Misplaced (4 page)

Khar
a
smile
d
an
d
bo
w
ed
.
He
r
min
d
whirled
.
W
a
s
he
speaking
to
her,
or
to
someone
else?
A
more
capable,
prepared daughter
of
Pharaoh,
one
who
embraced
her
future?
When
he left
his
place
in
line
to
find
Menefra
for
her
share
of
affection,
Khara stared nervously through the gauze and into the crowd.

An
agonizing
cry
split
the
air.
Khara
turned
to
see
her
sister step
out
of
the
line
with
a
strange
smile
on
her
face,
clutching
a bloody knife to her chest.

Something
terrible
had
happened
to
her
father.
Khara
tried
movin
g
to
w
ar
d
him
,
bu
t
he
r
leg
s
ha
d
turne
d
t
o
stone
.
He
r
hand
rose
instincti
v
ely
to
co
v
er
her
mouth
as
she
felt
the
threads
of her life unra
v
el in the blink of an e
y
e.

“M
y
ow
n
daught—
”
h
e
gasped
,
stumblin
g
back
w
ar
d
and
fallin
g
t
o
th
e
floo
r
wit
h
a
dul
l
thud
,
a
re
d
stai
n
spreadin
g
acros
s
hi
s
whit
e
tunic
.
A
s
th
e
ai
r
lef
t
hi
s
body
,
i
t
mad
e
a
gratin
g
sound.
Her father reached out for Menefra.

“Th
e
on
e
yo
u
ne
v
e
r
notic
e
i
s
here
,
Father,
”
sh
e
said
softly.
Then
Menefra
held
her
arms
open,
fists
high
in
the
air,
shrieking
,
“
Y
o
u
woul
d
marr
y
m
e
of
f
an
d
ne
v
e
r
thin
k
o
f
me
again!”
Her
siste
r
’s voice
emptied
the
air
of
s
w
eet
tranquility.
“Whil
e
her,
”
he
r v
enomou
s
e
y
es
turned
on Khara,
“you
would be
made pharaoh. One
twin,
the
livin
g
god
;
th
e
other
,
nothin
g
bu
t
th
e
playthin
g
o
f a
decrepit
old
man.”
She
spat
on
the
floor close
to
where
their
father
lay. “Surely
you
knew
that
your
corruption
of
our
traditions
would carry a price. But it will be I, not Khara, who will put Egypt’s future right.”

Nando
r
plucke
d
Khar
a
fro
m
wher
e
sh
e
stoo
d
motionless,
tucked her safely bet
w
een him and the others, and looked into t
h
e
fac
e
o
f
h
i
s
d
y
in
g
pharaoh
.
Hi
s
p
aine
d
e
xp
ressio
n
con
f
irme
d that the nightmare
w
as real,
y
et Khara still could not mo
v
e. When his pharaoh had taken his last breath, Nandor faced the others and drew his sword.

She w
atche
d
he
r
twin’
s
finger
s
releas
e
th
e
bras
s
knife’s
handle
,
an
d
sh
e
hear
d a
hollo
w
clinkin
g
soun
d
a
s
i
t
hi
t
the
limestone
floor.
Backing
a
w
ay
from
her
fathe
r
’s
body,
Menefra looked dazed.

Nando
r
’
s
voic
e
too
k
o
n a
low
,
menacin
g
qualit
y
a
s
he
addresse
d
th
e
men
.
“
Y
o
u
betra
y
e
d
him
.
Fo
r
what
?
Th
e
promises
o
f a
jealou
s
child?
”
Hi
s
e
y
e
s
narro
w
e
d
a
s
h
e
looke
d
a
t
the
standing men. He took in the a
v
erted glances of three pairs of e
y
es, the uncomfortable shifting of their bodies. In the silence that lingered, bubbles of dread began to boil in Khara’s chest.

Nando
r
’
s
mout
h
se
t
hard
,
hi
s
stanc
e
widened
.
H
e
looked
o
v
er his shoulder, cautioning Khara, “Stay behind me.”

“
W
ait!” the vizier pleaded, slipping in the pharaoh’s blood, black
cotton robe
tangling
around
his
feet
as
he
retreated. His face
w
as the color of incense ash. “I
’
ll gi
v
e you anything!”

“
Y
o
u
ha
v
e
repai
d
th
e
trus
t
o
f a
grea
t
ma
n
wit
h
deceit.”
Khara’s
teeth
began
to
chatter
at
the
calm
of
Nando
r
’s
words. A
terrifying
silence
enfolded
them
before
the
feral
roar
as
Nando
r
lunged
,
swor
d
high
.
H
e
pivote
d
i
n
a
single
,
f
lui
d
mo
v
e,
sending
the
vizie
r
’s
torso
to
the
floor
in
a
spray
of
blood.
The
precise
cut
follo
w
ed
the
graceful
arc
of
the
dead
man’s
golden belt.

Th
e
substitut
e
pries
t
screame
d
unrestrainedl
y
an
d
fell
pro
s
trate
.
Ho
w
quickl
y
Nando
r
relie
v
e
d
hi
m
o
f
hi
s
head
! The force of the blow caused it to sail across the room before thudding against the polished
w
all and leaving an ugly, dark smear. There
w
as sudden, profound silence.