Amon called out my name. “Lily! Lily, where are you?”
“I’m here,” I answered, pushing away a heavy branch that had fallen over me.
Once we were together, we looked for Asten and Ahmose. Asten had been grazed on the back of his head with one of the stones. A lump was forming, and he was bleeding profusely, but he was alert enough to follow us. Ahmose had rolled to his feet, but he didn’t turn when we called his name. Instead, he stared at what remained of the well.
“Ahmose?” I asked. “Are you al…”
My breath left me as the word trailed off. I’d come around Ahmose’s side and turned to look at what had transfixed him. The ground rumbled again, and he automatically reached out a hand to steady me. We both watched as the snout and huge jaw of a crocodile emerged from the gaping hole in the ground. Its teeth were now the size of traffic cones. When the eye appeared, I stepped back, pulling Ahmose with me, desperate to leave before the creature freed itself.
“I thought the dead things couldn’t escape the well,” I said, more to myself than to anyone else.
“That thing’s only half-dead,” Amon said.
Sharp claws tore the ground on either side of its head, and it wrenched its body side to side to exhume itself.
“What do you mean ‘half-dead’?” I questioned.
“Don’t you recognize him?” Amon asked.
Just then, the crocodile thrust its head to the side, trying to snap at me. I was too far away, but the giant reptile didn’t seem to notice. Its heavy jaw opened, its sharp teeth in vivid detail. The reptile’s breath washed over me, stinking of rot and decay.
“No.” I shook my head. “It’s impossible.”
Before my eyes the creature grew even larger. Heavy limbs burst from the earth.
“Can you shift?” Asten asked Ahmose, his face intense.
“I don’t think so,” Ahmose answered. An expression fraught with meaning transpired between them.
“Then you’ll ride my back,” Asten said. With that, his body shimmered and the light grew, coalescing into the form of the starlit ibis. Beside me, Amon also changed. He gave me a small smile, and then his features blurred, the golden rays that ruptured from his body forming the shape of a second bird, this one a golden falcon.
Ahmose hurried to my side to help me up as the falcon screeched, his cry echoing across the island. When I was settled on his back, the falcon raced across the grass to a spot where enough trees had toppled so he had clear access to the sky. The great bird flapped his wings and, with me clinging to his neck, soared upward.
A moment later, the ibis followed after us, Ahmose riding on its back. We circled the treetops, and I glanced down at the place where the Well of Souls had once stood. The crocodile had pulled the rest of its body from the ground and sat there, head lifted, looking up at us with beady black eyes.
As we angled away, heading toward the distant beach where Cherty had left us, a voice echoed in my mind, and it was one I recognized.
I’m coming for you, Lilliana Young, it said. There’s no escape. He then laughed. We know where you are now. And the Unmaker has promised me vengeance.
I didn’t even try to suppress the shiver that racked my frame. Dr. Hassan’s traitorous assistant, Sebak, had returned somehow. It was bad enough knowing that Seth and the Devourer were after me. Now the evil necromancer-slash-Godzilla-crocodile had returned from the dead, too.
Wrapping my arms around Amon, I buried my face in his golden feathered neck just as the sun burst over the horizon. It bathed the Island of the Lost in its yellow light. Despite the cheerful way the light filled the air, there was a chill inside me that not even the sun, not even Amon, could take away.
We found the beach quickly enough. The two great birds scanned the shores for any sign of Mesektet, but Cherty was gone. After a brief debate, Asten and Amon decided they had no choice but to fly in search of him. Only Cherty had the ability to navigate the Cosmic River. If we tried to do it, find Heliopolis or even Earth on our own, we’d inevitably go astray. The only other choice was to stay on the Island of the Lost with a very hungry spider and a vengeful crocodile big enough to eat all four of us and still feel hungry.
I told them all of Cherty’s warning not to look back on the island when leaving it, and then, with pounding wings, we left the beach. Amon rose higher in the air, keeping the sun at his back as we flew. The Cosmic River flowed beneath us, stretching as far as the eye could see. Soon we entered the mist that surrounded the island. Long after we passed through it, we kept our eyes forward, hoping the island and the sun that shone upon it had disappeared. I knew that once it was out of sight, even if we wanted to find it again, odds were we couldn’t.
My sense of equilibrium vanished, a concerning thing, especially for the cat within me. In fact, it quickly became difficult to discern between the space above us and the river below. Twice we almost flew into it accidentally. It was like being in a house of mirrors. In space.
Gravity worked differently now that we didn’t have the timbers of Cherty’s ship solidly beneath our feet. My hair rose off my shoulders, and my body felt weightless. Clinging tightly to Amon was the only thing that grounded me. Amon was worried. So were my inner passengers.
Getting lost on the river was easy enough when we were on the boat, but at least the boat provided some sense of balance, of normalcy, in the shifting cosmic terrain. One slip, and we’d plunge headlong into the river, becoming dinner for whatever hunted the dark waters. I knew Apep was still out there, and I also knew the only way to stop him from devouring us was Wasret.
None of us were too eager to give ourselves over to her again. At least, not until we had no other choice. Amon had brought us back. I wasn’t sure he’d be able to do it a second time. It was too big a risk.
We flew for hours and hours. The vigilance necessary to keep us airborne above the river was taking a toll, especially on the birds. I knew Amon and Asten needed food. Their new bodies hungered when they woke, but neither I nor Ahmose had anything to give them. The two newly raised mummies were doing all the work, and I could see that their energy was beginning to wane.
Ahmose did his best to find a path, but now that we’d located his brothers, the trail he sought had become unclear. The Sons of Egypt always had an inner sense of where they were in relation to everything else in the cosmos, but the Cosmic River was different. It was wild and untamed. Pesky rules like gravity and direction didn’t apply to it so much. Now that the brothers were strengthened by their reunion, Ahmose should have rebounded. Instead, he had no sense of direction. It was that, coupled with the fact that we traveled along the river, that left us flying blind.
“Take my energy,” I begged Amon when he banked unexpectedly and then struggled to right himself.
Our continued bond still allowed the possibility of an energy exchange, but Amon was very stubborn and seemed determined to place extreme limitations on my offer. He acquiesced, but only took enough to sustain his flight.
As I stroked his feathered neck with my hands, I willed energy into him. It trickled from my fingertips into his body at a frustratingly slow rate. It drained me, but not nearly as much as when I’d been fully human. I realized then that Tia and Ashleigh were also sharing their energy.
We continued in that manner for quite some time. Ashleigh and Tia despaired that we couldn’t aid Asten and Ahmose in a similar fashion. The two of them debated over how we might accomplish it. I couldn’t tell how much our combined strength was actually aiding Amon, but we started to feel depleted of energy. I soon slumped over against his neck, exhausted, but I kept my hands pressed tightly against him. After another hour, he cut off the siphon altogether, insisting that he’d taken enough.
No more, Nehabet, he said.
I stirred, not realizing how close I’d been to falling asleep. Rubbing my eyes, I said, “But you’re the one flying. I’m just sitting here, and I’ve eaten within the last day.” Ahmose and Asten turned their heads to look at us. My v
oice had carried in space, and I winced, hoping I hadn’t spoken loudly enough to draw the attention of Apep.
No, Amon countered patiently, you were in the Well of Souls more than one day, remember? Besides, I won’t have you weakened to the point of falling off. To lose you in the river is unthinkable. You know what lives in those waters.
I shivered. He was right about that. I absolutely did not want to fall in. Looking to my left, I saw Asten was gliding, preserving as much energy as he was able to.
“How are they?” I asked, my voice more restrained.
Since I had direct contact with Amon while he was in his bird form, he could speak to me mentally, much the same as Tia and Ashleigh. He could also hear his brothers that way as long as they were close enough, but I couldn’t speak with the two of them. I knew Ahmose was weak. He’d done something for me, something Wasret knew, but he’d hidden it from us and, try as we might, we could not bring it to our recollection.
They are…endeavoring not to give up.
My eyes filled with tears at his words. It was quite obvious to us that whatever Ahmose had done had taken a huge toll, and not just on him. The Sons of Egypt were connected, and if they were struggling to sustain him, then it must be very bad indeed. That Amon wasn’t saying anything either alarmed me. Perhaps I was reading too much into it, but I knew Asten’s and Ahmose’s hearts. It wasn’t just the arduous journey we were on that made them consider giving up. It was more than that. And it had everything to do with me, or at least with all three of us.
The starlit ibis cocked his head, peering at me with a sparkling eye as he drew his wings up. Fatigue had set in long ago. Each time he beat his wings I winced, seeing how difficult it was for him. I wondered how long we could continue on this path until his exhausted limbs would work no more and I lost both him and Ahmose. It broke my heart to even think about it, so instead I reflected on the first time I met him.
To the casual observer, Asten came across as one of those men with an ego big enough to irritate any woman to the point of storming off, but he was also charming enough to reel them back in. He was devastatingly handsome in the way that the most wickedly desirable boys are. He was a temptation that beckoned a girl to dangerous places. That was only his surface persona, though. At least that was my perspective.
Interestingly enough, Tia’s view of Asten was entirely different. A lioness sought out a powerful mate. In that way, she admired all three of the Sons of Egypt, but Asten held a special place in her heart. When she looked at him, she didn’t see the cheeky man with a roguish gleam in his eye. She saw an equal. One who didn’t quite belong with the others, but had made his home with and fought with them and for them anyway. Tia liked that he saw her, knew her, and counseled with her.
The ibis glided behind us, resting a bit as he trailed behind Amon, taking advantage of his draft. I bit my lip and closed my eyes. Tia mourned. As much as I loved Amon, I knew as she did that Asten needed us. He flourished when we were with him. We reminded him that he was good and strong and worthy of being a Son of Egypt despite his mortal origins. He was free around us and relaxed his guard. There was no need for him to put on a show.
Loving Asten was easy. It made sense. We knew that Asten had been watching our dreams for a long time. Had seen himself a part of them, and yet denied himself his own dream to show loyalty to his brother. This made Asten truly special. He was tenderhearted. He saw every dream, both the good and the bad, and he cared for us anyway.
Then there was Ahmose. There was no denying that what I felt for the big man was more than friendship. I’d fallen for him before I remembered Amon. My heart still ached from seeing him with Ashleigh, knowing that he loved her more than he did me. I allowed this hurt to linger, even knowing I’d done the same to him.
In my defense, Ahmose knew of my connection to Amon even as he wooed me—well, us. In his mind, he saw our paths merge. He felt it was inevitable. His experience wasn’t that different from Asten in that regard. But where Asten had dreamed of our being together and then denied it, Ahmose had embraced the possibility and pursued me. True, he’d stepped aside easily enough, when I’d asked him to. He deferred to Amon when I’d regained my memory. But I knew it hurt him. He felt betrayed by me, by all three of us.
He’d been so sure his future path rested with Wasret. Perhaps he was the brother all three of us most related to. We didn’t like thinking about Wasret’s point of view, though it still lingered in our minds.
As for Amon…When I thought about the golden god who carried me on his back, my mouth curved in an involuntary smile. Amon was mine. It was simple. It was…well, perfect. Though he treated Tia and Ashleigh deferentially, he did not love them, not in the way he did me. For him there was no confusion. Wasret held no sway for him. Though Ahmose believed it, Amon did not hold that our becoming Wasret meant I was still in there somewhere.
I tended to agree with him. It was unclear to us where Wasret went when she did not inhabit our body, but it was quite obvious to us that she was not in residence. And though we had no clear memory of what our lot had been when she was in control, we did know that the beings we were had been suppressed. In fact, they had begun to diminish.
It’s the heart scarab, Amon said, interrupting my thoughts.
“What do you mean?” I stammered.
I didn’t want to intrude, but I thought you should know that your heart scarab was the way I brought you back. It protected you from disappearing completely. Though I should warn you that I am uncertain if this will be the case from now on. I fear that now that you have your full memories back, there is nothing anchoring you. When she possesses you, she takes it all.
“You anchor me, Amon. If it is at all possible to bring me back, you will.”
I hope you are right, Young Lily. There was a pause for a long moment, and then Amon said, You should be aware that harboring your heart scarab also allows me not only to communicate with you but to read your thoughts.
“Oh. Well, that’s…awkward. Just how much did you hear?” I asked as I quickly tried to figure out where all my thoughts had taken me. I’d learned that nothing between me, Ashleigh, and Tia was a secret. I guessed I’d have to add Amon to that list. The idea was slightly disconcerting.
Amon was quiet for a moment. Possessing your heart means I have access to all your wishes, hopes, thoughts, and desires. This sustained me during our time apart, when I was prevented from communicating with you, though there were instances when this proved difficult. You should know, though, that possessing your heart scarab does not give me access to Tia’s or Ashleigh’s thoughts. I only hear your response to them.
“So this has only been since I got my memory back?”
No.
I swallowed. “Do you mean you felt my…desires, heard my thoughts, even when I couldn’t remember you?”
Yes, he answered softly. The only exception to that was when Wasret took over. The powers of Wasret blur my connection to you.
“Do you mean I disappear?”
Not exactly. You’re not gone—it’s like you’re hiding behind a wall of sand, and I can’t see you clearly. Each moment she is here, she roots herself more deeply, and you wander farther and farther from my reach.
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
I am frightened of this as well, Amon said. Then he asked, Are you angry with me, Young Lily, for seeing the things I have?
“Angry? No. Not angry. I guess I just didn’t understand all the ramifications of giving you my heart scarab.”
Do you…do you wish for me to return it?
“No,” I answered automatically, but then I thought further upon my answer. Did I?
If the idea that I can read your thoughts makes you feel uncomfortable, then I can refrain from doing so.
“You mean you can turn it off or on?”
In a way. It is similar in fashion to how you shield your thoughts from Tia or Ashleigh.
“Can I read your thoughts, too? I wasn’t aware that readin
g your thoughts was a gift with purchase.”
He didn’t ask me what my modern phrasing meant and just answered the question. You can, but to do so would require you to absorb my scarab.
“ ‘Absorb’ as in put it inside my chest like you did?”
Yes.
“Does it hurt?”
No. At least it doesn’t for me. I’m not sure how it would feel to a mortal, though you’re hardly what I would call a mortal now.
I sensed his hesitation. “What aren’t you telling me?” I asked.
Placing my heart scarab inside your body might be…confusing for Tia and Ashleigh.
“How so?”
Because they reside in you, they are susceptible to your feelings, just as you are to theirs.
“Yes?” I pressed.
With our heart scarabs exchanged in so complete a way, our feelings for one another will cloud their minds. They will not be able to ignore our bond.
“You mean it will make them forget the others?”
They will not forget, but they will likely come to eschew the ones they care for.
“It would take away their freedom, then.”
Yes, he answered.
“Then we’ll hold off on that for the time being.”
As you wish.
“So…it would seem there are a few things we need to talk about, then…,” I began.
There is nothing you need to explain. Just as I hear your thoughts and sense your desires, I also feel what motivated them. I do not blame you for anything. The time and attention you paid to my brothers does not invoke jealousy in me like it does for them.
This is not because I don’t mind seeing you in the arms of another man—believe me when I say it does cause me anguish, just as it does them. But it is because I know your mind and heart perfectly. Had you been fully yourself, you would not have been tempted. Even now, it is your compassion and kindness that drive you. It is not the desire to have a prince on each arm and one kneeling at your feet.