“You can’t have pets in here,” he told me.
“I have tickets....” I tried to reach my pockets. Then I remembered that Bast had our tickets.
The cop scowled. “You’d better come with me.”
Suddenly a woman’s voice called: “There you are, Carter!”
Bast was hurrying over, pushing her way through the crowd. I’d never been happier to see an Egyptian god in my life.
Somehow she’d managed to change clothes. She wore a rose-colored pantsuit, lots of gold jewelry, and a cashmere coat, so she looked like a wealthy businesswoman. Ignoring the cop, she sized up my appearance and wrinkled her nose. “Carter, I told you not to wear those horrible falconry clothes. Honestly, you look like you’ve been sleeping in the wild!”
She took out a handkerchief and made a big production of wiping my face, while the policeman stared.
“Uh, ma’am,” he finally managed. “Is this your—”
“Nephew,” Bast lied. “I’m so sorry, officer. We’re heading to Memphis for a falconry competition. I hope he hasn’t caused any problems. We’re going to miss our flight!”
“Um, the falcon can’t fly...”
Bast giggled. “Well, of course it can fly, officer. It’s a bird!”
His face reddened. “I mean on a plane.”
“Oh! We have the paperwork.” To my amazement, she pulled out an envelope and handed it to the cop, along with our tickets.
“I see,” the cop said. He looked our tickets over. “You bought...a first class ticket for your falcon.”
“It’s a black kite, actually,” Bast said. “But yes, it’s a very temperamental bird. A prizewinner, you know. Give it a coach seat and try to offer it pretzels, and I won’t be held responsible for the consequences. No, we always fly first class, don’t we, Carter?”
“Um, yeah...Aunt Kitty.”
She flashed me a look that said: I’ll get you for that. Then she went back to smiling at the cop, who handed back our tickets and Sadie’s “paperwork.”
“Well, if you’ll excuse us, officer. That’s a very handsome uniform, by the way. Do you work out?” Before he could respond, Bast grabbed my arm and hurried me toward the security checkpoint. “Don’t look back,” she said under her breath.
As soon as we turned the corner, Bast pulled me aside by the vending machines.
“The Set animal is close,” she said. “We’ve got a few minutes at best. What’s wrong with Sadie?”
“She can’t...” I stammered. “I don’t know exactly.”
“Well, we’ll have to figure it out on the plane.”
“How did you change clothes?” I asked. “And the document for the bird...”
She waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, mortal minds are weak. That ‘document’ is an empty ticket sleeve. And my clothes haven’t really changed. It’s just a glamour.”
I looked at her more closely, and I saw she was right. Her new clothes flickered like a mirage over her usual leopard-skin bodysuit. As soon as she pointed it out, the magic seemed flimsy and obvious.
“We’ll try to make it to the gate before the Set animal,” she said. “It will be easier if you stow your things in the Duat.”
“What?”
“You don’t really want to tote that box around under your arm, do you? Use the Duat as a storage bin.”
“How?”
Bast rolled her eyes. “Honestly, what do they teach magicians these days?”