The Tenth Plague Read online

  THE TENTH PLAGUE

  by

  Nathaniel Burns

  The Mummifier's Daughter - Book 7

  Copyright © 2016 by Nathaniel Burns

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  Publisher's Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author's imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Edited (USA) by Anna Drago

  Chapter One

  The sun approached its zenith. Its radiating heat warmed Neti's skin as she stood on the stern of the bark. Her eyes were closed as she soaked up the warmth that kindled a sense of peace in her. The soft lapping of the water against the hull facilitated, if only momentarily, the impression that she was alone, while intermittent breezes gently caressed her skin. She took deep breaths, unhurried, simply basking in the moment. Contentment. For the first time since leaving Thebes, the feeling had returned.

  She opened her eyes and looked out over the waters. They seemed still, yet she knew that with every moment they were pressing, rising against the shores. It was a cycle that allowed her people to flourish. It brought with it hope. The hope of a good year and a good harvest.

  They would be home by sunset, or at least she would.

  Loud flapping overhead was quickly followed by a series of shouts, the foreign words grated on her senses. Opening wounds and memories still fresh and immediately shattering her sense of peace. She was not in any danger that she knew of. However, the language would forever be associated with the experience.

  She turned to look in the direction of the captain and then upwards at the men who clambered along the masts as the captain issued instructions.

  She could feel the bark progress slow, and felt her heart sink; they would be delayed unless the sails took wind again.

  She lowered her gaze and felt her shoulders droop. Her desire to reach Thebes was not so much because she had missed it; it was because she needed space, her own space, her own people, to regain her sense of balance and purpose.

  Things between her and Shabaka had become tense, difficult even. While in Awan, he had known of her every move, she had had a guard with her at all times until their departure. Even on the bark, she was aware of his constant supervision. She only needed to look towards the stern, and her gaze would meet his.

  She looked away from the men overhead towards Shabaka. It was not difficult to identify him, even with his back turned, as he stood a head taller than the others. As if somehow sensing her scrutiny, he turned towards her. She shifted her gaze past him, and saw him pinch his lips and stiffen his shoulders.

  That was what had become of their once familiar work relationship, a tense tolerance. At first, he had been against her even looking towards the bark following them, the one transporting her captors. He may not have said anything, but his behavior had been enough of an indication.

  Moses had done his best to soothe things over; his attempts, however, failed to appease both Shabaka and Neti. She was determined to clear Garagh of all wrong with Ramesses, something Shabaka opposed outright and remained unwilling to even discuss.

  A stalemate had also been reached on her refusal to wear the pharaoh's colors. Her desire for her to regain a sense of balance again, to return to some semblance of normal, was what kept her from wearing them. She needed to clear her mind first, which was something she had not achieved yet. Flashes of her experience frequently returned, and her body had not yet fully healed either. She had longed for the simplicity of r life before she had been appointed as a prefect. Back when she had only provided answers to Shabaka's questions, when she had not been hurled in the path of danger yet. Since then she had encountered so much bitterness and deceit, that she had started to question the nature of people. She questioned everyone's intentions, including those of the people who had stood by her as a child.

  The men overhead continued their attempts to rig the sails again and eventually succeeded. The sails again billowed, lifting the bark in the waves and pushing it forward.

  With the bark's renewed momentum, Neti's energy seemed to wane, and she settled on the wooden deck to look out over the waters, watching the reeds on the bank shift. Some Egyptian geese took flight, and she smiled. As a child she had often searched the reed beds for eggs, chasing off the geese in the process.

  She felt Moses' presence beside her even before he spoke. “How are you feeling?” he asked with the same tone of concern in his voice he had addressed her with every day since she had regained her feet.

  Shabaka's family had shown the same concern, and while in the beginning, it had felt soothing, later it had become smothering, and finally it had irked her. She was not used to being treated like an invalid, a weakling, and their constant care had taken a toll on her nerves, which why their return to Thebes had been much anticipated.

  “I am feeling well,” Neti said.

  Moses, however, tipped his head and remained silent for several moments before he spoke. “You should speak with him.”

  Even without him saying a name, Neti knew whom Moses meant. Moses gestured for her to move over a bit and sat down next to her.

  “We have spoken.” She said turning her head to look at him.

  “Yes, let me see, you have greeted each other this morning, made polite inquiries and then parted ways.”

  “We have spoken,” Neti shrugged, turning her gaze back to the water. It was not a topic she wanted to discuss.

  “You are just like him,” Moses said, frustrated. His words and tone caused Neti to look at him again. “You are both mule-headed, and it serves neither of you well.”

  Neti shrugged her shoulders as she spoke, “And what am I to say to him? He refuses to accept my decision. How am I to respond to that?”

  Moses took a deep breath before replying, “You should understand that he has a hard time understanding your reasons. You have been there all along. He knows he can trust your judgment on matters.”

  His words had Neti realize that it was not Garagh, but her reluctance to remain a prefect that Moses was referring to.

  Moses continued, “You somehow channel his focus and his energy. He seemed all over the place when you were missing.”

  “He has you now.” Neti pointed.

  “He does not want me; you're the one he needs.”

  Neti let out a heartfelt sigh, “I am an embalmer, not a prefect. I cannot remember the last time I did what I was trained to do. I cannot remember the last time I actually finished a body, and when Asim did not have to complete it for me.”

  “You have other responsibilities now, responsibilities to your people.”

  “My people, who would that be? The Hittites? The Egyptians? The Hebrews? The Nubians?” Neti asked gesturing to the people on the bark, “None of them are my people.”

  Moses remained silent.

  “My people are those who stood by me, watched me grow up, supported me, educated me, and gave me the life I have. To them I am not a prefect; I do not need to be a prefect. He changed things.” Neti said pointing to Shabaka.

  “So you would be willing to go back to the time when the people of Thebes treated you with disdain?” Moses asked

  Neti looked at him for a moment. She knew that he and Shabaka had discussed the matter. She wanted to be angry but found it difficult since it was not a concern to her anymore.

  “They were scared of me, scared of my knowledge and abilities. That has not changed. Now they only show respect because I am one of the pharaoh’s chosen and I still see the fear in their eyes.” When Moses gave her no reply, she turned to look at him, “I just want things to go back to normal. The way they should be. Is that too much to ask?”

  “No. I understand what you are saying, especially with what has happened, but you should give yourself time to regain your strengths, before making a rash decision.”

  “That is what I have been trying to do,” Neti replied, frustrated. “But it is as if he either does not understand or does not want to understand it.”

  “But you have to realize that he does not want to lose you… again.” Moses said.

  Neti's forehead furrowed. “He has never lost me.” She said, confused.

  “Yes, he has. In his mind, he blames himself for what happened to you. He was afraid you might be dead, which is why he is so difficult at the moment. He not only blames himself for what happened but also thinks you are rejecting him because of what happened.”

  Neti made to say something, but Moses raised his hand, “I'm telling you because the two of you seem incapable of talking to one another, and I mean real talking. It is not that he does not understand. Deep down he does. But to him duty comes first; it is something that has been drummed into him ever since he was a small child. He would not even consider the possibility of relinquishing his duty.”

  “Which is what he thinks I am doing?” Neti challenged him.

  “He does not understand your resistance against what he sees as a duty.”

  Neti remained silent for several moments before finally nodding.

&nb
sp; “But until you have decided, you may want to hang onto this,” he said pulling her sash out of his bag.

  Neti looked at it in uncertainty, and visibly swallowed before asking, “Did Shabaka give it to you?”

  “No, this is the one I brought with me from Thebes. He still has the other one.” Neti took a deep, steadying breath as she reached out for the folded fabric, expecting it to feel heavier than it did.

  She glanced past Moses, and as she noticed Shabaka's intent gaze on them, she released another heavy sigh as she lowered the sash to her lap.

  Moses turned to look towards Shabaka before focusing his attention on her again. “I can talk to him if you want.”

  “And tell him what? That I still cannot decide if I want to remain a prefect?”

  “No, that you need time to heal first.”

  Neti sighed, “And you think that might help.”

  “It might just improve his mood,” Moses jostled.

  Neti shrugged her shoulders. “I doubt much can do that at the moment; he has been so...” She could not find the word but turned her palms up and then balled her hands into tight fists to underline what she was trying to say. “I'm not certain he even wanted to come back to Thebes.”

  Moses remained silent, leaving her to draw her own conclusion before he asked. “You looking forward to getting home?”

  Neti nodded. “It feels as if it has been ages since I've had a meal in my house.”

  “I can concur,” Moses said causing Neti to look at him, smiling as she jostled him in return. “You just like Yani’s cooking.”

  “And I will not deny that,” Moses said, smiling, “She is a good woman. I missed her company.”

  “Are you going somewhere with this?” Neti asked outright.

  A loud horn blast filled the air and prevented Moses from replying, causing both of them to look towards the river's bank, where they noticed the signalman. A few moments later, another horn blast was heard, farther upstream.

  “We have been spotted,” Moses said.

  Neti’s heart started racing, “Will there be trouble?”

  Moses looked at her and then shook his head “No, they will just notify the palace of our arrival.”

  Neti looked confused, “I don’t understand,”

  Moses pointed up to one of the masts. “We are traveling under the royal flag of Nubia. Shabaka's father insisted. We will be met at the pier by representatives of the palace who will accompany us there.”

  Neti's shoulders slumped. She had been on the lookout for the monuments and palaces of the West-bank to come into view. She had missed their majestic presence on the skyline at sunset. There was something about it that gave her a sense of security, the knowledge that she was home. The horns had been a stark reminder that they were approaching Thebes from the south, thus would reach Thebes before the palaces would come into view.

  Moses' words also made her realize another aspect of their return which she had not thought of, the royal court. She did not feel up to all the formalities they would have to go through before she would be allowed to return home.

  Moses placed his hand on her shoulder, causing her to look at him. “If you don't feel up to it, I'll make an excuse for you.” He calmly offered.

  “I don't even know if that is allowed,” Neti said, her voice uncertain.

  “Ramesses knows how draining such ceremonies are, especially for someone who has not returned to their full strengths yet.”

  Neti considered her options, and finally nodded, “Thank you, Moses.”

  Approaching the pier, Neti noticed the people struggling to see who had arrived. The pier itself was adorned with colorful garlands. The palace guard stood on the end to secure their arrival. The party was far greater than the one she was used to, but then she remembered that they were here to accompany the prisoners to the holding cells.

  The royal bark was moored to the side of the jetty and was in the process of being decorated for the festival, which necessitated a significant amount of skill from the captain to safely dock their bark. The thud of wood against wood and the jolt that followed was most welcoming.

  She gathered up her satchel and other belongings while the captain and men went about securing the bark and preparing for their passengers to disembark.

  A multitude of onlookers had gathered, a sea of faces, all trying to make out which royals had arrived. The thrill of their arrival was quickly subdued by the fact that they would first have to work their way through a crowd.

  The guards kept the onlookers at bay. And even though there were not as many as they would have been had Ramesses come down to the pier, they were curious enough.

  The gangplank was lowered.

  Neti followed Shabaka and Moses from the bark. Their procession was meant to serve as a buffer, allowing her to leave their party as soon as they had cleared the jetty.

  But even before they reached the waiting crowd, a familiar voice called, “Neti! Moses!”

  Yani was held back by two guards, who let her through the moment Shabaka indicated to them to let her through.

  Yani quickly approached, looking each of them over. She pointedly looked from Shabaka to Moses, who stood on either side of Neti.

  “You forget to feed her or something?” Yani chided, looking towards Neti in concern. “Last time I saw someone so skinny… I do not even want to think of it.”

  Shabaka clenched his fists, while Moses answered. “Yani be a dear and take Neti home, make sure she gets some rest and eats.”

  Yani's gaze narrowed, but then she took Neti's satchel from her before turning to Moses. “I will have it out of you one way or the other; she looks like her legs can barely carry her weight.”

  “I am well enough Yani. How have matters been here?” Neti calmly enquired.

  “Much better since the curse has lifted. Things continue to improve as the river swells. It has even brought you home.” Yani said while Neti led her off to the side. The crowd opened to swallow the two retreating figures, leaving Moses and Shabaka at the pier's end.

  Once Neti was out of earshot, Shabaka angrily demanded, “What, by the gods, do you think you are doing?”

  “What you should be doing more of - considering her well-being.” Moses flung back angrily. “She is still weak; it will be some time before her spirits fully return. And even though she pushes on, she is by far too weak to face an assembly room full of curious onlookers.”

  Shabaka made to object. “There is a judgment to be completed.”

  “Yes, and Ramesses will call her in to speak for herself, or is that what you fear the most?”

  Shabaka remained silent.

  “Besides, it is festival time,” Moses continued, “…the judgment will only be held after.”

  Shabaka looked at Moses, his eyes narrowing for a moment, before he turned around, “Come, the pharaoh awaits.”

  Chapter Two

  Neti entered her home. It was familiar but at the same time strange, for she had spent so little time in it recently. She felt more like a visitor than the owner whereas Yani moved effortlessly within its walls. Yani took care of her satchel and poured water for her to wash her hands and feet.

  “You can bathe in the morning,” Yani said, moving away from the basin, “I will go prepare some food for you and the beer should also be ready.” With that, she left Neti to her own devices.

  Neti washed her hands and feet, dried them and looked about the room. Her home was neat, a little dusty but clean. But after staying in Shabaka's parents' elaborate palace, she could not help but to find it lacking. It was comfortable, and she had what she needed. The old grass mat still served as a door, but she thought about getting a door again. She was confident she could afford one, and it would provide her with some added security. She looked at the woven mats scattered over the floor and noticed one she didn't recognize. She stepped closer and bent down to brush over its surface. It was new. The grass was showing only little wear. The weave was not completely flat but still neat and would flatten with use.

  “Young Seota weaved it.”

  “Seota?” Neti asked, unable to place the name.

  “The girl you brought back from the coastal city. She is inseparable from Tei-ka and Dava,” Yani said holding out a bowl and a cup to Neti. The bowl contained a meat soup and some flat bread, the cup was filled with beer.