I was heartily glad to see there was a peephole; I wouldn't be completely in the dark up here. I peered around until I found Isis, sitting so still and silently against the far wall that she looked like little more than a shadow herself.
Have I mentioned that I think waiting is the hardest part? It seems we are forever rushing, then waiting. Rushing, then waiting. I tried to entertain myself with imagining the look of surprise on von Braggenschnott's face when he found four wedjadeen instead of me, but the vision kept being interrupted by worries for Mother and Gadji. What would he do to them when he saw I wasn't there?
Calm down, I told myself. Surely there was nothing I could do that four wedjadeen couldn't? Not to mention that things shouldn't even get that far.
Just when I had finally managed to convince myself of that, I heard Fenuku's voice speaking loudly from the vestibule. "Here come your followers of Set," he said.
"I can see that," Carruthers replied, somewhat nastily. But of course, Fenuku hadn't said it for Carruthers's benefit. He'd said it to warn me and the four hidden wedjadeen. If Chaos was coming, it meant the ambush had failed.
"Who are all those people with them?" Fenuku asked.
"Did you not hear?" Carruthers answered. "There was another nationalist demonstration this morning. We thought it best to keep the streets crowded today, in case you planned any surprises for us. We find it pays to stay involved in politics."
My heart sank like a stone. The wedjadeen had not been able to pull off the ambush. Now what? How was von Braggenschnott going to react when he didn't find what he wanted?
Minutes later, I heard the sound of dozens of footsteps outside in the vestibule. Von Braggenschnott's voice rang out. "Where are they?"
"First I must see the woman and the boy," Fenuku reminded him.
"Bring them," von Braggenschnott called out.
There was a pause, and then Fenuku spoke again. "I see that they are unharmed. Good. Let us make the exchange in here where the girl and the tablet are waiting."
"You saw them yourself, Carruthers?" von Braggenschnott asked.
"Yes, sir. I did."
"Very well. Bring the woman and the boy."
"They can't all come with us," Fenuku protested. "For one, the room is too small. And as you requested, there is only one of me here in the temple."
There was a pause as von Braggenschnott considered whether to honor his original agreement or not. "You six, come with Carruthers and me. The rest of you wait here."
"But that was not the agreement," Fenuku protested.
There was another pause. When von Braggenschnott spoke again, his voice had taken on a reasonable tone. "This is not your argument. Give me the tablet, take the boy, and be gone. The rest does not concern you."
There was a surprised silence—at least, I was surprised—before Fenuku spoke. "You are right, follower of Set. This is not our fight to win or lose. Come, let me show you the tablet and I will take the boy and leave. You may do what you want with the woman and the girl."
I nearly gasped in outrage at his treachery. Had he tricked the other wedjadeen into believing he would go along with this plan, when all along he had intended to hand me over to Chaos? What betrayal did he have planned to get rid of Major Grindle, I wondered? And would the other wedjadeen go along with his decision?
Seething, I shoved my eye into the peephole, desperate to catch a glimpse of Gadji and Mother, to see with my own eyes that they were safe and unharmed. And there they were. Bedraggled, but alive and safe. Joy at the sight of them surged through me and it was all I could do to bite back a shout of happiness.
Carruthers held Gadji, and von Braggenschnott had a tight grip on Mother. Fenuku stepped aside. "Your tablet, gentlemen. And the girl," he lied.
Still holding on to Mother, von Braggenschnott disappeared into the annex, while Carruthers crowded at the doorway. "Where is sh—"
A shout went up as Fenuku pulled out a club hidden in his sleeve and cracked Carruthers on the skull. He yanked Gadji well away from the crumpling Serpent of Chaos and shoved him toward the door. At the same time, muffled shouting came from the annex as the hidden wedjadeen tried to subdue von Braggenschnott without hurting Mother. Fenuku reached in, grabbed Mother's arm, and pulled her out of the fray. "Run!" he told Mother and Gadji.
Confused, they took three faltering steps toward the vestibule, stopping as more Serpents of Chaos began pouring through the door.
"The other way!" Fenuku called out. "Rekhet! Come get them to safety! If our gods were foolish enough to bestow you with gifts, show they weren't wasted and use them!"
Still stunned that he hadn't betrayed us, I kicked the slabs from my hiding place and dropped to the ground. The shock of the impact jolted through my legs, but I bit back the pain.
"Theodosia?" Mother blinked, her mouth dropping open. "Wh-what are you doing here?"
"Rescuing you two. Come on." As I reached out for Mother and Gadji, I looked up to see von Braggenschnott straining to get past the wedjadeen, trying to get to me. Our gazes met, and unspeakable threats shone in his eyes.
Isis darted from her corner and disappeared through the small door immediately to our right. I didn't know where she was taking us, but it was away from Chaos and that was enough for me. "Come on." I tugged at Mother and Gadji.
"Where are we going?"
"We need to get away. Fenuku is buying us some time and we need to use it. We might not get another chance." I grabbed her arm, confident that Gadji knew enough to follow along without being pulled. Isis was just disappearing through a second doorway that led deeper into the temple. Without thinking about it, I followed.
It was a birthing room, I realized, and I immediately began searching for another doorway. There! Isis had found one. Just as I took a step to follow her, an explosion rocked the temple and knocked us to our feet.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
The Mighty Isis
"WHAT IS THAT?" Gadji cried out, throwing his arms over his head to protect it from a chunk of rubble.
"The Orb of Ra," I told him.
"The orb of what?" Mother asked. "Theodosia, I demand you tell me what is going on, right this minute."
"Mother, I'm just trying to find a place where we can hide until help arrives." My mind worked furiously. I paused, listening. Had that blast killed every living thing in the vicinity?
From far away, I heard a groan, then a rumbling and scraping noise as if someone was pulling himself out of the rubble and dragging himself across the floor. A muffled German curse rang out.
Oh dear heavens, no. Don't let him have survived!
I took Mother's arm again (she seemed to be a bit stunned) and pulled her along. Isis waited for us in the next room, a small chamber lined with four alcoves. When she saw that we had followed, she took an immediate right into the next vestibule, the Hall of Hours.
I peered through the twelve columns in the room. "Where'd she go?"
"Through there!" Gadji pointed to yet another doorway. Honestly, this was as bad as a labyrinth!
"Go!" I said, and Gadji disappeared into the heart of the temple, with me and my mother right on his heels. Once inside, we stumbled to a stop. The room was small and dark, and there were only narrow slits up high to let the faintest bit of light in.
"The Holy of Holies," Mother whispered. She glanced fearfully over her shoulder. "A dead end."
"There is no way out, Mother. Not on this side of the temple. Chaos—Borscht's men—are blocking our only exit." But if Isis brought us here, there must be a reason.