The desert felt like it went on forever. There was sand in shoes, in her clothes, in her hair. A hot wind blew from the west making the heat even more intense. Kayla was so over this desert but there was no way to leave. Her new friend's powers were still acting up and the two mountains were still quite a walk away. Yinepu had said they should head for the west. He called it Manu and said something about it maybe being able to strengthen his powers. "Death is on the West," he'd explained. Kayla had no idea what he was talking about, but hey, any plan was better than no plan in this situation.

Kayla was grateful for the supply pack she'd picked up from home before leaving. Zer weren't exactly created for desert conditions. They were made for water. She could feel herself weakening despite the supplies, and there were still plenty of those to get through. The bag on her waist was a gift from Jay when they were still dating. She would've tossed it if the damned thing wasn't so useful. A charm meant all her supplies were stored in another dimension only accessible through the bag. She had an entire survival kit in it. After all, one never knew when something like this would happen.

Ammit trotted happily between the pair. She was unconcerned about anything. If anything, she looked happy. Every time she spotted something sparkly in the sand Ammit would begin rolling around, yapping. Yinepu now had a small collection of priceless gemstones in his pocket and no idea what to do with them. It only continued to grow as they walked.

"For a Devourer, she's not very scary," Kayla said.

Yinepu shook his head. "She is scary when she does her work. Her name is feared."

Ammit yapped at Kayla's feet. She picked her up, scratching under the creature's chin. "How could anyone fear someone so adorable?"

"The hearts of the wicked. She feasts on them if they fail the final test."

Kayla grimaced, pulling back from the creature nuzzling her. "Ew. Your world is strange."

"I think it's nice." He shoved his hands into his pocket. "You follow the path of Sekhmet?"

"Who?"

Yinepu frowned, trying to think of the right words in Lyriumian. "A Healer. You are a Healer?"

Kayla nodded. "Is it really that obvious?"

"You do give off a certain aura. But it's a good thing," he quickly added. "It's always good to have a Healer around."

"Especially with a group of Immortals who enjoy getting killed." She sighed. "Oh, yeah. My life isn't complicated at all."

"We all have our roles in the world, Kayla. Not everyone is lucky to find theirs, but you did." He smiled. "Be proud of that. Oi!" This was to Ammit. Yinepu held up a silver gemstone. Ammit's tail wagged happily. He tossed it toward the mountain. She gave chase. "I'm sure the others appreciate your talents?"

"They do." Kayla reached into her pouch for another bottle of water. "I don't do it for the praise. People need help and I provide. Simple as that." She took a long mouthful and sighed. "Is there anything I should know about this mountain."

Yinepu looked to the sky as he thought. "There should be a Guardian. A lion named Aker. Well, there are two. One on each mountain. Sef and Duau. That is what the stories so it would be safe to assume they are there."

"One for each mountain?"

"Peak and I would assume so. If we are headed for Manu, I believe that means we will encounter Sef."

"What do the stories say about them?"

"Aker is either two lions at each peak or one lion with two heads. I think." Yinepu scratched the back of his head. "It has been quite some time since a living one has been encountered by anyone but the highest Gods of my people. I would ask but . . ." He shrugged helpfully.

Kayla nodded. "Either two lions or a two headed lion. Right. Okay. No problem."

"They may not be anything there."

"Here's hoping that's the case."

* * * * * * * *

The West mountain—Manu—was even more impressive up close. The golden mountain wasn't made of sand. There was no sand on it at all. It was brown-yellow sandstone with golden veins which only made it look like it was made of gold. The very top was covered with diamonds. It glowed in the light of the setting sun, making the light from the diamonds look orange. It was beautiful. Kayla couldn't stop staring.

Yinepu, on the other hand, walked straight past her and begun climbing. "You coming?"

Kayla shook off her revery. "Oh, right. Yes. Why?"

"Because the top has the most power," he answered as though it were the most obvious thing ever. "Come on."

Naturally, this was when things went very wrong.

The ground shook. The mountaintop begun to crumble. The very sand shifted. Something was moving below, something big. Kayla and Yinepu fell to the sand in surprise. Ammit begun growling. The world around them shrunk away. Something was lifting them up! The sand was shaken away, the three falling along with it. They looked up and what they saw was quite a sight to behold.

Put simply, it was a giant lion. Not something one sees everyday but far from the weirdest thing in Creation. The only thing was their appearance. These lions had fur made of gold and manes made of fire. Their eyes were silver and glowing, and had the symbol of the Eye of Horus painted in thick, black kohl around them. The only things which made them look like 'normal' lions were the thick, fluffy tufts on the end of their tail. The lion roared in the faces of the three, sand being kicked up around them.

"Big lion," Kayla said.

"At least it's not a two headed lion," Yinepu countered.

"Good point. What do we do?"

He frowned. "There is a chance it will recognise me . . ."

Yinepu stood before the lion and begun speaking in rapid-fire Kemetic. The lion tilted its head as he spoke, seeming to listen. It lowered itself, giving the God a good sniff. It pulled back as Yinepu continued to talk. Whatever he'd said was a bad idea. The lion immediately went on the defensive, growling.

Kayla tapped his shoulder and hissed, "What did you say?"

"That I am God of the Dead, a worker under Auser, currently lost and looking for a way home, and that I think the only way to make my power work is to reach the top of the mountain. And . . ."

"And?"

"And that it would be nice if they would let us pass before we were forced to make them."

Kayla raised a hand to her head. "Suddenly understanding why you and Amneris are friends."

"Hey!"

"Try rephrasing before it attacks."

"Somehow I don't think that will work. I also think we may want to run."

The lion had its paw raised.

"Yup," Kayla gulped. "Running sounds good."

The paw came down.

Kayla and Yinepu ran, Kayla scooping up Ammit. The paw hit the sand. The three went flying.

Kayla shot her new friend a glare. "You just had to make it mad."

Yinepu clicked his tongue. "Look, all we have to do is get past it—"

"I'm a Healer!" She spread her arms, accidently dropping Ammit in the process. "Fighting really is not my thing, and it's not like I have weapons. For that matter, do you see any water around here I could use? Because I sure don't!"

"Fine," he said. "I will get past it." He ran off.

Kayla sighed, glancing and Ammit who sat curiously at her side. "We should help him if we want to get home." Ammit jumped up, tail wagging happily. "Oh, alright. Let's go."

Yinepu was holding his own against the lion, Sef. He held a black sceptre topped with what looked like a jackal's head. Strangely appropriate, Kayla thought. He used it to whack the lion's head. It fell to the sand with a groan before standing, swiping at Yinepu with a clawed paw. He jumped back just in time, Sef's claws cutting through his shirt but not breaking the skin.

He frowned at his torn shirt. "I liked this one . . ."

"Priorities," Kayla sung, pulling a knife from her bag.

"Don't kill it," Yinepu said. "We just need to—"

"Get past the giant cat? No problem."

Together, they charged.

Sef lashed out at Kayla. She jumped over its paw, ducking under the next and slamming her knife into its paw. Sef looked down, seeming not even hurt by the small bade. It shook its paw, Kayla still holding onto the hit of her knife. The blade slid free. The injury healed immediately. Kayla dropped to the sand with a yelp.

Yinepu leaped over Kayla, sceptre in hand. Given a new target, Sef turned its attention back to him. It eyed the God closely, watching him race forward. Sef's eyes glowed with a bright, golden light. Its head pulled back. Its entire body light up with a power so bright Kayla had to look away. Sef's head turned to Yinepu. It let loose with a breath of golden fire. He cried out, being thrown back to where Kayla knelt. His entire body was steaming. Kayla cursed under her breath and begun using her power on him. Distracted, she didn't notice Sef preparing to attack until it was right on top of her—

Something caught Sef's paw! Ammit was standing between the lion and her friends. She growled, a faint silver light flickering to life around her. The light was also around Sef's paw. The lion pulled back. Ammit's light grew brighter, surrounding her until she was encased in a giant, glowing version of herself! She stood over Kayla and Yinepu, protecting them.

Ammit open her crocodile jaws, teeth glistening as she roared. The sound kicked up sand on a sound-driven wind. Sef braced against the onslaught, being pushed back a few metres. The roar ended. Sef looked up at Ammit. Their eyes met. Ammit growled low. Sef lowered its head and sunk back into the sand. The power around Ammit vanished until she returned to her small, adorable form. She turned to her friends with a grin, tail wagging proudly.

Yinepu, now healed thanks to Kayla's power, pat Ammit's head. "Good job."

Kayla was in awe. "Did – did you know she could do that?"

"Of course."

"I guess what they say about small creatures is true!" she laughed. Ammit jumped onto her lap, nuzzling her cheek and wanting cuddles. Kayla held the creature tightly, getting to her feet. "Does this mean we can reach the mountain now?"

"It does," Yinepu said, beginning to move toward it. "We should reach the summit with no other attacks now."

"'Should'," Kayla repeated.

Yinepu smiled. "Yes, well, I am quite sure Sef was the only guardian."

"And if not, we have Ammit to bail us out again!" Ammit yapped in excitement at the idea. Kayla scratched behind her ears. "Yes, we are very proud of you."

They reached the path to the top with no problems. Kayla raised her free hand to her head, blocking the light of the ever-setting sun from her eyes. The summit looked to be a long way up. Did they really have to go all the way to the top?

"A lot of our powers are enhanced by sacred objects and locations," Yinepu said, beginning to follow the path up. "The power of Ra is strong here. It should help."

Kayla followed close behind, Ammit still in her arms. "If it weren't for the sand and heat, I would love to see more of this place."

"Djew is just the two peaks as far as I know. What we have seen is all there is."

"Oh." Kayla frowned. "That's a shame." She ran a hand along a gold vein, rubbing the substance between her fingers. "With this much gold, it would be best to keep this place secret from certain beings."

"Agreed." Yinepu stopped to look out over the desert. "It really has no end."

Kayla followed his gaze. "Maybe it does but we can't see it from here."

He considered this. "Alternate worlds are strange."

"That we can definitely agree on."