Song of Isis

by Diana Kirk

  Tem swallowed hard and turned away. "You dishonor me. Merikare lives for revenge upon your throne. I did not have to do or say anything. He had cause enough to do these things."

  Mentuhotep grabbed her arm and pulled her to within inches of his face. His breath was hot and hard against her cheek. "I shall have your lying tongue ripped from your mouth and given to our son as tribute." She wriggled in his grasp but he held firm. "The time for witty games has ceased. You will tell me the whereabouts of this scorpion."

  "I have no knowledge of what you speak, Mentuhotep. But mark my words, my own armies will rise up against you, if you continue to threaten my position as Queen."

  Mentuhotep released her. What would he do now? Tem's heart raced. He might kill her for what she just said. Open treason against the king by his wife. She cursed her temper and willed herself to remain strong. But it was not anger that crossed the face of the man she had bedded for power. No. It was laughter. He tossed his head back and his full-bodied laugh echoed throughout her chamber.

  "You dare to mock me?" She whirled around and shoved against his chest.

  Mentuhotep wiped his eyes. "Your armies? They are nothing more than eunuchs who will cower at the slightest cause." He stepped back and tossed her an assessing gaze. "Woman, you amaze me."

  He seized her wrist in an unrelenting grip, pulling her close. "If you were not such a viper, I would almost enjoy our sparring." He released her, but she refused to ease the ache of the red rings around her wrists in his presence. "Yet, I cannot allow you to remain Queen without retribution for your deeds."

  She glared at him. "And what is it that I have done to you, besides taking the place of your barren mistress?"

  His gaze narrowed and he ground his teeth. "You will remain my prisoner until we have located Merikare and brought him face to face before you." His chest heaved as though beset by a sudden weariness. "Then we will know everything."

  A troubled thought stole its way inside her heart and lodged there. What if they did, indeed, find that desert rat, Merikare? What if they learned of her promises to Khety? Nay, they would never find him. He would die before he would succumb to capture. She was safe. For now.

  "DO YOU SEE beyond that rise?" Tarik pointed toward a swirling cloud of sand that moved slowly in the distance.

  "It is the raging of dust and wind that will threaten our camp," Kensu said and turned back toward the tent. "Soon we will all be destroyed and Merikare will have escaped, once more."

  Tarik gripped Kensu's arm. "Nay, my friend, look closely at the cloud, again. Merikare's approaching armies stir the sand."

  "How can you be sure?" Kensu shaded his eyes and squinted into the sun, yet still he seemed unbelieving. "You have the eyes of an eagle and the strength of many lions. Yet, I cannot believe you see Merikare."

  "I see not with my eyes, but my heart. Mark me, my friend, it is he. Come, we must alert our armies and make ready. The time for battle will soon be upon us. They will be tired and unwilling to do battle until morning. We will strike this night and render them helpless. Merikare will soon be brought to his knees and taste the justice he so richly deserves."

  Kensu's eyes darkened. "But Tarik, we cannot do battle at night. The dead--"

  "They do not walk the earth as we have thought. It is foolish to fear the cloak of darkness."

  "But--" Kensu shook his head.

  "Do not fear, my friend. We will be unseen and able to overpower what is left of his army."

  "But--" Kensu's eyes widened.

  "--and our casualties will be few." Tarik smiled at the look of horror crossing Kensu's face. How was it that only weeks ago, he had experienced the same wrenching terror of the night? To be sure, he had learned much from his lady wife. A vision of Alex flashed through his mind.

  She was safe in Herakleopolis with Kasim and the guards, yet he longed for her here by his side and in his arms. No matter what danger lay ahead for him, she was protected in the physician's tent and it was best, she stayed behind.

  "Tarik? Tarik? What has happened?" Kensu's worried voice broke his concentration and Alex faded from his thoughts.

  "Nothing," he said. A hard knot filled his throat and he swallowed around it. "It is time. We must prepare for battle."

  Kensu blocked Tarik's way. "But how will you do this? The men will not follow you into the night. I would follow you to the outer regions of Egypt and beyond, yet I can hardly bear the thought of such an act, myself. You cannot hope they will do this. It is against all reason."

  Tarik gazed deep into his friend's eyes and gripped his shoulders. "Then, you must help me convince them."

  THE SUN'S remaining rays streaked the sky, yet sleep would not be forthcoming this night, for tonight there would be a battle like none ever before seen in this land.

  Side by side, Kensu and Tarik faced the sea of Mentuhotep's armies waiting for the command to march. A mixture of dread and anticipation shown upon their faces and Tarik whispered a silent prayer to Isis for the gilded words that would convince them to follow him into the dark spirit filled night.

  "Mark this night for there will come to pass a great victory for Mentuhotep and it shall be done by you." Tarik's voice rang out over the multitude standing motionless before him. "I have prayed to Isis for the wisdom to carry out this quest. And to Osiris for the courage to see this through to victory."

  A slight murmur rustled through the lines. Single words reached Tarik's ears.

  "...Darkness..."

  "...evil..."

  "...ka..."

  Kensu stepped forward. "Those of you who fear the wandering sprits do so needlessly."

  "...Nay, we cannot do this..."

  Tarik raised his hand for silence and the murmuring ceased. "As I have been taught by our great healer, Alex, your ka will be shielded by our living god Mentuhotep. We must take our wrath upon the one who would defile our women and rob us of our birthright, a united Egypt."

  "Death to Merikare!" Their voices grew into a loud roar.

  Tarik stretched out his arms. "The Herakleopolis stole our land, for that we took their freedom."

  "Death to Merikare!" The chant echoed through the valley.

  "The Herakleopolis stole our women, for that we took their lives," he shouted.

  "Death to Merikare!" The soldiers stamped their feet and waved their spears and arrows high over their heads.

  "Merikare stole our pride, for that we will take his head."

  "Death to Merikare!"

  Tarik speared the air. "We will attack during the cover of darkness and I shall be the one to carve out Merikare's evil heart and lay it at the feet of our mighty Pharaoh."

  The men beat their spears against their shields. Their frenzied drumming filled Tarik's senses.

  Kensu raised his hand and the men grew silent.

  "Gather up your spears and arrows. Follow me," Kensu ordered. "We shall take the lead in silence and make the first strike. Tarik, you will follow with the retainers of the monarch to circle behind and finish them as they scramble from their tents like fleeing rats."

  Kensu pointed to the west. "The soul of Ra has now departed this earth. We must go. It is time once again to dispense the feathers." Servants wielded large bags of ostrich feathers, the sign of victory. "Place the feathers in your headbands, where Merikare can see the face of victory as he dies."

  THE MOON SHOWN brightly, casting deep craters of darkness in an endless expanse of sand. Kensu led his army along the shadows toward the Herakleopolis encampment. Tarik stood on the highest dune and watched his friend with a mixture of fear and anticipation.

  With every breath in their bodies and to the death, these brave men would fight to bring Merikare to justice for Mentuhotep and Egypt. He wished he could share this moment with the woman whose love meant more to him than his own pride. If, by the grace of Isis, he was allowed to live and they were reunited, he would give her the scroll and take her to the tomb.

  Shifting restlessly, his men grew impatient for
the battle that would too soon be upon them.

  "It is time," he whispered and reached for a feather.

  Tarik and his armies descended the last dune and the cries of battle reached his ears.

  "Steady. Only a moment more."

  He motioned to the men who readied their arrows and pointed the tips high into the air.

  "Release!" he shouted, and the arrows arched high into the air and turned downward into the fray of men who writhed and screamed beneath the scorpion sting of the arrows.

  Chapter Eighteen

  TARIK STEPPED carefully over the bodies littering the battlefield. In the early morning light, the sea of red mixed with white sand and brown bodies created a horrifying palette of color.

  "Are you sure he's here?" he called out to Kensu who stood some distance away.

  "He has to be." Kensu lifted a hand to shade his eyes.

  "I must have proof of his death." Tarik's voice was hard. "Only this will avenge what he has done to Alex."

  The man was most probably dead. There was nothing left for them but to return home, celebrate the victory, and resume their normal life. Still, he had to be certain.

  "Tarik, over here." Kensu's voice grew faint and Tarik ran towards him, leaping over bodies and spears and death.

  "What is it, my friend? Have you found him?"

  Kensu stood over a small, aged man clad in priestly robes. This was no warrior.

  "Nay, but his servant lives to tell us of his whereabouts." A glint of light caught Tarik's eye. The ornament around the servant's neck was similar to the one used by Alex when she listened to the heart. She had called it a stethoscope. A cold dread gripped his stomach.

  Tarik grabbed the servant and ripped the instrument from around his neck.

  "Where did you get this?"

  The captive blinked rapidly and swallowed hard. "My lord Merikare ordered me to give you this token of--"

  "I will slit your throat, you jackal." Kensu placed the blade of his sword against the man's neck.

  "No, Kensu. Merikare has taken Alex." Tarik's calm words belied the cold fear in his belly.

  "What?" Kensu sheathed his sword and gripped the man's shoulder giving him a good shake. "Surely you jest. She's back at the encampment, tending to our wounded. Isn't that right, old man?"

  The man fell to the ground and prostrated himself before Tarik. "Spare me, Lord. I--I--only do my master's bidding."

  "Where is your master?" Kensu kicked him lightly in the ribs. The man groaned and clutched at Tarik's feet. "I--he--is at the home of the great pharaoh's healer."

  "Abydos?" If Merikare did have her, he would torture her, or worse. If that black-hearted slave of Anubis dared touch his wife, he would know tortures unlike any ever thought of before or since. He must find her. A cold sliver of fear stabbed his heart. He had to, before Merikare ravaged her.

  "You will go with us to your master," Tarik ground out. "If the woman who wears this is harmed, you will pay with your life."

  The man cowered, tears filling his eyes. "Yes, my Lord, I will take you anywhere you ask. Anywhere. Only spare me."

  ALEX BRUSHED her fingers along the cold, smooth floor and bolted upright. Pain seared through her arms, her back, her neck. Was she dead? Or worse, was she still alive to face whatever tortures Merikare had in mind for her? Slowly, the fog in her head lifted and she remembered the trip into Abydos a captive of the cruel prince. Trip nothing, he'd basically dragged her all the way from the encampment to the same villa Tarik had brought her to so many months ago.

  Thoughts of the days and nights they'd spent together washed over her, like the cool evening breezes that bathed their garden. Finally home, but this time there weren't any cool breezes or happy times ahead. She was exhausted and hungry, bruised, battered, and bloodied. She'd collapsed the minute she'd been left alone. Now, she longed for Tarik to gather her in his arms and take the pain away. But he was nowhere to be found.

  A rustle of movement jarred her and blinking her eyes open, the sweet face of Seta appeared before her. "Seta!" Alex gripped her friend's arm and pulled her into a bear-hug. "You're alive." She squeezed tighter. "Oh, my God! I thought you were dead."

  Seta returned the hug. "That evil demon, Marikare, has murdered Akiki and holds Tarik's household hostage. I am alive only because I serve you."

  "Thank God. What's happened to Mentuhotep and the queen? Did Merikare get them, too?"

  Seta shook her head. "I do not know of our lord, Pharaoh, as he left to join his armies."

  "He's okay?"

  "I do not know." Seta reached out and touched her bruised cheek. "I must tend to your wounds." Seta rushed from the room and shut the door. Within minutes, she returned with a bowl of water and a stack of linens. Carefully, she washed the blood and grime from Alex's face. "There. You are ready to see our Lord Tarik."

  "He's alive isn't he?" Alex reached up and pulled Seta close to her.

  "I think no harm has befallen him, for you and I are still living."

  "And Tem?"

  Seta's eyes darkened. "She is here. The evil one rules this house as if Mentuhotep is now dead and she is Merikare's concubine."

  "I wonder what she's getting out of all this?"

  "I do not know. I fear for your life, my most treasured mistress." She lifted Alex's chin and gazed into her eyes. "Can you tell me of Kasim, my husband? Do you bring me news of him? Is he well?"

  Alex bit her lip and tried to stop the tears welling in her eyes. So much had happened since they'd seen each other. The tears betrayed her and flowed freely down her cheeks. "Seta, my dear, sweet friend. I'm afraid he's dead."

  A howl of despair rose out of Seta's throat. She dropped to the floor and covered her face with her hands. "No. Please, my Lady Alex, tell me this cannot be."

  Alex gathered the girl into her arms. "I'm so sorry. I wish there was something I could've done. He protected me until--until the end."

  "Oh, mistress, I carry his child. This is a sorry day for us. Without preparation, his glorified body will not be able to make the journey to the after-world. And his son will live in shame knowing the gods did not smile upon his father. Oh, what shall I do?"

  Alex hugged Seta closer. "Surely, dying in battle is considered heroic. Don't the gods give special favors for that sort of thing?"

  Before Seta could answer the sound of heavy footfalls along the marbled hallway caught their attention. The door slammed open. Merikare entered and shoved Seta away.

  "Leave her alone." The words had barely left Alex's lips when he slapped her and she tasted the metallic flavor of copper. She squared her shoulders and wiped the blood dribbling from her mouth.

  "You still have a scorpion's tongue, I see." Merikare's deep voice filled the room. Seta cowered in the corner, her gaze darting about as if searching for a place to hide.

  Alex stood her ground and glared into his eyes. "Go ahead and kill me now. Whatever it is you want, you're not getting it from me."

  He reached out and jerked her tight against his heaving chest. "Mark the hour, for you will regret having rebuffed me. I will have you, wife of Tarik, but not before your husband witnesses my pleasure." He shoved her back against the bed.

  "Clean her up as befitting an Egyptian queen, slave." He turned back toward Alex. "Queen Tem has requested your presence." He motioned to Seta and exited the room.

  "I could kill him." Alex spat out a mouthful of blood.

  "No, Alex, you must do as he bids. I beg you." She grabbed Alex's hand and dragged her toward the bathing room.

  "I'm not going. Let him kill me--or rather, let him try." She crossed her arms. "I'm not afraid of him."

  "Please, my Lady. You must do what he says until Tarik and the Great Pharaoh return to stop his evil heart."

  "Don't you mean, if they return?"

  Seta grasped Alex by the shoulders and shook her slightly. "Nay, Tarik and Mentuhotep live. And they will come here for you. You are wife of a great Lord and the Herakleopolean prince has committed a
most severe crime against Mentuhotep. Do not think he would let this final insult go unanswered. Merikare's head will sit atop Mentuhotep's spear. You must believe this."

  Reluctantly, Alex allowed the servant to lead her into the bathing room. Slowly, piece by piece, Seta removed Alex's soiled clothing.

  "My dear lady, I'd beg one thing of you." Alex met Seta's worried gaze. "You must promise not to anger Merikare into wrath. Tem is still in league with him and she is most jealous of you, to the point of rage."

  "Tarik was never hers to begin with. The only reason Tarik bothered with her was out of loyalty to Mentuhotep. And, quite frankly, I'd like nothing better than to tell her so my--aaahhh!"

  Seta dumped a jug of cold water over Alex's head. "Seta, what are you doing?" she sputtered.

  "Cooling that fire of jealousy within you, Lady Alex. Angering Tem will come to no good."

  "But it'll make me feel a heck of a lot better."

  A second spray of chilled water splashed over Alex's head.

  "All right. All right, you win. I'll make nice. Just stop trying to drown me. I'm freezing."

  Some of the grimness left Seta's eyes and a weary smile creased the servant's pale lips. "You are all I have left who loves me, Lady Alex, and I will not let your own foolishness take you away."

  What could she say to ease Seta's pain? She tried to envision her world without Tarik and the pain was unbearable. This wasn't a time for mere words. Alex wrapped her arms around her friend and whispered. "I'm sorry about Kasim."

  Seta raised her chin and held Alex's gaze, firm and honest in her conviction. "Do not fear, Alex. Your husband is brave, cunning, and resourceful. You will see. Lord Tarik will return to you soon. And he will surely want you in one piece. Of that I am sure."

  Unbidden tears slid from her eyes and Alex realized that it was Seta who was comforting her, not the other way around.

  "Okay. Okay. I promise to be good." Alex brushed the tears away and stepped forward. "Now, let's not keep Her Bitchiness waiting one more minute. Lead the way."

  Seta stopped her with a hand on her arm.