The Red Pyramid

At the museum, Carter and Sadie stumble into the Egyptian section, where they come face-to-face with one of the people who appeared on the bridge in London. She demands to know about Amos and Bast. Sadie tries to keep quiet, but a strange pressure in her throat forces the truth out of her. Carter points the sword he took from the mansion at the girl, asking who she is and what she wants. She introduces herself as Zia Rashid, adding that, right now, she’s there to “save your miserable lives” (136).

To the sound of scorpions growing ever closer, Zia leads Carter and Sadie to the museum’s temple, where they will make a stand for 10 1/2 until a portal can be opened at noon. The three finish setting up protections just as Serqet and the scorpions arrive. Zia conjures a flaming lion-headed staff and orders Sadie and Carter to “stay inside the circle no matter what” (140).

Zia fends off Serqet’s attacks, which more angers than harms the goddess. Zia leaps out of the circle just as a portal shaped like “an enormous sideways hourglass” (143) appears. Sadie can’t bring herself to leave without helping Zia, and Carter grabs her right before she steps clear of the circle.

As Sadie watches the battle, she somehow knows that Zia’s tactics won’t work. Zia imprisons Serqet in magical ribbons that momentarily dissolve her essence, only for her to reform even stronger. Knowing they can’t win and with the portal closing, the three plunge “straight into the swirling vortex” (145).

The portal spits Sadie, Carter, and Zia out into the Cairo airport in Egypt. Zia leads the others into a closet and makes a set of steps appear, down which they descend to the main headquarters of the House of Life. Each must enter by themselves, and “the challenge is different for each supplicant” (149). Zia delivers this information while looking at Sadie like she’s special, which makes Carter angry. He doesn’t understand why everyone treats Sadie like she’s better than him. To prove he’s also powerful, he marches up to the gate, which hurls daggers at him that he manages to easily deflect with guidance from a brave-sounding voice in his head. A ba that looks like a giant turkey-man appears and tells Carter to “go forth, good king” (152). Beyond, Zia leads Carter and Sadie through a marketplace to the Hall of Ages and the next step in their journey.

Inside the hall, the three pass hologram-like images of the various ages of Egypt, from the ancient gods to the modern day. Images of Moses, Alexander the Great, and the invasion of the Romans lead to the British takeover that made Cairo a modern city and left the ancient Egyptian culture to fade “farther and farther under the sands of the desert” (162). At the end of the hall, the group finds the Chief Lector Iskandar and Desjardins, the man who accompanied Zia on the bridge in London.

Sadie and Carter tell Desjardins and Iskandar what’s happened since their father disappeared, leaving out key things like Sadie’s magic and the ba calling Carter a king. Desjardins is sure the kids are guilty of cavorting with gods and need to be destroyed, but Iskandar agrees to give them a chance. The next day, Zia will test Carter and Sadie for magic. Sadie asks what happens if they fail the test, and Zia says this isn’t the type of test they can fail: either “you pass or you die” (168).