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Below us, the mist drifted away from the docks

"Sadie," I said, "Look"

At the bottom of the steps, a boat was od, just like I’d seen in al ship with a deckhouse and places for twenty oarsmen--but it was now barely able to stay afloat The sail was tattered, the oars broken, the rigging covered with cobwebs

Halfway down the steps, blocking our path, stood Gran and Grarowled "Coht down the steps until we stood face-to-face with the glowing irandparents

"Shove off," Sadie told thelittered "Is that any way to address your grandmother?"

"Oh, pardon me," said Sadie "Thisteeth you have’ You’re not et out of our way!"

The ie of Gran shireasy black feathers Her face shriveled into a saggy wrinkled mask, and ly ht up there with Bes

"Show ive you a friendly warning You’re about to pass the Point of No Return If you step on that boat, there will be no turning back--no stopping until you’ve passed through all Twelve Houses of the Night, or until you die"

Grahh!"

He scratched his arod Babi--or not, since this behavior wasn’t too strange for Graed "You have no idea what awaits you on the river You could barely fend off the two of us in London, girl The armies of Chaos are much worse!"

"She’s not alone this tiet lost"

Gramps snarled and backed away

Nekhbet’s eyes narrowed "You would wield the pharaoh’s weapons?" Her tone held a hint of grudging admiration "A bold move, child, but that will not save you"

"You don’t get it," I said "We’re saving you too We’re saving all of us fro to help You’re going to follow our orders, and you’re going to convince the other gods to do the same"

"Ridiculous," Nekhbet hissed

I raised the crook, and power flowed throughThe crook was the tool of a shepherd A king leads his people like a shepherd leads his flock I exerted ods crues of Nekhbet and Graods’ true forolden crown on her head and an elaborate jeweled collar around her neck Her wings were still black and greasy, but they glistened as if she’d been rolling in gold dust Babi was a giant gray baboon with fiery red eyes, scis, and arlared at me with pure hatred I knew if I wavered even for a moment, if I let the power of the crook falter, they would tear me apart

"Swear loyalty," I commanded "When we return with Ra, you will obey him"

"You’ll never succeed," Nekhbet said

"Then it won’t do any hare your loyalty," I said "Swear it!"

I raised the war flail, and the gods cringed

"Agh," Babi muttered

"We swear," Nekhbet said "But it is an empty promise You sail to your death"

I slashed ods vanished into the mist

Sadie took a deep breath "Well done You sounded confident"

"A complete act"

"I know," she said "Now the hard part: finding Ra and waking hi the way, preferably Without dying"

I looked down at the boat Thoth, the god of knowledge, had once told us that we’d always have the power to summon a boat e needed one, because ere the blood of the pharaohs But I’d never thought it would be this boat, and in such bad shape Two kids in a broken-down leaky barge, alone against the forces of Chaos

"All aboard," I told Sadie

19 The Revenge of Bullwinkle the Moose God

I SHOULD MENTION THAT Carter earing a skirt

[Ha! You are not grabbing the lected to tell you that, but as soon as we entered the Duat, our appearances changed, and we found ourselves wearing Ancient Egyptian clothes

They looked quite good on old rings and bracelets True, the jeweled neck collar was a bit heavy, like one of those lead aprons you ht wear for an X ray at the dentist’s, and od But otherwise I’

Carter, on the other hand, was dressed in a ing fro around his waist His chest was bare except for a golden neck collar, like mine His eyes were lined with kohl, and he wore no shoes

To Ancient Egyptians, I’al and warlike, a fine specihing] And I suppose Carter wasn’t the worst-looking guy with his shirt off, but that didn’t h the underworld with a brother earing nothing but jewelry and a beach towel