Sphinx's Princess (10 page)

“That’s bad. The gods alone know where her mind has fled. My poor, sweet child, to suffer so!” I heard Mery speak, but I didn’t see her or Bit-Bit, even though my sister was close enough to touch me. Slowly I became aware that I was lying on my back in complete darkness. How much time had passed since my return home?

“Is it night?” I asked.

“She’s back! She’s well! Her mind’s whole! Oh, my darling daughter!” Mery scooped me up in a flower-scented embrace, wetting my cheeks with the tears I was still unable to shed.

“
Is it night?
” I repeated insistently. I was suddenly afraid that I’d been unaware of the passing of many days, not just part of one. I freed myself from Mery’s arms and sat up on my own, peering into the darkness. “Where am I? Mother,
tell
me!”

I heard Mery gasp. In all the years since she’d come into our home as Father’s wife, I’d never called her Mother. It wasn’t because of any lack of love—I adored Mery, and she’d always treated me with the same kindness, care, and attention she gave to Bit-Bit, but even though I’d never known my birth mother, I felt that it would be disloyal to her memory if I called any other woman by that name.

“Oh my dear!” Mery exclaimed. “No, my Nefertiti, it’s not night yet. We’re only halfway through the afternoon.”

“Why is it so dark, then? Where am I?”

“You’re in your own bed. I had the servants hang a cloth over the door to keep out the light. I thought you would rest more calmly in the dark. Bit-Bit, see if you can fix that.” At her mother’s command, my little sister scampered away to yank the cloth aside. Daylight spilled into the room. Mery looked pleased. “Now, dear Nefertiti, what would you like to eat? You can have anything that would please you. I’ll send someone to the market if we don’t have what you want. Or we could go out together. The city’s filled with people celebrating the Festival of the Inundation. You can’t take three steps without finding someone selling delicacies to—”

“I don’t want to eat,” I said. “I want to know about the girl who saved me. Father said they were taking her away to die.” Mery was silent. “He was wrong, wasn’t he?” I pressed
on. “He only saw them carrying her off, but how could he know what her master was going to do to her?”

Mery lowered her head. “When you fell into the sacred river, the high priest of Isis leaped to his feet and shouted that it was the will of the goddess and the desire of Hapy himself. Anyone who tried to pull you out would offend the god of the Inundation himself. She disobeyed him, and so—”

“That’s ridiculous! The gods don’t want our blood.”

“My dear one, do you really believe the gods wanted any of this?” Mery turned her head abruptly and stared at me with grim eyes. “Your misstep gave the high priest a golden gift, the chance to rid himself of your father’s troublesome investigation.”

“But Father can’t really
do
anything to touch him,” I said.

“Thieves hate watchdogs even when they can’t bite. Ay never would have let you drown even if it cost him his life, but that slave girl ran to the riverside, leaped into the first boat she found, and was paddling after you before he could take a step. She ruined her master’s scheme. She will die for that, not for any false charges of sacrilege.” She began to weep. “That poor girl. She didn’t look much older than you. We must never forget her, Nefertiti. I’ve spoken with your father. We’re going to build a small shrine for her, if we can learn her name, and honor her
ka
forever, even though she’s not an Egyptian.”

Bit-Bit and I both put our arms around her, trying to hug away her tears. It felt very strange. Usually Mery was the one who gave comfort to us. As we held her, waiting for her
sobs to die away, my heart felt like a stone.
That girl doesn’t need shrines or sacrifices or eternity in the Field of Reeds
, I thought.
She needs her life!

I spent the rest of that day in my room, haunted by the slave girl’s face. I did manage to leave my bed and put on a light linen dress, but I didn’t have the heart to do more than pace from wall to wall or to sit on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor. If only I’d been less clumsy and avoided tumbling into the river! If only my fingers had been more nimble, I could have freed myself from all of the heavy gold jewelry that had pulled me down! If only I’d been stronger, or a better swimmer, I could have saved myself!

When Mery brought me food and drink, I couldn’t touch a mouthful. She sighed and left me alone. Later on, when the sun was setting and the lamps were lit, Bit-Bit came to try to persuade me to join our family at the feast set out to celebrate the Inundation.

“There’s duck, Nefertiti!” she cried. “Wild duck roasted with honey and onions. Can’t you smell it? The skin is so brown and crackly, it’ll be the best thing you’ve ever tasted! If you come, I’ll let you have all the skin off my portion, too.”

I smiled at my sister. “I’m sorry, Bit-Bit, but you’ll have to eat my share of the duck instead. I still feel awful for having lost Mother’s bracelets in the river. I don’t deserve to share the feast.”

“But it wasn’t on purpose!” Bit-Bit protested. “And Mother hasn’t mentioned the bracelets, not even once. She’s just happy to
have you
back.”

“Maybe so,” I replied. “But I still feel responsible. You
go ahead and eat. Tell Mother and Father I’m sleeping so they won’t make a fuss. I’ll be better in the morning.”

Bit-Bit looked reluctant to leave me, but the tempting smell of roast duck soon made her scamper off. I waited until I was sure that the family feast was well under way, then dropped to my knees beside the wooden chest that held my clothes. My cloak was at the very bottom. I swung it on over my shoulders, then pulled it up to cover my head. It was heavy, meant for winter use, but even though it would be stifling to wear, tonight I needed a garment that would let me go unrecognized through the streets.

As I crept out of the house, into the garden, I heard the sound of my family chatting over their festive meal. Rich, delectable aromas drifted from the hall and made my mouth water. For a feast like this, all of our slaves and servants would be busy either cooking, serving, clearing, or cleaning the dishes. It was easy to keep out of their way.

It was also easy to slip out of our garden and into the streets of Akhmin. I glanced left and right before running from the little gate into the shelter of the building across the way. Our neighbors lived behind walls that were higher than ours, and I kept them beside me, clinging to the added darkness they provided, for as long as I could.

I didn’t have to worry about running into many people. By that time of night, the citizens of Akhmin were all safely home, celebrating the Inundation just like my family and probably talking about the spectacle of my fall, my near-drowning, and my rescue.

How many of them believed the high priest?
I wondered. I felt a twinge of fear, and for a moment I stood still in the
night, seeing the angry phantom faces of all the people who would turn on me if this year’s crops failed.
Even if the harvest is good, how many of them will remember the high priest’s words the next time something goes wrong? As long as I live in this city, I’ll always be remembered as the girl who didn’t become Hapy’s chosen sacrifice. It doesn’t matter if it’s all a lie. When bad things happen, things that people can’t control, they want to find a reason. They
need
someone to blame
.

A dog howled somewhere nearby. Another answered. I remembered Father coming home one night, complaining about the homeless city dogs.
They roam the streets in packs and they’re vicious things. I was lucky I had this with me
. He waved the old painted war club from his soldiering days.

I had nothing. I readjusted my cloak and ran.

Isis’s temple looked different in the moonlight. It was no longer the gaily painted, beautifully adorned building I knew by day. Though the night was clear and the moon and stars shone brightly, the temple was a dark hulk crouched beside the river. I heard the dogs howl again and hurried toward it. The tall face of Isis’s house loomed above me, and I was close enough to see the words and figures carved there. It was so strange to stand before the temple alone, at that moment! The goddess’s many images all seemed to be staring at me, demanding to know why I’d come there at a time when good daughters should be at home.

“Forgive me, divine one, lady of life,” I prayed softly. “If you know what’s in my heart, show me your favor. Guide my steps. Let me save the girl who saved me.” I didn’t expect a reply and I didn’t wait for one. I turned sharply from the
front of the temple and ran along the wall leading away from the river. Somewhere on the other side of that wall was the high priest’s house. I had to find it. I had to find him.

If I stood some distance back from the wall, I could see the tops of many palm trees growing on the other side. It reminded me of our trees in the garden at home. A helpful breeze brought the scents of many kinds of food. I looked for a gate, but there was none. Perhaps I could have found a way inside if I walked all the way around the temple enclosure, but that would take me away from the place where I knew the priest’s house waited.

I dropped my cloak, took a running start, and leaped for the top of the wall. Dancing gave me strong legs, but my arms were weak. I barely made it, clinging to the edge until I found the strength to haul myself up. The top of the wall was comfortably wide, so once I was up, I pressed myself flat against the mud brick surface and peered at what lay on the other side.

“Thank you, O Isis,” I whispered, seeing the high priest’s house. “And now … be with me.” I took a deep breath, swung my feet over to the garden side of the wall, and lowered myself from my perch as far as I could before I had to let go and drop to the ground below.

I didn’t land well. My left foot twisted under me, sending such sharp pain through me that I had to bite my lower lip to keep from crying out. It hurt to walk, but I
could
walk, so I thanked Isis again and turned my throbbing steps toward the priest’s house.

Clusters of white-flowered jasmine budded and
bloomed on both sides of the open doorway. I slipped into the space between the sweet-scented plants and the house wall, thinking about what I ought to do next. I needed to find the high priest; I didn’t want anyone else to find me. I strained my ears to catch any sounds, anything that would tell me if the people inside were still awake or had finished their celebration and gone to bed. Somewhere a child was wailing, but the pitiful sound seemed to come from farther away. I clenched my hands, fervently hoping that the house slept. I intended to find my way to the high priest’s room and then—

And then—in the name of Ma’at who guards the truth—I didn’t know exactly
what
I was going to do then, only that I had to do something to save the slave girl. If talk wouldn’t sway the high priest, maybe I could bargain with him. It didn’t matter that the few pieces of jewelry I owned were nothing next to the temple treasures.
The gods love justice
, I thought as I crouched in the shelter of the jasmine plants.
The gods love justice and I’m here to see that justice is done. The gods will help me
.

“Who’s there?” A hand closed on my arm. Someone yanked me out of my hiding place and spun me around. I found myself facing a tall young man who looked almost as terrified as I felt. He didn’t wear a wig to cover his shaved head, so I guessed he must be one of the temple priests. “Who are you?” he demanded in a shaking voice. “You’re not one of our servants. You …” His forehead creased as he peered at me more closely in the moonlight. “Immortal gods have mercy,” he breathed. “You’re Ay’s daughter Nefertiti.”

I didn’t respond at once. I was breathless and shaking
with dread. And then, a wonderful thing happened to me: I realized that because I’d been caught, because this young man knew who I was, I had nothing left to lose. My fear fled and a great sense of calm settled over me like the warm folds of my abandoned cloak.
If it can’t get any worse, it can only get better
, I thought. I stopped trembling and drew myself up to my full height. I pictured a statue of Sekhmet, the lion-headed goddess of war, and gave my captor the same bold, commanding stare.

“I am,” I replied coldly. “You will let go of my arm at once.”

To my surprise, it worked! The young man released his grasp but stood close enough so that he would be able to grab me again if I ran. He didn’t know that I had no such intention. With a nervous little bow, he said, “What—what are you doing here?”

“I have business with the high priest,” I told him, still speaking with the self-assurance I’d borrowed from the goddess. “It doesn’t concern you.”

“But—but if you have business with Father, why were you hiding in the bushes?”

Father?
“Are you the high priest’s son?”

He nodded earnestly. “My name is Ikeni. My father wanted us to marry, but Ay turned him down.” He looked dejected. “I wish he’d have said yes. You’re very beautiful.” All at once, his expression brightened. “Nefertiti, whatever your business is tonight with Father, if I help you with it, will you go home and persuade Ay that we should marry after all? There’s some bad feeling between our families. Our marriage would smooth all that away.”

I could hardly believe what I was hearing. Ikeni was a good-looking young man, strong and healthy, but when he spoke, nonsense poured from his lips. If not for the condemned slave girl’s brave rescue, his father’s command would have let me drown! How could he call something like
that
“some bad feeling between our families”? He’d probably call outright murder “just a little misunderstanding.” I was in no hurry to marry, but I did know that when I chose a husband, he wouldn’t be a handsome fool like Ikeni.

But a handsome fool who can help me
, I thought. I offered him my warmest smile and chose my words with care. I didn’t want to lie. Lies would weigh down my heart when the time came for me to be judged in the next world, and a heavy heart was doomed. “The sooner I speak with your father, the sooner I can go home and speak with mine.”