Chapter 16
Brianamun had meditated on every detail of his plot. He had considered every possible outcome, positive and negative for The Cause. What he had finally decided on was risky, but it was the only sensible way to go about without shrinking from the duty itself.
Once he’d thought to the point that a headache was forming, Brianamun emerged from his room.
He felt dirty and sneaky to be planning two people’s murders, but it was what the gods demanded... He shuddered to himself.
Nefret, who had sneaked with him to his house, ran up to him, her turquoise eyes sparkling and questioning.
He nodded solemnly.
“Aren’t you going to tell me what you’ve settled on?” she inquired, laughing.
“Not yet. At the next meeting, I’ll tell everyone. If you all like what I’ve come up with, we’ll act from there. But we will need Nickathor’s girl. I’ll tell you this much, we’re all going to be risking our necks... can you handle that?”
Nefret narrowed her eyes, harshly glaring at him. “Why do you think I’m helping The Cause? I’m not afraid to die! I’ve worshipped the true gods, and I’ll do my duty to them if it means--”
Brianamun silenced her with his lips.
When they pulled away, all the anger had dissolved from her eyes.
“I put that wrong,” he murmured, gently tucking a loose strand of her thick hair behind her ear. “It’s just I don’t want to see you hurt or killed... It’s my own feelings for you that came out there as bad as it may have come out...”
She smiled.
“I’m going to call a meeting tonight.”
“What about Howymose’s mission?”
Brianamun chuckled. “Just because we’re voting on a way to go about the plan, it doesn’t mean we’re acting tomorrow. We’ll give Howymose the time he needs to fulfill his duty, and the rest of us will get however long we need to get our acts together.” He sighed. “I’m really going to depend on your brother. As the physician, he’s going to have to keep up that straight, stiff role he plays at court.”
“I’ll tell him.”
With a tender kiss in parting, Nefret threw her cloak about her and disappeared into the busy streets, pulling it over her pretty face so as not to be recognized.
Brianamun watched her go. A horrible premonition washed up through him as her slim figure vanished into the crowd. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but he couldn’t shake it either.
A cold breeze blew onto his doorstep, like the kiss of death.
Shuddering, Brianamun slammed his front-door closed. You only feel guilty, he told himself. There’s nothing else wrong.
He withdrew to his office where he scribbled quick invitations complete with the code-phrase to a meeting scheduled for that night at the usual place, Kevinkare’s mansion.
*****
Everyone was gathered within Kevinkare’s living room. His servants had been given the night off, ordered to return early the next morning. What they’d be conversing about that night was too risky to be discussed outside the safety of the walled house.
Aneski was also joining Brianamun, Kevinkare, Alexhotep, Nickathor, Howymose, and Nefret.
“So you’ve finally gotten it all planned out?” Kevinkare asked gravely.
Brianamun nodded. “All of you just have to tell me if you accept your roles.”
“You know I’d follow you to the ends of the world,” Nefret told him, lightening the mood with her smile. Well, at least Brianamun’s mood.
He returned her favor--even though his was smaller and more serious. Then he relayed his plan. Everyone listened in silence, taking in their parts. It’d be dangerous for all of them, but they all knew what had to be done would be done. Brianamun concluded with, “What do you all think? Please, you guys, be honest. This is dangerous and... If you want to change your roll, please...”
No one spoke up.
Kevinkare choked out, “I can get what you want within a day... two at the most.”
“You’re going to make the, um, drop?” Alexhotep asked Brianamun.
“I’m not putting the weight on any of your shoulders. I will deal with Akhenaten as Amun directed me to.”
“What about Smenkhkare?”
“I told you the, er, plans for him.”
“But you never said who did it.”
“Alexhotep, I--”
“I’ll do it,” Kevinkare’s deep, authoritive voice proclaimed.
“It’s worse than my job!” Brianamun cried.
“Meritaten does come into this somewhere, and she comes into it when I kill Smenkhkare for all that he has done to me, Meritaten, and our baby.”
“It is yours,” Nefret murmured.
Kevinkare blushed. “Yeah, I thought you guys had already figured that out.”
“I did,” Alexhotep piped.
Aneski sighed. “When do we act?”
“I’ll send for you when the time is right,” Brianamun replied. “Just... I don’t know... Keep on your toes.”
“Okay. I’m going to go.”
“I’ll walk you home,” Nickathor offered, jolting out of his thoughts.
“Really... I can manage.”
Nickathor turned to his best-friend. “I’m only disappointed that I don’t get that much of a job, but other than that... I wish you all luck.”
“Yours will be hard enough as it is.”
“Yep. Sheer size isn’t everything you know.”
He escorted Aneski out.
“Should I continue my work on Tutankhaten until we’re sure the time has come?”Howymose asked.
“Yeah,” Brianamun replied. “That’d be for the best.”
Slowly, everyone else took their leave, in awe of the fact that the time had nearly arrived.
*****
Nickathor and Aneski walked in silence.
She felt awkward and uncomfortable around him, and for once, Nickathor was also not at ease.
“I think I’m going to be jumpy and tense until this is all over,” Nickathor stated, breaking the monotonous silence.
“Me too, but it has to be done.”
“It just seems so real now.”
“When was it never real?”
“It always was, but I’ve been living this plot for well over a year now,” Nickathor told her. “All the timing, and information gathering missions, trips to Syria, it all seemed like a game.”
“But now it’s real.”
“And when Pharaoh dies, it will be our doing.”
“Dangerous, but necessary,” Aneski reminded him.
They’d arrived in front of her estate. She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “I’ll see you soon.”
She then disappeared into her house.
Nickathor wandered the streets back to his own house in a sheer daze.