Without air pollution and exhaust fumes the constellations were as clearly visible as they had been on the enormous model that had once filled most of the space in Avrak Walker's attic.

  Simon and his companions were moving south, toward a small township called Zawte, somewhere in whose vicinity was a tomb through which they could enter the Duat. There they would (if everything went according to plan) ultimately find Anubis in the Hall of Two Truths, and hope the deity was ready to answer their questions. A most unfortunate coincidence, however, was that Set, Horus' evil uncle, was on his way to the township as well, travelling through on his way to Memphis where he would join Apep, the serpent god, and receive his reward for joining the cause. The idea was, as Nefertari had hastily and inefficiently explained while they had gathered everything they could carry (ranging from food to jewellery to weapons), to reach Zawte before Set did. Simon, more often than not running to catch up in the deep sand, could have guessed as much on his own.

  “Remind me again,” he had said, somewhere between sand and dune, and rather wary of this plan of doubtful genius. “Why are we going to hell?” Then he had spent the next several minutes explaining the concept of a Christian afterlife to his companions.

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  Nefertari had rolled her eyes. “It's the Duat, not this hell of yours. We're not going to burn for our sins,” she had said, then mumbled, almost inaudibly, “At least not as long as we steer clear of the fire lakes.”

  Horus was even less helpful. “Scared, human?” the god had said in a mocking sort of voice. “Don't worry, not all of the spirits down there have a taste for blood.” And that was as much as either of them would tell him.

  They had been hiking through the wasteland for several hours, occasionally avoiding the odd caravan or a patrol, when, under the first stripes of peach and pale lemon on the horizon, Nefertari finally came to a halt. Her round face shiny, she held up a hand to shield her eyes from the rising sun and squinted into the distance.

  “There it is,” she said, pointing into the barren wastes before them.

  Simon, who followed her outstretched finger with his gaze, saw nothing but an abundance of sandy hills and arid land. The best he could make out was a shadow somewhere in the distance, which might have been either the township Nefertari was pointing at or plainly a reflection of light. (Simon supposed it was the latter.)

  “I don't see anything,” he said moodily.

  “That's because you're human,” replied Horus.