I was awakened by a flurry of excited voices. Someone called out, "He's coming!" I sat up and pushed my hair out of my eyes, disoriented for a moment by the dark chamber and the flickering torches. It took me half a minute to realize I wasn't stuck in a nightmare involving the Arcane Order of the Black Sun and was, instead, stuck in a rather shocking bit of reality.
Wondering where my cat had gotten to, I pushed to my feet and straightened my frock just as Major Grindle strode into the chamber. Jadwiga, Rumpf, Khalfani, and the others pressed around him, hungry for news of what had happened.
I hurried over so as not to miss out.
"It is exactly as Jadwiga and Rumpf reported. The market area runs the entire length of the street and spreads out to include the streets on either side. It is a veritable rabbit warren of crumbling buildings, dilapidated shop fronts, and men with hardened eyes and no smiles. It's hard to say how many live there. It could be one hundred; it could be three hundred. There's no telling."
Khalfani swore in Arabic. At least, I think he was swearing. He sounded an awful lot like Father when he is swearing. "Then we cannot risk slipping in and rescuing him by stealth?"
The major shook his head. "I don't think so. Not without risking many of the women and children who also live in that area." Major Grindle's face looked drawn and grim. I could not help but feel that a second shoe was about to drop.
"Did they agree to the exchange? Did they let you see the boy?"
Slowly, Major Grindle raised his eyes and looked straight at me. My stomach dropped all the way down to my toes as I prepared myself for his next words.
"They would not allow me to see the two prisoners."
"Two prisoners?" Khalfani asked.
The major's sorrowful gaze never left my face. "I'm afraid they have taken a second prisoner. Your mother," he said gently.
My mother. His words reverberated in my mind, so horrible that I could hardly absorb them.
"When they could find no sign of you or me, and none of the locals they questioned would give them any information, they decided to up the ante in an effort to lure us out of hiding."
I think I actually swayed on my feet, and then Jadwiga was there, his big solid presence at my back like a fortress. I let myself lean back against him, just the teeniest bit. Von Braggenschnott was sweet on Mother, I reminded myself. surely he wouldn't hurt her.
Khalfani's face was full of sympathy. "Were you able to verify this with your own eyes?"
The major gave a brief shake of his head. "I was, however, able to hear them speak, and I recognized both their voices."
"What about the exchange?" Khalfani repeated. "Did they agree to that?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes." Major Grindle slowly pulled his eyes from mine and turned to Khalfani. "They agreed to the exchange. However, because of the first botched attempt, von Braggenschnott said that the price had gone up. The new price for releasing Gadji and Mrs. Throckmorton is the Emerald Tablet and the girl. He wants Miss Throckmorton as part of the deal."
There was a moment of dead silence that was filled by the thundering of my heart. Me?
"That is impossible," Khalfani said, and I began to breathe again. I hadn't realized I'd been holding my breath, but the truth was, I had no idea what my actual standing was with the wedjadeen. I'd been half afraid they would have said, Certainly. Here she is, and thank you.
"I'm glad we agree," Major Grindle said.
Fenuku threw me a look that said he did not agree. "Then what do you propose we do to get the Son of Re back?"
"We will alter our plans, that is all. We never intended to let them get as far as the exchange point anyway. We will continue with our plan to intercept them on the way to the exchange and they will never even have to see our Rekhet," explained Khalfani.
Major Grindle cleared his throat, and Khalfani scowled. "What?"
"They have a few more conditions. They will need proof that this tablet is not a fake." His old cheeks pinkened slightly with embarrassment at this reminder of his earlier trick.
A brief smile flickered across Khalfani's face. "Do not worry on that score. Our magic will hold better than yours."
"And they will have scouts in place to ensure Miss Throckmorton is indeed part of the exchange before they will step foot outside their compound."
Jadwiga shouted out, "Impossible!" with such force that it made his mustache quiver.
Khalfani swore again and Fenuku looked almost pleased. "They are not fools," he pointed out.
"No." Major Grindle fixed him with a hard stare. "But they are evil."
Fenuku had the grace to look away.
"We will have to risk storming the market after all."
"But we still have no idea where they are keeping the prisoners," Major Grindle reminded him. "You can be certain they were moved immediately after my departure."
"Not to mention untold innocents may be harmed," Khalfani murmured.
"I am not so certain anyone there can truly be called an innocent," the major said.
"True. But not all are followers of these men of Set."
"We can't risk it." My high voice cut through all their deeper ones. "We were going to trick them anyway; now we'll just add one more element to the trick—I'll be in place long enough for their scout to observe me."
Major Grindle and Jadwiga started to argue, but I held up my hand. "It's my mother they're holding. And I feel partially responsible for Gadji's capture, although it was not all my fault." I cast a sideways look at Fenuku to be sure he heard that part. "All I have to do is be in position long enough for their advance scout to spot me, then give the signal to the rest of the Serpents of Chaos that everything is in order, correct?"
Major Grindle nodded slowly. "Correct."
"Or," I said, a new thought occurring to me, "we could do what they did when you asked to see Mother and Gadji. Just let them hear my voice."
Khalfani and the major exchanged a look.
"There's got to be tons of places where I can hide in that big temple. Then, when they show up, I'll just shout out a hello, and they'll know I'm there."
Major Grindle stared at the map and stroked his chin. "That could work, I suppose."
"Of course it could. And with so many wedjadeen for reinforcement, what could go wrong?" I asked brightly.
"Everything" was Jadwiga's morose reply.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Bau Bau, Black Cat
THE NEXT FEW HOURS WERE SPENT in a frenzy of men poring over maps and plotting out every possible route from the black market to the Luxor Temple. They wanted to allow for all possibilities, and who could blame them?
A second group of men were busy in one of the smaller chambers, fashioning a new faux tablet. Major Grindle was hanging over their shoulders, drinking in every word. Normally, that's where I would have been, too, but for some reason, the magic wasn't holding my interest. I was too filled with a gnawing restlessness that had me pacing the long length of the chamber and practically clawing the walls.
That's where Baruti found me. "Peace, Rekhet," he said.
"I am at peace," I told him as I turned and began my umpteenth lap of the chamber.
Baruti fell into step beside me. "You are making the others on edge, child. They do not like to see the Rekhet so nervous. Even your cat has given up on you."
I looked behind me to see that Isis was no longer following. Indeed, she was no longer in sight, apparently having decided to go off and explore one of the many chambers and underground passages.
"Well, the Rekhet's mother is one of the hostages, so forgive me if I'm not a cool, calm warrior like the others are."