Fresh tears fell upon the woman’s cheeks as she nodded. “It is, Great One.”
“Very well. Prince of Itjtawy, son of Heru, Amun-Ra, god of the sun, has granted you a portion of his power. You are now revealer of secrets, champion of the troubled, bringer of light, seeker of truth, and protector of the Eye of Horus. You will take upon yourself the very name of the sun god. Henceforth, you will be known as Amon.”
Lifting his hands, palms up, to the morning sun, Anubis collected its golden rays, and when the light spilled from his hands, he thrust them toward the body of the third royal son. The light arced off his palms and fell upon the chest of the young man, who breathed in and opened his eyes.
Sunlight bounced from his chest to the other two fallen princes, and as their chests expanded with breath, they sat up. When the last of the sunlight was absorbed, each prince stood and embraced his parents.
“Tonight you will feast,” Anubis said. “Spend this precious time with your loved ones, for this evening we must complete the ceremony to align the sun, the moon, and the stars so that the sons of Egypt will be protected from the chaos of the Dark One.”
The people feasted in celebration, but their happiness was short-lived. Though Anubis had indeed returned life to the fallen princes, their time in mortality was short. That evening, he returned to complete the ceremony, and when it was time, he took the three royal princes with him, leaving behind three families in mourning, a legend that would be passed down from generation to generation, and three mummies with a special purpose to fulfill—a destiny that would cause them to rise again.
“What’s happening?” I shouted. “Did something go wrong when we raised Ahmose?” Reaching out blindly, I caught the sleeve of Dr. Hassan’s shirt. The labored breathing and pain-filled gasps of Amon’s brothers was agonizing. Making my way over to them, I crouched down and ran my hands up a powerful pair of arms until I cupped a man’s face. It was Ahmose.
Sticky blood caked his cheeks and I tried to wipe the wetness away with my thumb. “Tell me,” I said. “How bad is it?”
“It…it is not us.”
“I don’t understand. What do you mean, it isn’t you?”
Asten reached out to touch my shoulder. “He means we are fine. It is an attack against us, but we will heal from—”
Ahmose cut off Asten. “That is not what I meant to say. The thing that injured us—”
“Is not something we need to discuss at this time,” Asten pressed on. “It will only cause unnecessary worry. Trust me on this, Brother, and leave well enough alone.”
Pausing, Ahmose said, “Very well. I will trust your judgment.”
“Is one of you well enough to give us some light to work with?” I asked.
“Perhaps, if you can heal me, Brother?”
Ahmose grunted. “Yes, of course. Give me your hand.”
I scooted back so Asten could take my place, and Ahmose’s deep voice wove a spell over his brother. Whatever he’d done was finished quickly, because Asten’s body lit from within once more. The light started off at a very low wattage, sort of like an energy-saving bulb, but then it grew in intensity.
Without turning to me, Asten asked, “Do you have enough water to create a damp cloth?”
“Sure. Just a minute,” I said. Dr. Hassan offered a handkerchief and I used the little water remaining to wet it. “Here,” I said, handing it to Asten.
He took it from me, keeping his back turned. I heard a ripping noise, and both men began cleaning their faces. The bloody trails were not obvious on Asten’s cheeks since his face was still coated with grime and muck, but Ahmose now had unmistakable marks on his otherwise pristine new skin. His gray eyes were bright with tears, but they didn’t appear to be injured.
“So? Does one of you want to explain what just happened?”