by Diana Ballew
Suddenly he was being dragged from the ground. Someone grabbed him by the throat, slapped his face hard, and yelled unintelligible gibberish at him. He shook his head, unable to think. Everything seemed fuzzy and far away. Iset?
A giant black fist came hurtling toward his face. Iset screamed.
Khay turned aside just in time to see the flash of metal as Iset plunged a dagger into the Nubian’s throat. Hot blood spurted over them in a spray that all but blinded him. He blinked in astonishment as he took in the enormity of what had just happened.
The Nubian coughed once, a hollow gurgling sound, and stared at him as if startled before his eyes rolled back and he slumped forward onto the grass.
“By the gods, Iset, what did you do?”
“Quick!” she pleaded, shaking Khay hard. “Put on your clothes. The guards will be coming.”
But they were beyond hope. The first of the guards entered the garden, and Khay could see that he had already assessed the scene.
Iset looked from Khay to the guard and back again, her eyes calculating an instant before they hardened. “He tried to rape me!” she wailed, pointing at Khay.
“What?” Khay spun about to face the guards. “No, I didn’t …”
The expression on the guard’s face told him anything he said would be futile. His heart hammered so loudly in his head he could not hear what the guard said in response. Another soldier grabbed his arms, yanked them behind his back, and began wrapping a rope around his wrists. Naked and covered in blood, Nu-Tete’s blood, he knew he was doomed.
“My betrothed came to rescue me but Khay stabbed him!” Iset continued breathlessly. Blood and semen dripped down the front of her gown. Her tears and her disheveled state reinforced the lie.
“But—” The steely look of disgust on the face of the guard made Khay shut his mouth.
Kheper burst into the garden, closely followed by more guards and then Tetisheri. His sister cried out as soon as she saw his tethers.
“Khay!” The guards held her back.
Iset crumpled into hysterics when Kheper reached her, babbling on about rape and terror.
Kheper glared as if he could kill Khay with his bare hands. Khay wanted to tell him the truth but he knew nobody would believe him. Even Tetisheri’s bewildered face seemed uncertain.
“I didn’t do this,” he whispered to her as the guard dragged him past her.
When he reached the portal he stared back at Iset. Something in her must have told her he was looking her way because she lifted her gaze to meet his. For a long moment the world stilled, then she smiled sweetly, almost innocently, and mouthed “thank you” as the guard pushed him roughly through the door.
Tetisheri noticed Iset’s parting gesture and in that instant knew that her mistress had somehow manipulated her brother into murdering the Nubian. She didn’t know how, but she would certainly find out.
Kheper spoke to one of the soldiers before he led Iset away.
Tetisheri went over and picked up Khay’s kilt, then quickly left the garden. She needed to find where they had taken her brother, and if permitted, she needed to speak to him about what really happened.
Long minutes after everyone had left, Anen stepped out from his hiding place, his eyes ablaze with delight. Everything had gone just as he’d planned. Pharaoh would not get his goldmines, and with Khay doomed to die, Kheper would be more vulnerable to assassination. Smiling inwardly, he turned for the spot in the wall that was always easiest to breach. Time to join his comrades in the tavern and celebrate their latest victory.
Vizier Rekhmire paced the length of dais in front of his lord. “The Nubians are upset.”
“Understandable, given the circumstances.”
Rekhmire paused to frown at his king, then spun on his heel and continued his pacing.
“They seek retribution and are demanding execution as well as reparation. This is the last thing we needed on the eve of our assault against Kadesh.”
Pharaoh stared off into the distance, wondering how they might appease the Nubians and still secure the goldmines they needed. Incidents such as this always inspired the rebellious to become more active, and Egypt’s hold on the Nubian province would be made tenuous if they could not reach a satisfactory compromise. Elsewhere, he would need to increase patrols and augment the garrisons at some of the more remote outposts or risk having them overrun. Regional governors would need to ensure that all tributes were paid on time.
Rekhmire paused, then turned and began the march back along the dais. “I believe the Nubian had a younger brother. Maybe we can marry Iset to him?”
“Perhaps.” Once he knew that his daughter hadn’t actually been harmed, he had dismissed her from his mind. Limiting the repercussions of the incident was far more important than the fate of one royal princess. He had learned that the hardest way possible, many years ago.
“We must make a spectacle of the trial. You must preside, Majesty. The Nubians will expect nothing less. They will dispatch riders to call upon their king to send more emissaries. I’ve ordered that they be given the best and fastest chariots — we want them to know we are just as outraged as they are.”
With a nod, Menkhepere stood. “Agreed. Have the trial set down for the day after the emissaries arrive. My daughter’s attacker is to be kept imprisoned until then. He is to have no visitors. Iset should remain in seclusion also.
“I go now to make offerings at my great wife’s mortuary temple,” he said, motioning to the guards to follow. “Make all in readiness, Rekhmire. A grand reception for the emissaries should be planned for after the trial. And, of course, a meeting to discuss another marriage alliance between our two lands. We need to embark on our campaign against Kadesh, and the scouts have noted the Erakatu and Tunip are now vulnerable. Egypt can be made stronger and more prosperous … we need those goldmines.”
“But I must see him!” Tetisheri begged the garrison guard standing vigil over her brother. It had been three days, and nobody would give her any news.
The soldier, a thin man with a hawk-like nose, smiled grimly at her. “Even you are not worth risking my manhood for.” For good measure, his hand went to the hilt of his khopesh. “Much as I would like to sample your wares, I am more interested in my future.”
She reached out and placed a gentle hand on his arm, pleading. “But he is innocent! He needs someone to speak for him.”
“He will have a spokesman. We simply await the Nubians. When they arrive, Pharaoh himself will oversee the trial. If, as you say, your brother is innocent, then by the scales of Thoth he will be set free. It is but a matter of time.”
“But it may be too late … someone needs to know his side of the story. Someone must investigate.”
“Trust me, Mighty Pharaoh is fair. By his name, he is all power in this land, and he sees the truth. Thoth will advise him and be certain that whoever did this deed will be punished.”
Tetisheri wished she could believe that. In all their time at the royal court, she had never once seen Pharaoh. Some of the women in Iset’s rooms said he hid from a broken heart and that his vizier ruled in his stead.
If she could at least speak to her brother, she might be able to fathom what had happened in that garden. Iset had been no help. At first she had just cried hysterically for hours on end; then the vizier ordered that she be placed in a suite away from all her women — only a younger sister and a handmaid could visit with her. Tetisheri had been told that she must stay away since it was her brother who had attacked Iset.
Tetisheri still couldn’t believe that! Khay would never hurt anyone — certainly not Iset, whom she knew he adored. Knowing Iset, she probably sought to play with Khay’s affections and … and … even then Tetisheri could not believe he would step beyond his place. No matter how much he had teased her over the years, her brother was, at heart, a gentle and caring man. And he knew well their birth mother’s story; how she must have been raped and brutalized before Tiy and Sef had rescued her, and that her life
long emptiness was the result of what must have been unbearable abuse.
Besides, as twins they shared a special bond — she would know within her heart if her brother had committed such an awful deed. And she would stake her life that he had not.
“Is there not anything you can do?” she begged again, her eyes searching the guard’s.
The soldier edged a step closer, glancing around before whispering, “If you wait until after sundown, you might be able to slip into the compound and speak to him through the small window at the back … but if you are caught, you must reap the reward.”
A muffled sob burst from her throat. “Thank you … thank you … I will not be caught. I will repay you somehow.”
He looked into her face and lifted his lips in a wry grin. “Do not think of it. My wife would wrest a greater payment should I consider what you might have to offer.”
Tetisheri’s face heated as she realized his meaning. “Before coming to Thebes I worked in my family’s bakery, I could bake bread for your family, for as long as you wish.”
The man shook his head. “There is no need. Pharaoh is generous with his soldiers. Now begone before the commander comes. He is not so understanding of women who seek out Pharaoh’s prisoners, nor guards who dally with pretty young girls.”
Tetisheri squeezed his wrist as a silent “thank you” and fled to the safety of the women’s rooms of the palace. After the evening meal and making her offerings to the temple this eve, she would sneak back to the garrison and try to speak to her brother.
Chapter 16
“Why do you wish to go back to that garden, Iset?” asked Nebet, Iset’s youngest half-sister.
“Don’t ask silly questions, you stupid girl! I need silence and solitude after all I have been through,” Iset snarled. It had been three days since she had last seen Anen, and she knew her lover would be desperate to see her. It was nearing that time when they would normally rendezvous, and she needed to be there for him. She needed him to tell her what to do! Her nightmares had become so horrific she feared falling asleep. Her sisters thought it was her terror at nearly being raped that caused her midnight anguish, but in fact all she saw when she lowered her lids were the whites of Nu-Tete’s eyes as he stared at her in utter shock. Again and again, she saw his blood pouring over her hands as she drove the dagger deep into his throat. She’d been surprised at how red it was. How warm.
She’d had no idea how awful killing a man would be. But it was too late, and though she regretted that Khay would also have to die, at the same time she knew she would surely have perished if she had allowed herself to be sent to Nubia. And the value of her life, as a royal princess, far outweighed that of a lowly soldier.
Tetisheri’s company was the one thing she missed greatly. So much had changed, yet the knowledge that she would no longer have to marry that savage made up for all the other losses.
“But you have silence here, and there are no others around — we are alone,” Nebet said.
“It is not the same … ohhh … you wouldn’t understand,” she said, then turned away from her sister and glared up at Nut’s night sky in frustration. “I think I might feel better there ...”
“I don’t see how — it is where you were hurt. I would have thought you’d never want to go there again.”
“Maybe it was, but it is also the place where I have always been happiest. I cannot allow what happened to make me afraid of my most favorite place. I need to go back and sit awhile and put all the violence of that night behind me.”
Nebet frowned with obvious dismay. “I will accompany you, then. But if Rekhmire catches us, you must take the blame. I won’t go back to the nursery again!” At eleven harvests, Nebet considered herself a woman and had jumped at the chance to escape the nursery and become companion to her distraught eldest half-sister. She’d said she hoped to be chosen to accompany Iset on her adventure to Nubia and thus escape being sent to the temple to become a priestess to Isis. Now that the Nubian was dead, Nebet knew that wouldn’t happen.
“Come then,” Iset demanded, thinking Nebet still so naïve. She would learn what a life of duty meant one day.
Taking a shawl, she wrapped it about her head in the fashion of the women from the north so that only her eyes were visible. She threw another length of linen at her sister and bade her to do the same before slipping into the hall to count the guards. Only one. They were in luck.
“Go and request that he bring us a drink, Nebet. Ask for beer, so he must go to the royal pantry.”
Nebet spoke to the guard quickly. Iset waited a moment after the man disappeared before slipping off in the other direction.
“Wait!” Nebet called.
Iset turned. “Go back to the room and wait for me. If the guard returns and you aren’t there to accept the beer, he will raise the alarm. I will go alone.”
Nebet screwed her face in anguish. “But—”
Laying her hand upon her sister’s arm, Iset favored Nebet with her most reassuring smile. “Don’t worry — I won’t be gone long. It is just something I must do.”
Although Nebet did not appear to like this plan, she reluctantly nodded her assent and turned back to their chamber. At the door she glanced up and gave another questioning look. Iset sent her a broad smile and waved her inside, then darted down the hallway that would take her to the small garden.
“Anen, my love?” she whispered as soon as she neared the spot along the wall where Anen usually appeared. As far as she could tell, it was close to their usual time. “Anen?”
When no answer came she leaned against the cold stone, determined to give her lover time to come to meet her. She missed him so. Her whole body quivered at the thought that his hands would soon be upon her again. She needed his strength, his heat. His words of affection. She didn’t mind that sometimes he became rough and hurt her. He said she bewitched him beyond reason, so she knew he loved her more than his own life and that was all that mattered. He had shown her, often, and she also knew he would take her away with him once his tenure in Thebes had finished.
A light breeze had sprung up from the river, bringing with it the scent of stale fish and lamp oil. She wasn’t tall enough to see over the wall, so she had to be content to wait until he came to her. She also wanted to reassure him that her monthly cycle had arrived on time; the goddess Taweret would not visit a child upon her just yet.
When a long time had passed and her legs were tiring, she slid down to sit on the damp grass by the wall, cloaked in the darkness.
A twig broke behind a nearby bush and she started. “Anen?” she whispered.
He appeared as if by magic, and she jumped up, threw herself into his arms, and clung. Tears began to slide down her cheeks as soon as his arms went around her. “Oh, Anen, it was so horrible … so much blood … the look in his eyes. I have been so terrified they would find out! Pharaoh would put me to death if he knew.”
“Hush, hush,” Anen cooed. “You did well, my little warrior. The Nubian is no longer a threat to my happiness. We all do what we must do for our cause.”
“All?” she backed up and sought his eyes. “What cause?”
“Why, happiness, of course. We do what we must to bring ourselves everything we desire.”
“All I desire is you, Anen,” she whispered, her lips seeking his.
Anen obliged with a quick kiss. “I cannot stay long, and I might not come to you for a while.”
“But why? I thought—”
He pressed his fingertips to her lips and smiled his special smile, the one that made her feel all warm and needy inside. “It is very dangerous right now. Since the Nubian’s murder, there have been extra patrols by the palace guard. We cannot afford to be caught when we are so close to achieving our dreams.”
Tears again sprang to her eyes. “I understand, my love. When do you think it would be safe for me to leave here and come to you?”
“Not yet, but soon. I just need to make a few more arrangements. Then we will all be f
ree to go back to my homeland.”
With a sigh, Iset circled his neck with her arms and pressed her mouth to his throat, licking the salt from his skin and breathing in the potent scent of him.
“Iset?” Nebet whispered from somewhere behind the bushes. “Iset, are you still here?”
Pushing Anen towards the shadows, Iset rounded on her sister just in time to divert her. “What are you doing here?” she yelled with undisguised contempt. “I told you I wanted to be alone!”
“I know, Iset. But I was worried. Vizier Rekhmire came to the suite a few minutes ago. I told him you were indisposed, but he said he wanted to speak with you. I think he will come back soon, and if you are not there …”
Iset nodded. “Very well, I will return in one moment. Go back and I will follow shortly. And make sure you are not seen.”
“But—”
With a frustrated growl, Iset shoved Nebet towards the portal. “I said go back. I will come in a minute!”
Nebet glared at her sister and rubbed her shoulder where Iset had pushed her. “If you don’t come quickly I will tell Rekmire you left the room without permission.”
“Go, you little witch! If you tell, you will sorely regret it.”
Nebet didn’t wait any longer, fleeing through the doorway as if all the demons of night nipped at her heels.
Iset laughed. The girl had no spine at all.
Turning back to the darkened area where Anen usually hid, she stepped around the bushes to the place where they had first made love. “She is gone, my love.”
The garden had fallen into silence. Anen was nowhere to be seen.
“Anen? My love?” She moved deeper into the garden. “Anen.”
A fat arm reached out and dragged her further into the darkness. Although she couldn’t see, she knew instinctively that the arm did not belong to her lover.