Page 2 (1/2)

Anyway, I was pretty sure Sadie was jealous of Jaz and liked Walt, though she’d never ad about another guy--actually a god--she had a crush on

[Yeah, fine, Sadie I’ll drop it for now But I notice you’re not denying it]

When we interrupted their conversation, Walt let go of Jaz’s hands real quick and stepped away Sadie’s eyes ure out as going on

Walt cleared his throat "Window’s ready"

"Brilliant" Sadie looked at Jaz "What did you ure it out’?"

Jaz flapped herto breathe

Walt answered for her: "You know The Book of Ra We’ll figure it out"

"Yes!" Jaz said "The Book of Ra"

I could tell they were lying, but I figured it was none of my business if they liked each other We didn’t have time for drama

"Okay," I said before Sadie could demand a better explanation "Let’s start the fun"

The ung open easily No h of relief and stepped into the Egyptian wing, wondering ifthis off, after all

The Egyptian artifacts brought back all kinds ofaround the world withon Ancient Egypt That was before I kneas a ot coyptian artithout feeling a personal connection I shuddered e passed a statue of Horus--the falcon-headed god who’d inhabited us, and I reolden coffin at the British Museum Everywhere there were pictures of Osiris, the blue-skinned god of the dead, and I thought about how Dad had sacrificed hiht now, so of the underworld I can’t even describe hoeird it felt seeing a five-thousand-year-old painting of so, "Yep, that’s my dad"

All the artifacts seemed like family mementos: a wand just like Sadie’s; a picture of the serpent leopards that had once attacked us; a page fro deical figurines that were supposed to coirl named Zia Rashid, who’d turned out to be a shabti

Falling in love for the first tiirl you like turns out to be ceraives "breaking your heart" a new h the first rooyptian-style zodiacon in the grand ballroohter echoed through the building

In the second Egyptian rooe door Chiseled into the rock was a picture of a riffin?" Jaz asked

I nodded "The Egyptian version, yeah"

The anis weren’t like s, the , horizontal, and bristly like a pair of upside-down steel brushes If the ured they s The frieze had once been painted I could old on the creature’s hide; but even without color, the griffin looked eerily lifelike Its beady eyes seemed to follow me

"Griffins were protectors," I said, reuarded treasures and stuff"

"Fab," Sadie said "So youintoartifacts?"

"It’s just a frieze," I said But I doubt thatwords and pictures into reality

"There" Walt pointed across the rooht?"

We riffin and walked over to a statue in the center of the rooht feet tall He was carved froyptian style: bare-chested, with a kilt and sandals He had the face of a ram and horns that had partially broken off over the centuries On his head was a Frisbee-shaped crown--a sun disk, braided with serpents In front of hi his hands over the little dude’s head, as though giving hilyphic inscription Ever since she’d hosted the spirit of Isis, goddess of lyphs

"KNM," she read "That’d be pronounced Khnureed "This is the statue we need Horus toldthe Book of Ra"

Unfortunately, Horus hadn’t been very specific Now that we’d found the statue, I had absolutely no idea hoas supposed to help us I scanned the hieroglyphs, hoping for a clue

"Who’s the little guy in front?" Walt asked "A child?"

Jaz snapped her fingers "No, I remember this! Khnu here, I bet--for a human out of clay"

She looked at otten that story myself Sadie and I were supposed to be the teachers, but Jaz often reood," I said "Man out of clay Exactly"

Sadie frowned up at Khnum’s ram head "Looks a bit like that old cartoon…Bullwinkle, is it? Could be the od," I said