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Will never change, he added silently.
She stared into his eyes for long moments, searching.
At last she said, “Would you still be my personal protector when I remarry?”
Shai swayed slightly on his feet.
When,not if.
Through sheer force of will, he steadied himself. Though, inside, he reeled from her words. First a hammer, now a battering ram.
He clenched his jaw and didn’t flinch as he answered, “Always. As long as you need me.”
“I am trying not to need you,” she said quietly. “I am trying to be strong on my own. It’s not fair that you—”
“It is what I want,” he practically growled.
Why was she doing this? Had Senenmut plotted with her to make a pact with another royal? A powerful noble or foreigner? Did she feel stifled by his presence? Did she want to be free ofhim?
She searched his face some more before squaring her shoulders in determination.
“Be that as it may, I want to know how to fight. I want to protect those I…care about as well as myself. And not always be someone else’s responsibility. Pharoahs train to be warriors from birth, just as my son is doing under your tutelage. I am Regent now. It matters not that I am a woman. I want to be a warrior too.”
Finally, he stepped away from her.
There was no more to say. It was the smart thing to do to teach her how to protect herself, no matter her reasons.
“As you wish, Regent Hatasu,” he intoned with a formal bow.
“We begin today.”
~ * ~* ~ *~ * ~* ~ *~ * ~
Six weeks later, when Shai threw Heba to the ground on her back with an audiblesmackandcrack, she wondered what she’d been thinking toaskfor an hour of torture every day.
Sometimes, she thought he pushed her too hard. Was purposely trying to make her quit. His men, when they sparred with her, were more patient. They instructed her with polite deference and even encouragement.
But Shai was relentless.
He always had a smile for Thutmose. He watched his men with pride. But when it came to her, Heba could do no right.
She was too slow, too weak, too hesitant. And the only words he uttered in their one-on-one time were:
“Again.”
“Get up.”
“Harder.”
“Again.”
Heba thought she might hate him just a little for being so mean to her. He’d never treated her like this before. He always let her have her way.
It was as if he was angry with her for some reason. As if he wanted her to fail.
But she succeeded despite him. And if she were honest with herself,becausehe pushed her so hard, gave her no quarter.
Six months later, she was proficient enough with a dagger that she could block the other warriors’ attacks.
