Take heed, Thonis, Great House of Amun!
The lamb’s words came back to her like the sting of a snakebite, the words and the blood and the terror.
Sorrow and ruin to the Children of the Two Lands!
“Are you all right, little priestess?”
The voice was so close that it made her jump.
Neff opened her eyes to see Prince Meryamun standing before her. She recognized him from the Bast Festival, when he and the princess had come to the temple to pay their respects. He was dressed in a beautifully pleated green schenti and a gauzy shirt that was open at the chest, revealing an intricately beaded carnelian collar around his neck. His eyebrows were thick and dark over his hooded eyes, which studied her with amusement.
“Oh! Greetings to you, my prince,” Neff said, dropping her head.
“You were just in the throne room, interpreting your first royal dream, were you not? It seems it took a lot out of you.”
“I was,” Neff replied, steadying her voice. “I am honored by the king’s faith in me. I… I was a little nervous, that’s all.”
“That’s not what I meant,” the prince whispered, leaning close. “I meant it must have taken a lot out of you to lie to the king’s face. That’s not an easy task—nor a safe one.”
She froze. The shadow in the doorway—had the prince been watching them? Even so, how could he know that she’d been lying?
As if reading her mind, the prince grinned. “You see, words may lie—but the body speaks the truth. When you’ve been lied to all your life, you learn what deception looks like.”
Neff’s entire body began to quake. She thought she’d done the right thing to protect the king’s health, to protect herself, but now—
“Do you know the penalty for such a crime? It’squitesevere. Perhaps you believe he’d be merciful to one so young, but—” He crinkled his nose. “I wouldn’t count on it.”
Tears welled in Neff’s eyes.
“You must have had anawfulvision to take such a risk,” the prince mused. “What was it?”
She felt like a bird in a net that was slowly tightening all around her. But the prince left her with no choice but to tell himthe truth. Perhaps if she did, he’d show her mercy. And perhaps if her vision was correct, the prince might be able to use the information to help save the king.
“The gods told me that the pharaoh will be betrayed by those closest to him,” she finally said. “He will die at the hand of one, while the other bears silent witness.”
Neff saw the prince’s pupils constrict.
“Fascinating.” He licked his lips.
“You’ll help him, won’t you?” Neff said quietly. She knew she should keep quiet, but she couldn’t stop herself from asking.
“I’ll make sure that the king is taken care of, don’t you worry,” the prince replied soothingly. “Now, what if I ask you to decipher one ofmydreams, young Priestess of Bubas? Are you going to lie to me too?”
“No, my prince,” she said.
“Good,” Prince Meryamun said, and leaned against the column next to her. “Then hear this: for the past two nights, I’ve dreamed of Sobek. I cannot tell you more than that—only that I know it is him.” He stared at her, expectant.
“Sobek,” Neff repeated. She knew the name from her father’s spells, some of whom he’d directed to the fierce crocodile-headed god. Most of the time, he’d sell those spells to traders and fishermen who wanted protection from the various dangers of the Iteru River.
Once more, she closed her eyes and cast her mind to the in-between place. She imagined the reptilian face of the god crowned with feathered plumes, ram’s horns, and the shining disc of the sun—
“When you are confronted with the power of Sobek,” Neff found herself saying, “kneel.”
The prince blinked. “That’s it?”
Neff sagged against the column, feeling weak in the knees.The message had come more quickly this time, but the experience was no less exhausting. She nodded.
Prince Meryamun scoffed. “Not terribly illuminating, is it?”
