At the same time I whispered to him, “Who’s Wasret?”
Speaking louder to regain control of the conversation, Anubis explained, “Lilliana Young must complete the ritual to take on the mantle of Wasret in order to breach the netherworld and rescue Amon, and you, my good doctor, will serve as her tether to mortality should she succeed.”
“Breach the…” Dr. Hassan paused, confusion evident on his face. “I’m not sure I fully comprehend your purpose,” he said respectfully.
Anubis sighed, his impatience obvious. I tried to clarify. “Anubis wants me to become a sphinx so that I can save Amon, who escaped his duty by heading into the netherworld. It’s a dangerous place, where he’s suffering, and if he doesn’t return, Seth could breach the barrier and destroy the world.”
I turned to Anubis, with eyebrows raised, to see if he wanted to add anything. He was smiling at me like a proud parent. “There, you see?” he said. “I am no longer needed.”
“Before you depart, great one, might you indulge me a moment as I ask two questions?”
“Very well. But make your queries brief.”
Nodding vigorously, Dr. Hassan asked his first question. “Do you mean that you want Lilliana to become the matriarch of the Order of the Sphinx such as the pharaoh Hatshepsut?” A gleam had lit his eyes and I could see that he was excited about the prospect.
“No. Though that title will naturally fall to her once she goes through the rite. Lilliana will in actuality become a sphinx, something only a few mortals have ever attempted.” Glancing down at his fingertips and running his thumb over them, he added in a more hushed voice, “None of which have lived through the process.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. But the idea of my extremely untimely death didn’t seem to faze Dr. Hassan, who took an eager step forward.
Anubis folded his arms across his chest and frowned when he saw my startled expression. “Of course, they didn’t have the help of the gods,” he added almost as an afterthought. “Now, what is your second question?”
“Ah. Yes. Why Wasret? She is a goddess so unremarkable that I can count on one hand the number of recovered stelae depicting her likeness. There is not one temple dedicated to her. Most Egyptologists believe she was so inconsequential that her name was rubbed out entirely from the annals of history and that any deeds that might have possibly been done in her name were assigned to other deities.”
“The reason all of your companions who spend their lives digging in the stone and dust of the past have found very little regarding Wasret is because she doesn’t exist. Yet.”
“What do you mean?”
“That is your third question, Doctor. I am afraid I’ll have to leave you to discover the rest of the story on your own. It is time to say goodbye, Lilliana Young.” Anubis snapped his fingers and my balance shifted. Before I could do anything except gasp in shock, my body lifted off the ground and sped toward him.
When I was stable, he skimmed my cheek with his fingertips and cautioned, “Do not trust anyone in the netherworld, even those you may consider friends.” His eyes raked over my face and he leaned closer, his lips grazing my ear. “I do very much hope I will see you again. Good luck.”
With that, he took a step back and a black vortex opened beneath his feet, sucking him down before re-forming into a solid surface.
All was quiet for a moment until I heard Oscar exclaim, “How remarkable!”
Spinning around, I headed back to him and wrapped him in a hug. “I missed you.”
He patted my back and shifted his hat so it wouldn’t fall off. “I missed you, too, young lady.”
“So do you understand what it is he wants me to do?” I asked as I pulled away.
Oscar’s eyes lost their gleam and as he looked away, he rubbed his forehead. “I really won’t know all the details until we find this hidden room. But I can honestly say, I have never, in my long life of studying the stories of the gods and serving as the grand vizier, felt more frightened.”
“I suppose it’s as good a time as any to get under way,” Dr. Hassan stated flatly. He glanced in my direction but quickly rose from where he had sat down to rest and focused his attention on the hat he was kneading with his hands. Now I was even