Endless chores blurred the following days.
I sauntered off to bed early one morning to catch a couple hours sleep before making the final preparations for guests from all over Egypt and the surrounding world—
“Horemheb.”
Jumping, I spun around as memories of the wrinkled magician made my skin crawl.
A soft face popped out of the shadows and into torchlight, smiling.
Mutnedjmet. I scowled with disgust. What a charlatan, selling me out to her father while pretending to help oust Akhenaten.
“Why won’t you talk to me anymore?” she asked.
I glanced around for the ever-watching soldier with the spindly limbs and pot belly. Nowhere in sight. “You betrayed me!” I said, pointing at her. “And your father threatened me with what he’d do if I ever looked at you again. I’m trying to find a way to Nefertiti. She’s all I care about.”
Her almond eyes welled with tears. “I never betrayed you.”
I stalked off. Liar.
A group of young female servants spun around a corner in front of me, before I had even made it down the hall, and blocked my escape.
“The wedding was so beautiful,” one slender adolescent girl said, striding along with three others. “I hope mine is half that amazing.”
A wedding? Whose wedding did I miss preparing for this exorbitant sed-festival? The couple must not care for attention, given everything else going on at the moment.
“I wonder what it would be like,” another short girl said, cupping her breast, “you know, to be with a man like that.”
“He’s repulsive,” the slender one said. The others laughed.
“Maybe, but he’s the crown prince of Egypt,” the short one replied, her fingers digging into her dress at her thigh. “That kind of power is intoxicating. He’d make my knees weak …”
My feet stopped moving in my surprise. Akhenaten was just married? Who would marry him? Poor girl. I imagined he’d only ever have his unwilling concubines.
“But the bride was so beautiful,” the slender one said, placing her palms against her cheeks. “I wish I could be half that pretty. Maybe I’d have men fawning over me.”
The new bride’s life would soon become a living nightmare. I groaned with sympathy. Hopefully this woman knew what she was getting into.
“Her delicate features with plump lips and high cheekbones aren’t fair to the rest of us,” a third girl said.
My stomach churned. Strange that—
“I don’t think she’s that pretty,” the short girl replied, shaking her head.
“That’s not what all the men were whispering,” the slender one said. “The princess is the most beautiful woman they’d ever seen …”
My mind shut down, in shock. Wait … who were they talking about? My heart fluttered and raced. This couldn’t be … it had to be somebody else. But who else would men think was so beautiful?
“Nefertiti is Akhenaten’s,” Mutnedjmet said, from behind me.
I couldn’t breathe as I slowly pivoted around. “What?”
Tears trickled down Nefertiti’s sister’s cheeks, as if overcome by guilt or loss. “Nefertiti is Akhenaten’s royal wife. You’ve been wandering around in a daze.”
“She wouldn’t do that!” I said, a sharp pain stabbing my chest. “They’re cousins and she despises him!”
“I know,” Mutnedjmet said, lifting her small hands in defense. “But she didn’t have a choice.”
My cheeks burned with rage and jealousy, my stomach clenched, and the hall spun. I braced myself against the mud-brick wall.
Gasping for breath, I raced back down the hall toward the throne room. My mind spun with images of my love and my vile master, the world crumbling in upon itself. This couldn’t be …
Scampering feet followed me.
Could I do anything now? Tripping, I fell and sprawled out across the hall with a grunt and a crash. I’d tell Nefertiti everything: how I felt, how I loved her, and how I would finally save her … Jumping back up, I sprinted on.
Rounding the corner into the throne room, I stopped in astonishment. Plates and food were strewn across the tables, and chairs were spread everywhere. Grain littered the room as if a celebration had already happened, but only a few bodies lay passed out in the hall. How was I not a part of this?
A woman in a sheer white dress sashayed beside the golden throne, her hand brushing its twin sphinxes. She was tall and slender, and silky black hair covered her face.
My master sat upon the chair, as if it were already his. His head was leaned back, his eyes closed. Perhaps he was asleep.
My teeth clenched, along with my stomach, as the room spun. I teetered, and a chair grated and knocked into a table with a thud.
The woman turned … Green eye-paint and the most beautiful features I’d ever seen! My heart twisted and withered in pain.
She shook her head and averted her gaze.
“Nefertiti!” I whispered.
She froze, but her eyes moved, locking on me. Releasing a long sigh, she stepped down the stairs toward me. “Horemheb, I know this must be hard, but I didn’t want you here for your own good. I knew it would cause you too much pain. And Akhenaten let me get my way, this one time.”
My knees wobbled.
Akhenaten’s head perked up, his black eyelids sliding open as he smirked. “Come, my royal princess and queen-to-be,” he said, standing and stepping down beside her. “Join me in my chambers. But don’t plan on sleeping much tonight.”
My stomach knotted with pain and jealousy, as if he’d struck me in the groin.
Taking her by the arm, he pulled her away to his chambers.
I collapsed to my knees, my soul wanting to flee my body with each breath and never return.
A soft hand settled onto my back. Mutnedjmet’s eyes were misty, sadness embedded in her down-turned lips.
“Please don’t hate me, Horemheb,” Mutnedjmet said. “Ay was upset with you because he thought you put us in danger. I’ve told him a hundred times what we saw.”
Punching a table, my knuckles popped with pain rather than release of tension. I winced.
“My eye healed fine, thanks to you. And you’re not favoring your leg anymore.” She pointed at my ankle. “I saw the doctor. No one’s seen the magician—”
My forehead tightened in anger. Mutnedjmet was trying to distract me, perhaps to make me feel better. But nothing mattered anymore. “I saw him! And I told him to ask you about spitting serpents. I couldn’t accuse Akhenaten of murdering the crown prince! They’d have burned me.”
“Oh my god!” Her eyes widened. “He never came. If I see him I’ll tell him everything. I told the doctor, but like the others he scolded me and told me to stop telling lies.”
“Perhaps you’ll finally convince someone in the next life,” I said, retreating.
“Horemheb!” She reached out. “Seeking revenge won’t help. But we’re no longer children who blindly do what we’re told. Now is the time to trust your true friends, work together, and fight … before it’s too late.”
“The people I trust are dead—”
Voices echoed down the hall as the outline of a soldier appeared, rubbing his protruding belly. I dashed off.
That night I peeked outside. Mudads stood watch in the corridor and another guard was stationed under my window. Clenching my jaw in frustration, I growled. I lived in a cage, a pet slave for the master.
The sound of banging pots carried down the corridor, making me jump up in bed. My roommate’s gray cat dashed outside, his tail puffed like a bird trying to keep out the cold. Dawn already? I rubbed my tired eyes and headed to the audience room.
Amenhotep slouched upon his throne, facing the long hall. Rubbing at his mouth, he scowled and wiggled a row of teeth with his finger. Not even the royal dentist had been able to ease his suffering.
Entering in file, royalty and councilmen took their seats as I set out spotless dining plates and utensils. Glistening with gold
jewelry, a regal man sat at Pharaoh’s right. He looked familiar, but I couldn’t place him. A substantial wig hugged his face and neck. Ay? No, he sat to Amenhotep’s left, beside lady Tiye and his daughters—including Nefertiti. Royal advisors, the vizier, the doctor, royal soldiers, and the extended family all attended. Everyone but Akhenaten.
Rattles, trumpets, and drums rang throughout the palace as guests arrived by the boatload. Handing out wax cones at the entrance, I placed the objects on top of attendee’s heads or wigs. These would melt throughout the day and release pleasant aromas of honey, floral, or citrus.
Guests laden with offerings placed their palms out in adoration of Pharaoh. Gold rings rattled as caged lions and tigers roared. Monkeys howled.
A man with a thin moustache and beard held a dagger in his open palms, its sharpened edges glistening gray. “My Aten, we are beyond grateful for the prosperity you have spread across the lands. This weapon was forged of a metal much stronger than bronze and will soon replace the weaker copper alloy. We call it steel.” He presented the blade like a proud father, speaking with a thick accent. “A gift from Tushratta of Mitanni. Mighty King sends his regards.” Producing a lock of hair as shiny as silk and as dark as night, the strands fluttered in the wind. “A gift from Princess Kiya. For your mighty son, Thutmose.”
The god-king’s face reddened and his jaw quivered. A short servant seized the items and waved the man off.
Celebrating with overflowing food and drink, the feast dragged on. Topless women danced to the rhythm of deafening drums, weighted discs hypnotically swinging from their hair. Drunken men roared.
Perhaps Mudads would become intoxicated and I could escape with Nefertiti. The soldier with the spindly limbs threw back a cup of dark wine, keeping an eye on me. Damn—
“Did you see who’s now sitting in the position of co-regent Pharaoh?” Mahu whispered, nudging me with an elbow as he watched two dark boys backflip across the hall. “Look to his right. It’s not Akhenaten! Pharaoh’s lucid, and he may yet save Egypt.”
Surprise made me gawk at the usurper. The wigged man beside Pharaoh applauded the act. Who could he be? Did Amenhotep really replace Akhenaten? My body tingled.
As if he sensed me watching, the man’s eyes moved beneath his overhanging wig and focused on me. I finally recognized the face. How could I have been so stupid?
Present Day
MARCHING, I FEARED THE light already shone inside the ancient temple. A delayed flight and rental car didn’t allow us to arrive before sunrise.
The sun crested the eastern horizon as the choppy waters of the dammed Nile, Lake Nasser, crashed upon the rocky shore. Crocodiles lurked in the lake’s depths, yearning for me to take a cool, inviting dip. Dismissing the sensation, I hiked upward.
Blue water snaked north as a bright ribbon through an unchanging brown landscape. The exception was the mysterious island of Elephantine, the isle Horemheb had visited. He may’ve trodden this same ground. Touching the warm dirt at my feet, my spirits lifted in wonder. Should I continue to be driven by the curiosity burning within me? Modern society and its expectations were much different than ancient Egypt’s. I’d have to grow up soon, unlike the boy.
Stone jutted forebodingly from a cliff face overhead, shadow and light contrasting upon the monument as if signifying the struggle of fear and hope. Howling wind carried around hordes of tourists, a mob of locals, and a couple armed soldiers who’d gathered beside the colossal rock guardians. These sentinels protected the southern reaches of the kingdom from Africa, what the ancients referred to as Nubia. Across the top of the cliff, a row of sculpted baboons already danced in the light. So did the central sun god. My pulse quickened and my hands shook in anticipation. I’d better be correct in interpreting the secret message. Too bad Mr. Scalone walked beside me and not Maddie. She’d waited in Cairo for a flight home because she was afraid someone might try to hurt or kill us again.
I shrunk as I confronted the massive keepers of the temple, four seated statues of Rameses the Great. If animate, they’d squish me like a roach. A sign at their feet read, “No pictures inside.”
Brushing past me, Kaylin pointed to the dark entrance just as the sun’s rays arced through the opening and landed upon the inner floor. She slipped through the whispering throngs and stepped between the sentinels. Shoving people out of his way, Mr. Scalone broke into a run. I followed in his wake as the spectators cursed or yelled at us. The wind died, leaving an eerie quiet inside the stone temple.
Rising sunlight raced across the inclined floor of the pillared hall, guiding a path between eight additional statues of Rameses II. Standing with folded arms, the massive sculptures focused on the ground between them. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
“Follow it!” I yelled, pointing to the light already spreading beyond the hall. Visitors cursed as we darted between or pushed around them.
“What’re we looking for?” Kaylin asked, her heels echoing off of the wooden walkway.
“I’m not sure,” I said, trailing.
“I’ve never seen anythin’ like this!” Aiden said, just behind me.
The light flowed into a narrower corridor. Passing under an archway, passages split off in either direction. But the light swung ahead and settled inside a chamber at the far end. Three pairs of eyes stared back, reflecting the rays of the sun for the first time in eight months.
My skin crawled with fear. Tripping, I crashed to the ground.
Kaylin ducked under a rope partition, Mr. Scalone and Aiden following. Harsh words flew from the assortment of tourists and locals, echoing throughout the halls. Jenkins stopped to pacify the masses and obstruct their view of us. I crawled into the sanctuary.
Snapping pictures under the rare setting of sunlight, Mr. Scalone scrutinized the four ancient statues and hieroglyphs adorning the walls. Only the statue on the far left with the crumbling head remained in shadow, as intended. Either that statue of Osiris or the sunbathing Rameses himself would hold the answer.
Kaylin’s lips moved, but her voice drowned under the cacophony of the mob. Shouting, three local men marched toward Jenkins. The bodyguard placed a hand inside his suit jacket, probably on a gun. My chest constricted with panic.
Scanning the room, I searched for anything out of the ordinary. Under the moving rays, darkness and light twisted in warfare upon the statues’ noses, chins, and chests. Cartouche-encircled names brightened above while images on the adjacent walls remained sheathed in darkness. Nothing leapt out. The shadows the deities cast on the back wall differed primarily because of their headdresses. Sitting in the dark, the one clutched an object to his chest. The others had all lost their limbs below the elbows. Sunken impressions of their forearms stretched along their thighs, casting contorted shadows upon their abdomens. Was it my imagination, or did these shadows resemble hieroglyphs? Either way, they weren’t distinct enough to read.
Turning off the sound on my phone, I captured a video. The three local Egyptians entered the sanctuary and glared. Thankfully, none were the hired hands from the Valley of the Kings.
“No interrupt display,” one said, his red face twisted with anger.
“Get out of here,” Mr. Scalone said, sticking his chest out.
The locals sneered. Two machine gun-toting guards with berets pushed through the mob.
“We’re sorry,” I said as Jenkin’s grip tightened inside his jacket. “We wanted to see the light phenomenon. Let’s go!” I ducked out with the others, but Kaylin remained inside. “Now!”
Covering my face in shame, we wound around the mass of screaming spectators and kept as far away from the armed guards as we could. After pushing through the horde near the entrance, we took pictures outside like typical tourists. Maybe we should just say we’re Americans. That would explain our behavior.
Following us, the three locals exited and waited until the sunlight passed over the entrance, returning the temple to darkness. The temperature climbed. Finding shade under a giant Rameses,
we lingered until the gathering dispersed. The armed soldiers took their posts at the entrance, glaring at us beneath dark berets.
Sitting down, I examined the video on my phone.
“What’d you find?” Kaylin asked, grabbing my arm.
“The shadows on the statue’s abdomens looked purposeful, but their hands had been removed. If they formed a message we’ll never know.” My head sunk into my palms as a sense of failure overcame me.
“So that’s it?” Mr. Scalone said, throwing his arms up. “I got us all flights out here on a whim, fought off locals, and gave you my time. You let us down.”
“The path to the Hall had to be here at one time,” I said. The hope of bringing a relic home for Maddie faded. I imagined unlocking the mystery of the shadows, which would turn out to be a mere trick of visual distortion. Letting my eyes blur, I’d read ancient writing from men wiser than anyone in millennia. Their message would guide me to the Hall. I’d bring home the journal and a gold funerary mask. Stepping out of my new car in a sharp gray suit, I’d don aviator sunglasses and march up to the small white house with the blue door. I’d knock and Maddie’s roommate would answer. “Oh, she moved out,” the redhead with the bouncy curls would say. “She’s been depressed since she got back.” But Maddie would pull up, returning for something she’d forgotten. She’d stop in her tracks and stare, her expression blank, the sun shining at her back. “Took you long enough,” she’d say with a straight face, but then she’d crack a smile. I’d hold out the journal and she’d come running, pushing the book aside as she jumped into my arms—
“Back to Cairo then,” Mr. Scalone said, shaking his head in disgust as the sun crested its zenith. Kaylin stomped her feet as she, Jenkins, Aiden, and his dog followed.
“Where’re you guys going?” a familiar voice asked from the hillside below. Maddie! “I couldn’t leave all this just because someone intimidated me.” She spread her arms open to emphasize the temple and smiled.
“He couldn’t figure it out,” Mr. Scalone said, strutting past her.
“Maybe if you didn’t chicken out,” Kaylin said, glaring at Maddie, “and were here when the sunlight came, we’d be off to the Hall of Records. It’s too late.” She trailed Mr. Scalone.
Eve of the Pharaoh: Historical Adventure and Mystery Page 24
