Reunited

  “It’s not him I’m afraid of, Lilypad. It’s you.”

  I frowned and rubbed my aching temples. “We did what you wanted us to do.”

  “No. We didn’t want that. Never that.” Nana came forward and cupped my chin in her hands. “Now, girls, each one of you listen to me. Never, never forget to stay in the boat. The minute you think you can brave the ocean on your own, you’re lost. You all went off the deep end for a bit there.”

  What does she mean? Tia asked.

  “She means we overstepped,” I said, my mouth now dry as I translated Nana’s metaphor for them. I wonder if a hangover feels like this, I thought.

  What is a hangover? Tia asked.

  It’s the pain that comes after imbibing too much o’ the devil’s drink, Ashleigh explained. I had to nurse my da back ta health from it every Sunday mornin’.

  We didn’t feel pain before, when we used our powers on the Devourer, Tia said. So why are we feeling the pain of it now?

  I don’t know, I answered. Maybe it has something to do with my memory loss.

  Turning to Hassan, I said, “I apologize for frightening you. I…We weren’t in control.”

  Or perhaps we were too much in control, Ashleigh added.

  Hassan nodded thoughtfully. “The power you possess is great. Perhaps this is why you need the Sons of Egypt.”

  “Why do you say that?” I asked.

  “I believe they can help you…channel your power properly. They have experience with it. Especially Amon, who possesses the Eye.” He touched my arm. “You may not remember, Lily, but I was the keeper of the Eye for a time, and its influence is…well, it’s indescribable. If I’d held it for long, I would have gone mad. Perhaps this power is the same.”

  “So you think the mummy, I mean Amon, can guide us as Wasret?” I asked as I chewed on a fingernail.

  “That is my belief.”

  “Then it’s a good thing I practiced by summoning the hellhound. Even though we got a nasty headache from it, as well as a bad taste in the mouth. I’d hate to lose it like that on the Sons of Egypt.”

  “You’ll have to describe your symptoms for me,” Hassan said with interest as he picked up a pad of paper.

  “Later, Oscar,” Nana said as she dug through her kitchen cupboard for a bottle of aspirin. “Did that beastie tell you where Amon is?”

  I shook my head. “All I know is that they haven’t been found yet. Somehow, the brothers have managed to avoid Seth even though he’s sent his shabti spies into the afterlife looking for them. The hellhound didn’t want to tell me, but Seth is planning to liberate the demons from the netherworld and then use them and the Devourer to attack the afterlife as soon as Heliopolis falls.”

  “Are the gods losing the war, then?” Hassan asked. His pen clattered to the table.

  Wincing, I downed my aspirin and nodded. “I’m afraid it looks that way. At least from the beast’s perspective.”

  “Then we must hurry,” Hassan said. “We’ve got to get to the bodies of the Sons of Egypt and summon them before Seth finds them in the afterlife and unmakes them entirely. Anubis assured me that they will be needed in the final battle. Ideally, I’d like more time for you to prepare, but the situation being what it is—”

  “It’s sink or swim.” I slapped the butter knife down on the table and then grimaced, shrugging my shoulders in Nana’s direction as an apology. “We’d best get going, then. It will take us a while to get to Egypt.”

  “Yes, about that…I’m afraid I have some rather bad news,” Hassan said.

  “What is it?” I asked edgily, uneager to hear anything else regarding my celestial mission. Rising, I could feel my limbs still trembling with the recent use of our power. I was like a kettle full of popcorn just put on the stove—untapped energy ready to explode out of my skin.

  But what would be left behind after that power was spent? My fear was an inner chink in my armor. It weakened me, and I was unsure how I could repair the breach. What if, after this was all over, I ended up just an empty, useless husk of a girl, wrung out and tossed aside by the gods who used me to fight their battles?

  Hassan went on, unaware of my inner turmoil, but it gave me some measure of comfort to know that Tia and Ashleigh shared my fears. Even worse: they expected, after all was said and done, to be relegated to oblivion. They didn’t fear being left alone or abandoned by those who had fashioned us into what we were. They had no concept of PTSD and didn’t really care much about what happened to my mortal world. No. They were worried that they’d be banished altogether. That they’d simply disappear—ceasing to exist.

  I promised them I wouldn’t let that happen. At the same time, Hassan just finished explaining, “And that is why we have to get there on our own.”

  Rubbing my flushed cheek, I said, “Um, what was that again? Sorry. Had an inner conversation going on.”

  He gave me a small, understanding smile that crinkled his eyes. In that moment, I admitted to myself that Nana could do worse. Hassan was a kind man and handsome for a guy his age, especially when he smiled. If he weren’t messed up in all this god-and-goddess/saving-the-world business, I think I’d even like him.

  “I was saying that Anubis made it quite clear that the gods would be embroiled in battle. We cannot rely on them for transportation to Egypt.”

  I placed my hands on my hips. “Well, that’s just great. How are we supposed to get to Egypt, then, fly?”

  “I…I’ve got some money stashed in the cookie jar—” Nana began.

  We don’t need her treasures, said Tia.

  Hate to share this sad human fact with you, lioness, but we do need treasures to fly. Egypt is an ocean away.

  No, we don’t, Lily. We’ll summon the unicorn.

  “Unicorn?” I said out loud.

  Ashleigh’s excitement exploded in my mind. A winged one? she asked. Oh, how I’ve missed flyin’.

  I took a backseat and let Tia emerge to explain to all of us how a flying unicorn and his children could be summoned to take us to Egypt. Nana was shocked, to say the least, and Dr. Hassan seemed both thrilled at and terrified of the idea. Apparently, he’d never even ridden a horse before.

  At first, Nana didn’t want to go. She fussed about the cow and the barnyard cats and the chickens. When I adamantly refused to even consider going anywhere without her, Nana being my only lifeline to what was normal, she acquiesced. She called upon her twin brothers, Melvin and Marvin, to take care of the farm while the two of us went on a “road trip.” The twins instantly agreed and said they’d stop by that very evening, which freed us up to leave immediately.

  Tia argued that my elder would be better left behind and that it was dangerous to bring her. Perhaps it was selfish of me to want Nana to come along, but…I needed her. There was just no way I was going to…to climb on the back of a unicorn and head off to parts unknown. I wasn’t particularly brave or heroic despite what Tia and Ashleigh told me. Whatever had inspired me to do what they insisted I’d done before was…well, it was missing now.

  Tia finally accepted it and explained that we needed a tomb to summon the unicorn. Hassan asked if there was a cemetery nearby. Nana hesitated only a moment and then confirmed that yes, there was one rather close.

  No. We can’t use that one, Tia, I said. It’s where my grandfather is buried. It will be too painful for Nana.

  “Lily informs me that the place you have mentioned is the burial ground for your mate. Perhaps we can find another place,” Tia suggested.

  Nana clutched a dish towel in her hands. She gave us a small, apologetic smile and then turned to look out the kitchen window. “No,” she said. “If Charles were around, he would have wanted to take part in the action. He would give us his blessing if we could ask him.”

  “Are you certain, Melda?” Hassan took her hand and squeezed her fingers.

  “I’m certain. Let me just…Let me just collect a few things.”

  She retreated to her room while Hassan gathered his things, plac
ing them in a well-used waterproof satchel next to his archaeologist’s tools.

  Tia shifted back, allowing me to take over again. The problem was, I didn’t know what to do next.

  “You’d best prepare yourself, too,” Hassan said with raised bushy brows. “Your weapons are in the barn. Tia knows where.”

  “Okay.” I headed out to the barn and found the bow and quiver of feather-tipped arrows along with the leather harness hanging on a hook. Fingering a knife, I sank it down into the casing until the magic that locked it in place took hold. I picked up the harness, letting it droop from my fingertips.

  I looked down at my rolled-up overalls, mud-slicked boots, and soft cotton button-down shirt. Then reached up to touch my messy ponytail. “This doesn’t really look like what one wears to summon a unicorn.”

  We can make our own clothing, Tia suggested. It is fairly simple, actually. We just summon the power of the sphinx while you think of what you want to wear, and it appears.

  “Okay,” I said.

  Do not forget to close your eyes. Oh, and also, you usually like to be cleaned.

  My eyes flew open. “Cleaned?”

  Yes. We are often in an unwashed state, and you enjoy having a silky mane and fragrant skin. Personally, I think our natural musk is better, but I leave it up to you.

  “Uh-huh. Well, I appreciate that.” I blew out a breath. “Okay, here goes.”

  Closing my eyes, I concentrated and felt my power stir. Tiny stinging particles pummeled my skin and I cried out in fear and cracked open an eye.

  The sand is normal, Tia said. It polishes your skin. It shouldn’t take this long, Lily. You are not focused. What is the problem?

  “I don’t know,” I replied and instantly regretted it when grains of sand flew into my mouth. I spat and sent her a mental reply instead. I guess I don’t really know what to wear.

  I’ll help, replied Ashleigh’s perky voice.

  Tia quickly intervened. No. You do not understand the necessary attire. I will help Lily. You just watch.

  The sand buffeted my body, and the fabric I wore, including my shoes, dissolved in the storm. I wrapped my arms around myself self-consciously, grateful I’d decided to do this in the barn, where only Bossy could see me. My hair was swept up in the wind, and the long strands whipped against my bare back. It is not working, Tia said as she attempted to merge her thoughts with mine to summon the power of the sphinx.

  What am I doing wrong? I asked.

  I covered my face with my hands, my body trembling in the onslaught. Then Ashleigh said, It can’t jus’ be the two of you like before. I’ve got to be a part of this, too. She joined with us and the sand froze in midair and then settled down on my body as soft as drifting snow, forming clothing as it did so.

  Lifting my hand, I stroked the fabric covering my arm. It was patterned to look a bit like fish scales. Each tiny curved plate caught the light, and I turned, reflecting every metallic color under the sun. It was hard like chain mail, but it moved and stretched with my body easily. It felt like a vintage T-shirt. Open-fingered leather gloves were laced up to my elbows and overlaid with beautifully designed metal plates that cuffed each wrist.

  My torso was protected by a sort of breastplate that attached to my leather harness, which was now gray to match my leather gauntlets. Soft, textured leggings were tucked into supple boots with shimmering green armored pieces that capped my knees and shins.

  A silver cape was the heaviest thing I wore. It hung from my shoulders and was long enough to brush the ground. Concerned that it would block my access to the arrows, I reached up and was surprised to find that the cape fit beneath the harness with a wide opening so that I could easily draw my weapons.

  Feeling along the upper edge, I discovered a fur-lined hood that could be rolled up and tucked away when I didn’t need it. My hands brushed against my hair, and I looked in the small mirror in the barn. My dark hair was wound up and looped in an elaborate design, fastened at the nape of my neck with little scarab pins.

  Around my neck, attached to the cape, was an intricate necklace. At its center hung the most beautiful emerald-green scarab outlined with diamonds and gold. I knew its name. It was on the tip of my tongue, but I could not summon it forth. “It’s beautiful,” I said, fingering the gem, delighting in the little flutter I felt against my fingertip.

  It’s Amon’s heart scarab, Tia explained.

  “Heart scarab?”

  Yes. He gave it to you before he departed the mortal realm.

  “Did he?”

  Hassan found it and kept it for you in your bag.

  I pressed my palm over it, and it warmed my hand. Closing my eyes, I could almost feel the caress of the sun on my face. Sucking in a breath, I said, “I guess we should see if Nana and Hassan are ready.”

  Nana’s eyebrows rose when she saw my outfit, but she said nothing. As natural and as magical as it had seemed when I was in the barn, I felt slightly silly walking around in my new clothes on the farm. Tia and Ashleigh assured me that it would be perfect for where we were going, and they were rather proud of their fashion contributions. The cloak would keep us warm, and the armor would protect us. The boots were thick enough to make hellhounds think twice about sinking their teeth in, and I had to admit, they were extremely comfortable.

  Nana wore a pair of jeans and her cowboy boots with granddad’s felt hat atop her head, the tie cinched tight beneath her chin, and she had a heavy bag slung across her shoulders. She looked like a woman headed out for a day trip on horseback.

  I, on the other hand, looked like I was headed to a comic book convention. I gave her a sheepish grin. To her credit, Nana remained tight-lipped about my clothes and distracted me from my thoughts by forcing me to down a bottle of water, pressing a second into my hand, and handing me an apple to eat while she drove us to the cemetery.

  With my harness on, I couldn’t buckle my seat belt, but I guessed a car accident on a country road with no traffic should have been the least of my worries. Hassan sat in the back of the car, running his hands over the brim of his hat before placing it on his head and mumbling to himself. He checked his bag to make sure he had everything he thought he might need. He barely gave my outfit more than a glance, though he did do a quick sketch of the scarabs adorning my hair. He claimed that they were exact replicas of something or other he’d dug up who knew when.

  We arrived at the cemetery all too quickly and trod the worn path, small headstones peeping out from behind tall prairie grasses and weeds. The apple turned sour in my stomach as we approached Grandpa’s well-maintained headstone. Nana must have been there not too long before. There was still a little bit of life in the bouquet of flowers placed in the vase at the base of it, which, even if the others had been cleared of weeds, would have made it stand out among the rest.

  I turned to look at her and saw that her eyes were sparkling wet, but otherwise her face was set with determination. “It’s up to you now, Lilypad.”

  Tia? I don’t know what to do.

  I don’t know either, Ashleigh said.

  Do not worry. I remember how to summon the unicorn, Tia said.

  Tia began chanting a spell in my mind, which I then spoke out loud. As I did, the ground shook and a crack opened in a nearby tree, spewing glittering dust into the air. Nana cried out, and Hassan pressed her head into his shoulder, though he looked nearly as frightened as she did.

  I closed my eyes and coughed. A thundering gallop echoed in the air around us. It sounded like a stampede, and I stepped back, fearing we were going to be run down at any moment. I spun in a circle, for the noise seemed to be all around us, but still, I didn’t see anything. Then light exploded out of the crack in the tree. Shielding my eyes, I reached for the blade at my back and felt a shift in the air around me, like I was in the presence of something ancient, something dangerous.

  Hooves stamped. Hot breath washed over my face. There was a deep whinny, and a new voice penetrated my mind. Ah, young sphinx, we meet agai
n.

  Unicorn dust and panic mixed together, tasting bitter on my tongue, but when I actually looked at the beast I was in awe. When he shook out his mane, it sparkled with an almost angelic quality, as if it had been touched by the light streaming through a cathedral’s stained glass window. In all the world, in all the books I’d read, I could not imagine a more ethereal and beautiful creature.

  Hello, lioness, the stomping animal said in my mind.

  Greetings to you, too, unicorn, Tia replied.

  Ach, he’s lovely, Ashleigh said.

  Wait, he can hear you two? I asked, stepping away from the unicorn’s wet, velvety nose. My movement didn’t deter him. He narrowed the gap quickly, pressing his head against me again. It was almost as if he couldn’t help himself. I was startled by his ease and sense of familiarity with me.

  It would appear so, Tia answered. Interesting. He wasn’t able to hear me before without your aid, though he could sense me. Apparently, our voices are now audible to immortal beings, even ones as simple as unicorns. And don’t mind him, Lily. He has a thing for young virgins.

  Watch yourself, lioness, he warned with a sparkling glint in his eye. You might have proven a worthy companion for Lily, but you have yet to win my trust.

  Then I will endeavor to do so, especially as we have great need at the present time. Lily has…forgotten herself.

  Forgotten herself? The unicorn snorted and shook out his mane. How is this possible?

  Her mind fragmented when we returned to the mortal world, Tia said.

  Umm, hello, I’m right here, and I can speak for myself. Out loud, I said, “So, yeah, I’ve forgotten all about this Egypt stuff. I’m not, like, incapable of doing anything, I just—”

  She doesn’t remember Amon, Tia interrupted with a grave tone.

  The unicorn turned his head to peer at me with his thick-lashed eye, which narrowed smartly. Up close he smelled of starlight, night breezes, and wintry desert. His stare made me uncomfortable, and I shifted my weight to my other foot. The extra inch or two I gained in space wasn’t much, but I still breathed more easily. “Anyway, this is Dr. Hassan, and Melda, my grandmother,” I said, pointing to my two companions.