Kenna looked up sharply. “And how do you know that?”
Neff froze, realizing her mistake. “Um…” She shrunk back and squeaked, “Because I tried it?”
“You didwhat?”
“Nothing happened. I promise!”
Kenna rubbed the hooked bridge of his nose with two fingers. “Nefermaat, I know you are eager to learn, and that your intentions are noble—but you cannot experiment with magic that you don’t understand!”
“I’m sorry!” Neff wrung her hands, feeling sick at the thoughtof disappointing the prince. “I just…I feel so alone at the palace, and so scared. I thought this Medjed could be my guardian. But like I said, nothing happened. Nothing good and nothing bad either.”
Kenna sighed, and his next words were soft as goose down. “I don’t blame you, little sister. If anything, I blame myself for not being there for you.”
“You’re here now.”
Their eyes met, and Neff could have sworn she saw Kenna’s glisten.
He sniffed, immediately back to business. “Besides, I probably would have done the same thing. Itiscurious, this scroll…” He dipped his head to study the faded text. “The name Medjed is familiar, but I simply can’t remember where I’ve read it before.” He shook his head in irritation. “It will come to me in time. It always does.”
Neff returned the ancient scroll to its container and was moving on to the next one when the air in the room shifted. There was someone behind her! She gasped and whirled around, expecting the worst—
Except no one was there.
Kenna had jumped to his feet beside her, alarmed. “What? What is it?”
Neff scanned every shadow in the Horus Room and found nothing. “I could have sworn I felt something moving behind me. I guess I’m nervous about being caught. If Meryamun finds out what we’re doing…”
“You’re right. We’ve been away long enough already. We should get back before we’re missed. When shall we meet again?”
“I’ll try to send a message. Your brother has agreed to bring in some new servants from the city, so I’m hoping to befriend one of them. If I gain their loyalty, they can pass communications between us.”
“You’d trust someone you just met with such a task?”
“We can’t do this alone, my prince. I must have faith that the right person will cross my path.”
“Very well, little sister. I’ll await your message.”
The two left the chamber and parted ways—Kenna taking a secret corridor, and Neff sneaking back through the hall that led up a set of stairs to the palace proper.
Neff made her way toward the stairs, unable to shake the feeling of being followed.I must steady my nerves before I rejoin the king for his afternoon meetings.She took a deep, cleansing breath.
A muffled cry sounded from somewhere nearby.
Neff stopped, listening.
Then she heard a familiar voice, though it was too far away to make out the words. The voice was coming from a hallway that led in the opposite direction from the stairs. Curious, Neff slowly made her way toward it. Luckily, the seldom-used corridor was deserted.
Light flickered from a chamber halfway down the hall. As she approached, she was able to make out what the voice was saying.
“I liked that sound you made, Femi. I liked it very much. Do it again.”
A grunt of pain followed, but no cry.
There was a rumble of amusement. “You still have fight in you, hmm? After all the threats and beatings and starvation, you still resist. That’s beautiful. I mean, look at you!”
Pressing herself against the wall by the doorway, Neff craned her neck and peered inside.
In the middle of the room, a young man with short, dark hair was tied to a tall wooden post, his wrists bound above his head. He was naked save for a loincloth, and his muscular body was marred by lashes and dark purple bruises. There were deep cuts along his lower ribs, his groin, his feet, and under his armpit, and thin curtains of blood cascaded from each one.
