Tira urged the camel forward. For three nights and into each day they had raced their steeds. Stops were few except to eat hasty meals and to spend the hottest part of the day in the tents. She prayed they reached their destination and end the jolting pace of this riding animal. She groaned. Oh for a drink of cold water rather than the warm fluid in her flask.
She shifted her position. The saddle felt iron-clad and fashioned to test her tolerance for pain. As the sun rose she searched the horizons for signs of greenery. Kashe insisted they would soon reach the oasis. All she saw were distant cliffs and sand.
Since the discovery and death of the enemy priest Kashe had pushed the pace as though he feared the man’s ghost rode in their wake. The slosh of her flask matched the camel’s ungainly run. Thirst called for a drink but she refrained. What little water remained must be rationed until they reached a place to replenish their store.
She straightened. At least she’d learned how to use the prod to control the camel. The embarrassment of having to wait for one of the men to entice the creature to kneel had ended on the second night of this mad dash.
Tira peered toward the towering cliffs and felt excitement build. The rocks and boulders seemed to have been blown into place by a giant’s breath on the sand. Did Kashe know where they were going? How would anyone scale that massive wall? She had to trust his judgment. What she knew about the Two Lands came from books written about another world and a culture long dead.
The rocking motion of the beast tumbled her into a dreamy state. She emerged with a start and rubbed her eyes. She had to remain alert lest she lose her balance and take a header. Though loose and easily stirred, sand wasn’t soft.
Her thoughts turned to the dead priest of Aken Re. How had he found them? Was some kind of magic involved? He’d spoken of coming from the desert and of seeking the daughter. Tira wondered if he had lied. They had found no stray camel or any signs of other men. His robe had provided a perfect camouflage. Now his body lay beneath the sands. If he had companions they wouldn’t find him unless a storm exposed his resting place. Though the gold-rayed disc he’d worn was valuable they had buried the amulet with him. Kashe had feared the medallion was tainted by magic.
A light breeze lifted sand into a whirling column. As the sand devil grew, Tira tensed. What would they do if they encountered a storm? She’d read how the wind-driven grains could abrade skin from bones. Surely Tuten and Kashe knew ways to protect them from such an occurrence.
Tira shifted in the saddle but found no ease for her battered bottom. When would they make camp? She needed a practice session to unknot her kinked muscles and to bleed away excess energy. Teaching Namose was fun but she missed having a sparring partner whose skills matched hers. Though Kashe didn’t know her style he was a fighter and could be a worthy opponent.
She thought of being skin to skin with him. Foolish thought and a futile desire, at least for now. Until they completed the search for the crook, flail and double crown their passion must remain bottled. One day the cork would pop and they would explode like lava from an erupting volcano. She smiled and slid into a daydream.
The ebony eyes of the priest flashed in her thoughts and destroyed the budding fantasy. Were all the priests of Aken Re fanatics? Did they all come from another country or had they enticed men of the Two Lands to serve their god?
She urged the camel faster and drew even with Tuten. “When will we make camp?”
The older man turned his head. “We’re nearly to the oasis. See that spire of rock. The oasis is beyond there.”
Tira frowned. “It must be small.”
Tuten laughed. “The distance between the spire and the wall is greater than you think.”
“I see.”
“The temple of Horu I told you about when you guested in my house isn’t far from the oasis. Kashe and I will go there. He has a need to see the priests. They’ll also have news about events in the land.”
“Is visiting the temple wise? Venturing near people brings the risk of discovery by our enemies.”
“The Horu priests will never serve the enemy. They were among the staunchest fighters when the last pharaoh led the battle to drive the invaders away.”
“What about the servants who care for the temple and the priests?”
“Horu temples have no slaves and keep few servants. They share the work among themselves. There is a reason Kashe must visit. You were given your amulet in a temple of Bast. Kashe received his from the hawk. Though the bird is sacred to the god of the skies, a priest must give Kashe’s name to the god.”
‘Why?”
“His father promised him to Aken Re. Kashe must be sure there will be no question of which god he serves.”
Tira nodded. That was a reason she understood. Her name was known to Bast. She also thought about Namose’s theory of the symbols and how Horu was the only one of the Three not to have provided a clue to the finding. “I want to go with you.”
Tuten shook his head. “We can’t all go until we learn if they can be of help.” With those words he goaded his camel into a gallop.
She stared after him. What was this about? Did the priests of Horu dislike women? Since the hawk had brought the scroll Kashe often quoted perhaps the pronouncement showed the god’s prejudices. But the scroll had also held a promise of a time for her and Kashe.
Kashe’s camel disappeared behind the rock. So did the pack beast, Namose’s and Tuten’s mounts. Her camel’s gait increased. The jolting movement made her fear her spine was being driven into her skull. They rounded the spire. She saw grass and trees. With a little prodding her steed knelt.
Gratefully she slid to the ground. Until her legs steadied she clung to the saddle.
Kashe waved. “We’ll camp here for several days. While you and Namose set up camp Tuten and I will go to the temple.” He glanced at the sky. “If they have knowledge to help our search we’ll return for you.”
“How far must you travel?”
“We should be there and back before the sun sets,” Tuten said.
“Do you think it’s wise to split our forces?”
Kashe stared at the ground. “I must speak my name before the priests with no one present who isn’t sworn to Horu. You belong to Bast and Namose can’t choose one of the Three for another year.”
Tira had to accept his words as true. “Go and don’t linger.”
As soon as the two left Tira and Namose unloaded the pack camel and set up the tents. He built a fire. She put a pot of chick peas and dried meat over the flames. Then she went to the small pool that formed where water tumbled over the rocks. She washed her face and hands and the clothes she’d worn during the trek. How glad she was that the warrior had given her a supply of kilts and breast bands. Once she finished she sent Namose to do the same.
When the youth returned to the fire, she rose. “Come and practice. We can wash again when we finish.” The look on his face made her want to giggle.
They left the oasis for the sand beyond the spire. They began with stretching exercises and moved to the basic fighting movements. Namose had mastered them but he remained slow. She glanced at the sky. Vultures circled a dark spot on the ground. An animal? Another priest? She turned to Namose. “Wait here. I want to see what attracts the carrion eaters. Bast Ka will stay with you.”
As she loped across the rubble strewn ground toward the place where some of the avians had landed she wondered what she would find. As she drew closer she didn’t think the figure was large to be a man but what would a child be doing here? The body lay face down. Dead? Yet the vultures remained at a distance.
Just as Tira had decided the fallen was dead the figure tried to rise. Tira shouted and ran forward sending the birds flapping into the air. Their squawks of protest hurt her ears and the heavy beat of their wings made them appear like a dark storm cloud. She reached the girl and helped her to her feet. Her arms and legs were scraped and also bore the redness of sunburn.
She lifted the girl. “Who are you?” A moan was the only answer. The young woman’s lips were cracked. Sand clumped on her robe. Tira lifted the girl and carried her to the camp.
Who was she? A glance at her burden’s features brought the realization that this wasn’t a child. Was she another person transported from one world to another? Tira’s brow wrinkled. The place where the girl had fallen was near the path Kashe and Tuten had taken. How had they missed her?
When she returned with the girl she sent Namose for a cup and to heat some meat in water for a broth. Once he’d left she started to remove the girl’s robe.
“No. No.” The harsh whisper spoke of panic.
“It’s all right. I’m a friend.”
The young woman opened her eyes. “Friends. How?” Her brown eyes filled with questions.
“I found you where you had fallen,” Tira said. “Here’s a towel and a change of clothes. I’ll help you wash.” Tira turned her back and waited for a short time.
“Help me.”
Tira turned to see the girl struggle to remove the robe. Tira pulled the cloth over the young woman’s head to reveal a short dress. “Can you stand?”
“With help.”
Tira supported her patient while she dressed and helped her walk to the small tent. Namose carried two cups, one with water and the other of broth. Tira checked the scratches on the young woman’s arms and legs and found only surface marks. She decided to leave them unbandaged.
Namose handed the water to the young woman. “I couldn’t find any rotten bread.”
“We won’t need any.” Tira pulled one side of the tent up to allow light into the area. “Why not bring our meal here?”
Bast Ka strolled inside and curled at the girl’s side. Her eyes widened. “Are you the goddess? Have I reached the afterlife?” She put the cup on the ground.
Tira chuckled. “You are very much alive. I’m Tira, one of her warriors. Bast Ka is my companion and Namose is my friend. Who are you?”
“Merin, daughter of the pharaoh who died fighting the invaders and born from the first woman of his court.”
Namose nearly dropped the food he carried. “Are you truly the daughter?”
“Yes.”
Tira studied the young woman. She had the look of the women she’d seen in pictures of the tombs in the Egypt of her world. Merin’s skin was tanned. Her dark brown hair had streaks bleached by the sun. She looked more muscular than the pictured women had. Tira spread a cloth and placed bread, cheese, honey and dates for their meal. “While we eat, tell us your story.”
“I’d be glad to hear about your adventures,” Namose said.
Merin shook her head. “What has happened to me is not something I’d care to live again.” She crumbled cheese over the cup of broth and ate. When she finished she yawned.
“You can’t sleep yet,” Tira said. “I’ve a question. Two of our companions rode camels past the place where I found you. How did they miss seeing you?”
“I heard camels and burrowed in the sand. Though the riders didn’t come from the temple I feared they were allied with the attackers.”
“What attackers?” Namose asked.
“I don’t know who they were. One of the priests told me to hide.”
“Tell us your story from the beginning.” Tira’s hands formed fists. Fear for Kashe and Tuten battered her control.
“Twenty years ago my father decided to rebel against those who had kept him a prisoner in the delta compound. In secret he gathered fighters. Priests from the temple of Horu and warriors of Bast joined his forces. Those women helped my mother escape. She was the first wife and believed the child she carried was a daughter and must be protected from the enemy. She fled into the desert. Warriors of Bast accompanied her. They died protecting her during a sandstorm. One of the desert clans found her. They took her to their tents. After giving birth she died.”
Tira stared at Merin. What would it be like to be able to trace your ancestors for generations and to understand your place in the world? “You are fortunate.”
Merin met her gaze. “To have lived, yes but not when I have no family. I know my father died in the battle. Did any of my brothers survive?”
Namose shook his head. “All died.”
“So the nomads said but I don’t want to believe them.” She looked up. “Though I sheltered with the clans I had no real home or family. After my second year I was sent to live with a different clan every year.”
“Why?” Tira asked.
“To keep me hidden from men who would seek to use me. To keep me apart so no clan could claim me. They told me I was special and the man I chose to wed would rule the Two Lands. With such frequent moves I made no friendships.”
Tira touched Merin’s hand. In a manner they had experienced the same lonely childhood. Though she’d had Luci, her sister had never been a friend. Frequent moves had broken barely begun friendships. Her father had abandoned his family soon after her birth. Her mother had struggled to support them. She had died when Tira was sixteen. “You were safe with the clans. How did you reach the Horu temple?”
“The warrior priests came for me. They brought hawks to the clan as payment for my keep.”
“Then what happened?”
“The priests searched for the man who would be pharaoh but they found no one worthy of the chair. They believed one would come from afar.” She covered her face with her hands. “I remained in the temple for almost two seasons. Then the priests of Aken Re came.”
“Did they see you?” Namose asked.
She shook her head. “I hid on that day. The false priests were driven away. Then the eldest priest of Horu showed me a secret place where their treasury was hidden. He showed me how to open the room. Among the items there I found the jewelry the gods gave to the first pharaoh’s wife.”
“What other things were hidden there?” Tira asked.
Merin closed her eyes. “Coins and cups made from gold, silver and copper. Also some gems. The priest spoke of keys to unlock doors to items of value but I never saw them. He also said one sent by the goddess would come. In her hands she holds a clue. She must look beneath the wings of Horu and find the guides the god and goddess provided.”
Tira nodded. If the keys were beneath the wings of Horu she had to visit the temple where Kashe and Tuten had gone to visit. She wished Merin had been found before the men left. Then all could have gone to the temple. “If you were safe at the temple how did you come to be on the desert?”
“Just after dawn raiders came. They attacked the priests. I hid in the treasury.”
Namose leaned forward. “What happened?”
“Death. I heard shouts and screams of pain. The thuds of falling stones shook the ground. Metal clanged against metal. Though few in number the priests of Horu are fierce fighters. When all was silent I fled into the desert where you found me.”
Tira swallowed. Fear for her friends threatened to choke her. Did the band of men remain at the temple? Would her friends be forced into a battle? She had to believe they were safe. Tuten was wary and Kashe a good fighter. Horu Ka had gone with them and the hawk could add his talons and beak to their defense.
“We must go after them,” Namose said.
Tira shook her head. “They will return. If they sense the presence of enemies they won’t enter the temple. We must prepare to leave here quickly. Prepare bundles. A blanket, toweling, changes of clothes and food in each bundle. Wash one of the beer flasks so Merin will have water.”
Namose rose. “I’ll see to the food. Can enough be packed in the bundles to serve us for days?”
“I believe so but I’ll come and help. Merin will sleep.”