Two days later I sought Urbi in her royal apartment. She squealed when she saw me, then grabbed my hand and led me into the innermost bedchamber where we could escape prying eyes. Though she had never said so, I had a feeling that Urbi suspected her sister the queen of positioning spies throughout the Royal Quarter of the city.
“I have important news,” she said, crossing her legs and sitting on the silk-covered mattress.
I sat across from her and inhaled the delicious aroma of incense. Egyptians typically burned frankincense in the morning, myrrh in the afternoon, and kyphi at evening, but Urbi so loved the spicy-sweet scent of kyphi that she burned it continually.
“I have news, too.”
“Me first.” A dimple winked in her right cheek. “My father is finally coming home.”
My mouth opened. This was news. If the king was returning, Berenice was in trouble. She had been queen for nearly three years, but when the king returned . . .
“What—what will happen with your sister?”
Urbi lifted her shoulder in a casual shrug. “I do not know and I do not care. She should not have taken the throne while Father was away.”
I tilted my head and nodded, silently acknowledging the truth.
“One day I may be queen,” Urbi said, lifting her chin, “and you will be my lady-in-waiting. Together we will receive visitors, and if we like them, we will shower them with gifts. If we do not like them, or if they are stupid, we will have them executed.”
I smiled, imagining myself behind Urbi’s golden throne. “We will give banquets with so much food that we can feed the poor with the leftovers.”
“Shall we have dancers for entertainment? Or wild animals?”
“Why not both?” I clapped, delighted by the possibility. “Tigers, perhaps. Ohh—baby tigers. They are adorable. And I would love to have an elephant.”
“We could ride into the great hall on an elephant,” Urbi said. “Can you imagine how people will stare?” She took a plum from her bedside table, then bit into it. “And what is your news?”
Suddenly shy, I took Urbi’s free hand and leaned closer. “Two nights ago, HaShem spoke to me.” I squeezed her fingers, waiting for her to shiver as I had when I heard the voice.
Her eyes flew up at me like a pair of frightened crows, then she pulled her hand away and playfully slapped my arm. “You should not tease me, Chava.”
“I am not teasing. We were at dinner, and I heard a voice no one else seemed to hear. Best of all, He spoke to me about you.”
Urbi gave me a quick, distracted glance and attempted a smile. “Did He say I would be beautiful? Did He say I would be queen?”
I deepened my smile. “HaShem said my friendship with the queen lay in His hands, and that we would be together on your happiest day and your last. And that I would bless you.”
I grinned at her, thrilled to share such a wonderful foretelling, but Urbi’s face did not reflect my joy.
“Your friendship with the queen,” she repeated, her voice hollow. “What if He was talking about Berenice?”
I frowned. “Why would HaShem talk about her? I have no friendship with her. I do not even know her.”
“And you will be with me on my last day? You have just given me a reason to never see you again.”
I stiffened, momentarily abashed. “I am sure HaShem did not mean it that way. You’re not about to die.”
“How do you know?” Her brow wrinkled as something moved in her eyes. “The Ptolemies have been known to kill their brothers and sisters. How do you know Berenice won’t murder me?”
“Because . . .” I grasped for any reason available. “Because your father is coming home.”
“He won’t arrive for months. She has plenty of time to kill a princess.”
I sat perfectly still, stunned by the taut expression on Urbi’s face. She had never revealed this fear, but clearly she had often thought about the danger of being so close to the throne.
“I won’t let anyone kill you.” I straightened and propped my hands on my hips. “If I have to, I will sneak you out of the palace and you can live with us. No one would ever think to look for you in the Jewish Quarter.”
Annoyance struggled with humor on her face as she glared at me. “You are a foolish, naïve girl,” she said, bending her knees. “But I am glad I have you.” She hugged her knees and lowered her head, then abruptly lifted it. “My happiest day?” She arched a brow. “I wonder when that will be.”
“Perhaps when you marry,” I suggested. “Or when you have your first child.”
She leaned forward and peered through the open doorway, her eyes bright with speculation. “Wouldn’t it be tragic if my happiest day was also my last?” She lowered her gaze, her long lashes shuttering her eyes. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it were.”
“You cannot think that way, Urbi. I am sure you will have many, many happy days—and as your best friend, I plan to be there for all of them.”
“Swear to it?” She turned as her eyes searched mine. Then she caught my hand and peeled back my fingers, revealing my flat palm.
Breathing in the fragrance of incense, I stared at her, uncertain of her intentions.
“Forever friends,” she said, an odd, faintly eager look flashing in her eyes.
As I nodded, she pulled a short blade from the girdle at her waist and gripped my left wrist. I pulled back, but before I could break free she lifted the blade and swept it over my palm, slicing the skin from above my thumb to the end of the curving lifeline. I caught my breath as the blade stung my flesh, but I knew better than to cry out.
Then, imposing an admirable control on herself, Urbi opened her left hand and made the same cut on her own palm. She held it up as blood dripped from the red arc and stained the silk sheet beneath us.
“Forever friends,” she repeated, pressing her bleeding cut to mine. She locked her fingers around my hand. “You are blood of my blood, and heart of my heart.”
“Blood of my blood,” I echoed. “Heart of my heart. Friends forever.”
We sat without moving as our blood mingled, then she drew me close in a fierce embrace.
“If your father asks,” she whispered, nodding at my blood-slicked hand, “tell him you cut yourself on one of my swords.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but she was already off, hurrying away to recite for a tutor or pay a dutiful visit to her older sister.
I pulled a wide ribbon from my hair and wrapped it around my bleeding palm. Only then, after Urbi had gone, did I feel the pain.