She swallowed.
Did she have the courage to play such a dangerous game?
“You’re going to make us proud,” her father had said the last time she saw him. “They’ll come to see me from all over Bubas, from all over Khetara, to hear your story.”
What story do you want him to tell?she asked herself.
Neff took a deep breath, and when she released it, she knew the decision had been made.
She stepped toward the crown prince. “I will return to the palace with you, Prince Meryamun.”
Kenna went rigid.
Mery smiled. “A wise choice.”
Neff glanced at her adopted brother’s emotionless face. Even though he didn’t show it, she knew how deep she’d cut him. She desperately wanted to tell him about her plans, but she knew she couldn’t.Not now. Not yet.
“I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, Prince Kenna,” Neff said, bowing her head so she wouldn’t have to look at him. “But my place must be with the new king.”
As if he were used to being the lesser choice, he replied flatly, “As you wish.”
Mery clapped his hands to punctuate the end of the conversation.
“Well! Come along, little seer, we have a busy day ahead of us. You’ll be fitted for new garments straightaway. I’ll not have you walking around in those rags.” He directed her to sit on the edge of the palanquin at his feet, and Neff obeyed.
“Oh!” Mery said to Kenna before ascending the palanquin. “Before I go—have you seen our dear sister today, by any chance?”
Kenna frowned. “Sitamun? No… She almost never visits here. You know that. She’s not at the palace?”
A thin line appeared at the center of Mery’s brow. “No,” he said mildly. “The princess seems to be missing.” Then the line vanished, burned away by the blaze of his smile.
“Not to worry. You know Sita. Without her attendants and her fineries and her wine, our dear sister is quite helpless. She’ll turn up. In fact, she may be waiting for us upon our return. Shall we go see, Nefermaat?”
Neff nodded, folding her hands demurely in her lap.
Once the prince was resettled into his throne, the litter bearers rose to their feet, lifting them into the air. Neff’s feet dangled over the ground, giving her the same weightless sensation she’d felt in the sanctuary, carried aloft by something bigger and grander than herself.
“Goodbye, Brother,” Mery said. “I’ll see you at the coronation.”
As the litter bearers walked to the temple gates, Neff allowed herself one last look back at Kenna. The sight of him nearly broke her heart.
Fighting back tears, she turned to face the path ahead, echoing Mery’s words in her mind.
Goodbye, Brother.
28
Karim
If sound were food and color drink, Karim could have remained forever filled at the Thonis marketplace. Compared to the traveling traders of the Red Lands and the bazaars of Khetara’s smaller towns, the market was an experience unto itself. He spent the rest of the day exploring it, trading bits and bobs from the tomb for fresh supplies, and then returning to feed Behkai. The dog had taken his job of guarding the skiff quite seriously, and seemed to enjoy many industrious hours spent by the river, dozing and catching fish. It was a welcome diversion for them both, filling Karim’s senses with so many sights and smells that he had hardly any room left for dark thoughts.
Over and over, his hand drifted to the item in his tunic, where he kept his latest plunder.
He hadn’t enjoyed stealing from the temple. The little priestess had stuck her neck out for him, and removing a scroll from their House of Life was no way to repay her kindness. But when he’d caught a glimpse of what it was, Karim knew he had to have it.
Once a thief, always a thief—and that scroll was a tomb robber’s dream come true.
It was a rough drawing, depicting mountains, the familiar long blue finger of the river, and multiple locations marked with red stars. The locations were labeled with indecipherable Khetaran symbols, but Karim didn’t need to be able to read them to know it was a map. A very old one.
