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I thought of a line from the Book of Ra--first frooddess who had ever known Ra’s secret naod

"Ra was the first god to rise out of Chaos," I said

Khnum frowned "That’s my name?"

"No, just listen," I said "You said you’re not complete without Ra, just a husk of your forods as well Ra is older, inal source of Ma’at, like--"

"Like the taproot of the gods," Carter volunteered

"Right," I said "I have no idea what a taproot is, but--right All these eons, the other gods have been slowly fading, losing power, because Ra is ht not admit it, but he’s their heart They’re dependent on hi if it orth it, to bring back Ra We didn’t knohy it was so important, but now I understand"

Carter nodded, sloar to the idea "Ra’s the center of Ma’at He has to co to win"

"And that’s why Apophis wants to bring back Ra," I guessed "The two are connected--Ma’at and Chaos If Apophis can shile the sun god is old and weak--"

"All the gods die," Carter said "The world crumbles into Chaos"

Khnu red eye "That’s all quite interesting," he said "But I’ my secret name To wake Ra, you must first name me"

I opened the Book of Ra and took a deep breath I began to read the first part of the spell Now, youtest was to read some words off a scroll? What’s so hard about that?

If you think that, you’ve clearly never read a spell Ie in front of a thousand hostile teachers who are waiting to give you badat the backward reflection in a ine all the words are ether in the right order as you go Iine if you make one ine doing all that at once, and you’ll have some idea what it’s like to cast a spell froely confident The spell suddenly made sense

"‘I name you First fro sun I summon your ba to awaken the Great One, for I am--’"

My first near-fatallike insert your name here And I almost read it aloud that way: "For I am insert your name here!"

Well? It would’ve been an honest ed to say, "‘I am Sadie Kane, restorer of the throne of fire I naht’s Flock, the Divine--’"

I alyptian title said the Divine Pooter But that ic powers I didn’t want to know about Thankfully, I re from the Brooklyn Museu a human from clay

"‘--the Divine Potter,’" I corrected ate I return your nae eyes dilated His nostrils flared "Yes" He sheathed his knives "Well done, my lady You may pass into the Fourth House But beware the fires, and be prepared for the second forrateful for your help"

"What do you od’s body dissolved into mist The Book of Ra sucked in the wisps of sone The boat drifted on into a narrower tunnel

"Sadie," Carter said, "that was a"

Normally, I would’ve been happy to astonish hi My hands were sweating, and I thought Iorb crew coain

No slice, they complained No slice!

Mind your own business, I thought back at the

"U red?"

I thought he was accusingThen I realized he too was red The whole boat ash in ruby light I turned to look ahead of us, and I made a sound in

"Oh, no," I said "Not this place again"

Roughly a hundred e cavern I recognized theLake of Fire; but the last tile

We were picking up speed, heading down a series of rapids like a water slide At the end of the rapids, the water turned into a fiery waterfall and dropped straight down into the lake about half atoward the precipice with absolutely no way to stop

Keep the boat going, the crehispered with glee Keep the boat going!

We probably had less than a er I suppose if ti fun, it really creeps when you’re hurtling toward your death