By the time she woke up, she was starving. She’d missed the midday meal, and the sun was already low in the sky. Afterconvincing the cook to wrap up a hunk of bread, a boiled egg, and a wedge of cheese for her, she took the little parcel over to the temple gardens to eat.
Settling down under a fruit tree, she tore into the bread and egg, and took small bites of the squeaky white cheese to make it last longer. She’d almost finished when she heard people approaching on the path.
“How could you miss the Bast Festival, Kenna?” a female voice asked. “All of Thonis was there—everyone except you!”
“I’m not one for festivals, sister,” Prince Kenna replied in his raspy voice. “You know this. I was there to see the goddess on her way—that is enough. Besides, I suspect my presence wasn’t missed.”
Sister?!Neff scooted herself behind a jasmine shrub and peeked through its leaves. Prince Kenna’s hair was as wild as ever, and he was dressed in a plain black linen tunic belted with fine leather. He wore no adornment, aside from a simple Anubis collar, beaded in black, white, and blue. The girl facing him was dressed differently than when Neff had seen her at the opening ceremony of the Bast Festival, but there was no mistaking who she was. Princess Sitamun.
Unlike her brother, Sitamun looked very much like royalty. She had a prominent aquiline nose like her brother’s, but where it looked beakish on Kenna’s narrow face, it made the princess look regal. Her lustrous black hair fell to the middle of her back and glittered with golden beads, and she wore a blousy green linen dress with a plunging neckline that accentuated her curvaceous figure. Her jewelry, by contrast, was quite simple. Two amulets strung on black cords—one a red Isis knot, and the other a simple green scarab. It was hard to look away from the princess. She was like a chameleon—exotic, vivid, and ever-changing. Neff felt a pang of envy.
“I just think it would be good for you to visit the palace once in a while,” Sitamun said, glancing toward the temple with a look of unease. “You can’t hide in here forever.”
“I’m not hiding,” Kenna shot back. “I’mworking.You should try it sometime.”
The princess pursed her lips. “You know, brother,” she said. “Maybe if you spent a little more time around the living, you’d know how to speak to them properly. You didn’t used to be so cruel.”
Kenna closed his eyes and sighed. “Forgive me, Sitamun,” he said with deliberate patience. “I thought I’d made it very clear that I have no interest in palace life. I ask for nothing except to be left to my work. Mother may not understand the importance of what I do—hardly anyone gives the Men of Anubis the respect they deserve. But when I joined their number… it made a difference. The other priests’ behavior toward them began to change.” He shook his head. “The embalming chamber might be the only place in the kingdom where my presence shines a light instead of casting a shadow. So I’m sorry for disappointing you, sister, but I think I’ll stay here.”
Sitamun fiddled with a lock of her hair. “But Kenna… I’m worried.”
“About what?”
“About Father.”
Kenna’s shoulders fell. “Ah.” He put his hands up in a helpless gesture. “The priests are doing all they can, Sitamun. There’s certainly nothing I can do that isn’t already being done.”
“But what if… what if they’re wrong about what’s afflicting him?” Sitamun asked. “What if it’s not a disease demon, but something else?”
Kenna scoffed, offended. “I understand you’re worried, Sitamun, but you should not question the priesthood. Where is this coming from, anyway? Have you been reading those stories again? I know you’re prone to flights of fancy, but I should have thought you wereold enough not to allow your imagination to run away with you.”
“It’s not my imagination!” Sitamun’s cheeks reddened with anger.
“Then what is it?” Kenna asked. “Can you give me one reason to believe the priests are wrong about Father’s illness?”
Neff leaned forward, waiting to hear what the princess would say.
A pained expression crossed Sitamun’s face as she opened her mouth to speak. But in the end, she simply shook her head.
Awkwardly, Kenna placed his hand on his sister’s shoulder and gave it a pat. “I realize this is hard for you. Father’s health may improve, or it may not. Sometimes the gods simply wish to call their children home, and there is nothing anyone can do about it. But if he must go West, I will be there to prepare him for his journey. As it should be.”
“And Mery will take the throne?”
At that, Kenna turned to the fruit tree and plucked a ruby-colored orb from its branch. “And Mery will take the throne.”
The princess nodded.
“Go back to the palace, sister,” Kenna told her. “And stop worrying yourself about things you cannot change.”
That advice seemed to hurt the princess the most. Without another word, she walked out of the courtyard.
Kenna watched her go, his hooked nose set in profile against the setting sun. After a moment he said, “You can come out now.”
Neff blanched. Then, she peeked out from her hiding place, abashed. “How did you know I was here?”
“Generally, jasmine bushes do not wear sandals,” Kenna said with amusement, nodding toward her feet sticking out from behind the shrub.
Neff stood up, her cheeks hot. “I-I’m so sorry, my prince. I came to eat in the garden. I didn’t intend to eavesdrop.”
