beady eyes were watching me expectantly.
What had the fiery guy said last night? Something about catching us before we learned our powers. It sounded ridiculous, but for a moment I felt a
surge of strengthโlike the night before when Iโd opened the front door just by raising my hand. I felt like I could lift anything, even this thirty-foot-tall statue if I wanted to. In a kind of trance, I stepped forward.
Muffin meowed impatiently and butted my foot. The feeling dissolved. โYouโre right,โ I told the cat. โStupid idea.โ
Besides, I could smell breakfast nowโFrench toast, bacon, hot chocolateโand I couldnโt blame Muffin for being in a hurry. I followed her out to the terrace.
โAh, Carter,โ Amos said. โMerry Chrstmas, my boy. Join us.โ โAbout time,โ Sadie grumbled. โIโve been up for ages.โ
But she held my eyes for a moment, like she was thinking the same thing I was: Christmas. We hadnโt spent a Christmas morning together since Mom died. I wondered if Sadie remembered how we used to make godโs-eye decorations out of yarn and Popsicle sticks.
Amos poured himself a cup of coffee. His clothes were similar to those heโd worn the day before, and I had to admit the guy had style. His tailored suit was made of blue wool, he wore a matching fedora, and his hair was freshly braided with dark blue lapis lazuli, one of the stones the Egyptians often used for jewelry. Even his glasses matched. The round lenses were tinted blue. A tenor sax rested on a stand near the fire pit, and I could totally picture him playing out here, serenading the East River.
As for Sadie, she was dressed in a white linen pajama outfit like me, but somehow sheโd managed to keep her combat boots. Sheโd probably slept with them on. She looked pretty comical with the red-streaked hair and the outfit, but since I wasnโt dressed any better, I could hardly make fun of her.
โUm…Amos?โ I asked. โYou didnโt have any pet birds, did you? Khufuโs eating something with pink feathers.โ
โMmm.โ Amos sipped his coffee. โSorry if that disturbed you. Khufuโs very picky. He only eats foods that end in -o. Doritos, burritos, flamingos.โ
I blinked. โDid you sayโโ
โCarter,โ Sadie warned. She looked a little queasy, like sheโd already had this conversation. โDonโt ask.โ
โOkay,โ I said. โNot asking.โ
โPlease, Carter, help yourself.โ Amos waved toward a buffet table piled high with food. โThen we can get started with the explanations.โ
I didnโt see any flamingo on the buffet table, which was fine by me, but there was just about everything else. I snagged some pancakes with butter and syrup, some bacon, and a glass of OJ.
Then I noticed movement in the corner of my eye. I glanced at the swimming pool. Something long and pale was gliding just under the surface of the water.
I almost dropped my plate. โIs thatโโ
โA crocodile,โ Amos confirmed. โFor good luck. Heโs albino, but please donโt mention that. Heโs sensitive.โ
โHis name is Philip of Macedonia,โ Sadie informed me.
I wasnโt sure how Sadie was taking this all so calmly, but I figured if she wasnโt freaking out, I shouldnโt either.
โThatโs a long name,โ I said.
โHeโs a long crocodile,โ Sadie said. โOh, and he likes bacon.โ
To prove her point, she tossed a piece of bacon over her shoulder. Philip lunged out of the water and snapped up the treat. His hide was pure white and his eyes were pink. His mouth was so big, he couldโve snapped up an entire pig.
โHeโs quite harmless to my friends,โ Amos assured me. โIn the old days, no temple would be complete without a lake full of crocodiles. They are powerful magic creatures.โ
โRight,โ I said. โSo the baboon, the crocodile…any other pets I should know about?โ
Amos thought for a moment. โVisible ones? No, I think thatโs it.โ
I took a seat as far from the pool as possible. Muffin circled my legs and purred. I hoped she had enough sense to stay away from magic crocodiles named Philip.
โSo, Amos,โ I said between bites of pancake. โExplanations.โ โYes,โ he agreed. โWhere to start…โ
โOur dad,โ Sadie suggested. โWhat happened to him?โ
Amos took a deep breath. โJulius was attempting to summon a god.
Unfortunately, it worked.โ
It was kind of hard to take Amos seriously, talking about summoning gods while he spread butter on a bagel.
โAny god in particular?โ I asked casually. โOr did he just order a generic god?โ
Sadie kicked me under the table. She was scowling, as if she actually believed what Amos was saying.
Amos took a bite of bagel. โThere are many Egyptian gods, Carter. But your dad was after one in particular.โ
He looked at me meaningfully.
โOsiris,โ I remembered. โWhen Dad was standing in front of the Rosetta Stone, he said, โOsiris, come.โ But Osiris is a legend. Heโs make-believe.โ
โI wish that were true.โ Amos stared across the East River at the Manhattan skyline, gleaming in the morning sun. โThe Ancient Egyptians were not fools, Carter. They built the pyramids. They created the first great nation state. Their civilization lasted thousands of years.โ
โYeah,โ I said. โAnd now theyโre gone.โ
Amos shook his head. โA legacy that powerful does not disappear. Next
to the Egyptians, the Greeks and Romans were babies. Our modern nations like Great Britain and America? Blinks of an eye. The very oldest root of civilization, at least of Western civilization, is Egypt. Look at the pyramid on the dollar bill. Look at the Washington Monumentโthe worldโs largest Egyptian obelisk. Egypt is still very much alive. And so, unfortunately, are her gods.โ
โCome on,โ I argued. โI mean…even if I believe thereโs a real thing called magic. Believing in ancient gods is totally different. Youโre joking, right?โ
But as I said it, I thought about the fiery guy in the museum, the way his face had shifted between human and animal. And the statue of Thothโhow its eyes had followed me.
โCarter,โ Amos said, โthe Egyptians would not have been stupid enough to believe in imaginary gods. The beings they described in their myths are very, very real. In the old days, the priests of Egypt would call upon these gods to channel their power and perform great feats. That is the origin of what we now call magic. Like many things, magic was first invented by the Egyptians. Each temple had a branch of magicians called the House of Life. Their magicians were famed throughout the ancient world.โ
โAnd youโre an Egyptian magician.โ
Amos nodded. โSo was your father. You saw it for yourself last night.โ
I hesitated. It was hard to deny my dad had done some weird stuff at the museumโsome stuff that looked like magic.
โBut heโs an archaeologist,โ I said stubbornly.
โThatโs his cover story. Youโll remember that he specialized in translating ancient spells, which are very difficult to understand unless you work magic yourself. Our family, the Kane family, has been part of the House of Life almost since the beginning. And your motherโs family is almost as ancient.โ
โThe Fausts?โ I tried to imagine Grandma and Grandpa Faust doing magic, but unless watching rugby on TV and burning cookies was magical, I couldnโt see it.
โThey had not practiced magic for many generations,โ Amos admitted. โNot until your mother came along. But yes, a very ancient bloodline.โ
Sadie shook her head in disbelief. โSo now Mum was magic, too. Are you joking?โ
โNo jokes,โ Amos promised. โThe two of you…you combine the blood of two ancient families, both of which have a long, complicated history with the gods. You are the most powerful Kane children to be born in many centuries.โ
I tried to let that sink in. At the moment, I didnโt feel powerful. I felt queasy. โYouโre telling me our parents secretly worshipped animal-headed
gods?โ I asked.
โNot worshipped,โ Amos corrected. โBy the end of the ancient times, Egyptians had learned that their gods were not to be worshipped. They are powerful beings, primeval forces, but they are not divine in the sense one might think of God. They are created entities, like mortals, only much more powerful. We can respect them, fear them, use their power, or even fight them to keep them under controlโโ
โFight gods?โ Sadie interrupted.
โConstantly,โ Amos assured her. โBut we donโt worship them. Thoth taught us that.โ
I looked at Sadie for help. The old guy had to be crazy. But Sadie was looking like she believed every word.
โSo…โ I said. โWhy did Dad break the Rosetta Stone?โ
โOh, Iโm sure he didnโt mean to break it,โ Amos said. โThat wouldโve horrified him. In fact, I imagine my brethren in London have repaired the damage by now. The curators will soon check their vaults and discover that the Rosetta Stone miraculously survived the explosion.โ
โBut it was blown into a million pieces!โ I said. โHow could they repair
it?โ
Amos picked up a saucer and threw it onto the stone floor. The saucer
shattered instantly.
โThat was to destroy,โ Amos said. โI couldโve done it by magicโha-di
โbut itโs simpler just to smash it. And now…โ Amos held out his hand. โJoin. Hi-nehm.โ
A blue hieroglyphic symbol burned in the air above his palm.
The pieces of the saucer flew into his hand and reassembled like a puzzle, even the smallest bits of dust gluing themselves into place. Amos put the perfect saucer back on the table.
โSome trick,โ I managed. I tried to sound calm about it, but I was thinking of all the odd things that had happened to my dad and me over the years, like those gunmen in the Cairo hotel whoโd ended up hanging by their feet from a chandelier. Was it possible my dad had made that happen with some kind of spell?
Amos poured milk in the saucer, and put it on the floor. Muffin came padding over. โAt any rate, your father would never intentionally damage a relic. He simply didnโt realize how much power the Rosetta Stone contained. You see, as Egypt faded, its magic collected and concentrated into its remaining relics. Most of these, of course, are still in Egypt. But you can find some in almost every major museum. A magician can use these artifacts as
focal points to work more powerful spells.โ โI donโt get it,โ I said.
Amos spread his hands. โIโm sorry, Carter. It takes years of study to understand magic, and Iโm trying to explain it to you in a single morning. The important thing is, for the past six years your father has been looking for a way to summon Osiris, and last night he thought he had found the right artifact to do it.โ
โWait, why did he want Osiris?โ
Sadie gave me a troubled look. โCarter, Osiris was the lord of the dead.
Dad was talking about making things right. He was talking about Mum.โ
Suddenly the morning seemed colder. The fire pit sputtered in the wind coming off the river.
โHe wanted to bring Mom back from the dead?โ I said. โBut thatโs crazy!โ
Amos hesitated. โIt wouldโve been dangerous. Inadvisable. Foolish. But not crazy. Your father is a powerful magician. If, in fact, that is what he was after, he might have accomplished it, using the power of Osiris.โ
I stared at Sadie. โYouโre actually buying this?โ
โYou saw the magic at the museum. The fiery bloke. Dad summoned something from the stone.โ
โYeah,โ I said, thinking of my dream. โBut that wasnโt Osiris, was it?โ โNo,โ Amos said. โYour father got more than he bargained for. He did
release the spirit of Osiris. In fact, I think he successfully joined with the god
โโ
โJoined with?โ
Amos held up his hand. โAnother long conversation. For now, letโs just say he drew the power of Osiris into himself. But he never got the chance to use it because, according to what Sadie has told me, it appears that Julius released five gods from the Rosetta Stone. Five gods who were all trapped together.โ
I glanced at Sadie. โYou told him everything?โ โHeโs going to help us, Carter.โ
I wasnโt quite ready to trust this guy, even if he was our uncle, but I decided I didnโt have much choice.
โOkay, yeah,โ I said. โThe fiery guy said something like โYou released all five.โ What did he mean?โ
Amos sipped his coffee. The faraway look on his face reminded me of my dad. โI donโt want to scare you.โ
โToo late.โ
โThe gods of Egypt are very dangerous. For the last two thousand years or so, we magicians have spent much of our time binding and banishing them whenever they appear. In fact, our most important law, issued by Chief Lector
Iskandar in Roman times, forbids unleashing the gods or using their power. Your father broke that law once before.โ
Sadieโs face paled. โDoes this have something to do with Mumโs death?
Cleopatraโs Needle in London?โ
โIt has everything to do with that, Sadie. Your parents…well, they thought they were doing something good. They took a terrible risk, and it cost your mother her life. Your father took the blame. He was exiled, I suppose you would say. Banished. He was forced to move around constantly because the House monitored his activities. They feared he would continue his…research. As indeed he did.โ
I thought about the times Dad would look over his shoulder as he copied some ancient inscriptions, or wake me up at three or four in the morning and insist it was time to change hotels, or warn me not to look in his workbag or copy certain pictures from old temple wallsโas if our lives depended on it.
โIs that why you never came round?โ Sadie asked Amos. โBecause Dad was banished?โ
โThe House forbade me to see him. I loved Julius. It hurt me to stay away from my brother, and from you children. But I could not see youโuntil last night, when I simply had no choice but to try to help. Julius has been obsessed with finding Osiris for years. He was consumed with grief because of what happened to your mother. When I learned that Julius was about to break the law again, to try to set things right, I had to stop him. A second offense wouldโve meant a death sentence. Unfortunately, I failed. I shouldโve known he was too stubborn.โ
I looked down at my plate. My food had gotten cold. Muffin leaped onto the table and rubbed against my hand. When I didnโt object, she started eating my bacon.
โLast night at the museum,โ I said, โthe girl with the knife, the man with the forked beardโthey were magicians too? From the House of Life?โ
โYes,โ Amos said. โKeeping an eye on your father. You are fortunate they let you go.โ
โThe girl wanted to kill us,โ I remembered. โBut the guy with the beard said, not yet.โ
โThey donโt kill unless it is absolutely necessary,โ Amos said. โThey will wait to see if you are a threat.โ
โWhy would we be a threat?โ Sadie demanded. โWeโre children! The summoning wasnโt our idea.โ
Amos pushed away his plate. โThere is a reason you two were raised separately.โ
โBecause the Fausts took Dad to court,โ I said matter-of-factly. โAnd Dad lost.โ
โIt was much more than that,โ Amos said. โThe House insisted you two
be separated. Your father wanted to keep you both, even though he knew how dangerous it was.โ
Sadie looked like sheโd been smacked between the eyes. โHe did?โ
โOf course. But the House intervened and made sure your grandparents got custody of you, Sadie. If you and Carter were raised together, you could become very powerful. Perhaps you have already sensed changes over the past day.โ
I thought about the surges of strength Iโd been feeling, and the way Sadie suddenly seemed to know how to read Ancient Egyptian. Then I thought of something even further back.
โYour sixth birthday,โ I told Sadie.
โThe cake,โ she said immediately, the memory passing between us like an electric spark.
At Sadieโs sixth birthday party, the last one weโd shared as a family, Sadie and I had a huge argument. I donโt remember what it was about. I think I wanted to blow out the candles for her. We started yelling. She grabbed my shirt. I pushed her. I remember Dad rushing toward us, trying to intervene, but before he could, Sadieโs birthday cake exploded. Icing splattered the walls, our parents, the faces of Sadieโs little six-year-old friends. Dad and Mom separated us. They sent me to my room. Later, they said we mustโve hit the cake by accident as we were fighting, but I knew we hadnโt. Something much weirder had made it explode, as if it had responded to our anger. I remembered Sadie crying with a chunk of cake on her forehead, an upside- down candle stuck to the ceiling with its wick still burning, and an adult visitor, one of my parentsโ friends, his glasses speckled with white frosting.
I turned to Amos. โThat was you. You were at Sadieโs party.โ
โVanilla icing,โ he recalled. โVery tasty. But it was clear even then that you two would be difficult to raise in the same household.โ
โAnd so…โ I faltered. โWhat happens to us now?โ
I didnโt want to admit it, but I couldnโt stand the thought of being separated from Sadie again. She wasnโt much, but she was all I had.
โYou must be trained properly,โ Amos said, โwhether the House approves or not.โ
โWhy wouldnโt they approve?โ I asked.
โI will explain everything, donโt worry. But we must start your lessons if we are to stand any chance of finding your father and putting things right. Otherwise the entire world is in danger. If we only knew whereโโ
โPhoenix,โ I blurted out. Amos stared at me. โWhat?โ
โLast night I had…well, not a dream, exactly…โ I felt stupid, but I told him what had happened while I slept.
Judging from Amosโs expression, the news was even worse than I
thought.
โYouโre sure he said โbirthday presentโ?โ he asked. โYeah, but what does that mean?โ
โAnd a permanent host,โ Amos said. โHe didnโt have one yet?โ โWell, thatโs what the rooster-footed guy saidโโ
โThat was a demon,โ Amos said. โA minion of chaos. And if demons are coming through to the mortal world, we donโt have much time. This is bad, very bad.โ
โIf you live in Phoenix,โ I said.
โCarter, our enemy wonโt stop in Phoenix. If heโs grown so powerful so fast…What did he say about the storm, exactly?โ
โHe said: โI will summon the greatest storm ever known.โโ
Amos scowled. โThe last time he said that, he created the Sahara. A storm that large could destroy North America, generating enough chaos energy to give him an almost invincible form.โ
โWhat are you talking about? Who is this guy?โ
Amos waved away the question. โMore important right now: why didnโt you sleep with the headrest?โ
I shrugged. โIt was uncomfortable.โ I looked at Sadie for support. โYou didnโt use it, did you?โ
Sadie rolled her eyes. โWell, of course I did. It was obviously there for a reason.โ
Sometimes I really hate my sister. [Ow! Thatโs my foot!]
โCarter,โ Amos said, โsleep is dangerous. Itโs a doorway into the Duat.โ โLovely,โ Sadie grumbled. โAnother strange word.โ
โAh…yes, sorry,โ Amos said. โThe Duat is the world of spirits and magic. It exists beneath the waking world like a vast ocean, with many layers and regions. We submerged just under its surface last night to reach New York, because travel through the Duat is much faster. Carter, your consciousness also passed through its shallowest currents as you slept, which is how you witnessed what happened in Phoenix. Fortunately, you survived that experience. But the deeper you go into the Duat, the more horrible things you encounter, and the more difficult it is to return. There are entire realms filled with demons, palaces where the gods exist in their pure forms, so powerful their mere presence would burn a human to ashes. There are prisons that hold beings of unspeakable evil, and some chasms so deep and chaotic that not even the gods dare explore them. Now that your powers are stirring, you must not sleep without protection, or you leave yourself open to attacks from the Duat or…unintended journeys through it. The headrest is enchanted, to keep your consciousness anchored to your body.โ
โYou mean I actually did…โ My mouth tasted like metal. โCould he have killed me?โ
Amosโs expression was grave. โThe fact that your soul can travel like that means you are progressing faster than I thought. Faster than should be possible. If the Red Lord had noticed youโโ
โThe Red Lord?โ Sadie said. โThatโs the fiery bloke?โ
Amos rose. โI must find out more. We canโt simply wait for him to find you. And if he releases the storm on his birthday, at the height of his powers
โโ
โYou mean youโre going to Phoenix?โ I could barely get the words out. โAmos, that fiery man defeated Dad like his magic was a joke! Now heโs got demons, and heโs getting stronger, andโyouโll be killed!โ
Amos gave me a dry smile, like heโd already weighed the dangers and didnโt need a reminder. His expression reminded me painfully of Dadโs. โDonโt count your uncle out so quickly, Carter. Iโve got some magic of my own. Besides, I must see what is happening for myself if weโre to have any chance at saving your father and stopping the Red Lord. Iโll be quick and careful. Just stay here. Muffin will guard you.โ
I blinked. โThe cat will guard us? You canโt just leave us here! What about our training?โ
โWhen I return,โ Amos promised. โDonโt worry, the mansion is protected. Just do not leave. Do not be tricked into opening the door for anyone. And whatever happens, do not go into the library. I absolutely forbid it. I will be back by sunset.โ
Before we could protest, Amos walked calmly to the edge of the terrace and jumped.
โNo!โ Sadie screamed. We ran to the railing and looked over. Below was a hundred-foot drop into the East River. There was no sign of Amos. Heโd simply vanished.
Philip of Macedonia splashed in his pool. Muffin jumped onto the railing and insisted we pet her.
We were alone in a strange mansion with a baboon, a crocodile, and a weird cat. And apparently, the entire world was in danger.
I looked at Sadie. โWhat do we do now?โ
She crossed her arms. โWell, thatโs obvious, isnโt it? We explore the library.โ