Zia shook her head. “He’s coming to stop you.”
“Stop us? Zia, Set’s about to blow up the continent! My dad-” My voice cracked. I hated how scared and powerless I sounded. “My dad’s in trouble.”
Zia reached out a shimmering hand, but it was just an image. Our fingers couldn’t touch. “Carter, I’m sorry. You have to see Desjardins’ point of view. The House of Life has been trying to keep the gods locked up for centuries to prevent something like this from happening. Now that you’ve unleashed them-”
“It wasn’t my idea!”
“I know, but you’re trying to fight Set with divine magic. Gods can’t be controlled. You could end up doing even more damage. If you let the House of Life handle this-”
“Set is too strong,” I said. “And I can control Horus. I can do this.”
Zia shook her head. “It will get harder as you get closer to Set. You have no idea.”
“And you do?”
Zia glanced nervously to her left. Her image turned fuzzy, like a bad television signal. “We don’t have much time. Mel will be out of the restroom soon.”
“You’ve got a magician named Mel?”
“Just listen. Desjardins is splitting us into two teams. The plan is for us to cut you off on either side and intercept you. If my team reaches you first, I think I can keep Mel from attacking long enough for us all to talk. Then maybe we can figure out how to approach Desjardins, to convince him we have to cooperate.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but why should I trust you?”
She pursed her lips, looking genuinely hurt. Part of me felt guilty, while part of me worried this was some kind of trick.
“Carter…I have something to tell you. Something that might help, but it has to be said in person.”
“Tell me now.”
“Thoth’s beak! You are impossibly stubborn.”
“Yeah, it’s a gift.”
We locked eyes. Her image was fading, but I didn’t want her to go. I wanted to talk longer.
“If you won’t trust me, I’ll have to trust you,” Zia said. “I will arrange to be in Las Cruces, New Mexico, tonight. If you choose to meet me, perhaps we can convince Mel. Then together, we’ll convince Desjardins. Will you come?”
I wanted to promise, just to see her, but I imagined myself trying to convince Sadie or Bast that this was a good idea. “I don’t know, Zia.”
“Just think about it,” she pleaded. “And Carter, don’t trust Amos. If you see him-” Her eyes widened. “Mel’s here!” she whispered.
Zia slashed her staff in front of her, and her image vanished.
C A R T E R
30. Bast Keeps a Promise
HOURS LATER, I WOKE UP ON THE RV’S couch with Bast shaking my arm.
“We’re here,” she announced.
I had no idea how long I’d been asleep. At some point, the flat landscape and complete boredom had zonked me out, and I’d started having bad dreams about tiny magicians flying around in my hair, trying to shave me bald. Somewhere in there, I’d had a nightmare about Amos too, but it was fuzzy. I still didn’t understand why Zia would mention him.
I blinked the sleep out of my eyes and realized my head was in Khufu’s lap. The baboon was foraging my scalp for munchies.
“Dude.” I sat up groggily. “Not cool.”
“But he gave you a lovely hairdo,” Sadie said.
“Agh-agh!” Khufu agreed.
Bast opened the door of the trailer. “Come on,” she said. “We’ll have to walk from here.”
When I got to the door I almost had a heart attack. We were parked on a mountain road so narrow, the RV would’ve toppled over if I’d sneezed wrong.
For a second, I was afraid we were already in Phoenix, because the landscape looked similar. The sun was just setting on the horizon. Rugged mountain ranges stretched out on either side, and the desert floor between them seemed to go on forever. In a valley to our left lay a colorless city-hardly any trees or grass, just sand, gravel, and buildings. The city was much smaller than Phoenix, though, and a large river traced its southern edge, glinting red in the fading light. The river curved around the base of the mountains below us before snaking off to the north.
“We’re on the moon,” Sadie murmured.
“El Paso, Texas,” Bast corrected. “And that’s the Rio Grande.” She took a big breath of the cool dry air. “A river civilization in the desert. Very much like Egypt, actually! Er, except for the fact that Mexico is next door. I think this is the best spot to summon Nephthys.”
“You really think she’ll tell us Set’s secret name?” Sadie asked.
Bast considered. “Nephthys is unpredictable, but she has sided against her husband before. We can hope.”
That didn’t sound very promising. I stared at the river far below. “Why did you park us on the mountain? Why not closer?”
Bast shrugged, as if this hadn’t occurred to her. “Cats like to get as high up as possible. In case we have to pounce on something.”
“Great,” I said. “So if we have to pounce, we’re all set.”
“It’s not so bad,” Bast said. “We just climb our way down to the river through a few miles of sand, cacti, and rattlesnakes, looking out for the Border Patrol, human traffickers, magicians, and demons-and summon Nephthys.”
Sadie whistled. “Well, I’m excited!”
“Agh,” Khufu agreed miserably. He sniffed the air and snarled.
“He smells trouble,” Bast translated. “Something bad is about to happen.”
“Even I could smell that,” I grumbled, and we followed Bast down the mountain.
Yes, Horus said. I remember this place.
It’s El Paso, I told him. Unless you went out for Mexican food, you’ve never been here.
I remember it well, he insisted. The marsh, the desert.
I stopped and looked around. Suddenly I remembered this place, too. About fifty yards in front of us, the river spread out into a swampy area-a web of slow-moving tributaries cutting a shallow depression through the desert. Marsh grass grew tall along the banks. There must’ve been some kind of surveillance, its being an international border and all, but I couldn’t spot any.
I’d been here in ba form. I could picture a hut right there in the marsh, Isis and young Horus hiding from Set. And just downriver-that’s where I’d sensed something dark moving under the water, waiting for me.
I caught Bast’s arm when she was a few steps from the bank. “Stay away from the water.”
She frowned. “Carter, I’m a cat. I’m not going for a swim. But if you want to summon a river goddess, you really need to do it at the riverbank.”
She made it sound so logical that I felt stupid, but I couldn’t help it. Something bad was about to happen.
What is it? I asked Horus. What’s the challenge?
But my ride-along god was unnervingly silent, as if waiting.
Sadie tossed a rock into the murky brown water. It sank with a loud ker-plunk!
“Seems quite safe to me,” she said, and trudged down to the banks.
Khufu followed hesitantly. When he reached the water, he sniffed at it and snarled.
“See?” I said. “Even Khufu doesn’t like it.”
