When the reapers died their first deaths, they disappeared in a burst of light. I hoped that meant they’d be taken back to Isis, the goddess they still served. They deserved peace after all the suffering they’d endured in the netherworld. When the queen saw we were at a stalemate, she changed tactics and commanded all who remained in her army to target Amon. Though we’d tried to keep him at the center, in the course of battle we’d moved away from him. I cried out and made my way back in a desperate attempt to save his life. A demon with a face full of piercings lifted a wicked-looking cleaver, attempting to remove Amon’s head from his body.
I knew there was no way for me to get to Amon in time. Asten was fighting off three jackals at once, and Ahmose was engaged in hand-to-hand combat with a thick-fisted demon three times his size.
I ran, leaping over jackals and ducking under swinging weapons. A fire blazed in my core. And then time slowed. The cleaver continued its downward arc, but it only moved a fraction of an inch at a time.
One moment I was running, and the next I’d come to a complete stop.
A cacophony of voices filled my mind. They screamed. Roared. Begged. Then, like gears fitting into place, I felt a snap.
One…two…three.
My body lifted into the air as if I weighed less than a cloud. Light shot across my vision and overhead I saw three shooting stars rocketing toward each other, their tails arcing across the sky in a symbol I’d seen before—the impossible triangle.
When the stars reached their destinations, the light burst in a showering display, raining down upon the entire theater. No one below appeared to notice the phenomena and as I regarded them, they looked so tiny and powerless. The bright fragments touched my skin and I absorbed them. I closed my eyes, taking in a deep, cleansing breath and allowing the weight of my corporeal form to float me back to the ground.
My feet touched lightly upon the battlefield and I moved among the demons and warriors like a ghost, unseen and untouchable. When I exhaled, the scene around me jerked haltingly, awkwardly, as if the players on the field were more like puppets, ones I could manipulate if I could just find the strings.
The stars had given me a gift.
I knew what to do.
I knew how to control them.
Smiling, I tilted my head as I considered the demon ready to strike Amon. A name bubbled up in my mind, filling me with a sense of power. Calmly, fluidly, I spoke, and the sound resonated like a cannon on a battlefield.
“He Who Wields a Sharp Knife,” I cried. The demon froze in place, his cleaver suspended as he turned to me.
“Set down your weapon,” I said gently. Immediately, he obeyed. “Sit down and do not move.”
To my surprise, he did. Turning, I peered at the monster fighting Ahmose. Another name floated up into my consciousness. “Raging Hippo,” I said calmly. “Stop. You will fight no longer.” One by one, I repeated the process, shouting name after name. “Serpent of Mud,” I cried. “He Who Dances in Blood, Teeth of the Wax Crocodile, He Who Burns with Fire, Worms Devour Him, Inert Rebel, He Who Eats Snakes, you will cease fighting immediately.”
Once I’d named all the demons, I turned to the jackals. “Carrion Eater, Crushed Paw, Stump Tail, Eye That Sees Nothing, Biting Flea, Offal Eater, Tufted Ear…” I went on and on, naming each creature that struggled against us. When I reached the leader of the jackals, I closed my eyes and then opened them with a smile. “He Who Voids His Bladder in the Wind.” The head jackal whined, lowering his head. His pack snarled at him softly. “Sit!” I commanded in an authoritative voice. Each obeyed.
The queen screamed in rage, her pretty face souring as she stormed at me. Ahmose and Asten flanked my sides, their weapons raised. Above us the remaining reapers hovered, black cloaks rippling in the hot wind.
The smell of death overwhelmed me as I watched the Devourer approach. I felt no fear. No emotion except curiosity. Some other force pulled this one’s strings. Cocking my head, names rose in my mind.
I pointed to her and said, “The Eater of Hearts. The Queen of Gluttony.”
She staggered but recovered quickly. Those names belonged to her. I knew it. Yet there was an element missing. Some part of her I’d overlooked.
She spat furiously, “How do you, a mere human girl, know of the names in the Book of the Amduat?” she demanded. “No mortal has ever had access to it. Only my master and I know the secret names of those recorded there.”
The queen of the netherworld took a step closer and I licked my lips, attempting to compel her as I had the others. “Stop,” I said.
Her eyes widened but she then smiled, realizing she could still move. “Did you think to best me in my own realm?” she laughed, confidence growing with each step. “You might have control over these mindless underlings but not over me and not over the one I serve.”
“Seth,” I murmured.
“Yes. The barrier is thin now. He’s nearly able to break through, and there’s nothing you or your pathetic Sons of Egypt can do to stop it.” She took in our surroundings and clucked her tongue. “And just look at what you’ve done to my immaculate home.”
“You destroyed my home,” I hissed, thinking of Amon and the Turquoise Forest at the same time. “We destroyed yours.” I waved my arm, indicating the death surrounding us. “I’d say we’re even. Or we will be, once we finish you off.”
The Devourer laughed. “You can do no such thing. I’m the Queen of Hearts, remember?” She took a step forward. “And last time I checked”—she bared white teeth, a feral gleam twinkling in her eyes—“you all had one.”
She snapped her fingers and the white Minotaur, her only remaining loyal servant, stepped forward. “Yes, my queen?” he said.
“Bring me her heart.”
A fiendish look of delight lit the frightening contours of his face. Asten and Ahmose raised their weapons and charged, but he batted them aside like flies. They looked beyond exhausted. When the reapers tried to intervene, he unfurled the qilinbian and cracked the whip.
An electrical charge shot through the air, and one by one, the reapers dropped to the ground, stunned unconscious.
Ahmose’s and Asten’s weapons appeared to have grown heavy in their arms as they struggled against the fresh and very powerful demon. Closing my eyes, I focused, trying to summon to mind his name. Bits and pieces of what he was made of linked together, but no name I could think of was exactly right.
It was as if she’d created him like Frankenstein, sewing together various parts of other demons until she fashioned the perfect servant. Each piece retained a bit of what he once was, but none of them comprised what he was now. I struggled as I drew my spear-knives, giving up on naming him as I had the others.
I’d pulled back my spear, ready to throw it, when I saw Asten and Ahmose lower their weapons and walk trancelike over to the Devourer.
“There,” she said to her servant. “Now take her.”
The Minotaur closed in, but I ignored him and called out to them. They didn’t respond. The pale creature filled my view just as I heard the evil queen say, “Hello there, handsome. How about a kiss?”
I ducked as the whip cracked above me and caught a glimpse of Asten lowering his head. A piece inside me snapped and I struggled to maintain the serenity that had come so easily before. Desperately, I clung to my newfound power, but then his lips touched the queen’s and a snarl escaped from me. “Asten!” I cried.
Spinning, I went into reflex mode and kicked the knee of my opponent. It didn’t even cause him to stumble. The next second, he knocked the knives from my hands. The whip sounded again and made contact. Even though it hit my green-armored back, the pain was unlike anything I’d ever felt before. It was raw and jagged, and my breath left my body. I didn’t know how poor Amon had been able to suffer through it. My claws emerged and I sank them deep into his chest, but it did nothing to deter him. He must’ve already died a first death, I thought. I have to find his heart!
Over and over I sank my claws
into him, but I might as well have been sticking pins into a pincushion for all the attention he gave the wounds I inflicted.
Hurry! a voice screamed in my mind.
“I can’t find it!” I cried, tears streaming down my face. “Where’s his heart?”
I heard Asten’s body fall and another piece of my heart broke.
“Scrumptious,” she said. “That one was a bit spicy.” The evil woman crooked her finger, gesturing to Ahmose, who stepped toward her like a robot. “I saved room for dessert,” she declared throatily. “I’ll bet you’re sweet. Let’s have a taste.”
“I’ll thank ya ta be leavin’ that bonny lad alone!” I shouted. The other link in my mind spun out of perfect harmony. I ducked as a beefy arm swung, just missing my temple. Come on, girls! Think! We can do this!
My mind swirled with the possibilities of my opponent’s name as I tried to draw upon my waning ability. Time was running out. We’d lost Asten and Amon, and we were going to lose Ahmose, too. It was hopeless. Then, suddenly, I had it.
“Browbeater,” I whispered. “He’s called Browbeater. Where’s your heart, Browbeater?” I demanded. He pointed to his forehead, the last place I would have ever thought it would be. Aiming for the creature’s thick brow, I was just about to sink my claws into it when the Devourer realized her minion was in jeopardy.
“Stop!” she cried out, and I froze in place, immobilized, my claws inches from his forehead. It felt like an icy hand had taken hold of my heart.
The Devourer lifted her head, tendrils of sparkling smoke trailing from her lips to Ahmose and dissipating as she closed in on me.
“How did you know his name?” she asked, narrowed eyes peering into mine. “I never recorded it.” When I didn’t answer, she frowned. “I’ve had just about enough of you,” she spat. “I’ve got sufficient energy now to release my master, but before I do, I’ll have the satisfaction of killing you.”
The Devourer opened her mouth and stepped closer. Her green light bathed my face in an icy fog, but when it touched my skin, there was a blast. The queen’s connection broke, her body thrown from me. I could feel the control she had over my limbs ebbing as she landed in a tumble at her Minotaur’s feet.
“What is the meaning of this?” she demanded, rising in fury.
I didn’t answer, and this time when she approached, it was with hesitation. She pressed her frigid fingertips against my throat and slid them down until they rested against my heart. Surprise registered on her face, and then her expression quickly turned to one of horror. “Three?” she whispered. “Three hearts? How is it possible? I didn’t sense this in the dream before.” She twisted away from me and tripped, sprawling on the ground, her body trembling.
“The Triangle of Impossibility,” she cried. “The prophecy is true. You’ve come to kill me.”
“Uh, duh,” I said. “I’ve been saying that the whole time.”
“No. No. No.” The queen scrambled to her feet. Wringing her hands, she strode back and forth. “What will I do?” Her hair fluttered, the strands rising in defense, while some of the snakelike barbs wrapped around her shoulders as if seeking to offer comfort.
“Master!” she cried, looking up to the sky. “Master, what do I do?”
I didn’t hear a reply and wondered if she’d finally gone crazy. I tried a new name. “The Demoness of Punishment,” I said, wrapping my lips around it, though I knew it still wasn’t exactly correct. Why was my new ability eluding me just when I needed it most? “Give up your power.”
She screamed and clawed at her hair, dislodging the little creatures that held on. Concentrating, I tried again, my mind spinning as I strained. “The Great and Final Death, relinquish your life to me.” It wasn’t quite right. Still, the effect the names had on her was tremendous. I was getting close. Her hair fell out in clumps, thick strands writhing as if each one was dying little deaths. Her true name was on the tip of my tongue. I could taste it. If I pushed just a bit more…“Gall of Asps!” I cried. It was still not her true name, but I was close. Very close.
“Browbeater!” she cried. “I need you!”
Jerked from his immobile state, he knelt at the feet of his queen. The Devourer reached out a hand shaking with tremors and stroked his brawny arm. “My first and best slave. You’d do anything for me, wouldn’t you?” she asked.
“Yes, my most beautiful and beloved Devourer.”
“Very good.” She smiled. “I have need of your heart.”
“Of course.”
I shouted, “No! Browbeater, stop!” But my words had no effect. She had created him, and therefore she held ultimate control. Suddenly I realized that it wasn’t just another heart she wanted. In unmaking one of her own creations, she would gain tremendous power. It was what Seth had tried to do with Asten, Ahmose, and Amon. I tried to stop Browbeater again, but he only had ears for his mistress.
In a horrific kind of slow motion, I saw him press thick fingers into his own brow, tearing aside skin and jabbing the whip into his skull. The bone broke easily, and before I could blink, his glistening white heart was there in his palm. He held it out to her like a priceless gift, a triumphant look of jubilation on what remained of his face.
“Thank you, my precious one,” she said, cupping her hands around the shiny organ. “With the breath of my nostrils he is consumed.” I scrambled forward in a desperate attempt to stop her, but she quickly crushed the heart in her hands. It turned to smoke that swirled around her while the Minotaur disappeared in a cloud of dust.
The ground beneath us began to shake. I fell to my feet next to her, feeling as if I’d won the battle but lost the war.
Everything I loved had been destroyed. Asten and Amon lay on the ground and Ahmose stood frozen in place. The Devourer turned her head and smiled. “Until we meet again, Wasret.”
The netherworld quaked, the arena walls tumbling down, and the woman who’d taken everything from me disappeared.
The dust settled and I knelt in place as if frozen. Minutes passed, or perhaps it was mere seconds. Either way, I wasn’t aware of anything until I felt a hand touch my shoulder.
“Lily?”
I didn’t respond. Then Ahmose was in front of me, crouched down. I saw him snapping his fingers but couldn’t even feel it when he slapped my face.
He tried a different tack. “Tia?”
I wanted to answer him but I couldn’t. I was trapped inside my own skin.
“Ashleigh?” he said.
“Yes? I’m here,” I answered, my voice as if from a great distance. It was mine, and yet it wasn’t.
“You’ll have to help me,” he said. “There’s something wrong with Lily.”
My head nodded. “Tia, too. They’ve gone to a very dark place. Will they come back?”
“I hope so. We’ve got to leave this place. Asten and Amon are still alive. Barely. Our energies seem to be maintaining them. I’m hoping that the gods will be able to help them recover.”
“What should I do?” Ashleigh asked.
“Can you heal them using the stela? The Devourer drained me. I’m too weak to fix what she’s done to them.”
“Sorry, darlin’,” my voice said mournfully. “I can’ work the healin’ without Lily.”
Ahmose turned in a circle, scanning the arena. “All right. Then you’ll have to invoke the power of the tether to draw us back.” Ahmose picked up Amon and placed him next to his brother, then knelt down and held out his hand, indicating that Ashleigh should take a position between them. When she knelt in front of Ahmose, she placed a palm upon his cheek. His gray eyes lifted, and in them I could see the pain, the loneliness, and the all-encompassing fear that he would lose those he loved.
“Don’t worry over them so,” Ashleigh said. “Your brothers will live.”
“How do you know?” he asked.
“Fairies have a gift of knowing things. Besides, ya have good arms,” she said, patting his strong shoulder.
Ahmose gave a sad, halfhearted laugh. “
What does that have to do with anything?”
“The fairy tree always said, ‘The higher and stronger your reach, the more people ya can shelter beneath ’ur branches.’ I’ve got a feelin’ you’ve got enough strength ta carry the load.”
“I hope you’re right, Ashleigh.”
“Fairies usually are, though they don’t always share what they know. Now, what do you say we leave this foul and fiendish pit?”
Letting out a breath, Ahmose nodded.
Ashleigh placed one hand on Asten’s arm and one on Amon’s. “Now what?” she asked.
“Close your eyes and reach out for the tether.”
Ashleigh obeyed, and I felt my body shiver slightly when Ahmose’s hands gripped our shoulders. We felt a light tug, but it was nowhere near strong enough. “I can’t do it,” she gasped. “Not without Lily and Tia.”
Guilt assailed me. I knew I should be more in control. The fact that I couldn’t feel my connection to Amon at all anymore made me cower in the back of my mind. Forcing Ashleigh to take the lead was wrong, but I just couldn’t be an active participant in what was happening. The Devourer had escaped. It was all my fault. Amon had gifted me with whatever energy he’d had left, and I’d wasted it. I hadn’t killed her. She’d fled, and now the world was at risk. If only I’d been able to discern her true name!
“Tia! Lily!” Ahmose cried. “We need you! Help us!”
Tia roused herself and attempted to nudge me forward, but I turned my consciousness away from her. Without Amon, my mind was a black hole so complete, I felt like it could swallow me.
“Hassan,” Tia whispered. “Think of Hassan.”
Tia joined her mind with Ashleigh, and she fed the fairy images of her brief encounter with the Egyptologist. Wind swirled around us, kicking up dust. It churned in a cyclone, circling our bodies, and a thin pillar of light fell upon us.
“I see the tether!” Ashleigh cried. “But it’s still not enough!”