The Serpent's Shadow (Kane Chronicles #3)(78)

“Imagine that.” I tried to swallow the bitter taste from my mouth. “So we’ll be as out-of-place here as demons are in the mortal world. We won’t be able to go anywhere unseen, and everything that meets us will want to kill us.”

“Yes,” Zia agreed. “And we’re running out of time.”

She was right. I didn’t know exactly what time it was in the mortal world, but we had descended into the Duat in the late afternoon. By now, the sun might have gone down. Walt wasn’t supposed to survive past sunset. For all I knew, he might be dying right now, and my poor sister…No. It was too painful to think about.

But at dawn tomorrow, Apophis would rise. The rebel magicians would attack the First Nome. We didn’t have the luxury to roam around a hostile land, fighting everything in our path until we found what we were looking for.

I glared down at Setne. “I’m guessing you can guide us to the shadow.”

He nodded.

I turned to Zia. “If he does or says anything you don’t like, incinerate him.”

“With pleasure.”

I commanded the ribbons to release just his mouth.

“Holy Horus, pal!” he complained. “Why did you tie me up?”

“Well, let’s see…maybe because you tried to get me killed?”

“Aw, that?” Setne sighed. “Look, pal, if you’re going to overreact every time I try to kill you—”

“Overreact?” Zia summoned a white-hot fireball into her hand.

“Okay, okay!” Setne said. “Look, that demon captain was going to turn on you anyway. I just helped things along. And I did it for a reason! We needed to get here, to the Land of Demons, right? Your captain would never have agreed to set that course unless he thought he could kill you. This is his homeland! Demons don’t ever bring mortals here unless they’re for snacks.”

I had to remember Setne was a master liar. Whatever he told me was complete and utter Apis-quality bull. I steeled my willpower against his words, but it was still difficult not to find them reasonable.

“So you were going to let Bloodstained Blade kill me,” I said, “but it was for a good cause.”

“Aw, I knew you could take him,” Setne said.

Zia held up the scroll. “And that’s why you were running away with the Book of Thoth?”

“Running? I was going to scout ahead! I wanted to find the shadow so I could lead you there! But that’s not important. If you let me go, I can still bring you to the shadow of Apophis, and I can get you there unseen.”

“How?” Zia asked.

Setne sniffed indignantly. “I’ve been practicing magic since your ancestors were in diapers, doll. And while it’s true I can’t do all the mortal spells I’d like…” He glanced wistfully at the Book of Thoth. “I have picked up some tricks only ghosts can do. Untie me and I’ll show you.”

I looked at Zia. I could tell we were thinking the same thing: terrible idea, but we didn’t have a better one.

“I can’t believe we’re seriously considering this,” she grumbled.

Setne grinned. “Hey, you’re being smart. This is your best shot. Besides, I want you to succeed! Like I said, I don’t want Apophis destroying me. You won’t regret it.”

“I’m pretty sure I will.” I snapped my fingers, and the Ribbons of Hathor unraveled.

Setne’s brilliant plan? He turned us into demons.

Well, okay…it was actually just a glamor, so we looked like demons, but it was the best illusion magic I’d ever seen.

Zia took one look at me and started to giggle. I couldn’t see my own face, but she told me I now had a massive bottle opener for a head. I did notice that my skin was fuchsia, and I had hairy bowed legs like a chimpanzee.

I didn’t blame Zia for laughing, but she didn’t look much better. She was now a big muscular girl demon with bright green skin, a zebra-hide dress, and the head of a piranha.

“Perfect,” Setne said. “You’ll blend right in.”

“What about you?” I asked.

He spread his hands. He was still wearing his jeans, white sneakers, and black jacket. His diamond pinky rings and gold ankh chain flashed in the volcanic firelight. The only difference was that his red T-shirt now read: GO, DEMONS!

“You can’t improve on perfection, pal. This outfit works anywhere. The demons won’t even bat an eye—assuming they have eyes. Now, come on!”

He drifted inland, not waiting to see if we would follow.

Every once in a while, Setne checked the Book of Thoth for directions. He explained that the shadow would be impossible to find in this moving landscape without consulting the book, which served as a combination compass, tourist’s guide, and Farmer’s Almanac timetable.

He promised us it would be a short journey, but it seemed pretty long to me. Any more time in Demon Land, and I’m not sure I would have come out sane. The landscape was like an optical illusion. We spotted a vast mountain range in the distance, then walked fifty feet and discovered the mountains were so tiny, we could jump over them. I stepped into a small puddle and suddenly found myself drowning in a flooded sinkhole fifty feet wide. Huge Egyptian temples crumbled and rearranged themselves as if some invisible giant were playing with blocks. Limestone cliffs erupted out of nowhere, already carved with monumental statues of grotesque monsters. The stone faces turned and watched us as we passed.