“I will, I promise.” Tyema stroked her son’s downy cheek. Family had a whole new meaning for her today.
“I’m proud of you, as if I’d been your mother in truth, not your half-sister.” Merys kissed Tyema on the forehead. “I must go before Isis grows angry. My place in Sobek’s home is secure, she gave us her word I’d dwell there in the Afterlife with him for all time, but she’s fearsome to deal with when she’s upset. Even for a few more moments with you, I can’t risk her wrath. She takes her anger out on Sobek, which pains me more than if she punished me and well she knows it. Life, prosperity, health until we meet again.”
Walking out of the room into the garden beyond, Merys followed the path the goddesses had taken a moment before.
Tyema saw Sobek stride out of the mists in full human form, taking her sister’s hand. He glanced into the room, smiling when he met her gaze, and then they too were gone in a burst of green light.
“Well,” she said to the disinterested baby, still suckling contentedly, “Has anyone ever had such a birth night as you managed? Paratiti? Renebti?” she called, “I need some help with the baby!”
The door inched open and after a moment, her older sister peeked around the edge of the panel, white knuckled, eyes wide as saucers. “Are the Great Ones gone?”
“All gone. Come meet your newest nephew,” Tyema said proudly. “Come and greet Seknehure.”
Chapter Three
The day had been unseasonably hot, even for the desert. The air carried an unusual, oppressive mugginess and the slight breeze gave no relief. Sahure found himself gazing at the skies to the south often as he went about his duties, expecting a sandstorm. None had come. Late in the afternoon thunder rumbled and the skies darkened but there was no rain, either. Although he had no appetite, he forced down his dinner, eating in his quarters rather than with his men tonight, and then tried to concentrate on the reports the scribes had given him, but it was no use. He felt jumpy, restless, as if he was about to go into battle. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled, as if someone or something was sneaking up on him, but he was alone in the room.
Pushing the scrolls and tablets away with a curse, he left his office and walked along the elevated walls of the fort, pausing to speak to each sentry. When he reached the southernmost wall, he stared in awe at the towering gray and green clouds in the distance. Massive bolts of lightning arced from the clouds to the ground. We’ve been here for nearly nine months and I’ve never seen such a display in the sky before. Pulling his billowing cloak a little more closely around him, Sahure marveled at the unseasonal chill in the air.
“Never seen the sky so angry before, sir,” said the corporal next to him, echoing his own thought. “I heard lions roaring earlier.” He fingered his sandstone amulet nervously. “What do you think these strange omens mean?”
“Whatever the sky and the lions are foretelling, we’ll be fine.” Sahure hid his own misgivings and clapped the man on the shoulder. “No wind or storm can breach our stout walls, and the wings of Horus always protect us.”
Cowhide shield on his back, a soldier toiled up the ladder to the walkway, saluting as soon as he saw Sahure. “Sir, there’s someone here to see you.”
Surprised, Sahure checked the sky again, noting the position of the moon as it emerged from a bank of clouds. “At this hour?”
The man caught at his cloak as the winds whipped the folds around his body. “The lady said it was urgent, sir, said she had to talk to you, so the guards at the gate let her in.”
As he left the walkway and headed toward the gate, Sahure found himself thinking of Tyema, even though he knew it was impossible she was the guest. When he walked up to the fort’s heavily guarded entrance, he saw Menkheperr and Iensesu the town’s headwoman, standing together, as his men struggled against the wind to close the pedestrian gate they’d opened to allow the elderly woman entry. Wrapped in a fringed blue shawl, she looked as if the slightest wind could carry her away.
Where are her sons? She never comes here alone. Walking against the winds must have exhausted her. “What brings you to my gate on such a night, my lady?” he asked her. “Is something wrong in the village?”
“The goddess bade me to seek you out,” she said, striding away from the gate toward the officers’ wing of the fort’s central building. Surprised at her vigor when she usually limped and moved with the caution of fragile old age, Sahure hastened to catch up. Gesturing at the ominous skies, Iensesu added, “This turmoil of the heavens is on your account.”
Startled, not sure what she meant, he took her elbow to guide her over a rough patch in the parade ground. “Won’t you come to my quarters, out of this infernal wind?” Glancing over his shoulder, he said to his second-in-command, who was following them in case any orders were to be forthcoming, “Menkheperr, bring us some wine, please.”
Iensesu didn’t add anything to her pronouncements until Sahure ushered her into the safety of his office. She allowed him to take her cloak as she said, “The goddess sent me to tell you there’s a battle raging, one affecting you and those you love. You should be there, not here.” Her voice was also stronger than usual and he felt she was standing taller than normal.
Reacting to the almost accusatory note in her words, he said, “Forgive me, my lady, I don’t understand.” His thoughts flew to Tyema again and with a curse he took a deep breath and cleared his thoughts. “A battle?” Setting her cloak over the back of a chair, he walked to shut the door.
“Combat of a sort,” Iensesu agreed. “But as you lack the power to be in two places, I’ve been sent to watch over you this night.”
Amused at the idea of the elderly priestess attempting to defend a seasoned warrior like him, Sahure grinned and turned to make some properly appreciative remark to humor her. He liked Iensesu. He stopped in his tracks, the breath leaving his body in a whoosh.
The Great One Sekhmet stood in the center of his office, not the stooped little chief of the town. He blinked, astonishment flooding over him, but the goddess herself was definitely in his office, staring at him from her glowing amber cat eyes. Clad in formfitting red robes hugging the curves of her voluptuous human body, curious rosettes of gold at the shoulders, she was barefoot. Her shapely arms ended in the deadly paws of the lioness. On her leonine head, atop an elaborately dressed wig, she was crowned with a golden sun disk, the symbolic uraeus wrapped around the glimmering diadem. Red and gold sparks of light flew from her crown as she regarded him. Leaning on a staff crowned with papyrus buds, her expression was unfathomable. Slowly he went to his knees, arms crossed in respect.
“I’m honored, Great One.”
“I would taste the beverage you offered, had I more time to spend with mortal concerns,” she said, tilting her head, feline whiskers twitching. Her sinuous tail curled around her ankles.
“I fear until my man gets here with the wine I requested, I’ve nothing suitable to offer one as lofty as yourself.” He hoped she wouldn’t take offense. Sekhmet was renowned among all the Great Ones for her sheer unpredictability.
“No matter. I meant to take you by surprise and can’t complain at my own success.” She waved one paw, claws half extended, and he thought he heard what might have been a cross between a growl and a chuckle, deep in her throat, as if she’d read his thoughts. “To business, mortal. My sisters are taking part in the battle on your behalf tonight, the combat of which I spoke,” she said. “I’m here to intervene for you.”
Caught in her hypnotic gaze, Sahure felt as if he’d drunk deep from a highly intoxicating vintage, although he’d only had one cup of ordinary, military-issue wine at dinner. The room was spinning around him. Blinking, he drew a deep breath to steady himself. “I don’t understand, my lady. Intervene in what? I mean no disrespect, but I’m sworn to Horus the Falcon and he’s given me no orders, requested no action on my part tonight.” His thoughts flew again to Tyema, never far from his mind, but she certainly had no connection to Sekhmet and would never be anywhere near
combat. Focus, fool, you’re dealing with one of the most dangerous of the Great Ones.
“I don’t speak of combat with sword and shield,” she said, revealing a glimpse of her impressive fangs, her voice almost a purr. “All things will become known to you in the proper time. Explanation tonight beyond what I’ve already revealed would be useless. There is no move in the game available to you right now.”
Sahure kept a frown off his face with supreme effort. I’d like to be the judge of that.
But the goddess was still talking. “I acknowledge you’re not one of my children, but you saved my beloved village of Kharga from the nomads and the Hyksos.” Her tail lashed angrily at the mention of the enemy, thumping the hard-packed dirt floor and now she did growl, an ominous sound that sent a chill down Sahure’s spine. Sighing, she stood taller. “You rescued those who are my children, the people here. You honored my priestess, gave freely to my celebrations, showed proper deference.”
Realizing she seemed to expect him to say something, Sahure nodded. “It was my honor to be of service, Great One.”
“In return I’ll guard you while you’re here in this place.” She pointed her paw at him, one claw extended. “When you are once again in Thebes, it will be the task of others to watch over you, help you and those you love. Your task to protect Pharaoh.”
Why do the Great Ones love to speak in veiled terms? Thoroughly frustrated, Sahure took the risk of standing up. “I’m sorry, Great One, but I don’t understand—”
She extended her golden-furred paw to him, palm up. A curious amulet lay in the middle, in the shape of a tiny hand no bigger than his thumbnail and made of crystalline stone, deep blue in color, with a cat’s eye depicted in the center delineated in yellow, purple, and black beads. The talisman was woven into a black leather wristband. “This is for you,” Sekhmet said. “Give me your wrist.”
He extended his arm and the goddess tied the cord around his wrist, skillfully using her claws in place of fingers. Sahure felt a wave of cold run up his arm from where the curious blue hand touched his pulse. The chill ran through his heart and for a moment he couldn’t breathe. He felt Sekhmet’s tail curling around his ankles.
“I deal in magic of all kinds, mortal.” Sekhmet moved closer, putting one paw on his chest. “Therefore I know how to guard against the most evil sorcery, when I choose to intervene.”
“I—I don’t traffic with magic,” he said, searching his mind for any time he’d even remotely been involved with sorcery and spells and coming up empty. The heady smell of her blue lotus perfume was making his vertigo worse, interfering with his concentration on her words. “I’m a simple soldier, loyal to my Pharaoh.”
She nodded, patting his cheek with her massive paw, claws sheathed, before stepping away. “I know this. So I’ve given you a shield.”
He touched the amulet with his fingertips. “Why do I need to be shielded?”
“All things will be revealed in due time. You must promise you’ll wear my amulet, perhaps even in Thebes.” She smiled, the effect strange on the face of a lioness. “Horus won’t mind.”
“I give you my word.” What else could he say, when facing the goddess herself?
Sekhmet nodded. “And now we’re done.”
There was a crash of thunder almost directly overhead and a flash of lightning so bright Sahure was blinded. As he blinked his watering eyes and stared around his office, there was no sign of either Sekhmet or the elderly headwoman. The door was closed tight and he’d not heard it open. Quickly he walked to fling open the portal, practically running into Menkheperr, bearing a wineskin and juggling some mugs.
“Did you see her?” Sahure asked, sticking his head into the hall and checking in both directions. “Did you pass her in the corridor?”
“Pass who?” Menkheperr walked into the room and glanced around curiously. “Your guest left already? Quick visit. What did she want?”
After one more lingering glance down the empty hall, Sahure closed the door. “I’m not sure,” he answered. “But I’ll definitely have some wine.” And then I’m writing another letter to Tyema, damn it, whether or not she ever deigns to reply.
*****
Tyema always knew when Sobek wanted to speak with her. There would be a faint whispering of her name into her left ear, as if the syllables were carried on the breeze. After awhile her head would start to ache and lightning would flash in her vision, and she knew she must seek the god out. Today was one of those days, so she hurried down the cliff to his private beach below the temple as soon as the headache started, after the noon hour. They rarely met in the sanctuary in the heart of the costly new temple. Sobek preferred the open air, next to the Nile. Sometimes she wondered how it went at other temples dedicated to this god, since he didn’t appear to enjoy being cooped up inside.
Or maybe it’s just the relationship we have because he’s married to my sister, and they met on this very beach.
Arriving on the sandy expanse, Tyema ignored the lingering Nile crocodiles. She took a deep breath, straightened her spine and sang one of the oldest songs she knew, one Merys said their great grandmother had taught her. Sobek always said he especially enjoyed the lilting melody. She loved singing on the shore of the Nile, letting her voice expand and fly over the water. Sure enough, as she finished the last verse, there was a flash of green light and Sobek came striding down the beach toward her, taking his fully human form.
Her headache faded and the lightning flashes in her vision had been consumed by the light of his arrival. Tyema took a deep breath in relief.
He always appeared to her as a man, dressed like a wealthy noble, although she’d also seen him as half shifted, between forms, wearing his crown and plumes on the head of a crocodile. Never as the Crocodile, although she’d seen the damage he could wreak, as well as the aftermath of his anger.
Tyema sank to her knees in the cooling sand, arms crossed over her chest. “I’m honored to be in your presence today, Great One.”
He extended one hand, palm up. “This will always be my favorite temple, and you my most beloved priestess, after Merys herself. The song was lovely. No one else knows the oldest verses but you and your sister. The tablets and papyri on which they were written have long crumbled to dust, I fear.”
Placing her hand in his, Tyema rose to her feet. “If I have daughters someday I’ll teach the song to them, I promise, my lord.”
“Walk with me.” He tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow.
They strolled along the beach, the huge black and gray crocodiles hissing a greeting as they slid out of the god’s path. Sobek nodded and the creatures slid into the Nile, one by one, swimming away in formation.
Wondering what had brought the god to seek her out today, Tyema kept her silence. Sobek would tell her when he was ready. She realized they were walking to the breeding pens on the far side of the temple.
Sure enough, a few minutes later she stood in front of the enclosed pond. All the crocodiles, large and small, came crowding to the fence, crawling over one another to be close to their lord and master. Sobek extended his hand in a silent blessing for a moment, after which the group disbanded, reverting suddenly to normal crocodile behavior, sunbathing in the fading light, drifting in the water, dining on the chickens and other offerings Tyema’s staff provided daily.
Only one crocodile remained, the young bull named “Pharaoh” by the keepers. He basked in the sun directly in front of Tyema, as if displaying himself for the god. He had the extremely rare purple belly found occasionally on Nile crocodiles and all the confidence of a ruler.
“You’ll have to take him to Thebes,” Sobek said.
Sure she hadn’t heard him correctly, she did a double take. “I’m sorry, Great One, to Thebes?”
“Yes, I require you to convey this fine fellow to my temple in Thebes in two weeks’ time, so he can take charge of the float there. The bull crocodile ensconced in Thebes is dying after many long years of adoration. I’ve told my High P
riest and Pharaoh you’ll be sailing shortly, to bring my Chosen One. He’ll sire many clutches of eggs over the coming years.”
“But why must I accompany him? I have an excellent staff of keepers—” Even though she was in the presence of the god, Tyema felt panic clawing at her throat. Her chest grew tight as she tried to think about all the details such a journey would entail. What if Sahure has been reassigned to Thebes? What if he’s taken a wife? “I—I can’t leave my baby—”
Human face set in kindly lines, Sobek’s glittering yellow crocodilian eyes were sharp, predatory. “Take the child with you. You forget I have a half-human son; I understand what a child needs and at this age, your baby needs only you.” His face crinkled with good humor. “Babies are portable. Even my crocodiles carry their young on their backs.”
Her knees were threatening to buckle. Fortunately Sobek took her hand a moment later and they walked to a nearby bench, under a towering palm beside a small ornamental pond filled with fat fish. He made Tyema sit before he waded into the pond, plucking a blue lotus and bringing the entire stalk to the bench. As she watched in fascination, he picked apart the stem and leaves of the plant, industriously braiding the fibers into a bracelet, with the deep blue flower like a gem set into the top. Eyes on his work, the god said, “You don’t have to go, Tyema. It will be as you choose. Merys has explained to me something of the challenges you face going among the people, leaving this temple. Although I confess I can’t understand the problem, knowing you’re always under my protection.”
Although her throat felt choked, she managed to say, “I desire to do my duty to you, Great One. I owe you so much—”
“We don’t have debts and payment between us, little sister.” Sobek’s voice was kind, warm. “Perhaps you need to hear why I wish you to undertake the journey, before you decide?”
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