Asim’s expression darkened. “Why?”
“She did it for me,” a new voice called out. Rae lifted her head as Baki the shepherd pushed to the front of the crowd. “I’m sorry I’m late, Asim. I had a bit of trouble getting away from home—my son is ill. But it appears that I’ve arrived just in time.”
“What do you mean, she did it for you?” Asim asked.
“The nomarch came to make his demands, and I gave him a piece of my mind. He was going to beat me and my little boy both, but Raetawy stopped him, so he beat her instead. I thought she’d be bedridden for weeks after the lashes he gave her… and yet here she is, up and fighting the very next day.”
“She can’t be stopped,” Omari said helplessly. “Believe me, I’ve tried.”
“Fight with me, then,” Rae said. “Fight for Sakhesh.” She tilted her chin toward Asim. “This man has a plan to raid the House of the Medjay, and he seems to know what he’s doing.”
“Quite the compliment,” Asim said with a chuckle.
“Come on, now,” the brewer retorted from the crowd. “This is obviously a suicide mission. Think of your family, Baki—yourson!”
The shepherd shot a fierce look at his friend. “In the name of Ra, brother—I am thinking of nothing else! Do you expect the High Khetarans will stop increasing our tax? They won’t stop until everything we have, everything we are, has been ripped from us.”
Rae winced as Omari removed her soaked bandages and tore fresh strips from his shawl to try and stop the bleeding. Rae pushed herself upright, clutching her shawl to herself to cover her nakedness, the pain nearly forgotten with the men’s exchange.
Baki gestured to Rae. “You have a girl about her age, don’t you?” he asked the brewer. “What if the nomarch had beatenyourgirl? What if it had beenherblood soaking into the sand? Would you tell me to think of my family? Or would you pick up your khopesh and seek retribution, no matter the cost?” He shook his head. “I’ll do it. I’ll fight for Sakesh. And for you, Raetawy.”
Many of the men in the crowd nodded in agreement, and Rae could sense the energy around them shifting, gathering strength.
Asim must have noticed it too.
“What say you then?” he cried, walking in a wide circle, looking every man in the eye. “A shepherd and a farmer’s daughter have made cowards of you all tonight. Will you let that stand? Or will you find your courage and join them?”
“I will,” Omari declared, as if he’d been waiting for the moment to speak.
“And I,” said another man.
“And I.”
Dozens of men stepped forward, until nearly every single one had offered his hand in battle. Even the brewer, who watched with growing unease as the men around him volunteered, relented and said, “Gods help us, I’m with you too.”
The men loosed a cheer, and then immediately broke intosmaller groups to discuss inventories and strategies for the raid.
“I should get you home,” Omari said to Rae, pulling the bloody tunic back down over her torso and draping her shawl over her shoulders. “We need to change your dressings properly.”
Rae wanted to stay, but she knew Omari was right. She let him help her gently to her feet, but that was all. She refused to be carried.
The amusement was back in Asim’s eyes. “Well,” he said, his hands akimbo. “I guess it wasn’t so bad after all, letting this fool bring you here.”
Rae blushed and was glad it was too dark for Asim to notice. As they made their way back to the stone doorway, she took one last look at the group of “like-minded” men, talking and planning. They seemed different somehow, their faces brighter, like embers catching fire after having nearly gone cold.
“What have we done?” Rae whispered, shaking her head.
She hadn’t meant for Asim to hear it, but he did.
“My dear girl,” he rumbled, the words a deep rumble. “You’ve gone and sparked a rebellion.”
11
Neff
“Nefermaat,” the priest barked. “Are you listening, girl? We’ve no time to waste. The barge arrived late, and it will be my hide—and yours—if these deliveries are made in error.”
Neff groaned inwardly. It had already been a busy morning and she longed for the midday meal.I thought standing all day in Yati’s stall at the market was tiring—but it was nothing compared to this!“I’m listening,” she said.
