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Walt and Claude both stared at me I hadn’t realized it before, but as soon as I spoke, I kneas the truth

"Sorry," I said "But the knife is used for the Opening of the Mouth ceremony, to free a soul I’ll need it to awaken Ra That’s why Anubis gave it to ht "He can free us all! And you--" He pointed at Walt "You’re one of Anubis’s chosen, aren’t you? You can get us od around you as soon as we ?"

"Wait…what?" I asked

Walt wouldn’t meet ?" I choked up "How are you dying?"

Mad Claude looked incredulous "You ot the old pharaoh’s curse We didn’t see it ht Occasionally a person froyptian royal lines--"

"Claude, shut up," I said "Walt, speak How does this curse work?"

In the diht, he looked thinner and older On the wall behind him, his shadow loomed like a deformed monster

"Akhenaton’s curse runs in eneration, not every person, but when it strikes, it’s bad Tut died at nineteen Most of the others…twelve, thirteen I’hteen I never knew hiht up a host of new questions, but I tried to stay focused "Can’t it be cured…?" Guilt washed over od That’s why you were talking to Jaz She’s a healer"

Walt nodded griht know spells that I hadn’t been able to find My dad’s fa for a cure since I was born The doctors in Seattle couldn’t do anything"

"Doctors," Mad Claude said with disgust "I had one in the legion, loved to put leeches on s Onlythat knife…"

Walt shook his head "Claude, we’ll try to help you, but not with the knife I know ic items I’m pretty sure it can be used only once, and we can’t justit before that"

"Excuses!" Claude roared

"If you don’t shut up," I warned, "I’ to find your mummy and draw a mustache on your portrait!"

Claude turned as white as…well, a ghost "You wouldn’t dare!"

"Walt," I said, trying to ignore the Roman, "was Jaz able to help?"

"She tried her best But this curse has been defying healers for three thousand years Modern doctors think it’s related to sickle cell ane for decades to figure out how King Tut died, and they can’t agree Soenetic disease It’s the curse, but of course they can’t say that"

"Isn’t there any way? I ods Perhaps I could cure you like Isis did Ra If I knew your secret naht of that," he said "I’ve thought of everything The curse can’t be cured It can only be slowed down if…if I avoid ot into talisic in advance, so they don’t require as much from the user But it’s only helped a little bit I was born to do resses in me no matter what I do Some days it’s not so bad Soets worse"

"And the more you do--"

"The faster I die"

I punched hiuilt flipped right to anger "You idiot! Why are you here, then? You should’ve told me to shove off! Bes warned you to stay in Brooklyn Why didn’t you listen?"

What I told you earlier about Walt’s eyes notme? I take it back When he looked at me in that dusty tomb, his eyes were every bit as dark, tender, and sad as Anubis’s "I’ And…I want to spend as much time as I can with you"

That hurt me worse than a punch in the chest Much worse

I think I ht’ve kissed him Or possibly slapped him

Mad Claude, however, was not a sympathetic audience "Very sweet, I’m sure, but you promised me payment! Come back to the Roman tombs Release my spirit from my mummy Then release the others After that, you can do as you like"

"The others?" I asked "Are you mad?"

He stared at me

"Silly question," I conceded "But there are thousands of mummies We have one knife"

"You promised!"

"We did not," I said "You said we’d discuss a fee after we found the scroll We’ve found nothing but a dead end here"

The ghost growled, more like a wolf than a human "If you won’t come to us," he said, "we’ll colowed, then disappeared in a flash