The Red Pyramid (Kane Chronicles #1)

“And if they’d killed you?” I asked. “I mean, killed Muffin?”

“That would’ve banished me deep into the Duat. It would’ve been rather like putting my feet in concrete and dropping me into the middle of the sea. It would’ve taken years, perhaps centuries, before I would’ve been strong enough to return to the mortal world. Fortunately, that didn’t happen. I came back straightaway, but by the time I got to the museum, the magicians had already captured you.”

“We weren’t exactly captured,” I said.

“Really, Carter? How long were you in the First Nome before they decided to kill you?”

“Um, about twenty-four hours.”

Bast whistled. “They’ve gotten friendlier! They used to blast godlings to dust in the first few minutes.”

“We’re not—wait, what did you call us?”

Sadie answered, sounding as if in a trance: “‘Godlings.’ That’s what we are, aren’t we? That’s why Zia was so frightened of us, why Desjardins wants to kill us.”

Bast patted Sadie’s knee. “You always were bright, dear.”

“Hold on,” I said. “You mean hosts for gods? That’s not possible. I think I’d know if...”

Then I thought about the voice in my head, warning me to hide when I met Iskandar. I thought about all the things I was suddenly able to do—like fight with a sword and summon a magical shell of armor. Those were not things I’d covered in home school.

“Carter,” Sadie said. “When the Rosetta Stone shattered, it let out five gods, right? Dad joined with Osiris. Amos told us that. Set...I don’t know. He got away somehow. But you and I—”

“The amulets protected us.” I clutched the Eye of Horus around my neck. “Dad said they would.”

“If we had stayed out of the room, as Dad told us to,” Sadie recalled. “But we were there, watching. We wanted to help him. We practically asked for power, Carter.”

Bast nodded. “That makes all the difference. An invitation.”

“And since then...” Sadie looked at me tentatively, almost daring me to make fun of her. “I’ve had this feeling. Like a voice inside me....”

By now the cold rain had soaked right through my clothes. If Sadie hadn’t said something, maybe I could’ve denied what was happening a little longer. But I thought about what Amos had said about our family having a long history with the gods. I thought about what Zia had told us about our lineage: “The gods choose their hosts carefully. They always prefer the blood of the pharaohs.”

“Okay,” I admitted. “I’ve been hearing a voice too. So either we’re both going crazy—”

“The amulet.” Sadie pulled it from her shirt collar and held it for Bast to see. “It’s the symbol of a goddess, isn’t it?”

I hadn’t seen her amulet in a long time. It was different from mine. It reminded me of an ankh, or maybe some kind of fancy tie.

“That is a tyet,” Bast said. “A magic knot. And yes, it is often called—”

“The Knot of Isis,” Sadie said. I didn’t see how she could know that, but she looked absolutely certain. “In the Hall of Ages, I saw an image of Isis, and then I was Isis, trying to get away from Set, and—oh, god. That’s it, isn’t it? I’m her.”

She grabbed her shirt like she physically wanted to pull the goddess away from her. All I could do was stare. My sister, with her ratty red-highlighted hair and her linen pajamas and her combat boots—how could she possibly worry about being possessed by a goddess? What goddess would want her, except maybe the goddess of chewing gum?

But then...I’d been hearing a voice inside me too. A voice that was definitely not mine. I looked at my amulet, the Eye of Horus. I thought about the myths I knew—how Horus, the son of Osiris, had to avenge his father by defeating Set. And at Luxor I’d summoned an avatar with the head of a falcon.

I was afraid to try it, but I thought: Horus?

Well, it’s about time, the other voice said. Hello, Carter.

“Oh, no,” I said, panic rising in my chest. “No, no, no. Somebody get a can opener. I’ve got a god stuck in my head.”

Bast’s eyes lit up. “You communicated with Horus directly? That’s excellent progress!”

“Progress?” I banged my palms against my head. “Get him out!”

Calm down, Horus said.

“Don’t tell me to calm down!”

Bast frowned. “I didn’t.”

“Talking to him!” I pointed at my forehead.

“This is awful,” Sadie wailed. “How do I get rid of her?”

Bast sniffed. “First off, Sadie, you don’t have all of her. Gods are very powerful. We can exist in many places at once. But yes, part of Isis’s spirit now resides inside you. Just as Carter now carries the spirit of Horus. And frankly, you both should feel honored.”

“Right, very honored,” I said. “Always wanted to be possessed!”

Bast rolled her eyes. “Please, Carter, it’s not possession. Besides, you and Horus want the same thing—to defeat Set, just as Horus did millennia ago, when Set first killed Osiris. If you don’t, your father is doomed, and Set will become king of the earth.”

I glanced at Sadie, but she was no help. She ripped the amulet off her neck and threw it down. “Isis got in through the amulet, didn’t she? Well, I’ll just—”

“I really wouldn’t do that,” Bast warned.

But Sadie pulled out her wand and smashed the amulet. Blue sparks shot up from the ivory boomerang. Sadie yelped and dropped her wand, which was now smoking. Her hand was covered in black scorch marks. The amulet was fine. “Ow!” she said.

Bast sighed. She put her hand on Sadie’s, and the burn marks faded. “I did tell you. Isis channeled her power through the amulet, yes, but she’s not there now. She’s in you. And even so, magical amulets are practically indestructible.”

“So what are we supposed to do?” Sadie said.

“Well, for starters,” Bast said, “Carter must use the power of Horus to defeat Set.”

“Oh, is that all?” I said. “All by myself?”

“No, no. Sadie can help.”

“Oh, super.”

“I’ll guide you as much as possible,” Bast promised, “but in the end, the two of you must fight. Only Horus and Isis can defeat Set and avenge the death of Osiris. That’s the way it was before. That’s the way it must be now.”

“Then we get our dad back?” I asked.

Bast’s smile wavered. “If all goes well.”

She wasn’t telling us everything. No surprise. But my brain was too fuzzy to figure out what I was missing.

I looked down at my hands. They didn’t seem any different—no stronger, no godlier. “If I’ve got the powers of a god, then why am I so...”

“Lame?” Sadie offered.

“Shut up,” I said. “Why can’t I use my powers better?”

“Takes practice,” Bast said. “Unless you wish to give over control to Horus. Then he would use your form, and you would not have to worry.”

I could, a voice said inside me. Let me fight Set. You can trust me.

Yeah, right, I told him. How can I be sure you wouldn’t get me killed and just move on to some other host? How can I be sure you’re not influencing my thoughts right now?

I would not do that, the voice said. I chose you because of your potential, Carter, and because we have the same goal. Upon my honor, if you let me control—

“No,” I said.

I realized I’d spoke aloud; Sadie and Bast were both looking at me.

“I mean I’m not giving up control,” I said. “This is our fight. Our dad’s locked in a coffin. Our uncle’s been captured.”

“Captured?” Sadie asked. I realized with a shock that I hadn’t told her about my last little ba trip. There just hadn’t been time.

When I gave her the details, she looked stricken. “God, no.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “And Set spoke in French—‘Bon soir.’ Sadie, what you said about Set getting away—maybe he didn’t. If he was looking for a powerful host—”

“Desjardins,” Sadie finished.

Bast growled deep in her throat. “Desjardins was in London the night your father broke the Rosetta Stone, wasn’t he? Desjardins has always been full of anger, full of ambition. In many ways, he would be the perfect host for Set. If Set managed to possess Desjardins’ body, that would mean the Red Lord now controls the man who is Chief Lector of the House....By Ra’s throne, Carter, I hope you’re wrong. The two of you will have to learn to use the power of the gods quickly. Whatever Set is planning, he’ll do it on his birthday, when he’s strongest. That’s the third Demon Day—three days from now.”

“But I’ve already used Isis’s powers, haven’t I?” Sadie asked. “I’ve summoned hieroglyphs. I activated the obelisk at Luxor. Was that her or me?”

“Both, dear,” Bast said. “You and Carter have great abilities on your own, but the power of the gods has hastened your development, and given you an extra reservoir to draw on. What would’ve taken you years to learn, you’ve accomplished in days. The more you channel the power of the gods, the more powerful you will become.”

“And the more dangerous it gets,” I guessed. “The magicians told us hosting the gods can burn you out, kill you, drive you crazy.”

Bast fixed her eyes on me. Just for a second they were the eyes of a predator—ancient, powerful, dangerous. “Not everyone can host a god, Carter. That’s true. But you two are both blood of the pharaohs. You combine two ancient bloodlines. That’s very rare, very powerful. And besides, if you think you can survive without the power of the gods, think again. Don’t repeat your mother’s—” She stopped herself.

“What?” Sadie demanded. “What about our mother?”

“I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Tell us, cat!” Sadie said.

I was afraid Bast might unsheathe her knives. Instead she leaned against the wall and stared out at the rain. “When your parents released me from Cleopatra’s Needle...there was much more energy than they expected. Your father spoke the actual summoning spell, and the blast would’ve killed him instantly, but your mother threw up a shield. In that split second, I offered her my help. I offered to merge our spirits and help protect them. But she would not accept my help. She chose to tap her own reservoir....”

“Her own magic,” Sadie murmured.

Bast nodded sadly. “When a magician commits herself to a spell, there is no turning back. If she overreaches her power...well, your mother used her last bit of energy protecting your father. To save him, she sacrificed herself. She literally—”

“Burned up,” I said. “That’s what Zia warned us about.”