Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan

Author:Rick Riordan [Riordan, Rick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

C A R T E R

11. Don’t Worry, Be Hapi

TYPICAL.

Sadie and Walt go off looking for a friendly shadow, while

Zia and I escort a psychotic murderous ghost to his heavily

trapped stash of forbidden magic. Gee, who got the better end

of that deal?

The Egyptian Queen burst out of the Underworld and into

the Nile like a breaching whale. Its paddle wheel churned

through the blue water. Its smokestacks bilowed golden smoke

into the desert air. After the gloom of the Duat, the sunlight was

blinding. Once my eyes adjusted, I saw we were chugging

downriver, heading north, so we must have surfaced somewhere

to the south of Memphis.

On either side, marshy green riverbanks columned with

palm trees stretched into the humid haze. A few houses dotted

the landscape. A battered pickup truck rumbled down the

riverfront road. A sailboat glided by on our port side. No one

paid us any attention.

paid us any attention.

I wasn’t sure exactly where we were. It could’ve been

anywhere along the Nile. But judging from the position of the

sun, it was already late morning. We’d eaten and slept in my

father’s realm, figuring we wouldn’t be able to close our eyes

once we had custody of Setne. It hadn’t felt like much of a rest,

but obviously we’d spent more time down under than I realized.

The day was slipping by. Tomorrow at dawn, the rebels would

attack the First Nome, and Apophis would rise.

Zia stood next to me at the bow. She’d showered and

changed into a spare set of combat clothes—a camo tank top,

olive cargo pants tucked into her boots. Maybe that doesn’t

sound glamorous, but in the morning sunlight she was beautiful.

Best of al, she was here in person—not a reflection in the

scrying bowl, not a shabti. When the wind changed directions I caught the scent of her lemon shampoo. Our forearms touched

as we leaned against the rail, but she didn’t seem to mind. Her

skin was feverishly warm.

“What are you thinking?” I asked.

She had trouble focusing on me. Up close, the flecks of

green and black in her amber eyes were sort of hypnotizing. “I

was thinking about Ra,” she said. “Wondering who’s taking care

of him today.”

“I’m sure he’s fine.”

But I felt a little disappointed. Personaly, I was thinking

about the moment when Zia had taken my hand in the dining

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