Shadows of the Nile (18 page)

Aline stared at her. Flashes kept coming back to her. She could clearly remember floggings which were meted out. Men and girls whipped until some of them died. She remembered her rags, and the despair.

“You'd like to remember all of it, wouldn't you?” hissed Nephthys. “Well maybe one day soon you will. All of it – just before you die.”

Aline felt the ring gripping her finger, giving her courage. She felt the sting of the Ankh on her back. She stood up and slowly turned away from Nephthys. Then she quickly looked over her shoulder, noting the sudden shocked expression on the other's face.

“See the Ankh, Nephthys? Look at it! You think I do tricks with snakes. Think again. I was sent here to find out something and that's what I'm going to do. How do you think I got the Ankh? Who burnt it into my skin? Here, feel it. No, you don't dare touch it, do you? Every day I'm becoming more powerful and more aware, and soon I'll be able to take you on. Leave Ebony alone, or I'll burn something into your skin you won't like, and all your men friends will know just what a tart you are. Businesswoman, that's rubbish. You're nothing but a whore.”

Nephthys's face distorted in fury. “How dare you! You're nothing! You're the tart! You use herbs on snakes to make them attack, and now you've had a tattoo. How cheap and nasty you are.”

“I don't think so. How did I get the Ankh? I'll tell you. Very recently, Anubis burnt it into my skin to protect me from the likes of you. Watch yourself, Nephthys. You could disappear in a puff of smoke.”

“Anubis!” Nephthys scoffed. “Anubis! You believe in all those ancients from the past? They're all gone and finished with.” She got up. “You shouldn't meddle with things you don't understand.”

“Oh, but I do understand them. You're part of this, Nephthys, and I'm going to find out how deeply involved you are. Threaten me all you like but I'm not letting go. I'm going to find out everything. Does that frighten you?”

Nephthys didn't answer. She left without another word, and didn't look back as she went down the steps.

Aline watched her go, a wry smile on her lips. Nephthys was frightened – that much was clear. Nephthys never expected Aline to stand up to her, she expected her to be weak. But Aline, when she took Nephthys on, now found she could ride her hurtful words and surface above anything she said.

Not that she accepted her. She had a mounting dislike of the woman and felt a great anger towards her.

*

“Aline, has Nephthys gone?”

Achmed had reappeared.

“Yes, Achmed. Just a minute ago.”

“Did you two argue? She didn't look very pleased.”

“We did have words.”

“She can be dangerous.”

“So can I, Achmed.”

“Be careful of her. She knows a lot of the ancient ways.”

“So do I.”

“Aline, if I can ever help in any way just ask me. I have lived a long time in Egypt and I have a great knowledge of the country and its people. I know there is something very unpleasant going on between you and Nephthys. You are both strong and intelligent people. I wouldn't want to see you destroy each other.”

“Who are you, Achmed? You're like a mediator. You're sensitive and deep, and you feel things, and you too are very wise. Tell me, do you think the old ways could still be around? Do you for instance think Anubis is still with us?”

“I think we should never scorn anything. There are things we don't understand. Thousands of years ago it was believed that Anubis had a job to do, to use his book of spells and send people into the afterlife. If for some reason the spells didn't work the dead would be in limbo. Then Anubis himself wouldn't be able to rest until he had finished his final deed. So he could still be with us, with any tools he has to use to finish his task.”

“So are you saying that he's still here because some people missed the ferry boat, so to speak?”

“I'm not saying anything like that, Aline. I'm merely saying that if strange things happen in this time, to possibly people like you, and maybe Nephthys, then something perhaps has to be put right. I'm a university lecturer who has studied thousands of years of Egyptian history and I am open to believe anything, if it's demonstrated to me. I want you to promise me you'll be careful. You are a beautiful young woman with your whole life ahead of you. You could have a husband and lovely children to look forward to, just as Ebony has now. Think of her and what she's got. She wants nothing else. Her mind isn't open to the past. She lives for now. Do you think you could do that?”

Aline felt tears in her eyes. “No,” she said quietly. “I have to find my Egyptian, and if he's merely a shadow in the past then that's what I am too, and I'll die with him if necessary.”

Achmed's eyes misted. “You have a great love for someone, and perhaps you are right. If that Egyptian is so important to you then you should find him, and if you perish, I think it will be in his arms.”

He gave her a fatherly hug.

“My prayers will be with you,” he murmured.

*

After he'd gone she leant over the railings. She could see Ebony in the distance, her arms round her husband. He was saying something to her and making her laugh.

It came back to her. The last time she'd seen Ebony was Eboni in the brothel owned by Nephthys. Her lovely young face had been contorted with fear and misery as she was being forced by Nephthys to sell her body to a man she didn't know.

So what had happened to Eboni?

It was time to go back, not only to find her Egyptian but to find out about Eboni.

She went down to her cabin, stood by the window, covered her ring lightly with her right hand, and held both hands up to the sunlight.

Tadinanefer stirred once again in the Egyptian's arms. The ring was biting into her skin and causing her a considerable amount of pain. Something was very wrong.

Then she could hear the sound of hooves.

“Sire, wake up. I can hear a noise. I think it's outside.”

“Mm? What is it, Tadinanefer? I can't hear anything.”

“That's because you're not awake. Oh, please Sire, listen to me. I'm sure I can hear horses.”

“Horses?” Thoth was instantly alert. He leapt to his feet and cautiously glanced out through a slit in the wall.

He came back to her, a thunderous look on his face.

“Get dressed quickly,” he murmured. “And don't make any noise. He put on his clothes and seized his sword. “There's trouble. You must have been followed or someone gave you away. We might have to fight our way out of this one. There are four or five men waiting out there and they're armed.”

She threw on her dress.

“But who…?”

“Maybe one of the guards was bribed. They've no scruples.”

“Is Ammon still with us?” She knew his skills would really help them.

“No. But I have two good men here. Fortunately the horses are close by. I should have got you to somewhere far safer than this place. I just couldn't wait to make love to you, and now you're in danger. Do you still have your dagger?”

“Yes.” She took it out of her belt.

“Did Ammon show you how to use it?”

“Yes, sort of, Sire.”

He gave a grim little smile as he placed her hand firmly around its hilt.

“Grip it tightly. Use two hands if you have to and thrust it into any part of your attacker's body that's accessible. You may not wound him badly but you'll have the element of surprise, and maybe get away. Don't be brave, Tadinanefer, don't fight. Just run.”

“Yes, Sire.”

“And don't call me Sire. I'm your lover. Call me Thoth, please. And something else I should tell you – our Pharaoh is my cousin.”

She stared at him in complete surprise, almost dropping the dagger. She'd guessed he was wealthy, and maybe a nobleman, but never imagined he was of royal blood.

“Are you listening to me, Tadinanefer? Conceal your dagger. You must get to the horses as quickly as possible. Can you ride bareback?”

“Yes, Sire… Thoth.”

“Ride as fast as you can to Karnak. The horse will take you, it knows the way.”

“But surely the men outside won't attack you. You're too important.”

Thoth held her to him. “They don't know who I am. They'll kill first and ask questions later. Your so-called father, Ptah, is with them.”

“Ptah! Oh, no! He hates me. Give me to him. He'll leave you alone then. It's just me he wants.”

“Not any more, Tadinanefer. You're no longer pure and virginal. You're mine and he'll kill anyone who's touched you, irrespective of rank or title.”

She could feel her heart beating faster as she realised the gravity of the situation. There were perhaps five of them. They were outnumbered.

“They're on horseback,” he went on. “We have to get them off the horses so we are equal on the ground.”

“How will you do it?”

“We have snakes kept here for various reasons. We'll send out a couple. They'll upset the horses and hopefully throw their riders. I'll get one of the servants to set it up by opening the door and look as if he's taking rubbish out in a basket, and that's where the snakes will be. Stay here and don't go anywhere where you can be seen.”

She watched him go. She didn't want him to leave her. Thoughts were crowding her head. Ptah had found her. She'd found Thoth. And now snakes were once more being used to help them, she hoped. They must get past Ptah. She couldn't lose Thoth now.

He quickly returned. She looked at him. His face was hard and distant, ready for the ensuing fight.

He took her hand. When they got to the door the two other guards were ready, and the servant with the basket.

“Just before we get outside,” Thoth said to her, “the snakes will be released. In the commotion you're to run to the horses and then you must ride as never before. Do you understand, Tadinanefer? Obey me in this.”

“Yes, Sire.”

He gave her the smallest of smiles before nodding at the servant, who opened the door just wide enough to squeeze through with the basket.

After a moment or two they heard the squeal of the horses and the curses of the riders as they thudded to the ground. The servant didn't return.

They were outside before she realised what was happening. She started to run as she heard the clashing of swords, but she was stopped. To her horror Ptah stood in her way.

“Tadinanefer! I've come to take you home, teach you a few lessons!”

She tried to run past him but he grabbed her, twisting her round so her back was against him. His arms went round her neck, throttling her. He started to drag her towards a horse.

“No,” she choked. She could see Thoth and his men fighting. They were holding their own, far more versed in the art of combat than Ptah's servants.

“Get on the horse!” Ptah shouted.

“No.”

Tadinanefer remembered her dagger. She pulled it out of her belt and with all her might stuck it into one of his arms. Ptah screamed in agony and let go of her.

“You bitch,” he snarled.

Tadinanefer didn't wait to hear the rest of his curses. She leapt onto the horse and headed straight for Thoth.

“Thoth, Thoth,” she screamed. “Get on!”

Thoth was behind her in two seconds.

“Come on!” he yelled at his men.

Ptah's men, hearing his name, hesitated.

“That's Thoth!” she heard one of them say loudly. “Ptah didn't tell us we'd be fighting someone as powerful as him. We won't fight him.”

They drew back, Ptah swearing at them. Thoth's men left the affray and leapt onto the other horses.

As they raced through the awakening countryside Tadinanefer could feel the closeness of Thoth's body as he held one arm round her, making sure she wouldn't fall. She saw Ptah's blood on her dress, and felt devastated. She'd injured someone who'd been like a father, but who'd changed so much. He was like a mad dog. She too had changed. She now had to protect Thoth above everything else. She would never let anyone hurt him. She'd die first.

*

They seemed to ride for ages. She needed the support from Thoth's arm by the time they approached Karnak. She was totally exhausted from the night of lovemaking, the fight and the pounding of the horse.

Priests emerged quickly from the temples.

“Sire, what has happened?” they asked in astonishment when they saw the dishevelled riders.

“A fight. No one is hurt but the lady is exhausted.” Thoth leapt off the horse and pulled Tadinanefer into his arms. “You must care for her. She has become very special to me. Take her into your temples. She is the White Woman from afar, upon whom Wadjet has smiled. She must be cleansed, fed and clothed.”

“Please don't go,” she murmured. “There's nothing wrong with me.”

“You'll stay here,” Thoth commanded gently. “You really will be safe here. This time you have come to the holiest of holy places and not a place of ill-repute. I have things to do. I need to secure a place for you with me, where we can be together. I promise I'll be back very soon.”

She clung to him. He held her very close, and then pushed her reluctantly into the arms of a priest.

“I'll be back,” he promised once more, as he and his men rode off.

As they went into Karnak, Tadinanefer was awed by the vastness of the complex. In the Hall of many columns she was handed to female servants, who took her far into the deepest recesses of the temples. After she was washed and dressed in clean clothes she realised how very tired she felt. She ate a little, then she fell asleep, dreaming of Thoth and their night of love.

*

When she awoke it was late in the day. Thoth hadn't returned. The servants couldn't answer any questions she put to them, either not knowing what was happening, or they wouldn't say.

She waited.

*

He came at dusk. As he walked through the door he looked like an Egyptian god. He was different. He wore a magnificent gold necklace which hung down onto his muscular chest. His headdress was covered in precious stones which glistened in the pale light. His jewelled sandals showed just beneath his long gold skirt. His muscular arms were accentuated by wide gold bands worn just above the elbow. His dark eyes stared hungrily at her, but there was no hint of a smile as he stood before her, a symbol of total power.

She got up and immediately dropped to her knees. She'd done something wrong. She drew her veil over her head and clasped her hands together.

“You disobeyed me, Tadinanefer,” he said gently. “After you knifed Ptah you should have run. That was my instruction to you. By coming after me with the horse you could have been injured. That was not my plan. In the ways of fighting you must, in future, obey me.”

She lowered her eyes. “I'm sorry, Sire. I couldn't leave you. I love you too much.”

Thoth sighed.

“Are all you white women like warriors?”

“They said my mother fought alongside my father if she had to.”

“But you're not to fight, Tadinanefer. You're not versed in the ways of it. You only fight to defend yourself, not to defend others. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Sire.” Oh, Thoth, she thought to herself, I'd do it again and again. I'd have to help you, however cross you might be with me.

“Good.” He gently pulled her to her feet and held her at arm's length.

“You are the most exquisite woman,” he went on. “I shall always remember how you look at this moment with your beautiful brown hair,” he ran his fingers through it, “and the loveliness of your face, completely fresh and unpainted. I love your white breasts, and your white body, so different to anything I've ever seen. When I see you unclothed, it's as if you have come from beneath the earth to surface in my arms like a naked goddess. I thank the Gods for sending you to me. I do love you, Tadinanefer, and I'll always protect you.”

She stood, not moving. She dare not touch him. She knew her intense feeling for him would erupt in a second and she wouldn't be able to control herself. In turn she studied him. She guessed he was probably a bit older than she was – but much more worldly-wise. She guessed he had wives and concubines, but the way he looked at her at that moment made her feel like the only woman in his life. Once again she felt the intense sexual desire between them – the chemistry about to explode if not controlled. Her innocence bowed to his experience. She trembled. The love between them was timeless.

“I want to walk with you,” he said, taking her hand. “I want to show you the sacred lake and how tranquil it can be in the moonlight. I want to talk to you and smile with you, and then I want to make love to you. Come, Tadinanefer. Let's enjoy our moment together.”

*

Willingly, she strolled with him through the buildings, some of them quite ancient, amazed at what she saw. Finally the water came into view.

“They hold many important ceremonies here,” he murmured. “If you have sinned, you could be pardoned if you were immersed in the water. That is really only for the highest of our people.” He paused. “I know you were perfectly innocent in the brothel. Last night proved that to me. However, tell me about the men you met there.”

“There were only two, Thoth. The first one wasn't at all interested in me sexually. He merely wanted to look at my body and take a piece of my hair. The second as you know was Ammon, whom you sent, and he didn't touch me.”

Thoth smiled. “I sent the first man to you, also,” he confessed. “He isn't interested in women at all – much prefers men. So I knew you were safe from any advances from him. You may look surprised, Tadinanefer, but I wanted to find out if you were really what they said, whether you were white or just painted. That's why he prodded you and cut off a lock of your hair, which I asked him to do. That piece of hair is now kept close to me in a sacred place. Then I sent Ammon, who is my best fighting man. I knew he would get you out. He told me how you helped him by using a snake to kill one of the guards.”

Tadinanefer was silent.

“Also I knew the beggar I saw in the street wasn't as he should be. I immediately sensed it was a woman, I don't know how. The person had the appearance of a down-and-out and yet there was something about the way he held his body, proud and erect, not bent and grovelling in the dust as a tramp would. And his eyes were young and bright, not diseased and bloodshot. I nearly came back to disrobe you to see what was under all those rags. It's a great pity I didn't. Never mind. I finally found out where the old tramp had gone, and it was reported back to me that he was no tramp but the white woman, adopted daughter of Ptah.” Again he smiled.

“That was the first time I saw you, Thoth. Oh, I wanted to hold you so much.”

“Did you? You should have called out to me. We could have saved you your dreadful ordeal in the brothel if you had.”

He too was suddenly quiet, as if he was trying to find words to tell her something.

“You had a friend at the brothel.”

“Eboni. Yes! Oh, Sire, I'd be so grateful if you could rescue her for me. She doesn't deserve to be there. We were together and we made each other laugh.”

He held her close, stroking her cheek. “I'm sorry, Tadinanefer… I have bad news… I don't know how to tell you this,” he paused. “But Eboni is dead. One of the guards killed her.”

Tadinanefer stared disbelievingly at him. “Eboni – no! She can't be. I saw her only two days ago. She can't be dead.” She froze, in total shock.

Eboni's face seemed to smile at her from the water. “How? Why?” she uttered, when she could speak.