I know what youre here for. And if you leave this planet, I will kill you. I promise you that, Sanguina said, speaking only to Valerie, as if Thai didnt exist.
If I stay, I die. You cant stop me.
Sanguina was close enough now for Valerie to see that her eyes were as black as they seemed when she was unconscious. I can and will stop you. And I will make your life h.e.l.l for defying me.
As she stared at the woman who had hunted her for years, Valerie was filled with a desperation that made her hands shake. Would she never escape? Why do you chase me in my dreams. Isnt what you do to me while Im awake enough? she couldnt help asking, and saw surprise flash across Sanguinas face.
Your dreams? Sanguina echoed, looking bewildered.
Before Sanguina could recover, Thai gripped Valeries hand. Remember what you said. She isnt even here! Shes on the Globe. Theres nothing she can do to either of us.
Anger twisted Sanguinas face. You dont know how wrong you are. Her eyes bored into Valerie as if she would kill her if she could.
Valerie, lets lose this psycho. Run! Thais voice yanked her out of her frozen terror.
She did run, squeezing her eyes shut as she pa.s.sed through Sanguina. She and Thai raced away as fast as they could, never letting go of each others hands. They burst out of the pyramid into the bright sunshine at full speed, and didnt stop until they were on the manicured lawn of their hotel, where they both collapsed, breathing in gulps of fresh air. Valerie looked behind her, half expecting to see Sanguina chasing them, but she had vanished.
Who was that freak? You knew her? Thai asked.
Suddenly, from behind, they heard a man clearing his throat. When they saw Chisisi, they sighed in relief. Welcome back. You seem exhausted. Let me take you to your room for rest and refreshment.
Thanks anyway, but well be fine now that were back at the hotel, Thai insisted.
You must not a.s.sume that anywhere in Giza is safe. Danger may lurk where you least expect it, even here at the Mena House, Chisisi said, his tone sharp for the first time. Then he abruptly turned and left them.
Valerie immediately worried that they had offended Chisisi after all he had done for them. But before she could chase after him, Cyrus appeared by her side. Whatd I miss? Who was that woman at the Great Pyramid? I barely saw before she disappeared.
Sanguina. Shes been chasing me for as long as I can remember. She said shed kill me if I go to the Globe, Valerie said quietly.
Cyrus looked shocked, but he quickly recovered. Sh.e.l.l have no idea where to even start looking for you on the Globe, Val. Everything about your ident.i.ty and your trip is a secret to all but a few people. And once youre here, Ill be able to protect you. In the meantime, Ill ask the others about who this Sanguina person is. Dont worry, theyll find her. Sh.e.l.l never get near you.
Venu must be working for her, Thai said thoughtfully. Maybe at Stonehenge he was trying to stop you from leaving Earth.
I dont understand. Why is she after me? Valerie wondered.
Because youre special, of course, Thai said, as if the answer was obvious.
Chapter 12.
Back at the hotel, Valerie and Thai munched on some fruit that Chisisi had sent up while Cyrus wandered around the room.
Is Tan okay? He seemed scared back there, Valerie said.
I think so. When something is more than he can handle, he kind of retreats inside me for a while. h.e.l.l come out again when hes ready. But are you okay? Thai asked.
It turned my world around to realize that there will still be someone chasing me when I go to the Globe. Whats waiting for me there is worse than whats chasing me here.
But there youll have your magic to protect you.
And me, Cyrus added.
She looked out the window. The sun was already setting.
Are you ready? Thai asked.
I want to thank Chisisi one more time before I go. I hope he isnt still upset. We were kind of rude before when he was trying to help us.
Fine, I guess youre right. I didnt mean to offend him, Thai said, picking up the phone. Hi, Amun, could you send Chisisi to our room? Oh, when? Okay, thanks. He hung up the phone. Amun said that Chisisi was heading over to our room twenty minutes ago.
I wonder what happened to him, she said. It didnt feel right to leave without saying goodbye.
Who knows? Whenever we dont need him, he pops out of nowhere. And now that we do call him, hes nowhere to be found. But we cant wait around any longer.
Hes right, Val. Lets get out of here before something else goes wrong, Cyrus added.
Well, were finally going to need these, Thai said, pulling the night vision goggles out of their backpacks.
Valerie grinned for the first time all day. It would be pretty cool to go all James Bond and sneak past the security on the Giza Plateau.
Rather than take the elevators downstairs and leave through the main entrance, she directed Thai and Cyrus to take the stairs, hoping that they would attract less attention. The minute she opened the door to the stairwell, a sour smell made her cover her nose. As they descended, the smell grew stronger, almost making her gag.
They were going down the last flight of stairs when she realized where she had smelled that rancid odor before. Thai, watch out, Venus been here. That smell is his poison, I know it, she whispered, and her fear made her feet feel as if they were glued to the ground.
They both stopped, but it was completely silent in the stairwell. Thai then moved in front of her, murmuring, Lets get out of here.
Hurry up. Now is not the time to freeze up, Cyrus said urgently, and she forced herself to hurry down the last few stairs at top speed and burst out the exit door behind Thai.
I cant believe he was that close, Thai said.
Valerie noticed something lying on the ground, covered in yellow slime. She knelt down to examine it, and her entire body quivered with horror. It was a blue cloth with gold embroidery that she had seen before. Its that sash that Chisisi always wears, she said, struggling to keep the panic out of her voice.
Youre right. What happened? Cyrus said. Before she could do more than blink, Cyrus vanished.
Thai yanked Valerie to her feet. We have to get you out of here. Now.
We cant leave without finding him! What if Venu really hurt him? You know what hes capable of!
We dont even know where to begin to look. I swear to you that I will not rest until I find Chisisi, but right now you need to get off this planet.
Cyrus popped back into view. Hes alive, Val. Hes not in good shape, but hes alive. Amun called an ambulance.
I have to see him, to help him!
Theres nothing you can do for him now. And Venu is not going to stop trying to hurt you and those around you until you get out of here. Once youre gone, h.e.l.l have no reason to hurt Chisisi or anyone else.
I bring everyone around me nothing but misery, she said with despair.
Thats not true! Please, dont give up on me now, when youre so close to making it to the Globe. For everyones sake, you have to hold it together, Cyrus demanded.
She took several deep, steadying breaths, staring into Cyruss blue eyes. All right. Lets go.
As soon as they had made it off of the hotel grounds, Valerie and Thai put on their night vision goggles.
I dont see anything, she said.
Thai pressed a b.u.t.ton on the side of her goggles, and the world appeared before her in green and black. They have a heat sensor, so well be able to see the guards coming from a mile away. Speaking of which, drop to the ground, ones about to pa.s.s us! he hissed.
Valerie looked to her right and saw a glowing red figure walking closer. The guard was humming a tune, clearly not expecting to find anyone trying to sneak onto the Giza Plateau at this time of night. Still, she held her breath as he pa.s.sed a few yards from where she lay on the ground, hoping that he wouldnt be able to see her or Thai in the faint moonlight coming through the clouds.
Thank goodness its a cloudy night, or wed be caught for sure, she whispered to Thai after the guard was out of sight.
Thai scanned the landscape in every direction. Okay, it looks like the coast is clear, so lead the way.
Valerie and Thai hurried across the plateau, keeping a sharp eye out for any security guards"or threats like Venu, she remembered with a shudder. The sight of Chisisis sash covered in yellow slime flashed through her mind. Would he survive? She didnt know how she could live with herself if he died because of her.
Stay with me, Val, Cyrus said, seeing her expression.
You can do this. Ill go back for him, and h.e.l.l be okay, Thai added.
She nodded and forced herself to focus on their mission. Finally, they reached the Sphinx. The sight took her breath away, and she was temporarily distracted from her worries. When she had seen the Sphinx from a distance earlier that day, it had seemed like a piece of ancient history whose story had already been told. But in the moonlight, the Sphinx came alive, and she was reminded that this was a living monument that still had a role to play, particularly in her own future.
Valerie took off her night vision goggles as she approached the Sphinx. Up close, she could see that the half lion, half man was wearing an ancient Egyptian headdress. Despite the fact that his face had been battered by time and he was missing his nose, the Sphinxs wise and regal expression soothed Valeries troubled mind.
His stone eyes looked as if they held a fascinating secret, and they seemed to follow her as she approached closer and closer. It was like he could see inside of her mind, and her scalp p.r.i.c.kled with apprehension.
Unbelievable, Thai said. You cant understand the power of these places by looking at pictures.
Only Cyrus wasnt awestruck. So wheres the entrance to the tunnel, Val?
I think I have to ask"well"him, she said, looking into the searching eyes of the Sphinx.
Almost as if she was in a trance, Valerie approached the Sphinx. She circled the entire monument without speaking and then stopped at the base, right beneath his head. Hesitantly, she reached out to touch the stone. Beneath her fingers, she felt warm muscle covered in soft fur. Gently, she stroked the fur, and she almost gasped in surprise when she heard a gentle, contented purr. She looked up and saw that the Sphinxs eyes were softly glowing blue, just like the face at Stonehenge. Valeries feeling of eerie trepidation vanished.
The Sphinx was a guardian, protecting the magic of this place. His eyes saw in her, through her, and a tide of magic rose up inside her. It was so powerful, she could drown in it"it could sweep her away. The Sphinx may have awakened it, but it was up to her to tamp it down inside her before she was killed by the immensity of her own magic, breaking the rules set upon it.
Val, are you okay? Cyrus asked her.
She didnt have the s.p.a.ce in her mind to answer. Sweat beaded her forehead and trickled down her temples. She concentrated, imagining that her magic was like a room inside of her. The Sphinx had opened the door, and it was up to her to shut it. She fought against her instinct to embrace this part of herself that had been hidden away for so long, and slammed the door shut.
A tingle began in the back of her mind, and she knew that she had pa.s.sed the first part of the Sphinxs test. The second part, she suddenly understood, was to face the rest of her journey without her friends or her magic to aid her. She had to prove that she was worthy of traveling to the Globe not only because of her magic, but also because she was brave enough to seize her destiny.
Valerie? Thai said, echoing Cyrus. He gripped her shoulder, and her mind snapped back to the present.
The entrance is through the top of the back right paw. And I have to go in alone, she said, looking at Cyrus and Thai for the first time. Thai started to shake his head, but she walked away before he could form any words.
She walked to the Sphinxs back right paw, where the lions tail curled over the hindquarters. The top of the paw was rough stone that looked very different from the finished, exact lines of other parts of the Sphinx. It was the only part of the Sphinxs paw that hadnt been repaired over the years by people trying to preserve the landmark.
Why wouldnt they fix the top of the paw, too? Thai wondered.
Lets say that your Egyptian benefactor can do more than get you a room with a view. He made sure that the entrance was never touched, Cyrus said. Valerie couldnt help thinking that it was too bad that the benefactor, whoever he was, hadnt been able to protect Chisisi.
Cyrus continued, The top of the paw looks so old because it is"it has never been changed, not since when it was originally built.
Duck! Thai said suddenly, and he and Valerie crouched behind the paw. She put her night vision goggles back on and saw that another guard was doing his rounds. Minutes later, he was gone, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
They removed their goggles again to examine the stone. Thai turned on his flashlight and shined it on the rough stone. Then he turned the flashlight on her face. Im coming with you.
You cant. I have to go it alone from here or not leave at all. Its part of the test.
I thought the test was over at Stonehenge! he said, a deep chord of protective worry making his mouth tense.
Ill be okay.
Shes right, man. I dont know what Val learned from the Sphinx, but it can be dangerous to be too close to the launch chamber when she takes off, so you have to stay out there. Cyrus said. And I need to be mentally back on the Globe during her journey. Its up to her now.
Thai nodded, but the worry didnt leave his face. Ready? he asked her.
Valerie nodded, took a deep breath, and pushed on the stone paw with all her strength. Nothing happened. Thai added his muscles to the struggle, and they both turned red from the effort. Just as she thought her muscles would collapse, the ancient stone groaned and then swiveled, turning sideways. It opened to a set of stairs that disappeared into the darkness.
Thats my cue. Ill see you on the other side, Cyrus said. His voice sounded light, but she knew him well enough to recognize the tension in his smile.
Wait! Valerie said, feeling panicky. What if this thing accidentally launches me to the wrong place? I dont want to wind up floating around in s.p.a.ce for eternity, all alone.
Cyrus laughed. It doesnt work like that"its not a rocket! From what Ive heard, it creates a kind of bubble around you that moves super fast. And you steer it with your thoughts. All you have to do is concentrate on me, and in minutes, youll be by my side, standing on the Globe. Dont worry"it will all make sense when youre here.
Okay, she said, somewhat rea.s.sured. Then she turned to Thai. I guess this is goodbye, she said, and hugged him tightly, memorizing the way his arms felt around her. He pulled back slightly and looked down at her with a look that made her breath catch. For one crazy second, she thought he was going to kiss her.
Cyrus cleared his throat loudly. We dont have all day.
Thai released her. Be safe, Valerie, he whispered. Then he turned to Cyrus. Youll project back here to tell me shes safe?
Of course.
Ill stay right here until I see you take off, and then Ill find Chisisi, Thai said. He turned to Cyrus. I will see her leave, right?
I think so. Look for a blue light thats moving fast. In less than a second, sh.e.l.l look like a shooting star. And then sh.e.l.l disappear.
Her heart raced. This was really it. See you soon, she said to Cyrus with a smile, and his face lit up. With one last glance at Thai, she put the flashlight in her pocket, then put on her night vision goggles and disappeared down the stairs.