Sheshem let out another displeased roar before knocking directly into a wall of mirrors, pushing it right over. The rest of the maze went down like a line of shattering dominoes in the wake of Sheshem’s retreat.
“Hurry Alfonso,” Max cried, wasting no time chasing after Sheshem. Max’s portly magician friend hurried after him as well.
Shit, my trap hadn’t just attracted Sheshem. It’d drawn the attention of Max and Alfonso. The two bumbling idiots had chased off my ace in the hole.
Shock had me by the nuts. If I had nuts.
Did I have nuts?
Control of the situation slipped from my grasp so quickly I didn’t know which way was up or what kind of genitalia was attached to me.
Aten lumbered to his feet—a stinking, horrific monster that looked more like a bloody, chewed up piece of bubble gum.
“Get off him,” Aoiki screamed. Now that the maze had fallen, I caught sight of Aoiki and Xander fighting off a hoard of people.Their eyes glowed with bright light and they moved stiffly as if zombified.
Aten’s followers swarmed the place. Xander and Aoiki were trying not to hurt anyone while keeping them at bay.
“No,” I rasped. Everything was spiraling into chaos.
My plan crumbled to ash and there was nothing I could do about it.
“I’ve got her, Aten,” Sunny said, her teeth bared in a vicious grimace.
An incoherent sound gurgled out of Aten’s mouth. He reached out toward Sunny, and she instantly grabbed his hand with her free one.
“I’m here, my god! I will serve you however you need.”
A blazing inferno erupted from their intertwined hands, engulfing her in scorching flames.
She thrashed and writhed, desperately trying to break free, but Aten's grip was unrelenting.
The flames traveled like a runaway train along her body, melting her. Sunny’s screams of agony bounced off the rafters as Aten inhaled the fumes of her essence into his own body.
As his faithful servant burned, Aten regenerated, until not a single hair was out of place on his golden head and Sunny was no more.
Once he’d regained his composure, Aten turned his livid gaze to me. Bob groaned under the pressure of Aten’s magic, and I knew he was trying to take my life force too.
When he realized it wouldn’t work, Aten dropped his power.
“You won’t help me?” he snarled. “Then I’ll do it myself. Sending the rest of my brethren to the cradle will be a massive pain in my ass when they all begin to emerge and challenge me again, but you won’t have the blade forever, Miranda. If nothing else, you’ll die and the blade will go to someone else. Someone more amenable to my offer.”
With that, he disappeared in the direction Sheshem and the two idiot magicians went.
“I got it,” Aoiki said, successfully locking the doors against the swarms.
Xander was suddenly there at my side, bleeding profusely. His body was peppered with stab wounds and slices to his skin.
“I tried—I tried to get to you, but they would have killed Aoiki.” Even as he said it, I saw the self-hatred raging in his eyes.
I wanted to assure him he did the right thing, that it was what I would have done. But the truth was, she might be in more danger now. We all were.
I ran out the back way without explaining as nasty feeling churned in my guts. Once outside, we found all Aten’s worshippers. They all stood before him, still as traffic cones, eyes glowing.
“Give me your love,” he announced from atop the building next door.
Now the sun god stood atop his perch, drawing the attention of all of Vegas. They raised their hands up, as if to welcome the warmth and favor of their new god. Aten glowed brighter and brighter under their worship, becoming more powerful with each passing moment.
Then the collective essence flowed out of all of them as Aten inhaled the power of their souls.
