The Enchantress (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel)

shooting star.
    They had landed in one of the farther parking bays, usually occupied by the carriages of minor Elders. By rights Isis and Osiris could have landed almost on the steps of the pyramid and none would have objected. But they wanted the twins to make the ten-minute walk across the courtyard to the entrance of the pyramid. Osiris had also cleverly turned the craft so that when the sides opened and Sophie and Josh emerged, their armor lit up like beacons in the sinking sun’s light, blazing silver and gold.
    The council always waited until the last minute before going into the pyramid, because its slanting gold walls would drain their auras. They were all witness to the arrival of the mysterious couple in the gold and silver armor.
    Isis and Osiris strode quickly ahead, leaving the twins to follow. The hook-handed man knew what they were doing—keeping the focus completely on the teenagers.
    By the time Sophie and Josh were halfway across the square, Marethyu had heard the first whispers ripple through the crowd. . . .
    . . . gold and silver
. . .
    . . . twins of legend
. . .
    . . . sun and moon
. . .
    Marethyu had to give it to Isis and Osiris—it was a masterly move. If the two Elders had simply brought Sophie and Josh to the Council Chamber and announced them as the twins of legend, many of the Elders would have laughed in disbelief. But with an entrance like this, the council were already convincing themselves that these were the twins of prophecy, even before they’d stepped into the pyramid.
    It was genius.
    Marethyu moved quickly to the back of the line, keeping pace with the twins. He watched them chat quietly with each other, all the while knowing every word they said. He saw Josh spot Inanna and saw the moment his eyes widened with awe when he noticed her bird’s feet. The hook-handed man saw Sophie’s blue eyes flicker toward the winged Elder, and his own lips formed the words as she said them: “That’s Inanna.”
    Marethyu had chosen this particular moment from all the moments that were available to him because the twins looked happy. He watched Sophie’s lips, and although he could not hear her, he knew she was telling Josh about the Witch of Endor being allergic to cats and sneezing. The twins laughed together, the sound pure and high, carefree and full of life.
    That was what he had come to hear.
    Marethyu’s age was now beyond reckoning. He had traveled back and forth across endless streams of time. He had lived for centuries in Shadowrealms where the rules of time were different or nonexistent. He had seen much and experienced even more and had forgotten nothing. That was part of his curse.
    And he knew that this was the last time Sophie and Josh would laugh together.

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
    DRESSED IN FULL ceremonial armor, Anubis stood outside a beautifully carved metal door and took a deep breath. He found his left hand going toward his mouth and then stopped himself. He’d given up chewing his nails when the Change began to alter his skull, making it beastlike, elongating his teeth, thinning his lips. On a couple of occasions when he’d absentmindedly put his nail in his mouth, he’d almost bitten his finger off.
    “Why don’t you come in,” a voice snarled from inside the room. “I know you’re out there.”
    Fixing his lips into a semblance of a smile, Anubis pushed open the door to Bastet’s private chambers and stepped inside, quickly pulling the door shut behind him to prevent anything within from escaping into the corridors. The room was in almost total darkness, and he stood with his back to the wall as he allowed his eyes to adjust to the gloom. The smell in the room was appalling, and he tried his best to breathe only through his mouth. “How did you know I was outside?” he asked.
    “I could hear you breathing.” Bastet’s voice came from his right and he turned toward the sound. He could just about make out the shape of her huge cat head against a darkened window. It was thrown back, and she was in the process of swallowing something still wriggling. “What news?”
    “Isis and Osiris have just arrived,” Anubis announced.
    Bastet swallowed her meal, wiped her mouth with her arm, then coughed and hacked like a cat. “Good,” she gasped finally. “I told you they would be here for your inauguration. They hold huge sway with the rest of the council. Once they endorse you, you are guaranteed the leadership.”
    “They came in that