battle. You might be safer staying back as far as you can. But lend her your strength if possible.”
I peered at him, looking for insincerity, but found none. “All right, then. I’ll hide. You just keep us alive. Do ya understand?”
“I do. And I will.”
“I’ll hold ya ta that.”
Blinking, I found I was staring too deeply into Ahmose’s eyes. His brows were lifted. I gave a curt nod, my cheeks burning over the things I’d been thinking—that she’d been thinking, I corrected myself, and sighed. This was all so confusing. A part of me knew the thoughts weren’t mine, and yet they felt as real to me in the moment as the touch of his hand had. Squaring my shoulders, I signaled the brothers.
We’d just stood when there was movement below. Quickly we ducked down as the grating of stone echoed up to our ears. Sand shifted on the arena floor and disappeared down a crack that grew wider. From beneath the sandstone surface a dais rose, and on top was a large black cauldron. A door opened in the forum and creatures of all descriptions entered, filling the space around the giant kettle.
When all were in place, a drum sounded, and as one, the creatures looked to the sky. Thousands of winged beings filled the air, screeching as they called out below. I ducked, knowing they were minions of the Devourer and hoping in vain that they wouldn’t notice us.
While they flew overhead, the Minotaur henchman entered.
“Ach! Look at ’im!” I remarked too loudly. “Ya wouldn’ wanna ride that into battle, now, wouldja? I mean, he’s got the kind o’ face that looks like a bulldog chewing a wasp!”
Ahmose elbowed me. “Ashleigh, you must try to keep your voice down.”
“It’s okay,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m still here. She’s just got very loud thoughts, is all. It’s hard to block out.”
The Minotaur was followed by a shrouded figure in the form of a man. I felt my heart lurch, thinking it might be Amon, but then I saw that the person wasn’t chained. He walked of his own free will. The man I knew would have fought to his dying breath. No. Amon was here somewhere, but it wasn’t the man in the hood.
The winged batlike creatures fluttered madly, dipping lower and lower until a form materialized in their midst. Quickly, the leathery wings stilled, becoming a cloak. The Minotaur smiled—a chilling, slightly nauseating sight. “All hail the Devourer!” he cried out. The sentiment was echoed among the rowdy crowd of monsters so terrifying I knew I’d have nightmares about them for years, assuming, of course, I survived long enough to dream again.
The personification of all I loathed took a step forward. She raised her arms to the crowd, her back to us, and laughed.
“Thank you all for attending this most auspicious occasion!” the Devourer said in her lovely, monstrous voice. She turned in a circle, swinging her curvy hips as she did so, and I saw that this time she was dressed in a gown of sparkling silver, a very clingy one. The living cloak trailing behind her was spiked from the horns of the winged minions that clung to one another, and the skulls of some little beasts adorned each shoulder.
Her long, dark hair hung down her back in lustrous undulating waves, and even from a distance, I noticed that the small silver beads adorning the locks of her hair were also living, clutching sections with their claws and affixing a gleaming, jeweled crown upon her head. The gems were as red as blood. How appropriate, I thought.
She looked even lovelier than she had the last time I’d seen her. The greenish-gray veins that surfaced during our last encounter had disappeared. Now she was all creams and pinks except for the same bloodred lips. It was as if she’d blossomed while feasting on Amon’s power. Technically, she’d been siphoning off energies from all of us. The idea that the bloom in her cheek might have come from me sickened me. I shivered, knowing it was highly likely that was what had happened. She thrived on our shared power.
“She’s not at all what I expected,” Ahmose whispered.
“In all the stories I’ve heard about her, she was always referred to as the ugliest of immortals,” Asten added.
“You might think she’s beautiful now,” I said. “But wait until she opens her mouth like she’s about to stuff an entire Thanksgiving turkey down her throat. Turns your stomach.” Ahmose and