the other shoulder was draped in white linens. In both hands, she carried a large ceramic bowl.
“Here.” She-Aba placed the bowl down by Istulo.
Segund roused. “L-Lilith,” he muttered.
“I’m here, Father. So is Istulo. She’ll heal you. Stay with me.”
His mouth opened like a naked baby bird. “M-Mica w-went th-through arch wh-while it w-was o-opened t-to our p-past. H-He t-took tri-dent. Need…it.”
“Never mind Mica, Father, you need me.”
“N-No. T-T-Time f-flows—” he attempted to point at Lilith, then dropped his hand “—th-through…us. Through…you. K-Keep t-time s-safe. F-Find M-Mica. B-Bring home.”
“What’s your father saying, Lilith?” She-Aba asked, ripping strips of linen for Istulo. She dipped one strip into the water, rolled it up, and placed it on Segund’s beading forehead.
“I’m not sure. Time flows through us. Through me. Keep time safe. He wants me to find Mica and bring him home. It doesn’t make any sense.” Lilith stroked her father’s soft beard.
Then, as if given an awakening jolt, the Arch of Atlantis started to hum louder again, outdoing Istulo’s chants. A beam of golden light, appearing in the form of a serpent’s head, shot out of the archway. It surrounded Tau, who was kneeling with his head down, looking into the open record keeper. Stunned, he let out a visceral gasp, like his insides were being torn out. His brown eyes grew big, and as if being commanded by the serpent light, he pulled a long, thin piece of crystal out of the spine of the record keeper and started to scribe inside it.
Istulo continued to chant, choosing to focus on healing Segund. Lilith was torn between the two spectacles manifesting before her—Tau, enwrapped in a golden serpent-like light, and Istulo, still squeezing liquid from the lifeless cobra. Then, as if on cue, Isulo dropped the cobra, added a dash of white powder to the liquid in the mortar, and spooned in a small amount of water from the bowl with her cupped palm.
Suddenly, Tau was released from the serpent light. He fell forward before catching himself. Shaken, he stood up, wobbled, and glanced into the record keeper.
“Tau? Are you hurt?” Lilith asked.
He shook his head. “I’m fine. But it seems I’ve scribed into your father’s record keeper, and I don’t remember doing it.”
“What’s it say, Tau?” She-Aba asked, standing. She moved to peer over his shoulder. “Hmm, looks like a jumble of beetle footprints to me.”
Tau scowled. “That’s because girls don’t know how to scribe properly.”
“Hold your father’s head up for me, Lilith,” Istulo said, her voice sounding hoarse.
Propping up his head, Lilith kept it still while Istulo poured the mixture of cobra’s liquid, white powder, and water down his throat.
“What did you take from the snake’s mouth?” Lilith asked as Istulo wiped a running drop away from his chin.
“Poison,” she replied with no emotion.
Lilith balked. “You…you made him drink the cobra’s poison? But…but that’s already in his body!”
Istulo put her hand up. “In alchemy, you fight fire with fire, Lilith. I know what I am doing. I am trained in the art of potions. You need to learn to trust. All we can do is wait now. Segund is in Ra’s hands.” Then Istulo clapped three times over Lilith’s barely breathing father and went into a trance.
Wiping her eyes, Lilith bent down to kiss her father’s forehead. The heat and stickiness melded with her lips and tasted like melted salt. Lilith fixed his shirt, slowly stood, and walked over to Tau and She-Aba. The Arch of Atlantis steadily hummed, the sound started to make her feel woozy. Why did Mica do this? Her fingers curled into her palms, and she sucked in her stomach.
She-Aba reached out to hug her. “It will be all right, Lilith. Istulo will heal your father,” she said in an assuring manner.
Lilith unfurled her fingers and hugged She-Aba back. She squeezed her eyes shut to wring out her
“Here.” She-Aba placed the bowl down by Istulo.
Segund roused. “L-Lilith,” he muttered.
“I’m here, Father. So is Istulo. She’ll heal you. Stay with me.”
His mouth opened like a naked baby bird. “M-Mica w-went th-through arch wh-while it w-was o-opened t-to our p-past. H-He t-took tri-dent. Need…it.”
“Never mind Mica, Father, you need me.”
“N-No. T-T-Time f-flows—” he attempted to point at Lilith, then dropped his hand “—th-through…us. Through…you. K-Keep t-time s-safe. F-Find M-Mica. B-Bring home.”
“What’s your father saying, Lilith?” She-Aba asked, ripping strips of linen for Istulo. She dipped one strip into the water, rolled it up, and placed it on Segund’s beading forehead.
“I’m not sure. Time flows through us. Through me. Keep time safe. He wants me to find Mica and bring him home. It doesn’t make any sense.” Lilith stroked her father’s soft beard.
Then, as if given an awakening jolt, the Arch of Atlantis started to hum louder again, outdoing Istulo’s chants. A beam of golden light, appearing in the form of a serpent’s head, shot out of the archway. It surrounded Tau, who was kneeling with his head down, looking into the open record keeper. Stunned, he let out a visceral gasp, like his insides were being torn out. His brown eyes grew big, and as if being commanded by the serpent light, he pulled a long, thin piece of crystal out of the spine of the record keeper and started to scribe inside it.
Istulo continued to chant, choosing to focus on healing Segund. Lilith was torn between the two spectacles manifesting before her—Tau, enwrapped in a golden serpent-like light, and Istulo, still squeezing liquid from the lifeless cobra. Then, as if on cue, Isulo dropped the cobra, added a dash of white powder to the liquid in the mortar, and spooned in a small amount of water from the bowl with her cupped palm.
Suddenly, Tau was released from the serpent light. He fell forward before catching himself. Shaken, he stood up, wobbled, and glanced into the record keeper.
“Tau? Are you hurt?” Lilith asked.
He shook his head. “I’m fine. But it seems I’ve scribed into your father’s record keeper, and I don’t remember doing it.”
“What’s it say, Tau?” She-Aba asked, standing. She moved to peer over his shoulder. “Hmm, looks like a jumble of beetle footprints to me.”
Tau scowled. “That’s because girls don’t know how to scribe properly.”
“Hold your father’s head up for me, Lilith,” Istulo said, her voice sounding hoarse.
Propping up his head, Lilith kept it still while Istulo poured the mixture of cobra’s liquid, white powder, and water down his throat.
“What did you take from the snake’s mouth?” Lilith asked as Istulo wiped a running drop away from his chin.
“Poison,” she replied with no emotion.
Lilith balked. “You…you made him drink the cobra’s poison? But…but that’s already in his body!”
Istulo put her hand up. “In alchemy, you fight fire with fire, Lilith. I know what I am doing. I am trained in the art of potions. You need to learn to trust. All we can do is wait now. Segund is in Ra’s hands.” Then Istulo clapped three times over Lilith’s barely breathing father and went into a trance.
Wiping her eyes, Lilith bent down to kiss her father’s forehead. The heat and stickiness melded with her lips and tasted like melted salt. Lilith fixed his shirt, slowly stood, and walked over to Tau and She-Aba. The Arch of Atlantis steadily hummed, the sound started to make her feel woozy. Why did Mica do this? Her fingers curled into her palms, and she sucked in her stomach.
She-Aba reached out to hug her. “It will be all right, Lilith. Istulo will heal your father,” she said in an assuring manner.
Lilith unfurled her fingers and hugged She-Aba back. She squeezed her eyes shut to wring out her
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