“When Nefermaat’s attendants arrived at her chambers this morning to help her dress, they found their mistress gone and the room in shambles. A chair was overturned and items were strewn about. And there was this.” The guard held up a scrap of papyrus.
“Give it here,” the king said, rising from his throne and descending from its platform. The guard advanced just close enough for the king to snatch the note from his hand.
Rae watched Meryamun’s expression darken as he read the words scribbled in the common script. She knew what it said because she’d written the note herself.
Release the Sakeshi prisoners or you’ll never see the priestess again.
“It’s a blessing that she’s gone, really,” Montuhotep said as Meryamun crumpled the note in his hand. “Though I’m sure you’ll want to send the guards to search for her. Perhaps she’ll have run back to her parents in Bubas? They should be questioned, to be sure. But you’ll have me at your side, my king, as it should be! A high priest of Amun! Not some commoner from the—”
With the speed of a cobra, Meryamun whipped a dagger from the guard’s belt and slashed it across the priest’s throat. The priest stared at the king, mouth agape as blood trickled from the gash onto his pristine white robes.
Montuhotep looked down at the spreading stain, and with adisgusted, choking sound, he dropped like a stone.
Rae’s heart leaped into her throat.
The king thrust the knife back into the guard’s belt and sighed. “By Amun, that was a long time coming. I thought the man would never shut up.” Then he ascended the ramp to his throne and slouched into it with the grace of a panther.
“Remove that filth from my sight,” he said to his attendants. They rushed to obey, lifting the priest’s corpse between them and whisking it into a back room. “Can you believe the audacity of that man? He’d say anything to regain his old position—though accusing a child of political intrigue is certainly a creative effort.” He paused as the attendants returned to wipe the blood from the blue and green tiled floor. “I suppose I can’t fault Montuhotep for his ambition,” Mery mused. “For some of us, there is little we wouldn’t do to get what we want. Isn’t that right, Ahura?”
Rae’s stomach lurched at the use of her alias.
“My king?” she said as the guard shoved her forward.
“That day in the courtyard. You wanted to work in the palace so much that you risked touching my arm to keep me from overlooking you. Isn’t that right?”
Rae nodded.
“I can respect that. And so could Neff, I suppose, which is why she chose you. You’re here, I imagine, because as her maidservant, you were one of the last to see her. Is that correct?”
Rae nodded again.
“And? What say you?”
“All seemed well when I attended her at yesterday’s midday meal. She was in a hurry to return to her studies, and she told me she didn’t wish to be disturbed until morning. She said she would be fine with some leftover bread and fruit.”
Rae paused and took a steadying breath. She’d heard from Tam, Neff, and many other palace servants that the youngpharaoh was notorious for being able to sniff out lies. It was part of his heka, they said, part of the innate magic that comes with having royal blood. So she had to be careful not to lie, to tell the truth and tell it convincingly, albeit only part of it.
“This morning, Herit and I went to the priestess’s chambers earlier than usual, as we had other plans for later in the day. The priestess’s soiled garments were by the door as usual, and we gathered the laundry and proceeded to the riverbank.”
The king studied Rae’s face over his tented fingers. “And that is all? You didn’t see anything else?”
Perspiration began to bead at Rae’s hairline as her mind searched for an answer that was truthful but not damning. “As I said before, it was only a little past dawn and very dark. We saw very little. Only shadows.”
Meryamun frowned and, to Rae’s immense relief, turned his attention back to the note. “You care for your mistress, do you not, Ahura?”
“I do,” Rae said without thinking.
Meryamun nodded.
Rae swallowed hard. The king didn’t question her response, not because it was a lie he missed, but because it was true.
Damn you, Omari, she thought.I hate it when you’re right. Foolish as I am, I do care about the girl.
The king went on. “Then tell me, what would you do if a bunch of savage dogs from the south threatened to kill your beloved mistress unless you released a dozen traitors to the crown?”
Taken aback by his question, Rae struggled to speak. “B-but my king, I’m only— I’m not—”
“Don’t stand there gaping like a fish out of water. You’re the only other person in this palace who owes their life to Nefermaat the way that I do, so I’ve asked you the question. Now speak!”
