Recreated (25 page)

“Grab the rudder,” Cherty shouted. “We've got ta do this quickly or we'll be grub meat for sure! When I drop the hammer, shove the tiller all the way to the right!”

“Got it!”

“Now!” he cried as he dropped the hammer on a bulbous limb. From out of the depths a giant white slug had reared its head and began to climb along a slick line of its own web. The line was now no longer attached to the ship, and the creature, along with its sticky trap, slipped beneath the surface of the star-filled river once more.

“That'll teach ya! Ya abominable beasties!” Cherty shouted as he brandished his weapon in the air before making his way back to me. “We make a good team,” he said. There was an appreciative gleam in his eye that hadn't been there when I'd boarded.

“Yeah. I don't envy your day job,” I said.

Cherty laughed. “No. I imagine ya don't. Should be smooth from here until mornin',” he added. “Rest now.”

Hours later, which to me felt like minutes, the ferryman nudged my shoulder.

“We're here.”

“The afterlife?” I asked.

“Not quite. We're at the Isle of the Dead. Just passed the pillars a while ago. When we dock, we'll be greeted by the guardians of the gates and they'll take you on to the Porch of Judgment.”

“I see,” I said, standing up to crane my neck and search for a sign of Amon. If he'd been successful, then he would meet me on the dock. Maybe it wasn't this dock. Maybe there hadn't been enough time. My heart sank, but I tried to keep the nugget of hope alive. Amon just had to make it.

The Isle of the Dead was a dark place. There was an almost tangible stillness to it. Ancient trees dotted the mountains, and I saw the ruins of old stone buildings. We docked and two men in armor sporting helmets and swords approached. One man's armor was tinted bronze, while the other one wore silver. After Cherty tied off the ship, he turned to help me down.

“Thank you,” I said, and took his hands.

He squeezed them back, a watery sheen in his gray eyes, and then quickly dropped them and glared at me as if I'd tricked him into displaying the gesture. “It's me job,” he said gruffly.

Reaching into the ship, he grabbed a bag of food and handed it to me, then turned around to address the guardians.

“This one's a kicker, a sphinx. Amun-Ra sent her. You need to take her in.”

“A kicker?” the tallest guardian said from behind his helmet.

“A sphinx?” said the other one.

I grabbed my bow and quiver from the secure place I'd left them on the boat as the guard continued. “There hasn't been a sphinx in—”

The larger man grabbed the arm of the other. “Lily?” I heard his muffled voice say.

The guardians stepped forward and each of them tore off their helmets. My heart leapt in my throat, unbidden tears filling my eyes. The two men came toward me, and when Cherty tried to block them, they easily pushed him aside and knelt at my feet.

“It
is
you,” the larger man said.

“How did you get here?” asked the other.

I wrapped my arms around both of them, giving each a kiss on the cheek. “Asten. Ahmose. I'm so happy to see you.”

“Girlie!” Cherty hissed as he grabbed my arm, wrenching me away. “No one touches the guardians, Dreamer or Pathfinder. Ya 'ave no idea what terrible things could happen ta ya.” The ferryman put his arm around my shoulder. “The dreamer torments the wicked with the most horrible visions as he guides them to the Porch of Judgment, and the pathfinder, well, let's just say he's as adept at leading people off the path as keepin' 'em on it,” he whispered.

“It's okay,” I said, smiling. “They're my boyfriend's brothers.”

“ 'Ur boyfriend? Are ya tryin' ta tell me 'ur boyfriend is the revealer?”

“I guess,” I answered with a frown. “His name is Amon.”

Cherty slapped his meaty palm against his forehead. “By Apep's pulsing pustules, girlie! Do ya have a deat' wish? What am I askin'? Of course ya have a deat' wish. 'Ur here, ain't ya?”

He punched the side of his boat, which told me just how upset he was.

The ferryman went on with his lecture. “Bad enough ya gotta make 'ur way here, bein' a kicker and all. Now I find out you've fallen fer one a the wanderin' three, the soulless. And the wors' one o' the bunch, too. The revealer shows the disembodied exactly what they don' wanna see. And most o' the time, it ain't a pretty picture. Nothin' good will come o' helpin' a man such as that.”

“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 down 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.