The Red Pyramid (Kane Chronicles #1)(67)

Below me, lightning struck Nut’s form. The wind pushed her violently upward, shooting past me. Then the winds died. Nut settled back onto the couch. She waved her hand and the flat repaired itself. Everything returned to normal.

“That happens,” she said sadly.

“Oh.”

She gazed at the city lights far below. “It has given me appreciation for my children, even Set. He has done horrible things, yes. It is his nature. But he is still my son, and still one of the gods. He acts his part. Perhaps the way to defeat him is not the way you would imagine.”

“Hints, please?”

“Seek out Thoth. He has found a new home in Memphis.”

“Memphis...Egypt?”

Nut smiled. “Memphis, Tennessee. Although the old bird probably thinks it is Egypt. He so rarely takes his beak out of his books, I doubt he would know the difference. You will find him there. He can advise you. Be wary, though: Thoth often asks for favors. He is sometimes hard to predict.”

“Getting used to that,” I said. “How are we supposed to get there?”

“I am goddess of the sky. I can guarantee you safe travel as far as Memphis.” She waved her hand, and a folder appeared in my lap. Inside were three plane tickets—Washington to Memphis, first-class.

I raised my eyebrow. “I suppose you get a lot of frequent flyer miles?”

“Something like that,” Nut agreed. “But as you get closer to Set, you will be beyond my help. And I cannot protect you on the ground. Which reminds me: You need to wake up soon. Set’s minion is closing in on your hideout.”

I sat up straight. “How soon?”

“Minutes.”

“Send my spirit back, then!” I pinched my ghostly arm, which hurt just like it would on my normal arm, but nothing happened.

“Soon, Sadie,” Nut promised. “But two more things you must know. I had five children during the Demon Days. If your father released all of them, you should consider: Where is the fifth?”

I racked my brain trying to remember the names of all of Nut’s five children. Bit difficult without my brother, the Human Wikipedia, around to keep track of such trivia for me. There was Osiris, the king, and Isis, his queen; Set, the evil god, and Horus, the avenger. But the fifth child of Nut, the one Carter said he could never remember...Then I recalled my vision in the Hall of Ages—Osiris’s birthday and the woman in blue who’d helped Isis escape Set. “You mean Nephthys, Set’s wife?”

“Consider it,” Nut said again. “And lastly...a favor.”

She opened her hand and produced an envelope sealed with red wax. “If you see Geb...will you give him this?”

I’d been asked to pass notes before, but never between gods. Honestly, Nut’s anguished expression was no different than those of my love-struck friends back at school. I wondered if she’d ever written on her notebook: geb + nut = true love or mrs. geb.

“Least I can do,” I promised. “Now, about sending me back...”

“Safe travels, Sadie,” the goddess said. “And Isis, restrain yourself.”

The spirit of Isis rumbled inside me, as if I’d eaten a bad curry.

“Wait,” I said, “what do you mean restrain—”

Before I could finish, my vision went black.

I snapped awake, back in my own body at the Washington Monument. “Leave now!”

Carter and Bast jumped in surprise. They were already awake, packing their things.

“What’s wrong?” Carter asked.

I told them about my vision while I frantically searched my pockets. Nothing. I checked my magician’s bag. Tucked inside with my wand and rod were three plane tickets and a sealed envelope.

Bast examined the tickets. “Excellent! First class serves salmon.”

“But what about Set’s minion?” I asked.

Carter glanced out the window. His eyes widened. “Yeah, um...it’s here.”

Chapter 21. Aunt Kitty to the Rescue

I’D SEEN PICTURES OF THE CREATURE BEFORE, but pictures didn’t come close to capturing how horrible it was in real life.

“The Set animal,” Bast said, confirming my fear.

Far below, the creature prowled the base of the monument, leaving tracks in the new-fallen snow. I had trouble judging its size, but it must’ve been at least as big as a horse, with legs just as long. It had an unnaturally lean, muscled body with shiny reddish gray fur. You could almost mistake it for a huge greyhound—except for the tail and the head. The tail was reptilian, forked at the end with triangular points, like squid tentacles. It lashed around as if it had a mind of its own.

The creature’s head was the strangest part. Its oversize ears stuck straight up like rabbit ears, but they were shaped more like ice cream cones, curled inward and wider on the top than the bottom. They could rotate almost three hundred and sixty degrees, so they could hear anything. The creature’s snout was long and curved like an anteater’s—only anteaters don’t have razor-sharp teeth.

“Its eyes are glowing,” I said. “That can’t be good.”

“How can you see that far?” Sadie demanded.

She stood next to me, squinting at the tiny figure in the snow, and I realized she had a point. The animal was at least five hundred feet below us. How was I able to see its eyes?