But what was to be done? What needed to be done? Justice needed to be done, of course. And she was the priestess of Meresger, the savage lioness who pursued evildoers until they were brought to justice. Ipuit felt as much compassion for Nebshedd as she did for Pepi. She would do what she could for both of them.
The ba still fluttered above Nebshedd’s head. Ipuit debated whether she should try to capture the tiny piece of fractured soul, then decided on a different course, for capturing the fragile ba might destroy rather than save it. Instead, she grabbed Nebshedd by the collar and forced the reluctant hound away from the little soul bird. She took the dog with her to the shrine, and made it sit while she knelt before the small gold statue of her goddess.
With her eyes closed, one hand on the dog and the other held out in supplication to Meresger, Ipuit said a prayer for protection, then opened herself further to danger. She sent her own ba and ka, twined together as they should be in a living soul, out of her body and into the world beside the world where spells were given form and sent to bring mischief or healing to the living world. With her she took the spirit image of Nebshedd, the lean red sight hound, and for a dog she’d been told did not like to hunt, he was quick to find the dark trail she looked for.
All magic leaves a path back to its source. With Nebshedd leading the way, this one was easy to follow. She was not surprised to find the priest of Seth as the source of the evil. He was surprised to find her in the place of his abomination, and this surprise gave her an advantage in the battle they waged for the soul of the pharaoh. She had another advantage as well. For though darkness mixed with blinding light disoriented her, and pain and confusion tore at her mind, Ipuit was certain she caught the occasional glimpse of Nebshedd darting in to bite the Seth priest whenever and wherever he could.
You’re a good dog, she thought, but it was the last thought she had before she gathered all her strength to drive one last blast of magic at her enemy’s defenses. Once that spell was cast, Ipuit became aware of nothing else, not even the darkness.
##
“Are you awake, my princess?”
The voice was familiar, but Ipuit could not place it just yet. Was she awake? “I am not sure.” The words issued from such a dry throat that Ipuit was not sure the voice was hers. She was not sure where she was, and that was most disconcerting. “Have I been ill?”
“Very. But all is well with all three of us now.”
The voice was male, young and confident. It didn’t belong to any priest she knew. Where had she heard—?
“Pepi!”
She sat up, even before her eyes were open, trying to find a way to bow in bed. Hands gently grasped her shoulders and kept her from falling to the floor.
“Easy,” Pharaoh said. “You’ve been asleep for days, and you’re weak. Don’t fuss. Let me help you. I’ve had to chase out my mother, and every servant and priestess in the palace, to claim the privilege of taking care of you.”
“You came back from hunting!” Excited as she was, the words came out as a faint whisper.
He laughed. “Of course. My place is here, ruling the two lands. Here I will stay. And in bed is where you will stay until you are well enough for the wedding feast. Then we will stay in bed together, but we will talk about that when you are better.”
Ipuit smiled at his words, and was glad of his aid in helping her to lie down again. Once he had helped settle her back on the bed, Ipuit stared wide-eyed at the pharaoh. He smiled at her regard, young and handsome, and quite self-possessed. They were alone in her bedchamber, and Pepi was seated near her on the bed. There was something very familiar about the look in his eyes, but she was used to seeing that enthusiastic intelligence shining out of the hunting hound’s far-seeing eyes. Now, she thought, Pepi’s ka was back where it belonged.
“Yes,” he said after she had studied him for a while. He pointed to himself. “I am all here.” Then he pointed to the dog. “And Nebshedd is here,” he added, patting the dog that sat close to him, leaning against Pepi’s thigh. “We were both very confused for a while.”
Ipuit was very curious. She was also very weak, yet she felt a bone-deep satisfaction. She knew that the goddess had worked through her to break the curse. “How did it happen?” she whispered. “How did the Seth priest—?”
“How did his evil magic trap a god in the body of a dog?” Pepi shook his head in disgust. “I do not know, but I will learn. Perhaps my excuse is that I am a young god, and my uncle did not allow me to learn all that I should have during his regency. With your help, royal wife, I will learn the magic a pharaoh needs to know. But that is for the future. What I remember before the curse struck me was that my uncle presented me with the gift of a litter of the finest red hunting hounds. Even as a pup Nebshedd was the most beautiful. I remember picking him up and making a fuss over him. Then I grew dizzy and the world became dark. The next thing I knew I was in a kennel with the rest of the pups and I knew that somehow this was all wrong.”
“You knew you were Pepi?”
He gestured. “Sometimes. Mostly I was aware of scents and sounds, and all the things dogs are aware of. I remember being sad when I heard my mother cry. I remember whimpering and whining and scratching at her door once, but the kennel master wouldn’t let me get to her. I was part of the pack, but not part of it. When Nebshedd wore my body he was as confused as I was, but the vizier and his Seth priest kept him under control. They let him hunt with the pack, which was true to his dog self, while I roamed the palace knowing that was where I belonged. Sometimes I would hear my ba trying to reach me, but my dog self did not understand it was trying to draw me home.” He shook his head. “It was all very confusing until you came back.” He took her hands in his. “I knew you.” He bent to sniff her palm, and licked it. “You smelled and tasted right. I knew you would help me.” He lifted his head and looked her into her eyes. “And you did.”
“How—how?” She wished she could concentrate more, and that her dry throat did not make it so hard to speak. “When the spell was broken—how did it—how did you feel? What did you do?”
“I woke from a dream I knew had been real. One moment I was contentedly asleep under the desert stars surrounded by my hunting pack. The next I was on my feet and shouting for my guards and my chariot, and for my traitorous uncle and the priest to be brought before me. The priest I had executed, and my uncle will live out his life exiled on one of his estates. Then I rushed back to Menfi to take up my life and duties.” He brushed fingers across her forehead. “Mostly I rushed home to be with you. My ka remembered being with you, and what you had done to save me. I feared you might have died when you broke the spell.”
She was gratified at his concern, but shocked at what she had heard. “The vizier was only exiled? For such a crime?” She was too tired to properly show her outrage.
“Officially, he has retired from public life for the sake of his health.” Pepi looked very stern when he added, “It would not be wise for any word of what was done to Pharaoh to be known.” He kissed her hands again. “You, I know will never tell. Neither will I.” He glanced at the dog, who looked up at him worshipfully. “And I think our secret will remain safe with Nebshedd as well.”
The dog responded to this attention by jumping up on the bed. It was not that large a bed, and Nebshedd took up quite a bit of space. Pepi laughed, and pushed him back down on the floor. “Oh, no, my spoiled brother, ” he said, and looked at Ipuit with a wicked gleam in his eyes. “The only one of us who will be sleeping in Ipuit’s bed from now on will be me.”
The End
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That God Won't Hunt Page 2