Misplaced (138 page)

“How?”

“It’s
not
important.
There
are
other
things
w
eighing
much
heavier on me tonight.”

“Oli
v
er.”

Sh
e
co
v
ere
d
he
r
hear
t
wit
h
he
r
hand
s
a
s
thoug
h
i
t
w
ere
bleeding. “He will hate me for breaking his heart.”

“Onl
y
fo
r
a
littl
e
while
.
E
v
entually
,
al
l
he
’
l
l
remembe
r
i
s
that
he lo
v
ed you.”

“D
o
yo
u
thin
k
so?
”
Se
v
era
l
moment
s
o
f
silenc
e
passed
befor
e
sh
e
aske
d
softly
,
“
An
d
you
,
counselor
.
Ho
w
wil
l
you
remembe
r
me
?
A
s
a
friend
?
A
s
th
e
grea
t
disrupte
r
o
f
you
r
life?”

“A
s
m
y
sister,
”
V
ictori
a
blurted
,
th
e
las
t
wor
d
catchin
g
in
her throat.
“
After all
w
e’
v
e been through…”

Most
of
Khara’s
smiles
barely
scratched
the
surface
of
her
emotions.
Tonight
though,
V
ictoria
saw
the
smile
of
someone
who
had
recei
v
ed
a
gift
more
beautiful,
more
extra
v
agant
than
all
the
treasures
of
pharaoh.
It
w
as
the
s
m
ile
that
must
ha
v
e
been
hers
as
a
child,
before
the
yoke
of
her
life
w
as
thrust
onto
her.

Khara
took
the
bandana
she
had
soaked
in
mineral
w
ater.
“No
w
yo
u
mus
t
si
t
still.
”
Sh
e
lifte
d
V
ictoria’
s
hair
,
squeezed
w
ar
m
w
ate
r
dow
n
th
e
bac
k
o
f
he
r
neck
,
an
d
massage
d
her
scalp
.
Sh
e
remo
v
e
d
a
smal
l
via
l
fro
m
Nando
r
’
s
pouc
h
and
place
d
dot
s
o
f
aromati
c
oi
l
a
t
V
ictoria’
s
temples
.
“
T
sk
,
tsk
.
What
a hornet’s nest you ha
v
e here!”

V
ictori
a
examine
d
th
e
small
,
oblong
,
ston
e
container
.
It
w
a
s
beautiful—probabl
y
car
v
e
d
fro
m
carnelian
.
Smoot
h
and
translucent,
it
seemed
too
small
to
hold
any
earthly
substance.
It
w
as
the
sort
of
thing
into
which
you
put
your
dreams.
“I’
v
e
ne
v
er seen that before. What’s inside?”

Khara
ans
w
ered,
“Oils
of
frankincense
and
mint.
They
will
relax you.”

“How long will this take?”

“I ha
v
e scarcely started.
Y
ou ha
v
e something better
to do?”

“Honestly, you had to sit through this e
v
ery day?”

“T
wice
a
day.
I
didn’t
mind;
it’s
what
you
al
w
ays
refer
to
as ‘downtime,’ though I ha
v
e
y
et to see you practice it.”

“No wonder you ha
v
e the patience of Job.”

“Ou
r
publi
c
fac
e
i
s
mean
t
t
o
demonstrat
e
pharaoh’
s
divinity;
nothing
less
than
perfection
will
do.
Besides,
a
little ceremony is good for the
soul. It
would do you
good to
pamper
yourself once in a while.” She worked small circles of tranquility at the
side
s
o
f
V
ictoria’
s
forehead
.
Then
,
wit
h
th
e
hel
p
o
f
a
twig
,
Khara scrape
d
mu
d
an
d
grim
e
fro
m
unde
r
he
r
fingernails
.
After
w
ards
,
sh
e
use
d
a
potter
y
fragmen
t
t
o
fil
e
th
e
edge
s
int
o
thi
n
crescents.
“Thi
s
shap
e
flatter
s
you
r
lon
g
fingers,
”
sh
e
tol
d
V
ictoria
.
She
rubbe
d
oi
l
int
o
th
e
nai
l
bed
s
an
d
buffe
d
the
m
wit
h
th
e
bandana
until
they
gleamed. The tension in
V
ictoria’s usually clenched
fist
s
dissol
v
e
d
unde
r
th
e
fir
m
pressur
e
wit
h
whic
h
Khara
rubbed her palms.

“It
is
w
ell-known
that
no
one
in
the
palace
can
braid
hair
as
w
ell
as
I.
Now
turn
around
and
let’s
see
what
can
be
done
with this horse’s tail.”

A
fe
w
minute
s
late
r
sh
e
w
a
s
stil
l
tuggin
g
an
d
twisting
.
“I
know that look.
Y
ou wish to say something?” Khara inquired.

“Ne
v
er mind,”
V
ictoria retorted.

“‘Ne
v
er mind’ is something you say to strangers.”

“It’
s
jus
t
tha
t
I
can’
t
hel
p
thinkin
g
tha
t
ther
e
ar
e
a
fe
w
things
you
don’t
know
about
the
future,
e
v
ents
that
will
transpire
in
Egyptia
n
histor
y
tha
t
migh
t
chang
e
you
r
min
d
abou
t
leaving.”