“It’s more than a possibility. It’s a fact,” Asten contradicted. Then he explained. “Any shabti that is raised from the dead to serve in the mortal realm must come from the afterlife. That means the shabti that tried to kill you and Amon came from here.”
“So Seth has eyes and ears here, too.”
“He does,” Asten said.
We floated quietly for a time and then I asked, “So, what Cherty said about you two is true? Do you torment his passengers on arrival?”
Neither of them answered at first.
Ahmose admitted quietly, “The ferryman was not…inaccurate.”
“But why?” I asked. “It doesn’t seem like you to torment those who’ve lost everything.”
“It’s not our fault,” Asten said. “Though the place we’re going is called the Porch of Judgment, the dead are actually judged from the moment they set foot on the Isle of the Dead. That’s why the journey is so important.”
Ahmose explained. “When a person is in our presence, our powers make them aware of all their wrongdoing. By the time their heart is weighed, they already know the outcome. Some try to escape their fate. They run or throw themselves to monsters along the way, succumbing to a second death before a punishment is meted out. Many of them would rather meet an uncertain end than end up in the Devourer’s garden. I don’t purposely lead them on the wrong path, but being near me makes them aware of all the flawed paths they chose in their mortality.”
“And being close to me,” Asten added, “causes them to see all the bad things they’d ever done play in their minds in a never-ending vision. If it’s really bad, it can cause some of them to go mad.”
“And what about Amon?” I asked. “What happens when they are close to the revealer?”
Ahmose answered. “Because Amon has the Eye of Horus, he knows all things. When the dead are near him, they have the opportunity to see what their lives could have been had they lived up to their potential.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad,” I said. “Why did Cherty say he was the worst?”
Asten answered thoughtfully. “Amon’s power is the most difficult to bear because he reveals the unknown. The dead already know the wrong they’ve done. They remember the choices and the paths they’ve followed, but to see the happiness, the wonder of what they could have had, is the most trying thing for the dead to absorb.
“Seeing it and knowing they will never have it…well, let’s just say that drives more of them into the mouth of darkness, seeking their second and final death, than either of our powers combined. Getting a glimpse of what could be is…at once disturbing and intoxicating…” Asten’s words trailed off and when I turned to him, I found him intently watching me. At seeing my puzzled expression, he turned his eyes toward the trees.
“So if that’s all true,” I asked, “then why am I not experiencing those effects?”
“It’s because you’re still alive, Lily,” Ahmose answered.
“But I am not,” Tia added, slipping into control. “I am, what is the word, disembodied.”
Asten smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “You are a beautiful exception to the rule. Though your body is gone, you share the living body of Lily. That means your judgment is suspended until such time as you have nowhere else to go.”
“That’s not going to happen,” I vowed.
“In the meantime,” he went on, “our powers won’t affect you.”
At that moment the boat rocked violently and I heard the guttural call of a large animal. A surge of water spilled over the rim of the boat, a dense spray of it shooting up in the air.
“What is it?” I cried.
“They don’t call it the Waterway of the White Hippo for nothing,” Asten said sardonically.
Ahmose lifted the pole and jabbed it into the ivory shape hovering beneath the water. I saw other shapes surrounding us as one large hippo lifted its head above the waterline. Its mouth gaped open, and, enraged, it bit into the side of the boat, nearly overturning us. I very quickly came to doubt the efficacy of Ahmose’s pole as a weapon and lifted the bow over my shoulder, preparing to defend us.
“Stop,” Asten said, and covered my hand with his. “You cannot kill anything. Not here. These animals are considered sacred.”
“But how are we to cross if we cannot muster a defense?”
“It’s a part of the judging, Lily. If they deem you worthy to pass over, you will.