the_kane_chronicles__book_one__the_red_pyramid

“I wish that were true.” Amos stared across the East River at the Manhattan skyline,
gleaming in the morning sun. “The Ancient Egyptians were not fools, Carter. They built
the pyramids. They created the first great nation state. Their civilization lasted thousands
of years.”
“Yeah,” I said. “And now they’re gone.”
Amos shook his head. “A legacy that powerful does not disappear. Next to the Egyptians,
the Greeks and Romans were babies. Our modern nations like Great Britain and America?
Blinks of an eye. The very oldest root of civilization, at least of Western civilization, is
Egypt. Look at the pyramid on the dollar bill. Look at the Washington Monument—the
world’s largest Egyptian obelisk. Egypt is still very much alive. And so, unfortunately, are
her gods.”
“Come on,” I argued. “I mean…even if I believe there’s a real thing called magic.
Believing in ancient gods is totally different. You’re joking, right?”
But as I said it, I thought about the fiery guy in the museum, the way his face had shifted
between human and animal. And the statue of Thoth—how its eyes had followed me.
“Carter,” Amos said, “the Egyptians would not have been stupid enough to believe in
imaginary gods. The beings they described in their myths are very, very real. In the old
days, the priests of Egypt would call upon these gods to channel their power and perform
great feats. That is the origin of what we now call magic. Like many things, magic was
first invented by the Egyptians. Each temple had a branch of magicians called the House
of Life. Their magicians were famed throughout the ancient world.”
“And you’re an Egyptian magician.”
Amos nodded. “So was your father. You saw it for yourself last night.” I hesitated. It was
hard to deny my dad had done some weird stuff at the museum—some stuff that looked
like magic.
“But he’s an archaeologist,” I said stubbornly.
“That’s his cover story. You’ll remember that he specialized in translating ancient spells,
which are very difficult to understand unless you work magic yourself. Our family, the
Kane family, has been part of the House of Life almost since the beginning. And your
mother’s family is almost as ancient.”
“The Fausts?” I tried to imagine Grandma and Grandpa Faust doing magic, but unless
watching rugby on TV and burning cookies was magical, I couldn’t see it.
“They had not practiced magic for many generations,” Amos admitted. “Not until your
mother came along. But yes, a very ancient bloodline.”
Sadie shook her head in disbelief. “So now Mum was magic, too. Are you joking?”
“No jokes,” Amos promised. “The two of you…you combine the blood of two ancient
families, both of which have a long, complicated history with the gods. You are the most
powerful Kane children to be born in many centuries.”
I tried to let that sink in. At the moment, I didn’t feel powerful. I felt queasy. “You’re
telling me our parents secretly worshipped animal-headed gods?” I asked.