Bast's Warrior

by Walters, Janet Lane;

  Kashe stared at his hands. He had heard how poisoned wounds burst and left areas that didn’t heal. Maybe she had learned about healing in her land. Maybe she was the avatar and could heal with a touch. “Is there more I can do?”

  She looked at the sky. “The sun rises. We should move him to the tent and raise one side to allow light to penetrate the darkness.”

  Kashe added pieces of wood to the fire and filled an earthen pot with water. He gestured to Tuten. “Help me carry him to the tent.”

  When Kashe returned to the fire he saw Tira had torn one of the drying cloths into pieces and put them in the heating pot of water. “My knife needs to be heated in the flames until the blade turns red.” She rose and went to the tent.

  Kashe squatted beside Kashe. “What is she planning?”

  “Tira says some of the wounds are poisoned. She wants to clean them.”

  The older man nodded. “I’ve seen small wounds cause a warrior to sicken the way Namose has. Often a physician can do nothing.”

  “That is my fear.”

  “There is a temple of Horu not far from here. One few people know exists. The priests there could send Namose’s spirit to the afterlife.”

  Kashe stared at his friend. “If Namose dies so will Pian and Hebu, beloved of Aken Re.”

  “Before that happens we will need more supplies. Some of the food I have has gone bad.”

  “I have no more coins but we’ll find a way.”

  Chapter 11

  Tira entered the tent and knelt on the far side of the youth so she wouldn’t block the light. She stared at the slash marks on his back. Anger tightened her muscles and made her want to vomit. How could Pian have treated his youngest brother thus? Thoughts of her sister’s betrayal flashed into her awareness. There are those people who crave their own wishes and they don’t care who they hurt.

  Fury built like a hurricane seeking land. She sucked in a breath. Dwelling on the wrongs had no positive purpose. Anger was as poisonous as the bacteria infecting Namose’s wounds.

  She forced herself to study the scabs. Some had torn free when she removed the bandages. Blood and clear fluid oozed from those areas. She stared at the swollen areas. They must be opened and drained.

  Namose moaned. “No. Stop. I won’t tell. Never.”

  Tira touched his fevered skin. “Quiet. You are safe. I’ll try to help you.” That promise was all she could offer. What beyond cleaning the infected areas with boiled water could she attempt? She wished for antibiotics but there were none in this time. As for antiseptics she had no idea what herbs were used. She closed her eyes and searched her memories for the few things she had read about medical practices in ancient Egypt. If she needed to embalm a body she knew what was used. She recalled how broken bones were treated. Neither was of any help.

  The only knowledge you can take with you is what will fit the time and place you reach, except for your fighting skills. You will be unable to speak of the world of modern conveniences.

  Namose’s whimpering cries pulled her into the present. Tira poured some lukewarm water from her flask on some toweling and placed the cloth on his nape. Perspiration beaded his forehead. His cries made no sense other than as pleas.

  There must be something she could do. The youth’s survival was important to the future of the Two Lands. As though a voice had spoken the words that knowledge filled her. She pressed her hands against her temples.

  An answer arose. She wasn’t sure where she had read the words. Did her source matter? If she could speak them aloud, she could try this treatment. What color was the mold she needed? There were other things she could do. She could cauterize the wounds but that seemed a dangerous way to treat the areas. Searing the skin with hot metal would cause pain, raise blisters and form ugly scars. Not to mention the chance of further infection.

  Tuten stooped and entered the tent. He crouched at Namose’s feet. “How can I help?”

  “First I have some questions. How long ago was he beaten?”

  “Several days after you left. I’m not sure of the exact day. Seven sun turns after your departure he was brought to my house.”

  Tira swallowed. Was it too late? Had the infection become systemic? “You said a physician treated the wounds. Did he use any herbal liquids to clean them or put any ointment on the slashes?”

  Tuten shrugged. “I wasn’t at the compound. When they brought him to my house his back was covered with linen bandages.” He brushed graying dark hair from his face.

  “When did he become hot?”

  “Just before we reached the market town. For several days before that he ate very little. The bandages smelled foul. I removed them and caused some places to bleed. All I could do was wrap clean linen around his back. Was that wrong? His broad shoulders slumped. “Too often I have seen men die after the body takes fire.”

  Tira met his gaze. “You did all you could. After I clean the poisons away I’ll try something different.” She drew a deep breath and prayed she could speak the words aloud. “Do you have any rotten bread?” A laugh escaped. Yes, she thought.

  He nodded. “I planned to burn it.”

  “Don’t. Bring it to me. Sometimes the growth that ruins the bread can destroy wound poison.” She hoped she had made the right choice. “When I open the wounds I’ll need you and Kashe to hold him still. Once the poison is gone I’ll scrape some of the bread into the open areas.”

  Tuten stared at her. “Truly the goddess sent you. My hands are yours. Namose is Kashe’s favorite of his younger kin. His heart would feel pain if the gods called his younger brother to join them in the afterlife.”

  “If we do what I believe is right he will live.” Tira crossed her fingers and prayed her words were true. Inside she quaked. She had to succeed.

  Kashe arrived with the knife and the water. Tira took hot cloths from the pot and laid them on Namose’s back. He hissed and struck with his hands but he failed to hit her. “Kashe, hold his hands. Tuten go for what I asked about.” She looked at Kashe. “You and Tuten must hold him while I work.”

  Tira swallowed. Would her choice of treatment work? If she didn’t try Namose would die. Would a prayer to the goddess Bast aid her?

  “What should we do now?” Kashe asked.

  “Wait for Tuten.” When the older man appeared Tira took the knife and lifted one of the cloths. “I must cut in two places.” She pointed to the areas of swollen skin that seemed ready to burst. “Hold him.” She bent her head. “Namose, you must remain still.”

  Tuten grasped the youth’s thighs. “I’ll do my best to hold him.”

  Kashe brushed his hand over his brother’s hair. Namose groaned. Kashe leaned forward. “Have courage, little brother. Tira must hurt you to help you heal. She says the wounds Pian inflicted are poisoned. She will cut the poisoned flesh away.”

  Tira returned the cloth to the water. With the tip on her knife she pulled the first of the scabs free and slit the swollen skin. Thick yellow exudates oozed out. She used the cloth to wipe the viscous fluid away. She opened the second wound and found a piece of cloth embedded beneath the skin.

  Namose screamed each time she cut. He tried to pull free of the hands that held him. Kashe crooned soothing sounds. Tuten voiced encouragement. When both areas of infection bled Tira poured the now cool water over the area. She waited for his back to dry. Then she reached for a piece of moldy bread and scraped the blue-green substance into the room.

  Kashe caught her hand. “What are you doing? How can you put what spoils bread into his wounds? Tuten should have burned the bread before all our food is spoiled.”

  Tira shook off his hands. “I’m doing what I know. Often there’s a healing value in rotten bread.”

  As though in thought, his forehead wrinkled. “I don’t understand but since you were sent by the goddess I’ll trust you.”

  By the time she finished the treatment midday had passed. She leaned back and rubbed her temples. Though she wanted to crawl into her tent and sleep
there were other treatments and instructions to give.

  “What now?” Kashe asked.

  “Lift him so I can wrap strips of toweling around his back and chest. Then he must be awakened and given water and broth to drink.

  Kashe and Tuten held Namose in a sitting position while she wrapped strips of toweling around his back and chest. She rose and gathered the strips of bandages she had removed. She carried them along with the cloth she’d used to clean his back to the fire. Some she washed and lay on the rocks to dry. The others she burned. She returned to the tent for Kashe’s blanket. She draped it over the rocks to dry in the sunlight.

  As she worked she thought about the way she had treated the infection. Would the wounds heal? How much scarring would occur? When she returned to the tent she found Namose seated. A saddle padded with a blanket served as a backrest,

  Kashe appeared with a cup. Tira sat beside the youth and helped him drink. Before long Tuten entered and handed the boy some broth. Tira touched Namose’s forehead. Still fevered. She wished they had camped in an oasis where she could bathe him with cold water. She yawned, dozed and woke with a start.

  Kashe knelt beside her. “Go eat and sleep. I’ll wake you for the evening meal.”

  “Someone should stay with him.”

  “Tuten and I will.”

  The older man looked as tired as she felt. Tira clasped his hand. “You should sleep, too.” She turned to Kashe. “You’ll need to keep watch for strangers.”

  “Do you sense anyone?”

  She shrugged. “I just feel uneasy.”

  “What will happen to my brother?”

  “By morning he should be less hot. Give him water and broth to drink. If he feels hungry, soak bread in the broth.” Bast Ka walked into the tent. Tira smiled. “The cat will keep watch and wake me if I’m needed.” She didn’t mention the possibility of convulsions from the fever. If they occurred there was nothing she could do. She left the tent, stopped near the sacks and took some dates. As she entered her tent she knew she’d done everything possible for Namose.

  When evening arrived Tira remained awake long enough to eat a bowl of lentil stew and to check Namose. Kashe reported that his brother had awakened and had drunk several cups of liquid. “I added honey to the water.”

  Tira smiled. “A good thought.” She cleaned her bowl. “Wake me if he needs anything.”

  In the morning she left her tent and prepared to practice. Namose sat by the fire. She paused beside him. He held a bowl of lentil stew and ate as though starved. The fever glaze had vanished from his dark eyes. His skin felt cooler. When she checked the dressing she was pleased to see no drainage.

  He looked up and smiled. “I’m glad Tuten and I found you and Kashe.”

  Tira patted his hand. “I’m glad I could help you. During the day you should take short walks. Eat some dates and put honey on your bread. The sweetness will give you energy.”

  He grinned and put the bowl down. “I will obey your orders.”

  She laughed. “Eat the stew first.”

  Kashe emerged from the tent. “She’s right. A warrior needs to eat heartily.”

  “I’m no warrior.”

  “Anyone who has undergone a lashing is considered a warrior. Did you beg and plead with Pian to stop?”

  Namose shook his head. “I screamed. I cursed him and the priest but at the end I told them about the map of the Valley and the plan of the temple.”

  “Anything else?” Tira asked.

  Namose looked up. “I didn’t tell them Kashe belonged to Horu. I would have but Father returned and stopped them.”

  Kashe turned to Tira. “How long before we can travel?”

  Tira rose and began her routine. “If he continues to gain strength several days will be enough. Tonight when I change the bandages I’ll know more.”

  Kashe stared at the ground. “Though it pains me to admit you were right about how to treat his wounds.”

  She laughed. “Then don’t.”

  He looked up and smiled. “You were.”

  His smile brought a rush of warmth. Her hand brushed his. The air crackled with energy. His scent enfolded her. Their gazes locked. She saw hunger there. “Kashe.” Her voice emerged low and husky.

  He looked away. “Not until the quest ends. I won’t jeopardize what we must do.”

  The words sounded forced. She stood with her hands on her hips. “We need to talk.”

  He rose and drew closer. “You know I desire you. I promise there will be a time for us.”

  She faced him. “Together we would be stronger than if we continue to walk our separate paths. Since our first meeting I’ve been filled with a need for you.”

  “I feel the same.” He lifted her chin. “We must not chance defeat. Before we become lovers we must become friends and learn to work in unison.”

  She stared into his eyes. “Know this. Sometimes the yearning seems stronger than my wanting to complete the task given to me.” Was this attraction some kind of test they might fail?” She toed the sand. “Are you sure the prophecy means us?”

  He nodded. “When the gods and goddess say our work is done we will celebrate and experience our passion fully."

  She sighed. “I fear the day will never come.”

  “When we have the symbols in our hands we will be free. Go do your exercises and then eat.”

  Did he really feel what she did? She moved onto the sand and began to stretch. The physical exertion raised her spirits. She finished and went to the fire.

  Kashe looked up. Namose had returned to the tent and Tuten was near the camels. Kashe met Tira’s gaze. “I’ve been thinking. What if you are the avatar of the goddess?”

  “I don’t believe I am. If I’m the one you must be Horu come to life.”

  Kashe laughed. "Not for an instant. You came from a far land. You say little about your former life. Perhaps your land is where the goddess dwells."

  Tira scooped some of the stew with a piece of bread. What could she say? There were no words to tell him about her world. Even if she could speak about the city any detail would convince him she came from the land of the gods. “Once again we are at odds.”

  “Not exactly but you would run when I would walk. We need to make plans. When Namose recovers his strength we must travel to the Valley.”

  She nodded. “He and Tuten should come with us. Tuten will be another warrior and we may need Namose’s knowledge.”

  “If you can teach him to fight in your manner we would be four warriors. He wants to learn.”

  “What I practice took me years to master.” She finished her meal. “I’ll teach him as much as I can.” She cleaned her bowl using sand to scour the remains of food from the surface. Then she walked to the rock dome. Bast Ka climbed and sat at Tira’s side. She stroked the cat’s soft fur and felt the feline’s contented rumble against her fingers.

  Sand glittered beneath the sun like a golden quilt decorated by large and small dark spots. Though Tira didn’t want to admit Kashe’s assessment of her nature was correct she did have a tendency to rush into every challenge. She wanted him. She cared deeply for him. Yet any resolution of the tension between them had to wait until the quest ended. Not for her but for him

  Chapter 12

  Kashe walked to his tent. He turned to watch Tira climb the rock and sit beside the sacred cat. The pair stared toward the east. Was she merely a woman with unique fighting skills or was she more?

  She never claimed to be other than a warrior of Bast. Yet her unwillingness or her inability to speak about her life before she arrived at the temple puzzled him. She was different from the women of his family and those from other nomes and even the villages. Even the Nubian free women or slaves had little in common with her other than their stature and skin color.

  Sometimes she seemed to look on another world. Was that what she was doing now?

  He entered the tent. Namose raised his head. Kashe sat beside his brother. “How do you feel now?”

/>   “Tired. Where’s Tira?”

  “Thinking about our quest.” That answer was better than the other thoughts he had about her dreaming.

  “I need to tell her something Tuten and I discussed.”

  “What?”

  “There’s a temple to Horu between here and the Valley.”

  Kashe nodded. “Tuten mentioned the place and I’m interested in a visit.”

  Namose raised on one elbow. “I think we should all go. I believe the priests will know something to help her quest.”

  “How can that be?”

  “Tira received the scroll that speaks of the keys from the chief priestess of the Bast temple where she arrived in the Two Lands. She has a map of the Valley that was among the scrolls Father brought from the Toth temple.”

  Kashe nodded. “A scroll that the sacred cat pulled from the shelves.”

  “Then it makes sense there should be something hidden at a Horu temple to help.”

  “How can you be sure this is the right one? Horu has several temples.”

  “This one is a hidden one.”

  Kashe rubbed his chin. “Makes sense.” He rose. “I need to speak to a priest of Horu. Though I was given the amulet by Horu Ka no priest has spoken my name to the god. I fear the lack will make Father’s promise to Aken Re more powerful.”

  Namose grimaced. “That wouldn’t be good.”

  “I know.”

  “Will Tira agree to visit the temple?”

  Kashe shrugged. The temple lies along our route. If we take a short side trip we can reach it easily. If you tell her your idea about the gods and their help I think she’ll believe you.”

  Tuten poked his head into the tent. “I’ve inventoried our combined supplies and talked to Tira. She gave me coins from a pouch given her by the priestesses of Bast. I’ll ride to the market town for more supplies and a camel for Namose. Expect me back in three or four days.”

  Kashe nodded. “We’ll wait here for you. That gives Namose time to heal and gain strength. Go now and return sooner if possible.”