by Andre Norton
Sela’s hands were close-clasped together. Now she twisted them as if afraid.
“Lady—they have come.” She seemed not to have heard Tallahassee’s question.
Herihor? Jayta? Dared she believe that?
“Who have come?” She fought her own rising excitement. Sela’s appearance did not suggest that any help had arrived. Instead, there was alarm in the wrinkled old face.
“Four of the greater Nomarchs, Great Lady. They have been summoned to council, yet the Candace is not here. In the Prince’s name they have come because they are told that naught has been heard from our Lady for two days, and ill must have come to her from the desert storm! Great Lady, if this be true …” She was trembling so that Tallahassee set her arm about the bowed shoulders, led Sela to a chair and pushed her down upon it. Going to her own knees she caught the shaking hands in her own and spoke very gently.
“Dear Sela, if our Lady were dead—would I not know it? I have the Talent and so has she in some measure. Do we not then feel death when it opens the Far Gate for those we love? I swear to you that this has not happened. Be sure that the Prince General is using his forces along the border to find Naldamak and no men have more knowledge of those lands.
“But tell me, which of the Nomarchs have come to New Napata at such a false summoning?”
Sela’s tear-filled eyes held hers.
“It is true, Great Lady—she has not Gone Beyond?”
“Would I not have told you, Sela, you who have loved and served her all her life long—who held her to your breast when she was but an hour old? You have been her mother-in-life. It is to you I would have first spoken had I such ill fortune to know.”
“She is my Sun-in-Full, my dearest heart—”
“That I know well, Sela—”
“When she was little I was her guard and her comforter, when she became the Candace she paid me honor, putting me first in her personal service, even though I was old and sometimes forgetful. Never has she spoken a cross word to me, Lady. And now—now they say she is dead!”
“But since she is not, we must prevent any such word spreading before they hold council on it. Which Nomarchs, Sela?”
Sela gave a last small sob. “He—he of the Elephant, and of the River Horse—”
“Both of the south,” Ashake memory supplied, “and those that rebelled a hundred years ago.”
“And the Leopard, the Ibex—”
“Of the west where the barbarians trade. I see. But the Lion, the Cheeta, the Baboon—they come not? North against south—west against east.”
“Great Lady, the Elephant has many mighty warriors. When they arose under Chaka in the old days there was much killing before the Beloved-of-Apedemek—the Pharoah Unie who was then—restored law in the land. And there is talk of new barbarian weapons—”
“Yes. And so we must know of what they plan. Do they dare to meet in the Great Chamber of Council?”
“It is so.”
“Well, there are secrets of the Candace that are not known even to as close kin as Userkof.” Tallahassee arose. “There will be a listener whom they do not suspect. This, Sela, is what you must do. I will have to go to a certain place and not be marked during the going. Can you get me that with which to darken my skin so that I look like a maid from the south?”
Sela seemed recovered from her first fear. With her head a little to one side she regarded Tallahassee who hoped her own uneasiness did not show. Then the old nurse smiled.
“I think that may be done, Great Lady. The Lady Idieze—you may not know it, but it is true that barbarian blood is hers. She is as pale as the belly of a fish by nature. She allows not even her lord to ever see her so. There is an oil she keeps in secret, only it is not as secret as she thinks. And now that she makes ready to welcome the Nomarchs there will be no one in her inner chamber. It shall be yours to use.”
“Do not take any risk, Sela.”
“Risk, Great Lady? Has not the Candace given me the power of overseeing all her household? If I check upon the willingness of the maids, and how well their work is done—then I am only about my lawful business.” She laughed and Tallahassee echoed her.
“Sela, you are a very wise woman—”
“Great Lady, had I had the tending of you, instead of your being sent to the Temple for the raising, you would know how much one can learn hereabouts by merely listening and saying little.”
When the nurse had gone again, Tallahassee sat down and allowed Ashake memory once more to enter her conscious mind. Ashake could recall the day when the last Pharoah had taken Naldamak and her (she being on one of her visits from the Temple school)) along a certain corridor and showed them a secret that only Ruler and Heir might know. They had sworn an oath of silence that day. But she would not be breaking it now, for that secret was designed as an aid in just such a situation as this.
This council had been called in Userkof’s name. Did the provincial rulers summoned here believe that she, Ashake, was dead also? Or was it they were merely ripe once more for rebellion, a rebellion perhaps financed and armed either by Khasti or by some of the western barbarians who had always resented their treatment by Amun, the refusal of the Empire to treat or ally with their quarrels, for they were a divided number of peoples forever at each other’s throats in one political and military struggle or another.
The two southern nomes were the least civilized by the standards of Amun itself. Three Emperors of the past had extended the borders so far to the south that they had gathered in peoples of different races, beliefs, and customs—alien to the Old Knowledge, ever a source of trouble which smoldered into fire now and then. While the western nomes—they contained the trade cities where the barbarians brewed their own kind of poison for the disturbance of peace.
This was the trouble now. She arose and went once more to pacing. It was a fact, as she had assured Sela, that if Naldamak were truly dead she herself would know. The warning from kin to kin was a talent born in those of her family. But the mere fact that the Empress still lived was no assurance of her safety. She could well be in the hands of some secret force raised by Khasti. And what of the stranger who had come out of nowhere, even as Khasti had done, and had asked to see the Candace? What danger did he represent?
That Herihor was in command of the loyal forces in the north where the Candace might be expected to be found—that was the only faint point in their favor. That, and the fact that the talismen were still out of enemy hands. Anyway, she would have her chance to overhear what devil’s brew Userkof or Idieze might be boiling here.
If Sela would only hurry! She did not want to miss any of the council hearing. Also—there was something she must not leave here. Tallahassee went to the chest and took out the bundle of the Rod and the Key. She would not feel safe anywhere away from them. There was no place in the chamber that would efficiently conceal the talismen if a strict search was made.
She had not forgotten that passage in the depths. Sela might think it well guarded by the alarm she mentioned, but an alarm would count for little against any attack by Khasti with the unknown forces he could control.
She dropped the bundle on the bed to tighten the fastenings about the roll of cloth. Yes, this she would take with her.
Tallahassee was still holding it, testing those fastenings when there was a click at the door and Sela sidled in, a number of towels clamped to her side by one of her bony elbows, both hands carrying a tall jar with care.
Look, Great Lady, is it not now even as you wished? Who would know the Princess Ashake in such a guise?”
Tallahassee stood once more before the mirror on the Candace’s dressing table. Sela was very right. This was not Ashake whom she saw there. Her skin was again dark, even darker than it had been upon the first anointing which the Priestess had given her. Also, careful use of cosmetics had broadened her features, given a fullness that was not normal to her face.
She had folded about her head a sphinx linen cap, and the edges of that fell forw
ard to further shadow and disguise her features. There was only her height which might betray her. But she did not plan to pace any well used corridor in open sight for long. And she could hope that no one would notice her, any more than any servant was noted when about her normal business.
The bundle she had made of the talismen was ready to be carried in one of the wide baskets Sela had produced from an inner cupboard, intended for the transport of newly washed bed coverings.
But all this had taken time, very precious time. And the Council could well be in session. She stooped suddenly and set her painted lips to Sela’s wrinkled cheek.
“Mother-in-fostering to my sister-kin,” she said softly, “I give thanks to the Great Power that you have come to my aid. There is such service in this that not even the Blood could provide. On you be the blessing of That Which Holds Us All.”
“Great Lady.” Sela raised her hand and in turn touched a finger tip to Tallahassee’s painted cheek. “Blessings and good fortune be on what you would do. If our dear Lady comes out of danger, what more can we ask? Wait you now, until I make certain that the corridor is empty. To be seen issuing from here …”
She was already on the way to the outer door when there was a scratching at it. Who?… Tallahassee hugged the basket tightly and her heart began to beat faster. Sela’s head had cocked as she listened to that sound. Then, before Tallahassee could stop her, she swiftly opened the door.
It was Moniga who slipped through. But her neat uniform was gone. Like Tallahassee, the Amazon wore the dress of a servant, and she was breathing fast as she caught the door out of Sela’s hold, shut it tight, and stood with her shoulders against it as if to form a barrier of her own body to hinder some pursuit.
“What is it?” Tallahassee demanded and saw the Amazon’s look of surprise, her searching stare.
“Great Lady—but you?…” The girl was near to stammering.
“I go in another guise, yes. But what have you to tell us?”
“Great Lady, Assar went through the gate—and he went readily. None saw him in the shadows. It was as if he knew, hound though he is, that he must not be sighted. But—when I returned—Great Lady, in the name of the Prince Userkof they had relieved the guard of the palace—”
Tallahassee heard Sela’s hiss of breath.
“The Sworn Swords?”
“Great Lady—they were surrounded while I was gone on your order. They are now confined to the barracks. And the Captain—she was disarmed and taken away. They have laid upon the doors of the barracks that same barrier which is on the gates of the city. None can come forth.”
“And it is men from the south who stand on guard?”
Moniga nodded. “Even so, Great Lady. I have seen the insignia of the Elephant on their uniforms. By now this palace is theirs. And I think that they are also changing the gate guards. These are barbarian warriors, Great Lady—some even wear the facial scars of the wild tribes.”
“You have done very well,” Tallahassee said slowly. “Now—stay you here with Sela, and be sure no one knows where you have taken refuge. There may come a time, maybe very soon, when I shall need a Sworn Sword at my back to be sure that no other’s knife reaches me.”
“Great Lady, what do you do? There are strangers in the Palace, more guards from the south—”
“That I know. But also I must learn more, for the sake of the Candace and perhaps of the Empire itself. Do not worry. This I do is something only I can accomplish, but it must be done.”
For a moment, it seemed that Moniga would not stand back from the door. But as Tallahassee eyed her steadily the Amazon gave way.
“Great Lady,” she made her plea, “take me with you! I have this.” She reached hand into the bosom of her dress and brought out a hand weapon.
“That we may have need for later. No—this way, I go alone. It is a secret of the Candace that only I also may know—and it will be to our aid. Sela, keep closed this door—do not even open should the maid you mentioned come to it. Khasti has weapons past our knowledge, and some of them are our own people constrained to his will. It was the use of such that brought me into his hands. Do not open this door!”
“The will has spoken, so be it.” Sela gave formal answer. Moniga looked as if she would protest once again, but Tallahassee slipped quickly through, and the nurse shut it firmly behind her.
Luckily she did not have far to go. Those who had planned this secret, upon the building of the “new” palace some three hundred years ago, had wished it to be quickly accessible to the ruler. She stood for a moment, listening intently.
There was a series of arched openings to her left, giving to the Candace’s private courtyard garden. Through those poured sunlight, and it was the strong western sun of afternoon. She could hear the sounds of birds, the scream of one of those peacocks bred from gifts of an Indian ruler two or three generations ago. It was a shattering sound, enough at this moment to make her start.
But the corridor itself was empty. Since the Candace was known to be gone, there were no guards along it. Tallahassee sped swiftly along, hugging the right wall, as far from the arches as she could get.
The garden corridor gave upon a room the rulers had used in the past for more private audiences. There was a smaller, less impressive throne chair, some stools-of-honor for visiting members of the Blood, but for the most part it was bare.
However, beyond the door that led out of it, Tallahassee could hear a murmur of voices. Yes, the council was gathering! She must be very swift and quiet.
She rounded the wall of the lesser audience chamber to the southern corner where there were panels of carved wood, oiled and polished with preservative. Placing the basket at her feet, she raised her hands to fit them into the spaces she had been drilled to find so many years ago. She had not forgotten, or rather Ashake had not. Her fingers went easily into depressions one could not perceive because of the depth and high relief of the carving. Now she swung almost her full weight downward.
There was a scrape of sound, which made her glance hastily around. Then the stubborn controls, unused probably for years, worked. Two of the panels opened and she crawled through then stooped to drag the basket after her before she shut that cramped door.
It was not dark—light beamed from one side, and it was there that she crouched to watch and listen—being well able to see all that was beyond through a fretwork of carving so intricate that it concealed well its purpose on the other side of the wall.
The Council Chamber might be new to Tallahassee, but Ashake memory found it familiar, though she recognized only two of the six men sitting there—General Itua of the Southern Army, and the Nomarch of the Elephant Nome. There was no sign of Khasti, whom she thought surely would be present, nor was either Userkof nor Idieze here.
However, she had no more seated herself in the restricted crouch her present quarters permitted than the door opened and Idieze swept in, with a fan bearer in her wake.
She dared! Ashake memory gave fuel to anger—that one dares to usurp honors Naldamak never would grant her! She must be very sure that both the Candace and Ashake herself were removed or immobilized. Had Khasti not informed her then that his prisoner had escaped?
Khasti believed this woman and her husband were tools to be used and discarded. Idieze herself had come to Ashake to strike a bargain, or pretend to. What then had changed so that now the Princess believed she could call a council and be obeyed?
“This is a time of grave matters,” Idieze spoke abruptly, cutting through the murmurs of formal greeting, waving the men back to their seats. “You have been summoned, my Lords, at the call of my husband, the Prince Userkof, who, though he lies stricken with a fever, still knows that the safety of the Empire is above all else, the matter depending upon the strength of such as you—who have been loyal to him.”
She paused as she looked swiftly from one face to another, catching the eyes of each in turn and holding that straight stare for a breath or two, as if she so issued some war
ning or demanded in return another protestation of loyalty. Perhaps she was satisfied by what she saw for now she continued:
“It is now well known that the Candace is lost in the desert storm. And that anyone whose flyer’s caught in such fury could survive is not to be believed. And the Princess Ashake—she has of her own will turned aside from the rule, taking instead the final oath of the Temple, tying herself to that service for the rest of her life.”
So? Now that was clever, Ashake acknowledged. Her long absences from New Napata on Temple business had left few here who knew her personally. And those who would be her firmest champions to bring her to the throne—Zyhlarz, Jayta, and Herihor—were most conveniently removed from this council. These men would accept the fact that she might do this, mainly because they wished to believe so.
“The Heir must make such statements before the Council, and then at the High Altar before all the representatives of the Guilds and the Masters, as well as the Nomarchs.” The man who wore the badge of the Leopard spoke. He used none of the customary honorifics in addressing Idieze.
Ashake did not know him except by name, which was Takarka, for he had only recently come to the heirship of that westernmost land of the Empire, and that upon the death of a distant cousin. But he had dealt much with the white-skinned barbarians of the north and she had automatically judged him to be of the kind that could be suborned by Khasti. To have such a statement out of him was a surprise now.
“Which she shall do at the proper time. Though nothing can be done yet,” Idieze covered smoothly, “until the certain death of our Son-in-Glory be certified as the truth. In the meantime, the Heir has withdrawn to a place of distant meditation and the Empire cannot rule itself.”
“Surely, surely,” muttered General Itua to second that.
“If the Heir has not yet sworn openly,” persisted Takarka, “then she must be summoned.…”