“But—”
“Take this.” Asten handed me a pale rock. “You will need the light.” He cupped his hands over the rock and whispered some words, lighting the stone from within. With a little squeeze of his hand, he took his bow from my shoulder and started making his way down the corridor, creating as much noise as possible.
With a small smile, Amon brushed his thumb lightly against my cheek and took his golden scimitars from Dr. Hassan. Following his brother, Amon ran, hollering and beating against the walls after he got a distance away from us. The mountain rumbled as the worm withdrew its probing feeler, screeched, and took off after Amon and Asten.
“They’re going to get themselves killed,” I mumbled as I folded my arms and tried to rub away the goose bumps that had risen when Amon and his warmth had left.
“Yes. Eventually,” Dr. Hassan responded.
“You seem at ease with all this,” I groused. “Aren’t you worried about anything? Not even your own life?”
Dr. Hassan took the shining stone from me with a wave of dismissal. “My life is of no consequence,” he said. “Every wonder I’ve seen, every magical moment is a gift I treasure and I count myself fortunate just to have lived long enough to see it. If I die today, I will journey to the afterlife as a happy and blessed man.”
“Yeah, well, I have a few more things I’d like to do in life before I give up, so to speak.”
“Yes, of course. You are young. You have not had time to even consider your dreams, let alone realize them.”
Slowly, the glittering mist surrounding us dissipated, and the sounds of the brothers taunting the giant creature reached our ears. “We’re going to make it, right?” I asked, worried about Amon and Asten fighting the demon worm.
“I have no doubt. Light always overcomes the darkness.” Dr. Hassan raised the glowing stone in his hand to prove his point.
“You’ve changed your tune. What happened to preparing myself for the worst?”
He raised his head, seeming to calculate my words. “You know, my dear, I feel I am of two minds on the subject. The scientist in me seems to be at war with the man of faith. But, for the time being, and in the face of these miraculous events, I have drifted across the line and into the faith camp. I always believed, you know, but when the secular world insists that gods are not real, you begin to doubt yourself. I think my faith has sustained me all these years, though I was unaware of it. And now I feel…” He laughed. “Well, a great sense of vindication is what I’m feeling at the moment.”
“Hmm, I don’t think I have the same degree of faith as you.”
“Faith is merely a willingness to believe, and that belief becomes stronger and sharper over time until it can cut through your doubts as easily as Amon’s scimitars.”
I snorted.
Dr. Hassan pressed on. “My point is that Amon and his brother are not mere mortals aspiring to be gods such as our pharaohs of old. They are truly gods who walk among men. And what’s more, they are warriors, divine protectors who aspire to fulfill their celestial calling. Surely seeing their power, experiencing it firsthand, can inspire you to have at least a little bit of faith.”
“You’re right. It’s incredible what they can do and what they have accomplished, but as much as I’m impressed by Amon’s power, I can see and feel what it’s done to him. Having that much responsibility is not always a blessing. So, yes, I have doubts.
“I doubt that Amon has the strength to fulfill his role. I doubt he’s happy being stuck in the sort of limbo afterlife he described, even should he succeed in his quest. And most of all, I doubt that this life, this sacrifice that has to be made over and over again, is worth it. Amon deserves more.”