When Nebu was done, his long-lashed eyes met mine, and though no words echoed in my mind, a heartfelt sentiment passed between us. Then he turned and galloped. As one, the unicorns stampeded. The ground shook anew, and if it weren’t for Amon, I would have fallen.
They snapped open their wings and rose in the air, Nebu leading the way. A part of me wanted to stretch out my wings and join them. Seeing their gleaming forms take to the sky was a sight I’d never forget. They were beautiful, magical, almost frightening in their glory.
The glint of the golden sun shining on the tips of their wings stung my eyes. I shielded them but recognized Nebu’s body as it surged forward toward Amun-Ra’s tower. It was currently flashing an ad for an upcoming runway show. When he hit the screen, Nebu burst into pure energy and light exploded all around Times Square. Sparkling bits rained down in a crackling shower.
The Devourer, enraged, opened her mouth, and green light shot toward the herd of unicorns. But her light never reached them. One by one, they flew to the wall of light that grew brighter as each unicorn disappeared inside. When the last one leapt into the breach, a sonic boom resonated. Then the visual light show seemed to collapse in on itself.
Cars disappeared first, then stoplights. The noise of New York faded into the quiet of the ruined city of Heliopolis. The buildings shimmered and then returned to normal. The ghostly people blinked and went on about their business as if it had all been a strange illusion. Then they, too, disappeared.
The shimmering wall of light grew smaller and smaller until all became still as the breach finally closed. I blinked once, twice. “Where…where’s Nebu?” I asked Amon, turning around to see where he’d rematerialize. “When will he come back?”
“He…the unicorns…will not be returning,” he said quietly.
“What do you mean they won’t be returning?” I stammered, a cold kind of horror filling my veins.
“Their paths end here,” Ahmose offered.
Amon explained, “They have given over their lives, Nehabet.”
“You mean…they’re dead?” I cried, my voice trembling. “All of them?” I asked, looking back and forth at each of them.
“Yes. They sacrificed themselves to close the breach,” Ahmose said gently.
“But…but…,” I stammered, tears blazing a path down my face, “but unicorns are immortal.”
“Young Lily,” Amon said softly, “many are given the gift of immortality, but as you know, a gift can be returned.”
“No,” I whispered, shaking my head. “No.” The tears came freely as I thought of the dozens of beautiful creatures who had just sacrificed their lives. “They can’t even enter the afterlife.”
I collapsed in a heap at Amon’s feet. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me up, cradling me in his arms and pressing soft kisses on my fevered cheeks.
“He never even asked for his boon,” I said through quivering lips.
A scream of rage distracted me, and I pulled away from Amon to see a furious Devourer. “If you think this will stop me, stop us, you are woefully mistaken,” she spat. “I’ll make you regret what you have done.” Her hair writhed in the air like snakes as she pointed toward us. “Bring them to me!” she cried in fury. “But remember, the master wants them intact!”
A hundred sky-demons erupted from the ruined buildings. They descended on us as she turned to Anubis. “But he said nothing about you,” she said, teasing the god. “I was going to draw this out, but I am famished, and your friends have rudely sent my dinner back before I could partake. Shall we get on with it?”
“You help Anubis,” Amon said quickly to Ahmose, taking his brother by the arm. “Distract her, but beware her poison. Do not allow her to get her hooks into you. We will take care of the sky-demons and come to your aid as soon as we can.”
Ahmose nodded gravely, touched his fingertips briefly to my cheek, and headed off, cudgel raised. I swallowed, knowing we stood little chance of staving off even half the demons in the sky, let alone to help Ahmose and Anubis.
Amon seemed to read my mind, because he took my arm. “Do not summon her, Young Lily. Not yet. Give us a chance to succeed first.” After a moment, I nodded, doubt still filling me. “Please,” he added. Amon captured my lips in a brief kiss, then he stepped back and switched to his golden falcon form.
With a cry, he soared into the air, and I snapped open my wings to follow. He flew straight into the crush of demons who sped by us like clawed meteors on every side. With his talons, he tore apart a demon, ripping him in two, and slapped another one off course with his wings. The severed creature dropped to the ground and crumbled to pieces on impact. One down, ninety-nine to go.
Ashleigh took over our flight. She was brilliant, flying through the horde and always staying just out of reach. Tia’s cat eyes spotted holes where my human eyes would only see masses of flying bodies. I nocked an arrow, a regular one this time, and let it fly. It struck true, sinking into the shoulder of a demon, but it still came at me. The sky-demon snarled and sunk its claws into my arms. I wrenched back, but a trio of deep scratches bled freely on my forearm.
Our wings thrashed as we spiraled in the air. Thrusting my own claws out, I sank them into the place in its chest where the heart should be and twisted. The beast yowled and shoved me away. Its nose wrinkled as it pulled its hand from the wound in its chest. It stared at the black blood in confusion. The wound changed color, turning green, and the creature’s body fragmented in the air. Its scream cut off when its mouth dissolved.
Another creature burst through the remains of its brother, coming at me with arms open and wings pounding the air. Folding my wings, I dropped down and then snapped them open just before I hit the ground. Lifting my head, I squinted at the rising sun as I rocketed up, a mass of sky-demons hot on my tail. I took out a few using the power of the sphinx to strangle them, but I had to concentrate and do it one by one. It was too difficult a power to manage in an air fight.
I heard the golden falcon but couldn’t see him. Ashleigh used her skill to navigate between buildings. Brushing purposely against the remains of a tower, I turned to see it fall behind us, collapsing and taking down a half dozen demons with it. But as many as were felled, even more rose up to take their places.
The sky darkened and storm clouds gathered overhead. I knew it was Ahmose helping us as best he could. Lightning struck and hit a number of sky-demons in quick succession. Giant balls of hail began to pummel the backs of the beasts, driving them down. I alit on a rocky overhang with a shallow alcove where my head would be protected and drew my knives. Letting the hail do its work, I took out those who flew around me, thrusting my spear-knives into their chests. They cried out and dropped limply, spiraling to the ground like unmindful birds that had hit a window.
When the hail stopped, they swarmed, climbing the rocks and flapping their wings wildly as they tried to reach me in my little cave. I knew it was just a matter of time before they cornered me. With a battle cry, I lunged, claws out, and dove through them, tearing their leathery wings. When I cleared the flock, I thrust out my wings and soared toward the place I’d last seen the Devourer, dozens of sky-demons on my heels. There were just too many of them. We were never going to stop them.
I managed to spot Ahmose far below, struggling against the Devourer. He’d actually brought a thundercloud down upon her and lightning struck her body repeatedly, but Ahmose was on his knees, struggling to remain upright. A dangerous green fog swirled around his legs while Anubis continued to lie bound behind him. I knew Ahmose was no match for her, not in his current condition.
Scanning the sky, I searched for Amon. Catching sight of his golden wings, I beat mine to chase after him. When Amon was still a distance away, his form suddenly switched to human in midair. I screamed his name and rushed upward, trying to reach him before he crashed, but dozens of sky-demons clouded the air between us. Furiously, I took out demon after demon, but still he plummeted.
Amon summoned his weapons. The go
lden scimitars gleamed in the sunlight and, as he fell, he slashed, cutting the heads off several demons, then he turned, rotating in the air so his back was to the ground and threw his swords, impaling two of them from above. Both the weapons and the demons dissolved in the air, and when I blinked, Amon was a golden falcon again. He twisted, beating his wings rapidly and headed up again, an angry horde in his wake.
Something hit my back and ripped into my wings. I screamed and, following Amon’s example, called them back into my body. The demon fell, but I followed, plunging right along with him. Turning in midair, I shoved my spear-knife through him, then I summoned my wings again, beating them furiously to regain my previous position. As the stela healed me, I switched from defense to offense, turning head-on into the group tailing me. I pinned two to a building with one spear while impaling another.
The need to help both Amon and Ahmose was weighing on my mind. They were both formidable warriors, but if something was to happen to either of them, I knew I’d blame myself.
My body was covered in oozing scratches, and there was a puncture wound in one shoulder and a stinging bite in the other. One of my wings was ripped and ached terribly. The stela just couldn’t keep up. Desperately, I sought out Ahmose again, hoping to see the Devourer still thwarted. She wasn’t. In fact, Ahmose was now tied up and held by demons like Anubis. We’d run out of time.
I was about to tuck my wings and head down to help him when I heard a bellow from above. Amon stood in human form on top of a building. A mass of sky-demons circled him. With each pass, their sharp claws ripped his body. He slashed at one and overbalanced, falling to one knee. He cried out as he slipped from the top of the building and disappeared over the side.
“Amon!” I cried. I felt pulled in two different directions. A part of me desperately wanted to head down to Ahmose, but another insisted that Amon’s current situation was more desperate. I turned toward the tower.
Determined to get to Amon, and seeing the demons closing on me again, I beat my wings in giant thrusts, ignoring the sting of pain. I grit my teeth and surged forward, quickly outdistancing the sky-demons. Channeling all my waning energy and power into each beat, I willed my wings to take me to Amon. If I could just reach him before he hit the ground, I knew he’d survive. But then I’d have to turn right around and save Ahmose. I needed to be in two places at once.
My hair streamed behind me, the wind rushing past my face. Adrenaline fueled me, diminishing the pain of my injuries. I lifted my wings and felt the sun’s rays touch the feathers. Then something happened.
The air that stirred in my wings became electrified. Swirls of golden light snapped and popped in the air around me. When the enemy came close, the light surged toward him, enveloping him in a funnel. The sky-demon’s body shook as it struggled, and then the creature disintegrated in a burst of dust.
I beat my wings harder, the stream of energy spreading in curling squalls, shooting from one to another to another, capturing them in an electric funnel cloud. I snapped my wings sharply, and a wave of light sped toward the demons holding Ahmose and Anubis. They, too, disappeared.
The remaining ones surrounding me veered away, and I let them flee. Turning, I raced toward Amon once more and found him hanging on to the rooftop by his fingertips. His shirt had been slashed to ribbons. The sky-demons pecked at him with sharp beaks and raked their claws down his trembling form.
I clapped my wings together, and a burst of light shot toward the flock surrounding him. They scattered, all but a few disappearing in a cloud of dust that rained down. My newly discovered power filled me, invigorating my tired body. A great howling wind erupted from my wings and chased the rest away.
Hovering in the air, I waited for the dust to clear, hoping I hadn’t injured Amon in the process. For a minute, I was alarmed. I couldn’t see him. Flying around the building, I searched for his form on the stone and then on the ground. That’s when I heard the cry of the golden falcon and found him banking toward me. Together, we headed back to Ahmose. I just hoped we weren’t too late.
My eyes went round when I saw the Devourer. She clutched Ahmose’s large body in her arms, her mouth upon his. He was limp, his limbs dangling like slack ropes, and still she clung to him, drinking him in deeply. From a distance it looked as if she was cradling someone she loved, but as we neared I could see her hair wrapped around him, squeezing him like a mass of constrictors, the sharp barbs impaling his skin. He kicked feebly as green light leaked from the seal of their lips.
I landed near them, touching down nimbly. Rage filled my frame. “Let ’im go, ya treacherous witch. Ah’ll no’ bear ya touchin’ ma Ahmose. Drop ’im now, else ah’ll cut out yer heart an’ feed it ta yer demons meself.”
Slowly, the Devourer lifted her head, green tendrils dangling from her ruby-red, glistening mouth. Green light glowed in her eyes, and they twinkled as they took in my ragged form. Automatically, we attempted to strangle her, but it was like trying to swallow a watermelon whole—the Devourer was just too powerful. With a too-casual sigh, she dropped Ahmose as if he were a sack of potatoes and stood up straight and tall, a knowing smile on her face. Delicately, she tucked the strings of remaining energy into her mouth and licked her lips.
“Mmm,” she said. “As delicious as I remember.”
Clenching my fists, I was about to attack when Amon grabbed my arm, instantly chilling my boiling blood. “He’s still alive, Ashleigh. Let’s do this together.”
“Yes, pet,” the Devourer said, addressing Amon with a wink. “Unfortunately, he is still among the living, so to speak. He wouldn’t be if you hadn’t interrupted my meal,” she said. Though her mouth pouted prettily, her eyes shot daggers.
She leaned close to his cheek and wrapped an arm possessively around his chest. “I think I’m ready for seconds, handsome,” she said, pressing her mouth to his ear.
“Now, Ashleigh!” Amon cried as he sprang into action, whipping out his scimitars to attack. The Devourer simply disappeared again in a flurry of creatures and his sword slashed through the fluttering mass. They melted away, unaffected. Slowly, he turned in a circle waiting for her. We heard her taunting giggle and caught sight of her sparkling green light, but she didn’t rematerialize.
As much as I wanted to help Amon, Ashleigh was in total control and would not relinquish it. She knelt down next to Ahmose and tried desperately to rouse him. My eyes were flooded with tears. With Asten gone and Ahmose poisoned by the Devourer, I felt as if the pieces holding me together were fading. All it would take was a sharp tug and my whole world would unravel.
“Ach, my bonny lad. What has she done ta ya?”
Amon hacked at the ropes binding Anubis, and the god fell into his arms. “She’s killed most of the others,” Anubis said. “Ma’at’s gone.”
“Osiris?” Amon asked.
Anubis shook his head. “Not yet. He’s still locked in the tower. She knew we’d come for him.”
Nodding his head grimly, Amon said, “It’s time to go. Can you move?”
Anubis trembled. “She’s drained me, son. I’ve very little left.”
Amon threw Anubis’s arm over his shoulders. “Then let’s get you out of here.”
“There’s no time,” Anubis said, his brows knitted. “She’s toying with the lot of you. Keeping you busy until Seth breaks free of his shackles.”
“Then we’ll make sure we finish her before he does. You’ll have to hold on to Ahmose. Ashleigh,” Amon called, “help position them on my back.”
Amon changed into his bird form, and Ashleigh stepped aside so I could take over again. Anubis, weak as he was, helped me get Ahmose on his brother’s back. I was just about to help Anubis, too, when the Devourer reappeared behind him.
“Leaving so soon? We can’t have that, can we?” She sank her writhing hair into Anubis and actually lifted him in the air. He cried out in pain. Desperately, I turned to Amon. “Go. Get him to safety. I’ll keep her busy until you get back.”
Amon took o
ff, barely keeping a groaning Ahmose on his back. His golden form disappeared over the buildings. The Devourer watched him depart with an expression of amusement. “You think to thwart my master?” Her eyes had lit up just thinking about him.
“Your master?” I spat. “I would think a woman as powerful as you are would chafe at the very idea of having a master.”
She tossed Anubis aside easily and he crumbled to the ground in a heap. “Says the girl who has not one but three masters.”
“The Sons of Egypt aren’t my masters,” I replied. “They are my companions. Warriors who stand alongside me.”
“Are they?” she asked, sizing me up. “I think perhaps they are much more than that. I must admit you’ve impressed me. To wrap the three Sons of Egypt around your little finger so quickly is something to be admired. Tell me,” she said, stalking closer, “what have you done with their hearts?”
“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”
“I think you do. That one you just spirited away had barely any energy left to give, and his heart was missing. A telltale sign that they are much more than just your…warriors.” The Devourer screwed up her face as she studied me. “Why are you so…unreadable? You are still mortal. I can smell the rank odor of humanity on you, and yet I do not sense your heart. It’s powerful. I know that much.”
The Devourer circled around me slowly; my nerves prickled at her proximity. Closing the gap between us, she wrapped a hand around my arm, her long nails scraping my skin. Her hot breath wafted over me as she said, “I know you have one. I’ve tasted it through Amon.” I could feel her eyes boring into me. “My master says you need to be taken alive, but surely he wouldn’t mind me having just a little taste.” Her eyes closed. “The bond of true love is so rare a delicacy. To consume a heart engorged by it is something one such as I could never resist.”
“Is that because you’ve never experienced it for yourself?” I asked quietly.
Her face turned scarlet. “My master loves me.”
“Seth loves Isis. Nephthys told me all about it.”