guardian and remain her tether. As such, you are charged with guiding her on the right path. You know the stakes should you fail.”
“Yes, Anubis,” I heard a familiar voice say. “I understand my duty.”
“Good. Find what’s engraved on her heart. Until you do, her powers will be weak.”
“Yes. But may I ask, what about the Sons of Egypt?”
“They are safe enough for now. The three of them again reside in the afterlife and have resumed their positions as guardians.” There was a pause. “He is resigned to his fate. The protector of the Eye of Horus knows what he must do and is content to wait.” The person speaking sighed. “Only she has the power to return them to the Earth now.”
I heard the whine of a dog. “And how long will she be like this?”
“It is hidden from us. Her mind is like an adder stone. Not even Amun-Ra himself could discover her now should she wish to conceal her whereabouts.” There was a pause. “This is a good thing, I promise you.”
“Yes.”
“Prepare her, Vizier. A cloud of darkness overshadows us. The fiery darts of the adversary have already begun to fly, but rest assured, light is always more powerful than darkness. We are mere candles casting our weak light upon the universe, but she can be so much more. If she will stand as our beacon, there is still hope.”
There are a few people I’d like to thank for helping me with Recreated. First, I want to recognize all the amazing teachers I’ve had over the years, especially my English teachers for nurturing my love of literature. There is one teacher in particular who stands out in my mind. It’s likely she departed this world some time ago, since no one at my old middle school even remembers her.
She had large posters all around her classroom depicting the Greek gods and goddesses, and I spent my entire seventh-grade year staring at them and wondering what their stories were. That teacher gave me a powerful love of mythology that I still feel today. On the back of her classroom door, where the administrators couldn’t see it, she had another poster—Tom Selleck in a Speedo. It is possible that that poster might have influenced me a bit, too.
As always, I am grateful for my husband, who reads every chapter as I write it, and for my mom and sisters, including my sister-in-law, Suki, who all function as my assistants in pretty much every aspect of my life.
I can never show enough appreciation for my early reading group and fact-checkers, Linda, Neal, Fred, Liz, and Cindy.
My agent, Robert Gottleib, is so enthusiastic and supportive that I wish you all had such a person in your corner. Recreated wouldn’t be what it is without the encouragement, guidance, and insight of my editor, Krista Vitola.
Thanks to everyone at Delacorte Press, including Beverly Horowitz and Angela Carlino, to copy editor Carrie Andrews, and to Chris Saunders for the outstanding cover art.
And to my fans, you have made it possible for me to walk with lions and tigers and unicorns every day, both in my dreams and during my waking hours. It’s such a delight to be able to craft these stories for you and to know that they are as near and dear to your hearts as they are to mine.
Continue reading for an exclusive mythological story from
RECREATED
“Why don’t you tell me the story of the Unicorn and the Lion?” I asked.
He won’t tell you the truth, Tia grumbled in my mind.
“I’m sure you’ll correct anything he gets wrong,” I said, trying to console her with good thoughts and play the diplomat.
Since I am a gracious sort, Nebu said, I’ll oblige and tell you the story you wish to hear, as long as you keep stroking my neck. I’m rather fond of that, he added.
“It’s a deal.”
First of all, you need to know it isn’t the story of a Unicorn and a Lioness. It’s the tale of the Unicorn and the Lion.
The Lion and the Unicorn, Tia corrected.
“Shh,” I said. “Let’s listen.”
The golden stallion began. There was once a lovely young maiden, a princess, in fact, who was blessed by the gods with transcendent beauty, unmatched charm, heartwarming kindness, and heartbreaking purity.
“Why was her purity heartbreaking?”
I’ll get to that. She was as fresh as the dew on the meadow and as happy as the sunshine in springtime. Every man who saw her fell instantly and hopelessly in love with her. She filled their