by Diana Ballew
“And have you won your wager, or lost it?”
His smile broadened. “I believe I have lost. My friend did indeed speak truly.”
Iset turned away to hide her satisfaction at his bold words. She knew she should have had him thrown out long ago, not only for his presumptuousness, but as a soldier, which she guessed he was from his dress and his mention of the elite chariot unit, he was not permitted to enter any of Pharaoh’s gardens without leave from Vizier Rekhmire. To say nothing of what Pharaoh would do if he found her alone with a man, any man. The fact that he obviously wasn’t of noble blood only compounded her crime.
Turning back, she saw that he watched her intently. “You know, your life could be forfeit if I choose to call the guards.”
He stepped closer and the warmth of his body reached out to flow over her. “That was the risk I had to take to win my bet.”
“And now you have lost — what must you concede to your friend?”
“I must take an article belonging to one of Pharaoh’s daughters as proof I have looked directly upon her face.”
“So you must steal, also? Then you will surely be hunted down by the palace guard.”
He lifted his hands to show her they were empty. “No, I shall not steal from you, Princess. I will go now — and find another way to repay my debt to my friend.”
With that, he turned and melted into the shadows.
“Wait!” she called, following him into the darkness at the far corner of the garden, the place where he must have climbed the wall in order to trespass on her solitude.
He stopped and spun about to face her. “Yes, Princess?”
“Here.” She withdrew a ceremonial dagger she kept hidden in her belt, a gift from her brother. “Take this; it can be your proof.”
Wrapping both his hands around hers, he did not take it immediately, but softly smoothed his thumbs along the back of her hand until a small sound erupted from her lips.
He stepped closer, so close she could barely breathe. She knew the danger of such intimacy, had been schooled by her nurses and tutors about the need to keep her blood pure, but somehow the danger spurred her on.
“I thank you, Princess,” he whispered as he drew her still nearer, until she could smell the scent of his skin.
She knew he would kiss her, and when he did, she welcomed the soft touch of his lips as if she thirsted for it. He was warm and surprisingly gentle, and as his tongue sought entrance to her mouth, she welcomed that, too. His hands were upon her back, traveling downward until they cupped her behind; the hands were big and strong and she fitted into them as if they were made to hold her.
Inch by inch he drew her closer until his hard chest pressed against hers, and a primitive longing welled up inside her. Every nerve surged to life in her. She could feel the hard planes of his body wherever their bodies met. She circled his waist with her arms and plunged more deeply into the kiss. Where the dagger had gone she had no idea, nor did she care. Never in her short life had she felt such desire, such need. Her dreams of Khay now seemed stupidly naïve.
Anen’s lips left hers and tracked a moist trail down her cheek until he took her lobe between his teeth and gently grazed the soft flesh. She didn’t even try to stop the low moan that burst from her throat. Then, somehow, his large hand was cupping her breast, and she thought she would die from the fire that rippled through her.
So this is what her nurse had been talking about. She could only marvel at the exquisite sensations.
Then, he released her so suddenly that she staggered to keep her footing.
“Princess,” he panted, as if he’d just run a great distance, “we must stop this. It is wrong … forbidden.”
Iset attempted to move back into his arms. “Why? Surely such a magnificent feeling cannot be wrong.” She peered back into the chamber beyond the garden. Still empty. “No one can see us. No one will know what we do.”
He backed away, flattening himself against the stone wall.
“No, Princess, as you said, my life would be forfeit. I must go now before any of the guards come.”
“But surely you cannot make me feel such beauty then abandon me?”
For a long minute he studied her silently before he stepped back into her arms and kissed her lightly once again.
“If you wish it, I shall try to return tomorrow evening at the same time.”
She hugged him to her. “Yes, I wish it — very much.” Lifting her face, she kissed his chin and throat as he gently put her away from him.
“Princess, don’t make it too difficult for me to leave.” He backed away, turned and gripped the uppermost line of stones that comprised the wall. “I will attempt to come tomorrow,” he repeated. “Wait for me.”
As he swung his leg over the wall, Iset caught a glimpse of her dagger tucked into the waist of his kilt. “Tomorrow,” she whispered in promise as he disappeared.
As she walked slowly back to her chambers, excitement wrestled with fear. She could tell no one, not even Teti. But at the same time, she wanted to shout that she had found a man she could truly love. As she neared the entrance to her suite she still felt flushed and disheveled, and stood for several minutes breathing deeply until she had her feelings under control — nobody must suspect. Nobody.
Beyond the palace wall Anen met with his confederate, who stood shrouded under an awning, and proudly showed him the dagger.
“I told you seduction works better,” his friend stated.
“Yes, I concede that you are right. She probably would have given me her virginity as my prize, had I remained a moment longer.”
His friend gave him a congenial slap on the shoulder. “Then why didn’t you? If she was there for the taking, why pass up the opportunity?”
Anen smiled, a feral kind of smile that spoke volumes about his plans for Iset. “One step at a time, my friend. She will rendezvous with me at the same time tomorrow. If I can make her fall in love with me well, we both know how a woman’s loyalties change when she succumbs to love. Thus, I will take it slowly to be certain of her heart — and when I know, then we can spring our traps. We must ensure that Pharaoh does not gain the Nubian goldmines — the people of Lower Egypt must begin to starve; it is the only way to guarantee the revolt.”
His companion nodded in assent. Using darkness as a shield, they slipped down the street that would lead them into the merchants' quarter of the city.
Chapter 14
The open area some two miles east of the city of Thebes was dry and flat, the earth sun-baked and hard as stone. Under the stark light of the midday sun, the edges of the horizon wavered and melted before his eyes. Kheper rubbed the back of his wrist across his neck, catching the droplets of sweat before they trickled down his chest. In this, he had to appear as mighty and strong as his father — in fact, he intended to show them all he was mightier and stronger than the great Tuthmosis.
The horses, two handpicked stallions, so alike in their pedigree they were difficult to tell apart, pawed at the reddish-brown earth, eager to be about business. This was what he loved most about the horses — their eagerness to prove their prowess, their nobility. He had trained them to his own hand, and the magnificent beasts would do anything he asked of them.
As he looked across to the shaded pavilion where his sister and Tetisheri stood awaiting the demonstration, he smiled to himself. For this, if nothing else, the scribes would carve his name on the greatest temples. When his father met with Osiris in the afterlife, the people would shout his name, “Amunhotep!” with such passion, knowing his father’s valor and strength had passed into the son. This act would leave no question in any mind, not the priests’ or the nobles’. The gods would be pleased and ma’at restored, and the god-king that is Egypt would remain the foremost power in the world.
“Are you ready?” Besenmut asked as he drew alongside his royal charge.
Kheper nodded, his eyes intently focused on the object of his desire, the real reason for this show of bravery a
nd skill. He knew Tetisheri would accompany his sister to Nubia for her marriage to Nu-Tete if Iset demanded it, and he intended to prevent that at all costs. As he glanced across at Khay, who held the second team of horses, he knew he could rely on Khay to help him keep Tetisheri in Thebes. He was sure if Khay could have his way, he’d stop Iset’s marriage, as well.
In the few short weeks Khay had been in Kheper’s service, he’d proven loyal and strong, and a quick learner — a good addition to the horsemen’s ranks.
Kheper could see in the man’s eyes that he’d developed a passion for his royal sister. Any other sister and Kheper would have welcomed Khay’s intent, but Iset had a role to play in her country’s future. Besides, his sister was flighty and selfish, and would make a bad wife for any man. The Nubian would soon regret making his treaty with Pharaoh, of that Kheper was certain.
The echo of horses’ hooves took his attention. The time drew near.
Saussatar and Mose raced across the plain on two of his white stallions, trailing a cloud of red-gold dust behind their frenzied chase. The first man to reach the stele would win a measure of gold and claim ownership of the horse he rode. Kheper smiled as Mose’s mount edged ahead; he’d wagered much on the outcome, and Mose wasn’t disappointing him, though he also knew that Saussatar was never averse to using underhanded tactics to win a race.
As the men sped closer, the thunder-like vibration could be felt beneath his feet. Dust flew high in the horses’ wake, and the men waiting beyond the stele clapped and called out as the lead rider’s colors became evident.
Mose’s cohort, many of them Apiru, cheered loudly as the horses loomed toward the stele. Saussatar’s followers, stationed on the other side of Iset’s party, were less exuberant as it became clear that they would each part with a measure of grain.
Kheper allowed the heightened excitement to fill his chest and set the blood flowing feverishly in his veins. His own horses nickered and pawed — they too felt the energy in the air.
“Shhhh,” he whispered, as he stroked the mane of the closest beast. “Soon, now. Soon you can show everyone your majesty.” For an instant his eyes sought out the sun, looking to the god for favor, before his gaze again came to rest on Tetisheri’s beautiful face.
Before Iset’s marriage, he would inform his father that he chose to take Tetisheri as his wife. Of course, his father probably had other women in mind, noble cousins from the city of Aram or half-sisters born to his father’s lesser wives. But once he presented Tetisheri to his father, he felt certain Pharaoh would approve of a woman of such beauty and grace. A dowry was not a necessity for a royal wife, and Khay’s pledge of fealty should be enough to guarantee the girl’s acceptance.
Kheper prayed it would be so.
Shouts and cheers brought his eyes back toward the stele. Mose held the blue lotus aloft, the sacred symbol of perfection. A beaming smile adorned his face and Kheper felt glad, not only because of the gold he’d just won but also that Mose had finally bested Saussatar in a contest. The two had been at odds since childhood.
Mose, a younger half-brother, had been reared alongside him despite his mother’s Apiru heritage. After Kheper’s birth, Mose joined him in the royal nursery along with his other brothers. Saussatar, Kheper’s elder twin by Pharaoh’s great wife, was a rival in every way, and though Kheper liked him greatly, there were occasions when he didn’t quite trust him. There would come a time very soon when he would have to contest the co-regency with his warlike brother. This demonstration might certainly help his cause … if he found success.
Kheper handed the reins to a guardsman and went over to congratulate Mose. “You rode well, brother! And you have claimed one of my prize stallions. Any more wealth and you will be able to begin your own house.”
Sweat trickling down his face and arms, Mose grinned at Kheper’s words. “I shall treasure the stallion and make good use of the gold I have won, but a wife and home? I think not.”
Kheper didn’t reply. It was the only cause of contention between them — Mose’s unrealistic desire to travel to the land between the two rivers and seek out his mother’s heritage and a wife from her clan.
Besenmut sidled up to him and slapped his shoulder. “The horses are getting fractious. It’s time to put on your show.” He turned and pointed to a target, a bronze plate three finger spans thick, positioned a distance further down the plain. “Do you need one more practice run?”
Kheper shook his head. “I know what I’m doing, old man. I have trained for years, and this will be no different from any other training day.”
He ignored Besenmut’s “tut-tut”—the man always looked for the worst in everything. Ever cautious, nothing escaped his notice, which probably explained why his brigade remained the most successful and respected of Pharaoh’s army.
Taking up the reins, he flicked them gently to signal the horses that their time had come. “Let us dazzle them all with our ability, my beauties,” he whispered, as the wheels of his lightweight gilt chariot bit into the hard-baked dirt of the plain.
“My brother will show off now,” Iset said to Tetisheri, a mixture of pride and irritation evident on her smooth face. “He cannot help himself. And I think since you are here, Teti, he will try even harder to make a hippopotamus of himself.”
“Why do you say that?” Tetisheri pretended ignorance, though she knew exactly why. Kheper had managed to be wherever she and Iset went virtually every day since their first meeting, and it had become quite obvious he’d become besotted with her.
Iset’s lips lifted in a half-smile that suggested she knew a great deal more than she was letting on. “I think my brother wants you — very badly.”
Although she felt flattered, Tetisheri wasn’t sure what dangers would lie ahead if she were to welcome Kheper’s advances. In these uncertain times, a prince, any prince, was the target of assassins. Oh, she liked him; she could readily admit that, yet something made her reticent to acknowledge it. And Khay played at protector with a fierceness she’d never have expected, thus making a lie of his statement that he wanted to marry her off as quickly as possible.
Besides, making a marriage with one of the nobility appeared unlikely at best, even if she wanted such a thing. Her breeding was, after all, unknown. Nor was she a slave, so Kheper could not forcibly appropriate her person to join his concubines. All of which meant, status-wise, she remained stuck in a kind of no-man’s-land.
Why she even thought about any of this was beyond her reckoning — she still had every intention of finding her sire and making him pay for his cruelty to the mother she didn’t really know.
“I have never seen my brother pursue a girl with such vigor.”
“You imagine much, Mistress.” Tetisheri’s eyes darted across to where Kheper readied himself for his chariot demonstration before returning to study Iset.
“Oh? You are yet naïve, Teti. My brother craves you, and I think that I might let him have you, if he helps me escape this marriage to the Nubian, Nu-Tete,” Iset warned in her most haughty voice.
A horn sounded out on the plain, drawing both girls’ gazes.
“I am a free woman, Iset, I can choose my own husband.”
Wide-eyed, Iset cast her blackest gaze upon her, and for a split second Tetisheri shuddered. She had never before seen such a calculating expression. For just a moment, Iset’s face transformed into a mask of utter petulance.
“I said nothing of marriage, Teti. My brother would take you as lover, I expect. And free woman or not, you would find it difficult to defy my will if I chose to allow him.”
“But—”
Iset reached across and patted her hand, staying whatever words Tetisheri planned to utter.
“Do not worry, Teti, I will take care of you,” she said, as her eyes sought and found Khay among the men helping Kheper prepare whatever stunt he had planned, “and also your brother. Help me, and I can assure you that he will end his days in the top ranks of Pharaoh’s elite guard.”
; Tetisheri fell silent. Her brother, in essence her only family, was the one true light that shone upon her life. If Iset could ensure he gained a position within Pharaoh’s elite guard, she’d do just about anything to help him — even, dare she think it — join the harem of a future Pharaoh of Egypt?
She bowed her head and studied her hands: hands that had become smooth and beautiful under Iset’s roof. The clothes she wore were soft and comfortable, and spoke of riches she didn’t dare imagine. Servants. Aromatic baths. Afternoon walks by the river or in Pharaoh’s cloistered gardens. It was a life any woman would desire, free of work or worries for the future — at least until Iset married with the Nubian prince. After that, she had no idea what her life might become.
“Look!” Iset commanded, as she pointed to her brother’s chariot. “He has tied the reins about his waist!”
Tetisheri allowed her eyes to find Kheper’s form racing at full speed across the open expanse of the plain. Indeed, there in his golden chariot, with the reins tied about his waist, Kheper raised his bow in salute.
“He could be killed!” Tetisheri cried, surging to her feet and covering her eyes. “Why is he doing this?”
Iset, her gaze riveted upon her brother’s back, just laughed. “He does this to prove he is strong — that he should be Pharaoh above his brothers and sit beside our father upon the throne that rules the world.”
“But it’s so dangerous!” Tetisheri tried not to watch, but terror compelled her.
“Perhaps, but it is also daring and mighty.” Iset, too, stood to view the spectacle, as did her other sisters and the myriad of nobles seated in the small pavilion.
Around them, the people were laughing and cheering for their prince. As they watched, Kheper made a pass at great speed; then, slowing ever so slightly, the horses arced around and began the return journey.
The air felt charged with lightning as man and chariot sped closer to the target. Tetisheri could see the horses straining at the reins, and Kheper seemed bent almost backward in an effort to hold them steady. He raised his bow and slowly aimed at the target. The chariot bumped slightly, and for an instant Tetisheri feared he would fall. She couldn’t hold back the small whimper that rose in her throat.