Training in a house full of kids, most of whom were younger than me, wasn't very easy. The penguins didn't make it any better.
I woke up in a very soft bed, with a very uncomfortable pillow. And of course, when I sat up to look at it, I saw it wasn't even a pillow. It was a headrest similar to those found on airlines, or in long-distance coaches. I picked it up and turned it over in my hands. Egyptian hieroglyphs were marked all over it.
"It keeps your ba from wandering," a female voice said. I jumped. "Not that it helps much." I spun to see a pretty blonde-haired girl walk into the room with a small bowl in her hands. She smiled and held out the bowl. I stared at it, and then looked up at her skeptically.
"Oh, just drink it," she said. "It'll help you."
"For what?" I asked, taking the bowl. I sniffed it, but couldn't detect any scents.
"Carter and Sadie are going to be working with you personally to find out what kind of magician you are, and whose path you follow." She flipped a gold braid over her shoulder and smiled, her blue eyes twinkling with some unplanned mischief.
"Oh boy," I grimaced. "I guess I'm a special case." She laughed.
"I don't think you're a special case," she said. "At least, not the way you're probably thinking. I'm Jasmine, by the way. Call me Jaz." I had just put the bowl to my lips, but now I put it down.
"You're Jaz? So you're the healer, I guess." She nodded. "Your potion really helped me last night." I started to set the bowl down, but Jaz lifted a finger.
"Ah, ah, ah! You're going to wish you had drunk it later," she warned. She hadn't reacted to the praise, as if she were used to it by now.
"Why?" I asked. She smiled again.
"This is a special brewed potion that I created myself," she explained, sitting on the edge of the bed next to me. "It balances magical energy in the body, and allows one to think more freely so as to be able to connect with the god or goddess one follows."
"...Makes sense, I guess," I said slowly. After everything I'd been through in the last month, I doubted it would take anything less than the impossible to weird me out.
Grimacing at the bowl, I lifted it and knocked it back, startled at the surprisingly sweet taste. Jaz smiled yet again and took the bowl, leaving me.
It was then I realized then that someone had changed my clothes; instead of my torn shirt and jeans, I wore a pair of soft cotton sweats and a t-shirt of some soft, pajama-like material. I didn't want to know how I'd gotten in them, but I wondered what had happened to the rest of my stuff. I got up and looked around the enormous room, spotting the closet door on one side. I opened it and found multiple sets of the same clothes I wore, plus some sets of more modern, teenage clothes like hoodies, along with a few nicer sets of clothes (possibly for special occasions, since I didn't think they went to church), and some interesting sandals. Since I didn't see any other shoes, I assumed there was a dress code for working magic.
But where was all my stuff? I glanced back around the room, and did a double take when a baboon walked through the door. It had bright, golden yellow fur, a rainbow-colored nose, and a purple Lakers shirt. It carried a bag about one foot by two feet in size in one hand, and had a larger bag over its shoulder.
"Agh!" it said, in a way that sounded suspiciously like a burp. Somehow, I instantly knew what it... what he was saying. Good morning, magician! Welcome to the Brooklyn Mansion, headquarters of the Twenty-First Nome. Here is a bag containing your things, and another bag of your magician's tools. Breakfast is waiting downstairs! He dropped the bags by the foot of the bed and left, closing the door behind his rainbow rear.
You know how I said it take no less than the impossible to weird me out? Well, a baboon butler that loves basketball met the criteria. I blinked at the door several times before realizing that the others were possibly waiting on me. I went over to the bags and opened the larger one. In it was my sword, my club, my backpack with almost nothing left in it, and, to my surprise, the remains of my clothes. For whatever reason, the Kanes had decided not to throw them away, and I was thankful for that. There were memories attached to those clothes. I strapped my sword's makeshift sheath-belt around my waist, not caring how odd it looked, and attached my club to the other side.
I opened the smaller bag to find a boomerang, a stick, some twine, and a ball of wax. Though I didn't know what anything was for, or how wax was suppose to help me in battle, I was glad the Kanes had given me supplies. I zipped up the bag and tossed it over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes as I left the room. I closed the door behind me, turned, and stopped to stare in awe.
My room opened onto a balcony, three floors up from ground level, and the balcony overlooked a huge room filled with kids my age and younger. Some of them were talking, laughing, hanging out, others were coloring, watching TV with the baboon, playing with jump ropes, or just running around. It was like the orphanage, but noisier, and much homier.
"Hey, Erasmus!" I started at hearing my name, and turned to face Carter, my hand automatically going for my sword. "Whoa, there; calm down. Sorry if I startled you." He smiled. "Welcome to the Twenty-First Nome!"
"Thanks," I said, releasing my sword.
"Come on down and you can join us for breakfast," Carter said. "I was about to call everyone together." So saying, he leaned over the railing and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Alright! Time for breakfast; everyone out on the terrace!" Immediately there was an increase in activity as twenty or more people hurried out the two massive glass doors onto a large balcony with tables on one side and a pool on the other.
I followed Carter down and out onto the veranda behind the crowd. He made sure I got a seat near the end of one of the tables and sat a few seats down from me. Sadie appeared and sat opposite him, leaving the seat at the head of the table open. When most everyone was seated (Jaz next to me, a girl between her and Carter, and three guys across from me, plus a ten-year-old kid on my other side), a man joined us. He was the only adult I'd seen, but from the way Carter and Sadie handled things, I guessed he was more supervision than actual leader.
The man wore a soft green suit, which matched really well with his dark skin, and contrasted perfectly with the leopard skin around his shoulders. He had round glasses that were tinted green, and small emerald beads were braided into his long black hair. He sat in the chair at the head of the table and looked at me. A warm smile touched his lips and he stood again.
"Alright, alright," he said, holding up his hands. "Calm down, everyone. Now listen up, we've got a new magician joining us for a while. Carter, would you introduce your friend?" Carter nodded and stood as the man sat.
"Sure, Amos," he said. He turned and gestured at me. "This is Erasmus Porter. He's a bit different from most of us; he's part of two very different cultures. Here, as part of the Egyptian culture, we have reason to believe he follows the path of Heka."
"A soul magician?" the girl next to him murmured. Whispers rounded the table as they considered it.
"What is that?" I asked. The girl glanced at Sadie, and I watched a conversation pass between them. Before the girl could reply, though, and before I could register what they said, Amos cut in.
"We can talk about details later," he said. "For now, quick introductions and then on to breakfast. I am Amos Kane, former head of the Twenty-First Nome, and recently the Chief Lector of the Per Ankh, the House of Life."
"I'm Sadie Kane," she winked. "We met."
"And I'm Carter Kane," he grinned, "recently head of the Twenty-First Nome."
"Zia Rashid," the girl between Jaz and Carter said, giving me a half smile that was more dutiful than pleasant.
"Walt," the guy next to Sadie said. "And, occasionally, Anubis. I'm his host."
"Jaz," she said. "We've also met." I nodded slightly.
"Ranger," the guy directly across from me said. "After you, I'm the newest addition."
"I'm Felix!" the kid next to me said. "And I love penguins!"
"Cleo," another girl said.
"Julian."
"Alyssa."
I eventually lost track of the names.
When we'd gone all the way around, the baboon strode out of the house to join us.
"And that's Khufu," Amos said, smiling. The baboon heard his name and turned.
"Agh!" he grunted, hopping into an open seat at the end of a table. I translated it before I realized I had. Named after the great pharaoh Khufu. And the crocodiles in the pool are Philip of Macedonia and Ganymede. I whirled, since the pool was at my back, and grabbed my sword when I saw a white crocodile peering up at me, with a tiny green crocodile next to it.
"Whoa! Erasmus, calm down!" Carter and Walt were both there in an instant, each one grabbing an arm. They glanced between me and the crocs.
"They're friendly," Walt assured. "Kind of like... watch dogs."
"Yeah, if watch dogs were twenty feet long with razor sharp teeth!" Ranger quipped. His joking did more to relax me than Carter or Walt had, and I let go of my sword.
"Sorry," I said, easing myself back into my chair. Amos shrugged, buttering a piece of bread as though he saw magicians freaking out every day. He probably did.
"It's fine," he said, setting aside the knife and smiling reassuringly at me. Chatter began around the table as the kids dug in. "Frankly, it's not surprising that you're a bit high-strung; it takes a while to get used to this life."
§§§
Later on, Carter and Sadie stood side-by-side on one end of a basketball court on the second floor, and Zia and Walt stood on the other end, with me playing monkey in the middle. Carter, obviously in charge of this round, began.
"Right, so we're going to start with a basic battle session to figure out your natural attack and/or defense methods." He pulled a clay statue out of a bag by his feet and set it in front of me. "Ready?" I drew my sword, but Walt shook his head.
"Put that away," he said.
"Can't I use my sword?" I asked, confused.
"Not everything can be handled with physical prowess," Zia answered tartly. "You need to learn spells and magic techniques." I thought for a moment.
"Then may I use my tool bag?"
"Absolutely," Sadie answered, smiling like a teacher whose student finally gets something. I undid my sword belt and put it on the sidelines, swapping it for the magician's tool bag Khufu brought me that morning. Slinging it over my shoulder, I considered what I might do in any given circumstance. I put my hand in the bag and touched the lump of wax. I still had no clue what it was for, but then, this battle was just to figure out what I was good at. My fingers brushed the boomerang as I returned to my spot. I pulled it out and transferred it to my left hand. Then I pulled out the stick. As soon as it was free of the bag, it expanded into a staff. Somehow, I wasn't surprised. I lowered my bag to the ground and tested the boomerang and staff in each hand; being ambidextrous had its uses. When I finally settled on the staff in my left hand and the boomerang in my right, Carter again asked if I was ready.
"As ready as I'll ever be," I muttered to myself, turning so that my left side was to the statue and spreading my feet for balance. If I'd learned anything from a month of fighting and running from monsters, it was that a good solid base was essential to survival. I bent my knees slightly, feeling every muscle in my body as it flexed, sensing each heartbeat, relaxing my breathing.
With a quick prayer for safety, I nodded to Carter. He spoke a command in Egyptian and the statue began to move. It grew until it was just taller than my own five foot ten, and expanded to about half again my breadth. I gulped.
Would you like some advice? Heka asked. The statue stepped forward, wielding a giant sword like Carter's, and I stepped back.
Sure, got anything on how to disarm it? The statue swung its sword at me and I bent almost double, backward, to avoid getting slashed.
Disarm? Heka snorted. Ras, if it were a real enemy, you'd need to kill it, not disarm it.
...Then be quiet, I snapped, ducking to avoid another slash. And don't call me Ras.
My clay opponent seemed to get stronger and quicker as time passed, and I knew I couldn't keep avoiding it. I gripped the staff, trying to come up with something, anything that would allow me to disable the statue without destroying it.
"Don't step outside the boundaries," Walt called. I glanced behind me to see the out-of-bounds line of the basketball court. I sidestepped to avoid stepping across it, and the statue lunged. Acting on instinct, I held up my boomerang and shouted the first words that came to mind, a phrase that meant 'bind and control': Tas Hirup.
The statue's sword came down and clashed with my boomerang. With a spark, the stature stopped moving, still pressing me back. I leaned dangerously over the boundary line.
Well, Heka said impatiently. Don't just sit there; tell it to move away from you. I hesitated, but only for a moment, aware that four spectators my age were watching intently.
"Step back," I said. The statue did so. Not quite believing what I saw, I edged away from the boundary line, keeping a wide berth around the statue. I heard a squeak of equal disbelief from Sadie's direction, but I kept my eyes on my opponent.
Now what? Heka asked curiously. Now what indeed. If I had complete control over the statue, then...
"Drop the sword and put your hands on your head," I tried. The statue let go of its weapon and raised its hands to place them on its head. I stared. Walt whistled, clearly impressed.
"I guess I was right," Zia said, stepping forward. "Carter?" He blinked, snapping out of his shock, and said a command word. When nothing happened, he frowned and tried again. Still nothing.
"It's not working," he said, confused.
"Erasmus, release the shabti," Zia ordered. I spread my hands innocently and she sighed in annoyance. "Point your wand at it, and say, 'I release you.'" I held up the boomerang, guessing that it was the wand, and pointed it at the statue, which still stood where I'd left it.
"I release you." The shabti immediately reached down and picked up its sword, turning to face me. My eyes widened as it lifted the blade and... shrunk when Carter spoke a command word.
You thought you were dead, didn't you? Heka laughed.
I did not! I spluttered. It's kind of hard to lie convincingly when the one you're lying to is living in your head.
"So... Um, I must be missing something," Sadie said, joining Zia and I in the middle. Walt and Carter came over, too. "What exactly did he just do?"
"It's soul magic," Zia explained. "Heka is literally the embodiment of magic, unlike Isis, who is just a goddess of magic. He specializes in magic involving the ka, or life force, of the soul, which is how he got his name."
"So Erasmus can control someone's life force?" Sadie asked, half scared, half impressed.
"Well, the spell he used, 'bind and control,' is definitely ka magic," Zia said hesitantly. "But... ka magic has been lost for thousands of years."
"Then how do you know about it?" I asked curiously. She made a funny face.
"It was part of our training at the First Nome," she said. "Every initiate learns about all magic, but they only train with the magic they are natural at."
"Like combat magic for me," Carter offered. Zia nodded.
"And elemental magic for me."
"How does soul magic work?" I asked. She crinkled her nose, like she'd gotten a whiff of something unpleasant.
"That's the problem; I don't know. There are certain types of magic that have never been used before, certain paths," she glanced at Walt, "that haven't been followed in the past... Because of that, no one really knows the details."
"Would Heka himself be able to help?" I asked cautiously.
"Of course," she said instantly. "That would be the best way to learn, but all the gods are gone; they've retreated from the earth to maintain Ma'at." I focused on the word I didn't know before registering the rest of her comment.
"Ma'at?"
"Balance and Order," Carter answered. "The opposite of Isfet, Chaos." I nodded, finally thinking over the rest of what Zia said.
"If the gods have retreated to keep order," I said slowly. "What would happen if one of them returned? If they found a host?"
"The entirety of Ma'at could be disrupted," Zia answered. I got a sinking feeling in my gut.
"Erasmus," Sadie said suspiciously. "Is there something you'd like to tell us?"
"...Heka's here," I said softly. All four of them stared at me.
You didn't have to tell them! Heka protested. I rubbed at the bridge of my nose with my right hand.
"Shut up, please," I muttered.
"Hold on a moment," Walt said. "Are you saying Heka is... You're hosting Heka, right now?" I nodded.
"We're dead," Sadie said, throwing up her hands.
"I said hold on," Walt said firmly. He turned back to me and gently took staff and wand, setting them on the ground by my bag. He put his hands on my shoulders and stared intently into my eyes, searching for something. I didn't know what to do, so I just stared back. Finally, he blinked and let his hands fall, frowning.
"Well?" Sadie prompted.
"Heka's there, all right," he answered, "but that's not what I was looking at. He's... Different. Not just that he has ties with the same culture as this" he waved vaguely at Carter "Percy guy. He's much more different; I don't... I can't really explain it." He shook his head. "Anubis has no idea either."
"Hold on," I said, confused. "If the gods can't be here without disrupting... Ma'at, then why is...?"
"I'm not technically alive," Walt answered immediately. "I host Anubis to sustain my life force. If he weren't here, I wouldn't be either. And besides, Anubis and I are one, like the pharaohs of old. As a flesh-and-blood human, he can walk the earth without any issues."
"So why is it any different for Heka to be inside me?" I asked, even more confused.
"Because you aren't one and the same," Zia said, rolling her eyes like it was as obvious as day. "You're just a host; part of Heka is in you, part of him is somewhere else. Walt and Anubis, on the other hand, are two spirits occupying the same body."
Tilt your head to the left, Heka instructed. Out of pure curiosity, I obeyed, eyeing the tall, black-skinned boy. His body flickered and faded, and I saw two strands of light flowing through it, like those medical models of the veins and arteries in a person's body. One was gray, the other silver.
What is that? I asked Heka.
The gray strand is the life force of Anubis, he answered. The silver is Walt's. Notice how the gray is brighter, and assists the silver. As he said it, I could see it. The two strands of light seemed to be dancing, the silver constantly flickering weakly, while the gray helped it. I rubbed at my eyes and straightened.
"What was that about?" Sadie asked, frowning at me. I blinked.
"What was what about?"
"Your eyes turned a sort of... green," Carter explained. "Not just your irises, but all of it; your whole eye just... glowed." I glanced at Walt to find him staring at me thoughtfully.
"...I saw their life forces, their ka," I said slowly, returning his stare, though the feral canine-ness of it unnerved me. "Two strands of light entwined in a dance of life. Gray and silver, flowing and pulsing like... Like rivers pulled by the moon."
"He's so poetic," Sadie murmured to Zia.
"You can see ka," Zia said softly, ignoring Sadie and rubbing her chin. "Interesting."
"Not only is he different, but he's stronger than he appears," Walt noted to Carter. "He met Anubis' gaze without flinching." Sadie snorted.
"I could do that," she said.
"Yeah, well, you're on an entirely different level than anyone else, aren't you, Sadie Kane?" Walt reached over and took her hand, smiling. She blushed slightly, grinning.
Suddenly, Walt stiffened and his form shimmered, changing slightly. His hair grew a little longer and darker, and his skin lightened a bit. His hoodie and jeans were replaced by an Egyptian kilt and gold neck band. His eyes changed the most, going from a warm brown like Carter's to a deep whirlpool of black.
"Anubis," Sadie said, chidingly. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm hurt," he said good-naturedly, putting one hand to his chest. "I visit and you're as annoying as ever, Sadie." She rolled her eyes and twined her fingers with his.
"What are you doing here?" Carter asked.
"I came to see the one everybody's been buzzing about," Anubis answered. He turned to me and I felt his canine gaze taking in every inch of me. I steeled myself, forcing my body not to move as he inspected me.
Good, Heka commended. If you show no fear in front of the dogs, they will not tear you to pieces.
"Who said anything about tearing anyone to pieces, Heka?" Anubis said, a hint of a grin on his lips.
Nice to see you, old friend, Heka laughed. I wondered if maybe Heka had used my voice and I hadn't realized it, because I didn't think anyone could hear him but me. But Carter, Sadie, and Zia looked slightly confused, unable to hear the voice in my head.
"You're as foolish as always," Anubis replied, shaking his head. "But then, I guess you're starting to learn, since you chose someone so... interesting to host you."
Of course! Heka said gleefully. I imagined him as a kid of four or five who could see and control ka, and shuddered.
"Well then, Erasmus, is it?" Anubis began. "You've surprised me. Only one other person I've met has been able to do that." He cast a sidelong glance at Sadie, making it clear who he meant. "You have a very important role to play, in both worlds. I don't know what, but Heka has been hiding away for centuries, and now that he's come out, I can only assume he knows something I don't. You're very special, and you have more talent than you realize, not only with Egyptian magic, but Greek as well. I wish you the best of luck, as I'm sure you'll need it.
"Oh, and a warning about Heka: he's... abnormal. Be careful of him, and his secrets." Anubis solemnly reached out his hand to me. "So saying, pleasure to meet you." I hesitantly took his hand and shook it. He shimmered and Walt returned.
"Oh, I hate it when he does that," he sighed.
What did he mean by 'abnormal'? I asked Heka.
...Let's just say I chose you for a reason, he answered. Me? What was so different between me and anyone else?
"So, Walt," Zia said, cutting into my thoughts. "You were saying something about how he's different before Anubis joined us."
"Right," Walt nodded. "He has a v–"
He was cut short by a flying penguin. It smacked him in the head, and Sadie clapped her free hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. A giggle from the door of the basketball court drew our attention to Felix, surrounded by penguins and snow. I stared. Snow, this early in the year?
"Felix," Carter chided. "I've told you hundreds of times: stop summoning penguins!"
"Aw, but I love penguins!" the boy said, pouting.
"Yeah, I think we all know that," Sadie said, rolling her eyes. "But it's really tiring for us to have to send them back." I glanced at the penguin that had come sailing through the air and now sat at my feet, staring up at me expectantly. Experimenting, I tilted my head to the left, and the penguin's body faded, allowing me to see the strand of blue-tinged white flowing through it.
I imagine the light bulb over my head would have blinded everyone if they could see it. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the penguin, on its ka. With a cold snap, I felt a connection form between the penguin's life force and mine. I searched through it for the influence of Felix's summoning spell and reversed it, willing the penguin to return home.
"What the-?" I opened my eyes to see Sadie staring at my feet. I looked down, and the penguin was gone.
"Where'd it go?" Carter asked, scratching his head in confusion.
"...I sent it back," I said. "To Antarctica."
"You what?" Zia stared at me, shocked. "But it takes almost an hour to make and use the proper spell..." I shrugged, shifting uncomfortably.
"I just used its ka." Walt nodded, understanding.
"Tell us how," he bid.
"I focused on the ka and searched it, like a... a scroll. Felix's spell left an impression on it, and I just reversed the impression."
"Sounds like asserting your will on someone to change them into something," Carter noted.
"It probably follows the same principles," Zia agreed.
"How are you feeling right now?" Sadie asked me. I raised an eyebrow.
"Fine, why?"
"You're not tired?" she pressed.
"No. In fact, I feel invigorated," I said, flexing my fingers. Sadie and Carter exchanged a silent conversation. I instinctively knew Sadie was wondering if I had been drawing from Heka's magic reserves, and Carter wasn't sure.
Did I use your magic? I asked Heka.
No, he answered simply.
"I didn't use Heka's reserves," I said aloud. Carter and Sadie both jumped slightly.
"H-how did you know...?" Carter began, gesturing slightly between him and his sister. I shrugged.
"Instinct?" I offered.
"...You understood Khufu this morning, didn't you?" Walt asked. I nodded. "It may be part of your abilities, being able to understand things that most people can't, like the languages of animals, and silent conversations."
"But that isn't Egyptian, is it?" I asked, feeling down. If I were bringing Greek magic into an Egyptian place... Things wouldn't go well.
"Whatcha talking about?" Felix asked, popping up among us. Everyone else started at his sudden appearance, but I just reached over and rubbed his head, smiling so I wouldn't let him see how upset I was.
"We're discussing the easiest way to send all those penguins back home," I said. He pouted.
"But I don't want to send all those penguins back home," he complained.
"I know," I chuckled. "Maybe we can figure out a way for you to have a pet penguin, so you don't keep summoning these poor things." His eyes lit up, as I knew they would.
"REALLY?" he squealed. He began running around in circles, and then dashed out of the room, shouting to someone that he was going to get a pet penguin.
"You shouldn't have said that," Carter grimaced.
"Why not?" I asked. "Is there a problem letting him have a pet penguin?"
"First off, where are we going to keep it?" Sadie pointed out.
"I'll keep it in my room, if need be," I shrugged. All four of them exchanged glances, significant, but not conversational.
"Whatever," Zia said finally. "We'll talk about that later. Right now, let's round up those penguins before they wander off." We all smiled and hurried after the runaway penguins.