“Good,” Asten said. “Now I am going to bathe, and when I return, I expect at least half of this food to be gone.”
I ate until I couldn’t take another bite and then went to relieve Ahmose so he could shower. With a soapy hot towel, I bathed Amon’s face and carefully cleaned the wounds on his chest and arms. The water quickly became red with his blood. I’d been through six bowlfuls of it by the time Ahmose came back.
At first I didn’t recognize Ahmose and Asten. They looked completely different in modern clothing, and, like Amon, they had grown out their hair. Ahmose had a short cap of dark hair, while Asten’s was a bit longer than Amon’s and was slicked back. Both of them looked like they belonged on a fashion runway.
“Not that you both don’t look good,” I began, “but doesn’t growing your hair use up some of your power?”
“The power necessary was tiny compared with what we need,” Ahmose said.
“Besides,” Asten countered, “we are hoping we can save up the energy and travel as mortals to the site of the ceremony.”
“The pyramids, you mean.” When they looked surprised, I waved my hand and explained, “Amon told me.”
“Ah,” they said. Both men shifted back and forth uneasily until Dr. Hassan entered the room. “Are you ready, Lily?” Amhose asked.
“Yes.”
“I wish you had rested more,” he admonished as he knelt down beside me. When I shrugged unhappily, Asten approached and gave me a small smile. “Do not worry overmuch. Ahmose is a very skilled healer. If anyone can guide Amon on the path to return to us, it is he.” I nodded, placing my hand in Ahmose’s large one.
“Channel as much energy as you dare, Brother,” Ahmose instructed Asten. Then he closed his eyes and placed his hand on Amon’s forehead. He began chanting in Egyptian, and I gasped as silver pulses of light appeared beneath my skin. The light coalesced, traveling down my arm into my hand, and then jumped from me to Ahmose.
The silver energy lit Ahmose’s hand and then briefly pooled on Amon’s forehead before sinking into his skin. Amon’s chest rose as he breathed deeply. My arms trembled and I suddenly realized I couldn’t swallow. I slumped against Ahmose’s arm, utterly exhausted. Asten stood on the other side of Amon. His eyes were closed and his arms stretched forward, palms up in a meditative manner.
A white fog trickled from Asten’s fingertips and a stream of it shot toward me while another stream hit Ahmose directly in the chest. I breathed in, becoming increasingly attuned to Amon’s brothers. I tasted a sort of icy salt and realized it was a flavor belonging solely to Asten. It was the tang of the stars. When I exhaled, I could see my breath and my lips felt frosty. The white fog I’d exhaled drifted down and became a third stream between me and Ahmose.
The triangle connecting the three of us allowed me to sense the innermost desires of both Asten and Ahmose. Asten longed to explore everything he had missed out on while he lingered for centuries in the afterlife. Ahmose wanted to work with his hands and secretly wished for a family. Then I sensed another presence in our circle—one I immediately recognized—Amon.
I felt him acknowledge his brothers and rejoice at having them near him, but then he noticed I was there. Lily? I heard him speak in my mind. No! Lily! Why is she here? She cannot do this! This will cement the bond!
Ahmose answered his brother. The bond is essential, Brother.
No! I will not allow it.
Amon struggled with Asten and Ahmose, not wanting their help but desperately needing it. His anger and hopelessness made me shrink away. I felt like an intruder. It was very clear that Amon had no desire to be with me, even if it meant his survival.
Distantly, I heard Ahmose’s spoken words, “He is rejecting the transfer.”
“He will not have the strength to complete the ceremony,” Asten warned.