Out of the Black Land - By Kerry Greenwood Page 0,47

show the way,’ he said, and I led him to my sister’s door. She opened it and he went in. I went too, as was required, and was immediately ordered by my sister to stand outside the door and keep watch in case anyone defied the Queen’s diversionary viper and came this way. Affronted, I did so, and only heard a little of what went on inside.

I heard her say to him, ‘Lord, has my husband agreed?’ and heard the soft voice of the King say, ‘Lady, he has,’ and then I heard the creak of the bed-strings as Nefertiti lay down. I could picture her, spreadeagled for a sacrifice; but there was no other sound but conversation too quiet for my ears for a long time; no other creaks.

Unbelieving, I heard Nefertiti laugh, a light laugh as though there was no great responsibility on her. Then I heard wine being poured. There was an interval, and then I heard her giggle, a giggle which broke into a soft gasp. Still the tell-tale strings made no noise. What was she doing? Was the old King impotent as well as the young?

Then the gasp broke into a strange cry. It was repeated on a rising note, like a bird’s voice. At last I heard the bed respond to another body being added to it. The bird-voice went on until it broke and silence fell. Then more speech, more conversation, more wine. I began to think I was going to sit outside my sister’s door all night, and wondered how long the snake-panic would keep everyone away.

At last I heard a man groan, over the rising notes.

A span of time later, the door opened, and the king came out, smiled at me, and walked away. I went into the room.

There was a scent of the herb unefer—the holy plant, which exudes a pearly sap which women call ‘seed-of-Horus’—in the air; and such a strong atmosphere of mating that I paused at the portal, overawed. Finally I shook myself roughly, had I not a right to be there?—and walked in. Nefertiti was lying asleep on her bed. I threw a light cloth over her. The cool air of the night was stirring her hair across her face, and she sneezed and almost woke, then rolled on her back, her thighs open. She was slick with perspiration and utterly relaxed, and she was smiling.

I began to think that I had underestimated both the king and the love of men, and lay down on my mat to think about it. I had not got very far before I too fell asleep.

She made no verbal report to my mother the next day, but smiled at her like Hathor herself; and Tey said, almost gently, ‘I wish you joy, daughter.’

Tey ordered Khons, Mutnodjme and Merope to join the Great Royal Wife as she accompanied her Divine Spouse, Akhnamen, to the office of the Great Royal Scribe to inspect the plans for a new city. I was delighted. I had liked the young man who had brought us our teacher. Khons, too was pleased.

‘The Lord Akhnamen is building a great city at Amarna, on the other bank of the river,’ he informed us. ‘Now, my pupils, do not disgrace me before my master. Keep the questions until later and I will answer them as well as I can. Do you hear me, Lady Mutnodjme?’

‘Yes, teacher,’ I agreed. I had discovered that Khons would give me a better answer in private than I could hope for in public and I had never shocked him with any comment or request. In any case I was still thinking about what I had heard in the apartments of the Queen Nefertiti the night before.

She had seemed so different this morning, so relaxed, so beautiful; as if the old man had given her a great gift, had loosened some tight thread within her weave which had been distorting the whole human garment. There was something in this matter of human love that I did not understand, but I was determined to find it out. Mother Tey, when asked, had told me flatly that I would not know what it meant until I too lay with a man, and that was at least a year or two away, if ever, and then only if I was exceptionally lucky.

We were passing through the hall of the tribute bearers when Merope cried ‘Kriti! There are the men and women of my island!’ and we halted to