Theodosia and the Last Pharoah (36 page)

To make matters worse, Isis still hadn't returned. I had never imagined when I had put that spell on her that I would be seeing the last of my cat. I'm not sure if I could have done it, knowing that. Honestly, you'd think after pulling off a ransom exchange that involved the last pharaoh and my own mother, I would have been riding high. Instead, I was down in the doldrums, afraid I would never come out.

On the third day, Father decided we'd "recovered" long enough and that a nice outing was what we needed. He was dying to see what we'd found at Deir el-Bahri and talked Mother and me into getting dressed and leaving the house.

I was struck by how peaceful the city seemed, as if that big catastrophe had released some horrid pressure that had been building and building. Had it been because of Chaos's presence here? Or was it just a cycle that we humans went through? And would I never know the answer to that?

When we reached Deir el-Bahri, Mother was dismayed to see that the small earthquake had sent an entirely new load of rubble down over the temple we'd discovered, completely hiding it from view. We couldn't even see any sign of a single column.

She gave me a queer look, as if she thought I was somehow responsible for this, or perhaps she merely wondered if I would be upset that my newest discovery had just up and disappeared. Whatever the case, I suddenly realized she would never look at me the same way again, and our future stretched out before me, impossibly long and forever separated by this horrid chasm.

There was a faint rumble as a small section of rubble on the hillside gave way, tumbling down the mountainside. Mother gave a small squeak and backed up, and I wondered if her nerves would ever recover. Then I heard another sound, a great big wonderful sound. I turned around and saw my very own cat creeping out of the rubble. "Isis!" I said.

"Isis," Mother repeated, then took another step backwards.

I ignored her and ran forward. My cat was covered in dust and looked a little bedraggled, but she was perfectly tame and allowed me to pick her up. She began to purr.

Had she been hiding? I had thought the reported earthquake had been from the explosion of the orb, but perhaps Isis had brought down the hillside in her carnation as Sekhmet. I buried my face in her dusty fur. I would probably never know. As I rested my cheek on her silky black side, I stared back at where the temple of Thutmose III had been, remembering that magical, hidden sanctuary I had found. Just one of many pieces of living magic I'd discovered on this trip to Egypt.

I'd come here hoping to visit the temple where I'd been born. Instead, I'd found a heritage and a destiny, and more answers than I had ever dreamed of. I glanced up at Mother, at her lovely, worried eyes. Perhaps I should provide some answers of my own.

There had been so many times in the past when I'd longed to confide in my parents, to explain my peculiar behavior and tell them what was going on right beneath their noses. But the hugeness of explaining it all when they knew nothing about it had been overwhelming. How does one explain being able to see magic and curses or being chased by secret societies and Egyptian magicians?

But it turned out they had known some of it all along.

Now that I knew, really truly
knew,
that there was a reason for my abilities, that I wasn't in danger of going round the bend, it would be easier to explain. Reality was, after all, on my side.

Holding Isis close for strength, I squared my shoulders and took a step toward my parents. "Mother? Father? I have something I need to tell you..."