Chapter Fifty Four: The Scent of Osiris
Kiya stood staring at the pendant, wondering how it could be fitted into the lock. She turned it over and saw a catch at the back. Please let this be it, she thought and prised it open so it stood at right angles, like the shaft of a key. She tried to slide it into the slit of the lock but there was a hidden obstacle that stopped the shaft half way. Kiya’s heart sank - there was so little time! She pushed hard and the obstacle moved to one side, with a barely audible click, allowing the shaft to penetrate completely. The triangle fitted exactly between the two feathers of the lock, replicating Osiris’s famous Atef crown. Kiya pushed at the door and it opened. Her heart beating wildly, she stepped inside the inner sanctum. It was a small, windowless room and she had to leave the door open to allow enough light to penetrate.
An elaborately-carved chest, the size of a coffin, took up most of the space. The lid represented the god Osiris, his lower portions were wrapped in bandages so they resembled those of a mummy, his arms were crossed over his naked torso and he held the symbols of his agricultural heritage – a crook and a flail.
With straining muscles, Kiya pushed the heavy lid to one side and put her nose to the small opening she had created. She was half dreading the scent of decay and was relieved to smell the sweet aroma of cinnamon. The body of Osiris was still fresh and now she knew what his ka smelt like.
“What in Thoth’s name are you doing here?” The harsh voice made Kiya’s stomach lurch. She looked up. Instead of the dreaded Queen, she saw Urshu standing in the doorway. His face was in shadow but she could hear the astonishment in his voice.
“Nothing,” she said and tried to push the lid of the chest back without him noticing.
He came into the room. “Are you stealing from the Queen? By Horus, girl, is there nothing you would stop at?”
“Shush!” said Kiya. “Please be quiet. I will give you money.”
“Too late,” Urshu said. He came into the room, grabbed her by the arm and hauled her to her feet. “I will get a greater reward by catching you as a thief than anything you can do for me.”
Kiya was struggling to get away from him when a shadow fell across them and Kiya saw Nefertiti standing in the doorway, her eyes glowing like twin coals in the darkness of her face.
“Your Majesty I have apprehended this girl trying to steal from you.” Urshu tried to drag Kiya towards the Queen. The glowing eyes turned orange as their heat increased. “She was once a High Priestess of the false god Anubis and is guilty of many sins.” Urshu was pulling upon Kiya’s arm but she had grabbed the coffin and refused to be moved.
The Queen’s eyes were fixed upon Kiya as they turned white and Kiya knew that her final moments were near.
“No!” she cried in fear.
“Yes,” said Urshu, who seemed oblivious to the terrifying eyes of the goddess. He released Kiya and hurried towards Nefertiti. “I demand you punish this girl for her wickedness!”
The goddess glanced at him and at that moment her eyes released their death rays. Two beams hit Urshu full in the chest. For a moment he was too amazed to react and then he started to scream. The hideous sound filled the air, making it jangle with the intensity of his pain. The smell of burnt clothing and frying flesh assailed Kiya’s nostrils as she stood transfixed by the sight of Urshu’s agony.
The beams travelled up his writhing body to his head and there they lingered until the screaming stopped. Urshu’s body crashed to the ground and still the goddess fixed him with her gaze. Greasy black smoke coiled around the room as the last vestiges of Urshu’s corpse succumbed to the heat of the death beams. For a moment his skeleton appeared, surmounted by a grinning skull then it crumbled into cinders. Kiya stared, with horrified awe as the knife that had been hidden in Urshu’s belt glowed red then white and then melted into a puddle of metal within the mountain of ash that was the remnants of the man’s body.
Kiya dived behind the chest, expecting to be the next victim, but there was the sound of shouting and running footsteps.
“Your Majesty, are you hurt?” It was Sabu’s voice. Kiya raised her head over the top of the chest and saw Nefertiti hesitate. The palace guard ran up to join Sabu and behind them Kiya could see maids rushing into the changing room. There were too many witnesses for the goddess to use her death rays so Kiya stood up from her hiding place.
“Arrest that girl!” Nefertiti screamed, pointing a trembling finger at Kiya. Sabu rushed to Kiya, kicking aside a swirling maelstrom of ash. He took her arm and started to pull her towards the door.
“What has happened here?” The palace guard, stood unmoving at the door and stared into the room. “Why all the smoke? Has someone been lighting a fire?”
“Get her out!” screamed Nefertiti in a paroxysm of fury. The palace guard hastily ran forward and took hold of Kiya’s other arm and marched her from the room. As they passed Nefertiti she snarled at Kiya and said, “You will wish for death by the time I have finished with you.”
Kiya heard the maids twittering like starlings, their voices high with excitement.
“It’s the new girl!”
“She has been in the secret room!”
“Did nobody tell her?”
“She is for it!”
Sabu was pulling at her, anxious to get her out of the building.
“What is the rush? Do we have to go so fast?” complained the other guard who was struggling to keep up with them.
Down the entrance hall they sped and Kiya was aware of open doors and astonished faces. Tarset and the cook stared at her from the kitchen. Dennu and Ikhnaton were at the door of the audience chamber. She glanced sideways and saw Dennu’s amazed expression, his brows raised and his mouth open. For a moment their eyes locked and then she was dragged on.
Huy was at the entrance. “I’ll take over from here,” he said. “One of you come with me, the other stay and guard the palace.” He appeared to deliberate for a second and then pointed to the guard. “You stay on duty here.”
“But...” The guard was about to protest and Huy quelled him with a frown.
“You have your orders, soldier.”
“Yes, sir.” The soldier released Kiya, saluted smartly and took his position beside the entrance.
Huy took hold of Kiya’s arm and he and Sabu marched her away.
“It is time leave town and fast,” said Huy. “Let us hope that Laylos has finished loading the donkey.”
They headed for the barracks at almost a run, arousing much curiosity as they passed.
Kiya and the God of Chaos Page 54