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.
The tugging in my chest grew even stronger as the end of the hall came into perspective, tall wooden doors that led to the main chamber of the palace. But a mysterious light coming from a room I had never before entered drew my attention from the doors and the images of Menefer I envisioned on the other side of them.
I crept closer to the wall and peeked into the room the light was flowing from. Inside, I saw Thutmosis, pacing slowly. His chamber was lavishly furnished, almost as grand as Pharaoh's. Everything appeared to be crafted from gold. Thutmosis began to shuffle out of his robe, hanging it on a splendid bust, a wooden replica of himself.
Thutmosis had been closer to Kephri than anyone, and he had every reason to kill her. I couldn't prove it, but I sensed it so fiercely, there was no doubt. He was responsible for Kephri's death.
There was only one way I would ever get him to admit it.
I stepped into his chamber, and upon my steady approach, he turned halfway, casting a glance over his shoulder. When he realized who had entered his quarters, his obsidian eyes narrowed.
"What are you doing in here?" he demanded. He growled and stormed towards me.
I dropped to my knees and pressed my forehead to the cool, polished floor. "I came to apologize!" I cried.
Thutmosis halted only a few steps away from me. I sensed his eyes boring into me, trying to probe my brain with the boundless questions that made him pause. He made a sound deep in his throat that sounded like a sneer.
"The way I spoke to you the other evening at dinner...I was insolent and vulgar. You are a powerful noble of Egypt and I promise to never speak to you in such an impolite manner again. I beg your pardon." The words felt like slime on my tongue.
His footsteps padded toward me, and I glanced up in time to find him kneeling in front of me. I tucked my head back down into my hands and shivered as he ran his fingers through my hair.
"You aren't completely stupid after all," he murmured, twisting the strands between his digits. He released my hair and stood up. "Rise; I want you to tell me more about how powerful I am."
I assumed that was his way of inviting me in, and so I climbed to my feet and watched him charily.
Thutmosis recovered two chalices from a cupboard and filled them with the amphora that sat on the table. He eyed me, holding both vessels in his hands, and titled his chin toward a sofa. I wanted him to sit first, hoping to maintain a safe distance between us, but he scrutinized me from the table, trying to force my movements with his eyes. Reluctantly, I sat, and he came to me with the chalices.
"Thank you," I murmured when he handed me one. Realizing he was still standing, I met his gaze as he towered over me, only his eyes flicked from my face to wander elsewhere. I shifted on the sofa, regaining his attention.
"It isn't poisoned," he replied curtly, sitting next to me on the sofa. The irony stung me. His thigh brushed mine, and the armrest was pressing into my back, so I couldn't move. My next instinct was to jump up and leave, but I couldn't forget my reason for being here. Menefer needed my help, and Thutmosis held the key to her freedom. "Here, you can taste mine instead, if you are afraid," he said, slipping a hand behind my neck and using the other to lift his chalice to my lips. I leaned away from him when he pressed the cool metal to my lips, but drank anyway. His eyes glinted as he watched me swallow the wine. I took another gulp, nearly choking on it, and he leaned away. He grinned. "Are you lonely?"
His tone grew icily cold, causing a prickling sensation to flow through my belly. "I don't understand your question," I answered.
He grasped my knee and leaned in to whisper, "You will keep me company tonight."
I shoved away from him and leaped from the sofa. "I am leaving," I hissed.
He came after me and caught my arm. "A woman comes to my chamber at this hour of the eve for only one thing. I am no fool."
I jerked away from him. "You are correct: I came for only one thing. But it certainly wasn't to satisfy your filthy needs. I came to ask you about Kephri!"
Thutmosis fell quiet for a moment as his eyes drifted to the floor. "Kephri..." he sighed. "That trollop caused me grief, but I feel alone at night without her. It is a shame that servant girl slaughtered her."
"Menefer did not kill Kephri!" I snapped.
His eyes narrowed at my sharp tone and he glared at me.
A drunken mess, he reeked of alcohol. His robes were ruffled and untidy, the front falling open to reveal his tanned chest. "I'll live without her," he muttered. "I would much rather have you in my bed."
This was my signal to leave. My eyes darted toward the door, but he caught me by my waist and pulled me against him.
"You want to leave so soon? But you just arrived a moment ago," he breathed into my ear.
Shove him away! Shove him away! My brain screamed at me. But another voice in my head swayed me the other way. Menefer's life depends on you. Thutmosis knows something.
He took my face in his hands and lifted my chin to look at him. I wanted to flee, but I was paralyzed beneath his hot gaze.
"You have the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen on a woman...blue as lapis and shimmer like the Nile," he murmured. I tried to pull away, but he held me steady. He stroked my cheek and then moved to kiss me, but I broke free.
"Don't touch me like that!" I shouted. Thutmosis observed me, his head angled to the side in a predacious manner. "Do not put your hands on me again."
"My body burns for you like a thousands suns," Thutmosis murmured, crushing me against him as if to ravish me. His face hovered inches from mine, his grin widening as I struggled. Suddenly, he pressed his lips to mine. I was surprised at first, and when I didn't immediately start fighting him off, he mistook it for consent. He pulled me into bed with him and pinned me under his weight. "That worthless tramp could not give me a son, and so I shall have one with you. I'm going to fill you up with my sons," he murmured into my lips.
"Is that why you killed her?" I demanded, pushing against his shoulders. He wouldn't budge, but for the moment, his lips ceased against mine. He propped himself up on his elbow and gazed down at me, running his fingers along my cheek bone and down my neck to rest against my sternum.
"That is why you are here? To rescue your servant girl because you believe I murdered Kephri?" he scoffed. His lips pulled into a grin and he chuckled. "Why would I want to kill Kephri? Until tonight, she was the only woman who could set my loins aflame."
"Let me go or I'll scream for the guards!"
"Scream all you want," he breathed. "The guards won't rescue a filthy slut." And then something struck the back of my head and I went limp in his arms.
I was nearly aware of all that was happening to me, though I was powerless to stop him. I was drifting between stages of unconsciousness, but what I was most aware of was the sharp, burning pain in the back of my head.
Thutmosis ran his hands along the curves of my waist, reaching for the edge of my robe and yanking it aside.
Just as he was about to lean in and kiss me again, I fell completely unconscious.