The Song of the Bee-Eater (The Desert Queen Book 4) Read online

  I found the horses quite easily in the closest set of stables. As if they remembered I always had treats in my pocket, they began to stamp and snort at the sight of me.

  “Hail, Raja and Kamara. Yes, I have something for you.”

  Despite my current sadness and worry, the animals pulled a smile out of me. I held out some sugar cubes and let them take turns licking my palms. Once they had their snacks, I rubbed their noses lovingly. I wondered what it would be like to ride a chariot horse into battle. Last year during our visit here, Aperel let me sit atop one. Of course I was not allowed to ride freely, not without his hand holding the reins. He’d warned me that these were too powerful for a young girl to master. But that minor encounter with the horses did not satisfy me.

  Aperel had been a nice man, and I found him to be intelligent. And he obviously held great affection for the animals in his care. I had been surprised to learn he was a traitor. Like everyone else, I’d heard the rumors about him and my mother, but unlike Smenkhkare I did not believe them to be true. Anyone with brains knew Mother had eyes for no one except our father. And what would have been so wrong if she had loved another? In the past few years Father had become a distant man, pushing away all those he once cherished, including his children. I could not explain this change in him, and it was easier to just blame Mother. She should have tried harder to keep his love intact. For if he had not fallen out of love with her, we would all be happy still.

  Surely that was her fault.

  “Yes, Raja. You are a greedy one, aren’t you?” The dark horse nudged my pocket, and I gave him my last treat. Kamara snorted in offense, but I had nothing else to give. “Too bad, handsome. You should have been more persistent. Now your brother has taken it all.” I smiled again as Raja’s tongue searched my palm for his prize. He flicked his ears at me with pleasure as Kamara turned his head away for a moment. He did not trust me now, now that he knew I had favored his brother.

  Ah, you’d better get used to that. Life is not fair, and neither are the gods and goddesses who so cruelly rule us all.

  “I knew I would find you here, Meri-meri.”

  I didn’t turn around. “Nobody calls me that anymore. That’s a childhood name, a name I would like to leave behind.” The truth was, our father had called me that, back when he loved me still. I couldn’t bear to look at Smenkhkare. Not without crying like a baby. I reached for a brush from a nearby rack and began carefully stroking Raja’s coat. He did not need it, but I needed something to do with my hands. I had never been allowed to perform this task myself, but I had watched the horse masters enough times to know how it was done. You started at the animal’s back and swept the brush down in even strokes; it wasn’t hard. And if I could brush Tasherit’s hair, this would be an easy job. Raja seemed to enjoy the treatment, even if it was administered by inexperienced hands. He shivered in appreciation and nuzzled me repeatedly.

  “I don’t want to see you, brother. There is nothing else to say.”

  “Why call me brother? You know we are more than that. But I have something to say to you. Please, Meritaten, listen to me.”

  With tears stinging my eyes I answered him, “Then say what you have to if it helps you. I will not stop you—you are co-regent now, aren’t you? It is your right to speak to whomever you choose. Tell me, have you visited our sister yet? Did she welcome you with a flower wreath and some pomegranates?”

  “Why do you say such things? And you should not blame Ankhesenamun. This was not her idea. She is a child, Meritaten, and must obey. May I remind you this was a marriage I did not want?”

  “I see you are broken up about it.” I turned my back to him again and continued brushing Raja’s silky coat.

  “You misunderstand me, Meri-meri. I will not accept her. I intend to refuse the marriage; it is my right as co-regent.”

  His words made me stop in mid-brush. With a glance over my shoulder I asked, “How do you intend to defy our father? You know you can’t do that. If Father said it, it is the law.”

  “I have a plan.” He touched my shoulder, and it burned my skin. I could not help but feel hope rise in me just as Mother had predicted.

  Hope, Meritaten. You must keep hope.

  “What is your plan?” I whispered as I fought the urge to abandon all and fall into his arms.

  “Kames. He will help us, I am sure of it. As the eldest brother, he must marry first.”

  “And what if he has no mind to marry? What then?”

  “If he must be compelled to take our sister as wife, then I will compel him to do it. It is true—I have consulted my scribes, and they tell me this is how it is always done in Pharaoh’s family. Pharaoh may choose whomever he likes for co-regent, but his sons must be afforded marriage according to their ages. Kames must marry first; at the very least we will have more time to find another way.” Pulling himself up to his full height he added, “And if I must, I will die before I marry Ankhesenamun. You are my true love, Meritaten. It is only you I love. I want no other wives, and no other shall take your place, my love. You are everything.”

  I flung my arms around his neck and hugged him with the weight of my body. I sobbed in relief. “I love you too, Smenkhkare. You are my life and breath! If I had to choose from all the men in all the world, I would choose you. Always! There is no one but you for me.” I laid my head upon his chest as he stroked my hair.

  Let this moment be for always. Yes, let it be for always!

  “Let them try to separate us!” he said in a savage whisper. “And no matter what, we will be together. Even if we must perish, like Ramose and Sitamen.” I shivered to hear him say so, but I agreed with all my heart.

  Then all the world erupted into screams—as if they had heard our words to one another. Screams and cries erupted from the palace and swept across the complex. People ran outside and tossed heaps of sand upon their heads.

  “What is happening? Are we being invaded?” I asked fearfully.

  “No, that’s not the sound of an invasion. This is something else.” He gripped my hand and gave me a grim look. “Stay with me, Meritaten—no matter what.” I nodded my promise, my eyes wide with terror. As the sounds of fear rose around us, he repeated himself as if one promise wasn’t enough. “No matter what—you stay close.”

  With my heart pounding and my hands sweating, I let Smenkhkare drag us to our fate.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Bloody Sheets—Nefertiti

  As soon as I left Tadukhipa’s rooms, I found myself surrounded by the medjay. Their fierce tattooed eyes let me know that I faced grave danger. Horus, my husband’s most trusted medjay, spoke to me directly. It was a strange thing to hear the mostly silent man’s voice. “Great Queen, come with us.” I didn’t immediately obey him. What if they were here at the behest of one of my enemies? I had too many to count now. If the reports were true, if my husband was dead, there would be no protection for me. But how could I know if they were true? Perhaps he himself had orchestrated all this just to have a reason to seize me?

  Horus spoke calmly as if he read my mind. “It is true. Your husband, our Pharaoh, is dead. Please, Great Queen. Come with us. We must keep you safe.”

  I held back a thousand questions and a thousand tears—this was no time to release either of those torrents. I would have to go with them now, willingly or forcibly, and what would be would be. I nodded my permission, and immediately the medjay surrounded me. They moved in precise, synchronized lockstep, their left hands holding their spears and their right hands upon the hilts of their gleaming daggers. They banged their spear ends on the ground, and we began to walk toward whatever destination they had in mind.

  If the blow is to come, let it come now!

  I would not close my eyes to the danger but stared at the back of Horus’ bald head as he barked orders to his men. No attack came, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I made my face a serene mask, a skill I’d learned from my time here at court, and kept their pace. We walked through the Grand Court, where ma
ny hundreds of people were already gathered. The people were looking for consolation from the royal family, some assurance that all was well. Things were most assuredly not well. Someone recognized me and began wailing, “Great Queen! Our Great Queen!”

  My first instinct was to stop and comfort those who needed me, but Horus was having none of it. “No, lady. It is not safe. There is an assassin in our court. Please, there is no time.”

  “My children!” I exclaimed suddenly. “Bring them to me!”

  “It shall be done, Great Queen.” Four of the medjay broke off from the group as others surrounded me, and I watched as the dispatched men ran to various locations to find my three living children. Please let them be alive!

  To my surprise, the medjay led me to my own chambers. Horus opened the outer door and looked nervously up and down, as if he expected an army to run down the Grand Hall. Perhaps he did. “What happened, Horus? I must know?”

  “An assassin murdered Pharaoh as he worshiped. He—or she—left him bleeding in the Sun Room. By the time we found him he was dead.”

  “She? Has the assassin been found? Does my son know of this?”

  “We are looking everywhere. We suspect Lady Ipy of involvement, as her servant discovered Pharaoh’s body.”

  I could tell by his expression that he was not telling me everything. “Please, Horus. Do not hide anything from me. If I must protect our regent, I must know what you know.”

  He nodded in agreement. “The lady was distraught. Pharaoh was to send her away. I can only gather she was disappointed.” Horus hesitated but continued, “At one time, he intended to make her his wife. I believe that was no longer the case. She is being held in her chambers. The priests have been summoned to rule in this matter.”

  “What priests? Do you mean the leopard coats? Surely not, Horus! You know they have no love for us! Would you deliver us into their hands?”

  In his deep voice Horus said, “All things must be done according to the law, Great Queen. It is the priests who administer justice in such matters.”

  Defiance crept up my spine. “No! It is Pharaoh’s regent, Smenkhkare, who must administer justice for his father! If you do as you say, you will doom us all. Is that what you want?”

  “No, lady. I only seek to protect you.”

  “Then please, listen to me. Find Smenkhkare! Do not give the priests such authority until you have spoken to your prince. Swear it to me.”

  He looked unsure, but he agreed. Under no circumstance would I ever allow the priests of Amun to pass judgment on any in the royal family, not even Ipy. If she was truly guilty, she would be punished—if she had done as he suggested, I would kill her myself! But it would be a mistake to give the Amun priesthood the power of life and death over any of us. Pharaoh had taken that away from them, and now by law the medjay would give it back?

  “When you find my son, please bring him to me. I must see him.”

  “Yes, Great Queen.”

  I hurried inside to change my clothing and prepare to flee the city. Despite what I told Horus, I would not stay here. Not for any reason! My children and I would never be safe! “Cara! Miane!” No one answered. I hurried through my living quarters and rushed into my bedchambers. Perhaps they were there. I heard the sounds of a woman crying, and it was a familiar voice—one that I knew as well as my own. As I flung the doors open, I was again surprised to find that all my servants were gone, except for Menmet, who was in a crumpled pile on my bed. She was sobbing as if I had died. Perhaps she believed that I had.

  “Menmet! I am here. See? I am here.”

  She shot up in the bed, and then I noticed she was not alone. There was another woman in my bed—and Menmet was covered in blood!

  “Menmet! What has happened? Is that the assassin?” I peered through the thin veil around my bed and stumbled back in horror. My own sister lay in the sheets, her face so like my own and wearing an expression of surprise.

  Menmet turned and hissed at me. With a scream she said, “No! You are dead! I have killed you! You are dead!” She glanced from me to Pah, only now realizing that she had stabbed my sister.

  My head spun with grief and shock. “Lady Nephthys? Pah?” I screamed at my sister. Her mouth was slightly open as if she had called out for help with her last breath. She was not moving, and I could see no signs of life. This could not be! She could not die like this, betrayed by my own maidservant. “Move, Menmet! What have you done?”

  As I stared in horror, I saw the pale sheer fabrics of my bed turn crimson—it might not be too late! The blood still flowed! I could save Pah! Then my eyes fell upon the instrument of death in Menmet’s hand; a curved golden blade with a bloody edge. She rose and held her arms stiffly at her sides. Her hands were hard fists of determination and hate. She did not relinquish her blade as I instructed. Her face was a mess of makeup and blood, and she was breathing hard. I could see her skin was pale even beneath my sister’s blood. “Move, Menmet. There still may be time to save her.” I put my hands in front of me to calm her. She screamed, and the sound of it chilled my bones.

  “You were dead—I killed you! But you are here and I must kill you again! Why did you return? Why, lady? Must I kill you twice?”

  “Menmet…grief has made you mad. Please, stop what you are doing. Stop now! It is not too late, Menmet. Let me tend to my sister. Let me see her.”

  “Sister? Then I did not kill you?” She stared from me to Pah. “Yes, I see now. She is Nephthys! But how could you know? Nobody knew I would come here. This is your trickery at work, Desert Queen. Let that be your final thought—you killed your own sister with your trickery and deceit!”

  “How long have you hated me?” I asked as I moved backwards, away from the dangerous arc she made with the blade. “Why have you done this?”

  “I do not hate you, Great Queen, but I will not die for you. Lady Ipy has promised me more than you ever offered. Have I not waited on you day and night, cared for you in sickness? Have I not given you everything? And you to deny me my freedom?”

  “What are you talking about, Menmet? I have denied you nothing! What do you mean?”

  “Lady Ipy told me what you did. How you sold me, how you intended to offer me to Pharaoh as amusement. But I won’t let that happen! I won’t!”

  “I never did such a thing. You have let Ipy poison your mind, and she has used you to kill me. You were my friend!”

  “Ha! Friends, were we? When was the Great Queen of Egypt ever my friend? My father is right—you are the poison in the ka of Egypt! We must purge our souls if we want to be reunited with Amun! Lady Ipy has done her part, and now I must do mine!”

  I saw Pah move on the bed behind Menmet, her fingers only, but she moved! I had to draw the deranged girl’s attention away and get help. “Move, Menmet. Move now! I will forgive you if you move. I will help you!”

  She answered with a yelp and charged at me. As she came toward me, her knife raised high, she swung again and again. I dodged the first two attempts, but then I fell on my back and she struck my arm. It was only a glancing strike but she made her mark and left a gash on my forearm. Blood poured down my arm as we wrestled together. I continued to scream, “Menmet! No!” but it did little good. She gritted her teeth in anger and struggled with me as if she did mean to take my life—again!

  “You should have died the first time, Great Queen!”

  “Menmet!” Another voice echoed through the chamber—my son drew his blade and rushed toward me. Meritaten screamed in surprise as she entered the room, but Menmet didn’t seem to hear them, so focused was she on her murderous deed.

  “Menmet, stop!” I screamed at her as I saw that Smenkhkare had unsheathed his blade. He drove it through her tiny body, and she lurched beneath his blow. Blood surged from her mouth, and I felt her urinate on me as the curved blade fell out of her hand. She toppled over to the right, and her wig covered her face. I could not see if she was alive or dead. I did not care. I crawled to the bed and leaned over Pah.

&
nbsp; “Pah! Pah! Quickly, Meritaten, call for the physician!” My daughter flew out of the room as Smenkhkare examined Menmet. “Please, sister, look at me!”

  She had little life left in her. How could she live with all the blood she’d lost? I was not proficient in the healing arts, but even I knew this. “Pah, don’t leave me.”

  Her brow furrowed slightly and her mouth moved, but no words came forth.

  I leaned closer. “What is it? My sister, please don’t leave me.”

  “Nef-ret…for-give…”

  I sobbed and held her cool hand. I kissed it and nodded. “Yes, I forgive you. Forgive me, Pah. Please don’t leave me.”

  “A life…for…”

  And then she was gone. Pah’s eyes closed, her breathing ceased, and her face went slack. It was peaceful, as if she knew that at last she would have peace.

  Meritaten was not gone long. “Mother, the physician cannot be found. The palace is in turmoil…and the medjay. They are gone!” Meritaten touched my shoulder as I wept. Her words snatched me from my grief. I could not allow my treasures to perish under the blades of the priests. With clumsy fingers I took Pah’s bracelet. I had to have something of hers.

  “We must go! Where is Tasherit?”

  “I know where she is. She is safe, in Princess Sitamen’s aviary, but how will we get there without being seen? Will the priests kill us, Mother? Did the priests kill Father?”

  “Never doubt their hand was in it, no matter who drew the blade, Meritaten. I have made arrangements for us to leave—I feared this day would come.” I glanced at Pah one last time. “We must get Tasherit and leave, for the city is lost to us.”

  “No!” Smenkhkare shouted in anger. “I am the Pharaoh of Egypt. I will not flee like a child in the night. I will fight for what is mine.”

  “You might fight, but you will lose. Come with us, Smenkhkare. It is the only way. There will be another day for fighting.”