The Kane: The Serpent's Shadow Part 35

For the first time in history, our Chief Lector had the G.o.d of evil, strength, and Chaos on speed dial. That might make people trust him less, but magicians were like the G.o.ds-they respected strength. I doubted Amos would have much trouble enforcing his rule anymore.

He smiled as we approached. "Carter and Sadie, on behalf of the House of Life, I thank you. You have restored Ma'at! Apophis has been execrated, and Ra has once again risen into the heavens, but this time in triumph. Well done!"

The hall erupted in cheering and applause. Dozens of magicians raised their staffs and sent up miniature firework displays.

Amos embraced us. Then he stepped aside and gestured me toward the throne. I hoped that Horus might give me some words of encouragement, but I couldn't feel his presence at all.

I tried to control my breathing. That chair had been empty for thousands of years. How could I be sure it would even hold my weight? If the throne of the pharaohs broke under my royal b.u.t.t, that would be a great omen.

Sadie nudged me. "Go on, then. Don't be stupid."

I climbed the steps and eased myself onto the throne. The old chair creaked, but it held me.

I gazed out over the crowd of magicians.

Horus wasn't there for me. But somehow, that was okay. I glanced over at the shimmering curtains of light-the New Age, glowing purple-and I had a feeling it was going to be an age of good things, after all.

My muscles began to relax. I felt like I'd stepped out of the war G.o.d's shadow, just as I'd stepped out of my father's. I found the words.

"I accept the throne." I held up the crook and flail. "Ra has given me authority to lead the G.o.ds and magicians in times of crisis, and I'll do my best. Apophis has been banished, but the Sea of Chaos is always there. I've seen it with my own eyes. Its forces will always try to erode Ma'at. We can't think that all our enemies are gone."

The crowd stirred nervously.

"But for now," I added, "we are at peace. We can rebuild and expand the House of Life. If war comes again, I'll be here as the Eye of Horus and as pharaoh. But as Carter Kane..."

I rose and placed the crook and flail on the throne. I stepped down from the dais. "As Carter Kane, I'm a kid who has a lot of catching up to do. I've got my own nome to run at Brooklyn House. And I've got to graduate from high school. So I'm going to leave day-to-day operations where they should be-in the hands of the Chief Lector, steward of the pharaoh, Amos Kane."

Amos bowed to me, which felt a little strange. The crowd applauded wildly. I wasn't sure if they approved of me, or if they were just relieved that a kid wasn't going to be giving them daily orders from the throne. Either way, I was okay with it.

Amos embraced Sadie and me again.

"I'm proud of you both," he said. "We'll speak soon, but right now, come..." He gestured to the side of the dais, where a door of darkness had opened in the air. "Your parents would like to see you."

Sadie looked at me nervously. "Uh-oh."

I nodded. Strange how I went instantly from the pharaoh of the universe to a kid worried about getting grounded. As much as I wanted to see my parents, I'd broken an important promise to my father...I'd lost track of a dangerous prisoner.

The Hall of Judgment had turned into Party Central. Ammit the Devourer ran around the scales of justice, yapping excitedly with a birthday hat on his crocodile head. The guillotine-headed demons lounged on their pole arms, holding gla.s.ses of what looked like champagne. I didn't know how they could drink with those guillotine heads, but I didn't want to find out. Even the blue judgment G.o.d Disturber seemed to be in a good mood. His Cleopatra wig was sideways on his head. His long scroll had unraveled halfway across the room, but he was laughing and talking with the other judgment G.o.ds who had been rescued from the House of Rest. Fire-embracer and Hot Foot kept dropping cinders on his papyrus, but Disturber didn't seem to notice or care.

At the far end of the room, Dad sat on his throne, holding hands with our ghostly mom. To the left of the dais, spirits from the Underworld played in a jazz ensemble. I was pretty sure I recognized Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and a few of my dad's other favorites. Being the G.o.d of the Underworld has its perks.

Dad beckoned us forward. He didn't look mad, which was a good sign. We made our way through the crowd of happy demons and judgment G.o.ds. Ammit yapped at Sadie and purred as she scratched under his chin.

"Children." Dad held out his arms.

It felt strange being called children. I didn't feel like a child anymore. Children weren't asked to fight Chaos serpents. They didn't lead armies to stop the end of the world.

Sadie and I both hugged our dad. I couldn't hug Mom, of course, since she was a ghost, but I was happy enough to see her safe. Except for the glowing aura around her, she looked just like she did when she was alive-dressed in jeans and her ankh T-shirt, her blond hair gathered back in a bandana. If I didn't look directly at her, I could have almost mistaken her for Sadie.

"Mom, you survived," I said. "How-?"

"All thanks to you two." Mom's eyes sparkled. "I held on as long as I could, but the shadow was too powerful. I was consumed, along with so many other spirits. If you hadn't destroyed the sheut when you did and released us, I would've been...well, it doesn't matter now. You've done the impossible. We are so proud."

"Yes," Dad agreed, squeezing my shoulder. "Everything we've worked for, everything we've hoped for-you have accomplished. You've exceeded my highest expectations."

I hesitated. Was it possible he didn't know about Setne?

"Dad," I said, "um...we didn't succeed at everything. We lost your prisoner. I still don't understand how he escaped. He was tied up and-"

Dad raised his hand to stop me. "I heard. We may never know how Setne escaped exactly, but you can't blame yourselves."

"We can't?" Sadie asked.

"Setne has evaded capture for eons," Dad said. "He's outwitted G.o.ds, magicians, mortals, and demons. When I let you take him, I suspected he would find a way to escape. I just hoped you could control him long enough to get his help. And you did."

"He got us to the shadow," I admitted. "But he also stole the Book of Thoth."

Sadie bit her lip. "Dangerous stuff, that book. Setne may not be able to cast all the spells himself, being a ghost, but he could still cause all sorts of mischief."

"We will find him again," Dad promised. "But for now, let's celebrate your victory."

Our mom reached out and brushed her ghostly hand through Sadie's hair. "May I borrow you a moment, my dear? I have something I'd like to discuss with you."

I wasn't sure what that was about, but Sadie followed our mom toward the jazz band. I hadn't noticed before, but two of the ghostly musicians looked very familiar, and rather out of place. A big redheaded man in Western clothes sat at a steel guitar, grinning and tapping his boots as he traded solos with Miles Davis. Next to him, a pretty blond woman played the fiddle, leaning down from time to time to kiss the redheaded man on the forehead. JD Grissom and his wife, Anne, from the Dallas Museum, had finally found a party that didn't have to end. I'd never heard steel guitar and fiddle with a jazz band before, but somehow they made it work. I suppose Amos was right: music and magic both needed a little chaos within the order.

As Mom and Sadie talked, Sadie's eyes widened. Her expression turned serious. Then she smiled shyly and blushed, which wasn't like Sadie at all.

"Carter," my dad said, "you did well in the Hall of Ages. You will make a good leader. A wise leader."

I wasn't sure how he knew about my speech, but a lump formed in my throat. My dad doesn't hand out compliments lightly. Being with him again, I remembered how much easier life had been, traveling with him. He'd always known what to do. I could always count on his calming presence. Until that Christmas Eve in London when he had disappeared, I hadn't appreciated just how much I had relied on him.

"I know it's been hard," Dad said, "but you will lead the Kane family into the future. You have truly stepped out of my shadow."

"Not completely," I said. "I wouldn't want that. As dads go, you're pretty, um, shadowy."

He laughed. "I'll be here if you need me. Never doubt that. But, as Ra said, the G.o.ds will have a harder time contacting the mortal world, now that Apophis has been execrated. As Chaos retreats, so must Ma'at. Nevertheless, I don't think you'll need much help. You've succeeded on your own strength. Now you are the one casting the long shadow. The House of Life will remember you for ages to come."

He hugged me once more, and it was easy to forget that he was the G.o.d of the dead. He just seemed like my dad-warm and alive and strong.

Sadie came over, looking a little shaken.

"What?" I asked.

She giggled for no apparent reason, then got serious again. "Nothing."

Mom drifted next to her. "Off you go, you two. Brooklyn House is waiting."

Another door of darkness appeared by the throne. Sadie and I stepped through. For once I wasn't worried about what waited on the other side. I knew we were going home.

Life got back to normal with surprising speed.

I'll let Sadie tell you about the events at Brooklyn House and her own drama. I'll fast-forward to the interesting stuff.

[Ouch! I thought we agreed: no pinching!]

Two weeks after the battle with Apophis, Zia and I were sitting in the food court at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Why there? I'd heard the Mall of America was the biggest in the country, and I figured we'd start big. It was an easy trip through the Duat. Freak was happy to sit on the roof and eat frozen turkeys while Zia and I explored the mall.

[That's right, Sadie. For our first real date, I picked up Zia in a boat pulled by a deranged griffin. So what? Like your dates aren't weird?]

Anyway, when we got to the food court, Zia's jaw dropped. "G.o.ds of Egypt..."

The restaurant choices were pretty overwhelming. Since we couldn't decide, we got a little of everything: Chinese, Mexican (the Macho Nachos), pizza, and ice cream-the four basic food groups. We grabbed a table overlooking the amus.e.m.e.nt park at the center of the mall.

A lot of other kids were hanging out in the food court. Many of them stared at us. Well...not at me. They were mostly looking at Zia and no doubt wondering what a girl like her was doing with a guy like me.

She'd healed up nicely since the battle. She wore a simple sleeveless dress of beige linen and black sandals-no makeup, no jewelry except for her gold scarab necklace. She looked way more glamorous and mature than the other girls in the mall.

Her long black hair was tied back in a ponytail, except for a little strand that curled behind her right ear. She'd always had luminous amber eyes and warm coffee-and-milk skin, but since hosting Ra, she seemed to glow even more. I could feel her warmth from across the table.

She smiled at me over her bowl of chow mein. "So, this is what typical American teenagers do?"

"Well...sort of," I said. "Though I don't think either of us will ever pa.s.s for typical."

"I hope not."

I had trouble thinking straight when I looked at her. If she'd asked me to jump over the railing, I probably would've done it.

Zia twirled her fork through her noodles. "Carter, we haven't talked much about...you know, my being the Eye of Ra. I can guess how strange that was for you."

See? Just your typical teenage conversation in the mall.

"Hey, I understand," I said. "It wasn't strange."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, it was strange," I admitted. "But Ra needed your help. You were amazing. Have you, uh, talked to him since...?"

She shook her head. "He's retreated from the world, just like he said. I doubt I'll be the Eye of Ra again-unless we face another Doomsday."

"So, with our luck, not for a few more weeks, you mean."

Zia laughed. I loved her laugh. I loved that little curl of hair behind her ear.

(Sadie says I'm being ridiculous. Like she's one to talk.) "I had a meeting with your Uncle Amos," Zia said. "He has lots of help at the First Nome now. He thought it would be good for me to spend some time away, try to live a more...typical life."

My heart tripped and stumbled straight into my ribs. "You mean, like, leave Egypt?"

Zia nodded. "Your sister suggested I stay at Brooklyn House, attend American school. She says...how did she put it? Americans are an odd bunch, but they grow on you."

Zia scooted around the table and took my hand. I sensed about twenty jealous guys glaring at me from the other tables of the food court.

"Would you mind if I stayed in Brooklyn House? I could help teach the initiates. But if that would make you uncomfortable-"

"No!" I said much too loudly. "I mean, no, I don't mind. Yes, I'd like that. A lot. Quite a bit. Totally fine."

Zia smiled. The temperature in the food court seemed to go up another ten degrees. "So that's a yes?"

"Yes. I mean, unless it would make you uncomfortable. I wouldn't want to make things awkward or-"

"Carter?" she said gently. "Shut up."

She leaned over and kissed me.

I did as she commanded, no magic necessary. I shut up.

S A D I E.

21. The G.o.ds Are Sorted; My Feelings Are Not.

AH, MY THREE FAVORITE WORDS: Carter, shut up.

Zia really has come a long way since we first met. I think there's hope for her, even if she does fancy my brother.

At any rate, Carter has wisely left the last bit of the story for me to tell.

After the battle with Apophis, I felt horrible on many levels. Physically, I was knackered. Magically, I'd used up every last bit of energy. I was afraid I might have permanently damaged myself, as I had a smoldering feeling behind my sternum that was either my exhausted magic reservoir or very bad heartburn.

Emotionally, I wasn't much better. I had watched Carter embrace Zia when she emerged from the steaming goo of the serpent, which was all very well, but it only reminded me of my own turmoil.

Where was Walt? (I'd decided to call him that, or I would drive myself crazy figuring out his ident.i.ty.) He had been standing nearby just after the battle. Now he was gone.

Had he left with the other G.o.ds? I was already worried about Bes and Bast. It wasn't like them to disappear without saying good-bye. And I wasn't keen on what Ra had said about the G.o.ds leaving the earth for a while.

You cannot push me away without pushing away the G.o.ds, Apophis had warned.

The b.l.o.o.d.y serpent might have mentioned that before we execrated him. I had just made my peace with the whole Walt/Anubis idea-or mostly, at any rate-and now Walt had vanished. If he'd been declared off-limits again, I was going to crawl into a sarcophagus and never come out.

While Carter was with Zia in the infirmary, I wandered the corridors of the First Nome, but found no sign of Walt. I tried to contact him with the shen amulet. No answer. I even tried to contact Isis for advice, but the G.o.ddess had gone silent. I didn't like that.

So, yes, I was quite distracted in the Hall of Ages during Carter's little acceptance speech: I'd like to thank all the little people for making me pharaoh, et cetera, et cetera.