Squinting in the fading light, I made out three black dots standing by the Sphinx. “I see them!”
One of the brothers strode forward, just passing the Sphinx, when a hissing sound, like sand falling through an hourglass, filled the air. The noise grew louder and became unbearable.
“What is it?” I yelled as I pressed my hands against my ears.
“It is the dark priest of Seth,” Dr. Hassan replied.
Quickly he took the rod and pounded it with the mallet until it was embedded in the roof. I jumped to help him secure the effigy to the rod. Just as we finished, the hissing noise stopped and an eerie quiet descended on the landscape.
A breeze lifted my hair from my neck and I slowly turned. Amon, Asten, and Ahmose stood in a spot where a quivering mass of blackness now erupted between them and the pyramids.
“What’s that?” I gasped.
“That, my dear, is an army of the dead.”
I couldn’t help the shiver that ran down my spine. There were literally thousands of zombies standing between the brothers and the pyramids. The black mass was like a shuddering scourge of desolation, just waiting to sink its teeth into three juicy demigods. Ahmose and Asten had given up so much of their strength to sustain Amon that they were almost as drained now as he was. Even if they did decide to fight, Amon would literally be fighting blind.
“We have to help them!” I cried.
“We will. But we must wait for all the players to enter the arena.”
As soon as Dr. Hassan said that, a rumbling shook the ground and a fissure opened in the middle of the zombie mass. Brilliant light shone from the opening as mist flowed from it. Even far away, I could clearly see the giant crocodile claw rising out of a crack in the earth. The claw stretched out, digging deeply into the soil before a giant body heaved out after it. It was a horrendous monster: half man, half Godzilla, with a long crocodile tail.
“Is that…Sebak?” I called out incredulously.
“I am afraid it is,” Dr. Hassan replied.
The edge of the moon broke over the horizon, bathing the landscape in its brilliant silvery light. Bravely, the three brothers stood before the creature, which was larger in scale and in height than the Sphinx. As one, they raised their hands in the air. The spell they chanted grew so loud I could easily hear it, though I didn’t understand the words.
Light bubbled around them—a swirling mass of silver, gold, and white. The shimmering bubble grew and then burst in a supernova, spreading light in all directions before settling on the ground and encircling the pyramids. Then, slowly, the light rose upward, forming a wall that grew until it arched over our heads in a transparent iridescent dome.
Dr. Hassan gave a satisfied grunt. “There. Now we cannot be observed from the outside. For all intents and purposes, the citizens of Cairo will see only a massive storm cloud covering the pyramids. They will not be able to see or hear anything occurring within the circle of light. All outsiders with an interest in viewing the pyramids tonight will turn aside, completely forgetting that they even attempted to visit.”
I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Surely if the people of Egypt knew their gods were fighting to keep dark energy at bay and to prevent the rising of the god of chaos, they would, at the very least, be concerned.
In comic books, regular citizens often rose up in defense of their heroes. Granted, they also got in the way and frequently had to be saved from death, but in this case, the distraction of mortals might help stave off the zombies. Of course, with our luck, they’d probably get bitten and join the zombie ranks.
Turning to Dr. Hassan, I asked, “Now?”
“Yes. It is time.”
Dr. Hassan pulled out an ancient book and ran his finger down a page until he found what he was looking for.
Asten’s voice rose from the cloud, as clearly as if he stood next to us.
The stars whisper the will of the cosmos.