Chapter 3: Imprisoned (again) with a cat
Isis
Oh, no, he did not! Why does Set always have to ruin everything he comes in contact with? First half of the magic energy in the museum was released during the explosion, then Set traps my husband, then Desjardins and some Arab girl want to kill my host (What's new?). This was supposed to be my big comeback into the mortal world and my certain of a brother just had to ruin it, didn't he?
Now, with my host locked in the curator's office, I have nothing left but to observe her thoughts, her world. The golden hues of her magic swerve around me like the Seven Ribbons of Hathor. Her thoughts are chaotic, confused by emotions, each flying in a different direction. In the midts of it all, her ba is sitting calmly, eyes closed. I near carefully. She will not see me. She cannot, unless she opens her ba's eyes. Still, she can hear me, sense me. Sitting next to her, I place my hand on her shoulder. In a second, the universe shifts. It's like walking through an open door. The lingering chill in the back of her neck eases out as I finally settle in. I can see the world through her eyes, hear her thoughts as opposed to just read them. The control can be mine in only a second, but I do not push her. Ruby would never forgive me if I do. Damn that woman. She lost her life for the gods, I owe her daughter a better one.
Long after Sadie's gum has gone disgustingly stale, a policewoman finally gets her out of the awful office. The police don't ask any questions, just drive off.
As we approach the Faust's, the familiarness of those old London streets strikes me more than ever. We pass by Ruby's first school, her favorite restaurant, the park where she had her first kiss, where Julius proposed, Cleopatra's Needle. A city so special, that it had captured a whole life.
When we finally arrive, they don't even let Sadie explain to her grandparents. The policewoman just shoves her into her room and the waiting begins again.
I don't like waiting.
The room is nothing impressive. An attic space with a window, a bed and a desk. And with nothing to keep a goddess busy. Bast sniffs Sadie's legs and her tail shots up. Not the warm welcome I was hoping for. Suppose she's still mad at me for that one time on the boat. With a hiss, she disappears under the bed. Good riddance.
"Thanks a lot." mutters Sadie and opens the door, but the policewoman is standing guard.
"The inspector will be with you in a moment. Please stay inside."
We get a glimpse of what's happening downstairs. Robert is pacing the room as my son's host is talking with the police inspector. Unfortunately, mortal hearing wasn't good enough for that far of a distance. This shouldn't be happening. We are in enough trouble as it is, with Set on the loose and the end of the world coming. Now the mortal police is onto us, too? There is no time for such an inconvenience.
"Could I just use the loo?" Sadie asks the officer.
"No." The door shuts in her face.
As if I might rig an explosion in the toilet. Honestly.
I almost smile, shaking my head. It's happened. In fact, that's exactly how Ruby had discovered her powers all those years ago. Catherine had started asking questions, but Robert had quickly dismissed them. This was the last time the word magic had been mentioned at Faust's home. All the way till 6 years ago.
My attention gets drawn back to the mortal world as Sadie starts fiddling with her amulet.
Carter's is obviously an eye. Mine looks a bit like an angel, or perhaps a killer alien robot.
We'll have so much work to do. She doesn't even recognize the Tyet! I always knew raising them without magic was a bad idea. And an alien killer robot? Really? It's, obviously , a very ornate knot. Angel is more acceptable. I like angels, they know how to get shit done.
Oh. Oh, sweetheart. Her thoughts start circling around her dad. This amulet had been the only present from her dad in six years. Her only link to him. To what's left of her family. How do I explain to her that her father didn't just leave her? How can anyone portray the House's orders as right, after all the hurt they've caused?
I slowly nudge her in a different direction. She's felt the necklace get hot after the explosion, felt its protection. A protection that I, unfortunately, cannot take the credit for. Though the Tyet sure acted as the perfected space for me to pass through.
Julius had promised he'd make things right, that's what I've overheared back at the Needle. Sadie thinks he's failed. That's far from the truth. Yes, Set is causing us a little setback. But Osiris still shall rise and bring with him the balance in Duat. We still have time to make things right. She knows none of this, of course. It's okay. There's no need to overflow her with information from the get go and so I let her ravel in confusion for now. At the very least, she knows she isn't making it all up.
I follow quietly her train of thought and my eyes widen when she hits the point. Sadie's eyes move across the room and stop on her desk.
No. Not going to do it.
And yet she walks over and opens the drawer. Sadie shoves away everything else and there, at the bottom, is my late host. Is this really all she kept from her mother? One picture? It's of Ruby and her at the house in Los Angelis. I remember this – it was just after Sadie was born. Ruby is standing out on the balcony, holding her daughter as the waves of the Pacific Ocean dance behind them.
She was gorgeous.
Yes, she was. I have a great taste in hosts. After all, they're my business card to the world. Ruby was gorgeous. With her deep blue eyes, blond hair and perfect skin, she was quite like Sadie. By now it seems like their tempers are alike, too. Sadie takes a second to observe the symbol on Ruby's shirt.
One of those life symbols – an ankh.
Good, at least she knows this one. The girl is smart, maybe it's time to give her a hint as to what is happening. But how should I.. Ah! Her and Carter had witnessed a conversation between Amos and Julius. Great, though I can't believe Amos would disobey the House's orders. Nevertheless, this comes in handy now. I look around and spot the memory. It's pretty new, and so it's floating close by – right next to the one with Set's ugly face on it. Usually I wouldn't have flipped him off, it's not royal. But no one can see me in a teenager's mindscape, so I do. Then I stretch out my hand, bringing closer the memory I need. Now all I have left is to sit back and wait.
That stocky man in the trench coat who was arguing with Dad across the street -
Yes…
-he said something about the Per Ankh.
Yes…
Did he mean ankh as in the symbol for life?
Yes!
And if so, what was per? He probably didn't mean pear as in the fruit.
"Just write it down and I'll tell you, for gods' sake!"
I have an eerie feeling that if I see the words Per Ankh written in hieroglyphics, I'll know what they mean.
"Wonder why that is."
Sadie puts down the picture of Ruby and picks up a pencil and paper. Just as she touches the paper, by all of Murphy's laws, the door opens.
"Miss Kane?"
She jumps up, the pencil dropping on the floor. A police inspector is frowning at us. His lint-colored suit enhances his gray hair and ashen face. "What are you doing?"
"Maths."
The ceiling is quite low, so the inspector hunches over to walk in. "Now then, Sadie. I'm Chief Inspector Williams. Let's have a chat, shall we? Sit down."
The request falls dead in the air.
"Tell me everything, please." He says. "from the time your father came round to get you."
"I already told the police at the museum."
"Again, if you don't mind."
Letting mortals in on our affairs is never a good idea, but I let her tell him. Why not? It's amusing watching his left eyebrow go higher and higher as the story progresses. Once it's quite again, he takes a deep breath.
"Well, Sadie, you've got quite an imagination."
"I'm not lying, Inspector. And I think your eyebrow is trying to escape."
I shake my head. Ruby would be proud. Williams tries to look at his own eyebrows, then scows. "Now, Sadie, I'm sure this is very hard on you. I understand you want to protect your father's reputation. But he's gone now - "
"You mean through the floor in a coffin. He's not dead."
No, but our time is ticking away. Her optimism is promising. And foolish. But mostly promising.
"Sadie, I'm very sorry." The inspector spreads his hands in frustration. "But we must find out why he did this act of… well…"
Act of what?
"Act of what?"
He clears his throat. What will they blame us for now?
"Your father destroyed priceless artifacts and apparently killed himself in the process. We'd very much like to know why."
Oh. My. Lord. Sadie stares at him, unblinking for a second. Internally, I follow suit.
"Are you saying my father's a terrorist? Are you mad?"
"We've made calls to some of your father's associates. I understand his behavior had become erratic since your mother's death. He'd become withdrawn and obsessive in his studies, spending more and more time in Egypt- "
Can't believe we save the world for people like that guy.
"He's a bloody Egyptologist! You should be looking for him, not asking stupid questions!"
Can I shut her mouth? Is there a way to do so without making myself known?
"Sadie. There are extremist groups in Egypt that object to Egyptian artifacts being kept in other countries' museums. These people might have approached your father. Perhaps in his state, your father became an easy target for them. If you've heard him mention any names-"
The anger inside her is boiling, it's magical energy buzzing inside her mind, begging to be let out. Sadie storms past him to the window. She continues to refuse her father's dead.
No, no, no. A terrorist? Please. Why are adults so thick? They always say 'tell the truth' and when you do, they don't believe you. What's the point?
Ah, the old as time question. Everyone sees what they want to see, sweetheart, and we hear only what we want to hear. It's what keeps us feeling in control in a world that's beyond our reach. The street outside is swallowed in darkness. Then something moves. I take control of the eyes for a split second, way too quick for her to notice, and she focuses on the dead tree. The dim light of a streetlamp is illuminating Amos Kane. He's looking up at us. Here to protect the kids, I presume. From what I remember about Amos, it won't be a surprise. His expression is full of concern. Sadie is desperately sorting through her memories, trying to remember him. Soon she will, once I manage to break the House's stupid memory spell. Sadie and Carter are going to need all the family they can get. Wonder if their cousin, whatever her name was, is also around. Probably not. Amos is too smart, he probably left her spend Christmas with her mother for once.
The inspector clears his throat again. Why does he do that so much? Is he sick from a novel virus that will appear in 10 years and put the whole world into a pandemic survival mode?
"Sadie, no one blames you for the attack on the museum. We understand you were dragged into this against your will."
She turns to face him. "Against my will? I chained the curator in his office."
Girl, shut your mouth or you'll get us in trouble!
The inspector's restless eyebrow starts to go up again. "Be that as it may, surely you didn't understand what your father meant to do. Possibly your brother was involved?"
She snorts. "Carter? Please."
"So you are determined to protect him as well. You consider him a proper brother, do you?"
I can't believe this man. I want to hurt him, but my magic's still getting used to hers. Can't wait to make myself known and finally get some shit done. My new host seems to share that idea.
"What's that supposed to mean? Because he doesn't look like me?"
The inspector blinks. "I only meant- "
"I know what you meant. Of course he's my brother!"
"I'm sorry, Sadie. I only want to make sure we separate the innocent from the guilty. It will go much easier for everyone if you cooperate. Any information. Anything your father said. People he might've mentioned."
"Amos." She says, just to see his reaction. If facepalming was something a queen does, I would've. "He met a man named Amos."
The inspector sighs. "Sadie, he couldn't have done. Surely you know that. We spoke with Amos one hour ago, on the phone from his home in New York."
"He isn't in New York! He's right…"
Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. If I chant this for long enough, would she hear? Thankfully, Amos was gone by the time she looked at the window.
"That's not possible." She says.
"Exactly."
"But he was here!" This girl's tongue is bound to get me in so much trouble later. "Who is he? One of Dad's colleagues? How did you know to call him?"
"Really, Sadie. The acting must stop."
"Acting?"
The inspector waits for a second before finally making a decision. "We've already had the truth from Carter. I didn't want to upset you, but he told us everything. He understands there's no point protecting your father now. You might as well help us, and there will be no charges against you."
"You shouldn't lie to children!" Her yell is so loud, that it probably carries all the way downstairs. "Carter would never say a word against Dad, and neither will I!"
Inspector Williams crosses his arms disapprovingly, a pose that everyone knows is my trademark, thank you very much. "I'm sorry you feel that way. I'm afraid it's time we went downstairs… to discuss consequences with your grandparents."
Huh.
Huh.