“Nothing,” I said quickly. “How’d you sleep?”
“Badly. I’ll...I’ll tell you about it later.”
Was it my imagination, or did he frown in Zia’s direction? Hmm, possible romantic trouble between Miss Magic and my brother? I made a mental note to interrogate him next time we were alone.
Zia went to a nearby cabinet. She brought out two ceramic cups, dipped them into the fountain, then offered them to us. “Drink.”
I glanced at Carter. “After you.”
“It’s only water,” Zia assured me, “but purified by contact with Thoth. It will focus your mind.”
I didn’t see how a statue could purify water. Then I remembered what Iskandar had said, how gods could inhabit anything.
I took a drink. Immediately I felt like I’d had a good strong cup of Gran’s tea. My brain buzzed. My eyesight sharpened. I felt so hyperactive, I almost didn’t miss my chewing gum—almost.
Carter sipped from his cup. “Wow.”
“Now the tattoos,” Zia announced.
“Brilliant!” I said.
“On your tongue,” she added.
“Excuse me?”
Zia stuck out her tongue. Right in the middle was a blue hieroglyph.
“Nith ith Naat,” she tried to say with her tongue out. Then she realized her mistake and stuck her tongue back in. “I mean, this is Ma’at, the symbol of order and harmony. It will help you speak magic clearly. One mistake with a spell—”
“Let me guess,” I said. “We’ll die.”
From her cabinet of horrors, Zia produced a fine-tipped paintbrush and a bowl of blue dye. “It doesn’t hurt. And it’s not permanent.”
“How does it taste?” Carter wondered.
Zia smiled. “Stick out your tongue.”
To answer Carter’s question, the tattoo tasted like burning car tires.
“Ugh.” I spit a blue gob of “order and harmony” into the fountain. “Never mind breakfast. Lost my appetite.”
Zia pulled a leather satchel out of the cabinet. “Carter will be allowed to keep your father’s magic implements, plus a new staff and wand. Generally speaking, the wand is for defense, the staff is for offense, although, Carter, you may prefer to use your khopesh.”
“Khopesh?”
“The curved sword,” Zia said. “A favored weapon of the pharaoh’s guard. It can be used in combat magic. As for Sadie, you will need a full kit.”
“How come he gets Dad’s kit?” I complained.
“He is the eldest,” she said, as if that explained everything. Typical.
Zia tossed me the leather satchel. Inside was an ivory wand, a rod that I supposed turned into a staff, some paper, an ink set, a bit of twine, and a lovely chunk of wax. I was less than thrilled.
“What about a little wax man?” I asked. “I want a Doughboy.”
“If you mean a figurine, you must make one yourself. You will be taught how, if you have the skill. We will determine your specialty later.”
“Specialty?” Carter asked. “You mean like Nectanebo specialized in statues?”