Egypt -- History -- To 332 B.C. -- Fiction; Historical fiction
In fact, Enana had suddenly withdrawn entirely from all court functions.
A faithful adherent of the great god, Amen of Thebes, and a brother of
Huy, late High Priest of Amen, Enana could not but see in Thi and Pharaoh
the murderers of Huy, his brother, and the implacable foes of Amen whom
he loved and served.
So the shriveled body which Kathi had sworn was that of Hanit had been
another’s. Sesen recalled that Enana had often remarked the striking
resemblance which existed between the ex-Queen Hanit and the Lady Meryt.
It was Meryt’s body then which lay in its rock-hewn tomb back yonder
swathed in yards of milk-white linens, encased in a triple cedar coffin
glowing with gold and gem-incrustations! It was Meryt’s body which now
rested in its huge granite sarcophagus, deep beneath the crumbling
Western Hills! It was Meryt’s mummified form upon which she herself had
placed that last sad offering, a chaplet of flowers, berries and leaves!
Hanit, her beloved mistress, still lived!
Sesen could hardly follow Enana through the astounding threads of his
story. She gathered that the ruse by which her mistress had been saved
from certain death at Queen Thi’s hands had been Enana’s own, though its
successful accomplishment had been due to the faithful Kathi.
Sesen begged to be allowed to visit Hanit, but Enana restrained her.
He spoke of the terrible change in the demeanor of the once gentle and
studious Queen. He spoke of her vindictive hatred of Pharaoh, of Thi and,
more than these perhaps, of Menna, son of Menna, whom she considered the
murderer of the prince, her son.
Since her escape from the Temple all her time had been spent in study,
and that with but one end in view. Vengeance upon the trio whom she had
such cause to hate had become with her an obsession.
It appeared that in the realms of black art Hanit had become the equal
of Enana himself. Day and night had she pored over the lector’s rolls of
papyrus, until each and every one of their incantations had become hers.
She knew all the hidden spells of the Conjurers of Amen. She could part
the waters at a word. Her ebony wand could cause grass to grow where no
vegetation had lived before. Behead a bird or animal and, at a word from
Hanit, it would spring to its feet alive and whole. Even the secrets of
the masons and royal architects were hers. She knew the secret blocks of
stone which, touched by even the weakest hand, opened or closed many a
ponderous granite door of tomb or shrine.
Yes! She would have vengeance upon Pharaoh, upon Thi, upon Menna...!
At the mention of Menna’s name Sesen thoughtfully drew from the folds of
her robe a small roll of papyrus, delicately scented and inscribed in
black and red with another effusive expression of the Overseer’s undying
passion and his plea for a tryst. Enana read it twice, then carefully
rolled it up and placed it securely beneath his leather girdle, saying as
he did so:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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