My eyes closed, visions from the journal running through my mind like nightmares.
A light burst into my room. Someone had opened the door. Whoever it was shut it softly, and crept toward me. Feeling for the steel flashlight I kept beside my bed, my fingers grasped only carpet. The figure stepped up beside me. My heart raced in fear. Who was it, and what did they want? Cold metal brushed my pinky. Snatching the flashlight, I clicked it on.
Journal Translation
WHAT WAS GOING ON INSIDE Nefertiti’s room? My mind reeled at the scene, a bitter twinge arising in my throat.
Akhenaten sat with Nefertiti on her bed, both of them naked but in the midst of a heated discussion. Nefertiti’s face darkened in distress, but she didn’t scream or fight—not like the night beside the Nile.
Struggling to catch my breath from the haunting surprise, the voices inside grew louder.
“I heard something,” Akhenaten said.
My pulse quickened. Rays from the Aten streaked across the eastern sky, painting the morning with fire. I ran.
Sunlight cast its magic on the sand. I was about to pull myself into my room, but voices carried out the window. Tensing, I peeked through a gap in the reed curtain.
Akhenaten stood outside my doorway, conversing with Mudads. Fear’s icy hand ensnared my faltering heart with its stinging cold. My master stepped inside. He had nothing to be afraid of if he knew there wasn’t a plague. Pausing, he stared at my crumpled blanket. His sandaled foot extended backwards to kick the pile of reeds!
Croc erupted from beneath the covers and hissed. Launching onto Akhenaten’s swinging limb, he clawed and bit flesh before darting out into the hall.
Akhenaten screamed, jumped, and grabbed his toes. “Grab that feral! I am going to skin it!”
Mudads didn’t react fast enough to apprehend Croc. Hobbling out into the hall, Akhenaten cursed and flailed his limbs in rage.
Flinging myself in through the window amid the ruckus, I rolled onto my bed. My tumbling flattened the reeds, and I grabbed the edges of the blanket, wrapping it around my shoulders. Standing, I yawned.
Akhenaten returned to the doorway and stared. But someone else was already inside. Mahu’s tall figure had been concealed in the far corner. His face appeared orange in the morning light as he glanced to the window and then to me. Leaning over, he inspected my kilt.
“Hopefully you can get a wash soon,” the captain said.
I nodded, having forgotten about the stains I’d rubbed into my clothing. My limbs trembled.
“Your vile cat attacked me!” Akhenaten punched his open palm.
“I’m s-so, so sorry, master,” I said with a cracking morning voice. “You probably startled him.” I held a hand up. “Please, I don’t want you to catch the plague.”
“I am no longer only your master! I am your majesty, lord, god-king, or Pharaoh, and you will address me as such. I am ruling the country alongside my father, and I am now immortal. A plague cannot rot this flesh!”
My eyes opened wide in feigned shock, the irony not lost on me. If a plague couldn’t harm him, how did it kill Thutmose? “My Pharaoh! I am blessed to serve the god-king!”
Akhenaten’s twisted visage softened. As he rubbed his chin, his nail caught my eye. The notch he’d cut into it had grown out, resembling a sphere between two mountains—the sunrise. “You are very lucky. And if the Aten sees you fit to serve, you will be released. The doctor says two more days. These temporary servants are useless. But do not think too highly of yourself. You are nothing other than a glorified slave, and I am training your replacement if need be—the tall, gaunt man who prefers the red eye shadow.”
“Thank you! Thank you, my god-king,” I said, spilling sincerity. His thick lips lifted into a smirk as his eyes closed, revealing solid-black lids.
“My first order to you as your Pharaoh is to detain the feral when he returns. Then alert the guard to bring Suty. I will give you a better specimen. We cannot have a despicable beast who bites God running about Egypt.”
Retaining an emotionless face, I said, “Yes, my Pharaoh. The feral sleeps in my room a couple nights a week. I will call as soon as I see orange. I’m not too fond of any animal, and I’d prefer a better trained one.” Hopefully the lie would buy enough time, and Akhenaten would be removed from his new position.
Mahu’s deformed foot shifted as he shook his head at me in warning. My stomach sank.
Winking, Akhenaten whispered, “Someone wanted me to check on you. To make sure you were not sneaking about. I do not think she trusts you.”
My jaw dropped. What? She? Nefertiti … or Mutnedjmet? That little traitor. Because I went to visit her sister without her—
“One other thing,” Akhenaten said. “Soon I will take many wives. Most are selected because of their special … talents. You will not allow these traits to appeal to you. If you are ever caught lusting after one of them, you will be castrated.”
Swallowing, I nodded with apprehension.
“Even if one is the most beautiful woman you have ever seen, mysterious or exotic, you will not acknowledge her. They will have their own servants. You will not be punished for ignoring them, but you will be disobeying me if you do otherwise.”
I lowered my gaze in submission. Nefertiti … no one could be more beautiful than her.
Akhenaten exited, Suty’s gigantic form lumbering behind. Mahu’s knuckles popped upon his spear shaft, blanching white. Opening his mouth to speak, the captain paused—
My heart fluttered with anxiety. He was going to tell Akhenaten I’d come in through the window!
Pressing his lips together, Mahu departed.
Collapsing onto my bed, the scene of Nefertiti and Akhenaten naked together popped into my head and wrenched my insides. My blood boiled with trapped rage, pity, and burning jealousy. Desiring nothing more in this life than to protect and save her, I yearned to be the man she was intimate with. And I longed to rid everyone of Akhenaten … forever.
Would Nefertiti visit me? I wished to sit by her side and help her through her pain. But she never showed, grief probably consuming her. Counting down the minutes to sunset, I needed to catch Akhenaten in some vicious act. But no one had died last night. Had he finished the slaughter? Or was he not even behind it? Hopefully Mutnedjmet could convince her father and aunt. Pharaoh would listen to Ay and his royal wife, but would he believe something so heinous about his son?
Wailing echoed through the corridor, the uncontrolled moaning of a female. Her shrieks drew near.
I cowered in the corner. Was she coming for me?
The royal guard appeared at my doorway, the crying erupting from behind them.
“Step aside!” a female said, between wails of despair.
The soldiers parted shields and spears. Ay, the handsome father of Nefertiti, stepped forward. Then Beketaten appeared, smirking. A vibrantly redheaded woman in a bejeweled dress followed—the queen of Egypt, Lady Tiye. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
Crawling backward in fear, the blood drained from my face.
“You!” Tiye pointed, her face burning as red as her hair. “Your father spread disease in our palace, and it claimed my son!” Her body broke into throes of sobbing.
I huddled against the wall.
Tiye’s jaw tensed and she clenched her fists as she stood over me. “My beloved Thutmose is gone! The next god-king of Egypt is dead! We’re all doomed!” Her hands shot up into the air as she dropped to her knees. “Your father will be burned today, and so will you if you so much as sneeze!”
My chest spasmed. Thrusting my palms outward, I begged. “No! Please don’t burn him. It wasn’t a disease!” Should I mention her other wicked son? No, she wouldn’t take that well, not from me. And if I told her I’d inspected Thutmose’s body, my fate would be sealed.
“Listen, servant boy!” Ay said, rising up beside the queen while thrusting a finger at me. “I am Nefertiti’s and Mutnedjmet’s father.” His nostrils flared under the black wig and
thin orange eye paint. My heart sunk. If there ever was a man I’d want to impress, it’d be him. But I didn’t have a good feeling about our first official interaction. “Stay away from my daughters! If either of them catch your disease, I’ll make sure you suffer much—”
“They visited me!” I blurted under the tension. “But they remained safely outside my door.” I pointed to Beketaten, who hid behind the queen. “I had no option but to listen. I couldn’t leave! But please, before you make a final decision about my father …” I took a deep breath. “If you could find it in your heart, my beloved queen, have Mutnedjmet, the doctor, and magician all provide counsel to Pharaoh, as some are suspicious the deaths weren’t the result of a plague.”
Queen Tiye’s jaw and fists fell open. “You will not advise me!” Grabbing Beketaten’s arm, she spun around and marched away.
“Ouch!” Beketaten said, attempting to keep up with her mother. “Come to think of it, Thutmose was here with us the other day.”
Tiye froze in her tracks, the royal guard nearly running into her.
My eyes closed, my heartbeat echoing in my ears.
“No one visits this boy!” the queen screeched, an inferno in her eyes. “Burn him!”
My breath ran thin as panic set in. I wanted to yell my accusations, but she’d never believe me. There was absolutely nothing I could do. I sprawled out onto the cold floor.
“You’ve been cursed,” Mudads said in a slow drawl as he shook his head. Leveling his spear, he motioned with the glistening bronze tip. “I don’t want to skewer you, boy, but I’d prefer that to touching you. You better come along.”
“Where’re we going?” My jaw quivered as my fingers clenched my bracelet.
“I’m taking you to your father.”
Journal Translation
STANDING BARE-CHESTED UNDER the blazing light of the Aten, spears were aimed at my torso. Suty doused me in lamp oil. Thick liquid rolled over my hair and skin like marsh water, making me gag. A growling wind blew heat into my ears, deafening my tired, trembling body. Father’s corpse lay upon a platform behind me, shrouded in oil-laden blankets. Watching, the royal family and council members gossiped amongst themselves.
“See ya in the underworld,” Suty said.
Terror, rage, and disbelief burned inside me like the afternoon sun.
“No,” he laughed and said, “you won’t be there if you’re burned!” His pig-ear twitched up and down. The crackle of an inferno blasted behind me. Father’s body shot up like a bonfire. Screaming, I barely noticed the blazing torch in the approaching ogre’s hand.
The magician and doctor shouted at each other, then yelled at Akhenaten, Tiye, Ay, and the detached Pharaoh. Heat from the flames soaked through the oil on my cheek. Swooning, I nearly passed out. Mutnedjmet screamed and hurled a rock at Suty.
A spear changed direction and advanced. Mahu backed Suty away from me as more people bellowed amidst the rising fury. Guards grabbed me, dragging me away.
Taking me to a dark cave of a prison in a nearby hillside, they tossed me inside and slammed the door shut with an echoing boom. I curled up, unable to process the burning and what that meant for Father’s soul. Could a burned man’s ba be saved and be reborn in the underworld, as long as the Devouring Monster hadn’t eaten his heart?
Screeches from people being held in the darkness reverberated around me. Covering my ears didn’t blot out the stinging stench of urine and human waste.
Consciousness faded. I stood silently amidst a group of children, in the company of a recently deceased man. A priest motioned with a sword and we all gasped. Before him, a brown bull chomped absently on its cud, unaware of what fate held in store. Perhaps if I was the unsuspecting beast I’d be less fearful in life.
With a swift stroke the priest severed the forelimb from the animal and it collapsed. Two others grabbed the dismembered limb and shoved it against the dead man’s face. Blood spewed. The bull bellowed as the priest ended its suffering with a quick cut across the neck.
I screamed and tears fell. Laughing, the other children shoved me out from the group. I knew the power the beast transferred to the dead would assist him in the underworld, but my emotions were so strong I couldn’t reason it out. Taunting followed. Fists and feet beat me. I curled into a trembling ball—
A door slammed shut, waking me from this nightmare I’d had over and over again as a child. Drifting through the darkness, a flame floated along with the echo of stomping feet. Lamplight reflected off of a nightmarish face. A tangle of black lines ensnared a wrinkled countenance. Blue cat eyes peered from atop his shoulder. Gasping, I scooted away. I’d seen this face when marching through Memphis, before the cursed voyage. Perhaps the very first time after rescuing Croc …
“Why did you not help me … or my father?” I asked, my nerves returning and shaking my body.
“Keep quiet,” the son of Hapu said. “I convinced them to keep you alive through fear alone. I asked them, ‘If God is angry and punishing the boy for something and he is burned, who will be tormented next?’ I also promised to study the plague’s effects on you. If one person could be an unaffected carrier, then perhaps those stricken could be cured. I especially want to know the first symptoms of this disease. It seems to spring on its victims and kill within hours. Doesn’t really sound like a plague, come to think of it.”
“What do you think it is?” I asked.
Rolling me over with a bony foot, he wrote feverishly and prodded every inch of my body. The white cat leapt from his shoulder and sniffed my feet, its belly dragging the floor. “I must move quickly. The priests of Memphis have systematically gone missing, as well as any with knowledge of magic. This hasn’t only affected your father and Thutmose, as we’ve been told. I’m afraid for my own soul. As soon as I figure out what madness is at work, I’ll attempt to remedy the situation. Do you understand?”
“No! I need your help to save my father’s soul!”
“I only speak to you for a reason you may not yet understand. But be cautious with whom you associate and what you say. I am wary of many people. I’ll see what I can do without stepping in, but I will not be able to assist at all if I’m permanently removed.”
Confusion clouded my thoughts. Could I believe anything this strange man said?
Waving a hand over me, he said, “I will visit the slums of Memphis and a man of magic. Several mysterious deaths have occurred there. Pentju will visit and may have something else in mind.”
What did that mean?
The door creaked inward and daylight burst into the cave. The magician faded into the shadows around me, along with the flame of his lamp.
Almost screaming in surprise, I clamped a hand over my mouth. Where did he go? Could the son of Hapu turn invisible? No, no one could do that.
Pentju entered, holding a blue statuette in front of him, his cheeks glistening with sweat. Mudads, Mahu, and a third guard followed, their spears trained on me. I remained paralyzed by fright. What did they want—
Mudads and the third soldier pinned me down. My muscles strained in resistance.
“Be careful with him,” Mahu said, lowering his spear and shifting his weight off of his scarred leg. “The boy’s been through a lot.”
“Hold him tight,” Pentju said, his sunken eyes burning. “We’re all being protected, but the less time we spend with him the better.” He cleared his throat and his voice softened. “Boy, you’re alive because I convinced Pharaoh and Akhenaten that we should study you.”
My head throbbed. Didn’t the magician just tell me the same thing?
Producing a small knife, Pentju said, “If you hold still this will be over quickly.”
“What’re you going to do?” I asked in a high-pitched tone, trying to scoot away.
The guards held me fast. Leaning over, Pentju sawed off my sidelock and placed the hair inside a sack. The soldiers dragged me into the light streaming through the doorway, and the doctor moved to my toes. Jamming the knife under a toenail,
he pried it up. I squealed like a pig in surprise and blinding pain, thrashing wildly.
Mahu jumped on me, aiding with my restraint. My head turned foggy, the ground tilted, and the sun’s rays bent. Pentju collected the nail and a blood sample from my hemorrhaging toe before cinching a tourniquet down on the digit. “Mudads, make sure he takes his medicine.” He dropped a handful of something into the guard’s open palm and they exited.
The door swung shut, leaving me in utter blackness. Wails of despair and anguish carried through the walls. Shivering in pain and horror, I embraced my own body and wept.
Hours later the door creaked opened again. Mudads stepped inside, holding a jar. He reached out, and I scuttled against the far wall.
“Just here to give you medicine,” he said with a drawl, his gangly limbs shoving a jug of water in front of me. “Open up.”
Instinctively, suspicion clamped my jaw shut. I wasn’t sick. Why did I need medicine?
With one hand under my jaw, Mudads squeezed my face so hard my teeth bit into my cheeks. I winced and he dumped a burning drink down my throat and over my face. Tasting of dirt and sour herbs, I swallowed, choked, and coughed.
“My apologies,” Mudads said, rubbing his potbelly. “Got to get the job done. Got a wife and six children I need rations for.”
Curling up against the wall, I sputtered and he turned away.
“They say if you don’t show signs and no one else comes down with plague, we can let you out. Things won’t be this bad for too long.” The door clanged shut.
I caught my breath as rage built inside me, twisting my guts. Hunching over, I spat in defiance. Everything I did was wrong and my world kept falling apart, no matter how hard I tried to hold it together. Something black stirred in my soul, along with the loss of hope. My vision grew used to the darkness. I imagined myself jumping up, ripping open the door, and grabbing Mudads’ spear. Driving him into this cell with his own weapon, I’d smile. Then I’d hunt down the doctor and peel off his toenails. The magician I’d trick with lies and deceit before I took everything from him. For Suty … I’d have to incapacitate him first by binding his arms and legs while he slept. Then I’d casually walk around his bed, pouring oil as he lay there watching. Lighting a torch in front of him, I’d wave it before his eyes. When he begged for mercy I’d let the torch fall, in slow motion. Then I’d go straight for my master. For him I’d save the most horrendous punishment—I’d need more time to conceive something fitting. Darkness and shadows intertwined in my soul. Images of green-eyed beings floating amidst a fog returned. I gasped.
Eve of the Pharaoh: Historical Adventure and Mystery Page 19
