Quick as lightning, Set whirled around, his black and blood red sword already out of its sheath, and charged at his nephew. The blade came crashing down on Horus like an explosion, but in the blink of an eye, the god had disappeared and reappeared behind Set's back, a spear of light now gripped tightly in his hands … Horus struck… and missed. With equal speed, Set's form had broken apart in front of him into dark mist, reformed a short distance away, and was now aiming an ornate bow – at Simon.

  An arrow flew at Simon with a low, buzzing hum –

  There was another incandescent flash of light; great wings flapped above him; the falcon with the tattooed markings, now encased in a golden glow, dove down in front of him …

  “Got you,” crooned Set delightedly, at the same moment the projectile struck home.

  It broke through the white-hot barrier of light surrounding the falcon, and pierced through the creature's silvery left eye, where it stuck. As if time had slowed down suddenly, Simon watched the animal fall, growing larger and larger into the form of a teenage boy –

  “HORUS!” screamed Nefertari, her scream becoming a ferocious, inhuman howl as her body began to mutate –

  Simon's mouth opened in a silent roar, and before his brain had even fully comprehended what had just happened, he was out of the tent, charging at Set. Nefertari was right next to him, her eyes blank with rage and hatred, her body transforming as they ran; fur spread across her bare arms and legs, covering her whole body in a second; her fingers shrunk, morphing into thick, clawed paws; her nose morphed into the snout of a great feline; her lips retreated to thick, finger-length fangs; and her ears became round and flat, pressed tightly against her head as she roared...

  Set chuckled menacingly, a sound like metal shards exploding in his ears. And then, the laughter stopped abruptly and was replaced by a wild, unhinged scream, as he loaded his bow again. One more time something white-hot flashed behind them, halting and confusing a group of Set's soldiers, which were streaming back into the camp from either sides, with its brilliance; and then they began to melt, human and beast alike, the skin burning right off their bodies, and the sickly sweet scent of blood, mixed with the smoky smell of fire and of cauterizing wounds flooded Simon and Nefertari's nostrils.

  Something grabbed the neck of Simon's shirt from behind a moment later, while he fought the urge to gag; claws scratched over his back and something hot dripped onto the back of his neck, and then he was lifted into the air.

  “NOOOO!” screamed Set in a rage, aiming another arrow, but it was easily deflected by the shield of light engulfing them.

  Beside Simon, Nefertari was trashing wildly, trying to claw at him and everything else her spiteful yellow eyes laid sight on; it seemed as if she had completely lost her mind...

  Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

  The grip on Simon's clothes tightened. His head swivelled to and fro, as he attempted to evade the flurry of flailing claws, and he could see wings of the size of a dragon's extending on either side of them … They were flying, speeding away from Set and his minions at a hazardous speed… Set's manic screams were still audible over the rush of wind in their ears … The campsite was fading from sight now... becoming smaller and smaller... wet drops like tears continued to drip onto his neck, a thick sort of liquid trickled down his back, he could feel it stick to his clothes...

  And now they were losing altitude, sinking lower and lower … Simon recognized the signs of a settlement in the distance before them … Again they dropped in height, and then the divine shine around them was dwindling, there was a pained groan from overhead, and next moment they plummeted downward like stones in a fierce gust of wind, finally impacting hard on the desert ground...

  Simon pulled himself up into a sitting position, his head dizzy and swimming, groped around for his glasses, which had fallen off, put them back on, and his gaze locked instantly on the two figures rolling in a tangle across the sand next to him.

  Horus had changed back into his human-looking form during the fall. He was now hovering over Nefertari's chest, his knees holding down her elbows (or Simon thought so – it was hard to tell with her suddenly being a lioness) to keep her from thrashing and struggling. Golden blood dropped from his eye-socket onto her fur, she snarled angrily, trying to throw him off, with a viciousness as though she didn't know who he was...

  “You are Nefertari Aten-Atlanta, pharaoh of the sixth dynasty, the light of Egypt,” Horus said clearly, ignoring the way her claws raked toward his face, across his arms, his one-eyed gaze fixed firmly on hers. “Remember it. Remember who you are, Pharaoh.”

  The effect was almost instantaneous: A heaving breath rippled through Nefertari, she became still and slack underneath his grip, her acid yellow eyes softened into a warm amber, her claws retracted, and the fur made way for bronze skin.

  Horus rolled off her and lay on the sandy ground panting with pain. As Simon watched, the god raised a trembling hand, grabbed the arrow, which was still embedded in his left eye, pulled it out with an anguished moan and another fountain-like spurt of blood, then became awfully still.

  Simon knew at once something was wrong: An unnaturally large amount of golden blood spilled out of the wound, splattered his cheeks and chest, and stuck in his white-gold hair.

  “COME ON, HELP ME WITH HIM!” screeched Nefertari before she had even fully recovered from her other form.

  He didn't hesitate; ignoring the pain in his left arm, he ran to where the girl was now kneeling next to Horus, who was still breathing – at least he was still alive, for now. Not that Simon particularly liked the god, but Horus had saved his life, and anyway, it wasn't important. What was important was that they get the deity to someone who could help...

  “Thoth,” said Nefertari breathlessly, as though she had read his mind. “We have to get him to Thoth!”

  They didn't waste any time: Simon, running on pure adrenaline after half a week of barely any sleep and the arduous journey through the desert with Set, helped Nefertari pick up Horus with effort – the deity was much heavier than a normal teenage boy should be – and then they started running again.