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Amos’s voice boomed across the Great Room: "Sarah Jacobi! You of all people know that isn’t true You’ve devoted your life to studying the ways of Chaos You can sense the unleashing of Apophis, can’t you? And the return of Ra"

A to the deck I don’t kno he sensed it without looking, but the sun boat was just floating down, co pool It was quite an i Zia and Walt stood on either side of the throne of fire They’d al with his crook and flail in his hands, though he still had a goofy grin on his face

Bast, who’d been standing on the deck frozen in shock, fell to her knees "My king!"

"Hel-llo-o-o-o-o," Ra warbled "Goood-bye!"

I wasn’t sure what he meant, but Bast shot to her feet, suddenly alar to rise into the heavens!" she said "Walt, Zia, juan to glow Bast turned to ods! Don’t worry Back soon!" She ju into a ball of fire Then it blended with the sunlight and was gone

"There is your proof," Aether Sadie and Carter are right The Serpent will not stay down for long, now that he has broken his chains Who will join us?"

Several eneicians thren their staffs and wands

The woman in white, Sarah Jacobi, snarled, "The other nonize your claim, Kane You are tainted with the power of Set! We’ll spread the word We’ll let them know you murdered Desjardins They’ll never follow you!"

She leaped through the portal The man in blue, Kwai, studied us with contempt, then followed Jacobi Three others did as well, but we let them leave in peace

Reverently, Amos took the leopard-skin cape froathered around the statue of Thoth For the first tied Walls had been cracked, s broken, relics smashed, and Amos’s musical instruments half melted For the second time in three months, we’d almost destroyed Brooklyn House That had to be a record And yet I wanted to give everyone in the roo

"You all were brilliant," I said "You destroyed the eneht so well, hoere they able to keep you pinned down all night?"

"But we could barely keep them out!" Felix said He looked mystified by his own success "By dawn, I was, like, corimly

"And I was in a coh the crowd and eood to see her, I felt ridiculous that I’d ever been jealous of her and Walt

"You’re all right now?" I held her shoulders and studied her face for any sign of sickness, but she looked her usual bubbly self

"I’reat I guess as soon as you arrived…I don’t know So happened"

"The power of Ra," Ay to all of us He revitalized our spirit Without that, ould’ve failed"

I turned to Walt, not daring to ask Was it possible he’d been cured as well? But the look in his eyes told me that prayer had not been answered I suppose he could feel the pain in his liic

Weasels are sick, Ra had often repeated I wasn’t sure why Ra was so interested in Walt’s condition, but apparently it was beyond even the sun god’s power to fix

"Ahts, "what did Jacobiyour claihed and rolled my eyes at him My brother can be quite thick sometimes

"What?" he demanded

"Carter," I said, "do you reicians in the world? Desjardins was the first Menshikov was the third And you orried about who the second ht be?"

"Yeah," he admitted "But--"

"And now that Desjardins is dead, the second-ician And who do you think that is?"

Slowly, his brain cells must’ve fired, which is proof that miracles can happen He turned to stare at Amos

Our uncle nodded solemnly

"I’m afraid so, children" Amos draped the leopard-skin cape around his shoulders "Like it or not, the responsibility of leadership falls to me I am the new Chief Lector"

24 I Make an Impossible Promise