you will share a body along with the power of a sphinx. Essentially, you will no longer have complete control over yourself. This phenomenon is already evident, as you have spoken without meaning to.”
“Isis should have told me what I was supposed to do.”
Oscar shook his head. “You were meant to discover your purpose on your journey.”
“Well, I did a bang-up job of that, then, didn’t I?”
So now I was going to lose myself to the mind of the lioness? How could Oscar and Isis let me go without telling me something so vital? They’d said to embrace my instinct, and my feelings had never once told me to kill. How could I have messed this up so completely? And an even more startling notion entered my mind—what if this mistake I’d made could somehow hinder me from saving Amon?
I searched my memories for the moment when I’d let the whole thing fall apart, but I couldn’t pinpoint any one error. Could it be possible that I wasn’t meant to kill her? That my instincts had been correct after all? I tried to cling to that hope, but it was hard to do when Dr. Hassan seemed so sure that this wasn’t going to end well. Tia had withdrawn so completely that I could barely feel her presence. Stunned, I sat down next to Oscar and cupped my head in my hands. “What’s going to happen to me?” I whispered. “And what does this mean for Amon?”
He blew out a breath. “There is no reason to believe you will not be able to wield the power of the sphinx, and that is what you will need to access the netherworld. As far as your unique problem goes, I don’t know everything about the lore of the sphinx, but I will share with you all that I can and hope you will find something therein of value.
“The best case I can think of is that the two of you will accomplish your purpose and will somehow find harmony and be able to reside peacefully in the same form. But I must warn you, there is a very real possibility that the huntress will overpower you and the person you are will be lost. The path you walk, you must walk together. If not, the tug-of-war for the right to control your body will begin.”
I breathed in and out slowly. Focusing on each inhale and exhale, feeling like the presence that had become a part of me had utterly betrayed me. I wanted to claw her away from my mind, but it was impossible. A tiny whimper escaped from my lips instead as I realized the depth of what I’d agreed to do.
You knew this? I accused. That I was supposed to kill you?
In a small voice, Tia admitted, I did.
How could you?
For a long moment, she didn’t answer, and when she did, the words were not what I expected.
I am not a coward, so put thoughts of that nature far from your mind. I do not fear death. At first when you entered our territory, I wondered if you were even strong enough to defeat me. As I chased you, your redolent stench of fear was disappointing. You smelled like prey. Not a worthy adversary at all.
But then you called out to me. Challenged me. The sign of a worthy heart. A heroine’s spirit. You’d passed the test and had the right to your boon. But the boon you sought was not what I expected.
Your heart spoke of love and family. I was surprised to discover that you hadn’t come seeking my death at all, though I knew that was supposed to have been your purpose. I focused on your heart, trying to sense what you were going to do. Your deep loneliness was nearly unbearable, and that emotion was echoed within me. Since the death of my sister I’d felt alone even in a pride as large as mine was. I decided to give you a choice and offered myself up to you. If you killed me, then I would have accepted it.
You had incentive and had the means. There were jagged branches nearby that could have easily been used to thrust into my neck or eye. You could have had a knife on you as well, for all I knew. The choice was entirely in your hands. My life was yours for the taking. My heart was ready for the sacrifice.