Flail of the Pharoah (10 page)

‘Only those who are without sin may approach the bed of the God-King,’ Tut-Tut stated, his voice harsh in the echoing chamber. ‘Whatever sins you have committed in your life must be expunged, and the holy flail shall be the instrument of your expiation.’

With that, he picked up a leather flail that lay upon the altar, one similar to the implement Neshi used on Kiya. Charmian felt her flesh quail at the prospect. She whimpered, ‘No, please,’ but Tut-Tut was towering above her with the flail in the air, a stern expression of contempt upon his fleshy face.

‘You shall be purified thus!’ he thundered, moved behind her and then, without warning, the first stinging lash fell upon her defenceless shoulders. A cry of agony burst from her lips. With an almighty crack the flail was wielded again, and again, each stroke bringing forth a searing pain and more agonised moans. Yet after three the punishment ceased and Charmian guessed it was more of a token than a real chastisement. Her tender nerves, unused to any sort of assault, had perhaps responded more keenly than the priest expected.

He bent low and whispered in her ear, ‘That will suffice, my dear. Now you are purged and ready for his majesty’s bed. Rise and bow to the goddess, then follow me.’

Although his words were kindly enough, his manner was revoltingly unctuous and Charmian prayed she would have little more to do with him. Her shoulders still ached from their beating, yet the pain was beginning to fade and if that was all there was to it she could bear it well enough. But what of her encounter with the Pharaoh, what new torment might that bring?

Tut-Tut led her out of the gloomy temple and down the corridor towards the royal apartments. His feet made a squeaky slapping sound in his sandals and she could see the flabby folds in his neck below his mottled pate as he waddled along. The man revolted her, yet she was in his power. As she was in everyone’s power in this great palace, she reminded herself: above all, the Pharaoh’s.

But such thoughts must be quelled if she was to present a pleasant face to King Seti on their first night together. Images of his congress with Queen Mira surfaced, only to be firmly dismissed. Tonight she must become the young bride she was once destined to be, long ago and far away. Instead of being given to a handsome prince of her own people she must give herself to an alien ruler, but it was better to accept her fate than to kick against it.

Strengthened by such thoughts, Charmian entered the huge portal of the Pharaoh’s apartments. Tut-Tut hung back, forbidden to enter unless by express command. From now on, Charmian would be on her own.

King Seti was waiting for her on his magnificent bed, just as he had awaited his queen on the previous night. His handsome face broke into a smile as she entered, and he beckoned her to join him. ‘Charmian, at last, come into the light where I may see your beauty.’

She obeyed, although she was trembling beneath the thin shift she wore. Her hair was drenched with perfume and the rich scent filled her nostrils, confusing her mind.

‘That’s better,’ he smiled, his finger beneath her chin. ‘Your natural beauty shines forth tonight. It has no need of adornment.’

She could smell his sweet breath and feel the heat radiating from his powerful body. He bent forward and slowly put his lips to hers in a delicately brushing kiss. Charmian felt her whole body tingle with excitement and fear. His arms encircled her, drawing her into his aura, and she drew her feet up beneath her on the luxurious bed.

‘Charmian,’ he murmured, ‘so many strange things for you to learn here, and yet you have done so well. I am pleased with you. The Pharaoh of Egypt is pleased with his handmaiden. How does that make you feel?’

‘Good, sire,’ she murmured dutifully.

‘But I wish to make you feel more than good,’ he continued, his hands caressing her silken hair. ‘I wish to make you feel many different emotions, here in the privacy of the royal bedchamber.’

His fingers toyed with a strand of her hair, curling it around his forefinger as he studied her expression closely. Charmian knew she was his to do with as he pleased, and she shuddered inwardly whilst trying to remain outwardly calm and compliant.

Seti smiled, his dark eyes glittering at her, and caressed her cheek with his knuckles. She wondered about his male body beneath the light tunic, wondered about that appendage all men had – except Tut-Tut the eunuch – and with which she was supposed to toy. She was nervous at the thought. What if she did not perform well and the Pharaoh was displeased with her?

‘Why are you frowning, little girl?’ he asked, smoothing her brow with his finger. ‘Tell me your thoughts.’

‘I… I was thinking about what will happen… later,’ she admitted candidly.

He laughed. ‘My dear, if you wish it nothing much will happen between us tonight.’

She stared at him in astonishment. ‘Nothing? But I thought—’

‘The queen has no doubt tried to school you in the ways of love, but unless you wish to practise your newfound skills on me there is no necessity for you to do anything.’

Charmian was utterly confused now. Surely the Pharaoh wished to take her virginity. Why else had he summoned her to his chamber? Was she displeasing to him? The thought brought a shadow to her brow once again.

‘Taste some of this delicious rose wine,’ he told her, lifting a gold chalice to her lips. The wine did indeed taste of roses. It was sweetly scented, and Charmian took several sips of it. She thought she had never sipped such a delightful drink before, but it was strongly alcoholic and she soon felt as if she were floating on a cloud.

Seti drew her to him and kissed her closed lips, this time with more insistence, making her lips tingle deliciously. His hands caressed her almost naked shoulders, still tender from their whipping so that she winced at first, before finding his gentle massage soothing. Was he about to slip the garment off her? This was a game where she did not know the rules, where she did not even know if there were any rules. It was both intriguing and terrifying.

‘Lie down,’ he murmured, and she lay back in the scented sheets and stared up at the rich-hued canopy and the painted ceiling beyond, which seemed to be slowly revolving before her eyes. Then the dark face of the Pharaoh obscured her view, his expression somehow paternal, and she felt tears as an image of her own beloved father came into her mind.

‘You are sorrowful,’ he observed. ‘I do not wish you to be sad. I shall not plunder your young body, Charmian, as the pirates no doubt plundered your village. You shall give yourself to me willingly, or not at all.’

For a moment she thought her ears, befuddled by wine, had misheard him. But then he repeated, ‘I shall not force you. You must come to me in your own time.’

She was amazed; all those hours worrying about what would happen to her, and now this. Charmian had thought she would be taken like an animal, and even wondered whether she would be put over his knee first. Yet Seti was telling her it was all under her control, not his.

She should have been delighted, but now she felt a twinge of disappointment. Having steeled herself to become the Pharaoh’s plaything she did not know how to proceed. Her mind and body were in equal turmoil as she surveyed her options. Should she take the initiative and touch the royal organ, in the same way the queen had shown her with Prince Neshi? Should she lie there passively and invite the king to caress her, or present her naked buttocks to him and await his pleasure? It all seemed too much effort.

He seemed to understand her dilemma. ‘You would like me to pleasure your body?’ he suggested, his dark eyes gleaming seductively, irresistibly.

‘Yes, if it please your majesty,’ she breathed.

He smiled and gently eased the flimsy garment off until she lay there exposed. Now Charmian was no longer afraid. She saw the longing look in his eyes as he surveyed her naked body for the first time, and was gratified. Here was the King of Egypt, a Man-God in the eyes of his people, and he was worshipping
her
, dazzled by her pale beauty and behaving more like her servant than her master.

His lips travelled up from her lower belly, tickling like a butterfly’s wing and almost making her squirm, and then she felt the tip of his tongue in her navel. Her whole body felt as though it were on fire. Poised on the cusp of exquisite pleasure and excruciating frustration, she endured the suspense as long as she could before letting out an alien cry, somewhere between a frustrated sigh and a pleading groan.

The Pharaoh chuckled softly and moved his mouth with agonising slowness up towards her straining breasts. The nipples were hard and needy now, and as his mouth enclosed the left one his fingers fastened on the right, making her moan with renewed passion. Slowly he suckled, as a child feeds from its mother, and Charmian had an irresistible urge to caress his oiled hair, from which intoxicating perfume rose to invade her nostrils. Her head was soon swimming in a sea of pure delight.

Charmian lay with her eyes closed, slowly dissolving in bliss, and so languorous were the sensations, and so dizzying the effect of the wine, that soon she lost consciousness altogether…

Mira awoke with something niggling away at her. It was the hour before dawn, her habitual time of waking, but before she clapped her hands to summon Iras and begin her toilet she lay musing, wondering what could be bothering her.

Then she remembered; Charmian had spent her first night in the Pharaoh’s bed. Anxiety wracked her as she recalled Seti’s words, warning her to prepare the girl well. What if the ninny had acted like that dim-witted Greek girl, struggling and screaming when the Pharaoh tried to enter her? It would be the worse for her if she had, but there had been so little time to prepare her. She would not be frightened by the sight of the male organ, that was for sure, but suppose she took fright at the crucial time and her cunny resisted him? She had heard of that happening. Or what if she had lain there like a mummified corpse, with the king striving to bring her back to life in vain?

Well, she would know soon enough. It was almost time for her to perform the daybreak ceremony in the temple, and Mira reasoned that she would be able to tell what had happened from the mood Seti was in. Although he prided himself on being able to maintain the pharaonic mask of indifference when in public, his wife could read him like a book.

While she performed her morning ablutions, Mira was silent and thoughtful. The previous morning she had been rejoicing at the opportune way she had caught Charmian and Neshi together, hatching a plan to get them both into trouble, but today she was in a more sombre mood. All would come to nought if the Pharaoh got into the habit of blaming his wife for Charmian’s bad behaviour. It was most unfair, but Seti could be cruel as well as kind, and sometimes his whims were capricious.

By the time she was dressed in her simple white robe and walking down the corridor to the temple precinct, Mira had wound herself up into a state of tension from which only her husband’s favour could release her. So when he turned at the altar and smiled over his shoulder she felt a wave of relief engulf her. All was well. The girl had not let her down. Seti was his usual pleasant self. The gods be praised!

Mira felt more than usually pious as she performed the age-old ritual that morning, ushering in the new day, and her prayers to the goddess Isis were fervent. Afterwards, Seti asked her to accompany him to his quarters and she went gladly, hoping for a good report of the girl. He sat companionably on the bed with her, the very bed where he had lain with Charmian, and at the thought Mira felt a twinge of jealousy. Yet it was nothing. The main thing was that she was not to be punished for failing to prepare the girl well.

‘My dear wife, you will be wanting to know what passed between me and the new girl last night.’

‘If you wish to tell me, Seti,’ she responded teasingly.

‘Of course. You probably wondered why I called for her so soon. I did not give you very much time to prepare her, did I? But then I hit on a plan. As you know, I find the creature quite irresistible. That pale skin and golden hair – exquisite beauty! And her body is well formed, too. Not as voluptuous as yours, perhaps,’ he patted her hand and she preened herself like a cat, ‘but delicious breasts and buttocks, slim thighs, a luscious mouth – all attributes I find very pleasing.’

Despite herself, the former stab of jealousy returned in greater strength but Mira forced a smile. ‘I am glad to hear it.’

‘I confess I have been quite mad with longing for her. Normally, as you know, I would wait several months before summoning a concubine to my bed. I prefer to have a girl well trained and willing than shy and wary. But this time, well, I decided I could not wait. The night before last, while you and I were in congress, I was acutely aware of her watching in the shadows and our lovemaking took on a new intensity for me.’

‘Really?’ Mira tried to keep the scorn from her voice. She wanted to say ‘I suppose you were thinking of her, too, while you fucked me’, but she held her tongue.

‘So I decided I had to have her last night,’ he continued. ‘She was sweet enough, allowing me free access to her body, and I think she enjoyed my ministrations, but I didn’t want her turning against me like that Greek girl at the last minute. So to prevent that I laced her wine with poppy juice and she became very drowsy.’

‘You drugged her?’ Mira was shocked.

‘Only for her own good. I wanted her so much, you see, I was afraid I could not control myself. You should have seen my bursting erection, and her opening was quite small. I used oil to lubricate her passage so I would do no damage, and her hymen was not too tough. But it was much easier to give my cock its head while she was lying there with dulled senses.’