the_kane_chronicles__book_one__the_red_pyramid

on it, and even that took a lot of willpower.
Amos stopped before the entrance, which was the size of a garage door—a dark heavy
square of timber with no visible handle or lock. “Carter, after you.”
“Um, how do I—”
“How do you think?”
Great, another mystery. I was about to suggest we ram Amos’s head against it and see if
that worked.
Then I looked at the door again, and I had the strangest feeling. I stretched out my arm.
Slowly, without touching the door, I raised my hand and the door followed my movement
—sliding upward until it disappeared into the ceiling.
Sadie looked stunned. “How…”
“I don’t know,” I admitted, a little embarrassed. “Motion sensor, maybe?”
“Interesting.” Amos sounded a little troubled. “Not the way I would’ve done it, but very
good.
Remarkably good.”
“Thanks, I think.”
Sadie tried to go inside first, but as soon as she stepped on the threshold, Muffin wailed
and almost clawed her way out of Sadie’s arms.
Sadie stumbled backward. “What was that about, cat?”
“Oh, of course,” Amos said. “My apologies.” He put his hand on the cat’s head and said,
very formally, “You may enter.”
“The cat needs permission?” I asked.
“Special circumstances,” Amos said, which wasn’t much of an explanation, but he walked
inside without saying another word. We followed, and this time Muffin stayed quiet.
“Oh my god…” Sadie’s jaw dropped. She craned her neck to look at the ceiling, and I
thought the gum might fall out of her mouth.
“Yes,” Amos said. “This is the Great Room.”
I could see why he called it that. The cedar-beamed ceiling was four stories high, held up
by carved stone pillars engraved with hieroglyphs. A weird assortment of musical
instruments and Ancient Egyptian weapons decorated the walls. Three levels of balconies
ringed the room, with rows of doors all looking out on the main area. The fireplace was
big enough to park a car in, with a plasma-screen TV above the mantel and massive
leather sofas on either side. On the floor was a snakeskin rug, except it was forty feet long
and fifteen feet wide—bigger than any snake. Outside, through glass walls, I could see the