Spoilers…

And he found Mut at the head of the gods, Fate and fortune in her hand, Lifetime and breath of life are hers to command ... I have not chosen a protector among men. I have not sought myself a protector among the great ... My heart is filled with my mistress. I have no fear of anyone. I spend the night in quiet sleep, because I have a protector.

—Kiki

The sand was merciless, Theresa thought. It scoured paint from stone; smoothed carvings like a hand passing over it. Millennia failed to erase the features of the nearest statue; the disapproving frown of a Sphinx towered above her. More would pass before the legacy of the path ahead of her faded from humanity’s memory.