closed the door and then I walked to the path that lead to the school.
“Henry, I need you.”
My ghoul appeared instantly. He was gaunt and gray-skinned. His eyes were white with pinpoint black pupils. His gaze was weird, sure, but I’d gotten used to it. As always, he was dressed impeccably. Despite his thinness, he was very strong and he even had some ability to use magic. He’d been in my family for a very long time. Ghouls weren’t made anymore, but if you had one, you got to keep him. (Or her.)
Henry wasn’t one to show emotion, but he immediately reached out and enfolded me into his stiff embrace. “There now, Miss. Let’s get you tucked into bed. Hot chocolate and cookies will make you feel much better.”
“Thank you, Henry.” I laid my head on his shoulder, and to my surprise, I started to cry. He lifted me into his arms, turned, and strode down the path.
“I’m s-sorry,” I sniffled. “I’m m-messing up your jacket.”
“I have others, Miss. You may cry as much as you want on this one.”
I hiccupped. “O-okay.”
I curled into the crook of his neck, noted that he actually smelled kinda nice, and let Henry take care of me.
AFTER FIXING ME hot chocolate and peanut butter cookies, Henry tucked me into bed, and insisted I rest. I couldn’t shut my thoughts down. I kept thinking about Mr. Jacobs, and that woman. Who was she? I tried to remember what they’d said to each other, but I couldn’t extract the words from my uncooperative brain.
Eventually, I fell asleep.
We stood near the crumbled remains of Set’s prison. The chanting robed minions who’d given the god of chaos the energy to escape now lay in ashy piles around the cage’s perimeter.
“No one’s ready for this,” I said. “They all think Clarissa closed the portal.”
“This isn’t your fault, Molly.” Rath drew me into his embrace, and I closed my arms around his waist. I rested my head on his shoulder.
“ Rath, what do I do? How do we stop him?”
“We do what the Oracle told us. And we find your father.”
I jolted awake, my heart racing. For a moment, I couldn’t draw breath.
What was going on? Why was I dreaming about Set and Rath and the Underworld? Clarissa closed a portal? Rath and I went to the Oracle?
The shadows stretching across my room told me it was late afternoon. Henry had left on a bedside lamp for which I was grateful. I didn’t want to be left alone in the dark.
“Hey.”
“Aaaaaaaaaahhh!!!” I tried to leap from the bed, but I got tangled in the sheets. I wrestled with them and I lost the battle.
“Whoa, brown eyes. It’s just me.”
I stopped trying to extract myself from my bedding and looked up. Rath was about a foot away from the bed. His hands were in his jean pockets, and his gaze took in my sleep-worn, and now mortified, self. I reinserted myself under the covers.
“ Henry seemed to think you needed a friend.”
“Oh.” I smoothed the bedspread. Rath took this as an invitation to sit down. The bed dipped under his weight and his hip settled against mine. He leaned forward. He smoothed back my hair and then tapped my nose.
“ You were having a nightmare.”
I couldn’t deny it was a nightmare, but I knew it somehow a view into the future. Was Anubis sending these dreams to me? Why didn’t he check in on me? Or answer my prayers? I was his daughter. Didn’t that give me priority somehow?
The idea I was dreaming about the future—about the Set’s inevitable escape scared me. I looked up and found Rath’s gaze on me. He reached out, withdrew my hand from under the covers, and then threaded his fingers through mine.
“Do you trust me?” he asked softly.
I wouldn’t look away. I couldn’t. My heart started to pound. “Yes. I trust you.”
His lips curled into a half-smile. “I trust you, too.” He squeezed my hand. “Tell about your dream. Why did you say my name?”
Embarrassment flooded me, and heat flushed my face . “You heard me?”
“
“Henry, I need you.”
My ghoul appeared instantly. He was gaunt and gray-skinned. His eyes were white with pinpoint black pupils. His gaze was weird, sure, but I’d gotten used to it. As always, he was dressed impeccably. Despite his thinness, he was very strong and he even had some ability to use magic. He’d been in my family for a very long time. Ghouls weren’t made anymore, but if you had one, you got to keep him. (Or her.)
Henry wasn’t one to show emotion, but he immediately reached out and enfolded me into his stiff embrace. “There now, Miss. Let’s get you tucked into bed. Hot chocolate and cookies will make you feel much better.”
“Thank you, Henry.” I laid my head on his shoulder, and to my surprise, I started to cry. He lifted me into his arms, turned, and strode down the path.
“I’m s-sorry,” I sniffled. “I’m m-messing up your jacket.”
“I have others, Miss. You may cry as much as you want on this one.”
I hiccupped. “O-okay.”
I curled into the crook of his neck, noted that he actually smelled kinda nice, and let Henry take care of me.
AFTER FIXING ME hot chocolate and peanut butter cookies, Henry tucked me into bed, and insisted I rest. I couldn’t shut my thoughts down. I kept thinking about Mr. Jacobs, and that woman. Who was she? I tried to remember what they’d said to each other, but I couldn’t extract the words from my uncooperative brain.
Eventually, I fell asleep.
We stood near the crumbled remains of Set’s prison. The chanting robed minions who’d given the god of chaos the energy to escape now lay in ashy piles around the cage’s perimeter.
“No one’s ready for this,” I said. “They all think Clarissa closed the portal.”
“This isn’t your fault, Molly.” Rath drew me into his embrace, and I closed my arms around his waist. I rested my head on his shoulder.
“ Rath, what do I do? How do we stop him?”
“We do what the Oracle told us. And we find your father.”
I jolted awake, my heart racing. For a moment, I couldn’t draw breath.
What was going on? Why was I dreaming about Set and Rath and the Underworld? Clarissa closed a portal? Rath and I went to the Oracle?
The shadows stretching across my room told me it was late afternoon. Henry had left on a bedside lamp for which I was grateful. I didn’t want to be left alone in the dark.
“Hey.”
“Aaaaaaaaaahhh!!!” I tried to leap from the bed, but I got tangled in the sheets. I wrestled with them and I lost the battle.
“Whoa, brown eyes. It’s just me.”
I stopped trying to extract myself from my bedding and looked up. Rath was about a foot away from the bed. His hands were in his jean pockets, and his gaze took in my sleep-worn, and now mortified, self. I reinserted myself under the covers.
“ Henry seemed to think you needed a friend.”
“Oh.” I smoothed the bedspread. Rath took this as an invitation to sit down. The bed dipped under his weight and his hip settled against mine. He leaned forward. He smoothed back my hair and then tapped my nose.
“ You were having a nightmare.”
I couldn’t deny it was a nightmare, but I knew it somehow a view into the future. Was Anubis sending these dreams to me? Why didn’t he check in on me? Or answer my prayers? I was his daughter. Didn’t that give me priority somehow?
The idea I was dreaming about the future—about the Set’s inevitable escape scared me. I looked up and found Rath’s gaze on me. He reached out, withdrew my hand from under the covers, and then threaded his fingers through mine.
“Do you trust me?” he asked softly.
I wouldn’t look away. I couldn’t. My heart started to pound. “Yes. I trust you.”
His lips curled into a half-smile. “I trust you, too.” He squeezed my hand. “Tell about your dream. Why did you say my name?”
Embarrassment flooded me, and heat flushed my face . “You heard me?”
“
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