Chapter 12

Disclaimer: see previous chapters.

Sadie Kane

...One thing that we all – especially Carter – probably have most of issues, if not the most is speed. No, seriously! Our race to save the world from Apophis really was a race as we raced all over the world – here, there and everywhere; Phineas Fogg with his plan to around the world in 80 days was a slowpoke compared to us.

(Yes, Carter, I do read... on occasion. The fact that the people in House of Life appear to really like Jules Verne and have quite a few of his books in their libraries helps.)

That said our latest action/move happened too fast even for my tastes: one moment we were on uncle Amos' – or Chief Lector's – magical boat underwater, the next – we were on the surface without any boat beneath us, floundering in the murky Amazon waters.

Ok, not really floundering: first uncle Amos pulled that quirky walking-on-waters trick and then he helped senhorita Vasquez to stand up as well.

"Um, what about the rest of us?" Carter said quietly as he tried to remember the spell as well but failed under pressure – I did not even try.

"Hello, sis."

"...Joaquin, you ninja," senhorita Vasquez said almost fondly. "You weren't in any trouble at all, were you?"

"..."

"If it wasn't for your partner you'd be in your House already?" senhorita continued to speak in the manner that really made think of someone familiar, someone who had an exasperating know-it-all brother herself.

"...Maybe."

"Ok. Now please get your fellow magicians out of the water or I swear that I feed your clothes to mother's latest pet! You have the Chief Lector himself of your House here-"

"Relax, sister, I'm on it."

And apparently Joaquin really was on it, as we emerged from the water sitting on backs of-

"Are these sharks?"

"Yes."

"But aren't we really far away from the ocean?"

"Bull sharks – they can live in fresh water as well."

"Oh."

Some time later we were back on dry land. Surprisingly – or not, because we were dealing with gods and spirits and Apophis (again!) it appeared that we did not really go that far up or down stream again from the local nome, which was ok. The fact that the magicians we were supposed to be rescued were not that much worse for wear was... less ok. Fine, it was annoying to everyone, even to Walt who had a rough day, especially with Anubis and Set dropping in earlier.

To make matters worse, senhor Vasquez the younger was the sort of a respectful, even-tempered, all-around-nice fellow that it was impossible to hate or even be exasperated with. "So you see, senhor Kane, it was really our fault that we were unable to contact you in time," he was saying. "Escaping from the lady Nephthys was possible – to a degree – but it cost a certain price. We-"

"Really should talk to father. And mother," senhorita Vasquez spoke up as she emerged from the nome once again – well, half-emerged as she looked from the hole that I made. "They're even more worried than the Chief Lector here."

Joaquin sighed. "Tiki?" he called out to his partner, and no, I am not talking about just their station in the nome – I think. "We really need to speak to parents."

"Fine."

"You can borrow my vehicle," senhorita Vasquez said brightly, "if your gnome friends had eaten it or anything."

"Gnomes don't eat boats and you know it," her brother shook his head. "Good luck sis and don't try to deplete my supplies too badly; see you around!"

And the two men were gone.

Uncle Amos turned to the senhorita in a rather annoyed manner. "That's not how the House does this!" he said crossly.

"Yes, yes, I got absinthe," was the purposefully carefree reply. "That how our family does things: we rescue each other, then the rescued goes to explain it to parents while the rescuer gets something in reply. In this case it was absinthe. You want to get drunk with me?"

There was a profound pause as we stared at her. "Please tell me that that's lady Nephthys' influence," Zia muttered quietly to Carter. "Either that, or the Western culture-"

"She now hosts lady Nephthys? Of course," uncle Amos muttered back instead. "Zia, remind me to give you the scroll about the pessimistic philosophy of the Sobekites when we get back. Meanwhile," he turned back to senhorita Vasquez, "you're already trying to put it behind according to your creed, don't you?"

"Yes," came the reply. "I am. Why shouldn't I? After all, all things come to an end, even," she grimaced, "my love for Osiris, it seems."

"Yes, well, why don't we go to Memphis instead? Thoth is throwing a party there."

It took the rest of us several moments to realize that we were back with the gods, including, probably Anubis, because Walt would not have stared as Set and Nephthys so intently.

"Memphis? This place was backwater even when your beard wasn't."

"Set had a beard?" I asked before I could help myself. (Yes, Carter, I do that some times, ha-ha.)

"I shaved," Set gave me a look. "And I'm not talking Memphis Egypt, but Memphis United States. It's actually still new and what-not."

"Very well, we shall go there. Coming, child?" Nephthys gave Anubis a sort-of motherly look.

"Sure!" Anubis said brightly; he grabbed Nephthys and Set by their hands and-

-and we were left with three rather confused people standing on the shore.

"New plan – screw the booze, I feel like I had too much of it already," senhorita Vasquez muttered. "What has happened? Seriously?"

I opened my mouth. Zia, of all people, stepped onto my foot and began to explain instead.

TBC