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  “They’re not soulless. They’ve just been given a very difficult job that requires them to serve the gods. I’m sure that whatever it is they’re tasked to do, they take no delight in it. You should know a lot about that yourself, I might add.”

  He took hold of my arm and shook me slightly. “Just trust me when I tell ya, it’s ’ur fanny gonna be in a mound o’ trouble if you head out wi’ the likes of those two.”

  Ahmose stepped forward. “Be careful with her. She is frail.”

  Snorting, Cherty replied, “Shows what you know. This one’s ’bout as frail as a dragon’s backside.”

  Narrowing his eyes, Ahmose said, “She will be safe in our hands, Ferryman. I assure you.”

  “You should leave now,” Asten added with a menacing look I’d never seen him wear before.

  The ferryman stared into Ahmose’s eyes and seemed to find something there because his shoulders fell and he turned away. Gruffly, he said to me, “It’s ’ur choice, then. Do ya still want to go wi’ ’em?”

  “Yes,” I answered. “I have to find Amon.”

  He kept his back to me, his breathing deep and ragged. “Suit ’urself, then.” Clearing his throat, he spat a final greenish gob of phlegm into the water, grabbed a rucksack and a flagon from his stash, and shoved them into my arms.

  “What’s this?” I asked.

  “Some stores from ma personal stash. Without food, a kicker like you won’t last too long, ’specially in the netherworld. In there I got a bunch o’ raisins, each one filling yer belly fer hours; some fig cakes that double when ya break ’em apart; and the flagon o’ cider there never runs dry.”

  “That’s very kind,” I said as I took the items and placed them in the larger bag.

  “And ’ere. Take this, too.”

  He tossed me a golden coin stamped with a man hunched over a pole riding a boat. “It’s you,” I said.

  “When ya want ta return. Toss it inta the water. I’ll come ta find ya.”

  Carefully, I put the coin into the bottom of my quiver, then wrapped my arms around Cherty’s thick waist. “Thank you,” I murmured into his chest. Standing on my tiptoes, I kissed his cheek and he turned a brilliant shade of red that traveled all the way down his neck.

  “Welcome.” He stepped away and kicked a pebble into the quiet water lapping against the ship, then stooped to free the rope from the dock. After tossing it haphazardly aboard, he placed a heavy hand on my shoulder. “Just promise ye’ll be careful, girlie. Don’t trust the soulless. They ain’t the mighty men of valor ya think they are.”

  “I’ll be cautious,” I pledged.

  He grunted, clambering aboard the beautiful vessel and sailing back toward the treacherous waters we’d barely escaped hours earlier.

  I turned and gave Ahmose and Asten a small smile as I tightened my grip on my bow. “Hello,” I said.

  Their eyes burned into me. Asten was the first to speak. “Lily! What have you done?”

  “What do you want to know first?” I said with a sheepish look.

  “How did you get here?” Ahmose asked insistently.

  “By boat,” I said as I jerked my thumb over my shoulder and smiled cheekily. “But I guess that was pretty obvious.”

  “This isn’t funny, Lily,” he replied.

  “No,” I sighed. “It’s not. Long story short, Anubis recruited me. He needs me to find Amon.”

  “Amon?” Ahmose repeated, his eyes shifting nervously to Asten. “Why would he want you to do that?”

  “I guess it’s because I’m the only one who can.” I repositioned the bag over my arm so they could see the gleaming green scarab pinned to my shoulder.

  Both brothers’ eyes widened, Ahmose taking a step back while Asten took one closer. He removed his bronze chain mail glove and brushed my hair back before stretching out his fingertips to the scarab. On impulse, I touched my fingers to his. “I can touch you,” I said. “I wondered if I’d be able to.”

  “Of course,” Asten replied, his warm gaze lifting to mine. “What did you expect?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. I thought you’d be spirits, I guess. I couldn’t touch Amon at first, but now that I’m a sphinx…” I trailed off and saw the brothers give each other a pointed look. Asten examined the scarab and then announced, “It’s his,” with finality to his voice.

  “Why would he do it?” Ahmose asked.

  “Isn’t it obvious?” Asten answered. “He loves her.” Asten looked at me as if seeking the elusive emotion on my face. He seemed puzzled but fascinated by the idea at the same time.

  Ahmose muttered, “Yes. But to risk such a thing…”

  “We knew he was different during the last rising. This explains it.” Asten tapped the gemstone.

  “But when?” Ahmose asked.

  “It happened just before Anubis killed him,” I answered, and let the quiver strap cover the scarab, slightly uncomfortable with the attention they were giving me. “Amon thought I was dead. I was, almost. But Anubis told Amon what to do to heal me.”

  “He bound himself to you,” Asten murmured thoughtfully.

  I nodded. “Yes, but then he was told we needed to break the bond. I was supposed to kill him. But I couldn’t do it, and Anubis kindly offered his…assistance,” I said with a sarcastic inflection. “Later we found out the bond was still in effect, which actually turned out to be a good thing because now I have the ability to find him.”

  “Find him? So you are saying he’s lost?” Ahmose took a step forward, his face clouded with concern.

  “It seems he jumped to the netherworld.”

  “The netherworld!” The men looked at each other, then, as one, grabbed my arms and yanked me down the dock.

  “We must hurry!” Ahmose said.

  My feet were barely making contact with the wooden boards of the dock. “Wait just a moment,” I called. When neither of them stopped, I shouted, “Hold on!” A switch flipped from inside my mind with a deep growl. Tia was in charge. She tore our arms out of their strong grips and twirled. Crouching down, claws extended, she glared at the two brothers. “You will not touch Lily in such a manner,” she hissed menacingly, cocking her head as she stared into their eyes.

  Ahmose looked horrified, but Asten’s expression was curious. A cocky smile lifted the edges of his mouth and a dimple appeared in his cheek. His eyes twinkled, as if he was interested in challenging Tia. “Ah!” he said. “I nearly forgot. You’re not just Lily anymore.”

  “That’s right,” Tia jeered. “You two are not her only…protectors.”

  Asten bowed, but it was in an almost mocking way. “I can see that, Lady Lioness. We apologize for…manhandling her.”

  Tia shifted our legs beneath her. “The two of you will walk ahead of us. We will follow. But you will tell us where you are taking us first.”

  “Of course,” Asten said smoothly. “We are escorting you to the Porch of Judgment. Since Amon is in the netherworld, time is of the essence.”

  Ahmose added, “Anubis has much to answer to. We were unaware that Amon gave Lily his heart scarab and were simply told that he was on a different assignment for the time being. His disappearance was kept from us and knowing that we were purposely left in the dark is very disturbing.”

  “We knew something was amiss,” Asten said to Ahmose.

  Asten turned to us again. “Will you accompany us?”

  Tia paused and looked into the eyes of both men. “Very well,” she said finally. “You may proceed.”

  You know they weren’t hurting me, I said to Tia as she relinquished control.

  They have no right to force us to do anything. We are sphinx! she said. We are worthy of their respect.

  We are. They didn’t mean to harm us, though. I’m sure of it. You’re taking Cherty’s words too much to heart.

  And you are not taking them to heart enough, Lily.

  Hmm. I considered her words as we walked, leaving the dock and entering a thick jungle, the brothers leading us do
wn a worn path. I watched in fascination as their loosened armor dropped to the ground, disintegrating into sand. Soon they wore only tunics, boots, and their swords. I caught them up on what had happened since we’d parted, what Anubis had told me, and that I’d shared dreams with Amon, briefly describing the connection. When I recounted my dream of Seth, they gave each other dubious looks.

  I asked them why we weren’t traveling by sandstorm and they explained that particular ability only worked for them in the mortal realm; however, they could still summon weapons. It explained why Amon had to fight in the netherworld and couldn’t simply disappear. Then I continued to ask questions about what to expect at judgment, what they believed the netherworld was like, and why it was they didn’t know about Amon, but Ahmose kept his concentration focused vigilantly on the terrain and allowed Asten to take the lead in communication.

  “We only know what the gods deign to share,” Asten explained. “We are as much at their mercy as you are. Actually, you seemed to have garnered more of their attention in the last few weeks than we’ve been able to get in centuries.”

  “It was because Horus desired us,” Tia said before I could stop her.

  “Did he?” Asten said, a roguish smirk appearing on his face. “Not sure I can blame him.”

  “Cut it out,” I warned Asten. “I can’t handle your flirting with me, too. Horus was bad enough.”

  He rubbed his chin. “Perhaps you just weren’t swayed by his pretty face. The ferryman seemed to like you well enough. He might make a much better companion than Horus.”

  “I liked Horus,” Tia said out loud. “His power and confidence make him an attractive choice for a mate. But I do not love him. At least, not yet.”

  Asten laughed. “I confess I’m curious as to what qualities a lioness might seek out in a mate.”

  It surprised me that Asten could tell the two of us apart so easily. Not even Horus had been able to do that.

  “Since I am no longer a lioness in truth, I am still discovering that for myself. Being a lioness was…easier in many ways.”

  Asten sobered. “And what about Amon? What will you do if you don’t feel the same way about him as Lily does?” Asten asked.

  “Then I will endeavor to alter my feelings for her sake. Either that or I will encourage Hassan to aid me in seeking oblivion.”

  Oblivion? I spurted in alarm. I will not see you bring harm to yourself, Tia, I whispered to her in my mind.

  “I won’t cause you to doubt your feelings for your mate,” she murmured back.

  “How utterly absorbing,” Asten said soberly, but a moment later his expression lightened. He winked, a gesture Tia quite enjoyed. “If I was jealous of Amon before, I’m doubly envious now,” he teased.

  I took control of my body just as Asten cupped my elbow, helping me around a large boulder.

  He sees me, Tia said in my mind. And I quite like that cleft in his chin. Those are good qualities, I think.

  Sighing, I rolled my eyes and ignored Tia’s inner appraisal of Amon’s brother.

  Soon Asten shouted to Ahmose that we were getting close to the river.

  “What river?” I asked.

  “It’s a waterway, actually,” Ahmose said, speaking for the first time in an hour, though he still wouldn’t make eye contact with me. “It’s called the Waterway of the White Hippo.”

  “Is it dangerous?” I asked.

  Asten stopped and waited until I looked up at him. “Everything in the afterlife can be, Lily. And everything in the netherworld definitely is. Don’t forget that.”

  His expression added more weight to each word, and I again thought that there might be more to Ahmose and Asten than I knew. I nodded and we made our way to the edge of a river where a small watercraft was tied. Asten aided me into the boat and had me sit while Ahmose took hold of a long pole and pushed us out into the flowing water.

  Asten became our guide as we traversed the terrain. We passed out of the trees and came upon large plains full of dark waving grain. “That’s the Field of Reeds,” he explained. “There are numerous crops here to provide food for the dead.”

  “Are the disembodied the workers I see out there?” I asked after spying several shadowy figures stooped over the grain, collecting it into large piles.

  “Those are shabtis,” he said.

  “Really? Like the ones Amon summoned?”

  “I would assume so. They are tied to certain gods or loaned out to overseers. Occasionally, when a heart is judged unworthy, a master who is willing may decide to allow the dead soul to serve until it is determined that their heart has changed and they are now humble. Unfortunately there isn’t always a way to determine who the master is, as that is considered a private matter between god and servant.”

  “So there could be shabtis here that serve Seth,” I said.

  “It’s a possibility,” Ahmose answered.

  “It’s more than a possibility. It’s a fact,” Asten contradicted. Then he explained. “Any shabti that is raised from the dead to serve in the mortal realm must come from the afterlife. That means the shabti that tried to kill you and Amon came from here.”

  “So Seth has eyes and ears here, too.”

  “He does,” Asten said.

  We floated quietly for a time and then I asked, “So, what Cherty said about you two is true? Do you torment his passengers on arrival?”

  Neither of them answered at first.

  Ahmose admitted quietly, “The ferryman was not…inaccurate.”

  “But why?” I asked. “It doesn’t seem like you to torment those who’ve lost everything.”

  “It’s not our fault,” Asten said. “Though the place we’re going is called the Porch of Judgment, the dead are actually judged from the moment they set foot on the Isle of the Dead. That’s why the journey is so important.”

  Ahmose explained. “When a person is in our presence, our powers make them aware of all their wrongdoing. By the time their heart is weighed, they already know the outcome. Some try to escape their fate. They run or throw themselves to monsters along the way, succumbing to a second death before a punishment is meted out. Many of them would rather meet an uncertain end than end up in the Devourer’s garden. I don’t purposely lead them on the wrong path, but being near me makes them aware of all the flawed paths they chose in their mortality.”

  “And being close to me,” Asten added, “causes them to see all the bad things they’d ever done play in their minds in a never-ending vision. If it’s really bad, it can cause some of them to go mad.”

  “And what about Amon?” I asked. “What happens when they are close to the revealer?”

  Ahmose answered. “Because Amon has the Eye of Horus, he knows all things. When the dead are near him, they have the opportunity to see what their lives could have been had they lived up to their potential.”

  “That doesn’t sound too bad,” I said. “Why did Cherty say he was the worst?”

  Asten answered thoughtfully. “Amon’s power is the most difficult to bear because he reveals the unknown. The dead already know the wrong they’ve done. They remember the choices and the paths they’ve followed, but to see the happiness, the wonder of what they could have had, is the most trying thing for the dead to absorb.

  “Seeing it and knowing they will never have it…well, let’s just say that drives more of them into the mouth of darkness, seeking their second and final death, than either of our powers combined. Getting a glimpse of what could be is…at once disturbing and intoxicating…” Asten’s words trailed off and when I turned to him, I found him intently watching me. At seeing my puzzled expression, he turned his eyes toward the trees.

  “So if that’s all true,” I asked, “then why am I not experiencing those effects?”

  “It’s because you’re still alive, Lily,” Ahmose answered.

  “But I am not,” Tia added, slipping into control. “I am, what is the word, disembodied.”

  Asten smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his
eyes. “You are a beautiful exception to the rule. Though your body is gone, you share the living body of Lily. That means your judgment is suspended until such time as you have nowhere else to go.”

  “That’s not going to happen,” I vowed.

  “In the meantime,” he went on, “our powers won’t affect you.”

  At that moment the boat rocked violently and I heard the guttural call of a large animal. A surge of water spilled over the rim of the boat, a dense spray of it shooting up in the air.

  “What is it?” I cried.

  “They don’t call it the Waterway of the White Hippo for nothing,” Asten said sardonically.

  Ahmose lifted the pole and jabbed it into the ivory shape hovering beneath the water. I saw other shapes surrounding us as one large hippo lifted its head above the waterline. Its mouth gaped open, and, enraged, it bit into the side of the boat, nearly overturning us. I very quickly came to doubt the efficacy of Ahmose’s pole as a weapon and lifted the bow over my shoulder, preparing to defend us.

  “Stop,” Asten said, and covered my hand with his. “You cannot kill anything. Not here. These animals are considered sacred.”

  “But how are we to cross if we cannot muster a defense?”

  “It’s a part of the judging, Lily. If they deem you worthy to pass over, you will. If not, they will jostle the boat until you fall out.”

  “And then what? They chew me to bits and spit my sorry carcass out, making the riverbed my tomb?”

  “They’ve never consumed one who was living,” Ahmose said.

  “Well, that makes me feel a whole heck of a lot better.”

  “It’s likely they cannot judge you at this time, regardless,” Asten added.

  “Let us hope for their sake that is true,” Tia said. “I have taken down a hippo before but it was not an easy kill.”

  I shook my head, worried at the ease with which Tia surfaced now, and glanced at Asten, feeling the flush of embarrassment creep up my neck, but the look he gave me was not what I expected. It wasn’t disgust or even pity I saw on his face. He was actually impressed.