“This entire plan is predicated on chance—Setrákus Ra going for the door, Setrákus Ra sending out warriors, Marina being able to distract them with some bombs and ghost weapons.” I open my mouth to respond, worried he’s getting freaked out again, but Adam keeps rolling. “It’s the best option we’ve got. I agree with you. But, assuming it works, assuming we do manage to steal the Anubis while Setrákus Ra sits down here. What then? What do we do next? We still can’t kill him.”

“But he won’t be able to kill us either,” I reply. I know it’s not exactly the brilliant strategic gem Adam’s hoping for, but I honestly haven’t thought that far ahead. I’ve been too focused on our immediate survival.

“Perhaps we could negotiate,” Marina suggests halfheartedly. “For Ella, or the Sanctuary . . .”

“Despite how fervently he would tell you otherwise, Setrákus Ra has no honor,” Adam says. “There can be no negotiating.”

“Then it’ll be a stalemate,” I say. “And that’s better than losing, right?”

Adam considers my words, digging his heel into the dirt in front of the archway.

“All right,” Adam says. “Then I suggest we dig a hole.”

“A hole?”

“A pit,” Adam continues. “In front of the door. A large one. Then, we cover it up and let Setrákus Ra fall into it.”

I push my toe into the dirt. Thanks to the shadows of the Sanctuary and the nearby plant growth, it’s soft and a little damp, not like the hard-packed and sunbaked dirt of the runway. All our Legacies, that stockpile of Mog weapons, a bunch of C-4—and now we’re talking about digging a hole. “Well, he’s exactly the kind of asshole who doesn’t watch where he’s going, especially if he’s sporting a major boner to get into the Sanctuary.”

“There’s an image,” Adam replies.

“Once he’s down there I can ice over the top from my hiding spot,” Marina says, getting on board. “That could slow him down further.”

“Well, at least it’ll be hilarious to watch him fall in a hole,” I add optimistically.

“It’ll have to be pretty big,” Adam says, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “He can change sizes.”

“Good thing we’ve got Legacies to help with the digging,” I reply. “Even if it only buys us a few minutes, that might be enough to get us on board the Anubis.”

“One more thing, and you might not like this idea,” Adam says to Marina, before gesturing towards the Sanctuary’s door. “But maybe we should cave that in. It’ll be one more thing to get in Setrákus Ra’s way.”