Shadows of the Nile (6 page)

Aline tried to avoid it, but couldn't. She only took one small whiff. That was sufficient. She began to feel light-headed.

“That's it. Well done.” She slid the shawl off Aline's shoulders and it fell to the ground.

“Ah, that's better. I want to take you on a little journey but you don't have to move. I have something else for you.”

Aline tried to speak but couldn't. Her body began to feel stiff. All she could see was Nephthys.

“I gave you a necklace,” she went on. “You were quite right. It was rubbish. I have another one for you. It's engraved with symbols and it'll help you to dream.”

Aline tried to move. She tried to get her mind to function, as Nephthys wound ropes of coloured beads and pebbles many times round her neck, pulling it tight and knotting it at the back. The only thing she could remember was her ring, hidden under the scarf round her hand.

She felt sure Nephthys hadn't noticed it.

“There, now. You mustn't fear me. I'm your friend.”

As Aline started to drift into a deep slumber, her surroundings became unearthly, filled with strange shapes and shadowy figures from the distant past. Someone whispered ‘Soon, soon,' and she was once again in the room near the Sphinx. Then she was in the inner sanctum of the Hatshepsut temple with him waiting for her. In her overwhelming desire to be with him once more she would accept anything. Whatever happened she had to find the Egyptian.

Tadinanefer sprinted through the fields, trying to outrun the wind, which had increased in strength since the morning. As her brown hair flew out behind her, free from the black wig she was nearly always forced to wear, she felt the wind mischievously playing with it and tossing it hither and thither. The energy of youth surged through every bone in her body and she felt as if she could fly straight up into the sky. She had left the strict confines of family and servants far behind. No one could catch her. No one knew where she was. She had taken advantage of her own serving girl, knowing the girl was madly in love with one of the young men helping to build her father's tomb and would do anything to slip out to meet him. She had told her she was unwell, and had pretended to take herbs to make her sleep, and had lain watching through half-closed eyes as the servant slipped out to meet her lover. She knew both she and her servant would be in trouble when her father found out, and they'd be punished, but right now she didn't care. She was as free as a bird, for about the first time in her life.

Some of the men working in the fields stopped to look at her as she raced along. But she didn't pause to acknowledge their surprised looks. She knew they'd never seen her before like this, with her hair wild and her white skin glowing in the sunshine, and completely on her own. She knew where the River Nile was and she was determined to reach it before anyone could stop her. She'd seen it on outings with her family but they'd always kept her well in the background, surrounded by her sisters, and hidden and veiled so she could scarcely see anything. She wanted not only to see it but to bathe in it if possible.

At last she was there. The sight of the vast expanse of water took her breath away. She stopped and watched the water being churned by the wind. There was a haunting and beautiful sound as the wind sighed round a boat moored on the bank; it was like strange singing.

Tadinanefer wandered along near the water's edge. Some lads were fishing just offshore in small boats, happily ignoring the dangers of the surging waves which might capsize them. She knew they were forced to fish in any weather or their families would go hungry. She waved to them. They stared across at her but didn't wave back. The wind blew stronger suddenly, making her feel apprehensive. Maybe she'd been foolish to venture so far on her own. She should return.

But it was too late. In the distance she could see two chariots racing along the track, sending up clouds of dust into the sky. She was dismayed. She'd been found out. They'd come to take her back, and she now had to face the consequences.

She stood waiting quietly. They couldn't do much to her, could they? She was, after all, the daughter of Ptah, who owned the farm.

Then she saw who was in the first chariot. It was her father. His face was thunderous as he stopped his horse in front of her. He got out very slowly. He didn't immediately say anything to her. Then he hit her hard across each cheek. She reeled in horror, both from the pain and from the surprise of his vicious attack. He'd never before shown any violence towards her.

“I'm sorry,” she murmured.

Ptah motioned to his servant, who threw him a thick black robe.

“I told you,” Ptah hissed at her, “never to leave the confines of the house without at least one servant, and never to expose any part of your skin. You're always to be completely covered.”

“I'm sorry,” she said again. Her head was beginning to ache.

“I'll deal with you when we get home,” he growled. He threw the robe over her; it covered her from head to foot and fell over her face. He hauled her into his chariot, tightly winding a rope round her, tying it securely, and winding the ends round his hands.

He didn't say another word on the way back to the house. He drove his chariot in an easy, expert way – so used to using it as a means of transport to get round his farm. But although he drove it much slower than when he'd chased after her, she would have lost her balance if he hadn't held her in his strong grip.

He dragged her into the house, where her mother stood waiting with fear and alarm on her face.

“Ptah,” she murmured.

“Silence, wife,” he stormed at her. He pushed Tadinanefer towards her.

Masika unwound the rope and pushed the heavy cloth back from her daughter's face.

“Oh, Ptah,” she said when she noticed Tadinanefer's cheeks. “You've hit her.”

“That's not her punishment,” he growled. “That comes later. Go to your room, girl.”

“What of my maidservant?” Tadinanefer asked. “She was not to blame. We both fell asleep, and I awoke before her and slipped out.” She wasn't going to say that the girl had gone to meet her lover.

“She'll be severely beaten,” Ptah said coldly. “She'll be yelling in pain. Then she'll be dismissed.”

“Please don't hurt her, it was my fault.”

Ptah grimaced. “You'll have to learn how you end up hurting people if you do just what you want. Now do as you're told and go to your room, and stay there until I call you.”

She crept off. She felt very distressed. But she was determined to help her servant if she could. To do that she needed to hear what her parents were saying. So when she thought they'd forgotten her, she crept back to a spot where she couldn't be seen and yet could hear them quite clearly.

“You're too hard on her,” Masika was saying. “You should let her lead her life in the normal way like her sisters. They're all married. She's fifteen and should have been married long before this.”

“She'll never be married,” Ptah hissed. “I have different plans for her. She's not ordinary. She was given to us by those travellers, you remember, given to me by that beautiful woman. She stays with me until I die. Do you understand, woman? She belongs to me, to do with as I like.”

“And what happens when you die,” Masika flamed. “What do we do with her then?”

“I have that all worked out,” Ptah said quietly. “You don't go against my wishes. Now take the servant girl to be flogged and sent on her way with nothing apart from the clothes she wears. I will deal with Tadinanefer.”

Tadinanefer heard her mother prepare to leave and quickly returned to her room.

She started to think. She knew Ptah and Masika were not her true kin. She only had to look at the lightness of her skin and her brown hair to know she hadn't been born into the family. But she'd only just learned that Ptah never intended to marry her off. That was why he'd always been over-possessive with her. He'd always hidden her from everyone, by shrouding her in many robes. She thought it was because of her skin colour but now she wasn't so sure. She'd only ever been allowed to show her strange beauty to close family and personal servants.

She sat down and folded her hands in her lap with her head held low. She awaited her punishment – she hoped it wouldn't be a flogging.

*

Ptah appeared. “Put your outer robe on,” he said abruptly, “and follow me.”

She did as she was told, following in his footsteps. The hood fell over her eyes. She couldn't really see where they were going, but it was out of the house and quite a long way towards the perimeter of the farm, near the cliffs.

After a while they stopped. Ptah took out a key and unlocked the door to something carved in the rock. At first she thought they'd come to visit someone, but she suddenly realised it was no ordinary place. It smelt of paint and was cold.

Ptah closed the door and lit one of the torches. He tore off her robe so she stood only in her thin shift.

She could at last see around her.

“Do you know where we are?” he asked.

“It's a tomb,” she answered fearfully.

“It's my tomb. I'm having it prepared for my afterlife. It has several rooms and in each room I'll have something I've owned during my life which I'll take with me. The men have just left and they won't be back until I tell them. They're doing work to the walls and making paintings of things I do in my leisure time, my work and my family. Come this way.”

He took the torch and led her towards some steps carved in the wall.

“We'll go down these to where my tomb will lie. When I'm entombed the steps will be removed and there will be a sheer drop. No one will get in or out.”

He took her hand and guided her down to the bottom where there was a chair.

“Sometimes I sit here, making my servants work harder on my paintings.”

He pushed her into the chair. “Sit down, Tadinanefer.” He took out a rope and tied each of her wrists tightly to the arms.

She looked up at him fearfully, beginning to understand what he was doing.

He smiled. “Your punishment is for you to spend the night in my tomb, for you to think on what you've done.”

“Please don't leave me,” she cried. “What if Anubis, the God of the Afterlife, comes to collect me? He may think I'm dead. Don't leave me here, I beg you.”

“If your sins are that great then you'll die.” He leant down and kissed her on her forehead and smoothed back her damp hair. “We shall see.”

He started to leave.

“Please don't take the torch.”

“I'll leave it upstairs. You'll have light for a while.”

“Please,” she cried. She tried to move the chair but it was heavy and didn't budge.

“Don't struggle. You'll only stress yourself even more.”

She was still crying out when she heard him close the door and lock it.

She tried to loosen her bindings but they only became tighter. She tried again to move the chair but she wasn't strong enough. The torch from above cast long shadows and in each corner she thought she could see strange shapes.

“Please don't come for me, Anubis,” she whispered. “I've never really done anything wrong.”

She thought she saw something which looked like a snake. It might bite her. She must keep very still. She mustn't cry or scream. She would sit and wait for the morning in the hope that it would arrive.

After a while the torch began to flicker. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Soon she'd be without light, securely hidden away in the tomb. There would be no escape until he came back for her. She wasn't even certain if he'd come back – just leave her to die there without food, water and warmth. She'd already begun to feel very cold as the dampness from the walls started to seep into her body.

Then she felt something wind its way up her legs! When she looked down she saw an enormous cobra. Terrified, she tried to keep calm as it coiled itself onto her lap and lay there contentedly. The torch light suddenly flickered and went out. It should now have been completely dark but there was another glow, an eerie greenness which came from the snake's eyes. A strange and unearthly heat exuded from the cold-blooded reptile, flooding into her chilled bones and warming her. After a while she lost her fear of the snake and she started to drift off into a weird and vivid sleep. She saw a woman on a white horse. She was very beautiful and had hair the colour of gold which reached down to her waist. She was smiling at Tadinanefer as she sat there. The countryside she was in was different to anything Tadinanefer had ever seen; there were trees everywhere, with different-shaped leaves. Everywhere was very green. The woman rode into a circle of large stone tablets and then she stopped. A man, very tall, very muscular, with long hair also the colour of gold, lifted her down and kissed her. As Tadinanefer opened her eyes they disappeared.

She dozed again.

*

She heard a noise. Someone was coming into the tomb. She trembled fearfully, and in doing so disturbed the snake. It uncoiled itself and slowly slid to the floor. A torch shone from above and she looked up to see Ptah. He stared down into the gloom and started to descend the steps just as the cobra disappeared under the wall.

“So, girl, you are still alive?”

“Didn't you expect me to be?”

Ptah gave a hoarse laugh. He set down the torch and untied her wrists. Holding her neck with one hand, he slid the other under her shift, pushing it upwards. He stroked her thighs, and then her stomach, and finally cupped one of her breasts. “You're very warm,” he said suspiciously. “How did you manage that?”

She was taken aback. He'd never touched her that way before. She'd always thought of him as her father even though there was no blood tie.

She was about to tell him about the snake. Then she thought quickly. He'd hoped she would die. He was no longer to be trusted.

“I don't know.”

He smiled down at her.

“Never lie to me, Tadinanefer. I'll always know, and I'll punish you even more. You were a gift to me, and soon you'll know what I'm going to do with you.” He pulled her up. “Cover yourself completely so no one can see anything of you, and follow me.”

Scared, she obeyed him, quickly robing herself, following at his heels. She so wanted to feel the air and become part of life once more.

When they arrived back home, Masika was waiting for her. She looked pale and stressed and put her arms out to Tadinanefer, but Ptah barked a command at her and her arms fell by her side.

“You know what to do, wife. Tadinanefer will be confined to her room with her new servant until I give further orders. No one but me will speak to her. If I'm disobeyed in any way I'll punish her again. Is that understood?”

Masika nodded dumbly. She led Tadinanefer to her room, where a servant awaited her. She was a strong woman and seemed to be twice as big as Tadinanefer.

Masika left without saying a word, and Tadinanefer was held firmly by the woman as she was quickly undressed, washed and dried with a rough cloth, and pushed into her bed wearing nothing; all this was done with no words spoken. The door was closed firmly on her, and she lay feeling scared, hardly daring to move. She was very much alone.

*

Her imprisonment seemed to go on for days. She was allowed walks in the garden, but even then not one piece of her skin was allowed to catch the air because she was so heavily garmented in layers and layers of clothes. She spoke sometimes to herself to keep sane. Her only comfort was the thought of the snake which had kept her alive, and the dream of the man and woman with the gold hair.