Jake Ransom and the Howling Sphinx (17 page)

He had failed them all.

Still, his mother's words echoed to him.

Jakey
,
you can do it! Don't give up
!

Kady offered her own final words of encouragement: “Do something! You're supposed to be the smart one!”

Smart or not, there was nothing he could do. No matter how determined, no one could break the laws of physics. The science could not be defied.

As he swung, the word
science
stuck in his head. Why was that? Again Bach'uuk waved to him. His Ur friend's wristband glinted in the firelight. Then Jake knew the answer.

Of course!

Bach'uuk hadn't been urging him to swing. He had been offering a solution. If Jake hadn't been hanging upside down with a fat slug still stuck on his face, he might have thought of it himself.

Jake began to swing more earnestly, cranking hard, ignoring his throbbing head and burning ankles. The key ring appeared ahead. He stretched again for it; but this time he used his other arm, the one with the wristband given to him by the Ur Elder, a band made of
magnetite
.

As he reached the maximum arc of his swing, he thrust out his arm and bent his wrist toward the ring, still out of reach, but only by inches. The magnetic property of the band shivered and drew a few keys toward him, including the long key he had touched earlier. Jake snapped his fingers down and caught the extended key.

He whistled his relief and clamped tightly—then gravity again reclaimed his body. As he swung back away, the
key ring slipped free of the hooked nail and came with him.

A cheer rose from his friends.

With a bit of effort, Jake bent up and finally found the key to unlock his ankle cuffs. He fell to the floor, catching himself with one arm and rolling to the side. He sat for a moment and rubbed circulation back into his legs.

Marika screamed from the cell, “Jake! Behind you!”

He flung himself around as Dogo leaped at him, spitting blood from his split lip. The ogre's bulk flattened Jake to the ground, pinning him on his back. A flash of silver reflected off the dagger as it stabbed toward his eye.

Jake blocked the plunging dagger with his forearm, crossing wrists with Dogo. The tip of the blade hovered over his face and sank slowly toward his open eye. The man was too strong for Jake to hold him back. Matching gazes with the dungeon master, he read the glow of victory in the other's eyes.

Staring up, Jake spoke the only words that could save him.

“I love broccoli.”

It was a lie. Jake hated broccoli with a passion.

The witch's slug, still stuck on his cheek, ignited with acidic fire. Jake's free hand ripped the beast off his skin, burning his fingertips, and flicked it up into Dogo's open eye. The dungeon master howled as the flaming slug latched on to his eyeball and brow. He rolled away, digging at his face in agony.

Jake scrambled up, grabbed a wooden mallet from the
tool table, and clocked Dogo hard on the side of his head. The man fell, going limp. This time he'd not be waking up anytime soon.

But Jake wasn't taking any chances. He hurried to the cell door and freed his friends. They rushed out. Marika caught him in a fierce hug. Pindor pounded him on the back. Bach'uuk took some limestone scraped from the walls and made a paste for Jake's inflamed cheek. It immediately took the sting from his burns.

Kady just looked irritated. “You gave that guy my cell phone!”

“What did you want me to do? I couldn't give him Dad's watch. It's our only hope of getting out of this desert.”

Kady frowned, still upset. As she and Bach'uuk used the remaining keys to free the other prisoners, Jake quickly shoved his feet into his socks and boots. His raw ankles kept him hobbling.

They all gathered at the door. Jake found a pile of their gear stacked there, including his backpack. Kady discovered her sword and happily retrieved it.

The other prisoners collected weapons from among the torture tools. They were men and women, young and old, even a pair of red-headed twins who looked a couple of years younger than Jake. Twelve in all.

Even the laughing maniac was set free from his isolated cell. He was a scarecrow of a man with a hooked nose and
a gray beard that had grown so thick that it covered most of his face. His left arm ended in a soiled bandage. The hand was missing. His right knee was locked stiff, forcing him to swing his leg wide with each step. Madness still danced in his bright eyes, but he gave Jake a sly wink when no one was looking.

A middle-aged woman stood a few steps ahead, hugging the twins—clearly their mother. From the way her clothes hung on her, she was once portly. But no longer. Even her slave collar seemed too large.

“Thank you, Outlander,” she said. “But what you've done will put you in great danger. There will be no place in Ka-Tor, no place in all the lands of Deshret, where you will be safe. The Blood of Ka will never stop looking for you.”

Another man stepped forward. He was Egyptian and wore no collar. A bandage over his left eye marred his rugged features. From under it ran a jagged scar, poorly healed. Fire lit his words.

“There are those who will help you. Those who resist the Blood of Ka. We must get you to them. They will help keep you hidden.”

Pindor brightened. “Anywhere but here sounds good.”

“Follow me,” the man said. He cracked open the door, made sure the way was clear, and waved them all through. He glanced back to Jake before leading the way. “My name is Djer.”

As the woman headed out with her boys, she touched
Jake's shoulder. Her words were full of sorrow. “Djer is Kree's cousin. He dared speak against the Blood of Ka. Protested the resurgence of the Blood Games.”

Shock made Jake look upon the man with new eyes.
If this is how Kree treated his own family
…

As a group, they spread into a thin, scared line and wound their way toward the surface. For the moment, the spiraling ramp was empty of guards.

“They must think no one could ever escape this place,” Pindor whispered.

A soft cackle came from behind them. “No one does. Once you go down, you never come up.”

Pindor's eyes widened.

The madman clapped Pindor on the shoulder in a reassuring manner. “That is, unless they feed you to the teeth in the pit.”

Again that crazed laughter.

Pindor's face paled.

The woman heard the exchange. “He speaks of the Blood Games.”

Jake moved closer. “What sort of games are they?”

A hiss rose from the front of the line, from Djer. They'd reached the top of the ramp. Sunlight glowed from the arched gate of the pyramid. The man waved an arm to get them to hurry forward.

As he joined Djer, Jake heard a great murmuring, accompanied by singing. A crowd was gathering in the
square in front of the pyramid. It was a mix of all the people of Ka-Tor. Many held flowers. One name was repeated many times:
Neferhotep
.

Djer leaned back against the wall. “Word of the pharaoh's wakening must have spread.” A brightness shone in his one eye. “The shadow fell over Deshret following his long slumber. But with his waking, the people again have hope.”

“What can we do?” the woman asked.

Djer pointed the mallet he'd taken from the dungeon toward the trio of guards. They were standing at the entrance, watching the square. It would be easy to catch them by surprise.

“Once the way is open, we run into the crowd, scatter among them, and get lost.” He turned to Jake. “At sunset, meet me at the Crooked Nail Inn near the western gate. I will bring trusted friends who will spirit you out of Ka-Tor and over to one of the distant villages, where you will be harder to find.”

Pindor was nodding vigorously. But Bach'uuk stood with his arms crossed, his face stern, matching Jake's mood. Running would get them nowhere. In a land sealed by a storm, they'd eventually be recaptured.

Jake reached to his neck and tugged the gold watch from beneath his shirt. He used a thumbnail to crack open the case. Once again the second hand swept around and around.

Marika and Kady flanked him on either side.

“It's working!” Kady said.

She reached for the watch, but Jake stepped away. He slowly turned in a circle. The tiny hand whipped around wildly—but only when he faced in one direction. He tested it three times to be sure.

Marika faced the same direction. “That's the way we have to go, isn't it?”

The watch pointed toward the heart of the pyramid.

“Looks like we're not leaving yet,” Jake said.

Pindor groaned. “Can't we come back later? When it's safer. Maybe when that king is fully awake or something.”

Marika poked him with a finger. “It's not going to get any safer, Pin.”

Jake knew that to be true. He remembered overhearing Kree and his men. They had something to do with the pharaoh's coma, and they meant to keep him sleeping forever to maintain their power.

Jake turned to Djer. “We have to stay, to search for something we need.”

“Then I will remain at your side.”

“No. You have to get the others out of here. And the commotion you raise will help us. It'll keep eyes looking out there, rather than in here.”

Djer looked ready to argue, but he glanced to the woman with the two boys. He slowly nodded and held out his hand. “Be quick about your quest. But remember.
Sunset at the Crooked Nail.”

Jake clasped his arm. “We'll be there if we can.”

As Djer whispered final plans to the other two men, Jake retreated a few steps with his friends.

Marika had found a half-open door and peeked inside. She waved Jake over and pulled the door wider. “Look!”

The small room was dark. Jake spotted a few chairs and tables. A hunk of chewed bone and moldy bread rested on a platter.
Must be a break room for the guards
, he thought. As Jake stared, a flurry of beetles dive-bombed off the table and scurried into the deeper shadows.

He began to turn away, disgusted, but Marika drew him inside. She pointed to the back wall. A set of garments hung from hooks. She crossed over and fingered one.

“Cloaks. Like the guards are wearing.”

She pulled off one and shrugged into it. It was overly large, but it hid her almost entirely.

“Good going, Mari!”

As she blushed, Jake followed her example and urged the others to do the same. The cloaks would help disguise them.

Pindor sniffed at his clothes and wrinkled his nose. “Mine smells like my brother's dirty sandals.”

Kady perked up. “Your brother? That reminds me. How's Heron doing?” Her casual tone was clearly forced. “I'm sure he's got a slew of girlfriends by now.”

Pindor made a rude noise with his lips. “He's always training with the Saddlebacks. He barely has time to wipe his—”

Pindor realized what he was about to say. Now it was his turn to blush.

Still, this news clearly pleased Kady. A skip entered her step as she swept into a cloak and tried various poses in it. “Not bad,” she decided.

Once they all were dressed, Jake returned to the hallway.

Djer's eye found Jake again, the question plain in his gaze.

Are you prepared?

Jake nodded and turned to his friends.

“Be ready to run.”

Jake had no time to question his decision.

Djer quickly snuck forward with the other two men, staying low. The Egyptian guards remained unaware, focused on the singing crowd in the square. Once a step away, Djer made a chopping motion with his arm—and the trio of prisoners rushed upon the guards.

Bodies fell without a sound.

In a breath, the way was open.

“Go!” Djer yelled—both to the other prisoners and to Jake's group.

In a mad rush, they all fled toward the arched exit. Most headed out into the square, igniting surprised shouts from the crowd. Jake and his friends took off in the opposite direction, sprinting down the main hall and up the closest set of stairs. Even disguised, Jake wanted to avoid the most traveled sections of the pyramid.