Touch of Fear ▸ House of Anubis [2]

chapter ninety. house of freedom

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            "Somebody do something, please!" Amber shouts as Nina/Senkhara heads to the second level of Frobisher Library.

            "Nina!" Fabian screams.

            "Fabian, don't!" Joy exclaims. She pushes him out of the way, just a second before a bolt of lightning is shot out through Nina's hand. It hits Joy square in her chest and she falls to the ground.

            Fabian shouts her name as Jerome, Amber, and Patricia kneel beside her. No! Not Joy, too! I'm frozen in my spot. I have no idea what to do, I have no idea what to do! Amber shouts to Eddie and me, "Don't just stand there! Do something!"

            I look at Eddie, only to find that he's frantically looking around. "Tell me where!"

            "Eddie, what are you doing?" I ask him, my words rushed.

            Eddie grabs my arm, dragging me over to the crates as he tells me, "Her crown! We need her crown!"          

            The crown. Senkhara's crown! I throw off one of the tops to the crates, tossing it recklessly onto the ground as I start rifling. I had it in my hands earlier, which crate was it in?! Alfie runs in through the door, briefly distracting me when I notice he's got the fake mask in his hand. He says, "Rufus and Victor are right behind me. We need to—"

            "Where have you been?!" I interrupt before turning back to the crate. "I saw the crown earlier! I just can't remember which crate it's in, Eddie!"

            "Ashley, you need to trust me," Eddie says. "You need to use your powers, okay?"

            "I don't know how!"

            "You can do it, okay? I trust you and I need you to trust me!"

            I nod, feeling so uncertain about all of this. "I trust you."

            He's found Senkhara's crown, pulling it out of the crate. "Just follow my lead, okay?" I nod again and he points the crown in direction of Senkhara/Nina, shouting, "In the name of Anubis, I banish you!"

            Hang on, what?! I can't even begin to process what exactly is happening because Anubis is speaking again, telling me to grab the other half of the crown and do exactly as he says. Okay, okay. I grab the other half of the crown and repeat exactly what Eddie has said—"In the name of Anubis, I banish you!" and the same thing in Ancient Egyptian, which Eddie says without being told by a voice in his head, at least I think—and, all of a sudden there's this purple-pinkish light, with some red in there as well, that's shooting out from Senkhara's crown.

            Okay. This is new.

            "Osirian! Bringer of Death! No!" Senkhara screams.