by Chanta Rand
“Do you know who I am?” Amonmose demanded.
“No, I do not, and I am certain it is no concern of mine,” she spoke bravely. “I ask only for safe passage. I can make it well worth your trouble,” she added.
“Oh?” He did not bother to hide the suggestive tone of his remark. “And what of your cherished maidenhead
Kama flushed. “You misunderstand my words. My cousin was to be married on the morrow. Her dowry waits at the river. If you let me go, it’s yours.”
He deliberately advanced his mount toward her. He was so close he could smell her scent intermingling with the foul smell of smoke in the air. “What makes you think I won’t simply take the dowry, along with anything else I desire?” He watched as she took a step backward.
“You seem like a man of great importance,” she said. “If you say you will release me in exchange for the dowry, I know every man here will comply with your wishes.”
Nadesh interrupted. “She lies. She is probably no more than a slave giving away her master’s goods to earn her freedom.”
“No! I am slave to no master!” Kama shouted.
Amonmose watched her shake her head vigorously, her free hand clenching into a fist. He wondered if she was always so passionate. Suddenly, he had a vision of her beneath him, arching her hips to his and clasping her legs around his back. He fought the rise beneath his tunic. Her spirited nature had inflamed his desire, and slave or not, he wasn’t ready to release her yet.
Keeping his heated gaze on Kama, he spoke to Nadesh. “Bring her back to Thebes,” he commanded. “She will be mine.”
He saw clear indignation written on her comely face. “You are making a mistake,” she told him. “I am not for sale.”
He smirked. “Then I shall take you for free.”
Her eyes became narrow slits. “You shall never have me!”
Amonmose was accustomed to his subjects bowing before him. That this mere slip of a woman had the audacity to … She needed to be put in her place. He gave his full attention to Nadesh. “Take her to my vessel, but I want her treated well,” he admonished. “No one is to touch her.” He spared the woman a quick glance before spurring his horse back in the direction he’d come from.
Kama got one last look at the mysterious man before he hastily rode away. Her gaze quickly followed the lines of his muscular body. He was draped in a light-colored shendyt that was knotted at the waist and fell to just above his knees. His bronzed, muscled chest was bare but almost entirely concealed by a red cloak upon his shoulders. A metal headpiece covered most of his ears and head, and a well-groomed, black goatee framed his stern mouth. His amber eyes glowed with a mysterious heat, and the tight line of his lips and his hard-set jaw told her he was not someone to be taken lightly.
She clutched her dress tightly. “How dare he!” Kama spat, looking at the man’s retreating back. “Who gave that beast rights to claim me?”
The man with the cruel features who answered to the name Nadesh responded. “That beast is Pharaoh Amonmose Tehutimes of Egypt. He has every right to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants. He is the divine law of this land.” He grinned lasciviously. “And you are his new concubine.”
Chapter Two
The journey to Thebes was a blur. Kama scarcely recalled how she got from Aswan to the Pharaoh’s colossal palace. She remembered riding in his massive boat. She remembered looking up at the full moon. She remembered watching the Nile as it snaked like a ribbon through the land, winding through the narrow villages of El-Armana, twisting across the desert, and plunging into the valley floors of Alexandria. She wished she could sail away and forget this ever happened.
After several hours, the rhythmic motions of the ship lulled her. Despite her torn dress and scorched skin she felt her heavy lids closing and finally fell into a deep sleep. When she awoke, she found herself in a strange room. She was on her back with her arms outstretched, palms up. She tried moving but found that her arms were bound at the wrists. She struggled against the leather ties but only succeeded in making herself dizzy. Each time she moved her head, she felt a dull throbbing at the base of her skull.
She fell back against the pillows, groggy and drained from her efforts. And her mouth felt dry, as if it had been stuffed with lamb’s wool. She could scarcely feel her tongue. A feeling of helplessness washed over her, and she moaned aloud. Where was she? Why was she tied up like this?
Moments later, she felt the ties at her wrists loosen. She jerked her head quickly to see, and the pain returned. This time, her vision blurred.
“Try not to move so fast,” a soft voice cautioned. “You will suffer headaches.”
Kama slowly allowed herself to focus. A small female form appeared beside her. The face was kind with smiling eyes. Her cinnamon colored skin had a reddish tint. The girl wore her hair in a thick, black braid hanging from the right side of her face—a popular hairstyle of Egyptian youths. Kama closed her eyes. How many times had she helped Satati braid her hair in that exact same style?
Kama opened her eyes again and looked at her wrists. The young girl was gently massaging them, restoring the blood flow. “You were tied for your protection,” the girl said. “You kept scratching at your hands and trying to tear the bindings off.”
Kama’s hands were wrapped in thin linen strips, cleverly designed to make a glove. Each finger was protected from fingertip to wrist. Both of her hands resembled those of a mummy, and she shuddered at the thought.
“You will be fine,” the girl told her. “When you came here two days ago, your hands were burned terribly from the fire. A healing salve has been applied to your hands and your shoulder. It was made by the Pharaoh’s doctor, and he’s the best in Egypt.”
Kama closed her eyes again. Just thinking about her capture brought the taste of bile to her lips. She recalled standing in the burning village watching the Pharaoh’s retreating back. The trauma of the fire combined with the thought of losing her freedom had been more than she could bear. She’d slept for days, dreaming the most vivid dreams possible. And now, she’d awakened to find that it had not been a dream but a real-life nightmare instead.
“My name is Dyzet,” the girl interrupted Kama’s thoughts. “We will tend to all of your needs.”
Kama opened her eyes to find Dyzet smiling at her. “We?”
“The Pharaoh has given you four ladies-in-waiting, including me. We are here to instruct you on the proper Egyptian protocol, so you will be prepared when you are summoned by the Pharaoh.”
Kama slowly pushed herself up on her elbows and looked around the room. Standing in the corner were three other young women, two who appeared to be much older than Dyzet, staring back disdainfully. “They don’t look very friendly.”
“In Egypt, foreigners are regarded with great suspicion,” Dyzet said. “They are simply being cautious for now.”
“What reason would one have to be cautious of me?” Kama asked, incredulous.
One of the other women spoke. “Because we do not want to be eaten, of course!”
Kama sat up. “Eaten? I do not understand. By what?”
“By you! It is a well known fact that Nubians are barbaric cannibals. Do you deny it?”
“Yes, I do! That is pure nonsense.”
“We’ve been studying your culture,” the woman answered back. “We’ve learned that Nubians practice sorcery and cannibalism.”
Kama shook her head in protest. “That is not true! Your fear of foreigners has allowed your ignorance to grow like a wild weed. Nubians have many of the same religious customs as Egyptians. Some wear the same clothing and eat the same foods. We are not so very different from you.”
“Nevertheless,” the woman insisted, “we shall keep a wary eye on you.”
Kama tempered her rage. “I can assure you all that I am no threat. Certainly no more than your Pharaoh. He destroyed the village I slept in and killed my family.”
The women gasped aloud in response. Yet, instead of sympathizing with her pl
ight, they turned their backs to her and covered their ears. Kama frowned at their strangeness and glanced at Dyzet, who looked embarrassed on her behalf.
“You must never speak poorly of the Pharaoh,” Dyzet warned. “To disagree with him is an offense punishable by death. To knowingly overhear someone condemn the Pharaoh yet fail to report it, is also an offense punishable by death. So, they”—she indicated the other ladies-in-waiting—“have offered you their backs as a sign that they do not respect you.”
Kama stared defiantly at the trio. These women would never approve of her, and she suddenly had no desire to try to change their feelings.
“I was brought here against my will!” She yelled loudly so they would be sure to hear her. “I have no more wish to be here than you wish to be here with me. Now, go and tell your Pharaoh about me!” she challenged. “Tell him that I am not some lapdog waiting for his approval! Tell him that I will never submit to him.” None of the ladies-in-waiting moved. “Be gone! All of you! Be gone from my sight!”
As the women rushed from the room, Kama felt the throbbing pain return to the back of her head. She cradled her forehead against her bandaged palms.
Dyzet had not fled like the others, and she gently pushed Kama back onto the down-filled bed. “Lay down,” she instructed. “You have overexerted yourself.”
Kama complied. “You did not run like the others. Are you not afraid of being eaten by the great Nubian cannibal?” she asked wryly.
Dyzet shrugged. “I said they were cautious of you, not I. I have traveled far and wide with my father. He’s a mapmaker for the Pharaoh. In my travels, I have met many foreigners, including Nubians. Individuals are all different, and rarely what hearsay and rumor claim.”
Kama gave the girl a measured look. “How old are you, Dyzet?”
“Fifteen summers.”
“And the others?”
“Nemhet and Tiya are both nineteen. Pamut is twenty.”
“They are too old to be so uneducated.”
“They are old maids. Bitter that you have gained the Pharaoh’s favor but they have not. Give no further thought to them. I will speak with the Pharaoh and make certain they do not return.”
Kama winced. That was another thing their cultures had in common. In Nubian society, any childless woman over twenty could be regarded as an old maid.
“Sleep now.” Dyzet urged. “You must regain your strength so you can get back to normal.”
Kama fought the wave of despair that rolled over her like a storm. Normal? She would never have a normal life again. Her fate was sealed. She belonged to the Pharaoh now. She rolled over and curled into a ball, wrapping her arms tightly around herself. A concubine. What had she done to deserve this? She wanted to cry, but she would not give anyone the satisfaction of seeing her tears.
“I shall return tomorrow after you’re feeling better,” Dyzet promised. “In the meantime, the servants will look in on you and bring your meals. I will teach you everything about your new home, and pretty soon, you will love Egypt as much as I do.”
Kama listened to the girl’s footsteps as she left the room and cringed inwardly. This would never be her home. Her home was with her mother, Mutema, who was hundreds of miles away in Kerma. For years, both she and Mutema had lived under the dark cloak of her father’s abuse, until they had the courage to flee to the safety of her Uncle Akahmen’s home in Kerma. Mutema had refused to ever leave their refuge, even years later to attend Satati’s wedding in Aswan. Kama was happy that her mother had declined the chance to travel. For if she had gone, she would surely be dead as well.
Every day that passed was the same for Kama. Dyzet was her constant companion, fussing over her injuries and babbling nonstop about the wonders of Thebes. After a while, Kama could not help but like her. Dyzet was not the one who ordered her capture so, she did not take her fury out on the poor girl. She would save her ire for her meeting with the Pharaoh.
She was surprised that the fearless monarch had not ordered her to his chambers immediately after her arrival. When he didn’t summon her during those first few days, she thought maybe he’d forgotten about her. For the first time since her capture, she felt small stirrings of hope fluttering inside her like a gentle breeze. As her body healed and her mind became clearer, though, she knew it was only a matter of time before he would come to claim his prize.
Instead of waiting in anguish for him, she used her time to learn all the local customs of Thebes. Dyzet was an eager teacher, rambling continuously, jumping from topic to topic. Soon, Kama was an expert in all subjects from exotic fruits and animals to taxes and architecture. Today, Dyzet was instructing her on the proper customs that must be observed within the palace walls at all times, especially when interacting with the Pharaoh. The two of them had just sat down to a delicious lunch of roasted quail and pomegranate when Dyzet began speaking.
“Remember,” Dyzet cautioned, “you are not permitted to speak to the Pharaoh until you are prompted to do so by him. To speak out of turn is considered disrespectful.”
“If I have something that needs to be said, I will certainly speak.” Kama vowed.
“It is forbidden.”
“What will happen? Shall I be hung by my thumbs?”
Dyzet shook her head sadly. “Worse. Speaking before the Pharaoh commands you to do so is an offense punishable by death.”
Kama laughed out loud. “This palace has far too many rules. Is every offense punishable by death?”
“Yes, if it offends the Pharaoh.”
“What if someone unintentionally commits an error or makes a mistake in protocol?”
“It does not matter. I heard he once sent someone to the dungeon for drinking from his favorite wine goblet by accident.”
Kama gasped and stared at her companion. “That is absurd! You cannot be serious.”
Dyzet offered her a lopsided grin. “No, I am not.”
Relief flooded through Kama’s body, and she playfully wagged a finger at Dyzet. “It’s unkind to frighten me like that.”
The girl giggled. “Please accept my apology.”
“Are there any more rules?” Kama asked, though she didn’t want to know.
“Yes. You must bow when he enters the room and again when he leaves. You must not sit until he has taken his seat first.”
“In Nubian culture, women sit first.”
“This is not Nubia, Kama. The Pharaoh will not tolerate any breach of conduct.”
Kama’s eyes flashed. “His rules mean little to me. I have my own standards of conduct that I will not tolerate. I will not tolerate being seized in the dead of night. I will not tolerate being commanded to bend to the whim of some pompous, overbearing ruler who sits lazily all day and wants to fornicate by night.”
If Dyzet was shocked by her words, she gave no indication. “The Pharaoh does not sit idle each day,” Dyzet said seriously. “There is much work to be done. He holds court daily and settles the citizens’ various legal disputes. He oversees daily purification ceremonies and religious rites for priests. He regulates duties and awards titles to government officials. As the Supreme Commander of his army, he is charged with motivating his soldiers and leading them in battle. He also controls Egypt’s vast quarries, mines, and trading fleets. And he is certainly neither pompous nor overbearing. Most women find him handsome. Don’t you?”
Kama quietly chewed her food. Her mind traveled back to the night she first saw the Pharaoh. He towered over everyone, sitting magnificently astride his horse. His amber eyes blazed each time he spoke. He was confident and regal. Yes, she would admit he was definitely pleasing to the eye. Perhaps under different circumstances, she could appreciate his outer beauty. But he and his men were responsible for her family’s death. No matter how handsome he was he would always be a monster to her.
“I do not wish to speak of him any longer,” she told Dyzet, her expression souring.
Dyzet stood up. “Then let us play Senet.”
Dyzet’s favorite p
astime was playing Senet, a game in which three rows of ten squares were painted on a piece of wood. Each player had seven pieces, and the object was to move them in a snakelike fashion across the squares. The first player to get all pieces off the board while preventing the opponent from doing the same won the game.
Kama would indulge the girl occasionally, but today she preferred to sit alone and watch the city from the four windows of her spacious room. She was sequestered somewhere on the fifth floor of the palace. It was a safety precaution, she was certain. Done intentionally to prevent her from jumping out of the window and running away.
Each morning she would gaze out of her windows and watch the quiet city of Thebes transform itself into a bustling metropolis full of activity. She watched the changing of the guards so often she knew their schedule perfectly. On the south side of her room, there was an elegant garden, blooming with the most colorful plants she’d ever seen.
Escape had crossed her mind, but only briefly. Much of the time, servants were around, observing her every movement. If she did evade their watchful eyes, she would still have to navigate her way through the vast palace, past the throngs of guards and safely away from the city gates. She would never survive the bandits in the forests or the deserts that lay on the outskirts of Thebes. She had no coin and no transportation. It would be a very short-lived escape. She was homesick, but she wasn’t witless.
“I would like to be alone,” she told Dyzet.
Dyzet’s expression revealed her disappointment, but she accepted Kama’s request without question. “I will inform the servants not to disturb you,” she offered.
“That is most kind.”
Kama waited for Dyzet to leave the room before wandering to one of the open windows. Below, she saw several children playing. Their innocent laughter floated through the air and resonated in her ears. She stood and watched them as they played with their toys. Their roles were already defined even at their young ages. Little girls hugged dolls crafted from linen, and little boys pretended they were at war, enacting battles with mock swords fashioned from bent sticks. And so the cycle continued. Women had the urge to nurture. Men had the desire to destroy.