She said it half-jokingly, but Jack looked into those heavily outlined eyes, and saw the woman he’d known looking back at him, and knew that, for this one moment at least, she was serious.
“I would love that,” Jack said. “But you know as well as I do that isn’t going to happen, love.”
She nodded, biting her rouged lower lip. “I do know it.”
Amenirdis sighed, then seemed to pull herself together. “I have to stay, and help my brother. Tomorrow, he will be crowned. That will take place in the temple, and no outsiders will be permitted. But then he will address the people from the balcony of the temple, and I hope you will come to see that. Tarek will bring you, if you would like to be there.”
“All right,” Jack agreed.
“It will be an historical event for my people. Do not reveal this to anyone, please, but during this address tomorrow, Shabako will tell the people of Kerma that, a year from tomorrow, all slaves on Kerma will be freed.”
Jack nodded. “Makes perfect sense to me, love. Good that he’s giving himself time to work out all the details.”
She smiled slightly. “Actually, I will be responsible for much of that work. My brother intends to name me grand vizier. That is our term for what your people would call a chief advisor, something of that sort.”
“Prime minister, we call them in England,” Jack said. “Congratulations. You will do a splendid job, I am sure of it.”
“Thank you. I will do my best, Jack. It is my chance to set things right. It was a shock to me today to encounter my own slaves again.”
Jack nodded. “I’ll wager it was, love.”
Amenirdis nodded. “Believe me, the irony was not lost on me. But Jack, I will do a good job. Before too long, they’ll be free, I keep reminding myself of that. I have many ideas for improving my homeland. For one thing, I believe we will try to send some of our best and brightest young people off the island, to go to school. I am not sure where people of our color can be educated, though. Perhaps we will need to hire tutors for them.”
“What do you want them to learn?”
Her eyes were as hard as bronze in the flickering light of the torches. “How to make black powder, Jack. We’ll also need to know how to make tempered steel, using iron and carbon. We have iron here on the island. We can mine more of it. And, once the iron is taken from the ground, we will need to know how to cast it into cannons. How to make pistols and muskets.” Her voice was resolute. “One day, perhaps, the Heart will be stolen, or be lost. If that day ever comes, we must be ready. We must be able to defend ourselves. There are too many Cutler Becketts in your world.”
Jack nodded. “I know you can do it, love.”
She nodded. “I will, Jack. So much depends on it.”
Jack looked away, and took a deep breath. His eyes fell on Shabako, resplendent in the torchlight, and he smiled wryly. “You’re the one should be pharaoh, love,” he said. “Your father was right to be proud of you.”
Tears stood in her eyes for a moment, then she glanced away, blinking them back. “I can accomplish more as grand vizier, Jack,” she said. “If I were pharaoh, I’d have to worry about getting married and providing an heir. This way, I can concentrate on being the power behind the throne.”
Amenirdis added, after a second, “And it’s not like my brother is lacking in intelligence. He is simply…young. He survived as a slave on a sugar plantation for years. Only someone strong and determined could do that.”
“Right you are, love.”
“Oh!” She looked up at him. “I must tell you—there is bad news. My brother does not know the sacred word to use in the labyrinth. He has given his blessing for the mission, though, and promised to pass me his bracelet tomorrow, after he is crowned.”
“What about old Piye’s successor? Does he know it?”
She shook her head. “More bad news. Nedjeh was driving up on the cliff road about six months ago, when the wheel came off his chariot. He was killed, and he had not named a successor, because they were still hoping that Piye would return.”
“You’ll have to try and figure out the word, then. Surely you have some idea as to what it might be?”
“Some,” she said. “It will be an ancient word, from the time when my people left Old Kerma behind. It’s bound to be an important word, one that has meaning. The name of a pharaoh, or a queen would be my first guess.”
“That makes sense. Why don’t you make a list of—”
Jack broke off as a voice spoke from behind him, urgent, peremptory. He turned to see Queen Tiyy standing there. Her meaning was clear to Jack, even without a translation. Her Majesty wanted her daughter to stop wasting time with this common, no-account sea captain, and go talk to important people—their guests. Sweeping off his tricorne, Jack smiled and bowed. “Your Majesty,” he said.
The queen inclined her head graciously. “Please translate what I say, love,” Jack said, to Amenirdis.
“I will, Jack.”
“Your Majesty, I apologize for taking up your royal daughter’s attention. I know she has guests to attend to. I shall take my leave of you. Thank you for such a lovely evening.”
When Amenirdis had finished translating, Jack bowed again. The queen’s expression thawed a bit. She studied Jack’s face, then nodded, and spoke.
“My mother says thank you for your understanding.” The princess gave Jack a sidelong look, and added, “She also says you have the instincts to be a courtier, and a very charming smile.”
Jack glanced up. “Is that good, or bad?”
The princess smiled faintly. “A little of both,” she said.
Jack bowed to Amenirdis. “I wish…” He stopped himself. Saying anything would just make things worse. He nodded, and went to find his companions. It had been an eventful day.
The following afternoon, Jack stood among the crowd of Kermans who had gathered to hear their newly crowned pharaoh’s first address to his people. Chamba stood beside him, once more dressed in Kerman regalia.
Suddenly there was movement at the opening to the balcony. The crowd began to cheer as the new pharaoh emerged. He wore a vest that was open down the front, and a broad, jeweled collar. The skin of a lion was draped over one shoulder, and on his head was the crown bearing the twin uraei, the double cobras. The cheers of the crowd grew in volume as he stood there, his mother on his left, his sister on his right. Finally, Shabako raised his hands for quiet.
Jack listened as the pharaoh spoke, and Chamba translated:
“People of Kerma. My fellow citizens, and my subjects. I come before you today, crowned as your new pharaoh. Today is a day for joy and rejoicing throughout our land. After nearly four years away from Kerma, living among strangers in foreign lands, I have returned to accept my father’s crown. My sister, the Princess Amenirdis, rescued me from those who would have kept me from my homeland, and the lion throne.”
He tugged his sister forward as the crowd cheered for her.
“This week there will be rejoicing, as I make my first royal progress throughout our land. I look forward to sharing that joy with all of my people. But today is also a day for sober reflection. There is a new world out there, and I have seen it, as has my sister. The outside world has changed greatly, which is not surprising, but many of these changes are disturbing, nay, frightening. In the coming months, I will be traveling among you, talking to my people, so all of Kerma will know what my sister and I observed. There are fearful winds blowing through the world, my people. Kerma must be strong and prepared. To that end, we will need all our citizens to work together. When I say ‘citizens’ I speak not only of landholders—free men and women. I speak of everyone on our island.
Everyone. I say it again…everyone.”
There were murmurs from the crowd, now, and puzzled expressions.
“My people, to make Kerma as strong as it must be, in order to keep our island safe and secure, I intend to strengthen the spirit of our homeland by making a radical alteration in our society.
Hear me, O my people. My first royal proclamation is this: One year from today, all slaves on this island shall be declared free. All of them.”
The people of Kerma were listening intently, silently, now. Many faces bore grim expressions of disapproval.
“You may ask why I am doing this. Enduring what I have, I can do nothing else! My people, while I was gone from you, I was captured and sold into slavery. For years I labored without reward or benefit, enduring degradation, humiliation, and privation. I was starved, and I was beaten. I was lashed. Witness for yourselves.”
The pharaoh threw off his cloak, then slipped off the vest, standing bare-chested. Shabako turned, so his back was to the crowd. Jack could see, even from his vantage point in the back, that Shabako’s back didn’t appear quite normal. He was reminded of that time he’d had to dress the wounds on Chamba’s back.
A collective gasp arose from the crowd.
The pharaoh waited until all had had a chance to see, then he faced them once more, slipping his vest back on.
“My people, I wish to reassure you. I want the best for Kerma. I am not doing this because of some personal agenda. I am doing it because, after long consideration, I have decided that this change will be the best thing for our homeland. Change can be frightening, this I know. But it can also mean a rebirth. And that, my people, is what Kerma shall have! Rebirth! A new spirit of freedom! Rejoice with me today—begin work with me tomorrow. May Apedemak bless his people, and keep our Heart strong.”
With that, he turned and left the balcony.
Some of the crowd cheered. Others began to shout indignantly.
Jack and Chamba slipped out of the crowd and headed back to the Wicked Wench.
“Inspiring speech,” Jack said, as they headed down the hill.
“It was, Cap’n,” Chamba said. After a moment, he added, “Captain Sparrow, I been meaning to tell you something. Now be as good a time as any, I reckon.”
“All right,” Jack said.
“Cap’n, when you leave, I won’t be coming with you. Shabako, he told me what he be planning last week. I been thinking about it hard, and I know what I need to do. So yesterday, I asked him to let me stay here, on Kerma, and help him free the slaves. Shabako said I can stay.”
Jack sighed. He’d been rather expecting this. “I’ll be sorry to lose you, Chamba,” he said. “You’ve been a good and reliable hand. But I respect your decision, lad.”
“Thank you, Cap’n Sparrow. Don’t worry that I be forgettin’ you. I won’t.”
“I won’t, either.”
They walked on, together, toward the ship.
That night, long after sunset, Jack was sitting in his cabin, still fully dressed, trying to read. The ship’s bell had just rung four bells of the evening watch. He’d hoped that reading would help him pass the time, and make him sleepy. He’d borrowed a slender volume from Frank Connery. It contained a Shakespeare play Jack had never read before. But the more he read, the more he realized he’d picked the wrong play if he’d hoped to calm and distract himself from what awaited him on the morrow. The Tempest was full of magic and eldritch creatures—even monsters. It was a relief when someone tapped on his door.
“Who’s there?”
“Frank Connery, Captain Sparrow. You have a visitor.”
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Tarek stood framed in the opening. “Tarek!” Jack exclaimed. “What is it? Is there trouble?”
The giant bodyguard shook his head. “No, everything is fine.” He lowered his voice. “Captain, she sent me to bring you to her. If you want to see her tonight, come with me now.”
Jack wasted no time in joining him.
They walked quickly up the hill to the royal palace. While they were outside, in the shadow of a tree, the bodyguard handed Jack a dark, hooded cloak. “Here, Captain. Put this on, pull it down to hide your face. Don’t speak. Follow me.”
Jack did as he was bade. Tarek led him through small, narrow corridors, then up several ramps. Jack realized he must be taking them through the passageways used by the palace servants.
Finally, they reached the door to a room, and Tarek halted. “I will be back before dawn, Captain, to lead you back through the palace. Do not be late.”
Jack nodded. “Thanks, mate.”
“She is expecting you,” the giant said, and turned away. “Go in.”
Jack pushed the door open, and went in. He was in some kind of antechamber, he realized moments later. He crossed it, and stood outside the door to the next room. Taking a deep breath, he tapped gently.
The door opened. “Jack!” Amenirdis stood there, her face bare of paint, her own hair curling softly around her face in black coils that reflected the lamplight. She wore no jewelry, only the simple white silk nightgown she’d made, the same one she had worn the first night she had come to him.
Reaching out her hand, she took his and drew him inside the bedchamber. Then she closed and locked the door, shutting the world away.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The Heart of Zerzura
TRUE TO HIS PROMISE TO TAREK, Jack was up and dressed the next morning while it was still dark outside. He didn’t realize Amenirdis had awakened until she spoke to him, her voice soft, still a little blurred from sleep. “I want to come with you,” she said.
“You can sleep a bit more, then just meet us at the temple, love.”
“No, I want to walk down with you. Wait just a moment, Jack.”
She rose from the bed, her slender body bare in the predawn dimness, and padded softly out of the bedchamber. When she reappeared again, minutes later, she wore what Jack realized must be the Kerman equivalent of a riding habit: wide trousers tucked into sturdy heeled boots, and a short tunic that left her arms bare. She slid on a sort of short, loose jacket, then bound her hair up in a scarf. The princess was already wearing her bracelet on her right wrist. She picked up her brother’s and slid it onto her left one. “Ready.”
A bowl of fruit stood on the table. Each of them took a couple of pieces, and munched them as they went.
Tarek was waiting, as promised. The bodyguard led them out of the palace, through the back ways. They slipped outside, then headed down to the docks.
As they walked, Jack kept his eyes on the ground, searching the side of the road for something he needed. Finally he spotted what he was looking for, and stopped to pick up a good-sized rock from the side of the road. Carrying it, he continued toward the docks. When they reached the Wicked Wench, he put out a hand to Amenirdis, then spoke softly, urgently. “I have to go pick up Christophe, love,” he said. “No reason for you to come along while I row over to the brigantine. But while I’m gone, I want you to do something for me. It’s important, savvy?”
She nodded. “Very well, Jack.”
When Jack finished explaining what he wanted her to do, he hastened back aboard the Wicked Wench. Heading for his cabin, he grabbed his canvas sailor’s duffel and filled it with the items he’d prepared to take along with him yesterday, plus a coil of rope. Then he placed them into the boat with him, and ordered his crew to lower away.
Christophe was ready to go. He climbed down the brigantine’s ladder and stepped cautiously into Jack’s boat. Neither spoke as Jack rowed them back to where the Wicked Wench was docked.
In silence, the four of them walked back up the hill to the Temple of Apedemak. Once inside the massive complex, Amenirdis led them to the main chapel, then they followed her down corridors and sloping ramps, down, down, going ever deeper below the huge complex. Finally, they reached an ancient door made of carved stone.
Amenirdis nodded at Tarek, and the bodyguard took up his station around the bend of the passageway, to make sure no priests ventured down that corridor while the three searchers were inside the labyrinth. In case anyone questioned Tarek, the princess had given her bodyguard written orders, signed and sealed by order of Princess Amenirdis, Grand Vizier to His Majesty, Pharaoh Shabako.
The central portion of t
he huge stone door featured three carved lion heads, none of them exactly alike, arranged in a triangle in the middle of the door. The mouth of each lion was open slightly, just wide enough to admit one of the bracelets.
Amenirdis produced her bracelet and her brother’s bracelet. “My brother knows we are going in,” she told Jack. “But no one else except Tarek does.”
“What about the sacred word?” Jack said. “Did you make a list of names to try?”
She nodded. “I have them written down. The names of the pharaohs that ruled Old Kerma, and as many of their queens as I could find.”
As they were talking, Christophe stood there, silent, rubbing the bracelet he now wore on his wrist. “That does not sound good, Jacques,” he said, speaking for the first time that day. “I thought you had all of this venture planned out.”
“I did,” Jack said. “But there’s no way I could have predicted this. Captain Ward’s book didn’t mention you had to know some sacred password.”
Christophe shrugged, but said nothing further.
Amenirdis held out her hand to the rogue pirate. “It is time. Give me my father’s bracelet.”
Christophe pulled it off his wrist and handed it to her. The princess studied the bracelets intently, then looked at the lions’ heads. “The bracelets are not identical,” she murmured. “Each bracelet must go into the correct opening.” Taking one bracelet, she did a final comparison, then slid it into the lion’s mouth. A click sounded. She drew a breath of relief. “One down,” she said.
After another close examination, she matched up the second bracelet, then inserted it. Another click followed. Quickly, she inserted the third bracelet, and, with a final click, the door swung open.
“The bracelets will stay in the door, until we speak the sacred word while on the other side of the door when we leave,” she said.
Jack, Amenirdis, and Christophe entered the labyrinth.
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