He hugged me awkwardly, as if he hadn't done much hugging in his time. Then he pulled back and chucked me under the chin. "So much like your grandfather, and yet so very different. Any man should be proud to call you his daughter." He glanced at the closed office door. "Remember that."
"What will you do now? Has your cover been blown? Will they reassign you?"
"Ah, I think not." He glanced toward the window.
I followed his gaze and saw one of the wedjadeen waiting outside, looking like a loitering Bedouin. "You're going with them, aren't you? You're going back into the desert to study what they know?"
He smiled. "I've always said nothing much gets by you, Miss Throckmorton. Yes, I believe I shall. It is the opportunity of a lifetime! To learn all the arcane magic and ancient ritual! My whole life has been working toward this point. Who knows, I might even see if I can become the first British Weret Hekau. Wouldn't that be an accomplishment."
I had no doubt he'd succeed.
"But I'll never see you again," I said around a lump in my throat.
"Ah, now, don't say that, Miss Throckmorton. Who's to say your involvement with the Eyes of Horus has come to an end? Or perhaps one day you'll choose to come find us in the desert and continue your education."
I blinked at him. Now, there was a thought. "When will you leave?"
"As soon as we get this mess all sorted out, I'll be on my way. Mr. Jadwiga and Mr. Rumpf will remain behind to clear up any loose ends and keep an eye out for any lingering bits of chaos we might have missed."
The office door opened and Father stood there. "Theodosia? They'd like to speak with you now."
"Go on." Major Grindle gave me a gentle nudge. "Your family needs you."
I stood up, then threw my arms around him for one last hug and tried not to let my tears get his uniform wet. "Goodbye, my dear," he whispered in my ear.
I let go and he stood up straight, then saluted me. Ignoring my father's curious gaze, I saluted back, then turned and made my way into the office that held both my parents and my future.
At least for now.
Mother and I spent the next two days sleeping while Father clucked over us like a mother hen—which would have been amusing if it hadn't been so necessary.
I kept waiting for Mother to say something, to call me into her room and ask for an explanation of what had occurred. When we met in the hall or at the dinner table, her eyes would glance over me without truly looking at me, as if she was afraid. Or disgusted.
To make matters worse, Isis still hadn't returned. I had never imagined when I had put that spell on her that I would be seeing the last of my cat. I'm not sure if I could have done it, knowing that. Honestly, you'd think after pulling off a ransom exchange that involved the last pharaoh and my own mother, I would have been riding high. Instead, I was down in the doldrums, afraid I would never come out.
On the third day, Father decided we'd "recovered" long enough and that a nice outing was what we needed. He was dying to see what we'd found at Deir el-Bahri and talked Mother and me into getting dressed and leaving the house.
I was struck by how peaceful the city seemed, as if that big catastrophe had released some horrid pressure that had been building and building. Had it been because of Chaos's presence here? Or was it just a cycle that we humans went through? And would I never know the answer to that?
When we reached Deir el-Bahri, Mother was dismayed to see that the small earthquake had sent an entirely new load of rubble down over the temple we'd discovered, completely hiding it from view. We couldn't even see any sign of a single column.
She gave me a queer look, as if she thought I was somehow responsible for this, or perhaps she merely wondered if I would be upset that my newest discovery had just up and disappeared. Whatever the case, I suddenly realized she would never look at me the same way again, and our future stretched out before me, impossibly long and forever separated by this horrid chasm.
There was a faint rumble as a small section of rubble on the hillside gave way, tumbling down the mountainside. Mother gave a small squeak and backed up, and I wondered if her nerves would ever recover. Then I heard another sound, a great big wonderful sound. I turned around and saw my very own cat creeping out of the rubble. "Isis!" I said.
"Isis," Mother repeated, then took another step backwards.
I ignored her and ran forward. My cat was covered in dust and looked a little bedraggled, but she was perfectly tame and allowed me to pick her up. She began to purr.
Had she been hiding? I had thought the reported earthquake had been from the explosion of the orb, but perhaps Isis had brought down the hillside in her carnation as Sekhmet. I buried my face in her dusty fur. I would probably never know. As I rested my cheek on her silky black side, I stared back at where the temple of Thutmose III had been, remembering that magical, hidden sanctuary I had found. Just one of many pieces of living magic I'd discovered on this trip to Egypt.
I'd come here hoping to visit the temple where I'd been born. Instead, I'd found a heritage and a destiny, and more answers than I had ever dreamed of. I glanced up at Mother, at her lovely, worried eyes. Perhaps I should provide some answers of my own.
There had been so many times in the past when I'd longed to confide in my parents, to explain my peculiar behavior and tell them what was going on right beneath their noses. But the hugeness of explaining it all when they knew nothing about it had been overwhelming. How does one explain being able to see magic and curses or being chased by secret societies and Egyptian magicians?
But it turned out they had known some of it all along.
Now that I knew, really truly knew, that there was a reason for my abilities, that I wasn't in danger of going round the bend, it would be easier to explain. Reality was, after all, on my side.
Holding Isis close for strength, I squared my shoulders and took a step toward my parents. "Mother? Father? I have something I need to tell you..."
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN BOOKS FOR CHILDREN
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN HARCOURT
BOSTON NEW YORK 2011
Text copyright © 2011 by R. L. LaFevers
Illustrations copyright © 2011 by Yoko Tanaka
All rights reserved. For information about permission
to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions,
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company,
215 Park Avenue South, New York, New York 10003.
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children is an imprint of
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
The text of this book is set in Minister Book.
The illustrations are acrylic on board.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
La Fevers, R. L. (Robin L.)
Theodosia and the last pharaoh / by R. L. LaFevers.
p. cm.
Summary: When eleven-year-old Theodosia and her cat, Isis, travel to Egypt to return the Orb of Ra and the Emerald Tablet, she hopes to learn more about her origins but finds, instead, the Serpents of Chaos and a precious treasure that suddenly appears and disappears.
ISBN 978-0-547-39018-5
[1. Adventure and adventurers—Fiction. 2. Magic—Fiction. 3. Blessing and cursing—Fiction. 4. Museums—Fiction. 5. Family life—Egypt—Fiction. 6. Egypt—History—20th century—Fiction.] I. Title.