“This is our chance!” He bristled with excitement. “We can wrest power from the nomarch while he’s vulnerable. By the timethe men return, we’ll have already struck another blow.”
“That’s what I thought too!” Rae exclaimed. “As soon as I heard, I came to tell Mamet Mut to pass a message along to you. I thought the Horizon should meet tonight to discuss plans for our next attack.”
Asim chuckled. “Perhaps I underestimated you. Not a kitten after all, but a lioness! A few lessons in military strategy and you’ll be battle-ready, Raetawy.”
The mention of battle reminded Rae of something she’d been wanting to ask him since the night they met. “You were a soldier in King Rahotep’s army, weren’t you?”
The sparkle in Asim’s eyes dimmed at the mention of the dead king’s name. “I was.” She thought he wasn’t going to say more on the subject, but then he added, “A captain, in fact. My father was a member of the royal house.”
“A captain…” Rae repeated. She stood a little straighter, her perception of the rebel leader altered. If the Great War had gone the other way, Asim would probably be living in the palace, admired and respected by all, and clothed in fine linen. He wouldn’t be lurking in alleys, wearing dark, ragged robes. How strange the way life can change so quickly, Rae thought, depending on the direction fate was flowing!
The river will get its way, in the end.
Rae’s fingers went to the Sekhmet amulet around her neck. Its protection had served her well the previous night. But that begged another question, and it was out of her mouth before she could consider whether she should ask it.
“How did you survive?” she asked. “Didn’t Sematawy’s men slaughter the entire royal guard when they besieged the palace?”
Asim expression turned to a mixture of pain and regret.
“I’m sorry,” Rae blurted. “I shouldn’t have—”
“I ran away,” Asim replied before she could finish. His lipcurled as he spoke the words, as if they were still a fresh burden in his mind. “When they attacked, I knew it was hopeless. There was no time to assemble our forces or organize a proper defense. We were outnumbered, overrun. So I…”
He stopped and took a deep, steadying breath before continuing. “I told myself I wanted to survive so I could avenge them. The king. My brothers-in-arms. My family. But I knew in my heart those were just excuses. I ran because I wasafraid.”
Rae didn’t know what to say. She felt terrible for reopening an old wound. She hadn’t meant to cause the man pain. Around them, the weavers’ friendly chatter hummed, disguising their conversation, but some of the women glanced over, their expressions curious.
Seeing the discomfort on Rae’s face, Asim’s expression softened. “I’m telling you this, Raetawy, because it’s the reason I created the Horizon in the first place. For years, I had been living like one of those old soldiers you see on every street corner. Then one day, I realized that if I died and my heart was weighed against the feather of Maat, it would be so heavy with shame that I’d have no chance of salvation. I had to balance the scales. It won’t bring my men back, it won’t undo all the mistakes I’ve made, but… It’s all Icando. And I have to try.”
Rae spoke solemnly. “My father worked in the palace too, as a scribe. The High Khetarans took his hand, counted him among their slain enemies, but let him live. He’s always wondered why he was allowed to survive when so many others were not.”
“And what does your father think of your involvement with me?” Asim asked. “Have you told him about it?”
“Not exactly.” Rae shrugged a shoulder. “But I think he knows. He wants freedom as much as the next person. He’s just…”
“Afraid of you getting hurt?”
Rae nodded.
“The price of freedom is high,” he said gravely. “Are you sure you’re willing to pay it? I cannot promise you safety, you know that.”
“I know,” Rae answered. “And I hate worrying my father, but I’m doing this for him. He can’t keep going on like this, pushing himself so hard to keep up with the king’s unreasonable demands. He deserves better.”
“We all do.”
“It’s like you said, we need to balance the scales. I know it’s dangerous, but I still want to be part of it.”
Asim reached out to squeeze her shoulder. “Your father is a lucky man. I would be proud to have a daughter like you.”
Rae blushed.
Asim motioned for Mamet Mut to rejoin them. “The Horizon meets again tomorrow night at the Garden of the Dead,” he told her. “Spread the word.”
Rae watched him go, her heart feeling even lighter than it had that morning.
Not long after Asim left, Tam arrived, carrying a basket of flax on her hip.
Just who I wanted to see, Rae thought. Without a word, she rushed over to the weaver and grabbed her by the hand, pulling her to the back of the workshop where the rest of the flax and other materials were stored, and away from all those prying eyes.
