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15

Rae

The nomarch’s ship sat low in the water, heavy with the remaining seventy hekats of grain promised for the king’s tax. The nomarch himself sat on the deck in a fine acacia-wood chair, chewing his mastic gum while his men loaded the last of the bundled wheat. Even from where she stood on the riverbank, Rae could see that the hold was bursting with wooden chests and barrels of all shapes and sizes. The collective bounty of Sakesh, bound for Thonis.

The nomarch raised his cup of beer to her. “The king sends his thanks!”

Anger flamed in Rae’s breast, but this time, she held her tongue. Ankhu stood beside her, and despite being exhausted from days of harvesting, Rae saw her father’s self-control crumbling as he glared at the sneering face of the nomarch. This was the man who’d stolen his livelihood, the man who’d stripped his daughter naked in front of half a dozen men and whipped her into a bloody pulp. She could see the unreleased fury burning him up inside.

“Why don’t you go inside and rest, Yati,” Rae said soothingly, putting an arm around her father’s shoulders and steering him away from the riverbank. “Nothing more needs to be done today. I’ll take care of the zebu. Everything else can wait until tomorrow.”

Ankhu raised an eyebrow at her. “‘Yati,’ eh? I know sweet talk when I hear it. Aren’t I usually the one talking you down from a murderous rage? And yet when the accursed dog who beat you comes to collect what is rightfully ours, you just send me to bed and go tend to the zebu?” He glanced back as the nomarch’s boat raised anchor and set off down the river. Then, he leaned in close to Rae, his gaze searching. “You’re up to something.”

Rae started to argue, but her father waved it away. “Don’t bother denying it. You still think you can hide things from me? I know you’ve been sneaking out at all hours. It’s something to do with Omari, isn’t it? And here I thought that boy had a good head on his shoulders—”

“He does!” Rae covered her mouth with one hand. It was as good as an admission.

“So…” Ankhu said, stepping out from under Rae’s arm. “What kind of trouble has Omari gotten you into?”

Rae felt her eyes drawn to the city on the horizon. “The less you know, the better.”

Ankhu frowned. “Raetawy…” he said, his voice a warning.

“It’s not something stupid like street fighting, all right?” Rae said. “It’s important. Something has to be done.”

“Oh, and you’re the one to do it?”

“Not only me.”

She’d already said too much. Her father was no fool, and he knew about Sakesh’s rebellious elements as well as anyone.

Ankhu sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Haven’t I ever told you about what happened during the war?”

“Only a thousand times.”

“Well then, perhaps I need to refresh your memory, because you don’t seem to understand the power you’re dealing with.”

“I do understand. You don’t need to—”

“Yes. Clearly, I do.”

Rae crossed her arms over her chest and looked at the ground.

“You remember how Sematawy’s attack on the palace took everyone by surprise?” Ankhu began. “He distracted King Rahotep’s army with a battle on Sakesh’s northern border, while at the same time, he and an elite force of his best men infiltrated the palace. Rahotep hid his family away and faced them with the remainder of his guard, but they were unprepared for the brutality of the northern scourge. They slaughtered the king’s guard and whoever else got in their way—attendants, servant girls, palace officials. And when they captured Rahotep, Sematawy had his men hold the king while he ran him through the belly with his blade. A fatal blow, but one that takes a long, long time to kill you.”

“Father—” Rae knew the history well, but apparently her father had always spared her the gory details. She wanted him to stop.

But Ankhu held up a shaking hand. “No, you’ll listen, Raetawy. While our king slowly bled to death on the throne room floor, Sematawy sent his men to root out Rahotep’s wives and children from where they were hiding. The women screamed. Begged. The babies cried. They were all so afraid. And Sematawy killed them, one by one. He killed them right before Rahotep’s eyes as he died on his throne, piling their bodies before him.”

He paused. “Now I know Rahotep was no innocent. He’d committed atrocities against his enemies during his own wars. Perhaps, at the time, I accepted them too readily, both because he was my king and because I believed he had the blood of the gods in his veins. But hear me, Raetawy: no one deserves what Sematawy did in the palace that day. Least of all the children.”

Rae shut her eyes. She felt sick. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I know you and Omari and whoever else you’re scheming with think Amunmose is nothing like his predecessor. And you’re right. Sematawy was a tyrant. He joined High and Low Khetara through blood and terror and lies, and it was fortunate that fate took his life in that skirmish after Unification. But just because this king seems weak and indulgent, just because he hasn’t marched his armies down here to slaughter us where we stand—doesn’t mean that he won’t . A snake is a snake, Raetawy. You step on his tail? You get bitten.”

Rae scoffed. “So, that’s your advice? Accept the way things are? I tried that. I tried to turn a blind eye, but when I saw the terror on Baki’s son’s face that day…” She shook her head. “I know that I haven’t always made the best choices, Father, and I know you worry about me. But I can’t stay home and do nothing. I can’t. Not anymore.”

Ankhu sighed and stared downriver to where the nomarch’s ship was vanishing into the horizon. In the matter of a moment, his anger drained away. “I know you can’t. You’re as stubborn as I am. But please, please for the love of Ra, be careful. You’re all I’ve got left.”

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” Rae said. “And I’ll be fine. I promise.”

Ankhu glanced back at her with tired, weary eyes. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

***

It took a lot of convincing, but Rae finally got her father to go into the house and rest. He slept through the midday meal and was still sleeping when she went out to tend to the zebu.

She was filling water buckets on the riverbank when she saw him.

A man on a fishing skiff, accompanied by a large black dog.

Normally, Rae wouldn’t have stopped to watch a common fisherman, but there was something about the man and his dog that made her pause. She couldn’t pinpoint exactly why he captured her attention—his dark robes were filthy but not uncommon, and he was sailing on a plain old reed fishing skiff. The shadow of dark stubble along his jaw was a bit unusual—most Khetaran men kept themselves clean-shaven—but that didn’t mean much. Perhaps he simply hadn’t had time to perform his ablutions during his journey. He wasn’t particularly good-looking either, not that it would have captivated her if he was. So why couldn’t she look away? What was it about him that didn’t make sense?

Lean and lanky, much like his dog, the man moved about the skiff with a hint of stiffness that Rae recognized as evidence of a nagging injury of some kind. She knew the feeling well! However, whatever pain he was experiencing seemed to be forgotten when he caught sight of her studying him from the riverbank.

“Greetings to you!” he called out. As soon as he smiled, his nondescript, rugged face instantly turned boyish and charming. “You… ah… you don’t happen to know anything about dogs, do you, sena?”

The man’s voice affirmed Rae’s suspicions. He spoke with an accent and colloquialisms she’d only heard on occasion at the Sakesh market. A tribesman, she guessed, from the Red Lands. Though from which tribe she had no idea. There were so many that most Khetarans didn’t bother trying to discern one from another. She should have ignored him, but curiosity got the best of her.

“What seems to be the problem?” she asked.

Encouraged, the man paddled his skiff over to the riverbank and pulled it ashore. The black dog leaped off the boat and came over to sniff between Rae’s legs.

“Behkai, no!” the man scolded, darting over to pull the dog back by his haunches. “So sorry. He’s been a terrible pest for the past couple days. He won’t leave me alone, not even to sleep.”

“What have you been feeding him?”

The man blinked at her. “You know, bread, bit of onion… A long journey it has been, and we haven’t got—”

“Wait a minute,” Rae broke in. “Isn’t he your dog? How do you not know what to feed him?”

“He isn’t my dog. He is a dog who is very pushy and whose company I am temporarily tolerating.”

Rae blinked. “Right. Well, aren’t you a fisherman?” she asked, indicating the skiff. “Dogs like fish.”

Again, the man gave her a long blank look. “A fisherman, yes…” he said uncertainly.

Rae rolled her eyes. “You’re not from around here, are you?”

“It is obvious, hey?”

“Painfully so.”

“Ah.”

“Where are you from?”

The man drew himself up. “From the Red Lands, sena. The tribe of the Anen,” he said, with fierce pride.

Rae considered him carefully. He’s expecting disrespect . Bracing for it. She felt that way often enough herself to recognize it on this man’s face, just like she recognized hidden pain in his body language. She decided to surprise him.

“Well,” she said, arms akimbo, “your dog is upset because he’s hungry, which means you probably are too. Come on.” She started walking back to the house.

After a moment’s silence, Rae heard his footsteps, hurrying to follow.

“You’re very kind, sena,” he said. “Which is more than I can say for others I’ve met along the river. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been turned away.”

Hearing the bitterness in his voice, Rae shot him a look. “People have every right to be suspicious. You’re a strange man on a fishing boat with no fishing equipment. Or fish.”

The man glanced back at the skiff. “You noticed that, hey?”

“It took me a minute, but I figured it out eventually.”

“Why help me then? If I’m so suspicious ?”

Rae thought for a moment and shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. I had a feeling about you, I guess.”

The man was quiet while he considered this. “I’m not sure I agree that I’m a ‘strange’ man, sena. Handsome, certainly… but ‘strange’?”

Rae snorted. She opened a few storage barrels, pulling several dried fish from one, a handful of dried dates from another, and a round loaf of bread from a third. She wrapped the whole package in some rough papyrus paper, along with a bunch of fresh green onions. “This should hold you for a day or two,” she said, handing it to the man. She tossed one last fish to the dog, who caught it in his mouth. In an eyeblink, it was gone. The dog licked his lips in satisfaction.

“Good boy,” Rae said, giving him a rub behind the ears.

The man stared at the package of food, then back at her. “You wish to trade for this?”

Rae shrugged. “Just take it. We’ve already lost more than half of our wealth to Thonis. What’s a bit more? At least this food is going to someone who needs it.”

“Thonis, hey?” The man’s eyes brightened with interest. “That’s where I’m headed. Is it far?”

“About a day’s travel—longer coming back upriver, since the winds are less reliable than the current.” She cocked her head. “What business do you have in Thonis, if you don’t mind me asking?”

The man cleared his throat. “Information gathering,” he said vaguely.

Rae raised an eyebrow. “Well, I’d be careful if I were you. That’s the king’s city. You think people here in the south are wary of strangers? It’s much worse there, with the king’s guard crawling all over the place.”

“Don’t worry,” the man said. “I know better than to trust a Khetaran—present company excluded, of course.”

Rae crossed her arms in annoyance. “The High Khetarans aren’t like those of us here in Sakesh,” she said. “We’re not all the same, you know.”

The man offered her a small smile, full of irony. “Oh, yes? Well, neither are we.”

Rae squirmed, remembering how she’d lumped all the tribes of the Red Lands together as one, assuming they were all pretty much alike. Somewhat abashed, she turned back to the storage area and pulled one of her father’s old white tunics from a hook. It was a bit worn in places, but otherwise serviceable. “Here, why don’t you take this too? Those old robes of yours look like they’d be better off in a fire than on your back. Wear this into Thonis instead—it will help you blend in.”

His eyebrows raised, the man took the tunic and nodded. “You’ve been very generous…” He looked at her, expectant.

“Raetawy.”

“Yes, very generous, Raetawy. I appreciate your charity, but you must allow me to offer something in return.” He pulled the bulging pack from his shoulder and knelt on the ground to rummage through it.

Rae leaned over to peer inside, and couldn’t believe what she saw.

He’s got to be a criminal . How else would a man like him get his hands on treasures like those?

Still, who was she to judge? She was about to become a criminal herself.

“That’s quite a collection,” she said. “Where did you get it?”

The man pulled a few small items from the pack and immediately tied it shut again. He stood and faced her with an enigmatic expression. “Perhaps you’ll leave the information gathering to me, sena?” he said quietly. “We all have our secrets to keep.”

Secrets.

Rae was reminded of the last time she saw Asim, when he taught her the code phrases used to identify other members of the rebellion.

The falcon sails across the sky.

We shall meet him on the horizon.

“Speak of this to no one outside the circle,” Asim had told her. “Not your father, not your friends— no one. ”

Rae blinked, bringing her focus back to the present.

“Yes,” she said to the Red Land tribesman. “We all have our secrets.”

“I’m glad we understand each other,” he said, and held out his open palms to her. They held at least a dozen pieces of fine jewelry: beaded necklaces, a golden ring, a bracelet inlaid with lapis and decorated with lotus flowers. “Choose. Any one you like. They would all fetch a tidy sum at market, if you decide to trade.”

Rae ran her fingers along each of the items, picking up one, then another. She’d never touched anything so beautiful in her life. It was nearly impossible to choose. In the end, though, she went with her gut.

“I’ll take this one,” she said, picking up a red jasper amulet on a simple black cord.

“That?” the man said, confused. “But that’s nothing. A little carved lion. Can’t be worth more than a couple loaves of bread.”

“Then it’s an even trade,” Rae said, looping the amulet over her head. “Trying to trade one of those other items might raise suspicions at the market here, and I don’t need more trouble than I’ve already got. Besides, I don’t want to sell it, I want to wear it. It’s a Sekhmet amulet—it provides protection from the goddess. And I could use some.”

“Sekhmet,” the man repeated. “Where have I heard that name before?” After a moment of consideration, he shrugged. “You may take the amulet, Raetawy-sena, but please let me offer you something of real value, for your kindness. Keep it for yourself, if you like, or give it to someone you love.”

When Rae nodded in assent, the man studied the remaining objects in his hand for a long moment before selecting the gold ring. Slipping it on her finger, Rae was surprised to find that it actually fit. It was a simple, unique piece featuring a swiveling gold cube with an engraved symbol on each of its four faces. A cobra, a feather of Maat, an Eye of Ra, and a scarab beetle. She’d have to hide it at home, of course—its obvious value would attract too much unwanted attention on the streets of Sakesh. That was too bad, because it felt good on her finger. She spun the cube playfully, pausing on the face with the Eye of Ra. “It’s like my father’s dagger,” she said.

“Is it?” the man said with interest. “Then I think it was indeed meant for you.”

Deep in thought, the man walked back to the riverbank, the dog prancing at his heels. Rae followed. They stood together in companionable silence, watching the trading ships pass by on the Iteru. The man reached out to grab the prow of the little skiff, steadying it so the dog could leap aboard.

“I expect you’ve traveled by boat before, hey?”

“Only on short trips,” Rae admitted. “Never as far as Thonis.”

The man nodded. “This is my first time,” he said. “It’s so strange, because the river, it just takes you. The current pulls you along as it wishes, like it has a mind of its own. I can use my oars, of course—I can direct the boat this way or that way. I can pause on my journey, as I have done to see you, sena. But when I am back on this boat, as soon as I release my hold on land, the river resumes carrying me along its path. I can stall, I can stop… but I think the river will get its way, in the end.” He shook his head and chuckled. “Do you get my meaning, Raetawy? Or do I sound like a fool?”

It was odd. Rae felt comfortable with the man, as if she were talking to an old friend, rather than a stranger she’d only just met. His question made her think of the night in the Garden of the Dead.

“You don’t sound like a fool,” she answered. “I got in this fight a few days ago—a fight I knew I couldn’t win—and I felt like that. Like there was this current pulling me to do something I knew I probably shouldn’t.”

“So did you?” he asked. “Let the current take you, I mean.”

Rae nodded. “I did. Maybe I was wrong and we’re both fools, probably being carried off to be eaten by crocodiles.”

The man laughed, his seriousness melting away. “I like you, sena. You are truly the greatest Khetaran I’ve ever met.”

Rae snorted. “Given your opinion of us, that isn’t saying much.”

“Well, I wish you much good fortune,” the man said. He leaped nimbly onto the skiff, and dropped his heavy pack onto the deck. “Maybe the river will bring us together again someday.”

“Maybe so,” Rae said, grasping the lion amulet in her hand.

The man shoved off to join the other boats floating downriver, and Rae raised a hand in farewell.

“Thank you again!” he shouted, touching a knuckle to his nose. The dog barked. “What, you’d rather stay with her, Behkai? Because that’s good for me, you know. One less mouth to feed!”

Behkai sat on his haunches and whined.

“Ugh, fine, stay. Raetawy-sena probably doesn’t want you, anyway!”

“Hey! Wait!” Rae shouted. “You never told me your name!”

The man considered this before answering. “Call me the Jackal!”

Rae watched him go, the not-fisherman with the bundle of definitely stolen treasure and a dog that wasn’t his either.

She hoped he was right. She hoped she would see him again.

***

It was sunset by the time Rae left the blacksmith’s shop. At the last Horizon meeting, he’d mentioned that he could rework farming tools into simple weapons that could be used for the attack on the Medjay, so she’d gone to his workshop in the city to drop off what she could spare. It felt strange saying the secret words to the blacksmith when she’d arrived—but exciting too. Walking down the busy street toward home, she felt as if every eye was upon her, whispers wafting like smoke in her wake. It was probably all in her imagination. Still, she couldn’t help glancing over her shoulder to ensure she wasn’t being followed.

“Oh!”

Rae collided with someone walking in the opposite direction and stumbled back.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking—” She stopped short when she saw who it was. “Tam,” she murmured.

The young weaver wasn’t wearing anything spectacular—a simple, finely woven kalasiris dress—but the way it hugged the ripe curves of Tamerit’s body made Rae’s head feel light.

“Rae!” Tam exclaimed, adjusting the basket of undyed flax fibers balanced on her hip. “I didn’t think I’d see you for a while. I heard what happened.” A look of tender concern creased her face. “Are you all right? I was so worried about you.”

Rae’s cheeks reddened with embarrassment and pleasure both. “I’m fine. I’ve been meaning to come see you. I’ve just been… busy.”

Tam brushed a lock of tightly curled black hair from her face, a gesture that made Rae’s chest ache with desire.

“Busy, eh?” Tam said. “On the farm, I’m sure, but what are you doing in the city at this hour?”

Between the question and the sight of Tam’s dark teasing eyes, Rae’s thoughts got tangled up in knots. “I, ah, I was dropping off some things for the blacksmith,” she stammered, finally deciding that the truth—or at least part of it—was probably the safest route.

“The blacksmith,” Tam said, as if the words were a curious food she was tasting. “How interesting.”

“Is it?”

“Yes. I was wondering how long it would be before you fell in with the Horizon.”

Rae snapped out of her reverie with a violent lurch. “W-what? No. I mean, how—?”

Tam leaned in close, enough that Rae could smell the jasmine oil in her hair. “All the weavers know about the blacksmith and what he does in his free time,” she whispered. “Besides, you and Omari are close. If he’s involved with the rebels, it’s not a leap to assume you might try to join them too. After the beating you received, I’d have been surprised if you hadn’t.”

Rae glanced around furtively, terrified someone would overhear their conversation. “We can’t talk about this here. It’s not safe.”

Tam nodded. “Come with me.” She took Rae’s hand and pulled her toward an abandoned house nearby. Other than a ragged old soldier hunched on the street corner, there was no one around.

Rae was so distracted by the sensation of Tamerit’s small strong hand in hers that she didn’t question where they were going. They slipped in through the front entrance, its door battered down long ago, and into the shadowy interior. It was terribly dusty inside, littered with broken furniture and shards of pottery that crunched underfoot.

Rae recoiled as half a dozen mice scattered upon their arrival. “Are you sure there’s no one here?”

“No one comes here,” Tam said.

Rae squinted into the gloom. The house must have been beautiful once, with its high ceilings and colorful tile floors. The sight of it made her sad. Once great, now ruined, just like everything else in Sakesh.

“What is this place?” she asked.

“One of King Rahotep’s viziers lived here,” Tam replied. “His closest adviser, apparently. He was executed by the High Khetarans, his body left to rot in the fields without proper burial. People say that his mutu still haunts this place, so…” She shrugged. “They tend to stay away.”

Rae shivered, though she’d rather a restless spirit listen in on their conversation than a member of the nomarch’s guard. They moved to stand under a crumbling archway, away from any windows where they might be seen. Rae picked up where she’d left off. “First of all, Omari and I are close, but we’re not that close. You know that, right?”

“I know.” Tam chuckled. “Mamet Mut may not see what is plain as day, but I do.”

“Good,” Rae said, relieved. “And secondly: How do you know about the Horizon?”

“All the weavers know about them. But they don’t allow women to get actively involved with the rebellion, except to pass along messages. Though it seems as though they’ve allowed you in.”

“I can be quite convincing,” Rae said wryly.

“Everyone’s talking about how you stood up to the nomarch at the shepherd’s farm. I’m guessing that had something to do with it?” Tam said.

Rae shrugged. “Maybe. I also may have picked a fight with Asim.”

Tam laughed, a lovely, tinkling sound. “Did you win?”

“No. But I don’t think that was the point.”

“Two beatings in two days. You really are a glutton for punishment, Rae.”

Rae grinned and looked at the ground. What was it about this woman that made her so shy?

Tam glanced down into her basket of wool and sighed. “I wish they would let me fight too.”

“Really?” Rae asked, surprised. “But you seem so… soft.”

“I can be,” Tam replied sharply.

“Oh, no, I didn’t mean to suggest that you’re weak,” Rae quickly added, the words clumsily tumbling out of her mouth. “You’re just so, you know, elegant. Not a ruffian like me.”

A small smile quirked the corner of Tam’s mouth, and she moved closer. The dusky shadows on her face made her look otherworldly, like something out of a dream. “Is that how you see yourself? As a ruffian?”

Rae shrugged. “Why not? Beauty isn’t a tool available to me, so I have to use what I’ve got.”

Tam regarded her with a look that made Rae’s chest tighten. “Has anyone actually told you that? That you’re not beautiful? Or is that something you tell yourself?”

Rae didn’t trust herself to speak.

“People can be more than one thing, you know,” she said, reaching to touch Rae’s lion amulet. “Like Sekhmet. She can be the killer of men, the bloodthirsty, the mistress of slaughter. But she can also be Bast. The protector. The mother. Goddess of joy and pleasure. She’s both, all at once.”

“And you?” Rae murmured, Tam’s hand still on her chest. “What’s on the other side of your softness?”

“A fierce heart,” Tam replied. She was so close that Rae could taste her breath, which had turned cloudy as the chill of night approached. “A heart that burns.”

Rae covered Tam’s hand with her own and gripped it tightly. She wondered if the weaver could feel how fast her heart was beating, or the heat pouring off her body. She was acutely aware of how alone they were. The privacy felt both tantalizing and disorienting.

She’d never had those feelings for Omari, or any other man, for that matter. She’d nearly resigned herself to the thought that she wasn’t meant for love—until the day she met Tam, and her world turned upside down. Still, it was one thing to long for the beautiful weaver, and entirely another to be alone with her in that forgotten place, with no curious eyes upon them. It was all she could do not to throw open the doors of her heart and let fly everything hidden inside. But still something within her resisted and was afraid.

“I have no doubt that you are all of those things and more,” Rae said. “But that’s exactly why you must not get wrapped up in the rebellion. It’s too dangerous, Tam.”

Tam’s eyes narrowed. “Dangerous? They’re planning something, aren’t they?”

Instead of answering the question, Rae said, “Tam, please. You came to Sakesh to be safe—I want you to stay that way.”

“Oh, so it’s all right for you, but not for me?” Tam argued. “You sound exactly like the men!”

Rae blinked. “I’m sorry, you’re right. If things go well and I prove myself to Asim, I’ll mention your request to him. I make no promises, but—”

“You don’t need to promise,” Tam said, her voice warm with gratitude. “I can wait for the Horizon to come to their senses. But in the meantime, you have to give me something else.”

Rae swallowed, her pulse picking up speed. “What do you want?”

“The gift you’ve been keeping for me all this time,” Tam said, weaving her fingers through Rae’s hair.

Rae let out a shuddering breath. She’d been holding back for so long that when she finally let go, the force that drove her into Tamerit’s arms was as strong as the khamasin wind.

When their lips met, it was tentative, barely a touch. But once Rae felt Tam’s body pressed against hers, felt it fill all her empty spaces, she kissed her with a hunger that couldn’t be sated. Everything beyond sensation fell away—the pain of her wounds, the dark room, the city that balanced on the edge of violence—it was all gone. There was nothing but breath and heat and softness and desire.

The doors of her heart were hopelessly, blissfully open. Come inside— her body spoke the words even if her voice did not. Come inside and see everything that I am, take everything that I am. It is yours, it is yours, it is yours.

They held each other until the sun went down, and all the light went out of the world.