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Chapter VIII

Katya

I sat in the passenger seat of the sixteen-wheeler next to Amos. Zia and Carter were talking in the back, and Sadie was sleeping on the bed.

I sat there thinking. Kronos was rising, how would we stop him? How would we stop Set? I think Sadie and Carter had that at least a little bit figured out. The best thing I could do was protect them. And Kronos? He'll just have to wait until after I deal with The Red Lord, then I'll get to the Lord of Time.

I went into a gas station with Amos and Carter. The cashier looked at us oddly, probably because I looked nothing like them, my pale skin mostly, or the fact that we arrived in a MAGIC SALSA truck.

I grabbed some barbecue chips and bought them with my last bit of money, while Amos and Carter asked for directions. I stored them in my bag for later. I pulled my gray hoodie tighter around me and fiddled with my ankh ring. I walked back out to the truck. I got in and let out a breath. Time to go defeat an all-powerful being, just another day for me, then.

We drove on. Less than a mile from Camelback Mountain, we broke through into circle of perfect calm.

"Eye of the storm," Carter said.

It was unnerving. All around the mountain swirled a cylinder of black clouds. Traces of smoke drifted back and forth from Camelback's peak to the edges of the maelstrom like the spokes of a wheel, but directly above us, the sky was clear and starry, beginning to turn gray. Sunrise wasn't far off. We were running out of time.

The streets were empty. Mansions and hotels clustered round the mountain's base, completely dark; but the mountain itself glowed. Ever hold your hand over a flashlight and watch the way your skin glow red? That was what it looked like: something very bright and hot was trying to burn through the rock.

"Nothing's moving on the streets," Zia said. "If we try to drive up the mountain—"

"We'll be seen," I interrupted.

"What about that spell?" Carter looked at Zia. "You know… the one you used in the First Nome."

"What spell?" Sadie asked.

Zia shook her head. "Carter is referring to an invisibility spell. But I have no magic. And unless you have the proper components, it can't be done on a whim."

"Amos?" Sadie asked.

He pondered the question, "No invisibility, I'm afraid. But I have an another idea.

He turned us into storm clouds. Imagine your hands and feet disappearing, turning into wisps of wind. Imagine your body replaced by dust and vapor, and having a tingling in your stomach without even having a stomach. Imagine having to concentrate just to keep yourself from dissipating.

Sadie and I were so angry lightning crackled inside me.

"Don't be that way," Amos chided. "It's only for a few minutes."

He melted into a darker, heavier bit of storm and raced up the mountain. I imagined myself filling with helium and I was off.

I couldn't see much, only feelings of what was around me. What I did "see" was scattered and fuzzy. As if seeing through static.

I followed Amos to the side of the mountain. I returned to human form and landed unsteadily on my feet.

Sadie landed on Carter. "Ouch," Carter groaned.

"Sorry," Sadie offered.

I was concentrating on not getting sick, my stomach felt like it was still storm.

Zia and Amos stood next to us, peeping into a crevice between two large sandstone boulders. Red light seeped within and made their faces look devilish.

Zia turned to us. Judging from her expression, what she'd seen wasn't good. "Only the pyramidion left." This was bad.

"The what?" Sadie asked looking through the crevice. The entire mountain was hollowed out, just as Carter had said. The cavern floor was about six hundred meters below us. Fires blazed everywhere, bathing the walls in blood-colored light. A giant crimson pyramid dominated the cave, and at its base, masses of demons milled about as if at a rock concert waiting for the show to begin. High above them, eye-level to us, two magic barges manned by crews of demons floated slowly, ceremoniously towards the pyramid. Suspended in a mash of ropes between the boats was the only piece of the pyramid not installed—a golden capstone to top of the structure.

"They know they've won," Carter guessed. "They're making a show of it."

"Yes," Amos said. There was nothing that I wanted more than to go and knock some heads with those demons. Wow, I sound like a daughter of Ares.

"Well, let's blow up the boats or something!" Sadie said. Yes! That's the spirit, I thought.

Amos looked at her. "Is that your strategy, honestly?"

His tone wasn't like Amos', it was like it was meant to make her feel stupid. I put my hand on her shoulder as she looked down at the demon army.

"We have to try," Carter said. "Dad's in there."

"Right," Sadie said. "We fly to those boats. We stop them placing the capstone—"

"Pyramidion," Zia corrected.

"Whatever. Then we fly into the pyramid and find Dad."

"And when Set tries to stop you?" Amos asked.

She glanced at Zia, who was silently warning me not to say more.

"First things first," I said. "How do we fly to the boats?"

"As a storm," Amos suggested.

"No!" the rest of us said.

"I will not be part of more chaos magic," Zia insisted. "It is not natural." She was right, something didn't feel right about chaos magic.

Amos waved at the spectacle below us. "Tell me this is natural. You have another plan?"

"Birds," Sadie said. "I'll become a kite. Carter can do a falcon."

"Sadie," Carter warned, "what if—"

"I have to try." She looked away. "Zia, it's been almost ten hours since your pillar of fire, hasn't it? Still no magic?"

Zia held out her hand and concentrated. At first, nothing happened. Then red light flickered along her fingers, and her staff appeared in her grip, still smoking.

"Good timing," Carter said.

"Also bad timing," I observed. "It means Desjardins in no longer pursued by the pillar of fire. He'll be here soon, and I'm sure he'll bring backup. More enemies for us."

"My magic will still be weak," Zia warned. "I won't be much help in a fight, but I can perhaps summon a ride." She brought out the vulture pendant she used at Luxor.

"Which leaves me and Katya," Amos said. "No worries there. Let's meet on the left boat. We'll take that one out, then deal with the right. And let's hope for surprise."

"Right," Sadie said. "We'll have to finish the boats off quickly, then head into the pyramid itself. Perhaps we can seal off the entrance or something."

"I'll stay out and fight the demons on the other side," I said.

"No! We won't let you sacrifice yourself again," Carter said.

"Who said I would be sacrificing anything?" I mocked.

Carter nodded, "Ready."

"Let's do this," I said.

The plan started out all right. We all got to the boat easy enough. The axe headed demon in front of my looked up in alarm then I stuck my sword straight through him. A mad grin spread across my face. Wow, I probably looked like a madwoman. I kept killing the demons until none of them were left on the boat.

Amos began to chant and point his staff towards the other boat, where the demons just realized we were there.

One of them was tall and very thin, with black eyes, and a face like muscle with the skin peeling away.

"That's Set's lieutenant," Carter warned. "Face of Horror."

"You!" the demon screamed. "Get them!"

Amos finished his spell. "Smoke," he intoned.

Instantly, the second boat evaporated into gray mist. The demons fell screaming. The golden capstone plummeted until the lines attached to it from our side yanked taut, and our boat nearly flipped over. Canted sideways, we began to sink towards the cavern floor.

"Carter, cut the lines!" Sadie screamed. Carter and I cut the ropes with our swords and the Pyramidion hurtled toward the cavern floor. The boat leveled out, and rose several meters in an instant and leaving my stomach behind.

"So far so good," Carter noted, but as usual, he'd spoken too soon.

Zia pointed below us. "Look."

All those demons who had wings—a small percentage, but still a good forty or fifty—had launched themselves towards us, filling the air like a swarm of angry hornets.

"Fly to the pyramid," I said. "I'll distract the demons."
"Wait—"Sadie started, but I jumped off the boat before she could finish. I slid down a ramp of ice like Frozone from The Incredibles blasting as many demons as I could and skewering any that came too close.

I forgot how much I missed a good battle. Skewering any monsters in sight, freezing them in their place, good times, good times.

I lost count of how many demons I killed, then the House of Life showed up, and they started fighting with me, instead of against me. I zoned out—kill, kill, dodge, swing, kill—that was the only thing on my mind, survive.

Then I heard something from behind the locked doors. "I am Carter Kane," the voice was a perfect balance between Carter and Horus. "Blood of the Pharaohs, Eye of Horus. And now, Set—brother, uncle, traitor—I'm going to crush you like a gnat."

I almost cheered for joy, but I kept myself focused on the battle on this side. It was a fight to the death every time, and it felt great.