The Enchantress (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel)

mazelike city appeared before and below them. Sunlight ran silver and gold off stretches of canals and waterways that ringed a huge pyramid at the center of the city. The streets were teeming with people, and the tops of scattered small pyramids blazed with fire from torches, while others were bright with flags. There seemed to be houses, palaces, temples and mansions in dozens of architectural styles. At the fringes of the city lay a vast warren of low tumbledown buildings.
    “It’s huge,” Josh breathed.
    “The largest city in the world,” Osiris said proudly. “In fact, it is the center of the world.”
    Josh pointed toward the enormous pyramid the city was obviously built around, and the sprawling palace that lay beyond. “Is that where we’re going?”
    “Not yet.” Osiris smiled. “That is the royal Palace of the Sun, currently home to Aten, the ruler of Danu Talis.”
    “It looks busy . . .,” Josh began.
    Isis suddenly sat forward and the vimana dipped sharply. “Husband!” she called, alarm clear in her tone.
    Osiris spun around and leaned forward to stare at the pyramid. The air above the palace was busy with vimanas of all shapes and sizes, and lines of black-armored guards were taking up position on the ground. An enormous crowd milled in front of the building, and there were people streaming in from all the surrounding streets.
    Isis glanced sidelong at Osiris. “Looks like something happened while we were away,” she said quietly.
    “Bastet!” he hissed. “I should have known she’d not leave well enough alone. Change of plans: take us down. We need to attend to this immediately.”
    “Down?” Isis said, even as the vimana’s engine dulled to a low whine and the craft gently seesawed over a broad market square full of stalls bright with colored awnings. The space was thronged with short, squat, deeply tanned people, the majority of whom wore plain white woolen robes or white shirts and trousers. A few glanced at the vimana, but no one paid it any particular attention. Two anpu guards in leather armor, carrying shields and spears, came running toward the vimana, but when they saw who was aboard, they abruptly turned away and disappeared down a side street. Dust swirled as the craft settled in the center of the square.
    “Virginia, I am leaving the twins in your care,” Osiris said as the top of the craft peeled back.
    “Mine!” Virginia Dare blinked surprise.
    Osiris nodded. “Yours.”
    Isis swiveled around in her seat to look at Sophie and Josh. “Go with Virginia. Your father and I will be back soon, and then we’ll have a family supper and catch up. We’ll answer all your questions, I promise. There are great things in store for you. You will be recognized as Gold and Silver. You will be worshipped. You will rule. Go now, go.”
    The twins unstrapped from their seats and stepped out into the late-afternoon air. They breathed deeply, clearing their lungs of the dry, metallic ozone odor of the vimana. The market square was filled with a thousand strange and not entirely pleasant smells: fruit—some of it rotting—exotic spices and too many unwashed bodies crammed close together.
    “Where are you going?” Virginia asked Osiris.
    The Elder stopped in the vimana’s doorway. “We have to get to the palace, and I don’t want to bring the children into danger,” he said. He pointed to where a gold spire rose over the rooftops. The spire was topped with a billowing flag, and stitched into it was what looked like an ornate eye. “That’s our home. Go there. Wait for us.” He looked around the square. Most of the stall holders had turned to gaze at the tall bald-headed man. Not all were able to conceal the expressions of loathing on their faces. Osiris took his time to look over the crowd. No one would meet his eyes. “No one will harm you,” he said loudly, voice echoing across the square. “No one will even try. They know my vengeance would be terrible indeed.” He leaned forward and rested a hand on Virginia’s left shoulder. She immediately shrugged it off. “Protect my children, immortal,” he said quietly. “If anything were to happen to them, I would not be pleased. Nor would you.”
    Virginia Dare stared into the Elder’s blue eyes. He dropped his gaze first. “I don’t like threats,” she breathed.
    “Oh, this is not a threat,” he said softly. He stepped out of the vimana, and a low moan ran through the crowd. “Let it be known,” he boomed,