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even though the board of retired priestesses had decided to
name her the temple s new director of women s music.
The queen walked up to her. You were brilliant.
The girl bowed to Tuya.
What is your name?
Nefertari.
Where do you come from?
I was born in Thebes and sent to study in the harem at
Merur.
And now Memphis, though you don t sound particu-
larly thrilled with your accomplishments.
I had hoped to return to Thebes and find a place at the
temple of Amon.
To live in the cloister?
My dearest wish is to be initiated into the mysteries of
Amon, but I m still too young for that.
It s not a wish many women your age would share. Has
life disappointed you, Nefertari?
No, Majesty, but the religious life attracts me.
You don t want to marry and have children?
I haven t given it much thought.
The temple life is an austere one.
I like being surrounded by the eternal stones, their
secrets and their call to contemplation.
Nevertheless, would you agree not to answer that call
for the time being?
Nefertari bravely raised her eyes to meet Tuya s; the Great
Royal Wife appreciated her clear, direct gaze.
Being the women s music director of this temple is a
special job, but I have something else in mind for you.
Would you become mistress of my household?
Mistress of the Great Royal Wife s household! It was an
Ramses: The Son of Light 279
appointment noble ladies dreamed of, with the status of
being the queen s confidante attached to it.
The old friend who worked with me died last month,
revealed Tuya. There have been many contenders at court,
and it hasn t been pretty.
I have no experience, I . . .
You don t belong to the nobility. You don t feel anything
is owed to you, or that your family s illustrious name should
make up for your lackluster efforts.
Couldn t my background prove too much of a hand-
icap?
All that interests me is a person s worth. There is no
handicap that cannot be overcome by inner worth. What do
you say?
May I think it over?
The queen was amused. No noble lady would ever have
asked such a question. I m afraid not. If I let you inside the
temple, I ll never get you out.
Hands folded on her breast, Nefertari bowed.
At Your Majesty s service.
An early riser, Queen Tuya loved the predawn quiet. The
instant when the first ray of light pierced the darkness was
a daily reenactment of the mystery of life. To her great sat-
isfaction, Nefertari was also a lark. They went over the
new housemistress s assignments during breakfast.
Three days after impulsively hiring Nefertari, Tuya knew
it had not been a mistake. The girl was as astute as she was
lovely, with an astonishing ability to get to the heart of
every matter. From their first planning session, the queen
280 Christian Jacq
and the mistress of her household worked together beauti-
fully. They communicated in sentence fragments, some-
times with no words at all. When their morning business
was concluded, Tuya went to be dressed for the day.
As the queen s hairdresser was scenting her wig, Shaanar
arrived to see his mother.
Ask your servant to leave, he demanded. What I have
to say is for your ears only.
Is it that serious?
I m afraid so.
The hairdresser withdrew. Shaanar seemed genuinely
upset.
Speak to me, son.
I was hoping I wouldn t have to.
Now that you ve made up your mind, don t keep me in
suspense.
Well, I . . . I d hate to cause you pain.
Now Tuya was worried. Has something happened?
Seti, Ramses, and their search party have disappeared.
Do you have any details?
It s been some time since they left for the desert, in search
of the missing gold-mining party. The rumors are dire.
Don t pay any attention. If Seti were dead, I d know it.
How
There are invisible bonds between your father and me.
Even when we re apart, we remain connected. So please
don t worry.
Still, consider the evidence. The king and his army
should have returned by now. We can t simply let the
country slide.
The vizier and I are handling day-to-day matters.
Would you like my help?
Do your own job and be content with it: there is no greater
Ramses: The Son of Light 281
happiness on this earth. If you re still worried, why not form
your own expedition to look for your father and brother?
Strange things happen in the desert, with monsters
devouring prospectors who come to steal their gold. As the
surviving heir, my duty is to stay put, don t you think?
Listen to your conscience, said the queen.
Neither of Seti s two messengers, leaving four days apart,
made it back to Egypt. On the trail to the Valley, desert
trappers lay in wait to kill them, steal their clothing, and
break the wooden writing boards with Ramses message to
the queen: that the prospecting had been successful and the
troops were laying the foundations for a temple and a
mining town.
The trappers sent a man to tell Shaanar that the Pharaoh
and the crown prince were alive and well after the king
found a new source of water deep in the desert, thanks to
divine intervention. The Bedouins had poisoned the dis-
trict s main well in vain.
The majority opinion at court was that some evil had
befallen Seti and Ramses. How best to make use of the
king s absence? Tuya kept a firm grip on the reins of
power. Only physical proof of her husband s and younger
son s deaths would have forced her to name Shaanar as co-
regent.
In a few weeks, at the latest, the expedition would return
home and Shaanar would miss his best chance yet to mount
the throne. There was still a slim chance that the unbearable
heat, the snakes and scorpions would do what the fierce
Bedouins had been unable to accomplish.
282 Christian Jacq
Ahmeni was losing sleep.
Every day, the rumor grew stronger that the search party
led by Seti and Ramses had perished in the desert. At first,
the young scribe shrugged it off as foolishness. Then he
checked with the royal dispatch service and learned the
upsetting truth.
There was indeed no news of Pharaoh and the crown
prince, and no one was doing anything about it!
Only one person, he knew, could break the deadlock and
dispatch an emergency force into the eastern desert.
Ahmeni went to call on the Great Royal Wife and was
admitted by an unusually lovely young woman. Wary as he
was of the opposite sex, of feminine wiles, the young scribe
took note of Nefertari s perfect face, deep blue-green gaze,
soft voice.
I wish to see Her Majesty.
She has much to do in Pharaoh s absence. May I ask the
reason for your visit?
Excuse me, but have we met?
My name is Nefertari. The queen has named me mis-
tress of her household. I promise to report to her accurately
anything you may tell me.
For a woman, she sounded sincere. Ahmeni grudgingly
yielded to her charm.
As the crown prince s private secretary and sandal-
bearer, I believe that an elite search party should be sent to
the desert immediately.
Nefertari smiled. Have no fear. The queen is informed
about her husband and son.
Informed . . . but that s not enough!
Ramses: The Son of Light 283
Pharaoh is in no danger.
Then why have no messages reached the court?
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