The Kingdom of Nefertiti (The Desert Queen Book 3)

by M. L. Bullock

  The more I washed, the more I felt myself. What had I been thinking climbing into that animal’s hovel? Was Kafta right? Did I have a death wish? I was a man of strategy and reason, but I had no understanding or reasoning for what I had been experiencing. It was as if someone had cast a spell on me. As if I were walking under a shadow of doom.

  “How long has Inhapi been dead, Kafta?” I asked him as he poured another pail of hot water into the tub.

  With a surprised expression he answered, “Almost two months, General.”

  “Two months…” I scrubbed my head with the soapy sponge and thought about the months that had traveled so quickly. “The last thing I clearly remember is the night of Amenhotep’s wedding party. Is it possible that Queen Nefertiti poisoned me?”

  He made a dismissive sound and tossed the bone he’d been gnawing onto a nearby platter. “You know the Desert Queen is not cunning enough to do something like that. I think there is a much simpler explanation for what has happened to you.”

  “What is it? Sorcery? Magic?”

  “No, my friend.” He sat on the edge of the tub and said, “It is grief. Grief can bring a man low, low enough even to wish for death. Low enough to make him play dangerous games with wild animals. The loss of Inhapi brought you low, but now you have a second chance at life. And you have the greatest reason of all to live.”

  “Really? What would that be? Some new battle? I have not heard anything from Pharaoh.” I tried not to sneer. I remembered what it was like to be a new husband. Without waiting for an answer I slid under the water. I held my breath and closed my eyes, pretending for a moment that I was dead. I would allow no air to pass through my body. My chest would not rise or fall. I could stay under this water and die. Inhapi would welcome me! In death, there would be no Tadukhipa or Ayn to come between us. She would be mine completely. As much as my mind commanded it, my body struggled; my heart would not stop pumping! My ka refused to leave. I rose up from the water with a scream of anger on my lips.

  “Curse you, Osiris!” I shouted at the top of my lungs. Kafta jumped back and made the sign against curses. He was a superstitious man. “I cannot even die! The gods hate me, brother!”

  “No, do not say that, Ramose. You are the General of Egypt and the servant of Pharaoh Amenhotep, although I must admit that seeing you taking a bath does not make for such an amazing impression. Get dressed now. We have much to talk about, preferably with your clothing on.”

  “I do not wish to talk.”

  “You will,” he said. “The queen wants to speak to you. She has something that belongs to you.” Kafta grinned, exposing the grand gap in his teeth.

  I rubbed the water out of my eyes and blinked the rest away. “Who are you talking about? Nefertiti?”

  “No, not the Desert Queen. Queen Sitamen wishes to speak to you.”

  Accepting the razor from Kafta, I began to scrape the hair off my face. My hands were so shaky I could imagine cutting my own throat without even trying. That might be the remedy to all my problems. I sneered at the idea of meeting with the spoiled, sulking princess. Although I had loved her father as my own, I barely spoke to the girl over the years. I had been present during her “marriage” ceremony to her father, but so had most of the court. She was not overtly attractive, and I never gave her a second look. She was Pharaoh’s daughter, not just any noble’s daughter. When I was a younger man, I believed perhaps she admired me. Women often admire strength in men, and I had been a strong man—once. “What could the girl have to say to me?”

  “She is hardly a girl, in case you haven’t noticed,” he said somewhat lewdly. “She has a gift for you.”

  “Well, what is it, Kafta since you seem to know more than I? You seem bursting to tell me something.”

  In a deep, steady voice he said, “She has your son, Ramose.”

  I stood naked in the tub, dropping the blade into the water. “What? Do not toy with me!”

  “She has your son.”

  Stepping out of the tub, I yelled for Axteris. The young man returned with fresh linen towels. He immediately began drying my body. I could hardly believe my ears. “How do you know this is true? Did you see him?”

  “Yes; it is the truth. I made her show me the boy herself. He is good-looking but small. Then again, I hear babies are generally small. They can’t all be coming out of their mothers walking and talking like you and I.” Kafta poured me a glass of wine mixed with water. “Here, you look like you need this.”

  I drank it and sat down in a padded chair as Axteris rubbed oil on my feet and wrapped a linen towel around my waist. “Tell me everything. I want to know everything.”

  “Sitamen did not confide in me about the details, General. I do not know how she managed it, but it is true. She has your son. Rescued him, I think. She wants you to come in the morning. ‘Tell him to come and see his son,’ she said to me in that voice of hers. You know it drives me mad.”

  Again I ignored his insinuations. Sitamen was very childlike in many ways, including her voice. That was a trait that Kafta often enjoyed in women. “What of Ayn? Was she there too? Did you see her?”

  “No, I did not.”

  “I see. Where is Sitamen, then?”

  “At her new palace. She has left the Royal Harem for good, apparently. Some falling out with her mother. That is where we will meet her. If you are up to it?”

  “Let us go now. I want to see my son.”

  “It is only a short ride. If we arrive before the appointed time, they may not let us in. You know how these royals are, Ramose. Best stick to the plan.”

  “Then we will sleep in our saddles, but I am going to see my son.”

  “Have it your way, Stubborn One. If you want to see the queen and your son looking like one of Osiris’ dead army, be my guest.”

  A chill crawled up my spine. I scowled and said, “I don’t look that bad.”

  “Yes, you do. But at least you smell better than you did.” He grinned, showing his missing teeth. “Have patience and wait. Tomorrow will come. It always does! Unless you are dead.”

  “I was never any good at waiting.”

  He laughed again and nodded. “That is true. What will you name your son?”

  I thought about Inhapi again. She had chosen the boy’s name, so sure was she that Ayn would agree to our offer. “Kames will be his name.” Weariness washed over me like an invisible force. I could not remember feeling more tired, even after a long campaign.

  “A good name, General. Child of the bull, eh? Yes, that is a good name.”

  Suddenly, the black cat roared from her confinement. I had forgotten her. Maybe Kafta was right. I should stay at home one more night. I had some things to tend to anyway. “We will stay tonight and leave at first light.”

  “In that case, may I claim an empty bed?”

  “Yes, the boy will show you where you can sleep. I will eat some food and sleep a few hours myself.”

  “Very well, General.” He left me alone to dress and sent Axteris away. I could not help but think about my sudden change in fortune. The gods were not through with me after all. My son, he who would carry my name, was alive! As I shaved the last of the unwanted hair from my face, I thought about the cat. I walked to my rooms and retrieved my short sword. The cat screamed again as if she knew what I had planned.

  When I entered her dank room, she met me with a low, menacing growl and swiped her wide paw at me. Silently I reached for the chain. Her dark fur was almost blue; her eyes grew larger and brimmed with hatred as if she too blamed me for Inhapi’s death.

  “I promised you that either you or I would die, Evil One. You accuse me with your eyes, but I have done nothing. I did not know what Inhapi intended, nor did I bid her to do what she did. Now, I intend on keeping my promise. My son is alive, and my purpose continues. Yours, however, has come to an end.”

  Snarling deeply, she seemed to understand my meaning. I tugged the chain, pulling the cat closer to me as I wrapped the metal around my h
and. She was close now, so close that she could assault me easily, just as I could assault her. I raised my knife above my head, gripping the handle expertly in my right hand as I prepared to make my move. We paced around the smelly room until she paused and I knew she was ready to take action. I snatched the chain as the cat pounced, sending her to the ground in a heavy thud. I had only a fraction of a second to deliver my blow, and I did it as if the gods themselves directed my hand. The panther’s right paw came toward me again, and the claws gleamed as she extended them fully. Her aim landed, and she scratched me across my chest. I drove the knife into her chest as she screamed once and collapsed on the ground in a lifeless heap of fur and blood. After a few seconds, she stopped breathing and surrendered to her fate.

  With one strike I had killed the animal. I drove the blade into the heart of the beast.

  I prayed this was a sign of things to come.

  Chapter Five

  Nefertiti—The Aten

  The Aten dove under the far horizon, and Amenhotep and I shed our clothing and slid into the Crescent Pool. I swam deep into the cool darkness and bobbed to the top, kicking my feet as I rose to the surface with a smooth splash. He laughed in delight as I turned to dive again, unashamedly displaying my nude body for him. He dove after me and we swam down together, hiding from the world for a few seconds.

  Here in the depths of the blue water we were just Nefertiti and Amenhotep, two people who shared an unbreakable bond of love and purpose. Together we would build a new Egypt, a shining place full of love and peace. With a kiss we rose back to the surface, and soon we were frantically kissing and touching one another. I did not care that Pharaoh’s guard, the Mazoi, lingered nearby.

  Ever since the priests’ unscheduled meeting in my husband’s courts, tensions had grown in the Egyptian capital. Amenhotep had done as he promised and encouraged his citizens to give to Amun, but the order had the expected effect. The people took offense to the demand, but no one brought accusations against Amenhotep. As a result, more and more of the people, especially young men and women, abandoned the dark temples of Amun and joined us in worship under the open pavilions of the Aten. After each such ritual, whether it was the welcoming or sending away of the Aten, Amenhotep often talked with them, listening to their ideas and getting to know them. He was young—the crowds he drew were young. Together they were a force to be reckoned with. There was much excitement about this new time—the new age of the Aten.

  And the priests were watching.

  There had been rumors that some of the other temple priests and priestesses were unhappy too, but none were as vocal as those who represented Amun.

  Amenhotep guided me to the side of the pool, and we made love under the stars. I whispered his name, as I knew he liked me to do, and wrapped my legs tighter around his waist. When we were through with our lovemaking, I floated on the water as he held my hands. I gazed at the stars above us. I never tired of looking at them, even though I saw them less often now. For a happy moment, I thought about Pah and how she used to point out each one with such excitement and how she would draw pictures with her fingers to show me the hidden shapes in the night sky. She had been so wise and kind when we were young girls. I had yet to go see her in the temple, but I had plans to do so tomorrow. I did not know what to expect.

  “Come, Nefertiti. I cannot let you distract me any longer,” he said with a soft smile. “I need to speak with you.”

  I swam toward him and climbed on his back, kissing him once more. “Is that what I am to you, a distraction?”

  He smiled his wide, sexy smile but did not answer with a flirtatious comment as he normally would. As we stepped out of the water, servants ran toward us with clean linen sheets. They dried us, but I took the comb from Menmet’s hand. She always seemed to snag my hair, I supposed because she had no hair of her own to contend with. I had yet to shave my head like most Egyptian women of my status, and I had no plans to do so even though Menmet continued to advise me that I should. My husband loved my hair, and so far, I had not succumbed to the scourge of Thebes, brown lice. I had to admit there were times when the combination of my hair, a wig and a crown made it unbearably hot, but my pride would not allow me to take the razor to my head. Not just yet.

  I dressed quickly, and we sat at the small table. After combing the tangles from my hair, I handed the comb back to Menmet. She sensed Pharaoh’s mood and disappeared with the others. With a nervous glance I could see them exiting the chambers all together, something they rarely did.

  “I have something to tell you.”

  “I too have something to share. But you go first, please.” My heart was awash with excitement. The physician had left only a few hours ago, and he had confirmed Memre’s expert appraisal. I was carrying Amenhotep’s child. I could not believe I had waited this long to tell him my secret. “On second thought,” I said quickly, “if I don’t tell you now I will burst! I have to tell you my good news.”

  Leaning on his elbow, his chin in his hand, Amenhotep gave me a permissive smile. I rose from my chair and stood before him, then suddenly knelt as a supplicant would. He said nothing, but I could tell by his stillness that my movement surprised him. I didn’t know what he expected me to say, but I blurted out the words in a rush, “I am carrying your child, Pharaoh Amenhotep. It is confirmed by the physician this day.”

  When he didn’t react the way I expected, I looked up cautiously. He walked away from me and began to pace the room, as he did when in deep thought or worry. I remained on my knees, worried about what he would say or do next. Without standing, I sat on the floor before his chair, my hand protectively over my still flat stomach. Amenhotep paced and said, “This is a surprise, a complete surprise.”

  “A happy surprise?”

  “What?” He paused his pacing and rubbing his chin.

  I stood swiftly, angry and hurt. “You act as if I told you I stole some figs from the table. Didn’t you hear me? I am pregnant, husband!”

  “Of course I heard you!” Amenhotep walked toward me in three strides and put his hands gently on my shoulders. “This is the best gift anyone has ever given me, and I love you for it.”

  I hugged him impetuously, but I could sense that something was still wrong. “Then why is there no smile on my Pharaoh’s face?”

  “I am happy, but there is more to think about than just my happiness. Please sit, and I will tell you all.” I eased into the chair and tossed my wet hair behind my shoulders. The silence was excruciating, but I waited to see what Amenhotep would say.

  “Years ago, my father entered into negotiations with several of our enemies. He was a man of peace, my father, despite what you might hear. He was not afraid of war, but he valued the blood of his people. He often said he would fight a thousand wars if the only blood that would spill would be that of our enemies.” He took a swig of wine from his cup and continued pacing. “At first the Babylonians and the Hittites refused his attempts at negotiations. But like so many others, they were too tempted by the gold of Kemet to resist. Eventually they came to us, ready to parlay their way into an alliance. It was easy enough to do. Everyone wants Egyptian gold, but we laid heavy restrictions on our neighbors. By restricting the distribution of the gold to approved nations only, Pharaoh very easily brought the Hittites and Babylonians to Thebes.”

  Like a bolt of lightning striking a Benben stone, the full impact of his words began to reveal to me what this lesson in history was truly about. “This is about Tadukhipa, isn’t it?” I swallowed, feeling miserable.

  He didn’t answer me directly, not at first. “It took work to bring them to their knees, but they eventually came to Thebes to submit themselves to Pharaoh. When they did, they were not humiliated. They were welcomed. Remember, the Hittites had been warring with us at that time for over twenty years. It was time to end the bloodshed. And yes, Tadukhipa’s father was very eager to make peace, but one of the stipulations was that Pharaoh would take her into his household.”

  “I know
this story,” I said glumly.

  “From whom? My mother? It is no secret that she hates Tadukhipa, and I suppose I would feel the same way if I were her. But Tadukhipa is not to blame. I am sure she did not ask to be traded for peace. However, that is only half the story. The Hittites expected to receive a bride in return, and the Hittite king wanted Sitamen. He was disappointed to learn that Egyptian kings do not simply give their daughters away. To make up for the perceived slight, Pharaoh promised to elevate Tadukhipa to the position of wife.”

  “Please just tell me what you want to say, husband.”

  “I cannot continue to ignore the wife I inherited, Nefertiti. The Hittites have come to see what I will do with Tadukhipa. I cannot send her back home in shame and risk a war between our nations.”

  “A war over one woman?”

  He laughed bitterly. “Yes, and wars have occurred over much less. My advisers tell me this is no light matter. Can we risk such offense now when we are on the verge of a new kingdom—a new Egypt? I have the plans for our new city, a city dedicated to the Aten. Surely you see this.”

  “This has nothing to do with cities or the Aten! This has everything to do with us—Amenhotep and Nefertiti!” I was standing now, arms stiff and fists clenched.