Chapter 22 A Landowner #2
“Geb was already under suspicion for tax evasion, my King,” one of the medjay near Geb said. “Our records show he has been earning more from the lands the Pharaohs lent him than he has paid back.”
Zahra studied Geb’s manner of dress. His neck and fingers were adorned with gold, and thick earrings hung from his ears. He outdressed Namir in every way, who was still wearing his less-than-luxurious clothes.
“I will pay back any money you think I owe,” Geb promised, “but, please, let us not do this in front of my children.”
Namir glanced at Geb’s family. “The crime is found upon your head, not theirs.” With a wave of his hand, Geb’s family was escorted out.
Namir scrutinized the old man’s face, even as Geb quivered beneath his gaze. “Let me keep this simple for you, Geb. If you do not give me the information I seek, your punishment will be far greater than paying the Pharaoh Queen the money you owe.”
Geb swallowed, glancing around the room.
Namir barreled his eyes into him. “Three weeks ago, you sponsored a number of merchants and travelers to enter Aur through Henen-nesut. When they left a week later, three of them were missing. This happened on another occasion five weeks ago. Both times your servant signed off on their entry into Aur.” He leaned forward, his eyes narrowing.
“Tell me, Geb, for what reason did you smuggle in these foreigners?”
“I did not mean to make trouble, my King,” Geb stuttered. “I was simply doing a favor for a friend. His servants missed their families, and so I offered them safe passage across the border. That is all!”
“If that were true, you would not have gone so far as to cover your connection with them,” Namir argued. “Your name was never recorded, even though you are familiar with the rules and laws of Aur.”
Geb trembled, his face turning an ashy color. “My King—”
“Furthermore,” Namir continued, “those foreigners have become a threat to my life. I demand you answer truthfully. Why have you sought to kill me?”
Geb’s eyes bulged out of his sockets. “K—Kill you? I would never!” He fell from his chair, bowing with his hands on the floor. “My King, I was one of the Pharaoh King’s greatest supporters! My family has taken care of the Pharaohs’ land for five generations—”
“I do not care what you have done or what you claim to do,” Namir roared.
Zahra flinched, along with the soldiers beside her. Namir noticed her, and his eyes softened. He turned back to Geb, his voice calm. “Where are the assassins?”
“I—I—I do not know!” The poor man was sobbing.
“My King, I did not want to let them in. I would have refused! Their kind—” He stopped upon seeing Zahra, and he pressed his forehead to the ground.
“I received a letter, my King, the day before I sent my servant to the border office. The sender threatened my family’s lives and to steal all my riches if I did not meet his demands. ”
The letter sounded similar to the one her father had received. Could the sender be the same?
“So, it was a man who sent you this note?” Namir questioned.
“I do not know,” Geb cried. “It was left on my doorstep. All I know is that I was ordered to burn the note as soon as I had read it. The next day, I sent my servant to the border to allow the caravan in. He returned with four Ionian nomads, as the letter said I should provide them with fresh clothes and one thousand deben. I received another letter a couple of weeks later with the same instructions, and my servant returned with three more nomads.”
“Where did they go?”
Geb shook his head on the ground. “I do not know, my King. They had a map, but I was not permitted to see it.” He stifled a sob. “I did not know they would seek your life, my King. I was only trying to do what was best for my family.”
Namir considered the man. “Are you sure that you do not know anything else about your blackmailer?”
“No, my King.”
Namir sighed, meeting Zahra’s eyes across the room. She offered a look of sympathy.
“My King?” one of the medjay asked. “What would you like us to do with him?”
Namir stared at Zahra a moment longer. “Give me a moment.” He took Zahra’s hand and pulled her from the room. They stood alone in the hallway.
“What is it?” Zahra asked. “You are doing well.”
“I must give him a sentence, but I don’t know what to do.” He met her eyes. “Tell me, Zahra. What are your thoughts?”
Zahra was surprised by his request. She turned her head toward the room where Geb was, considering his words.
“He risked many lives so that he and his family could continue to live in comfort and wealth. But it’s clear that, though his heart is filled with greed, he cares deeply for his family.
” She met Namir’s eyes. “Despite this terrible act, he does not deserve death.”
Namir pondered her words. “He must be punished.”
Zahra nodded. “I know.”
“I could take his riches and his land and give them to another who is more deserving of them. He will be made to till the fields he once oversaw.”
“It will be a lot of change for his family,” Zahra pointed out.
“Yes, but they will live.” His uncertain eyes met hers as he took her hands. “Do you agree with my judgment?”
Zahra smiled and nodded. “I do, Namir.”
He smiled, too, and stepped back. “Wait here.”
Confusion filled her features.
“I do not wish to scare you,” he explained, rubbing his thumbs against her hands. He let her go and disappeared into the room.
Zahra remained in the hallway, and heat came into her cheeks. She bit her lip, leaning her head back on the wall. Namir’s sweet smell was still with her, and she placed the name of the scent as she held her hands to her chest. “Méli.”
Honey. Her father used it in the tonics he would make, and Namir reminded her of its sweet scent. She tucked one of her curls behind her ear as she thought of how he had trusted her to come with him.
“No!”
Geb’s cry rang through the entire house, and Zahra was jarred from her thoughts.
“My King, please! Have mercy!” Medjay carried Geb from the room and down the stairs as he wailed. “Have mercy!”
The upstairs vacated, but Zahra remained, waiting for Namir to leave the room. When he did not come, she left her spot by the wall. Voices drifted from the room.
“She meant no harm.”
Zahra’s feet froze inches from the doorway, her breath quieting as she listened.
“It does not matter,” Waaiz stated. “You left to consult with a servant. Do you know how that makes you appear as King?”
“It shows I listen to all of my people,” Namir replied with a sharp tone. “Would you rather I only listen to those in my closest circle?”
“Of course not, but I thought you knew better than this,” Waaiz hissed. “You cannot dress her up and hope she will act like one of us. What would your father say if he saw you mingling with an indentured servant, let alone one of her kind?”
Zahra glanced down at her clothes. Her other hand went to her ear. Waaiz must have seen her debt tag outside.
“Don’t bring my father into this,” Namir spat. “He would have been proud to see the Ionians taking an interest in these affairs. I will not have you condemn her for something that was not her fault.”
Waaiz growled in response. “One day you will learn, boy. My brother made a mistake in allowing them into this kingdom.”
Zahra stepped back upon hearing approaching footsteps. Waaiz stormed out of the room, glaring at her as he passed and went down the stairs.
Zahra waited a few minutes before walking into the room. Namir was sitting in the chair Geb had occupied, his head hanging low and his hand covering his eyes. He looked up and smiled as she approached. “Zahra, there you are! I was about to find you.”
Zahra smiled sadly. “Are you well?”
“Of course,” Namir assured her. “I was only speaking with the Great Overseer. We will have to find another lead.”
“Yes.” Zahra held her arm, studying him. “I overheard your conversation. I wanted to say I think you are doing great, despite what your uncle may think.”
“How much did you hear?” Namir asked. Zahra hesitated, and he sighed, burying his face in his hands. “Enough, it seems.”
“I did not mean to intrude.” She came to his side. Her hand went to his shoulder, and she rubbed it, her thoughts elsewhere. “But…I worry how his words might affect you.”
“I cannot win against him or my mother. Even as King, they doubt my abilities.” He ran his fingers through his curls. “They have every right to. Look at the mess I have made.”
“I see no mess.”
Namir raised his eyebrows at her.
Zahra smiled. “I mean it.”
He glanced at her hand on his shoulder. He turned away, putting his hand on hers. “Thank you.”
Zahra’s heartbeat sped up at his touch. She swallowed and glanced out the doorway. The medjay had all but gone. A few waited at the front entrance for Namir to come down. Her mouth went dry, her thoughts shifting as she thought of Geb’s words and the Great Overseer.
“I wonder if we should question anyone within the royal court.”
Namir turned to her with raised eyebrows. “What?”
Zahra’s heart sank. “I mean, what if someone close to you wanted you dead?”
“You mean my uncle?” He released her hand, and she let it fall by her side. “Why would you think that?”
“He is critical of you,” Zahra stated, “and you said it yourself: he does not trust your abilities.”
“Yes, but he has always been that way.” Namir stood and turned away. “That does not mean he is an evil man.”
Zahra stepped forward, desperate to defend her accusation. “Perhaps he is angry your father took the throne instead of him, and now he is taking it out on you.”
Anger flashed in Namir’s eyes. “Don’t cast such an accusation when you know nothing of him.”
Zahra hesitated. “Namir…”
“No.” He stepped back, his face filled with disbelief. “Who will you accuse next? My mother? My sister?”
“I only meant to say that the Great Overseer or the Hem-netjer could have reason to—”
“Zosar, too?” He pointed a finger at her. “I know the man is not perfect, but he is like a father to me.”
“I am only trying to help. We are no closer to finding the assassins or who hired them. How long do you think we have until they return and finish the job?”
Namir bristled. “I have increased security. I am taking every precaution—”
“Precautions are not enough!” Zahra threw her hand in the direction of the pr-aa. “They have found us too many times. What if I can’t protect you?”
“I did not ask you to protect me,” Namir seethed.
Movement caught Zahra’s eye outside the window. Pesha stood on the ground, her head poking out of the bushes. She had a clear shot of Namir’s back, but she had no weapon ready. She was only watching.
“And my uncle is not a traitor,” Namir added. “Trust me on that, at least.”
Zahra reached forward and grabbed his arm. Namir pulled back. “What are you—?”
Zahra’s gaze darted to the window behind him. His anger fizzled into fear, and he wrapped his arm around her, bolting into the hallway.
“They’re right outside,” Zahra cried, leading him down the stairs. “They must have been following you.”
But why did they not attack? Pesha had a clear shot, and Zahra had not noticed her for some time.
Pesha would have been able to make a quick getaway with all of the medjay out in the front.
This was not the first time this had happened.
The assassins were still following Namir, but not striking until later in the night. Why?
Ramses greeted them at the base of the stairs, and Namir signed to him with an urgent expression. Ramses’s jaw tightened, and he communicated the information to the soldiers outside. They began mounting their horses, and Ramses gestured for Zahra to come with him.
Zahra grabbed Namir’s arm, shaking her head. “I am not leaving you.”
“You will be safer elsewhere,” Namir insisted. “Your safety is my top priority.”
She refused to let go. “And yours is mine.”
Ramses put his hand on her shoulder. “It is time to go.”
The Great Overseer rode his horse outside, gathering his forces and heading around the back of the house where Zahra had seen Pesha.
Namir put his hand on Zahra’s cheek, and his silver ring pressed against her skin. “You have a way to see me. I promise, I will call for you if I need you.”
Tears pricked her eyes. “Namir, I—”
Shouts could be heard from behind the house, and a medjay grabbed Namir’s arm. “My King, we must leave now.”
Namir held Zahra a moment longer before letting go and following the medjay to his horse.