“Can you try?”
“My mind can understand the world through your eyes. Take your phone, for example. If I concentrate, I can picture you using it. I see in my mind how you rely upon the device, and though I cannot understand it fully, I do not fear it.”
“What about the planes and cars and skyscrapers?” He cocked his head and focused on me. “Wait, you’re doing it right now, aren’t you? Are you looking for the definition of skyscraper?”
“Yes.”
“It means these large buildings.”
“Ah. Though I can catch pictures and emotions from any person I choose, there is a special connection to you. It is more than the Eye. Our bond not only provides me with energy but also steadies me. Without you I would be a barque tossed upon a stormy sea without sail or anchor. I would be truly lost.”
“So have you bonded like this with other people? When you rose before, I mean?”
“No. You are the first.”
“Why didn’t you bond with others? Didn’t you need their help?”
“A bonding is a fusing of all five aspects of myself with another. Boundaries between the two people involved can easily become blurred. It is an…intimate thing.”
“Is that why I have a hard time controlling what I say? I mean, it’s like everything I think just spills out of me whether I want it to or not.”
Amon nodded. “Your inner thoughts and feelings have been drawn to the surface. In the past, I have known where I was and the work I had to do. My jars of death were always near, so I did not need to rely upon another. My brothers woke the same day as I did, and together we accomplished our purpose without imposing our will upon a mortal. The bond was never enacted because it was never needed. I will always be sorry for the burden this connection places upon you.”
I was quiet for a moment and then said, “I’m sensing there is more you’re not telling me.”
Amon looked away. “There is nothing that you need be concerned about. I will continue to tread very carefully so that you come to no harm. Speaking of that, you should rest now, Young Lily.”
“You’re tired, too,” I said quietly. “Won’t you sleep?”
Standing, Amon drew me to my feet and took a strand of my wet hair in his fingers. As he pulled it back from my face, he kissed my forehead—a gesture that surprised us both. “You need to sleep more than I, Nehabet,” he said as he took a step back.
“What does that mean?”
“In my language, a nehabet is a precious water lily found in an oasis, and this water lily”—he tapped my shoulder—“needs to rest.” When I started to protest, he shushed me with the tip of a finger on my upper lip. There is only one bed. My wish is for you to take it.”
With a nudge, he sent me off to the bedroom. As I closed the door, I saw him turn back toward the window and run a shaky hand through his hair.
It was early afternoon when I fell asleep, and by the time I woke it was already evening. The bedroom window was open and night air wafted in, cool and carrying the scents of river, desert flowers, and exotic spices. Cracking open the door, I found Amon asleep. His long form was bent unnaturally on the couch, the food on the table still untouched.
Wheeling the cart of cold food into the hall, I got on the phone and quietly ordered more and then knelt in front of Amon as I waited for the food to be delivered. His new hair covered his eyes, and after a moment of self-denial, I shut off the part of my mind that was normally in charge of things and gently brushed the hair out of his eyes with my fingertips. The warmth of this skin drew me, and I wanted to just sit near him to feel the radiance of it.