Namose tucked the wadded strands in his belt pouch. “I’m not sure why I must take his hair but I think I might need it."
Kashe tucked his mace in his belt. “Time to go.”
Chapter 29
Once Tira and Merin began their mock battle part of the practice routine two of the young women moved into the courtyard to watch. An elderly woman lit torches around the sides of the open area. The light helped Tira see her partner.
The torch lighter clapped her hands. “Time for the evening meal. One of the priests will arrive for those who are assigned to serve them.” She stood in the doorway of the building and tapped a half dozen women.
Tira noticed they were not the youngest of the women. “Who are they?”
Merin shrugged. “Not the daughters of the nomarchs. I haven’t been here long enough to learn more.”
Tira rose and held her hand out to the girl. “We should go.”
“How am I doing?”
“You know the basic moves and the counters for each kind of attack. With practice you’ll gain mastery. You have learned a style similar to mine from the desert clans.”
Merin nodded. “Though the clams prefer to solve quarrels with words they understand this may not always work. Will I be able to use rocks to flip myself into the air the way you do?”
“That takes years. I’ve been practicing and learning since my tenth year. First the basic skills of attack and defense must become automatic. You must remember when you doubt the intentions of others to be prepared to attack.”
“That was what Namose and I forgot when the grave robbers discovered us. By the time I remembered my hands were bound.” Merin walked toward the door. “We’d better go inside.”
Tira glanced at the sky. The sun slipped beyond the horizon and the eerie chanting began. Soon Kashe would realize she had left the boat. Would he wait in hopes of her return? She prayed he wouldn’t dash here and attempt a rescue. But he wouldn’t. Kashe never took an action without careful planning. She was the one prone to hasty action. She wiped her hands on the dress. “Lead on.”
Merin grinned. “The food will be hot, plentiful and delicious.”
Once they were seated on cushions at a small corner table a serving woman presented a variety of dishes. Tira agreed with Merin’s assessment of the food. She selected slices of beef and fowl, an assortment of vegetables and a thick slice of bread. She sighed with pleasure and filled a cup with wine. For a time she ate without speaking. Finally a plate of honey pastries, melon and plump figs appeared. Tira met Merin’s gaze. “We must plan our escape.”
How?” Merin glanced at the other diners. “Women can’t leave this court unless they’re escorted by a priest. The gates are always guarded.”
“I’ll find a way. Once everyone is asleep I’ll check the walls and choose the best route for escape. I saw a place where the bricks are uneven. I can climb there and look at the grounds.”
“They have my jewelry and the three necklaces. We must find them. I think they left them in the temple.”
“If we can discover where they are, we will, if not there is little we can do.”
Merin’s jaw tightened. “I must have mine. They’re proof of who I am. If we leave them here the priests have another young woman they will proclaim is the daughter.”
Tira grasped Merin’s arm. “If possible I said. Escaping is the most important part of the plan.” She rose. “Show me the sleeping chamber.” Merin led her to a room with rows of beds. Tira looked around. “Are they assigned?”
Merin pointed to a pair on either side of the entrance. “No one wants to sleep here.”
“Good.” Tira chose one. She was glad there were no wooden or stone headrests only a mattress over leather straps on wooden frames.
One by one the women drifted into the room. Tira lay on her side and feigned sleep. She listened as the sounds of the women’s breathing became the soft snores of sleep. She slid from her bed and crept to the courtyard. Merin followed.
Tira climbed the wall and crawled along the capstone. The rear of the enclosure faced the canal. The sight of several crocodiles told her leaving this way was not a good idea.
The second side showed the animal pens and beyond this the Valley. A poor idea for several reasons. Disturbing the herds and flocks would reveal their presence and jaguas roamed through the land beyond the walls. Without the presence of Bast Ka she and Merin wouldn’t be safe. She paused to rest.
“What’s wrong?” Merin asked.
“No hope for escape over either of the first two walls.” The third overlooked the gates forcing her to descend. She climbed the fourth wall and knew this was the best option. They could make their way past the other buildings and find the place where she’d fallen into the compound.
She sighed. Priests milled about the grounds. She wondered what had happened. The frantic activity meant they couldn’t leave tonight. She dropped to the ground.
Merin hurried to her side. “Is it hopeless?”
“Tonight, yes.”
“Then when?”
“Tomorrow night. Something is happening in the compound tonight.” The silence was shattered by a jagua’s roar and the scream of frightened animals.
Merin grasped Tira’s arm. “I wish Bast Ka was here. I remember how she called the big cats to chase the priests.”
“She’s somewhere in the compound. When the priests questioned me she crept into their house. I wish she had followed me here.” Tira led the way to the sleeping chamber. As she drifted to sleep she planned the escape.
The chanting of the priests woke her. She washed and donned her breast band and kilt. When she joined the women for a meal of bread, cheese, eggs and melon she noticed Merin had dressed in the same fashion.
“I made two bundles and hid them in the courtyard near the gate,” Merin said. “Both have a change of clothes, food and a knife. There are filled water flasks.”
“Our bundles are in the boat where Kashe and Namose wait.”
“I don’t want to go to Tebes. I must hurry to the delta.”
“We can all go there once the symbols are safe in one of the temples of the Three.”
“And my jewelry?”
“Should be stored there as well.” Tira looked away from the young woman. She felt there was little chance of recovering the daughter’s jewelry. They rose and went to the courtyard. Men’s voices rose in loud demands. Tira touched Merin’s arm. “Be prepared to fight. We’re about to receive visitors.”
The gate opened. The priest, Oris Aken Reentered. Pian and two priests, both burly men followed. Bast Ka slithered behind them.
Merin moved closer to Tira. The other women fled into the house. “The one they want me to wed is here.”
“I know who he is. Stand tall and hide your fear. You are not defenseless.”
As the gate closed Tira drew a deep breath. The most dangerous of the priests hadn’t come.
Pian swaggered toward them. “Daughter, Warrior of Bast, I greet you.”
Tira felt Merin tremble. “Courage,” she whispered. She met Pian’s gaze. “What do you want?”
“I’ve come to end your life. Though Hebu, beloved of Aken Re believes you should remain a prisoner, Oris Aken Re and I don’t agree. As the avatar of Bast your death will end his power over the people of the Two Lands.”
Tira flowed into an attack position. Merin imitated the stance.
“One of the men is the priest who pretended to be a grave robber,” Merin said.
“I’ll take the fight to them.” Tira glided forward. “I am no avatar of Bast.” Her voice rang loud and clear. “Neither am I easily killed.” She tensed her muscles.
Pian edged away from the two priests. “Don’t lie. Oris Aken Re has assured me your death will break Bast’s power.”
“Believe what you wish but he lies.” She kept her eyes on the pair of burly men.
Bast Ka crept toward them. The cat stood in front of Merin. A wave of sadness shuddered through Tira.
The feline had chosen to leave her but Merin needed the sacred cat’s protection. The fat priest waddled toward the young woman.
As Pian slid away from his companions Tira struck. She lunged and straight-armed one of the men in the face. She felt his nose smash. Her knee found a different target. He fell and writhed on the ground. She evaded his flailing legs.
Bast Ka yowled. Tira wondered what the cat planned. She had no time to learn. With a shout she attacked the second priest. He held a knife. He swept the blade in an arc. Tira spun on one foot. The knife sliced through the bandage on her arm and slit her skin. Her foot smacked his knee. The knife flew from his hand. He landed with a thud on the stones of the courtyard.
The first man edged cautiously toward her. Then he lunged. Like a toreador she slid away and kicked him in the rear. He slapped into the wall. His head twisted to an impossible angle.
Pian grabbed Merin and held her as a shield. Tira sidled toward the pair. “Duck,” she shouted.
Merin jerked aside. Bast Ka leaped and scored Pian’s face. Tira’s arm thudded against his chest. He staggered backwards and fell onto the knife held by the second of the priests. The pair crashed. Merin jumped to her feet.
Oris Aken Re chanted. Clouds covered the sun. Tira’s eyes widened. Bast Ka grew larger, not just from fluffed fur. Her yowl became words that resounded in Tira’s head. “Be gone from the Two Lands. Your god has no right or status here.”
The priest continued chanting. His loud words and those of Bast Ka drove Tira to the ground. The large gray feline leaped. The priest’s chant ended in a piercing wail that seemed to last forever. Tira pressed her hands against her ears and curled into a ball.
When the last note faded Tira got to her feet. She staggered toward the shattered gate. Merin and Bast Ka were gone. Four bodies sprawled on the ground. Tira tore a strip of cloth from a priest’s robe and wrapped her freshly bleeding wound.
None of the women left the house. Tira slipped through the gate. The bundles Merin had packed were gone. Tira crept past the gate guards. Both men lay on the ground. Their eyes were wide and staring. Were they dead? She didn’t take time to check.
As she ran toward the wall she passed several more fallen priests. One moaned. She scurried past. She reached the place where she had fallen into the courtyard and slumped on the ground to gather strength for the climb.
A camel galloped past headed toward the temple. “Merin,” Tira’s voice, barely a whisper, went unheard.
Would the guards at the main entrance block the escape? Would Merin seek Kashe or would she ride toward the delta?
Tira pushed to her feet. With care she climbed the mud bricks and crawled along the wall to the place where she had begun her spying venture.
Chapter 30
As the sun rose and the notes of the priest’s chants flowed from the temples Kashe strolled toward the village. Namose walked at his side. How were they going to gain entrance to the temple to rescue Tira and Merin? His brother thought he knew where the pair were held. Kashe groaned. He should have gone last night instead of sleeping so deeply he still felt groggy.
He held up his hand and pressed against a brick wall of a house. A group of men and several women left the village and walked toward the temple. The chanting ceased. The sounds of the village arose. When he and his brother reached the house where Namose had been held prisoner Kashe halted.
“Why?” Namose whispered.
“To hear what happens when he learns you’re gone.”
“Where is he?” The nomarch’s voice boomed. “Who freed his hands? Who allowed him to escape?”
A chorus of denials arose.
“What would we have done if we’d known he was gone?” a gruff voice asked. “You remained at the temple where we wouldn’t have been admitted.”
The nomarch growled. “You could have left a message with the gate guard.”
“Who searches after dark?” another man asked.
“Torches could be used.” The nomarch growled. “There will be punishments. I must return to the temple without my youngest son. The priests wanted to question him along with the warrior of Bast they captured.”
Kashe’s hands formed fists. He had the answer he feared. He grasped his brother’s wrist to warn him not to speak. Kashe moved away from the house.
“What are we going to do?” Namose asked.
“Trail them. Find a way into the compound. Free Tira and Merin.”
“How? Father has eight men and four palanquin bearers.”
“The bearers won’t fight.” Kashe touched his mace. “If I must confront them I will. Horu Ka will help.”
Namose drew a deep breath. “We can sneak past the guards if we climb the wall. I bet I can find the women’s court.”
“There might not be enough time. You heard him say the priests intended to question Tira. Are you sure they would put her with the other women. They might fear what she would tell them.”
Namose frowned. “They have little respect for women. There is also a house where the chief priests live. I know where that is. Do you think a rescue is hopeless?”
“We must try.” Kashe led the way past the house. Namose was right to think they should climb the wall. Once inside the compound there were two choices. Which one was right?
They skirted the village and reached the road. An eerie screech sounded. Kashe looked around. Where had the noise arisen? He pressed against a palm tree. Namose huddled beside him. When the sound died Kashe unfroze.
“What was that?” Namose asked.
“I don’t know but I think it came from the temple. I’m glad we weren’t close.”
Namose nodded. “Might have broken our ears. Do we still go to the temple?”
“We must. This is how we’ll proceed.” He explained how they would move from tree to tree until they reached the wall. Before they had progressed past three trees Kashe heard his father shouting for the bearers to hurry. Kashe ducked down to peer into the road.
A camel burst through the temple gates. The animal left the road and tore through the planted fields. Kashe had to push his brother back before he was trampled.
“That was Merin,” Namose said.
Where was Tira? “Was anyone with her?” Kashe helped his brother to his feet. The camel and rider clattered across the bridge over the canal.
“She was alone.”
Where was Tira? If Merin had escaped surely Tira was also free. He crept closer to where his father and his party had halted. The bearers lowered the palanquin. The nomarch rose and straightened his clothes.
A chariot shot from the temple. Kashe crept closer to the road. Namose followed.
The priest Hebu, beloved of Aken Re pulled the chariot to a stop. “Where did that rider go?”
The nomarch pointed. “Over the bridge.”
The priest laughed. “And your lost ones are found. They’re near the trees.”
The nomarch turned. Kashe grabbed his brother but he was too late. “Namose, Kashe, come here.”
The years of obedience caught Kashe by surprise. He took several steps and halted. He grasped his brother’s arm. “We can’t go to him. We’ll lose our chance to free Tira.”
“They’ll stop us. I bet the priest knows why we’re here.”
“So you freed your brother,” the nomarch said.
Kashe pushed Namose behind him. “Run to the barge.”
“And leave you to face father and the priest. I won’t go.”
“They’ll attack if we don’t obey. I will fight as long as I can. If they take me to the temple I’ll escape.”
“So will I.”
The priest stepped to the nomarch’s side. “Kashe of Mero, I demand you take the place your father has sworn you will have. You will command the army we have gathered. Even now more men are coming from the eastern desert to swell our ranks.”
Kashe drew his knife and tightened his grip on the mace. The amulet heated against his skin and infused him with strength. Horu Ka circled overhe
ad. The bird swooped and landed on Kashe’s wristband. “As you see my loyalty is to Horu. I have no desire to serve an alien god.”
The guards muttered. The bearers crouched behind the palanquin. The nomarch raised his fist. “Kashe, you will obey or I cast you off. You will no longer be my son. I am sworn to Aken Re, the true and only god. Do you want your mother to grieve for a lost son?”
“If she grieves the decision is yours.” Kashe raised his arm. In a flutter of wings and a screeching cry the hawk flew.
The nomarch lowered his hand. “You are no longer my son.” He repeated the phrase three times. “Take him. Bind him. Drag him to the temple. Let the priest deal with him. Kashe, no longer of Mero, you are not my son.”
Though Kashe’s goal had been to discover a way into the temple grounds he refused to go as a prisoner. The hawk screamed and swooped to claw one of the guards. The man stumbled causing two others to fall. Kashe and Namose moved as a unit. Namose struck a guard using the skills Tira had taught him. The man stumbled and fell onto the palanquin.
Kashe swung his mace in a wide arc and connected with two men. They slammed into the man behind them. Shouts, thuds and cries of pain resounded. With the mace in one hand and the knife in the other he used every trick Tuten had taught him. He and Namose were driven apart. In desperation to reach his brother Kashe charged and butted an opponent in the gut with his head.
When he had a moment to catch a breath he counted four guards still on their feet. Exhaustion caused his arms to tremble. How long could he continue to fight?
“Kashe, help!”
His brother’s terrified scream distracted Kashe. Namose struggled with the priest. Hebu pulled the youth into the chariot. They raced past Kashe who lunged in an attempt to grab the horse, missed and sprawled on the ground. The chariot tore through the barley field and clattered over the bridge.
Kashe struggled to rise. Three of his father’s men surrounded him. “Father, call off your men.”
“Will you obey me?”
“As long as you oppose the Three I must not.” Kashe pointed to the fleeing chariot. “Hebu has taken my brother. Where are they going?”
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