Of course, stealing from his father was out of the
question, but it would be such damned fine fun.
“You will go to Osiris as a hostage,” Sutekh said,
obsidian eyes flat and dead.
“Sounds like a blast.”
Sutekh made a dismissive gesture. “You will listen
to everything my enemy reveals. You will watch. You
will commit every shred of information to memory
and bring it to me upon your return.”
“That’s quite a list. Maybe I should write it down.”
Mal considered asking if Sutekh wanted photos. But
Sutekh didn’t have much of a sense of humor, so instead Mal asked, “My return? You’re convinced Osiris
will keep me alive?”
There weren’t many things that could kill a soul
reaper. Sutekh himself. Certain lakes of fire. And Osiris’s
sidekick, Ammut the Devourer. Lovely creature. Head
of a crocodile, body of a leopard, ass of a hippopotamus.
She was the eater of the unworthy dead. Pretty much like
Sutekh. Only she played for the opposite team.
Oh, and Sutekh packed a bigger punch.
322
SINS OF THE HEART
And of course there was the new possibility, the unknown thing that had butchered Lokan. Withunknown
being the not-so-comforting point.
“He will keep you alive.” Sutekh glided across the
space and settled himself on his gold-inlaid, carved
throne. “He knows my vengeance will know no bounds
if he does not.”
Nice. Mal would be dead, but he’d be avenged in a
big way.