After she left, I paced the room until Tia reminded me that I needed to rest. She was right; I wouldn’t have enough energy to convince the gatekeeper to the afterlife, let alone save Amon. Obediently, I washed my face and put on the nightgown the servant had laid out.
I settled into the bed, closing my eyes and attempting to sleep, but several hours passed until rest found me. Even then, my dreams took me to the netherworld.
Amon was awake and traveling through a forest, unlike any I’d ever seen before. The blue trees shimmered, moving in the breeze like wind chimes, their leaves coated with what appeared to be sparkling minerals or sugar.
Though it was raining and he turned his open mouth to the sky, Amon caught nothing. His lips were chapped and he tried continually to wet them. That was when I saw her. A tiny sprite with translucent wings sat in the crook between the trunk and a branch of the tree watching him.
Finally, he spotted the little tree sprite. “I won’t hurt you,” he said kindly. “Please, don’t be afraid.”
“I’m not afraid,” she said with a touch of an accent I couldn’t place. “There are beasties who come to the Turquoise Forest who are much more frightening than you are. You’re a strange sort of monster.” She put her hands on her tiny waist.
“Am I?” he responded with a tired smile.
“Oh yes. Are ya going ta try ta sting me like the ol’ scorpion? Perhaps ya can’t. It looks as if yer tail is missing.”
“I don’t have a tail.”
“Pity. His tail is rather impressive. There’s not much about ya that’s impressive as far as I can see. Are ya a dosser, then?”
“I’m not sure what a dosser is. And I’m much more impressive with my weapons.”
“A dosser’s a fella up to no good. I don’t see any weapons.”
“No, then I’m not a dosser. My weapons are magical. I call them from the sand.”
The sprite frowned. “We don’t trust magical folk, but seeing as how yer knackered nigh ta death, ya don’t seem to pose much of a threat. Been gawking at ya for the last two days.”
“Oh. That’s…good, I suppose?”
“Depends. I see your thirst is somethin’ terrible.”
“It is. I feel like a desiccated corpse left to dry to a husk in the blazing sun.”
“Awful for ya, then, isn’t it?” She scowled and then muttered, “I heard ya! Stop interferin’, ya thick excuse for a tree. I suppose we can help,” she said reluctantly to Amon.
“Can you?”
“Yes.” Then a mischievous twinkle lit the fairy’s eye. “Must be hard ta be so thirsty when it’s been bucketing down like ’tis.” She smiled mysteriously and lowered her voice. “I know how ta ask the tree ta give up her water. And ya can’t tell anyone that we helped ya, either,” she warned. “It’s my job ta guard this tree. If all the creatures in the netherworld knew how ta take her water, well, there wouldn’t be any left for the trees, then, would there?”
“No, I suppose there wouldn’t be.”
The tree sprite crooked her finger at Amon to call him closer. “The secret,” she whispered, “is in the wantin’. You can’t want it.”
“Not want it?” Amon questioned with a bewildered expression.
“Right. If the tree knows ya want it, then she won’t let ya have it. She doesn’t trust men very much.”
“I see.” Amon nodded soberly and took a step back, examining the great tree that stretched wide limbs over his head. “Well, Tree, I’m not thirsty. Nope. Not needing a drink at all, though I just crossed the desert of a thousand burning suns, where it was hot enough to make even a hell demon sweat and beg for relief.”
Slowly, a thin limb crept closer to Amon and a broad blue leaf unfurled, showing that it held nearly a cupful of water.
Drinking deeply, Amon licked the last wet drops from his lips and smiled warmly. “Thank you. I wonder how it is that you and your tree ended up stuck in the netherworld.”
The sprite said sadly, “We were tricked into coming here.”
“Tricked? How?” he asked.
“This is a fairy tree and she used ta be on the top of a lovely hill in Ireland.”
Now her accent made sense. She spoke with a lovely lilt to her voice—an Irish brogue I could listen to for hours. “An’ I loved her even before I even knew she was magical,” she said. “I’d sit beneath her and dream about far-off places. Climb her branches and gaze up at the stars. It was a grand thing.
“One day a stranger eyed me at the market. Full of ill intent, he chased me until I found myself near the tree. She must’a known I was in danger, because the trunk opened and I leapt inside. It was dark, but it was better than what the man had planned for me.”
“What happened then?” Amon asked.
“The man began chantin’ a spell and the tree shook. The trunk cracked and great drops of sap trickled down over my hands. I heard the crash of one heavy limb and then another. The man said she had to give up either me or her heart. Ya see, when a fairy tree gives up its heart, it releases great power.
“But she loved me and refused. Instead, she did something forbidden. She pierced the man’s heart and killed ’im. She was struck down for it, died with me inside, and was sent here to the netherworld. When she was planted in the Turquoise Forest, my form changed ta this. Now it’s my job ta take care of her, just like she took care of me.”
“And you do a good job of it. Do you mind if I rest here awhile?” he asked.
“Do what ya like,” the sprite said.
Amon put his back to the wide tree trunk and sank down to the forest floor, resting his arms on his knees and pressing his head against them.
“Amon?” I called. The sprite didn’t react to my voice, but I sensed someone else was there watching me while I dreamed. “Amon?” I cried again.
“I’m here,” a voice behind me answered.
“Amon!” I spun around and was in his arms before another second passed. I took his face in my hands and kissed his lips, his cheeks, never wanting to let him go.
He laughed and then groaned. “Lily, you’re crushing me.”
“Oh! I’m sorry.” I took an awkward step back, but he offered me a sweet smile as he took hold of my shoulders and drew me close again.
Tilting his head, he studied me, the happy expression mixed together with one of curiosity. “You’re stronger,” he said. “Different.”
“I know, I—”
“Wait.” Amon ran his fingertip down my cheek. “Let me look at you first.”
As Amon peered into my eyes, I got the sense he was looking for something specific. There was no sense of romance in his gaze.
“Are you using the Eye of Horus?”
“Yes,” he murmured distractedly.
“What do you see?” I whispered, almost afraid of the answer.
He opened his mouth but paused, his eyes widening. “There’s…there’s too much.” His glazed eyes focused on me once again, and the corners of his mouth turned up. “I’m just glad you’re here,” he said finally.
“Amon.” Gripping his hand, I looked around and pulled him back to the tree where his sleeping body rested. Biting my lip, I purposely moved to the other side of the trunk and sank down to the thick grass at its base, pulling him along with me. “We need to talk.”
He nodded and stretched up to tuck a lock of hair behind my ear. His hand lingered there briefly, and then he captured both of my hands in his, as if afraid that if he let go, I’d disappear.
“First of all, you should know that I’m currently in Heliopolis.”
Amon started. “You’ve made it that far already?”
“Haven’t you been watching me when you dream?”
He shook his head. “Not in the last few days. I haven’t been able to sleep as often as I’d like. Besides, I don’t need sleep as much as a mortal, and this place affords very few safe places to rest.”
I let out a breath, half relieved that he hadn’t seen Horus’s advances. “Right. Well,
I’ve asked Amun-Ra for help, but so far he’s not too interested. Horus, on the other hand…”
“Horus’s hands will be tied if Amun-Ra refuses aid.”
“Oh.”
“It’s still a long way to the netherworld, Lily. You should go back. You’ll be safe. Nebu will take you.”
“I can’t. Not when we’re so close.”
Amon cupped my face in his hands. “This is enough, Nehabet,” he said, gazing into my eyes. “What you’ve achieved is more than I could wish for. Being able to touch you, to hold you in my dreams, will carry me through endless torments.”
Grasping his hands, I pulled them to my lips and kissed his palms tenderly. “It’s not enough for me,” I said softly. “I’m coming for you, Amon, whether you wish it or not.”
He sighed softly and collapsed against the tree trunk. “I suppose I’m not surprised. You always were stubborn.”
“Not stubborn,” I said. “Determined.”
His mouth twitched. “A determined sphinx. The gods must be shaking on their golden thrones.”
“Not all of them,” I sighed, tracing the lines on his palms. I glanced up at his handsome face through lowered lashes to find him watching me. “What is it?” I asked.
“Are we going to talk about it?” he murmured.
“About what? There are a lot of things we could talk about.”
“Yes. But there’s one thing in particular you’re avoiding.”
“There is,” I whispered, and couldn’t help feeling a swell of emotion. A small stir in my mind told me Tia was listening. She’d been so quiet that I’d barely remembered she was there. It was likely she was giving me time to be with Amon.
Amon waited patiently, slowly rubbing my hand between his palms.
I sucked in a breath. “There’s sort of someone in here with me,” I said.
“The lioness?” he asked.
Nodding, I removed my hand from his and tugged at the grass, yanking it out and making a little pile next to me.
“I couldn’t let her die. She knew I didn’t want it and now we’re both in here and…”
“What is really bothering you?”
“What do you mean?” I said, keeping my eyes locked on his for the first time since the topic came up.
“You’re at peace with her. At least, as best I can tell. The Eye of Horus showed me that you will come to love one another if you don’t already.”
I blinked and realized that he was right. Having Tia around was disconcerting, but I did care about her.
“I do. I mean, I’m happy that she’s alive. She…she’s special.” Tia’s consciousness spread out a bit further, and I felt the contented brush of her mind touch mine. It was almost as if she was curled up next to me, offering her supportive companionship. Licking my lips, I wiped my sweaty palms against my thighs and got to my feet, nervously pacing. “I guess I’ve just been wondering if I…if we…I mean, if you…could still love me this way.”
My back was to him, and I rubbed my hands along my arms. He didn’t answer. Why? Was he taking a moment to think about it? Was he unsure? I heard him get to his feet, and his palm grazed the crook of my elbow as he gently turned me around.
The expression on his face carried so much pain, so much confusion, that tears sprang to my eyes. “You…you don’t, then,” I sputtered. “You can’t. It…it’s okay. I understand.”
“No, Lily. You don’t,” he said as he grabbed hold of my upper arms.
Fat teardrops spilled down my cheeks, blurring my vision, but Amon’s warmth as he touched his thumbs to them dried them instantly. “It’s not a little thing,” he began, “to gift another with your heart, let alone a heart scarab.”
“Yes, but…”
“Please allow me to finish.” I nodded weakly and he went on. “When I first met you, there were certain things the Eye of Horus allowed me to see. I knew what kind of person you were, what motivated you, what things made you happy, and what things caused you sadness. Your qualities were what sustained me during my time on Earth. Our bond went beyond the physical. We were stronger together than we were apart.
“I don’t know what the future holds for us, exactly. Terrible dangers and struggle lie ahead, but I’ve also been given tiny glimpses of such exquisite happiness that I cannot feel anything other than hope. I’d do anything to make them come true. My heart is fused to yours, and there’s nothing in this universe that can divide us. Not Seth. Not the netherworld. Not death. And certainly not a lioness, especially one that kisses as well as she does.”
Amon winked and I laughed amid my sadness. “You knew it wasn’t me?”
“Let’s just say when a lioness kisses you, it’s unforgettable.”
“Hey!” I slapped him lightly on the chest as he wrapped his arms around me.
He sighed, pressing his cheek against mine as he murmured in my ear, “I love you, my sweet Young Lily. Nothing will ever change that.”
Hugging him tightly, I teased, “How’d you like an unforgettable Lily kiss?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
Amon trailed his lips down my cheek until his mouth met mine. The warmth and heat of a thousand suns filled my frame. Amon’s kiss burned and teased and promised me things I never even knew were possible. Experiencing the real thing was so, so much better than reliving the memory. My fond recollections hadn’t given Amon the credit he deserved.
He traced a path with his fingertips down my spine to the small of my back, cupping my hips and tugging me closer. Everywhere he touched he left tingles of energy behind, reminders that he’d branded me his. When I sensed he was being careful with me, as if I were still a mere mortal girl, I returned his ardor with an intensity that surprised and delighted him. I’d just run my hands up his powerful arms and into his hair when, abruptly, the vision of Amon was wrenched away from me.
I cried out, just as Tia and I found ourselves in a dark enclosed place.
“Where are we?” I asked her. “Heliopolis?”
We are still in the world of dreams, I think.
Using my enhanced vision, I was able to make out the distant shape of stars above and behind me but they felt beyond my reach; I was bound in a thick nothingness like a black hole. Suddenly, I realized that I wasn’t alone. The huntress within me sensed another presence, a predator, and a dangerous one.
I spun in circles, trying to locate my enemy, but their scent or sound eluded me. They watched me, and the feeling was invasive, like they could see into the depths of my soul and could easily detect every weakness. My heart raced as I tried to suppress the scream building up inside me.
Then a voice spoke in my mind, and it was unlike Tia’s or Amun-Ra’s. It was a voice full of power, one that terrified me and left a chill reverberating through my bones. I knew then who it was.
We meet at last. I’ve been waiting for you for a very long time. My servant got a taste, and the scent of you has been tickling my nostrils ever since. You don’t know how happy I am that you’ve begun this journey. You’re so much more…interesting now than you used to be.
When I couldn’t speak out loud, I communicated with him using my mind. What do you want? And why am I here? I asked.
Do you mean to unmake us? Tia demanded.
I heard a laugh and the harsh din caused my body to shiver.
Unmake you? No. Well, perhaps not yet. Before I can capitalize on unmaking anyone, the impossible triangle must be fully formed. You’re nearly there.
What are you saying? I challenged, not wanting to understand but also knowing I needed to.
All will be revealed in time, young ones. Perhaps you should focus on your current priorities. Speaking of which, I hope you enjoy your visit with the Devourer. She’s a greedy hostess, he said, almost fondly, but I’ll make sure she welcomes you appropriately when you enter her home.
The wisp of an ice-cold breeze tickled my cheek and I suddenly got the impression that I’d been touched. My skin crawled.
It would appea
r as if my mind-numbing…confinement has finally proven interesting. Watching your dreams will offer me a most pleasant diversion until such time that my release is assured.
What? How is that possible? I demanded.
Fortunately for me, your new powers coupled with your bond of love with the carrier of the Eye of Horus made my eavesdropping on and, I’ll admit, appropriating, your dreams, a reality. Destiny draws us closer, my dear. He paused and chuckled. Come now, don’t fret. This is a good thing…for me, he added. I look forward to meeting you again. Next time, I hope to introduce myself more…fully.
Next time? I thought.
Goodbye, Sphinx. Laughter echoed around me. Though I knew it was happening more in my head than in the space I was in, I turned in circles, pressing my hands to my ears, imploring it to stop.
A knock at my door jolted me awake. I sat up suddenly, pressing my hand against my racing heart and then my flushed cheeks. “Just a moment!” I called out as I padded to the door to open it a crack. The servant girl was back. Had it really been several hours? I rubbed my hands across my face, trying to wake myself up from the terrible dream that I desperately hoped was just a bad nightmare. “What time is it?” I asked her.
“It is nearly dawn. You must finish the bathing ritual and then be on your way. If you do not arrive at the pier by sunset, you will miss your opportunity.”
“Okay. Let’s get this show on the road, then,” I said nervously.
She lowered her eyebrows in puzzlement but asked no questions.
The only things I took with me to the bathing room were the weapons we’d been given and the leather shoulder harness. As I walked, it struck me again just how totally unprepared I was. I had no food. No canteen for water. No backpack full of supplies. My phone had been left with Dr. Hassan. I knew next to nothing about where I was headed or how I was going to get there. If I didn’t have Tia with me, I was sure I would have freaked out and run screaming all the way back to New York. I was in way, way over my head.
Tia tried to reassure me. The only way out sometimes is to move forward. The path is not always clear, but your instinct will guide you.
I don’t have instinct. Not like you do, anyway, I said.
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