The Egyptian Royals Collection (18 page)

I stood in the center of my room and closed my eyes. “Ipu,” I called. She didn’t answer. “Ipu?”

My body servant appeared. “My lady?”

“I am to attend a feast tonight.”

I could read the shock on her face, although for once she kept her silence. The High Priest of Amun, Holiest of Holies, had been dead for seven hours and a feast was being held. I sat silently while my hair and nails were done, even allowing my feet and breasts to be hennaed. When the door to my chamber swung open, I knew who it was before she appeared.

Her wig was shorter than the one she usually wore. The hair curved around her ears, showing her double pierced earlobes and then cutting straight to her chin. She looked beautiful and fearsome. She sat down next to me, but I ignored her.

“You aren’t sulking, are you? We did what had to be done,” she swore.

“Murder?” I exclaimed. “The gods will punish this family,” I forewarned.

“We set an
example
.”

“What
kind
of example? That Pharaoh should be feared?”

“Of course, he should be feared!” Nefertiti straightened. “He is Pharaoh of the mightiest kingdom in the world, and there are only two ways of ruling. With fear or with rebellion.” She held out her arm. “The building of our temple will begin tomorrow. It is a night for celebration no matter what you think.” She smiled, indicating with her chin that I should stand up and walk with her. “Did you know the Elder sent his general here to find out what was happening?”

My breath came faster. “General Nakhtmin?”

“Yes.” We moved swiftly through the halls of the palace.

“But what does the Elder expect the general to do?”

“He can do nothing,” she said merrily. “You heard, of course, that the Elder has married again. A little princess from Nubia. Twelve years old.”

I winced.

“But what do I care? A new sun has risen, and it will scorch every other star out of the sky. Including the Elder.”

I was shocked by her aggression. “And our aunt?”

“Tiye is strong. She can take care of herself.”

We walked briskly through the painted halls to the sprawling room she shared with the king. Amunhotep emerged from the inner chamber, and the sight of him drew my breath away. His kilt was long and formfitting, and his golden pectoral was one I had never seen him wear before. Perhaps it was from the treasuries of Amun. They kissed, and I turned my head.

“I said you would succeed,” Nefertiti said softly. “And this is only the beginning.”

The Great Hall opened its doors to us and trumpets blared.

The feasting stopped so the people could watch Pharaoh’s entrance. I followed my sister, and behind the three of us trailed Ipu and Merit with beads of lapis and gold in their hair. I scanned the faces, but didn’t see the general among the crowd. My parents were at their table beneath the double thrones. The architect was there, with Kiya and Panahesi. I was disappointed to see that Horemheb was also among them.

I took my place at the table and Amunhotep led my sister to her throne. The people watched as they ascended the dais together, looking like gods who had just come to earth. There had never been such a striking couple in Egypt, with their gold and faience beads and jeweled scepters of reign. The court shook their heads and there was a murmur of awe. Then dinner resumed, and everyone chatted merrily, as if a murder had not just taken place. I looked at my empty plate and handed it to Ipu so she could prepare a dish for me. Only Horemheb and I remained taciturn at the table.

“You are silent tonight, General.” Kiya was sitting next to him, her pretty breasts exposed and her stomach an attractive mound beneath them. “Aren’t you enjoying the feast?”

Horemheb regarded her incredulously. “I am here because those were my orders. Otherwise, I would be preparing for battle with the Hittites, who are raiding our villages and encroaching on our land.”

Kiya laughed. “Hittites? You would rather be fighting Hittites than eating with Pharaoh?”

The general looked at her without saying a word.

“Are the Hittites really stealing Egypt’s land?” I asked him.

“Every day that we let them,” Horemheb replied.

“Do you think there will be war?” I asked quietly.

“If Pharaoh lives up to his word. What does the Sister of the King’s Chief Wife believe?”

Kiya made a dismissive noise in her throat. “What do
little girls
know about war?”

Horemheb fixed Kiya with his eyes. “Apparently, more than the wives of Pharaohs.” He pushed himself from the table and walked away. Then I stood up without waiting for Ipu to bring my dinner and announced that I had an urge to see the gardens.

Outside, a full moon had risen above the Garden of Horus. The lights from the palace illuminated the night and a fountain tinkled musically in the distance. I could hear laughter and the sound of happy feasting inside.

“I thought you might be here.”

I froze. A man emerged from the shadows and I thought of running. It had been foolish to come out to the gardens alone. But when he stepped into the light, I saw who it was. I remembered our last conversation and smiled coolly. “Good evening, General Nakhtmin.”

“Not even surprised to see me?” he asked.

He was wearing a long kilt and a short cloak of heavy linen. I studied him in the pale moonlight. “No. Should I be?”

“I just arrived in Memphis. Not even Pharaoh knows that I am here.”

“But Nefertiti said …”

He shrugged. “They were warned of my coming.”

“Then you should be inside.” I indicated the palace. “They will want to speak with you at once.”

The general laughed. “Do you think that Pharaoh cares what his mother has to say on his politics?”

I thought a moment. “No.”

“Then what does it matter if I’m in there pretending to be enjoying myself, or out here with a beautiful
miw-sher
, enjoying myself for real?”

I flushed deeply.
Miw-sher
was what my father called me. It was something you would call a kitten, not a woman. “Nefertiti is inside. You could still enjoy the company of a beautiful woman.”

“So
this
is why you are angry with me. I wondered—”

“I’m not angry with you at all,” I said defensively.

“Good. Then you won’t object to a stroll around the gardens.”

He offered his arm and I took it hesitantly. “You will get me into a great deal of trouble if my sister finds us out here,” I warned, but I enjoyed the feel of his arm against mine and didn’t pull away.

“She won’t come out here.”

I glanced up at him. “And how do you know?”

“Because right now she’s more concerned with building a temple to Aten.”

It was true. I doubted if anyone at feast was missing me at all. “So how is it in Thebes?” I asked glumly.

“Like Memphis. Full of politics,” he said. “Someday I will leave it all behind and retire in a peaceful village somewhere.” He looked at me in the moonlight. “And you? What are the plans for the Sister of the King’s Chief Wife?”

I was fourteen, old enough to marry and run a household of my own. I pressed my lips together. “Whatever my father decides for me.”

The general said nothing. I think he might have been disappointed with my answer. “They say you are a healer,” he observed, changing the subject.

I shook my head earnestly. “I simply learned the use of a few herbs in Akhmim.”

He smiled. “What’s this, then?” he asked, bending down and picking a leaf from a small green plant. I didn’t want to answer, but he held it higher, waiting.

“Thyme. With honey it can cure coughs.” I couldn’t help myself, and Nakhtmin laughed. We were at the edge of the garden. In a few steps, we would be at the palace.

“You don’t belong here,” he said, looking at the open doors to the Great Hall. “You belong with nicer people.”

My voice rose with indignation. “Are you saying—”

“I’m saying none of that,
miw-sher
. But these games are not for you.” We stopped at the verge of the courtyard. “I leave tomorrow morning,” he said. He paused, and then added quietly, “Be careful here, my lady. Let history forget your name. For if your deeds are to live in eternity, you will have to become exactly what your family wants you to be.”

“And what is that?” I demanded.

“A slave to the throne.”

I sat in Nefertiti’s chamber because she had called me there, and I watched her undress, flinging her expensive sheath to the floor. She held out her arms for me to slip on her robe, and I wondered if I was a slave to the throne. I was certainly a slave to Nefertiti.

“Mutny? Mutny, are you listening to me?”

“Of course.”

“Then why haven’t you said anything? I just said that tomorrow we are going to see the temple and you …” She sucked in her breath. “You were thinking of the general,” she accused. “I saw you come into the Great Hall with him last night!”

I turned away so she wouldn’t see my blush.

“Well, put him out of your mind,” she snapped. “He’s not a favorite with Amunhotep and you won’t be seen with him.”

“I won’t?” I stood up, suddenly angry. “I’m thirteen years old. What gives you the right to tell me who to see?”

We stared at each other and the lines grew tight around her mouth. “I am Queen of Egypt. This is not like in Akhmim when we were just girls. I am the ruler of the wealthiest kingdom in the world and you will not be responsible for bringing me down!”

I gathered my courage and shook my head fiercely. “Then leave me out of it.” I moved toward the door, but she barred my exit.

“Where are you going?”

“Back to my courtyard.”

“You can’t!” she exclaimed.

I laughed. “So, what? You’re going to stand here all night?”

“Yes.”

We stared at each other, then the tears welled in her eyes. I reached out my hand, but she waved it away. She walked over to the bed and threw herself down on it. “You want me to be by myself? Is that it?”

I went and sat down next to her. “Nefertiti, you have Amunhotep. You have Father—”

“Father
. Father loves me because I am the daughter with ambition and cunning. It’s you he respects. It’s you he talks to.”

“He talks to me because I listen.”

“And so do I!”

“No. You
don’t
listen. You wait until someone says what you want to hear and then you pay attention. And you don’t take Father’s advice. You don’t take anyone’s advice.”

“Why should I? Why should I be a sheep?”

I sat silently. “You have Amunhotep,” I pointed out again.

“Amunhotep,” she repeated. “Amunhotep is an ambitious dreamer. And tonight he’ll be with Kiya, whose vision doesn’t extend beyond the end of her crooked nose!”

I laughed because it was true, and she reached out her hand to touch my knee.

“Stay with me, Mutny.”

“I’ll stay for tonight.”

“Don’t do me any favors!”

“I’m not. I don’t want you to be alone,” I said earnestly.

She smiled smugly and poured two cups of wine. I ignored her self-satisfied expression and sat next to her at the brazier, drawing a blanket over both of our knees.