A hiss, like ocean foam washing across the sand, echoed around us and some movement overhead caught my eye. Through the flickering dome, the stars burned brighter than I’d ever seen them, which shouldn’t have been possible since we were so close to a major city.
They pulsed brilliantly, the familiar constellations seeming close enough to touch. The more-distant stars appeared closer as well, and as I gazed overhead, I felt weightless, like I could float upward into the night sky and become lost in the universe.
I was able to see the colors of the stars with my naked eye, which I knew was impossible. I could make out the rings of Saturn, a binary star, and a distant galaxy. Then, all of a sudden, the world shifted.
The stars fell.
Or rather, they were moving, the night sky spinning like a top, with each star leaving a streak of light behind it. Dizzy, I reached for Dr. Hassan’s hand and the spinning heavens slowed to a stop. The patterns of the stars overhead were no longer familiar. It was almost as if I were looking at the sky from the perspective of a different point in the galaxy.
Ahmose spoke next, his deep voice echoing in my mind.
“The moon fills the air with thrumming power.”
The luminous full moon, which was only halfway over the horizon, shone brighter and brighter. Its silvery light spilled over the land in almost liquid form, bathing everything in the pyramid zone with a mercurial glow. The speed of the moonrise accelerated until it was almost directly over the top of the temples before it stopped.
I froze as Amon’s rich voice swept over me. Despite the power that emanated from it, I could still hear a slight quaver, a resigned tinge of sadness, and I wondered if it was possible that he regretted sending me away. That he might miss me as much as I missed him.
The sun uncovers all hidden pathways
And exposes all that is secret and shadow.
When he uttered the last word, a bright light burst forth and emanated from the three servants of the gods, who stood facing the darkness. The light rose, encompassing everything in the dome, burning so vibrantly that the visible world became white. It took several moments before I could even recognize shapes. A shadow nearby spoke to me.
“Can you see me, Lily? I should have warned you not to look.”
The blur in front of me went in and out of focus. “No. It’s all hazy.”
I heard Amon’s voice once again and his words gave me courage.
Stand firm, my brothers.
Steady your hearts.
We will charge them as the falcon, the ibis, and the crane.
We will slaughter and destroy them,
Returning them to the dust from whence they came.
Dr. Hassan patted my hand. “The battle has begun. I need to weave my spell. When the time comes you must hand me the correct object.”
He passed me a box. Inside it, he’d put several objects. I nicked my finger on one as I was feeling around, and realized it was a small knife. There was also a lighter, a metal rod about the size of a kid’s baseball bat, a length of heavy chains, a stoppered bottle of liquid, and a weighty object with a plastic cover. It was a tool of some kind, but I couldn’t really tell what it was from feeling it. Dr. Hassan asked another question, but I was distracted by the sounds of battle. I worried about Amon fighting blind. Now that I was affected in a similar way, the idea of being surrounded by undead that I couldn’t see, and facing a giant crocodile demon ready to gobble me up, was terrifying. Dr. Hassan cleared his throat. “Lily, I will begin.”
I turned my face in his direction, ready to help.
In a booming voice, he shouted,
I, the grand vizier, guardian of the three points
Of the triangle of impossibility,
Call upon the afterlife to lend its strength.