Dancer of the Nile (Gods of Egypt) (6 page)

She set her fingers on his lips. “I don’t think we should tempt fate by talking of the future. We have to get all the way to Tentaris to warn the nomarch first. And then see how grateful he may be.” A huge yawn overtook her. “I think the wine is making me sleepy. I told you I’ve no head for wine.”

“Sleep then.” He grabbed the makeshift pillow with his free hand and tried to plump it up against his thigh before handing it to her. “I’ll be on guard, for the Hyksos or the nightmares.”

“You need to rest,” she answered drowsily, reclining and shoving the sack under her head. “I can take the watch for part of the time.”

Adjusting his shoulders to be more comfortable, he leaned against the rock. “I’ll be fine. Soldiers learn to sleep with one eye open. Have no fear.”

“I’m not afraid, not with you.” Eyes closing, she curled up next to him, like a cat. He had to clench his fist on his thigh to resist the urge to stroke her shining hair. For a moment or two, her soft breathing was the only sound, other than the gentle gurgling of the brook.

 
“Kamin?”

He brought his attention back from the stream. “Yes?”

She kept her eyes closed. “I haven’t done any private dances. I’ve yet to meet the man I
want
to dance for.”

Chapter Three

A few moments before sunset, he woke her, and they made the best meal they could from the remnants of what they’d stolen from the Hyksos camp, washing it down with the cold water, before repacking their gear and climbing out of the canyon before the sun set completely.

Stomach sinking, Nima contemplated the vast expanse of sand and semi-arid desert. “How are we ever going to find our way to the city?”

“I’m a pretty fair tracker.” He pointed in the direction he intended to go, and they both started walking. “We’ll hike due east, opposite the setting sun, arriving on the banks of the Nile in one or two nights’ travel. From there we can get a boat or maybe even a chariot, depending where we intersect the river or cross the caravan road. I can requisition transportation at any government house.” He scrutinized himself, clad in a Hyksos kilt and cloak, and frowned. “I may have some trouble convincing the authorities of my identity.”

“The officer called you a spy, right before you killed him,” Nima said. “Are you really a spy?”

Kamin searched her face for a moment, his own serious, eyes narrowed. “Yes,” he said finally. “I’ll admit that much. The Hyksos have Egyptian sympathizers in this province, have even planted some of their own people in positions of power masquerading as Egyptians.” He started walking as he went on. “Pharaoh needs to destroy their network, dig them out by the roots to throw them out of our country for all time.”

Skipping to close the distance between them, she raised her hand peremptorily. “Better if you don’t tell me the details. We might be recaptured, and I can’t be made to tell what I don’t know.”

“You possess good sense.” Plucking a long strand of grass from a hillock as he passed, he chewed on it for a moment. “But this province traveled a long way down the road to hell during the Usurper Pharaoh’s reign. The Hyksos presence represents a major threat.”

She frowned
. I can’t even imagine trying to fool the enemy into thinking I was one of them.

 
“Were you a good spy?”

“Since I got myself captured, you might think the answer is no.” Kamin laughed, attractive lines crinkling at the corners of his eyes. “I was about to make a final report to the nomarch at the capital. I have all the details, all the contacts, all the traitors’ names, here.” He tapped his forehead lightly. “The gods blessed me with the ability to remember vast quantities of information. You recall dance steps, I remember facts.”

“You’d have made an excellent scribe then,” she said.

 
“Not likely. I’d soon lose my wits, cooped up in a counting house or a library all day.”

“A scribe’s life would have been safer.” She scuffed at a pebble. Safety seemed a highly desirable thing to her, given their circumstances.

Hands on his hips, he stopped walking. “Do I seem like a man who craves a
safe
life to you?”

Laughing at the comic, horrified expression on his face until she couldn’t breathe, Nima clutched her aching sides and said, “Don’t be insulted. No, of course, you’re unquestionably a man who enjoys going in harm’s way. How were you captured, if not in battle?”

Kamin strolled onward. “At the last meeting I attended, there was a man who’d seen me before, in Thebes. He knew I wasn’t what I claimed to be here in Nome of the Shield. Realizing he’d recognized me, I slipped out of the gathering, but I was pursued and outnumbered.” Shading his eyes with one hand, Kamin stared at the horizon. “Now I need to get across this damn desert and back to civilization, so I can deliver my report.”

“At least we have the rudiments of a plan,” she said. “Of course, the Hyksos had a map, which would be preferable.”

Kamin stopped dead in his tracks and wheeled slowly to stare at her, eyebrows raised. “A map? What kind of map?”

She kept striding along at the pace she had set for herself, passing him and continuing on. “One leading to their fortress in the mountains at the edge of the desert, of course. Amarkash consulted it constantly, day and night, checking landmarks and the alignment of the stars. Why?”

Coming after her, Kamin grabbed her arm, loosening his grip a bit as she winced. “He let you see this map? Could you reproduce it?”

“I suppose, but why? We don’t want to arrive at their stronghold. I’ve had more than enough close encounters with the Hyksos.” Bending over, she plucked an annoying twig from her sandal and tossed it away.

“No one knows where their base is. That closely guarded secret eluded even my efforts to ferret out information.” Kamin threw his arms wide. “A map would be a gift from the gods. The enemy would never expect us to attack, and the nomarch’s army could surprise them, destroying the whole place.”

“It might be pretty well defended.” Nima was dubious, pursing her lips and chewing at the interior of her cheek. “The general who sent Amarkash to kidnap me was supposed to be one of their top strategists. Nebu something.”

“Set’s teeth, I will be damned to the lake of fire,” Kamin said, pounding his fist into his open palm. “Was his name Nebuchazz?”

“Yes.” She tugged at his sleeve. “Come on, we need to keep walking.”
 

Brow furrowed, Kamin resumed the hike, head tilted as he considered her confirmation of the man’s name.
 

Nima frowned herself. “What difference does it make who the general is?”

Eyes sparkling at the thought, he said, “If we could kill or capture him, the Hyksos’ plans to take over Egypt would be dealt a severe blow. Can you draw me this map when we stop to rest later?”

“I’ll try. I have a pretty good memory. I certainly saw the parchment enough times.”
Usually right before Amarkash tied me up for the night.
Nima shivered at the memory of the Hyksos officer’s rough, callused hands on her body, fastening the ropes into intricate knots while he touched her in intimate places.
 

Lost in the terror of memory, she hadn’t realized she’d stopped walking.

Reaching out, Kamin tugged at her curls. “Banish the thoughts making you hesitate. You’re with me now. You’re safe. I’ll protect you.”

She wrapped her arms around herself and rocked on her heels. “If they overtake us, I’ll use the dagger on myself. I refuse to be recaptured.”

He laid one hand over his heart. “I’m not going to let you be taken prisoner again, my oath on it.”

Stopping to rest periodically, they walked and jogged through the night. At first, Nima believed it was an amazing coincidence when Kamin called a halt every time she was on the verge of telling him she could go no farther, but then she realized he was watching her without seeming to do so, evaluating her condition and pacing himself.
 

As she drank the water he handed her and nibbled at their last remaining bread crust, she admired his muscular frame, his handsome face.
But what I appreciate most is how considerate of me he’s been. It’s a relief – nay, a luxury - to have someone so capable, so deadly, watching over me, concerned about my comfort.
He turned in her direction, and she averted her eyes, not wishing to be caught gawking.
Could I ever mean something to him as a woman, not merely a person he’s grateful to for rescuing him?
She laid her head on her knees, wistfully considering what it would be like to belong to a man like Kamin and wondering what his story was.
I told him mine.
But, of course, he was a spy, so he had to keep most things about himself secret, she supposed with a little sigh.
 

“So.” He touched her on the shoulder, making her jump a little, as if he could read her thoughts. “Can you draw me the map now?”

“Oh, I forgot. Of course I can.” Blushing, flustered, she placed the water skin on the ground and cast a puzzled glance at him. “But on what? We have no papyrus, no tablets.”

He tapped his forehead lightly with his index finger. “Excellent memory. I just need you to draw it for me in the sand, then I’ll have it up here. I can reproduce it on papyrus once we return to civilization.” With a quick movement, he handed her his dagger, hilt first. “Your pen, my lady scribe.”

She giggled at his exaggerated formality. “I’m no scribe and certainly no lady. I can read and write a few hieroglyphics, no more. I told you, my stepfather believed in practical education.”

“Which stood you, and me, in good stead, although your troupe master shouldn’t expect my thanks any time soon.” He smoothed a patch of sandy soil between them with the palm of his hand. “Here’s your slate. I think the moonlight is sufficient, thanks to the Great One Nuit’s generosity.”

Nima paused a moment, considering how to begin. “I’ve never drawn anything before.” Then she outlined a neat square at the top of the sand. “This was the fortress. There were odd markings, like the building was surrounded by hills.” She made delicate indentations in the sand with the tip of the knife. “And here, these are the corresponding alignments of the stars, at least at this season.”

“Excellent details,” Kamin approved. “Now the trail leading to it?”

Moving the knife tip to the opposite side of the sand square, she drew a smaller box. “Hebenar, the village where they caught me.” She closed her eyes for a second. Even the mere act of uttering the
 
doomed settlement’s name brought sadness and horror flooding into her mind.

“Don’t let the memories intrude.” Lightly, Kamin squeezed her shoulder, as if they were comrades in arms. “You’re here with me now, not there.”

Dropping the knife into the dirt, she rubbed her hand across her eyes, furious to be tearing up again in his presence. “Will I ever be able to forget?”

He reached out and caught her to him, hugging her as she cried. “It’s all right, let the tears wash away some of the fear and pain.”

“I want to
forget.
”
Nima protested, her voice wobbly.

She could feel the motion as he shook his head. He rubbed a hand down her back in lazy circles. “I can’t lie. Crying will help, but the memories won’t fade completely. They dim with time, I promise.”
 

“And—and those two men I killed? Will I ever be able to walk away from those deeds?” She sobbed harder, weeping in deep paroxysms. “When my heart is weighed by the gods after my death, will I be judged as having done the right thing? Or will they give my
ka
to Ammit the Destroyer?”

“You didn’t commit murder. You were engaged in warfare on behalf of Egypt. The gods will account for that.” Kamin murmured soft words in her ear, held her close.
 

Nima had no idea how long she indulged herself in the emotional release, but eventually the sobs faded to sniffles and hiccups, and the tears no longer fell.
Such a luxury, to be comforted. There’s no tenderness in any member of Dudekh’s dance troupe.

Kamin held her away from him enough to see her face. With one hand, he blotted the tears on her cheeks. “Better now?”

Reaching for the corner of her cloak, she spilled a tiny bit of the water onto it to wash her face. “I’m sorry to have wept all over you.”

“You needed to cry.” Taking the cloak, he dried a spot on her cheek she’d missed. “I hope it helped?”

“A little.” She pressed one hand to her aching heart. “I was so helpless and terrified the night I was captured. Some of those people who died were friends. The town was my favorite stop on our regular route of touring, so I was thinking of trying to escape the troupe there. The innkeeper in Hebenar was always nice to me, snuck me extra food. And the two serving maids were twins, sweet girls my age. When I was in town, we used to go shopping in the bazaar together. I’d promised to dance at the older sister’s wedding.” Hiccupping a bit, Nima closed her eyes in pain. “She died when the soldiers were—when they had her—” Voice fading, she gulped against renewed sobs.

“If talking about the events helps you ease the memories plaguing your mind, I’ll listen to the entire tale as often as you need to tell it,” Kamin said, embracing her again. “Too much for you to carry alone. I have broad shoulders.”

“You’re so kind to me, so patient.” She searched his face. “Why?”