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"Ready?" I asked

Walt nodded and pulled out his wand

"Oh, no, cursed boy," I said "You just watchstarts to fall and we need a shield, that’s your job But you’ll do no ic unless absolutely necessary I’ll clear the doorway"

"Sadie, I’ile," he complained "I don’t need a protector"

"Rubbish," I said "That’s macho bluster, and all boys like to be !"

I smiled sweetly "You did want to spend time with me"

Before he could protest, I raised ined a bond between our sined that in the Duat, they were one and the same I spoke the command for join:

"Hi-nehm"

The symbol burned faintly over our miniature rubble pile

Slowly and carefully, I brushed a few pebbles away from the pile The debris in the corridor ru," Walt said

I didn’t dare look I stayed focused onthe pile into s real boulders I went into a daze When Walt put his hand on my shoulder, I had no idea how ht

"It’s done," he said "You did great"

The dooras clear The rubble had been pushed into the corners of our room, where it lay in smaller piles

"Nice job, Sadie" Walt leaned down and kissedappreciation or happiness, but the kiss didn’t make ain with the incredible verbal skills

Walt helped me to my feet We headed down the corridor into the next rooet there, the roo, just a five- inside except a red lacquered box on a sandstone pedestal On top of the box was a carved wooden handle shaped like a dereyhound with tall ears--the Set aniood," Walt said

But I walked straight up to the box, opened the lid, and grabbed the scroll inside

"Sadie!" Walt yelled

"What?" I turned "It’s Set’s box If he’d wanted to killHe wantsto awaken Ra" I looked up at the ceiling and shouted, "Isn’t that right, Set?"

My voice echoed through the catacoer had the power to invoke Set’s secret naotten his attention The air turned sharper The ground tree, was laughing

Walt exhaled "I wish you wouldn’t take chances like that"

"This fro to die to spend tierated bow "I take it back, Miss Kane Please, go right ahead trying to kill yourself"

"Thank you"

I looked at the three scrolls in ether for probably the first time since Mad Claude wore little Roman diapers I had collected the scrolls, done the impossible, triuh unless we could find Ra and wake hiet--"

Deep --or a whole host of sos--had woken up in a very bad mood

"Out of here," Walt said "Great idea"

As we ran through the previous chalanced at the statue of Ptah I was tempted to take back the jerky and juice, just to be ainst it

I suppose it isn’t your fault, I thought Can’t be easy to have a name like Ptah Enjoy the snack, but I do wish you’d helped us

We ran on It wasn’t easy to re the room with the family of mummies where we’d met Mad Claude

I was about to bolt blindly across the chamber and into the last tunnel, but Walt held ht on the far exit, then on the corridors to either side

"No," I said "No, no, no"

All three doorere clogged with huether as far as I could see down each corridor Some were still completely bound They hopped and shuffled and waddled forward as if they were giant cocoons engaged in a sack race Otheron e at their wrappings Most still wore their painted-face portraits, and the effect was grueso serenely at the top of undead scarecrows of bones and painted linen

"I hate mummies," I whimpered

"Maybe a fire spell," Walt said "They’ve got to burn easily"

"We’ll burn ourselves, too! It’s too close in here"