Free Pandora Gets Vain (Pandora (Hardback)) by Carolyn Hennesy Page A

looked again to her friends, scuttling noiselessly like beetles inside an invisible jar. Could she get to them? Could she free them . . . or herself?
    “ You disturb the chamber. You are of flesh. This is not allowed. ”
    “I . . . I . . . don’t understand what . . . ?”
    Pandy stood, half hiding behind the pole, and accidentally grazed her left hip against the wood, causing a sharp spasm of pain. She twisted around the pole to peer out from its other side. As she did, she caught sight of a figure, ducking down behind a pile of corpses about thirty meters away.
    “Hello?” she cried before she realized that calling attention to herself in front of someone who may or may not want to kill her just might be the most idiotic thing she could do.
    The light around the eye pulsed again and again. Each burst getting brighter.
    “ Speak not, desecrator ,” the voice boomed. “ Prepare to join those who have gone before! ”
    Suddenly, the sound of several voices filled the chamber, repeating a single phrase again and again.

     
    “What is this thing?” cried Iole behind the invisible barrier.
    “What is that thing?” said Alcie, pointing to the huge eye, now focused on Pandy.
    “Homer? Homer! Stop it!” said Iole, stepping in front of Homer as he prepared to charge again. “You obviously can’t break through. We’re trapped. This thing, this invisible wall, is magic of some kind . . . or the work of the gods.”
    “Hera’s found us,” whispered Alcie.
    “Hera wouldn’t be able to act this fast, at least I don’t think so,” said Homer, panting hard as he slumped against the barrier.
    “What do you mean?” asked Iole.
    “This is Egypt. The people have their own gods. Like . . . different ones.”
    “I know that part,” said Iole.
    “But . . . like . . . if Hera wanted to get to you, she’d have to get permission from Isis, or Osiris, Nut, Ka, Geb. Maybe even Anubis. Our gods can’t just come in and take over. They have to ask.” Homer suddenly charged the invisible wall again. “Ugh . . . I think there might even be paperwork.”
    “It’s glowing brighter again!” said Alcie, looking at the eye.
    “ Nephthys prepares a place. Kneel before Nephthys, ” the voice said, the sound ricocheting off the walls of the chamber.
    “I can’t . . . I can’t understand! Something about kneeling in place,” cried Iole, listening intently. “I dropped Egyptian 101 for Basic Chinese!”
    “It’s a chant. It’s saying ‘Nephthys prepares a place. Kneel before Nephthys,’ ” said Homer.
    “Who’s that? What’s that mean?” asked Alcie.
    “The Egyptian Goddess of the Dead. They pray to Nephthys before they sacrifice or execute someone.”
    “Great Apollo!” gasped Iole.
    “But it makes no sense,” said Homer, pacing and pointing to the huge eye. “That’s the Eye of Horus. It’s a symbol of healing and protection. The Egyptian students at school wore it around their necks. It doesn’t destroy anything!”
    Dido began whimpering, turning in small circles then putting his paws up against the invisible wall.
    “Figs,” said Alcie, turning, “look!”

     
    Pandy’s knees buckled under her, as if someone had hit the back of her legs with a rod, and she lost complete control of her body. Her head was thrown back, her arms were flung up then thrust violently forward as her body was bent so her face and arms hit the floor. Then, still on her knees, her upper body was raised up and thrown back, then slammed forward again into the ground.

     
    “What’s happening to her?” screamed Iole, prying a rock loose from the entryway to the chamber.
    “I don’t know!” cried Homer, pacing again rapidly back and forth. “Something’s making her move like that. Usually people . . . prisoners and stuff . . . don’t have to be told, they just kneel and pray before they’re killed. But she doesn’t know the custom, so something’s making her do it anyway.”
    “They pray?” cried Alcie, now