Chapter 10
Disclaimer: see previous chapters.
Carter Kane
Sadie!
You are, like, the worst storyteller ever! We did not sink – we submerged as a submarine does, though yes, we have never been on one: this was one thing that we missed while rescuing the world from Apophis.
Anyways, where were we? We departed from the shore. The wind was actually blowing in our sails, some small birds – hummingbirds – were flying around our vessel, uncle Amos was standing at the prow, almost looking as if he was steering, and the rest of us were lounging around as the small spheres of light, magical sailors to run magical boats, were going about doing their business. That was when we submerged.
"Are we supposed to do that?" Sadie asked as the water level began to rise.
"Pardon?" uncle Amos looked towards her.
"You know, sink, go under, go down with our ship," Sadie elaborated. "Because we are apparently drawing water-"
"Oh yes, we are," uncle Amos caught on. "We're travelling to lady Nephthys' underwater palace – key word is underwater, Sadie. It cannot be reached from the water's surface, unless lady Nephthys wills it so."
Sadie thought this over. "Shouldn't her underwater palace be under Nile, uncle? And yes, I'm talking about the river in Egypt – this time."
"To lady Nephthys, to the other gods, and to the House of Life all rivers and waters are one, just as all the roads are one," uncle Amos shook his head.
"Then we could've done this back in Egypt, or Russia, or even in Boston?" I spoke up. "Because if it is so, then we could've done it without travelling there and back again."
"...No, Carter," uncle Amos gave me a look. "This is actually the closest path – in this case. If lady Nephthys technically was in the Nile right now – she is."
It was a pause as we realized (thanks to the grimace on uncle Amos' face) that we were currently talking to Set.
"Nephthys always was in denial," Set was continuing. "She denied that Osiris had ever cared for anyone beyond Isis, you see."
I took a deep breath, but before I could say anything, Walt, or rather Anubis beat me to it.
"Father," he said in a frostier tone than I ever heard Walt use. "What are you doing here?"
"Hello, son," Set said brightly as he whirled around and used uncle Amos' magical staff to hook Anubis by Walt's collar. "Long time no see you either!"
"Father, I'm warning you-"
"Relax, son," Set continued to smile his trademark smile – on uncle Amos's face it looked twice as creepy, actually. "I shall not humiliate you before your girlfriend."
Anubis glared and grabbed uncle Amos' staff – and it began to deteriorate before our eyes.
Set looked and twitched his eyebrows – and the staff was as good as before. "No," Set said firmly, "you have never come close to be in my league, son, and your host," he gave Walt a good look-over, "is actually cursed? Remarkable, you have actually removed a part of a curse to make room for yourself. Interesting. Very well, here's my part of the curse that I remove – from the goodness of my heart." He grinned in a way that made everyone doubt his sincerity: the last time he smiled like that was when Sadie accused him of being faithless, ruthless, vile and so on, just after his red pyramid scheme failed epically.
Anubis was not very happy either. "You're not meddling in my affairs!" He shouted in a very upset tone of voice as he almost jumped up and down from all the nervous excitement. "And your heart has no goodness!"
"Perhaps not," Set said brightly, "but meddling in affairs of others is what I do best. Deal with it."
Anubis twitched as if he tried to become a jackal while still being in Walt, and Sadie-
"Enough!"
OK, Zia had enough too. "Is there any good reasons as to why you are here, Evil Day?" she looked at Set and one could almost see the fire of Ra within her.
"This is my wife we're talking about," Set toned it down a bit – apparently he could see it too, and for all of his evil, he was loyal to Ra. "I cannot just take a back seat while my host is getting chewed-up by upstart gnomes and what-not."
"That is kind of sweet, but now isn't the time, Evil Day," Zia did not back down. "Go back from whence you came and return when the time is right?"
"You don't have any powers over me," Set didn't back down, but then another grimace distorted his face. "Oh, very well..." and just like that he was gone.
"Sorry about that," uncle Amos looked really embarrassed.
"Don't mention it," Walt, apparently, was back as well – Anubis backed down as well, now that Set was gone.
"Interesting," senhorita Vasquez spoke up. "Why the two of you have passengers within you? That's wrong on so many levels-"
"Yes, well, for me it is worth it," Walt said with more certainty than he usually spoke with, "and as for the Chief Lector-"
"It was a good idea back then," uncle Amos shook his head. "And now, well, Set and I we have our agreement..."
"You're stuck," senhorita Vasquez said flatly. "That's why father never liked the House of Life. Ah well. When we'll be there yet, wherever 'there' is?"
"Well, actually-"
And then Nephthys' underwater palace appeared from the gloom.
TBC