Meryamun’s body stilled, and his head tilted toward her.
“There are so few servants left in the kitchens,” she said. “It would be a shame to lose another—clumsy as she might be. I’m sure she won’t be so careless again, my king.”
Meryamun sighed. “I suppose you are right.” He nodded toward the guard, who was in the process of dragging the poor maidservant from the throne room.
“Let her get back to work,” he called out. “I want my meal on time.”
The guard, who didn’t seem to care one way or the other, dropped the young woman like a sack of onions and returned to his post. The maidservant, her eyes blurry with tears, scurried out without another word.
Neff sagged with relief. She’d begun to learn, through trial and error, that Meryamun’s anger could vanish as quickly as it came, if given the proper direction. Another bit of her father’s wisdom came to mind. One time, when a shipment of papyrus arrived damaged, instead of tossing out the stained, poor-quality scrolls, her father diluted some ink, altered his handwriting, and advertised the resulting scrolls as “artifacts from an ancient temple” for double the standard price.
After they sold the last one, he’d said, “Remember, my girl, everything that happens, good or bad, is an opportunity to getwhat you want.”
Neff saw an opportunity.
“My king,” she said. “Perhaps it’s time to add more servants to the palace staff. The kitchen isn’t the only place that could use more hands. More attendants, messengers, and litter bearers would be useful as well. I’m sure you yourself probably require more—”
“Hands?” Meryamun said into his wine as he sipped it. He glanced wickedly at her from the corner of his eye.
Neff blushed.
Meryamun drained his cup and sighed. “It’s true. I’ve been so caught up in bureaucracy I haven’t spared a thought for the administration of the palace. I’ll get good old Sabni to put his mind to—”
“Sabni will be busy with the scribes,” Neff broke in. “Perhaps you and I could go into the city and handpick the servants ourselves. We could make an announcement, and those interested could come see us to apply.”
Meryamun scoffed. “That is highly unusual. The king, out in the streets?”
“Ah, but that’s exactly why we should do it. Your father rarely completed the Shemsu Hor—it would be the first time many Khetarans actually saw the pharaoh with their own eyes. We’d get the staff we need and further endear you to the people, all in one afternoon.”
“It isn’t a bad idea. And you would help me choose, using the wisdom of the gods?”
Neff bowed her head. “Of course. Everything I do, I do in your service.”
She sent a silent prayer to Bast.Let him say yes!The fact was, she couldn’t disrupt Meryamun’s plans alone. If she could exert some influence on who entered the royal service, perhapsshe might begin to build a coalition of allies within the palace. Commoners who could be convinced to help her take down the king. The people she chose would surely be more amenable to such a plan than servants hired by the vizier.
Meryamun considered and said, “As you wish, Nefermaat. My head guard will arrange it. Maybe then it won’t be so difficult to get a drink around here.”
Neff sent her thanks to Bast—and her father—and smiled.
***
“Nefermaat?”
Neff stopped outside her chambers and turned to see who’d called her name. Queen Bintanath stood in the corridor, wavering like a reed in the wind. She wore a simple white kalasiris and yellow mourning cloak. Her only ornament was an obsidian vulture collar, its black beaded wings wrapped around her bony shoulders. Neff had overheard some of the servants say that the queen had undergone a sudden change since her husband’s death—that overnight, she had transformed from an imperious and demanding force to a ghost. A mutu that haunted the palace halls.
“That’s your name, isn’t it?” the queen asked.
Neff crossed her hands in a sign of respect. “It is, my queen. We met when I first arrived at the palace.”
“You’re a seer.”
“Yes, my queen.”
Queen Bintanath looked at her intently, as if she were grappling with a decision, before saying, “You will come to my quarters when your schedule allows. I wish to use your skills.” And with a swirl of yellow, she turned back the way she had come.
Neff kept her composure until she was safely inside her chambers, the curtain pulled shut over the doorway. She leaned againstthe stone wall and covered her face with her hands.
I can’t do this, I can’t do this, I can’t do this…
