for a mummy.
In a normal relationship, I’d only have to loan the guy some cash, give him a ride, or help him do his homework when he got into trouble. With Amon I had to fly around with goddesses, fend off amorous deities, and be hunted by über-beasties. Still, in my heart I knew I would risk anything for him. The chance to be with Amon again was worth every sacrifice I was being asked to make.
As I lifted my hand from my shoulder blade, my gaze narrowed on my fingertips. The swirls and lines on the pads snapped into sharp focus and I could see the pumping of my blood in the tiny veins just beneath the surface. “What is this?” I whispered, suddenly ultra-aware that my senses had been heightened by the spell. The call of birds startled me. I felt the weight of a termite colony more than a mile away and smelled a river full of wild creatures. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply.
Something was out there.
Something powerful.
Something dangerous.
I could taste the metallic bite of it as I ran my tongue across my teeth. Turning to Dr. Hassan, I flexed the muscles of my back and shoulders, warming them, for what purpose I did not yet know. “What am I supposed to do now?”
Even though I’d asked the question, a newly awakened desire was already tugging on me with invisible strings. There was something, someone, I needed to find, and it wasn’t Amon.
Oscar gave me a hesitant smile. “You must go, Lily. I will wait for you here as long as I am able.”
“Yes,” I responded, though my voice seemed entirely unlike my own and my thoughts felt muddled.
“Follow your instincts,” he said finally. When I reached down to take a bag, he shook his head. “You are not meant to take anything with you. Even water. You are to be tested.”
I swallowed, already thirsty at the idea that I’d be wandering the African savanna without any supplies. Despite my determination, tears filled my eyes. It was by sheer will alone that I didn’t allow the tears to fall. Amon needed me. I could do this.
Lifting my face to the sun, I inhaled deeply both to steady myself and to try to get a sense of the direction I needed to go. The light was rosy behind my closed eyelids and as I opened myself to the sounds and scents around me, something caught my attention, a distinct thud like the beat of a distant drum.
“Lily?” I heard Oscar say.
“Yes?” I replied, chin raised with eyes still tightly shut.
“It’s time to run.”
In an instant, every nerve in my body snapped to attention. Angling just my head toward him, I gave a small nod and then I was running. I staggered for just a moment when my legs got tangled up in the billows of my dress, but then I caught hold of the hem mid-leap and pulled the material up, tucking it firmly into my belt.
Air filled my lungs, and I inhaled and exhaled in deep gusts, my legs and arms pumping in a steady rhythm. Soon Oscar was just a speck on the horizon, and I was surprised to find I was able to jump and balance as well as a deer. Even though I’d never considered myself particularly athletic and had never run at any speed faster than a jog, my fast pace didn’t wind me. I was bursting with energy and relished the feel of my warmed muscles and the dust that coated my sandaled feet.
My hair streamed behind me, the breeze whipping through it like a horse’s mane, and though I was human, and fragile, and very much in danger, I can honestly say I’d never felt more alive. My limbs hummed and all my worries fell by the wayside as I traversed the terrain. I was a creature with nothing to prove and no one to answer to. I was free.
I didn’t stop for hours. But when I finally tired, I instinctively headed toward the distant river. In one section, there was a small drop that created a stream of water where I could easily drink. I crept into the undergrowth by the river, exhaling in hot pants as I peered through the sparse trees and high grasses looking for danger. The cover was thick and I
In a normal relationship, I’d only have to loan the guy some cash, give him a ride, or help him do his homework when he got into trouble. With Amon I had to fly around with goddesses, fend off amorous deities, and be hunted by über-beasties. Still, in my heart I knew I would risk anything for him. The chance to be with Amon again was worth every sacrifice I was being asked to make.
As I lifted my hand from my shoulder blade, my gaze narrowed on my fingertips. The swirls and lines on the pads snapped into sharp focus and I could see the pumping of my blood in the tiny veins just beneath the surface. “What is this?” I whispered, suddenly ultra-aware that my senses had been heightened by the spell. The call of birds startled me. I felt the weight of a termite colony more than a mile away and smelled a river full of wild creatures. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply.
Something was out there.
Something powerful.
Something dangerous.
I could taste the metallic bite of it as I ran my tongue across my teeth. Turning to Dr. Hassan, I flexed the muscles of my back and shoulders, warming them, for what purpose I did not yet know. “What am I supposed to do now?”
Even though I’d asked the question, a newly awakened desire was already tugging on me with invisible strings. There was something, someone, I needed to find, and it wasn’t Amon.
Oscar gave me a hesitant smile. “You must go, Lily. I will wait for you here as long as I am able.”
“Yes,” I responded, though my voice seemed entirely unlike my own and my thoughts felt muddled.
“Follow your instincts,” he said finally. When I reached down to take a bag, he shook his head. “You are not meant to take anything with you. Even water. You are to be tested.”
I swallowed, already thirsty at the idea that I’d be wandering the African savanna without any supplies. Despite my determination, tears filled my eyes. It was by sheer will alone that I didn’t allow the tears to fall. Amon needed me. I could do this.
Lifting my face to the sun, I inhaled deeply both to steady myself and to try to get a sense of the direction I needed to go. The light was rosy behind my closed eyelids and as I opened myself to the sounds and scents around me, something caught my attention, a distinct thud like the beat of a distant drum.
“Lily?” I heard Oscar say.
“Yes?” I replied, chin raised with eyes still tightly shut.
“It’s time to run.”
In an instant, every nerve in my body snapped to attention. Angling just my head toward him, I gave a small nod and then I was running. I staggered for just a moment when my legs got tangled up in the billows of my dress, but then I caught hold of the hem mid-leap and pulled the material up, tucking it firmly into my belt.
Air filled my lungs, and I inhaled and exhaled in deep gusts, my legs and arms pumping in a steady rhythm. Soon Oscar was just a speck on the horizon, and I was surprised to find I was able to jump and balance as well as a deer. Even though I’d never considered myself particularly athletic and had never run at any speed faster than a jog, my fast pace didn’t wind me. I was bursting with energy and relished the feel of my warmed muscles and the dust that coated my sandaled feet.
My hair streamed behind me, the breeze whipping through it like a horse’s mane, and though I was human, and fragile, and very much in danger, I can honestly say I’d never felt more alive. My limbs hummed and all my worries fell by the wayside as I traversed the terrain. I was a creature with nothing to prove and no one to answer to. I was free.
I didn’t stop for hours. But when I finally tired, I instinctively headed toward the distant river. In one section, there was a small drop that created a stream of water where I could easily drink. I crept into the undergrowth by the river, exhaling in hot pants as I peered through the sparse trees and high grasses looking for danger. The cover was thick and I
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