Sita clung to Kenna as the enormity of what faced them fell upon her. “You’re all I have left,” she said through her tears.
Kenna scanned the room, his gaze pausing on the thief, the rebel, and the little priestess. He said, “Oh, I don’t know about that.”
39Neff
Neff faced the bloody tableau, her heart in turmoil. The horror of what she’d just witnessed was seared into her mind like a brand.
Rae moved to stand beside her, a strong, reassuring presence. When the rebel spoke to the group, her voice was gentle but firm. “I’m sorry, but now is not the time for mourning. The battle still rages.”
Reluctantly, Sitamun turned away from the corpses. “You’re right.” She bent to retrieve her serpent staff from where she’d discarded it on the floor. “I’m needed out there.”
“Not only you,” Karim corrected her. “All of us.”
They walked out of the throne room and through the corridor past the still unconscious guards. Karim and Sita were hand in hand, and Rae supported Kenna with what looked like no effort at all. No one walked with Neff, but a strange displacement in the air beside her reminded her that she did not walk alone.
“Thank you for your help,” she whispered, and hoped thatMedjed heard her.
Kenna stumbled and would have fallen if not for Rae setting him back on his feet.
“How did you do it, brother?” Neff asked him. “I know you’re hardheaded, but that blow should have killed you.”
Kenna offered her a crooked smile. “A fine joke, little sister—though you should already know the answer to that question.” He pulled the Eye of Horus amulet from underneath his tunic and dangled it in front of her.
Neff squinted. A tiny square of papyrus covered in carefully written gods’ words had been fastened to the back of the amulet. “What does it say?” she asked.
“‘Hear me, O Ptah, divine craftsman!’” Kenna recited. “‘Should a heavy blow fall upon me, sculpt my head as if from stone, so that it remains whole and unbroken.’”
“A protection spell!” Neff was impressed.
“Indeed. One that is only triggered by a specific situation, as I taught you.”
“But how did you know this was going to happen?”
“When I first heard of your disappearance, I assumed your quarters would be searched, and that the Book of the Red Lady would be discovered. Mery was no fool. He would deduce I was the one who’d given it to you, which would alert him to our clandestine activities. Knowing that, I assumed that he would conceive of a public display during which to execute me for treason. Given the imminence of the cursing ritual, it seemed likely he’d do it there and use the same method of a blow to the head. Therefore, a spell to magically enhance the durability of my skull was the natural choice.”
Rae chuckled. “See, I knew you were clever.”
Kenna tilted his chin to indicate Rae’s armor. “I’m glad to seeyou found a vocation for which you’re better suited.”
Rae twirled the scepter in her other hand. “I suppose I have.”
As they neared the entrance, Rae’s curly-haired companion and a black dog with a white mark on its face came dashing into the citadel.
“Tam!” Rae called out. “Oh, thanks be to Ra! You’re all right.”
The dog raced up to Sita and Karim, greeting the princess first.
“After everything I’ve done for him,” Karim remarked wearily, giving the dog a pat on the rump, “Still, I manage to be second-best.”
“What’s going on out there?” Rae asked her companion.
“Many casualties on both sides, and the fighting continues. And Rae, there’s something else.” There was fear and confusion on the woman’s face.
“What do you mean?” Rae asked.
Tam wrung her hands. “You’ll have to see for yourself.”
A chill crept down Neff’s spine as she followed the others out the citadel doors. The scene in the courtyard was no less terrible than the one they’d left—bodies were scattered across the ground, and many rebels, tribesmen, and royal soldiers were still engaged in brutal warfare.
