Pharaoh's Desire (27 page)

“I agree. That is precisely why I called all of you here today. I am now ready to resume my role as Pharaoh.”

Meketen paused in lifting his wine goblet. He set it back down with a self-conscious smile. “While it is true you have progressed a great deal, it is still far too soon for you to assume your duties, Sire. We have taken over all of your public functions so you can take your time recovering. You need not worry about making any hasty decisions.”

Amonmose turned and stared at Meketen, boring into him. “I am not asking for your permission. I am telling you what I am going to do. I called you here as a courtesy.”

Hai broke in before Meketen could respond. “It sounds like you are more than ready, Pharaoh. If you want to start out by making a few appearances, we shall arrange it.”

Amonmose gave him a patient look. “I am capable of
arranging
anything that needs to be done. I will make my first formal appearance three days from now.” He glanced at each of his advisors one by one. “My first act as Pharaoh will be to find my queen.”

Shocked silence hung over the table. Then all three advisors began speaking at once. Nadesh’s deep voice drowned out the others. “This is quite a coincidence,” he said. “Before the Hyksos battle, you discussed taking a bride.”

“Truly?” Amonmose arched an eyebrow. Latmay had told him that he had not fancied any particular woman.

“Indeed. You were concerned about carrying on the royal lineage. You had your eye on a beautiful redhead named Zahra. And I agree, she would be a perfect match.”

Amonmose lifted his hand in objection. “The woman I choose will not be any ordinary woman. She must possess loyalty, poise, intelligence, ambition, and political savvy. She must have beauty beyond compare, with dark skin, beautiful eyes, and delicate bone structure.”

Nadesh’s dark brow furrowed. “It sounds as if you are looking for one particular woman.”

“Perhaps.”

“Is this the woman from your dreams? I have told you, no such person exists.”

Amonmose slammed his goblet of wine down on the table, spilling most of the contents. “She does exist, and I will find her! Send out a royal summons immediately. No, make it a mandate. Failure to comply is an offense punishable by death. I want all of the women within Thebes and the neighboring cities assembled. Whether they are single or married, I want to get a good look at each and every one of them.”

“And what if she is not among them?” Meketen ventured. “What will you do then?”

“She will be there. I know it.”

“Meketen brings wisdom to this issue, Nadesh said. “If this mysterious woman does not show up, you will need to choose someone. It hardly seems appropriate to assemble all the women and look them over simply to dismiss them.”

Amonmose stood and slowly stroked his goatee, looking at each of his advisors in turn. “Am I not the Pharaoh?” he asked eventually.

“You are,” Nadesh answered.

“Am I not the divine law of this land?”

“Yes.”

He leaned his fists against the table. “Then, I care nothing of wounded feelings and what you consider inappropriate. I am Pharaoh, and I answer to no one!”

Nadesh took a deep breath before speaking. “Your command is our pleasure, Sire. In five days time, the women will be here as you have ordered.”

Chapter Twenty-one

Mutema cradled Kama’s head in her lap. She had been sick for days, sapped of life. She had no appetite and slept more than she should. Mutema rocked them both slowly and coughed, a hard tearing sound. She bent, convulsing, and struggled to breathe between hacks. Six weeks in this dark, damp dungeon was taking its toll. Today, she had finally able to convince the guard that Kama was in need of medical attention.

When the cell door opened, she was shocked to see Latmay standing there, disheveled, as if he’d just been roused from his bed.

He seemed just as surprised to see her as she was to see him.

“What deception is this?” he asked the guard. “I was told there was a patient in critical need of my services. Why have you locked these women down here?”

“Orders ,” the guard answered tersely.

Latmay’s jaw worked for a moment. “Ord— Do you know who these women are? When the Pharaoh learns of this, he’ll have your head!”

The guard stared at him. “The Pharaoh was the one to give the order.”

Latmay’s mouth dropped, but he quickly composed himself. “I’ll need some privacy to examine the patient,” he told the guard. “I won’t be long.”

“Take your time.” The guard shrugged and ambled back to his post.

The moment the door was closed, Mutema rushed to hug him. “Latmay? What have we done? Why has Amonmose sentenced us here?”

Latmay pushed slowly from her embrace. “This is not the Pharaoh’s doing,” he told them both. “His advisors are acting on his behalf. They have taken over all of his duties, and I am certain they are the ones responsible for this treachery.”

“But how can that be?” Kama asked, her voice weak.She lifted her head to look at him.

 
Had they lived in ignorance so long? Of course. Everything had been kept a secret. Latmay sighed and motioned for Mutema to sit. “What I have to say is not easy. Amonmose was injured during battle. When we found him, he was unconscious. His body was caked in dirt and mud, and an arrow was deeply embedded in his shoulder. He’d also suffered a nearly fatal blow to the head. After I’d tended his wounds and cleaned him up, he finally came to, but he had no memory of the event.”

Mutema frowned. “I don’t understand what that has to do with—”

“He has no memory of anything.” He paused. “He did not recall any details of his past. He didn’t even know he was Pharaoh.” Both women gasped. Latmay continued. “The advisors decided it was in everyone’s best interest if the Pharaoh’s condition were kept a secret. He’s been sequestered in his room since the night he returned from Hermopolis, allowed to see only me and his advisors.”

Kama’s voice was a whisper. “That must have been why Baal refused to let me see him.”

“Yes…they are treating him like a child, intervening in every aspect of his life. Anyone who is a threat to their plans is swiftly dealt with.” Latmay looked at Kama, and he put the pieces together. “That explains why you are here. Amonmose saw you in the garden one night. When he asked about you, his advisors told him no such woman existed. They convinced him that he must have been dreaming.”

“I thought I felt someone watching me,” Kama said. “But when I looked up at his window, I saw no one.”

Mutema shook her head and peered at Latmay. “We must do something.”

His tone was grave. “We are dealing with extremely powerful men. They threatened to kill me if I told anyone. What can I do? Whom can I trust?”

Kama sat up. “Mother is right. They are demons, and they must be stopped.” She tried to stand, but fell back down.

Mutema pulled Kama close. “She has been sick like this for days,” she said to Latmay.

“Tell me about this illness.”

“She has fainting spells and nausea. One moment, she is ravenous, then, she has lost any desire to eat. I think it’s this damp. We must get her out of here.”

Latmay took Kama’s slender wrist in his hand and listened for her pulse. He gently felt her lymph nodes along the graceful curve of her neck. He let out a long breath.“You are right, Mutema. It is vital that she be removed from this prison immediately.”

Mutema steeled herself and took Kama’s hand. “Please help her. I cannot lose her again.”

Latmay smiled grimly. “You misunderstand. What I mean that a prison is certainly no place to have a baby.”

“A baby?”

He looked at Kama. “I will have to perform the test to be sure, but from my diagnosis, it appears that you are pregnant.”

“I—I am to be a mother?” She blinked at him.

“It seems so.”

A look of conviction crossed her face. “This babe belongs to Amonmose.”

“I believe it.”

“He…has no clue that I carry his child!” she said. “The future leader of Egypt is growing in my belly, we
must
do something. ”She tried to rise again, but Latmay urged her back down.

“I want you to get plenty of rest and make sure that you eat,” he told her. “You may experience more nausea, but it’s to be expected. The sickness is different for each woman. It could last a few weeks or a few months, depending on the difficulty of the pregnancy. In the meantime, I will try to speak to Amonmose without anyone knowing. I shall return shortly.”

Latmay glanced back as he left. If he could not get to Amonmose, there would be no one else left to help them.

Latmay arrived at the Pharaoh’s chambers out of breath. He’d hurried through the palace as fast as his legs could carry him. This calamity had gone on long enough. It was time the Pharaoh knew what his advisors were doing under the guise of
protecting
him.

Baal stood guard at the door, along with three other armed men. “The Pharaoh gave orders that no visitors were to be permitted entrance today,” he said.

Latmay wondered if this dictate was from Amonmose or his advisors. “I have brought something to assuage his headaches,” he said innocently.

Baal shook his head. “I cannot allow it.”

Latmay’s eyes narrowed in thought. He stepped closer to Baal and lowered his voice. “Tell me,” he whispered. “Do you really think the advisors should deny the Pharaoh the medical care he needs?”

Baal shifted. “No, and I do not agree with everything they do, but this request came directly from the mouth of the Pharaoh himself. He has asked me not to let anyone in.”

“But I am his doctor.”

“
Anyone
,
Latmay. Not you, not the advisors, not anyone.”

Latmay lifted an eyebrow in surprise. “He does not wish to see the advisors either? Why not? What is he doing in there?”

Baal gave him a long measured look. “Preparing for his wedding.”

Hours later, the palace was buzzing with news of the Pharaoh’s mandate. When Latmay learned that Amonmose was determined to choose a wife, he rushed back to the prison to give Kama the news. She took it better than he expected. There were no tears or tantrums. She held herself with the composure of a queen.

“I cannot let evil triumph over good,” she said. “I owe that to Amonmose. My child has a destiny to fulfill, and I must make sure he succeeds. I will not be a victim, waiting for events to unfold. I love Amonmose. Anyone who is his enemy is my enemy. The advisors must pay for what they’ve done.”

Latmay considered Kama’s words. “I too want them to suffer for their treachery, but what can we do? I am an old man. You are locked in here. How can the three of us challenge their authority?”

“You mean four of us,” Kama corrected, and slowly smiled.

“Four?”

Kama looked at her mother. “A wise woman once told me that I can use my brain for more than just reading and writing.”

Mutema smiled. “Women who didn’t have the opportunity to be educated had to rely on their feminine wiles to get what they wanted.”

The two women looked at one another and laughed.

Latmay scowled. “Ladies, I fail to see the humor in this. What do you mean ‘four?’ What are you planning?”

Kama sobered and gave him an intense stare. “I have an idea. It is bold, and it could get all of us killed.”

He sighed. “Then we’ll be no worse off than we are now.”

“Precisely. Now, this is what we are going to do…”

Amonmose sat with his advisors in the great room listening to the battle report from his chief deputy. The man stood, legs apart, his tall, stalwart frame at attention. “All soldiers have been accounted for,” he said. “Fifty-one are dead and seventy-four were injured.”

“Have their wounds been tended to?” Amunmose asked.

“Yes. Most are recovering with no ill effects.”

“And our chariots? “

“All one hundred have been recovered. Approximately twenty-five suffered the usual damage and have since been repaired.”