“When the time comes, you’ll know what to do?” she asked.
“I’ll know exactly what to do,” the princess said, and left the room.
Neff closed her eyes in silent prayer.Amun be with her, she thought.Amun be with us all.
28Rae
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
Rae glanced at Tam, who walked beside her as they approached the fortress. Neff, Princess Sitamun, and Queen Bintanath were at the head of the procession, held aloft on palanquins carried by male servants. Select courtiers and attendants followed on foot, carrying baskets of offerings. A tall, broad-chested Tashan that Rae recognized from the king’s party, Prince Harsi, walked with them too, though he was notably flanked by half a dozen guards.
“What is it?” Rae asked, distracted. The fortress, located along the riverbank slightly north of Thonis, was a massive structure of towering stone ramparts topped with battlements and wide bastions built at intervals all around it. Rae craned her neck to count the guards stationed atop the high walls.Are there more men than we estimated?she wondered. Her confidence flickered like a flame in a sudden breeze.
The sight of the fortress, so much larger and more imposing than it had been in her imagination, sent a shiver of dread downher spine.Did we plan for the right contingencies? Is this going to work?She swallowed, her throat parched from the long walk in the hot sun.
“Rae, are you listening?”
Rae turned to Tam, who, like her, wore a loose-fitting green gown, pleated in a way that better concealed the items they’d hidden beneath. A headband beaded with green faience and bone held back Tam’s curly hair, which had become unruly in the heat.
“Yes, sorry,” she said.
Tam licked her lips. She looked nervous, but it seemed there was more on her mind than their current predicament. “Listen, the sun rose on one world and may set on another, and I don’t know what our part in it will be. I hope that you and I will leave this place as we entered it: together and whole.” Her voice trembled. “In case we don’t, I want to tell you I—”
“Tam.”
Rae steadied her basket on her hip and reached out to give Tam’s hand a squeeze. “Tell me after. I will fight that much harder, knowing your words are waiting for me on the other side.”
Tam took a shaky breath and nodded.
Rae released her hand and refocused on the fortress, her courage renewed.You can do this, she thought.Youmustdo this. For Father. For Sakesh. For her.
They passed between two cedar flagpoles flying the black and red banners of Thonis and followed the royal procession onto the drawbridge that crossed a narrow moat fed by the Iteru. Being that it was still the dry season, the moat was shallow and appeared free of crocodiles, but both still provided additional defense for the fortress.
After crossing the drawbridge, the procession approached the gatehouse—a formidable structure comprised of three sets of huge wooden doors leading to the interior. Rae followed thegroup through each set of doors, her nervousness threatening to resurface.
For the love of Ra, I hope Femi was telling the truth, she thought. The success of their mission hinged on it. If he’d led her astray, all would be lost.
Rae squinted as they emerged from the shadows of the gatehouse and into the light of a wide interior courtyard, alive with people and the sound of beating drums. Rae could imagine small armies amassing there to train, receive commands, and defend the kingdom from invading forces. The place looked a bit sparse and underused, but Rae had a feeling that was changing. She knew Amunmose had allowed the size of Khetara’s military to decline during his reign—so assured was he of their superiority over neighboring kingdoms. It was clear that Meryamun intended to change that. About a hundred armed guards and soldiers were stationed around the courtyard, with the majority gathered on either side of the procession.
In front of them, a large flat-topped stone citadel stood at the center of the courtyard, a stronghold containing administrative chambers, soldiers’ barracks, and a temple devoted to Horus, the falcon-headed god of war. Femi had told her that much, though there hadn’t been time during their escape for further detail. Aside from the crucial one, of course.
Behind them, starting with the outermost set, each of the gatehouse doors swung shut with finality.
One, two, three.
Rae swallowed.Here we go.
At the base of the entrance to the citadel, a raised platform had been erected and draped with billowing red and black fabric. Tall bronze braziers burned on each end, framing the three masked priests who stood there, chanting words Rae couldn’t hear while the procession found their places. There was a surreal, grotesquequality to those men, their bodies hairless and barefoot, shining with oil, their faces hidden beneath sneering animal masks—a ram, an ibis, and a falcon.
In front of the platform, a great trench had been dug into the earth, more than fifty arms’ lengths long and deep enough that Rae could not see the bottom from her position. A dozen white-clad priestesses moved at the rim of the trench, some beating goblet drums and shaking sistrums, others dancing while carrying vases of red clay. The vases were painted with sacred words in spidery black symbols that seemed to shiver with the sway of the dance.
The air was taut with anticipation, magic building within it like sparks ready to catch fire. Rae fought to keep her expression passive, though her chest tightened and her stomach roiled with every step.
Neff, the queen, and the princess’s palanquins were lowered to allow them to ascend the platform, each of the women carrying a bundle of blue lotus blossoms. Meanwhile, Rae, Tam, and the other servants and courtiers approached the trench with reverence, all carrying baskets of offerings in their arms. One by one, they spilled their contents into the pit.
Rae waited her turn, mesmerized at the sight of colorful linens, bunches of grapes, fragrant sacks of incense, and all manner of prosperity cascading down into the earth. Her own basket carried a sheaf of golden wheat, and as she watched it fall into the deep trench, she reminded herself why she was there.
I’m here, Father. I’ve come.
