Well hello my guys-I gotta say I am so proud of the last few chapters I've written, like- they're painful as anything but also I think they way I portrayed what's happening works quite well. And I hope you guys agree when the time comes, though you'll probably be murdering me when it comes. All I have to say is that I put the Kane's plus Desjardins through the wringer.
Replies:
Unknownloser097: I'm glad you're enjoying it so much! I hope you keep enjoying it.
rage2091: Heheheheh. That's actually kind of fitting for the chapters I've just written.
Undeath9087: Me, looking at the last three chapters I've written: Well um, you're not wrong about that.
Guest: Desjardins is having doubts at this stage already- also, he would never admit it but he's got a tiny bit of a soft spot for the girl who just fucking launched herself at him because she was relieved he was alive. I love his character- and I think he has lots of potential for growth.

The goodbyes had been bittersweet at best- Sadie and Carter were both incredibly worried about what Walt and Zia were heading into, and about what they were heading into too, truth be told.

And to make things more emotionally draining, when they'd arrived in the Duat it had looked like the quayside of the River Thames- which was painful for both of them, after all Sadie's trip to London for her birthday had been a disaster and- well, it brought back memories of the the first day. The day they'd actually started becoming a family.

It was strange for Carter, looking back on it. At the time he'd been terrified and confused, desperately clinging to Percy- who'd been unconscious at the time, having almost burned herself out defending him and Sadie from Set.

And now she was gone and he knew, he knew that Sadie was thinking along the same lines as him- they'd both do anything to get her back.

It also hadn't help that Babi and Nekhbet had been there in the hopes of warning them off, though Carter had been able to use the crook and the flail to force them to swear their loyalty- and he was willing to admit that it had been a heady feeling of power, having the gods agreeing to obey Ra when they returned with him, all on his order.

And then they'd climbed into the boat that had been waiting for them- the barque of the sun god, which was not in good condition at all- and Carter had really wished they'd had Percy then, he knew she had an innate skill with boats that came from her biological father's side.

And because the world hated him as soon as he'd stepped onto the boat he'd gotten a splinter- and Sadie had tormented him about his clothes- they'd changed when they'd entered the Duat, into the style of the ancient Egyptians.

Sadie's outfit was much better than his own- though he wished Sadie wouldn't keep calling the simple linen wrap a skirt. He felt awkward enough as it was.

Thankfully the boat itself, and the glowing light's that manned the boat had eventually done as they were told by Sadie- though they didn't like her too much because of her connection to Isis, the reason their true master was gone.

And while they'd sailed Sadie had explained what the Book of Ra had told her- about how each hour of the night was a House, how they'd have to pass through the twelve stages of the river which represented the twelve hours of the night. It wasn't reassuring for Carter but- he trusted his sister, and so as the boat moved he tried to keep busy, bailing water from the boat as fast as he could, wishing Percy was there to just wave a hand and force it all out.

He was surprised at how peaceful the journey was- up until they reached the gates to the Fourth House.

And Carter really should have known that Sadie would bring them trouble. But still, when she complained about how bored she was, Carter hadn't quite expected a sandaled foot the size of a waterbed to plant itself on the prow if their ship and stop them dead in the water. Not good.

It was a male foot, the toes were splattered with mud, and its toenails were yellow, cracked, and overgrown. The leather sandal straps were covered in lichen and barnacles. In short, the foot looked and smelled very much like it had been standing on the same rock in the middle of the river, wearing the same sandal, for several thousand years.

Yet again Carter found himself mourning the fact that Percy wasn't there- he was sure she'd have something to say about it.
And unfortunately for them it was attached to a leg, which was attached to a body. The giant leaned down to look at them.

"You are bored?" his voice boomed, not in an unfriendly way. "I could kill you, if that would help."

He wore a kilt like Carters, except that the giant's skirt could have supplied enough fabric to make ten ship sails. His body was humanoid and muscular, covered with body hair. He had the head of a ram: a white snout with a brass ring in his nose and long curly horns hung with dozens of bronze bells. His eyes were set far apart, with luminous red irises and vertical slits for pupils.

Carter resisted the urge to step backwards, his eyes wide- because okay, he was willing to admit that.

He was silent- and so was Sadie, shockingly enough, maybe she felt as stunned as he did.

Then he drew two very large knives with curly blades like horns from his belt.

"You're silent. Is that a yes for the killing?" and okay, okay that wasn't good- but Sadie moved quickly, stepping forward and holding up her hands.

"No thanks." her voice was upbeat- Carter knew when his sister was putting on an act though, "One word and one question please. The word is pedicure-" and Carter resisted the urge to strange her, "And the question is, who are you?" Ahhh-ha-ha-ha," he said, bleating like a sheep. "If you knew my name, we wouldn't need introductions, and I could let you pass. Unfortunately, no one ever knows my name. A shame, too. I see you've found the Book of Ra. You've revived his crew and managed to sail his boat to the gates of the Fourth House. No one's ever gotten this far before. I'm terribly sorry I have to slice you to pieces."

He hefted his knives, one in each hand. the glowing orbs swarmed in a frenzy.

"Just a mo!" Sadie called up, "If we can came you can we pass?"

"Naturally." He sighed. "But no one ever can."

And Carter met Sadie's gaze- he knew what she was thinking of, of their first time travelling like this- Percy hadn't been there then either. In any case the answer seemed easy enough to Carter- he'd seen enough statues- and they'd seen one very recently.

"It is him, isn't it?" Sadie spoke first, "The chap who looks like Bullwinkle?"

"Don't call him Bullwinkle!" Carter hissed. He looked up at the giant ram man and said, "You're Khnum, aren't you?"

The ram man made a rumbling sound deep in his throat. He scraped one of his knives against the ship's rail. "Is that a question? Or is that your final answer?"

Carter blinked. "Um—" he was about to say yes when Sadie cut him off.

"Not our final answer!" and she ignored the annoyed look he gave her, "Not even close. Khnum is your common name, isn't it? You want us to say your true name, your ren."

Khnum tilted his head, the bells on his horns jingling. "That would be nice. But, alas, no one knows it. Even I have forgotten it."

"How can you forget your own name?" Carter asked incredulously, his eyes wide. "And, yes, that's a question."

"I am part of Ra," said the ram god. "I am his aspect in the underworld—a third of his personality. But when Ra stopped making his nightly journey, he no longer needed me. He left me here at the gates of the Fourth House, discarded like an old coat. Now I guard the gates…I have no other purpose. If I could recover my name, I could yield my spirit to whoever frees me. They could reunite me with Ra, but until then I cannot leave this place."

He sounded horribly depressed, like a little lost sheep, or rather a ten-meter-tall lost sheep with very large knives- and Carter almost groaned at the look on Sadie's face- she felt sorry for the god he could tell- not that he didn't, he was just a bit more concerned with their mission. Still, he'd let Sadie take the lead on this one. She was doing better than him so far.

"If you don't remember your name, why couldn't we just tell you any old name? How would you know whether it was the right answer or not?"

Khnum let his knives trail in the water. "I hadn't thought of that." And wonderful- that would have been a possible plan- but Sadie had ruined any chances of using it since now the god would know. The ram god bleated. "I think I will know my ren when I hear it," he decided, "though I cannot be sure. Being only part of Ra, I am not sure of much. I've lost most of my memories, most of my power and identity. I am no more than a husk of my former self."

"Your former self must've been enormous," Carter loved Sadie, but she and Percy could never resist comments like that- still the god didn't seem offended, he might have even smiled though it was hard to tell. "I'm sorry you don't have my ren. You're a bright girl. You're the first to make it this far. The first and the best." He sighed forlornly. "Ah, well. I suppose we should get to the killing."
Wonderful- just wonderful, Carter's hands moved to the crook and flail- though it felt wrong- the idea of using them against an aspect of Ra, against their true owner.
Would he even be capable of wielding them?

Before he could move to do anything though Sadie let out a gasp, "Wait! Wait I know your name."

"You do?" Carter yelped, his eyes wide as he stared at his sister- sometimes she really did surprise him, "Tell him!" and he could see that look on Sadie's face, the one that meant that she was thinking.

"Ra was the first god to rise out of Chaos,"

Khnum frowned. "That's my name?"

"No, just listen, you said you're not complete without Ra, just a husk of your former self. But that's true of all the other Egyptian gods as well. Ra is older, more powerful. He's the original source of Ma'at, like—"

"Like the taproot of the gods," Carter volunteered when Sadie looked like she was struggling. "Right, I have no idea what a taproot is, but—right. All these eons, the other gods have been slowly fading, losing power, because Ra is missing. They might not admit it, but he's their heart. They're dependent on him. All this time, we've been wondering if it was worth it, to bring back Ra. We didn't know why it was so important, but now I understand."

Carter nodded, slowly warming to the idea. "Ra's the center of Ma'at. He has to come back, if the gods are going to win."

"And that's why Apophis wants to bring back Ra," Sadie slowly, like she was coming to a realisation. "The two are connected—Ma'at and Chaos. If Apophis can swallow Ra while the sun god is old and weak—"

"All the gods die," Carter said, and he could imagine it was the scary thing. "The world crumbles into Chaos."

Khnum turned his head so he could study them with one glowing red eye. "That's all quite interesting," he said. "But I'm not hearing my secret name. To wake Ra, you must first name me."

And Carter watched as Sadie opened the book of Ra and took a deep breath. And oh. Oh gods but this was the start- he had to resist the urge to snatch it away from her. But he knew he probably couldn't do it- Sadie was better at spells than him.

"'I name you First from Chaos,'" Sadie said. "'Khnum, who is Ra, the evening sun. I summon your ba to awaken the Great One, for I am—'" there was a moment when Sadie seemed to almost stumbled before"'I am Sadie Kane, restorer of the throne of fire. I name you Breath into Clay, the Ram of Night's Flock, the Divine—'" she hesitated slightly again before correcting herself, "The Divine Potter, I name you Khnum, protector of the fourth gate. I return your name. I return your essence to Ra.'" The god's huge eyes dilated. His nostrils flared. "Yes." He sheathed his knives. "Well done, my lady. You may pass into the Fourth House. But beware the fires, and be prepared for the second form of Ra. He will not be so grateful for your help."

"What do you mean?" Sadie tried to ask, but the ram god's body dissolved into mist. The Book of Ra sucked in the wisps of smoke, and it rolled shut. Khnum and his island were gone. The boat drifted on into a narrower tunnel.

Carter stared at Sadie for a long moment, then he moved forward, wrapping his arms around Sadie tightly- he could feel her trembling slightly and he closed his eyes, "Sadie you were amazing. You did so well."