They were waiting for their godly taxi out in the street. Paris was strangely quiet that night. The city was almost pleasant, when there weren't hordes of tourists ambling around. Or hordes of hurried locals, for that matter.

Evey was brimming with excitement. She couldn't believe that, in a few minutes, she would be in the Duat – in another plane of existence, another (Under)world. Before they went missing, what had bothered her most about Tony and Walden going to Middle-earth was that she couldn't accompany them.

She could tell that she was the only one who was looking forward to this little jaunt. Malkoran was too preoccupied by Estelle's recent revelations, and Walden was…probably wishing that Mal wasn't there. He hadn't said a word since they'd left Estelle's basement, but he was holding on to her hand with more force than was strictly necessary. Estelle, as planned, was staying behind. She would start preparing some of the ingredients for the elixir: macerating, soaking, distilling, crushing, mincing.

For the second time in less than five minutes, Malkoran glanced at his watch. It was ten past eleven – Hades was late, but that wasn't what was bothering him, Evey knew.

"You're making a fuss over nothing," Evey assured him. "If it was such a big deal, we would have heard about it, Mal. People don't really believe that immortal werewolves exist. Most of them don't even believe in Ancients, despite their numerous indiscretions. Authors and journalists who so much as mention them are immediately rebutted and discredited by their peers. I swear, I'd only heard vague legends about Wolves before, fairy tales really, nothing more. It couldn't even be classified as a rumour."

"Perhaps it's more than a rumour here in France," Mal insisted. "You should have seen the people at the market, Evey." Uh. This was the first time he'd called her that. He must be troubled indeed. She glanced at her husband, certain that he must have noticed and that he would make a comment, but he seemed to be paying no attention to their conversation. "Someone told them I was a Wolf, and they believed it without question. A girl offered to give me her first-born child, for crying out loud."

Yeah, that was…disturbing. Evey had always assumed that the first-born child thing was a Muggle fabrication. What use could a person possibly have for another person's baby? Maybe it could be used as a potent sacrifice in a summoning ritual. Or maybe the likes of Estelle brewed evil potions that required it as an ingredient.

Well, that was gross. Thankfully, Hades pulled her out of that line of thought.

"Better hurry," the god said with a smirk. "The meter is running."

"You're late," Evey scolded him. "Is there a time difference between Paris and the Underworld?"

"There's no such thing as 'time', girl. It's a human invention. It means nothing to me."

"But you did know when to come pick us up, though," she pointed out.

Hades hesitated for a moment. "Well, yes, because…" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ugh, never mind. You couldn't possibly understand. We should go. I will drop you in the Duat – at the front door, so to speak – and then I'll go get the pharaoh. Hold on to your hats!"

Malkoran frowned at the god, and Evey presumed that he was about to remark that none of them were wearing hats, but there was no time.

The Hades Travelling Method™ was nothing like Apparition; it was more like a roller coaster. In Evey's opinion, that was a good thing, but both Malkoran and Walden looked like they were about to be sick when they regained the ability to feel the ground under their feet. Mal actually leaned forward, elbows pressed against his knees, but nothing came out. Also a good thing.

Walden looked even paler than usual, and his lips were tightly pressed, but he nodded to Evey, to let her know he was okay.

"I'll be back in a jiffy," Hades announced. He vanished without a sign that he'd been there at all, as he always did.

Evey took a good look around while Mal recovered. Ahead of her, there was nothing - there was only a void, an empty space, which seemed infinite. Her feet were on solid ground, though. It was made of old stones. Just when she was about to turn, Walden tapped her on the shoulder. "V, take a gander at this." His voice was low; he sounded wary.

A sphinx. Of course there was a sphinx. That made perfect sense, given where they were.

Only problem: it was about fifteen feet tall, and the glowering eyes it fixed upon them were not exactly warm and welcoming. "You're not supposed to be here." Its face was androgynous, its voice deep but neither male nor female.

"Um, no, I guess not," Evey said. "But we won't be long. We just need-"

"This is the Land of the Dead. Most of you are alive," the sphinx noted.

"Fine, let me through, then," Walden said. "I'm dead."

The sphinx shook its human head. "Not dead enough."

"We won't make any trouble," Evey insisted. "Ask Hades when he comes back."

"Hades was here?" Evey nodded. "That is highly irregular. Trespassing on another god's territory is a grievous offence. We may have to inform the Council."

Hades had not mentioned that. Also, what Council? "He was only here for a second," Evey assured the creature. "Just dropping us off."

"Bringing live humans into the Duat is also a grievous offence. This is not Karnak, little girl. We do not allow degenerate tourists in this most sacred-"

"Ugh, you overzealous kitten." Hades had reappeared, Evey realised. Beside him stood an elderly man with fuzzy white hair and an aquiline nose. He was wearing a tweed suit. Unlike Malkoran and Walden earlier, the trip from America to the Duat didn't appear to have fazed him. "Move aside, Guardian. Anubis was notified of our visit, as per our rules. Your Master is expecting the humans."

The sphinx muttered something in a language Evey didn't recognise, but it let them pass. Behind it was a large gate, which opened on its own. It revealed nothing but a long, paved road with sand on either side.

"Be careful," Hades warned them. "They're expecting you, but they have no obligation to release you or even keep you alive."

"How good of you to tell us that now," Walden said.

"Hey, you didn't ask," Hades pointed out. "And I don't make the rules, not in this place. Say hi to Ozzy for me," he added before vanishing again. Nobody moved nor talked for a moment.

"Word of advice," the old man said into the silence, "do not call Osiris 'Ozzy' to his face."

Evey chuckled. "That's sound advice, I should think." She took a step forward and extended her hand. "I'm Evey. It's an honour to meet you, sir." He shook her hand; he had a strong grip. Well, no matter how old he may look, he was a Wolf. If he'd ever suffered from arthritis, it was long gone.

"Oh, where are my manners?" Malkoran said. "My apologies. Ramesses, this is Evangeline Macnair, and this is her husband, Walden."

"Yes, I've heard quite a lot about you, Mrs Macnair. I even glimpsed you, two years ago, after you were rescued by the cubs."

"Right. Sorry I didn't stay long enough to introduce myself," she said.

"That was perfectly understandable."

"Shall we?" Evey said, indicating the open gate. Ramesses nodded, and everyone followed her inside the Land of the Dead.

"You need a heart," Ramesses repeated. A moment ago, he had been looking around with awe and child-like wonder. This was the Duat. More specifically the Land of the Dead, where the souls of his ancestors lived on. He had travelled much in his life, but here was a place that he had not expected to visit for a while yet, if ever.

Now, however, he was studying his Alpha with a faint scowl. "A heart that has been…licked by the goddess Ammit." Ammit was called the Devourer – not the Licker – for a reason.

"The heart of an unworthy human," the Alpha clarified.

"Did you…bring such a heart?" Ramesses asked politely, though he knew what his Alpha was going to say.

Malkoran patted his own chest. "I did."

"Alpha…"

"Ugh, Mal, I won't hear it again," the young woman, Evangeline, said. "This place is some sort of gigantic tomb, isn't it? They must have some superfluous hearts lying around. We'll just…borrow one."

"It doesn't work like that," someone else said.

Their little group stopped in their tracks to inspect the newcomer. There was no doubt in Ramesses's mind as to who it was. "Lord Anubis," he murmured, head bowed.

"Uh-huh, hello, howdy," the god greeted them with some impatience. "Look, I'm not sure what you were hoping for, but I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed. We do not, in fact, keep hearts 'lying around', as you say. If you don't have one with you…" He paused, his jackal head (or was it a wolf?) cocked sideways. "In fact, even if you do happen to have one, Ammit won't just lick it for you, you know. That's not what she does."

"She can't possibly eat all the hearts of the deceased that are considered unworthy," Evangeline said. "That can't be good for her diet."

Anubis looked offended. "The gods don't diet. We don't need to. We're flawless." He gestured at his own figure, as if to prove his point.

"It was merely a jest," Malkoran explained.

"Ugh, live humans and their mystifying sense of humour. I prefer you when you're dead."

"I'm sure we'll be dead soon enough, by your standards," Evangeline said. "Look, sir, Lord Anubis, we-"

"You will be, alright. Sooner than you think."

The young woman seemed puzzled by the interruption, but she recovered quickly. "We just need this one thing, then we'll be out of your hair. We'll wait for the next person to show up at the scales, and if they're unworthy, we'll take their heart. I mean, they won't be needing it anymore. Surely Ammit won't mind-"

Anubis made a sound that must have been intended as laughter. "What next person? No one has come through here in many of your human centuries, girl. To do so, one would have to believe in the afterlife we offer. Humans don't believe in anything anymore."

Walden frowned at the god. "Many people believe in Heaven and-"

"Yeah, I'm aware," Anubis cut him off. "Unfortunately for them, those places do not exist."

"But…where do they go after they die, then?" Evangeline asked.

Anubis's canine face twisted in a bitter grin. "The people who mistakenly believe in Heaven and Hell would call it Purgatory, I suppose. We gods have various names for it: the Waiting Room. The In-Between. The Neverwhere." He shrugged. "The unclaimed souls will remain there until a judgement can be passed, but I doubt that the Council will ever come to an agreement, so most likely, they'll be there until…the End. Ah, but then again, that may happen sooner than I anticipated."

"The End as in…"

"Doomsday. Armageddon. Ragnarök. The Hour. Shambhala. Unfortunately, most of these cutesy concepts have a major flaw: they claim that the believers and the faithful will be saved. That is not the case. The End will be the End, for all. Including us, I should think, and about time, too."

"Oh-kay," Evangeline said slowly. "And when you say that it may happen sooner than you anticipated, do you mean next week, or more like…next century?"

"Hard to tell, since both are basically the same to me."

"And that Council everyone keeps mentioning, what is it, exactly?"

Anubis closed his eyes. For a moment, he seemed to lose some substance. Ramesses could faintly glimpse the paved road behind the god – through him, really. "I'm not at liberty to say," he said when he opened his eyes again. "Apparently, I've said too much already."

"Well, it's not important," Evangeline said. "It's not why we're here. About that heart-"

"It'll have to be one of yours," Anubis asserted.

"Mine, as planned," the Alpha said.

The young woman put her hands on her hips and scolded him. "I'm willing to do a lot of things to help Sirius, but I won't let you sacrifice yourself, Mal. You don't even know the bloke."

Malkoran's eyes widened. He looked – and smelled – genuinely surprised. "Who said anything about a sacrifice? Evangeline, this is not going to kill me. We'll use my current blood-pumping organ, which is not the one I was born with, and then I'll regrow yet another. There is no need to make a fuss."

She stared at him open-mouthed. It was her husband who spoke up. "Your heart will regrow? Are you sure about that, mate?"

"Absolutely. I have done this before. I've tried to kill myself in every way you could possibly imagine, but I'm still here, aren't I?"

Ramesses sighed. He knew of this, of course. In fact, he'd helped with the experiments more than once, on Malkoran's orders.

"Oh, Mal…" Evangeline said faintly.

"That's fucked-up," Walden concurred. "But really, it doesn't have to be you. My heart is completely useless to me, we could-"

Malkoran grimaced. "Now you're just fishing for compliments. The heart must be donated by an unworthy human, remember? How are you unworthy?"

"I killed an innocent man," Walden said. "A good man."

"And I've killed thousands of them. I've enslaved people. I've raped women – no, girls. I've plundered and burned down villages. Do you need more reasons proving that I'm less worthy than you are?"

Ramesses had never heard his Alpha speak this way. Malkoran was usually poised and soft-spoken, never sarcastic.

Walden seemed about to retort, but his wife spoke over him. "Wal, stop trying to come up with something to add to your résumé. It's not a dick-measuring contest, for Merlin's sake."

"Well, sounds good to me," Anubis said, rubbing his hands. Ramesses started; he'd almost forgotten that the god was here. "I don't blame you. I'm very forgettable. Unlike dear old dad," he sneered.

"Oh, don't worry, you'll get used to it," Walden told Ramesses. "They can read your mind."

"Alright, enough with the chit-chat, humans," Anubis said. "Do you want to do this or not? I don't have all… Mm, actually, poor choice of words, I do have all day. But I'm getting bored."

Evangeline hesitated, looking at Malkoran. "If you're sure…"

The Alpha nodded. "I'm sure."

"Onwards to the Hall of Two Truths, then," Anubis said. "We'll go my way, it's much faster. Brace yourselves."

The scales of justice. Walden stared at them in reverence, but not for long; he was interrupted by another coughing spell. He didn't breathe, but some sand had gotten stuck in his throat and it was uncomfortable. Travelling by sandstorm was just as bad as travelling with Hades, though he wasn't quite as dizzy as he'd felt earlier.

"That was…unnecessarily unpleasant," Evey said, her voice laced with reproach. Her hair was indescribably messy. Walden would have teased her about it, if she wasn't so irritated already. Tony would have teased her regardless, Walden knew. Then again, Evey never got mad at him. "We could have just walked, you know."

Anubis ignored her. "Let's get on with it. Here's the feather." It appeared out of thin air and landed lightly on the scales. "Now we need to weigh it against the heart."

Malkoran stepped forward and began to unbutton his shirt. "Take it."

Anubis sighed in annoyance. "I can't, you idiot. You're alive; I'm not allowed to harm you. It's against the rules."

"But it will not harm me," Malkoran insisted. "Not permanently, anyway."

"Can't you do it yourself?" Walden asked. Evey threw him a withering look. Why, he had no idea. It was a perfectly rational suggestion. Mal had done this before, after all.

"I will do it, Alpha, if you'll allow me," Ramesses offered.

"Yes, thank you, old friend."

The Wolf's hand turned into a wickedly-clawed paw and ripped Mal's heart out of his chest in one smooth gesture. There was no love lost between Walden and the Alpha, but it was still shocking to witness. Evey let out a little gasp, despite the hand pressed against her mouth. Walden put his good arm around her shoulders.

Malkoran's eyes bulged, and he fell to the ground, apparently lifeless. Evey, of course, ran to him. Walden did his best to ignore this and watched as Ramesses deposited his Alpha's bloody heart on the scales.

Nothing happened. The scales remained as they were before – the heart and the feather were perfectly balanced.

As nothing continued to happen, Walden turned his eyes on Anubis. "How long does it take?"

Improbable as it seemed, the god looked…perturbed. His animal ears were twitching. "Um, it should… I mean, it's been a while, but the result is usually instantaneous. Maybe the tare is faulty…" He moved closer and leaned forward to inspect the scales.

Meanwhile, Evey was helping Mal up, though he didn't look like he needed it. He was steady on his feet. "Are you sure you're okay? Maybe you should lie down a little while longer."

"I'm fine," he assured her. He was scowling at his own heart. Well, the old one. "But I don't understand. Why is it not going down?"

"Perhaps you're not as unworthy as you think, Alpha," Ramesses suggested. "You've done a lot of good in your life. After the Lady Ellessin left you, you changed. You sought to better yourself. You've aided the mortals in many ways over a long period of time – you have built hospitals, fed the hungry, sheltered the poor... You prevented quite a few conflicts, as well, and ended others."

Evey was wearing a smug expression, the one Walden referred to as her I-told-you-so face.

"Don't give me that look," Mal said. "Whether or not there's something wrong with the scales – and I think there is – we're in a pickle. We don't have a heart to present to Ammit."

That wiped off the smugness. "What about…" She glanced at Walden and quickly dismissed him, then at Ramesses. "I don't suppose he's…"

"Not even close," Mal said firmly. "And neither are you."

"There is nothing wrong with the sacred scales of justice," a deep voice intoned.

Brilliant, just what they needed. Another god.

"Yeah, um, if I were you, I'd be careful how I address this one," Anubis advised him.

Walden turned toward the apparition. He looked like a man (a really tall man), but his skin was green. He was holding a crook and a flail, which allowed Walden to connect him with a name: Osiris. Or Ozzy, to his godly friends.

"'Friend' is not a term I would use in regard to Hades," Osiris remarked. Ugh, that bloody mind-reading. The god examined the scales. "What seems to be the problem?"

"The scales are stuck or something," Anubis said.

Osiris made a weird gesture with his hands. "They are not. They work perfectly, as always."

"But it's never done that before!" Anubis exclaimed. "Sometimes it's just a hair's breadth, sure, but the heart is never exactly level with the feather, Uncle."

"It is now," Osiris said simply.

"But what does it mean?" Evey demanded. Her manners towards the gods still left much to be desired. "Is Mal worthy or unworthy?"

"Both," Osiris answered. "And neither."

"That's not helpful at all," she muttered.

"V… Remember who you're talking to, love."

"I don't care, okay?" she said much more loudly. "I just watched my friend have his heart clawed out of his chest, and for nothing! My other friends have been gone for weeks and I have no idea if they're even alive. I'm tired of this enigmatic bullshit. The End is nigh, we're all gonna die, Mal's worthiness is impossible to determine…"

"Hey, that almost rhymed," Anubis said with a wolfish grin.

Walden held his wife back before she could slap the god senseless – or try to.

So Malkoran did it instead.

He leaped at Anubis, using all of the strength and velocity of his beastly alter-ego without actually transforming, and he slapped the god right in the face.

Anubis must have been too shocked to prevent it, because no matter how fast and strong the Alpha may be, it shouldn't have been possible. Gods were all-powerful. Osiris merely looked on, his face utterly expressionless. Ramesses murmured some words in a language that even Walden didn't understand.

Evey stopped trying to get out of Walden's grip and let out a loud "HA!"

Anubis put a hand to his furry cheek. His mouth opened, then closed, then opened again and remained that way for a long time.

Osiris nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, it seems that your scheme was fruitful, Cursed One. Look," he said, pointing to the scales. The heart was ever so slightly below the feather.

Malkoran bowed his head. "I couldn't think of anything else. My apologies," he told Anubis, who was still gaping at him in speechless outrage.

"Well," Osiris declared. "Judgement has been passed. The feather has deemed thee unworthy. Your heart shall now be consumed by Ammit and you will be denied immortality in my realm. Your soul shall-"

"Um…" Evey interrupted him awkwardly. "Sir, that's not why we're here. We just need Ammit to lick the heart."

There was a pause. "Pardon me?" Osiris said eventually. "Did you say…'lick'?"

"Uh-huh. It's an ingredient for this elixir we're brewing. A very special elixir."

Osiris sighed deeply. "Not this again," he grumbled. He didn't sound quite so mighty and godly, all of a sudden. He sounded like a tired old man. "Is my brother involved in this? Did the Flamel woman summon him again?"

"Your brother?" Evey said.

"The god Set," Ramesses whispered to her.

"Former god," Osiris corrected him. "He was demoted eons ago. Otherwise Pernelle would not have been able to summon him to do her dark bidding."

"Ugh, I bet that's why he contacted us earlier," Anubis said. "He was trying to cause a distraction, to trick us again. Pretending to be helping humans wandering the Demon Realm. What a preposterous-"

"Humans wandering the Demon Realm?" Evey took two steps forward. "Three of them? Looking for a mortal? Are they alright?" Her voice rose as she reached the last question.

"Indeed," Osiris said. "I did not ask if they were…alright, as you say, but they were alive, at least."

"Oh, thank the gods," Evey murmured. Walden sensed her relief and felt the same; until then, he hadn't realised how worried he was about his brother. Not for the first time since they'd left Scotland, he wished that Tony were here.

"You're welcome," Anubis said with a canine smirk. "But we had nothing to do with it, I can assure you. If they're alive, it's because he wants them alive, and knowing the scheming bastard, I'm not entirely sure that's a good thing."

"You mean Set?"

"No, the other one." Anubis scoffed. "Well, I suppose there are plenty of those in the Demon Realm. Let's call him the scheming bastard in chief."

"And who-"

"Enough about my father, enough with the questions," Anubis said. "Do you want this heart licked or not?"

"Yes, we do," Walden said. Then, trying to make up for Evey's lack of manners: "Please."

"And if we do you this small favour, you'll leave and never come back?"

"I might come back," Ramesses said in a small voice.

Anubis rolled his eyes, but Osiris was nodding. "Of course you will. You belong here, pharaoh." He turned to the jackal-headed god. "Fetch Ammit, would you?" Anubis vanished, leaving only a cloud of sand where he'd stood a moment ago.

When he returned, less than five seconds later, he was accompanied by the infamous goddess, who looked exactly like Walden had imagined her: the head of a crocodile, the front section of a lion and the bottom of a hippopotamus. She was not as large as he'd expected, but that could be explained by the slim pickings of the past millennia.

Apparently, Anubis and Ammit were arguing, but not in English, nor in any language that Walden was familiar with. After a while, Osiris spoke up, his voice resonating in the Hall of Two Truths as if he'd used an Amplifying Charm. It was only one word, but it shut up the other two. "Ammit, do as you are told." She complied reluctantly, her eyes blazing with hunger as she licked Mal's heart. Walden felt a wave of nausea at the sight. "Anubis, you will now take our guests back where they belong. There is no need to bother Hades. Farewell, humans. Enjoy the precious little time you have left."