I moved as quietly as I could, pushing down the faded plants until I’d made them into a crude mattress for us. We found a place where the reeds didn’t show the same juicy green as their neighbors because the ground humped up, lifting them farther from the water. I don’t care if Amenophis believes I’m afraid as long as he and Nava stay safe, I don’t care if he calls me seven kinds of coward! This is the best place for us tonight I know it, I thought. I started to protest, then bit my tongue. “We’ll sleep among the rushes if you’re too afraid to go on.” “Oh, all right,” he finally said, holding up his hands in surrender.

One moment I’m admiring how commanding he’s become the next I’m ready to shove him into the river because he’s commanding me! Sweet Isis, give me patience.Īmenophis met my stubborn look with one of his own, but he couldn’t outlast me. I pressed my lips together and folded my arms. “It’s better to get as far from Thutmose’s men as we can while we can,” he argued. How will we find a safe place to spend the night? Better to rest here now, where we know we’ll be sheltered by the river plants.” “For how long? Amenophis, we won’t be able to get far once it’s dark. “It’s going to be too dark to see where we’re going.” “Hadn’t we better stop for the night?” I said.

“At last!” Amenophis exclaimed, starting to follow its path away from the river. All the land was preparing for night when we finally encountered the mouth of an irrigation canal.

The sky spread out banners of crimson and gold to greet the god as he descended into the underworld. I shaded my eyes to see how Ra’s great sun-ship touched the mountain peaks shielding the royal tombs. Earlier that day, we’d raided their nests for eggs to eat, though we all would have preferred to have something meatier in our stomachs. Everywhere the birds were settling down to sleep. The song of insects along the shore changed tone as those who roamed by daylight gave place to their night-flying cousins. The tall palm trees on the western bank stroked shadowy fingers over the river and the land. Soon we saw only the shining surface of the water, as empty and untouched as it must have looked on the first day of its creation. The day waned, and the number of boats on the sacred river dwindled with every step we took.

Sphinx's Queen by Esther M. Friesner