As soon as the meal was over, Rae had pulled Tam aside and told her what she’d learned. The chill between them melted in the heat of urgency.
Tam had said, “Go to your father tonight. Tell him we’re here and working on a plan. I’ll cover for you in case you’re missed. A little drink from the kitchens should keep the girls asleep in their beds.”
They’d agreed and parted, only seeing each other again that night after their palace work was complete. Rae had sat by the window staring out into the city, while Tam delighted the other maidservants with the stolen wine, passing it around until the jar was empty. It wasn’t long before the girls were all asleep.
Rae had lain on her sleeping mat next to Tam for hours, waiting for the right moment to steal away. She thought Tam had fallen asleep too until she’d spoken up.
Rae looked at the weaver, the gentle curve of her body aglow in the moonlight. A wave of remorse overwhelmed her.
“I’m sorry about last night,” Rae whispered, her voice quavering. “I should have trusted you.”
Tam reached for her hand and brought it to her lips, kissing Rae’s calloused knuckles. “You’re forgiven. But don’t do it again.”
“I won’t.”
Tam glanced out the window at the position of the moon.
Time to go, Rae thought.
Tam squeezed her hand. “We’re going to save him,” she said, the words a blessing.
Rae nodded, tucked a stray lock of Tam’s curly hair behind her ear, and rose to her feet.
She slipped out of the servants’ chambers and through the quiet palace, until she reached her hiding spot behind the column. Peering out, she looked to the stairwell leading down to the subterranean passage and was dismayed to see a different man standing guard. He was bigger than his predecessor, and he looked infuriatingly alert. If he didn’t fall asleep or go off to make water, how was she going to get past him?
Rae watched and waited. Movement flashed on the other side of the wide hall, where the room opened to a series of windows that faced an interior courtyard, the sills decorated with fine objects—small statues and painted vases and such things. A cat had leaped onto one of the sills.
Nefermaat’s cat.
The cat must have sensed Rae’s presence, because she stopped and looked straight at her. Her tail flicked.
Stay away!Rae mouthed, as if the cat could understand. All she needed was a purring cat dancing around her ankles to attract the guard’s attention. From behind the column, Rae waved off the cat with her hands.Go on!she gestured.Go home!
The guard burped.
Rae nearly jumped out of her skin at the noise.
The cat watched her with detached interest, her head tilted slightly. Then she turned to the ceramic vase next to her and delicately patted it with her paw.
Stop! Leave it!Rae whisper-shouted.
The cat looked at her once more, her gold eyes unblinking, and pushed the vase off the windowsill. Rae clapped a hand over her mouth as the vase shattered on the stone floor below with a resounding crash.
The guard’s response was immediate. Hand on the khopeshat his belt, he muttered, “What in Amun’s name was that?” and stormed off to find the source of the disturbance.
Leaving the stairwell totally unguarded.
Astounded, Rae looked back at the cat, who—her random act of destruction enjoyed and then forgotten—was licking her paw.
“Thank you,”Rae whispered, before racing through the dark portal and down the stone steps.
The dank, airless corridor below was lit by a few oil lamps. To the left, the corridor ended at a chamber covered by a red linen curtain.
That can’t be it, Rae thought. Besides, something about the room made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. To the right, she saw another corridor with several doors. Moving stealthily, she crept up to the first door and took a quick peek inside.
Closest to her was a table covered in a variety of implements: a leather flail, a jug of water, and a small bloody knife. A tall wooden post stood in the middle of the room, and a length of rope hung from a ring at the top. The stone floor around it was spattered with dark red stains.
Rae noted that the ends of the rope were frayed, as if sawed through.What wickedness went on in here?she wondered. Hopefully nothing to do with her father. She couldn’t bear to think of the guards torturing him.
