Chapter 19
“What are you doing here, Alexhotep? Kevinkare? Howymose? And the rest of you?” Smenkhkare asked, suspiciously eyeing the seven.
Meritaten’s eyes widened as she immediately comprehended the situation.
“Oh my,” she murmured, her hand flying to her mouth.
Smenkhkare turned violently on her. “So I take it you know something on this?”
“No,” she cried. “I don’t know...”
Smenkhkare turned back to the others. “I demand to know the meaning of this, or I will summon the guards.”
“We got lost,” Nickathor offered, glancing at his friends for help.
Brianamun shot him a dull expression. Great excuse, he thought.
Kevinkare kept his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes all the while remained on the opponent. Now is the best time to get the business over-with, he thought. There aren’t any guards to worry about... I just don’t want Nefret and Meritaten to see me do this.
“Is that your explanation?” Smenkhkaredemanded, arching his eyebrows in disbelief. “You’ll have to do better than that. Better yet, I’ll just get security.”
“Don’t try it,” Kevinkare ordered, his tone dared Smenkhkareto defy him.
“And why... not?” Smenkhkareeyes rested on the dagger glinting in Kevinkare’s hand.
Kevinkare grabbed Meritaten, pulling her over to him, making it look like she was his hostage. Meritaten immediately understood and feigned fright.
“She’s in delicate condition, and she’s a woman,” Smenkhkareexclaimed.
“Whatever you want, it’s with me.”
Kevinkare smiled icily. “Exactly.”
Smenkhkareunsheathed his own sword. He’d been forewarned that something was up tonight and had come prepared.
His eyes took in the other people. The closest person to him was a pretty, turquoise-eyed girl.
Smenkhkaresprinted toward her, poising his dagger at her throat. At any slight move back, his weapon would slit her throat.
Brianamun lunged forward. Nickathor grabbed him, holding him back with all of his strength.
Kevinkare jumped, knowing that while his lover was in no danger, his sister was in extreme peril.
A smug, proud smile spread across the prince regent’s face. “I believe I have gotten a firm hold above you, Kevinkare. I’m no fool. If you think I don’t know about you and my whore wife then you’re wrong. Of course I know! When she sneaked out, did you think I didn’t know where she was going? Of course I knew! My servants followed her. You wouldn’t hurt her--you couldn’t hurt her. As for what I could do to this pretty, little thing here... I really couldn’t care less if I killed her or if she lived.” He looked around at the grave, fearful faces. “But I think you all do care about her...”
The only sign of Brianamun’s panic was in his eyes. He was frantic. His fears and premonitions had been well-grounded. Amun had tried to warn him... Why hadn’t he listened?
Kevinkare laughed roughly and harshly. “An affair with the royal princess? You’ve got to be kidding me! I know better than to get myself involved with something like that. Besides, she’s only a spoiled little, future queen. I wouldn’t want anything to do with her.”
“Nice bluff, doctor.”
“I have no need to bluff. If I wanted a lover, I could find someone better than her.”
Meritaten stiffened. He’d better be misleading Smenkhkare... for his sake, she thought.
However, his gentle hold on her waist was enough to tell her his true feelings. Smenkhkare shrugged. “I hope you know that I know about you’re little group as well. For your sake, you should be glad that I haven’t told anyone as of yet. I would have, but I just discovered it. ‘The Cause’.... wonderful name. My cause will be to see all of your group wiped out rid of by the executioner. You’re names will be erased from all documents, and you’re remains will be fed to the crocodiles. You all will be doomed to wander through the afterlife.”
In his speech, his grip on Nefret had loosened. She had no choice and decided to go for it. She elbowed him and took off. Smenkhkare lunged out with his sword, catching her in the abdomen. Nefret fell to the marble floor, her hand clutching at her wound.
At that same time, Brianamun and Kevinkare took off. Brianamun ran to his lover while Kevinkare, seeing red, attacked Smenkhkare.
In a blur, Kevinkare didn’t know what had happened. The next thing he knew, he was standing over Smenkhkare’s lifeless body, blood pouring from the area around his heart.
He stared down at what he’d done. Shuddering, he turned to see what had become of his sister.
Nefret laid with Brianamun kneeling next to her.
Silently, he was imploring Isis, Mistress of Magic, to heal Nefret.
“I told you I wasn’t afraid to die,” Nefret murmured.
“You aren’t going to leave me,” Brianamun whispered.
She smiled ironically. “I don’t think I have much of a choice. It’s what the gods want. I’m to join Osiris in his kingdom.”
Brianamun stroked her face gently.
“I’ll wait for you there,” she told him.
“I love you, Nefret.”
“I love you too, Brianamun.” Calmly, Nefret breathed her last.
Tears streaming down his face, Brianamun struggled to his feet.
The others were silent.
“We knew there was a possibility of losses,” Brianamun managed to say.
“Yeah, but I never actually thought...” Alexhotep mumbled.
“Well,” Brianamun went on, glancing at his lover’s murderer, “one of our jobs is complete. Now for the other...”
“We have too many people,” Kevinkare said, stopping him. “It’d be too conscious. I, Meritaten, and Aneski will accompany you. As for the rest of you, please... bring Nefret to Nakht.”
Nakht was one who stilled mummified in the old ways with the amulets to implore gods for safe passage.
Alexhotep and Howymose nodded solemnly, while Nickathor bundled Nefret in his arms. They slipped out through the secret passage.
“Where’s the poison?” Brianamun asked Kevinkare.
He handed it over.
“Let’s go then.”
Aneski took a deep breath and followed the others into the hall.
“Where is he now?” Kevinkare asked Meritaten.
“In the palace chapel, begging Aten for sunlight to reign again and beat out this darkness.”
“Sekhmet will overpower Aten unless her spirit is soothed,” Brianamun replied. “But this is good for us. He’s alone. Let’s get this job over-with.”