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The griffin fixed its hungry eyes on Sadie White flariffin seee I’d heard a lot of falcon cries--hey, I’d been a falcon once or twice--but when this thing opened its beak, it let loose a screech that rattled the s and set my hair on end

"Sadie," I said, "drop the scroll"

"Hello? It’s stuck to my hand!" she protested "And I’host fire were burning across all the s and artifacts now The scroll seeic in the room, and I was pretty sure that was bad Walt and Jaz stood frozen in shock I suppose I couldn’t blariffin took a step toward my sister

I stood shoulder to shoulder with her and did the one ic trick I still had down I reached into the Duat and pulled yptian khopesh with a wickedly sharp, hook-shaped blade

Sadie looked pretty silly with her hand and scroll on fire, like an overenthusiastic Statue of Liberty, but with her free hand shestaff carved with hieroglyphs

Sadie asked, "Any hints on fighting griffins?"

"Avoid the sharp parts?" I guessed

"Brilliant Thanks for that"

"Walt," I called "Check those s See if you can open them"

"B-but they’re cursed"

"Yes," I said "And if we try to exit through the ballrooet there"

"I’ll check the s"

"Jaz," I said, "help Walt"

"Those lass," Jaz muttered "I--I’ve seen them before--"

"Just do it!" I said

The griffin lunged, its wings buzzing like chain saws Sadie threw her staff, and it riffin with its claws unsheathed

The griffin was not ier aside, then lashed out with unnatural speed, opening its beak iulped and burped, and the tiger was gone

"That was riffin turned its eyes on loished I still had Horus’s voice inside od s

"Walt!" I called "How’s it co it now," he said

"H-hold on," Jaz said nervously "Those are sys happened at once Walt opened the , and a wave of white fire roared over hi hiriffin iood predator, it focused on the ed after it But instead of snapping up our friends, the griffin soared straight over Walt and Jaz and slammed into theJaz pulled Walt out of the hile the griffin went crazy, thrashing and biting at the white flariffin snapped at the air It spun, knocking over a display case of shabti Its tail sus to pieces

I’m not sure what possessed riffin froze It turned towardin irritation A curtain of white fire raced away and burned in the corner of the roo Then I noticed other fires couely huht at me, and I sensed an unmistakable aura of malice

"Carter, keep its attention" Sadie apparently hadn’t noticed the fiery shapes Her eyes were still fixed on the griffin as she pulled a length of h--"

"Sadie, wait" I tried to process as going on Walt was flat on his back, shivering His eyes were glohite, as if the fire had gotten inside hi spell

"RAAAWK!" The griffin croaked plaintively as if asking per my order to stop, but didn’t like it

The fiery shapes were getting brighter,legs and ar about the symbols of Sekhmet Dread settled overthe riffin’s release had just been accidental It wasn’t the real problem

Sadie threw her twine

"Wait!" I yelled, but it was too late Theinto a rope as it raced toward the griffin

The griffin squawked indignantly and leaped after the fiery shapes The fire creatures scattered, and a gariffin buzzed around the roo Display cases shattered Mortal alarriffin to stop, but this tiood