Rahotep and I saw each other several times over the next two weeks; I was repeatedly impressed by his manliness, his intelligence, his charm, his quiet dignity and kindly nature. He is also a lusty, eager and unselfish lover. To say that I miss him when we are apart, would be indeed an understatement.
One night on my bed, about two weeks after we had first met, he told me rather regretfully that, on the following day, he must journey out of Thebes on family business. The anxious look on his face prompted me to say,
“I will miss you of course dear heart but you are not my servant remember. You may do as you wish. When do you expect to return?”
“Four days at most. I must fetch some valuable supplies from my uncle's house in Tether.”
Four days later, late in the afternoon, I again sent Bati to fetch Rahotep. Hoping that he had by then returned from Tetjer, I prepared myself to receive him. It was a day free of responsibilities to the temple; The House of Menmaatre where I am an adoratrice of Isis. I was doubly fortunate in that I was also free of duties to the Queen; as she had left for Mennefer by that time. It was a quiet day, but little did I know that it would indeed be a fateful one.
After about an hour Bati returned with eyes downcast. I could tell immediately that something was amiss. She was well aware of course of the real reason for my summoning Rahotep but, being the soul of discretion that she is, she invariably obeyed me without question or comment. I had told her that if she was ever unable to locate Rahotep, or if, for whatever reason, he was unable to attend me, she had only to inform me of the fact and I would not be displeased with her. So on that afternoon she took me by surprise by quietly announcing,
“I have brought a snake catcher my lady.”
She stood back as a short, gray-haired old man entered. I was so surprised to see him that I did not immediately realize that Bati had good reason for wanting me to meet this man. He bowed to me.
“Who are you my good man?”
“I am the snake catcher Ankhtifi, my lady.”
“I asked for Rahotep,” I said gently.
“Highness, forgive me but a grave misfortune has befallen my son.”
He hesitated before continuing and I could hear the emotion in his voice.
“However...I have been successfully catching snakes for over forty years throughout the Sistrum Nome and lately, here in Thebes.”
He said this with such dignity, that I was moved. But my overriding concern was for Rahotep.
“Your credentials are not in doubt venerable Ankhtifi.”
I dismissed Bati and invited him to sit down. He knelt on the floor as though he was about to pray to a goddess.
“Sit please.”
He sat cross legged on the floor and I offered him a cup of water which he graciously accepted.
“There now, tell me what happened to your son.”
“It was four days ago my lady. My son did not return home in the evening. As soon as I could I searched for him and my search brought me to the foreign quarter, to the vicinity of a house called The Perfumed Garden. I was told by a number of people that the owner of this...establishment knows more about what goes on in the city and indeed in the whole of the Scepter Nome than even the Grand Vizier himself. Forgive me Highness.”
“Never mind, go on.”
“There my quest ended Highness. I tried to make inquiries at this...this house but I was not allowed entry.”
“What did you do then?”
“The day before yesterday Highness, my wife found a note. It had been slipped under our door in the dead of night. I cannot read but I was told by a friend who knows a few words that it concerned the fate of my son and that bandits had abducted him. I think the note says that I am to pay a ransom and that they will tell me when and where I am to meet them. I...have very little Highness, apart from my meager household goods and the fruits of my tiny garden. I have no other living children.”
He was silent for a moment and his head dropped. In a grave voice he then said,
“But I have burdened you enough with this calamity my lady...can you show me where you saw the snake last?”
“The what?”
“The snake Highness.”
“Oh, I'm sure it has left by now. Have you brought this note with you?”
From a coarse cloth bag he produced a large, flat flake of white limestone and set it down at my feet.
“Turn it up the other way,” I instructed him.
“Forgive me.”
Upon the flake were several lines of hieratic in a crude hand. The essentials of the message were correct and the senders had signed themselves, a band of dangerous men.
“They obviously mean to intimidate,” was my immediate thought. I assured Ankhtifi that he had understood the note correctly. He then said,
“This morning I went to the court of the vizier to report this to his officials. Your servant found me there while I was waiting, after she had spoken to my wife.”
“So, in the end, you did not report this matter to my uncle's...that is, to the Vizier's officials.”
“No Highness. I felt that your safety was more important so I rushed here.”
I was silent for a moment and then I had a vision. It lasted for only an instant but in that instant the gods spoke to me, unmistakably. I saw desert valleys in the blinding sun but I saw them as a soaring falcon would see them; from on high. I saw a delicate, green tree snake winding its way by a cliff in one of these valleys and I heard a single word, arise! I was resolved.
“Fear not venerable Ankhtifi, I will find your son and I will bring those that have abducted him to justice.”
Quite understandably, he was grateful and skeptical in equal measure. I paid him with turquoise and he thanked me profusely. I instructed him to tell no one and to inform me once the bandits had made further contact with him. He departed humbly. I watched him go; a brave, dignified old man who had been greatly wronged.
I spent the rest of the day deep in thought. I had asked Ankhtifi to leave the note with me and in the course of that afternoon, I read and re-read it over and over again. By evening I had formed the beginnings of a plan.
***************************
I rose early the next day, dressed plainly and strode down the corridor to the palace kitchens. The domestic quarter was particularly busy that day. I passed a veritable army of servants, most of whom carried wine jars. Interestingly, I noticed that a few of the jars were marked with the Theft script. Those of the servants who recognize me either bowed, if they were not overly burdened or nodded politely. Clearly, I was too conspicuous even dressed as plainly as I was. As I turned the corner to the bakery I saw the daughters of Bati at their devotions. The table was set for their morning meal and all the ladies were kneeling before a small shrine of Osiris, Isis and Horus. I knelt behind them as one of them, who I took to be the eldest, led the prayers. The homely little shrine was bedecked with flowers and herbs around the simple blue-glazed triad and sweet scented incense filled the room; munging pleasantly with the aroma of baked bread. I was reminded that the common people too are pious. Even though their sacred images are wrought of clay rather than of gold and silver; they pray no less earnestly. As the prayers neared their conclusion I joined in with the chorus,
“The grace of Isis is upon us
And may Horus shield us with his light.
May Osiris smile upon us,
As we are gathered in his sight.”
The girl immediately in front of me turned suddenly and grinned broadly.
“Highness!”
Her eyes lit up endearingly before she remembered her station and bowed. By now the other girls were staring at me as though I was the very incarnation of Isis herself.
“Forgive us Highness, we didn't see you enter.”
“Fear not ladies, and it is I who should be asking for your pardon. I have intruded upon your devotions.”
The young girl beside me answered, “The gods welcome you Highness, as do we.”
“We welcome you Highness,” the others chimed in.
Suddenly I began to feel a kinship with these women although I could clearly sense that they were in awe of me. I surprised them further by asking,
“May I share your repast?”
“You honor us greatly my lady.”
The five of us sat around the table to a tasty meal of bread, figs, eggs, dates, sheep's cheese and goat's milk. The youngest of the sisters handed me an earthenware cup of goat's milk.
“Fresh this morning Highness, from my own goat, her name is Khnumit.”
“Thank you.”
I had never tasted goat's milk and I found it rich and delicious. The names of my new friends are; Maatibre, the eldest, Merenefer, Hennut and Miu, the youngest. In order to help the girls to relax in my presence, I asked them about their work and their life as part of Malkata Palace; trying to be as informal as possible. They were keen to impress upon me how grateful and happy they are to be a small part of the great royal establishment. Miu, with her sparkling, wide, eyes then informed me,
“If we may be of any service to you my lady, you have only to ask.”
“Actually, you can help me a great deal.”
After our meal, the girls showed me to a long room that serves as their private quarters. I was invited to sit on a chair by the far end while the girls sat on the floor in a cluster. I was silent for a moment, unsure about what exactly to tell them.
'Ladies, tomorrow morning I must leave the palace and I require your assistance to ensure that my departure is not noticed.”
My words were met by four very curious faces.
“Is the Queen sending you on some secret mission Highness?” asked Miu.
“Shoosh Miu!” chided Merennefer sharply.
“No, it's all right. I guess I should tell you the whole story, but I must insist that it goes no further than this room.”
“We swear by all the gods Highness,” they said, almost in unison.
“I plan to leave the palace in order to find a certain individual, a man who is very special to me and who has been abducted by bandits.”
“Is he your lover Highness?”
Miu's sisters were understandably shocked by this blunt question but before they had a chance to admonish her I held up my hand for silence.
“Yes, yes he is.”
Miu giggled, “Oh, but that is so wonderful, so romantic!”
“Please forgive Miu Highness, she is abundantly foolish.”
“It is I who am foolish Maatibre, love makes me so and love, as you may know, leads our hearts as often into anguish as into joy.”
“Have you informed your uncle, Prince Khaemwaset of this matter Highness?” asked Merennefer with knitted brow, “After all...he is the Grand Vizier.”
“My venerable uncle is the one person I most want to avoid telling. You see, my lover is not the son of some grand noble family. He is a snake catcher.”
Miu nodded her fine boned head as her gorgeous eyes widened.
“And you are sure that His Highness the prince would disapprove.”
“Not only disapprove but I fear he will stand in my way. I fear too, that by the time he takes action against these bandits, it will be too little, too late. He is a very busy man and often preoccupied. The kidnapping of a lowly snake catcher would probably not rate very highly on his list of priorities.”
“What will you do Highness?”
“I must visit an establishment in the city's foreign quarter called The Perfumed Garden. I have heard it is a place that bandits and their ilk frequent. It is run by a courtesan of the Ibri. I have it on good authority that she may be able to assist me.”
“The Perfumed Garden, hmmm. I have heard of it Highness. The foreign quarter is a dangerous place. Word is that this woman of the Ibri is a cruel whore mistress. Her name is Leah, I believe.”
“I feared as much Hennut, but I have little choice. I have means but my power and authority end at the palace gate. However with your assistance, I can blend in with the common people and pass by unnoticed wherever I go.”
The girls unanimously agree to help me and to keep my secret. Within moments, they had lit the lamps, bolted the doors and flung open their voluminous chest of old clothes.
“We must hurry,” warned Maatibre, “Our mother will soon return.”
“Fear not, your venerable mother is already in my confidence.”
First they removed all my makeup. Miu platted my hair in what she assured me, was the latest fashion amongst the common women of the city. I was stripped completely and my face, neck and limbs were washed to remove every trace of perfumed oil. I must admit I had not thought of this but as Hennut assured me,
“In order to be a commoner Highness, one must smell like a commoner.”
With barely veiled delight, the ladies rubbed my hands and neck with sweet and pungent herbs from the kitchen pantry, telling me that, if asked, I was to be a snake catcher's daughter. They next gave me a small leather bag full of dried fruit and a full water skin from the palace stores. I had another small leather bag around my neck, containing nuggets of turquoise; I have often found these an effective currency. The girls then dressed me in clean but much mended homespun clothes and slipped a pair of rush sandals on my feet. Maatibre was particularly proud of these as she had crafted them herself. Merenefer then addressed me gently,
“Highness, you are extremely beautiful, even unadorned as you now are. I would advise you to be humble and discreet so as not to draw attention to yourself. The city can be a dangerous place for one such as you, my lady, who knows little of life outside the palace.”
“Wise words Merenefer, I will take care. Thank you, thank you all.”
They all lined up and bowed then Miu, the adorable, said, “Truly, this day my lady, you are our sister.”
At dawn the next morning I avoided the usual path and arrived at the kitchens with my head veiled and dressed in the clothes that the girls had given me the previous afternoon. Together with their mother, we shared a filling breakfast in their room, after which I accompanied Miu to the stables. Once there she had a quiet word to one of the stable hands, chose a donkey and fitted it with saddle bags. We took the donkey to the gatehouse where, without any trouble, the guards let us out.
Our first obstacle was crossing the river. But here I found that little Miu carried some authority, by virtue of her job at the palace. She led the donkey and I onto a barge then spoke to the old barge master.
“Hoy, there Nakht, take us across. We are on urgent palace business!”
I looked at her with more that a little concern. She smiled and ignored me.
“Miu, my dear little kitten,” said Nakht condescendingly, “What could be so urgent at this time of morning?”
“The palace kitchens are out of garlic and you know how fond our highborn ladies are of goose and roasted garlic. You wouldn't want me to have to tell them that you got us to the markets late and the best variety was all sold out would you?”
“As you wish. Who is your friend?”
“This is Anath, a new chum of mine. She is a snake catcher.”
“Greetings Anath.”
“Greetings Nakht, my father is a snake catcher. I am merely... his apprentice.”
Nakht smiled a wiley smile at me and ferried us across. The blue waters of the holy Nile were as calm as a bowl of olive oil and we soon arrived at the busy quay that led to the bustling foreign quarter of Thebes. We passed streets full of every type of industry and craft. I saw soldiers, craftsmen, peasants, common whores, Nubians, Mittanni, Hatti, Kheftiu, Danaans and many other foreigners; men and women whose origins I could scarcely guess at. We passed market stalls, merchants and peddlers selling everything imaginable, from basic bread to slaves, to rare birds and precious kitano oil.
Several blocks into the city, we turned into a narrow street. It seemed cool and shady with colourful awnings and ornately carved shutters concealing most of the windows over three stories. The street was remarkably clean and gave the impression that wealthy foreigners lived there. Miu pointed to a darkly painted door at the far end,
“I regret Highness, that I cannot accompany you further. If Merennefer is right, that is the rear door to The Perfumed Garden. I must take Bibbi here to the market gardeners for vegetables. Is there anything you want me to get you?”
Such an endearingly naive question.
“No Miu, you have been a great help and I do not wish to endanger you my friend. Now go, I will be able to find my way back when the time comes.”
“You really think of yourself as my friend Highness?”
She looked as though she was about to cry so I hugged her.
“Sisters, remember.”
I kissed Miu on the cheek and bid her farewell and she led Bibbi the donkey back towards the quayside.
I knocked on the heavy dark door and after a moment a long strip at its centre slid open. Dark eyes regarded me from the gloom within.
“I demand to see Leah of the Ibri.”
As soon as these words had left my lips, I regretted them and the tone in which they were uttered. “Be humble and discreet...”
There was no answer as the strip of wood was replaced. An instant later I heard a number of heavy bolts being slid back and the door swung open silently. In the gloom I saw two figures. One was a slight, pretty girl dressed only in beads with a gauzy cloth wrapped around her hips. She had pert, pointed breasts, long black hair and pale, smooth skin. The other was a tall, powerfully built Nubian who carried a mace and a long, curved dagger at his waist. The girl spoke with a strange accent while she ran her eyes up and down my body.
“Our mistress is busy, but you are welcome to wait for her.”
I agreed to this, again recalling Merenefer's warning to be discreet.
The girl led me down a lamp lit corridor whose walls were gorgeously painted with scenes of nature. I glanced at these with interest before I noticed that the Nubian had not followed us but remained behind by the door. This was a good sign.
The corridor led to a large and sumptuously furnished room full of low seats, enormous cushions and low tables. All manner of exotic hangings, animal pelts, weapons and statues adorned the painted walls along with beautiful, rare things, some of which I could not begin to identify. I was impressed; the courtesan, Leah of the Ibri, must be a wealthy woman.
Apart from the girl, I was alone in the room. She asked me to sit down and told me she would tell her mistress of my arrival. Then she departed; quickly climbing a staircase to an upper floor. I made myself comfortable and waited. After a while the girl returned and quietly informed me,
“My mistress will see you now but you must leave your clothes here.”
I was of course surprised by this instruction, but I reminded myself of my arduous self-inposed task. Slowly, I disrobed, keeping my eyes on the girl's face. As I revealed my breasts, I could see that she was impressed. I shed my skirt but retained Maatibre's sandals and my little bag of turquoise. I then followed the girl up the stairs. At the top there was a heavy door which she pushed open.
We stepped into a light-filled, airy room; quite a contrast from the heavy gloom below. I cannot recall the details of the room because my attention was instantly drawn to a huge, richly covered but unmade bed. Rich fabrics with fine embroideries draped the wall above it, while beside it, sat a woman in a fine black wig embellished with tiny flowers of gold. I guessed she was about forty summers old, and while not in the first bloom of youth or beauty, I could see that hers had once been an arresting face and a desirable body. She was clearly aware of our presence, but did not move or speak.
As we approached, there was movement amongst the fine bedclothes. The girl indicated that I was to stand behind the woman's chair. A beautiful girl soon emerged from the centre of the bed. She was totally nude apart from a string or two of beads. Her movements reminded me of those of a prowling cat and I guessed that this was some sort of performance. The cat-girl walked around the bed on all-fours, sensuously swinging and shaking her hips while arching her back. She had small, pert breasts, round hips and a fine, shapely ass. Her movements were artful and elegant and I guessed that she was a dancer or an acrobat.
After a circuit of the bed, she stopped in front of the woman in the wig and faced her. There was further movement from the centre of the bed and another figure emerged from below the rich bed linen. It was a young man. He too was nude and handsome, his body tight and muscular. He had beautiful eyes, slim hips and broad shoulders but my attention was soon focused almost exclusively on his cock. Long, tapering, slender and pleasantly curved, it was already well on its way to a pleasing state of arousal. It hung heavy and poised below fleshy, loose balls and a perfect ass. Impulsively I thought, “If this man is a slave, I shall buy him from Leah.”
He too was portraying a cat-like character. Once the girl started moving again, he turned his flexible body, and with feline grace and ease, proceeded to follow her. Was this a predator stalking his prey or was this a rite of lust enacted in some faraway land of cedar forests, streams and mountains? My imagination was fired.
As we watched, the cat-man would reach for his quarry with claw-like hands but never quite touch her. In response she arched her back often and slowed her progress. From time to time, with one hand, she would reach back and spread her ass cheeks, no doubt to entice and inflame him further. In turn he would claw at her with greater urgency. As their play went on the tension between them grew. They both became more aggressive; snarling and grimacing in mime while the pursuit continued. I was becoming entranced; never had I witnessed a performance like this.
Most remarkably, all through this dance of hunter and hunted, the young man's cock had not only stayed hard but it seemed to become more and more rigid as the time approached when he would inevitably emerge the victor. As she reached the far corner of the bed the feline girl now stopped, raising her ass and swaying it slowly until it was level with her relentless pursuer's hips.
His hands split her ass cheeks like a ripe peach and he lowered his mouth lovingly between them, like he was about to drink from a fine calcite cup. He licked the cleft of her ass first, with long slow strokes. I could see his broad tongue leaving wet strokes as he worked his way from the base of her back, down to the threshold of her pussy. The girl meanwhile pushed back, wiggled her hips and ground her ass into his cool tongue. Her rim, of course, was his tongue's true destination. He lay his head to one side so that those of us watching could get an unobstructed view. The tip of his tongue then made slow circles over her ring of muscle. She responded by flexing and relaxing it so that from time to time his tongue snick in, past her nether gate to moistened the house of bliss within. Again the pair's movements were practiced, refined and boundlessly graceful. They had turned lovemaking into an amusement for us all to enjoy. His tongue continued to caress her rim but with faster and faster strokes and all the while, sweet water dripped from his mouth.
I found myself licking my own lips as he finally raised his cock, placing the shaft in the glistening wet cleft of her cheeks and slowly lowering the head until it was poised ready to claim its prize. I could see her beautiful pink hole slacken again as she spread her delicious cheeks one more time. She tossed her long, black hair to one side as he grasped her shoulders. He slid the full length of his cock effortlessly into her. He fucked her slowly at first and she responded with rhythmic pulses and shivers that shook her entire body. After a while, he started thrusting harder and faster; working on her moist ass with his full length every time. She arched her back and tossed her hair wildly, spinning it from time to time and adding another artful dimension to their play.
The 'cats' continued their delicious ass fucking on the bed corner. It lasted a lot longer than I expected. Again, I was astounded by their beauty, grace and stamina. Meanwhile the woman in the black wig continued to look on impassively. At one point, I could sense that their 'performance' had ended and although they still moved with the style of dancers, it was clear to me that they were also fucking with relish.
By now I was becoming substantially aroused in spite of myself and, watching them, I must admit, I felt a pang of envy. I resisted the impulse to let my hand slip down between my legs although my restless and rapidly moistening pussy was demanding for attention.
Still holding her shoulders and without missing a stroke, the cat-man rose slowly so that he was bent over his lover's back. I could now see his cock filling her ass so that his fleshy balls squeezed against her threshold. She bucked and thrust back upon his every stroke until a fine film of sweat began to form on both their bodies.
The woman in the wig now uttered a quiet word or two to them in a tongue that was unknown to me. Without reply, they bucked and trust even harder until, with eyes shut and mouth open, the man threw back his head and thrust his cock one more time into his lover's ravenous ass. That last powerful stroke caused him to clench his teeth and shoot volley after volley of seed deep into her tender core. Oh how beautiful this was to see! How perfectly wonderful it was to then witness his long, curved cock finally emerge from her ass; slick and glistening from its exertions. Truly, gentle reader, I was lost in admiration.
The woman in the wig now spoke quietly to the pair, Again, her words were unknown to me, but it was clear that their performance had pleased her. As they rose and walked quickly towards the stair I noticed the girl look back and smile at me. The woman in the wig now turned her attention to me.
“Who are you, my girl, to demand to see Leah of the Ibri?”
I was speechless for a moment, wondering how best to answer her. Meanwhile she took the opportunity to run her eyes up and down my body. She smiled as she looked at my pussy and I doubt that the fact that I was moist was lost on her.
“Well?” she demanded.
“I am Anath.” I replied, with as much humility as I could muster.
“And what do you want with me?”
“I need some information from you. I was told that you know many things, that you are kind and wise in the ways of the world.”
“Really! You flatter me.”
“Forgive me, I should explain. I am looking for a man, a snake catcher, who was abducted by bandits. He was last seen in this part of the city, in the vicinity of this house, three days ago. I must find him.”
I then reached for my bag of turquoise and opened it. I showed her the contents.
“I am willing to pay you,” I added hesitantly.
She took the bag and picked out one or two of the nuggets, eyed them briefly, then replaced them and handed the bag back to me.
“You only have three things that are of value to me; your mouth, your ass and your pussy.”
She told me to show her my hands then to turn around. I felt her hand run through my hair, down my back and across my buttocks.
“I have clients who will pay handsomely for a fine ass such as yours. Now tell me Anath, who are you really.”
“I am the daughter of Kenhirkopeshef the snake catcher.”
“I've never heard of him,” she said coldly.
“He was the son of the snake catcher Sepetenre.”
“Those are grand names for a family of snake catchers.”
“We hail from Hiu in the Nome of the Sistrum.”
“Ah, yes, I know where Hiu is. But I doubt that you, my girl, are from there. You sound educated and look refined. You possess fine turquoise too. Are you a thief from a family of thieves?”
“No madam. We are honest snake catchers.”
She ignored me.
“You're also quite beautiful and your hands show no signs of manual work. Your feet are not callused and your skin is fair, yet you smell as though you've been working in a kitchen. Tanit here tells me that you were wearing work clothes when you got here. You are a mystery to me Anath. Are you the runaway daughter of some noble? It is not unheard of.”
“I come to you humbly to ask for your help.”
I could not guess how she would react to this obvious evasion, so I was greatly relieved when she asked,
“Who is this man, this snake catcher, whom you seek?”
“He is my lover madam.”
“And here I was thinking you had come to me looking for whore's work.”
She laughed but it was not a scornful laugh, rather, for the first time since meeting her, I thought I could detect something else in her voice.
“Tell me, did you enjoy the performance of my noble desert lions?”
“It was... pleasantly diverting, yes.”
She laughed again. “Diverting!”
“I am entertaining the ambassador of the Kheftiu and his entourage here tonight. I need someone to take particular care of his son. Someone elegant, beautiful, intelligent and refined, a lady indeed.”
“It is you who now flatter me.”
She smiled and continued.
“He is a fine, handsome young man I am told; a lord amongst his people. I might introduce him to you, if you wish me to help you.”
The rest of that day was notable for Leah's kindness, civility and hospitality. She was nothing like what I has expected. She ordered her servants to bring us food and wine. These arrived in profusion along with elegant cushions and stools. She invited me to dine sitting and reclining in the manner of her people. The meal was duck but the recipe was totally unknown to me. It was indeed delicious, subtly spiced, crisp and cooked to perfection. The wine too, quaffed from golden goblets of exotic workmanship, was unequaled in my experience. We spoke of many pleasant things. Leah even told me of her strange god who has no form but, quite alone, created everything, sees everything, knows everything and exists everywhere at once. What's more, according to the writings of her people, he has existed for all of time.
“Does he at least have a consort, this sole god of yours?”
“Yes, her name is Asherah but I must not tell you his name, I am forbidden to by our sacred laws.”
“That is well. Then, in my devotions, I shall pray to Asherah to bring you good fortune. Er.. that is, continued good fortune.”
We laughed.
I saw a look in her eyes that told me much, but over and above all, I saw a glimmer of fellowship, even of empathy. I had not totally forgotten Hennut's warning about this woman and I struggled to give nothing away and, above all, to hide my identity throughout our conversation. But I felt that I may have indeed found an ally. Besides, by the meal's end, the excellent wine had more than done it's work.
As the servants cleared the dishes, she spoke to me in a kindly, gentle tone.
“Dear Anath, I've enjoyed our meeting. You are very pleasant company. Please stay here tonight, enjoy the pleasures my house has to offer and tomorrow I'm sure we can come to some arrangement. I feel that, somehow, our coming together, was fated in the stars.”
Much later in the afternoon, I stood alone upon the balcony. How peaceful the sky is as the sun declines; a subtle tapestry of colours against the boundless blue wherein the Sun God sails. As always at dusk, my eyes turned to the west and there, for a time, I watched Re's shimmering descent into the netherworld, while below, the city's bustle went on unabated. But as always gentle reader, I was able to find solitude amidst the chaos, time enough to offer a hymn to Re Harakhty. How remiss is is not to bid the sun farewell and not to pray for his return. Serene and splendid is he, like a shield of polished carnelian. Remote, unassailable and mysterious in the heart of the sky; yet raise a hand and catch his light, feel his warmth upon your cheek or marvel at the shimmering colours in a beetle's wing and you too can know the beauty of his creation.
(Coming soon : Chapter 3 of 'The Snake Catcher's Daughter'.)
