The Golden Queen

Eighteen

Eighteen

I was restless, and for good reason. Something gnawed at me, and no matter how many times I tossed in my bed, I couldn't shake it. It was a grip of icy fingers, clawing at me, reminding me of all the things I tried to forget long enough to fall asleep.

In the darkness of night, an alabaster lamp emitted a warm glow that lighted the room. Rolling onto my back, I stared up at the ceiling which was painted with dark colors and speckled with numerous geometric shapes for stars to imitate the night sky. I closed my eyes and the patterns suddenly shifted into a face, and I recalled seeing Menefer earlier this evening.

Ahmose had taken me into the jail where she was being held. The jail was a massive chamber with white washed walls and a pungent odor that burned the back of my throat. Menefer was locked in a cell by herself, sitting in a corner with her knees drawn up to her chin. She rocked back and forth, quietly humming with a voice that was worn ragged by sobs and groans.

"Menefer," I called gently. Her eyes shot open, snatching mine in reverent awe. She crawled from the corner and reached up to take my hands as they grasped the iron bars between us. Though only these bars separated her from me, the expanse between us had never seemed so vast. Past my shoulder, she noticed Pharaoh and recoiled back into the cell.

"Is it time?" she croaked dreadfully.

Swiftly over my shoulder, I glanced at him. The corner of his mouth twitched, and though he said nothing, I could see from the way his eyes fell he understood perfectly what she meant. "Nay, it is not time."

I didn't understand the exchange of emotions between them, but Menefer sighed pitifully in relief and emerged from the corner. She grasped my hands fervently, and an anguish I couldn't empathize with seized her.

"I did not kill Kephri!" she cried. Her face twisted as a sob formed in her throat but her tears had run dry long ago.

"I know," I said. I wanted to reassure her, but grief weighed in my tone as it snaked around my heart. "I am doing everything I can to have you freed. But it is difficult..." I wavered. "The killer was clever, and left no traces of his crime."

"His crime?" Ahmose echoed. "You believe a man killed Kephri?" Considering her head had been bashed in with a statue, I didn't believe any of the women in the palace were capable of a crime so horrific. But I knew one man who was.

I nodded in response. Menefer's face became eclipsed in shadows as an ocherous light shined in from the window in the back of the cell. The window itself was merely a rectangular shaped void with bars that were so rusted they appeared they could easily be wrenched from their places. The Nile glimmered under the western sun as it began to set for the day.

"I am going to do everything I can," I repeated. She nodded her head, understanding I had to leave her for the night.

Outside the jail, Ahmose grasped my hand and whispered, "Any evidence you can gather that could point to someone else as the killer is crucial. Even if it is small, I will see to it the judges take it into careful consideration. One cannot be sentenced to die if there is evidence of doubt."

I squeezed his hand gratefully.

Coming out of my thoughts, I sat up in bed and slipped my legs over the edge. I accepted I would not sleep tonight, and though I wanted to be comforted by Ahmose, I didn't want to disturb him. So I climbed out of bed and decided to go back to the jail. It was late, and I knew the guards probably wouldn't let me leave the palace, but I had to try. I wanted to see Menefer.

The corridor was dark, but the lampposts held enough firelight to cause spooky shadows to dance under the pillars. Moonlight cascaded in like a white beacon, drawing me from my chamber and into the night. The guards that protected our wing were watchful and silent. I quietly greeted them as I passed them.