His face, however, was unmarked.
The king stood in front of Femi, a dagger dangling from one hand. Perspiration shone on his bare chest, and his face was bright with exhilaration. As Neff watched, he stepped close and dipped his face into the curve of Femi’s throat. “I’ll be honest,” he said, lightly tracing a line down Femi’s torso with the point of his knife. “I didn’t understand what Sitamun saw in you at first. But I see it now.”
Femi closed his eyes and grimaced.
“I remind you that you can stop this at any time. Say the word and I’ll call the guards to cut you down and bandage your wounds. You could be in a soft bed, eating meat and drinking wine within the hour—with me. You’d like that, wouldn’t you? To serve once again at the pleasure of the king?” He licked his lips. “All you have to do is tell me where she is.”
Neff put a hand over her mouth. Ever since the coronation, Meryamun had behaved as if Sitamun’s absence was inconsequential—as if her departure was due to her grief over their father’s death, and that her return was imminent. But as the days passed with no sign of her, his explanation became less and less believable. That morning was the second time in two days that he’d asked her to pray to the gods for a vision about Sitamun.
He’s getting desperate, Neff thought.His guards must have been torturing this man, trying to pry information from him about the princess.So far, it seemed that Femi hadn’t offered any answers, but seeing what they’d done to him, Neff had to wonder how much more suffering the young man could take.
“As I’ve said before, my king,” Femi said, breathless. “If I knew how to find her, I would tell you.” He cried out as Meryamun pressed his thumb into the gash in his ribs. “She didn’t tell me where she was going, I swear it!On Amun, I swear it!” His face contorted with agony as the king pushed harder, forcing a fresh stream of blood to pour from the wound.
Neff had to look away.
When she turned back to them, Femi’s body had gone limp and hung from the bindings around his wrists.
The king cradled the man’s pale face in his palm, tilting Femi’s chin toward him. “Hm! I was certain that my guards simply didn’t have the stomach for real torture, and that I needed to do the job myself. Perhaps I was wrong. I’ve carved you up like a bull for a banquet, and still you give me nothing. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were telling the truth.”
The king frowned at the bloody smear he’d left on the man’s cheek. He took up a clean cloth from a table nearby and blotted the stain with it. “I told them to spare your pretty face, you know. You should thank me.”
Femi’s eyes fluttered, and a pink bubble of spit appeared on his lips as he struggled to breathe.
Neff was so horrified by the scene before her that it took several seconds for her to register the tug pulling her away from the door.
Thinking that she’d been caught, Neff’s heart nearly leaped from her chest. But when she turned to see who had discovered her—again, there was no one there.
What is going on?she thought, her pulse pounding in her ears. She’dfeltthe pressure of someone gripping her shoulder.
Wait. What was that sound?
Footsteps. Coming down the stairs at the other end of the dark corridor. They were coming her way.
Neff scanned the area in a panic. There was a large, lidded basket by the door. She quickly climbed in, hiding among a bunch of soiled linens that stank of sweat and blood, and sealed herself inside. Holding her breath, she peered through the weave of the basket.
The head guard appeared in view. He stopped inches away from the basket to announce himself at the chamber door.
“My king,” he said.
“What is it?” Meryamun replied.
“You are needed upstairs. Vizier Sabni has completed his initial task and is requesting further orders.”
“Very well. I’m done here. This man knows nothing of my sister—aside from what he learned in her bed.”
Neff’s senses sharpened. If Femi was Princess Sitamun’s lover, then he could be a valuable ally. According to the oracle, she and the princess were meant to work together in some way.
And as my father always said: The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
The head guard cleared his throat. “What shall I do with him then?”
“Leave him here for now; I may want to play with him some more later. As far as Sitamun…” There was a pause. “How long did the Tashans stay in Thonis after the banquet that night?”
“I believe they remained in the region for several more days, my king, visiting with physician priests and conducting trade deals at the marketplace.”
“So, it’s possible they were still close the night Sitamun disappeared.”
“It’s possible, my king. The ambassadors did not offer a specific schedule for their departure.”
