DRAFT Chapter One "Have you lost your reason?" Reb asks. He says this curiously, without the anger I am expecting. "Possibly." I say, watching the backs of Ahmes and Tutan fade in the distance, until they are specs of dust in the landscape. I turn to face him. "But what other choice do we have?" "We will probably die." "Another possibility," I agree. "But a certainty if we stay in Thebes.
" "We will not last a moment out there, away from the city." Reb insists, gesticulating, a bit more heat in these words. "We are scribes, not nomads. How will we make our way north to the Hyksos unaided? We will be swooped up by the Queen''s men, faster than the falcon seizes its prey." "You forget something, Reb." Paser says. I look at him, grateful for his support. I am not sure if I would be so bold in my plans were it not for his calm strength at my side.
"We know someone who can take us there." Reb pales further in the moonlight. "You cannot mean--" "The spy." I breathe. "Paser, you are brilliant! He can show us the way." "What makes you think he will help us?" Reb scoffs. "Besides, we can not free him from the pits of confinement. That will only have Pharaoh''s men joining the Queen''s in hunting us like rats for betraying both him and the kingdom.
" "It is our only choice." I say, turning to look back at the mastaba. "We do not have much time. Let us go and gather anything that might assist us in our journey." "How much blue lotus flower did you take this evening?" Reb, having assessed that I am quite serious, looks aghast. "You wish us to rob the tombs of our ancestors? Of your very parents, Sesha?" "While our ancestors may have need of the objects they were buried with in the afterlife, we have need of them now, in this life." I insist. "My parents will not begrudge us borrowing a few items.
" "We will be cursed." Reb protests. "We already are." I say, tart as unripe berries. "I have lost my parents, my home and now must leave my brother behind. The gods can take nothing more from me. I do not ask you to join, but if we are to have any chance of escaping, we need to move. Now.
" * * * Resting my head against my mother''s coffin, I collect my courage, much less tangible then the assorted items on top of the wooden box. It is quiet in the room. Paser and Reb are still searching the other tombs for anything that might be of use on the long and dangerous journey ahead; I say goodbye to my parents. "I will not be back for some time, Mother." I whisper. If ever. "Please know I will honor your spirit every day with my life. I will never forget you and Father.
" Wishing I could look upon her face once more, I close my eyes to recall the image of her eyes, the colour and sweetness of honey, her wide smile and soothing voice. I picture her singing to my brother when he was young, waking suddenly from a frightening dream. If only this were a dream I could wake from as easily. Will Ky think I have abandoned him? I would give anything to see him once more, to explain why I must leave Thebes, why he is safer without me. I take a deep breath. I must trust that Ahmes will relay my message and that Tutan''s affection is enough for the Queen to leave my brother alone. After all, he is only a child. I am not a child.
His stubborn words come back with the bittersweet realization that he no longer is. Perhaps, has not been one since that night our parents died, despite my best efforts to keep him so. "Sesha." Paser stands in the doorway, holding a satchel, the long woven strap slung over his broad shoulder. "We should be on our way. Khonsu will only shine for a few more hours before Ra chases him from the sky." "Coming." I say, picking up the hurriedly gathered objects from the crypt.
A scalpel, a scarf, some loose gemstones that once decorated a bracelet Father bought Mother. these are the remnants of their lives I have to remember them by, items that may make all the difference to our survival. These, plus my father''s obsidian blade and priceless scarab hanging from my neck. There is much more I wish I could bring, but travelling light is necessary. The burden on my soul at leaving my brother is heavy enough. Brushing a kiss from my fingertips along the length of their intricately painted caskets, I walk between them, about to leave the room and their physical remains for what may be the last time. Our chances of reaching the Hyksos unscathed are slim, if not impossible; making it unlikely I will ever return. But there is no other option.
Pausing at the exit, I am unable to resist one last glance at their final resting place. And though I hope they are somewhere in the Land of Reeds, laughing and having a wonderful time, a part of me hopes their spirits will be with me, always. * * * "What did you find?" I ask Paser and Reb to distract myself from the fact that we have just become tomb robbers and currently on our way to release a known enemy spy from confinement. That, and simple curiosity. "In addition to the knife Ahmes gave me, I have a water container," Paser holds up what looks to be the bladder of a rhino. "And some silver for trading." "Praises," I say, in admiration. "Reb?" "I did not take anything.
" He is defiant, fists at his side, eyes a bit wild. "I will not be cursed for defiling the graves of my ancestors." I nod. "That is your choice." Though, ten ankhs to one he will not turn down a drink from the waterskin once we are on our way. We walk in the near dark, as furtive as stalking cats, towards the pits. Khonsu has disappeared behind clouds left by the earlier storm, which passed as quickly as it began. Good for our travels, catastrophic for the crops and the kingdom who desperately need the rains.
Drawing closer to the pits, we move even more slowly, so as not to fall into one of the gaping holes and break our necks, or any other body part essential for a quick escape. We carry no torch; fire will only call attention. "That one," Paser says softly, pointing into the blackness. It is quiet and though we tread lightly, our footsteps make a soft crunching noise in the dirt. "Who''s there?" A voice shouts, high-pitched and tremulous. "It is I, Nebifu, High Priest. I have been put here in error. Let me out and you will be rewarded handsomely by the Gods!" We ignore him and keep walking.
No noise or pleading comes from the spy''s cavity, which is just off to the left. In fact, it is ominously quiet. In unison, we peer over the edge of the pit. "Pssst." I call down into the hole. No answer. "Do you think he is dead?" Reb whispers, hopeful. Paser shrugs on my right.
"It depends if they were feeding him or not." "Maybe this is the wrong hole?" I say, a little louder. At that there is a scuffling noise and a voice immediately starts speaking, in an unfamiliar tongue, but with the sound of someone just woken, wondering who is there and if they are dreaming. "Peace," I make my voice soothing, like my mother''s. "We mean you no harm." A short bark of laughter from the pit suggests he does not believe us. "He understands our language," whispers Reb. "What good is a spy who cannot comprehend what is said?" I say.
"How shall we get him out?" Paser asks as we stand there, looking down into the pit. "The rope." I look around, something prickling at the back of my memory. Reb scuffs his toe in the dirt then clears his throat. "I, uh, threw it down to Nebifu when we were here last." Eye of Horus. I had forgotten that. Further inspection reveals nothing else suitable to use.
Then I remember. The scarf. Quickly, I unwrap it from around my head and dangle it down into the hole. The crescent moon comes out then, and though it is still dark, a little illumination makes its way into the pit. A man stands there, blinking up in wonder, as if he cannot quite believe what he is seeing. The scarf hangs a few feet above his black-haired head. "Jump." I say.
The moonlight shifts, glinting off something white in the pit. He jumps, high, but not high enough to reach the end of the scarf. Trying again, he grunts with effort, but misses by several royal cubits. There is a clattering sound when he lands and I finally recognize the white shards glinting in the moonlight. Bones. "We will need to get Nebifu to throw the rope back up to us." Paser says, ever logical, after a few moments of this. "He will only do that if he thinks we will free him," Reb folds his arms.
"Which I made very clear I will not do." "We may not have a choice." I say, gl.