“No!” he yelled. He turned to Keket, a look of pleased triumph on her face. But then she gasped as he grabbed an amulet dangling from a chain around her neck and threw it to the ground.
“You fool!” she screamed, but it was too late.
Out of the ground where the crystal landed, a mummy crawled from the sand. The mummy turned to Keket and grabbed at her. Keket used a powerful blast of magic to destroy the mummy, but more were climbing out of the sand as she did so. She grabbed Ramses’s arm and ran away, calling forth a whirlwind of sand around them. In a moment, they disappeared. But the mummies Ramses had awakened were still there. They turned around and began to lumber toward us. I drew my khopesh and the lion kings transformed. The soldiers behind us also prepared their weapons. We all ran toward the mummies, hacking and slashing with swords claws and fangs. Thankfully, there were not more than a dozen of the creatures and we were able to dispatch them easily. Afterward, while the soldiers arranged camp, I met with the three lion kings.
“We were lucky,” Saleem said.
“In what way?” I asked.
“Ramses acted out of anger,” he said. “He had no control over his actions or the mummies he created. I imagine that if Keket had called them forth, we would have faced a great danger.”
“What do you think we should do?” I asked.
“We need reinforcements,” he said. “Give me leave. I will return as soon as I can.”
“What?” I asked. “Leave? Now? But we will reach the city tomorrow! I need you. What reinforcements?”
“I…do not want to tell you just yet, in case I fail,” he said.
“But…No!” I said. “I can’t lose you!”
He walked over and kissed me gently on the head. “You will not lose me,” he said. “I will return. I promise.”
I turned to Zakai and Oringo. “Tell him to stay!” I ordered them.
“You should let him go,” Zakai said. “We need all the help we can get.” Oringo nodded in agreement.
I sighed in defeat. “Fine,” I said. “But do not delay. We must lay siege to the city tomorrow. If we don’t, Keket will have more time to mount a defense.”
“I understand,” Saleem said. “I will leave now.”
As he walked away, even Zakai and Oringo could not fill the hole left in my heart.
11
The next day, we continued our march to Luxor. The city gates were closed and the walls were manned with archers, but we stayed well out of their reach. As much as it pained me to do so, we settled in for a siege of the city. I knew that during a siege, it was always the most vulnerable of people who suffered first. As water and food became more scarce, the poor and weak would be the first to run out of supplies. I did not know how many people Keket had trapped within the city, but I had to hope that the siege would not last long. But a siege was the best way to make sure Keket and Ramses did not flee. I supposed it was possible she could use her powers to spirit herself and my brother away, but I did not think she would do that. She wanted to destroy Egypt—and she wanted to kill me. She could do neither if she fled. She would also look like a coward if she did so, and I knew Keket was not a coward. No, this fight would finally end one way or another—with either me or Keket dead.
Stationed outside the city, it seemed as though all we could do was wait. I sat tall on my horse, Oringo and Zakai to each side of me, the army at my back.
“What are your orders, Your Majesty?” Oringo asked me. “Should I send an emissary to request Keket come out to hear your terms for ending the siege?”
“No,” I said. “I feel that if we send anyone in there, they won’t come out again. If Keket wants to speak to me, she can face me herself.”
“So, we wait?” Zakai asked, raising his eyes to the midday sun, his skin shining with a sheen of sweat.
“Send an archer,” I said. “But make sure he is well protected by a shield bearer. On the arrow, send a message that I will speak to no one but Keket.”
Oringo barked the order to one of his men and within minutes, an archer and a shield bearer ran as close to the wall as was necessary to get the message over the gate. As expected, the archers on the wall took aim at my men, but the shield did its work and the men returned safely.
“Do you think she will reply?” Oringo asked.
“I think that if you want to have the upper hand, it never hurts to provoke an attack,” Zakai answered for me, and I nodded. Some might have seen my actions as foolish. Why incite a fight? But I was ready. There was no sense in prolonging a battle. A longer siege would only hurt more of my own people. I only wanted Keket. Let her come.
My hands twisted my horse’s leather reins and I could hear the soldiers behind me shift on their feet. There was tension in the air, and everyone could feel it crawling on their skin like spiders. Smell it like a choking smoke. Hear it sizzle like flesh over a flame.
Finally, Keket herself appeared on the wall. I nearly jumped for joy. I looked to Oringo, begging him with my eyes to send the archers forward to take her out, but he shook his head. As soon as the men moved, Keket would take cover. Besides, he knew that as much as I wanted Keket dead, I wanted to take her out myself, with my own sword, by my own hand.
“Sanura,” Keket said, and her voice was as clear as though she was standing next to me, but she wasn’t shouting. She must have been commanding the very wind to carry her voice to me. But as I looked around, I realized that everyone else could hear her as well.
“Keket,” I answered through gritted teeth just to let her know that I could hear her.
“I am told that is it courtesy for a queen to ask the leader of an invading army what she wants before fighting through a siege,” she said. “So, what do you want?”
“You are no queen!” I said. “And I am not invading my own city. You are the invader and—”
“Semantics,” Keket said. “Stop wasting my time. What will it take for you to leave?”
“Your head on a pike,” I said.
Keket laughed. “I had hoped you would say that,” she said. “I would have been disappointed for you to travel so far only to work out a diplomatic solution.”
“You plan to destroy the world,” I said. “There could never be a diplomatic solution.”
“True,” she said. “But I would have enjoyed seeing you run away with your tail between your legs.”
“I’ll never run,” I said.
“Good,” she said. “I look forward to watching you die.”
With that, the wind picked up. The temperature rose as well, as if it wasn’t already hot enough. I reached over and gripped Zakai’s hand, afraid that Keket might be trying to banish me again.
“I’ll never let go,” he said, and I found comfort in his words.
There was a roaring sound from the west. We looked and saw a dark wall bearing down on us.
“Sand storm!” Oringo yelled.
I heard Keket laugh. I looked at her, but she had left the wall, most likely preparing to take cover in my palace. But unbeknownst to her, we were prepared for this. We knew that Keket had an affinity for controlling the wind and sand. She often called upon the wind when using magic and used sand to move great distances. If Keket was going to try to stop us with an act of nature, it would be a sand storm.
I reached into my saddlebag and pulled out a mask for my horse’s face to both protect and calm her, as did everyone with a horse. We then coaxed the horses to lay down. Everyone then pulled large canvas sheets out of their bags and covered their bodies, Zakai, Oringo, and I laid ours together so we would not be trapped alone. Everyone also used their weapons to prop up the sheets to create air pockets. Each person was equipped with water canteens and small supplies of food. We all hunkered down under our sheets…and waited.
Lying under the sheet, even with Zakai and Oringo each holding one of my hands, was terrifying. The light filtering through the sheet darkened as the storm rolled over us until there was only blackness. The sheet bowed as the weight of th
e sand collected on top of it. I started to panic at the idea of a mountain of sand collapsing onto us, suffocating us.
“Breathe as lightly as possible,” Zakai reminded me. “We need to conserve the air.”
“Do you get a lot of sandstorms in Anwe?” Oringo asked. I thought it was odd that he was making small talk, but as he squeezed my hand tighter, I realized that he was trying not to panic as well.
“Of course,” Zakai said. “Usually only one or two a year, but you never really know when they will happen.”
“We don’t get them in the jungle,” Oringo said. “Just another reason I can’t wait to go home.”
Oringo’s words surprised me. For some reason, I hadn’t considered that he and the other lion kings, not to mention the Zulu, might miss their homes as much as I did. Of course, they left their homes willingly to fight, and they knew their homes would still be there waiting for them when they returned. Mine was ripped from me with no hope of ever seeing it again. As much as I wanted Zakai, Oringo, and Saleem in my life when this was over, I knew that all of us loved our homelands too much to ever want to leave them permanently. I hadn’t given much thought to what our lives would look like when this was over. But here in the dark, I could do nothing but think.
“You will go home,” I said to Oringo, displaying more confidence than I felt. “You will rebuild Dakari.”
“I hope so,” he said. “I would hate for the Dakari to fall under my watch…even though I didn’t ask for that responsibility in the first place.”
“That is what makes you such a strong leader, and the best one for your people,” Zakai said. “You did not know you were meant for greatness, but you did not shirk the responsibility when it came to you.”
Oringo went silent for a moment. I think he was surprised to hear such kind words from Zakai…or anyone other than me. Oringo never had anyone who believed in his ability to rule before he met me. People deferred to him because they had to, but given a choice, he knew everyone would have preferred almost any other king. Everyone but me. And now Zakai. Even though Oringo didn’t respond, I think Zakai’s approval meant more to him than that of any other man.
“Hopefully the storm will not last long,” Zakai said. “It was not created by nature. Keket called it up quickly. Maybe it will end quickly too.”
“One can only hope,” I said with a sigh. “I’m going to go crazy in here.”
“At least we are not alone,” Zakai said and he rolled over, placing his arm across my stomach. Even in the hot, enclosed space, the warmth and weight of his arm was comforting. I closed my eyes and tried to relax, taking breaths as shallow as I could manage.
After a moment, I felt another arm over my stomach just under Zakai’s, and I realized that Oringo was now holding me as well. I placed my hands on each of their arms and held them, feeling more safe and protected than I ever had felt when I was with only one of them at a time. The only thing missing was Saleem. Where had he gone? What was he doing?
Somehow, in spite of everything, I managed to drift off to sleep.
I coughed and gagged as the sand fell into my face. Zakai and Oringo were digging us out, but no matter how careful they were, it was impossible to avoid the sand getting everywhere. Zakai had been right and the storm had only lasted a couple of hours. I looked up and saw that the sun was just past the highest point. At the wall of Luxor, the men looked astonished to see us digging ourselves out. Across the desert, thousands of men and horses were popping up out of the sand like desert roses.
“Take roll call immediately,” Oringo ordered his generals. “Report anyone missing. Count the horses as well.”
The sand had formed small dunes over us, so it was likely that the sand was too heavy in some places for the men or animals to climb out under their own steam. But by working together, within an hour every man and horse was accounted for. There had been no casualties.
After giving my horse a long, well-deserved drink, I climbed upon her back and repositioned myself before the city gate.
“Is that all you have for me?” I asked. I didn’t know if Keket was listening, but I was sure my words were clear as I sat triumphantly in my saddle.
“Now what?” Oringo asked, and I shrugged.
“She knows I’m here,” I said. “Let’s just wait and see what happens.”
Only a moment later, we heard the sound of a war horn, and my heart dropped into my stomach. The gate to the city opened and an army began marching toward us.
“No,” I whispered. This was the last thing I wanted. The thing I was most unprepared for. I did not want to fight and kill my own people. We had hoped that Keket would use nature to attack us, or magic, or even animals. Supernatural forces. Even though I had an army at my back, I did not want to use them to slaughter Egyptians. So many of my own people had already died. What was the point of becoming queen if I had to kill my own people to do it?
Oringo started to raise his arm to signal the generals to prepare for a battle.
“No,” I told him. “I…I can’t have you do this.”
“What?” Oringo asked. “This is why we are here. Why Baka Mara sent his army. To fight.”
“I know,” I said. “But these are my men. My people. I…I can’t let you kill them.”
“Sanura,” Zakai said, “you must fight for what is yours. The gods will understand. Especially Sekhmet. She is the goddess of war. She knows the cost.”
“These are warriors,” Oringo said. “On both sides. They know what they are doing.”
“But I am not a warrior,” I said. “I am a queen.”
Zakai and Oringo looked at each other and then back to me. They knew that once I set myself on something, I would not be deterred.
“What is your plan?” Zakai asked.
“I will face the army myself,” I said.
“What?” Zakai and Oringo both exclaimed.
“Are you crazy?” Oringo asked.
“You’ll be killed!” Zakai said.
“I can’t ask you or the men to do for me what I will not do for myself,” I said. “I will not stand aside while others die for my cause.”
“You have fought plenty of times already!” Zakai said. “No one doubts your strength or devotion to the cause. And you can fight alongside the men. You don’t have to go alone.”
“Yes, I do,” I said. “I have to do this. I have to face my own people. And either Sekhmet will protect me or I will die. One way or another, we will know if I am worthy of being queen.”
I could see that Zakai and Oringo were distraught at my words. They loved me, and the idea of watching me ride off to my death while they did nothing terrified them. They tried again to argue, but I stopped them.
“As your queen, I command you to stand down and let me do this,” I said.
They hesitated, but finally, they nodded.
“If they even raise a hand toward you,” Zakai said, “we will come for you.”
“I know,” I said, and I kicked my horse to run ahead of the army before they could stop me. I knew it was crazy. Stupid. But something inside me spurred me onward. I had to face my people myself, if only for a moment. I had to show them that I would die for them. That I would not let them be mercilessly killed. That I loved them. All of them. Every single person in Egypt was important to me.
When I was well away from my army, I dismounted my horse and drew my khopesh. I could almost hear the gasps from the men behind me as I raised my sword. They yelled and murmured, trying to figure out what was happening, why they were not being ordered to fight for me, but Oringo held them back.
The Egyptian war horn blew again and the army spilled out of the city like a swarm of bees. At their head, a general in full body armor and a helmet pointed a sword at me. He charged, with a thousand men at his back.
12
The ground rumbled as the army thundered toward me. The Egyptians let out their war cries as they charged while the Anwe, Dakari, Nuru, and Zulu army behind me screamed my name, begging
me to return to them. But I stood my ground. I dug my foot into the sand and gripped my khopesh with both hands.
I sucked in a breath, steeling myself to strike the general’s horse and bring him to the ground, but suddenly, the general pulled his great beast to a stop just before it reached me. The horse reared up, whinnying and kicking his front feet in the air. The army behind the general stopped as well. When the horse landed on its feet, the general removed his helmet and smiled down at me.
“Chike!” I exclaimed.
“My Queen,” he said, and I thought I saw his eyes shining with tears.
I shook my head, trying to understand what was happening. “What…what are you doing?”
“I have come to fight with you, Queen Sanura,” he said, giving me a small bow as best he could from atop his horse and bound in armor. “And I have brought my best soldiers as well.”
“You…are fighting for me?” I asked, still not quite sure I was hearing him correctly. “Where have you been all this time?”
“Like Keket,” he said, “I have been waiting for you.”
At the mention of Keket’s name, my grip tightened on my khopesh. “How do I know I can trust you? Are you under one of her spells?”
Chike climbed down from his horse and stepped toward me, but I pulled back and made sure he knew that I was still ready to fight if necessary.
“Look at my eyes,” he said. “You can see that I am my own man.”
“But…how? Why?” I asked. “The Egyptian army has been ravaging Africa. Were you behind that?”
Chike glanced away for a moment and his face reflected shame. “I did not lead the raiding parties myself,” he said. “But I did allow my senior officials to lead the contingents that were sent.”
“Why?” I asked. “How could you?”
“I did it for you,” he said. “I knew that you would never kill your father or abandon your brother. I knew you would return and that you would need all the support you would get. So, I let Keket think that I was loyal to the throne, no matter who sat on it. I did her bidding to bide my time and remain in control of my own mind. And it worked. I am at your command, Your Majesty.” At that, he bent down on one knee and lowered his head. I knew then that he was sincere. After all, I could have killed him in that moment if I wanted to, but he was trusting me not too.
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