Who Is She? | Jaz Anderson

• fourteen •

Ayden remembered the black temple looking exactly the same as it did now. They made their way up the steps from the dock and passed between rows of obsidian columns that marched into the gloom. Sinister-looking scenes of Underworld life glittered on the floor and in friezes circling the pillars — black designs on black stone. Despite the reed torches that burned every few yards, the air was so hazy with volcanic ash, Ayden couldn't see far in front of her.

As they moved deeper into the temple, voices whispered around them. Out of the corner of her eye, Ayden saw groups of spirits drifting across the pavilion — ghostly shapes camouflaged in the smoky air. Some moved aimlessly — crying softly or tearing at their clothes in despair. Others carried armfuls of papyrus scrolls. These ghosts looked more solid and purposeful, as if they were waiting for something.

"Petitioners," Walt said. "They've brought their case files, hoping for an audience with Osiris. He was gone so long... there must be a real backlog of cases."

Walt's step seemed lighter. His eyes looked more alert, his body less weighed down by pain. He was so close to death. Ayden had feared this trip to the Underworld might be hard for him, but if anything he seemed more at ease than the rest of them.

"How do you know?" Sadie asked.

Walt hesitated. "I'm not sure. It just seems... correct."

"And the ghosts without scrolls?" Ayden asked.

"Refugees," he said immediately. "They're hoping this place will protect them."

Ayden didn't ask what from. She thought about the vision Carter had described — their mother huddled beneath a cliff somewhere in the Duat, resisting the pull of a dark force in the distance.

"We need to hurry." Sadie started to forge ahead, but Zia grabbed her arm.

"There," she said. "Look."

The smoke parted. About twenty-two yards ahead stood a massive set of obsidian doors. In front of them, an animal the size of a greyhound sat on its haunches an oversized jackal with thick black fur, fluffy pointed ears, and a face somewhere between a fox and a wolf. Its moon colored eyes glittered in the darkness.

It snarled at them. Ayden blinked.

"It's just Anubis," Sadie said hopefully. "This is where we met him last time."

"That's not Anubis," Walt warned.

"Of course it is," she told him. "Watch."

"Sadie, don't," Ayden said, but she walked toward the guardian.

"Hullo, Anubis," Sadie called. "It's just me, Sadie."

The jackal bared his fangs. His mouth began to froth. His adorable yellow eyes sent an unmistakable message: One more step, and I'll chew your head off.

Sadie froze. "Right... that's not Anubis, unless he's having a really bad day."

"This is where we met him before," Carter said.

"Why isn't he here?" Ayden wondered.

"It's one of his minions," Walt ventured. "Anubis must be... elsewhere."

Again, he sounded awfully sure. Ayden frowned. In her head, Nephthys whispered, "Something's up."

The sky? Ayden tried to joke.

"No," the goddess said. "I can sense my son in this boy, now that we're here. That is not right."

Zia moved next to Sadie, gripping her staff. "So, what now? Do we have to defeat it to pass?"

Ayden imagined her lobbing some of her daisy-destroying fire-balls. That's all they needed — a yelping, flaming jackal running through her father's courtyard.

"No," Walt said, stepping forward. "It's just a gatekeeper. It needs to know our business."

"Walt," Carter said, "if you're wrong..."

Walt raised his hands and slowly approached the jackal.
"I am Walt Stone," he said. "This is Carter, Ayden, and Sadie Kane. And this is Zia..."

"Rashid," Zia supplied.

"We have business at the Hall of Judgment," Walt said.

The jackal snarled, but it sounded more inquisitive, not so chew-your-head-off hostile.

"We have testimony to offer," Walt continued. "Information relevant to the trial of Setne."

"Walt," Carter whispered, "when did you become a junior lawyer?"

Ayden and Nephthys shushed him. Walt's plan seemed to be working. The jackal tilted its head as if listening, then rose and padded away into the darkness. The obsidian double doors swung open silently.

"Well done, Walt," I said. "How did you...?"

He faced Sadie.

"Um, how did you know what to say?"

Walt shrugged. "I took a guess."

"Awfully specific guess," Ayden muttered.

Just as quickly as they'd opened, the doors began to close.

"Hurry!" Carter warned. They sprinted into the courtroom of the dead.

🪄⛲️

Ayden and Nephthys just shushing Carter together from the same mouth: 🤫🤫
Carter: 😦
Sadie, Walt, and Zia: 🙈🙈🙈