He’d never spoken of a triangle of impossibility. I wondered what that was. Taking some quick mental notes, I added the phrase to a long list of unanswered questions. Was there some magical triangular object that he held? Why was he guarding three points and what were they? Was the afterlife the same thing as the netherworld?
Dr. Hassan went on.
We defend the path between
The earth, the sky, and the places beyond,
But our enemy has come among us.
Osahar turned toward the sounds of fighting and raised his arms in the air. He’d started to come into focus a little bit more, but everything was still blurry.
Treacherous one, we warn you to retreat!
Do not seek to come against us.
You cling to darkness and abhor the light.
You seek camaraderie with evil, and so,
You will receive the recompense of the one you embrace.
You have chained yourself to chaos.
Assuming that was my cue, I wrapped the chain around my arm, pressing my fingers against the other items in the box so I could grab them quickly.
Your venom is as strong as a thousand vipers’.
I heard a hiss and realized the sound was coming from the scarecrow we had made. Goose bumps broke out over my flesh, and I staggered away. I wasn’t sure if the snakes I heard were real, representations of Sebak, or if it was a mental trick—nothing in this crazy world seemed impossible—but in any case, I moved as far back as I dared, still unable to see exactly where the roof ended.
You have made your teeth as knives.
I heard another monstrous sound, and this time I knew what it was—crocodiles. Gasping in fear, I shifted nervously, but there were no long bodies or dark shapes coming after me. The effigy bucked and snapped against the tape we’d used to bind it to the rod.
We who are your enemies revile you.
Dr. Hassan approached the effigy representing Sebak and spat upon it. The bound figure swung its head back and forth wildly, the shape of it now very different from the figure we’d created.
We who would diminish your power smite you.
“Lily, now!” Dr. Hassan sputtered, and I desperately fingered through the objects, finally selecting the metal rod.
With a cry, Dr. Hassan hit the figure three times and I heard a sharp snap like bones breaking. A scream full of rage blossomed, not from the doll-figure, but from the giant creature by the pyramids. I squinted, focusing on the chaos of color below.
As I peered down, the first thing I could make out was the crocodile beast that Sebak had become. He’d climbed the great pyramid and was about halfway up, but his left front leg hung limply at his side and one of his back legs seemed to have given way. He clung to the pyramid with a massive claw as he struggled to right himself. Broken bits of stone cracked away from the edifice, shattering as they hit the lower levels.
Ahmose, his body silver and shimmering, lifted his cudgel in the air and brought it down upon the monster’s other leg, shattering the bone. Then he transformed into a silver crane. It was the first time I’d seen him in bird form. The crane leapt from the pyramid and circled the sky, seeking his brothers. Below him the zombie horde had clustered in two places, and I was just able to make out flashes of gold and white at the center of each. We needed to hurry.
We who would strike fear into your heart pierce you.