7 Rae
Rae
“What’s going on up there?” Tam asked, craning her neck to view the front of the crowd.
“Nothing yet,” Rae replied. She peered over the heads of the people in front of them, who’d assembled in the courtyard before the towering palace gate.
The five designated members of the Horizon had arrived in Thonis two days earlier, after a swift and uneventful journey down the Iteru on their fishing skiff.
After making camp on the riverbank, they’d spent the rest of the day doing reconnaissance around the outskirts of the palace, where they suspected the Low Khetaran prisoners were being held.
It took the whole afternoon and evening to get their bearings, but on the second day, they’d had a breakthrough.
Rae and Tam had been at the Thonis market with Omari and Buto, trading the perch and mullet that Kay the fisherman had caught along their journey for more supplies, when representatives from the palace came to announce that the king would be selecting a limited number of citizens to fill positions in the palace.
It would be menial work—servants for the royal kitchens, attendants, messengers—but the men made it clear that serving the pharaoh in any capacity was a great honor.
This created a good deal of excitement in the crowd, which erupted with chatter when the men departed.
“Choosing servants from the common folk!” Rae overheard an old woman exclaim as she served up stewed lentils from a bubbling pot. “My, my! This new king certainly is different!”
Rae was thrilled by the news. “This is our chance!” she told the others. “If we get jobs inside the palace, we can locate the captives and devise a plan to free them.”
Omari crossed his arms and glanced around the busy marketplace. “There will be a lot of competition for those positions.”
Rae followed his gaze. Although it was far larger and more opulent than the Sakesh market, even the pharaoh’s capital city wasn’t immune from the ills plaguing the rest of the kingdom.
Beggars lined the streets, and vendors haggled with customers for a fair price that most could no longer afford.
On the surface, Thonis glittered. But Rae had known enough strife in her time to see it lurking beneath the surface, like a crocodile in still waters.
“We only need one of us to make it,” Tam said then. “Whoever doesn’t can stay with Kay, gather information from the outside, and help get messages back to Sakesh.”
From the moment Rae had invited Tamerit to join them on the mission, the weaver had made herself indispensable, offering efficient solutions to problems, charming the High Khetaran vendors at the market, and maintaining optimism and pluck despite the grim circumstances of their situation.
Rae glanced over at Tam, standing on her tiptoes, the morning light shining on her black curls.
Every day, every hour, Rae fell a little more in love with her.
Now the two of them stood with Omari and Buto near the front of the gathered crowd, waiting for the king to arrive and begin the selection process. Kay had stayed back with the boat to catch more fish to trade.
Buto dipped his head to Tam. “I can put you on my shoulders, if you want to see better.” Then he added, “And later, we can do it again lying down…hmm?” He waggled his eyebrows.
Tam snorted. “Generous, but no.”
Omari’s face reddened. “Shut your fool mouth,” he barked, giving Buto a shove.
Tam put up a hand to pacify them. “Be at peace, Omari. He was joking around. Right, Buto?”
“I’m only trying to lighten the mood,” Buto said.
“This isn’t a game!” Omari snapped. “We need to focus!”
Rebuffed, Tam and Buto turned back to the gates and were silent.
Rae studied Omari with concern. He’d been unusually quiet throughout the whole journey, and he hadn’t said a word about having seen her and Tamerit kissing back in Sakesh.
No questions, no teasing…nothing. Then again, they’d been busy, distracted by more important matters.
Still, it wasn’t like Omari to lash out.
Was he actually angry at Buto? Was the pressure of the situation getting to him?
Or was he mad about something else entirely?
You should talk to him.
When would they have time alone for such an uncomfortable conversation? Besides, Omari wasn’t her lover. Did she really owe him an explanation?
No secrets, remember?
Her inner battle was interrupted by the sound of the palace gates opening.
The crowd quieted. King Meryamun, flanked by palace guards dressed in scarlet schentis and Eye of Horus collars, strode into the courtyard. The young pharaoh was a vision of gold and glory, of glossy black hair and burnished copper skin.
Rae imagined that the High Khetarans must be pleased to have such a man for their king—particularly after Amunmose, who wasn’t known for his good looks.
The pharaoh’s shining appearance didn’t impress Rae, though.
She recalled the fire that consumed her home, the way it glowed and shimmered in the night. It had been beautiful too.
She clenched her fists and buried her rage deep, where no one would see it.
Meryamun stood with his arms folded over his chest, critically appraising the crowd. It was then that Rae noticed the girl standing at his side, appearing somewhat out of place.
She wore a white dress belted in gold and had short blue-black hair that looked like a very expensive wig.
Her hair and heavy makeup aged her, but given her diminutive size and spindly limbs, she was probably no older than thirteen.
Despite being dressed like a princess, Rae saw that the girl had a wedjat eye tattoo on each side of her chest.
The mark of the holy.
A pungent, smoky breeze blew across the courtyard, bringing with it a sense of mystery. Rae wondered how such a young girl could find herself both marked by the priesthood and a breath away from the pharaoh.
“Kneel before your king!” one of the guards commanded, and the crowd was quick to obey.
Rae’s jaw tightened. She sank to her knees with a curse on her tongue, and the other rebels followed suit.
King Meryamun gave no preamble; everyone knew why they were there. “If you are older than twenty, you may go,” he declared.
About two dozen people rose to their feet and departed, silent and downcast.
“If you cannot read the common script, you may go.”
Others withdrew, including Buto. He gave them a helpless shrug before exiting. Luckily, both Omari and Tamerit knew enough from their training as merchants to pass muster. Only about thirty people remained.
The king began walking through the crowd, assessing each person with a piercing gaze. He waved away a woman with burn scars on her arms, and two young men whose clothes were ragged and unclean. Finally, he stopped in front of a woman and smiled. “You’ll do,” he said.
The woman stood, bowed, and moved to stand next to the guards. The king continued, plucking people from the crowd like blooms in a garden. Rae quickly noted a pattern—he was choosing the loveliest faces. To match the rest of the furniture, Rae thought bitterly.
Then Meryamun was upon them. Rae’s entire body tensed in anticipation.
“Mmm,” the king mused, studying Omari. “He’s a brute all right. Quite an impressive figure.” There was a long moment when Rae thought Omari would be chosen, but then the king shook his head. “Tempting, but no. Only a fool brings a wild bull into his house.”
Rae’s hopes began to fade as a scowling Omari rose and left.
What will we do if this plan doesn’t work? How am I going to save my father?
The king stopped in front of Tamerit, and Rae was suddenly overcome with a new worry.
“Oh, yes. I like this one,” Meryamun said to the nearest guard, his voice soft and eager. “She’s perfect for the kitchens. And perhaps other activities as well.”
Tam rose to her feet, and Rae’s vision narrowed as a hot, angry flush rose up from her chest, screaming for release. Don’t you touch her, don’t you touch her…
Beneath her, the earth seemed to tremble, though it must have been her imagination.
“And what do we have here?”
Rae glanced up. The young pharaoh stood over her. She straightened, contorting her face into what she hoped was a pleasant expression. “My king,” she said, reluctantly bowing her head.
“Another rare specimen,” Meryamun said. Rae remained still, trying not to recoil as his gaze roved over her body.
You must impress him, she told herself. If he doesn’t choose you, Tam will go into the palace all alone. Into our enemy’s house. And perhaps into a monster’s bed.
The king lifted the Sekhmet amulet from Rae’s chest and regarded it with interest. “The Lady of Slaughter, hmm? You do look fierce. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen such arms on a woman before.
” He ran his tongue along his teeth, considering.
“You’ve got fire in your eyes. I like that.
However, it seems equally unwise to invite a lioness into my house as a bull.
” He dropped the amulet and started to move on.
No. No!
Without thinking, Rae reached for his arm. “Wait,” she said.
The guard was upon her in an instant, his blade loosed from his belt. “You dare touch the pharaoh?” He seized her by the wrist and didn’t let go. “You’ll not leave this place with a hand that has defiled the king.”
Surrounded by guards and the cowering crowd, with Tam looking on in alarm, Rae’s stomach twisted. She clenched her captured hand and thought of her father, what he’d lost, and how hard he’d fought to protect her from the same fate.
The guard placed the edge of his khopesh against her skin, taking aim before the blow.
Rae shut her eyes and whispered to the heavens. “Hear me, Ra, Maker of Hours, Lord of Days, hear me and cast your light upon me. Burn away the fear in my heart, and watch over me so that I may see you again tomorrow...”
She waited for the swish of the blade, for the bite of pain, but it didn’t come. Confused, she cautiously lifted her head. The guard had lowered his weapon and waited while Meryamun conferred with the young girl she’d seen accompanying him.
“You want this one?” the pharaoh said. “Why her?”
The girl’s narrow face turned to Rae. There was something strange about her, something almost feline, that sent a frisson of unease up Rae’s spine. When the girl spoke, her voice was high and sweet, but the words were carefully chosen, as if spoken by one much older than she.
“The gods have shown me visions of this lioness. It is no accident that she has been placed on our path. As Bast sent me here to serve you, my king, so did Sekhmet send this woman to serve me. Bast and Sekhmet are but two sides of the same goddess, one is incomplete without the other.”
The king didn’t look entirely convinced. “She disrespected the crown, Nefermaat. That cannot be overlooked.”
Nefermaat approached and gestured at the guard to release his grip on Rae. Kneeling, she and the girl were almost eye to eye.
“What is your name?” Nefermaat asked.
Rae’s mind raced. I dare not speak the truth. If they are interrogating Father, he may be forced to give up my name, and then they’d know my identity. They’d know I’ve come for him.
Rae blurted out the first name that came to mind. Her mother’s name.
“Ahura.”
Nefermaat drew back, as if stung. Her eyes suffused with sudden tears, but the girl recovered quickly from whatever had unnerved her. “Why did you ask the king to wait, Ahura?” she asked.
“Because of my father,” Rae replied. “He is suffering greatly, and my only wish is to work in the palace so that I may help him.”
It was often easier to lie by telling the truth, if only part of it.
Nefermaat turned to the king. “You see? This woman’s family, like so many others in Khetara, are in dire circumstances, and she only wishes to serve the crown and to relieve her father’s pain. Is that disrespect demanding punishment? Or courage deserving reward?”
King Meryamun chuckled, gazing at the girl with obvious adoration.
“You are as cunning as you are wise, little seer. Already you have learned much from me—namely, doing whatever it takes to get what you want. Very well, you may have this wild creature as your pet. But I warn you, if you cannot control her, I’ll put her down myself. ”
Nefermaat bowed her head. “You are most generous, my king.”
The guard jerked Rae to her feet and shoved her toward the other chosen few. Tam was immediately by her side, the weaver’s hand invisibly slipping into hers and squeezing it tightly.
Rae breathed a sigh of relief, feeling slightly dizzy. It’s all right. You’re together. It’s going to be all right.
The king finished his selection, and soon the chosen were ushered toward the gates and the palace proper. Rae nodded to Omari and Buto on the perimeter. Omari raised a hand in salute, but even from afar Rae could see the bitterness in his expression. He wishes it were him instead of me.
Though she could understand his frustration, there was nothing to be done. Each of them had a role to play, and they didn’t always get to choose which one.
As she passed through the gates into the palace courtyard, Rae wondered about the young seer who had plucked her from the hands of fate and convinced the king to accept her.
What could have made her to do such a thing?
she wondered. Did she truly have a vision that predicted my coming?
She couldn’t help but wonder what else such a vision might have shown the girl.
Rae pushed the thoughts from her mind and urged herself to focus. All that matters now is that I’m in. She was one step closer to saving her father, and she would do whatever it took to succeed.
This is war, she reminded herself.
The new servants moved aside so that the king’s palanquin could pass. The girl sat at the king’s feet like a cat and met Rae’s eyes as they went by. Rae gave her a small nod in thanks.
She returned it with an enigmatic smile.
I appreciate your help, Nefermaat, Rae thought grimly, but you might live to regret it.