The king jumped up from his stool and circled a support post of the trellis. 'I should arrest them all!'
Ay spoke for the first time since they began. 'Tut, I have sent soldiers in pursuit of the desecraters, but you can't arrest princes and priests without great consideration and proof of their crimes. There would be riots.'
'Who would dare riot against me?'
'Parenefer would arrange it,' Ay said.
Tutankhamun pounded his fist into his palm. 'I'll arrest him too.'
Standing, Meren went to face the king, blocking his harried pacing. The boy stopped short and glared at him.
'It would be better to wait until we have unquestionable knowledge of what happened and who was responsible, divine one.'
'We know already,' the king said.
'No, majesty, we suspect. At the moment, the only persons who we know committed this evil are dead. But there is at least one other person involved, the person who sent those so-called bandits to kill Ahiram. Remember what he said, 'he'll betray you too.' '
'Which means,' Ay said, 'that we must take care to find this man, for no doubt he's the leader of these traitorous criminals.'
Tutankhamun pounded on a trellis post. 'It has to be Parenefer!'
Meren's voice cut through the king's muttering.
'What if we're wrong?'
Boyish curses faltered. 'Then I'd let Parenefer go.'
'Yes,' Meren said. 'But he would hate you.'
'He hates me now.'
Ay pulled himself to his feet by bracing against his walking stick. 'The wrath he cultivates and hoards for Akhenaten spills over onto you. If you humiliate him, the greatest priest in the kingdom, he'll hate you for yourself, and then he will begin to plot your death.'
Tutankhamun turned on Meren. 'So you wish to risk my life so that Parenefer isn't offended?'
'No, majesty, I-'
'Oh, never mind. If I must wait out this threat, at least I'll distract myself. I'll go on a raid against these bandits that plague the village of Long Shadow.'
Meren wanted to groan. 'Thy majesty should delay such outings until I've had time to solve this mystery.'
'Damn you, Meren, this is another trick to keep me from becoming a man!'
The gods should protect him from young bulls anxious to test their horns. Meren thought of all the logical reasons why the king shouldn't leave Thebes and knew Tutankhamun wouldn't listen to them. So he only had one choice left-the most unpleasant.
'Forgive me, divine one, but thy majesty has forgotten an urgent problem that requires royal attention.'
Tutankhamun folded his arms over his chest. 'Oh?'
'Thy majesty must repair the damage to his brother's body and then find another house of eternity for him, Queen Nefertiti, and all the other royal family who are buried at Horizon of Aten. And this must be done in secret, so that his enemies do not attack him again, and so that none ever learn of this unspeakable transgression. I'm sure thy majesty realizes how dangerous it would be if his subjects were to learn that a pharaoh's tomb had been violated.'
A startled glance. A dazed silence. Then curses, a loud, resentful string of them. The king understood. He would comply, and he was blaming Meren for his sudden disappointment and for his renewed fear. Nevertheless, Meren was startled when Tutankhamun darted at him. So abrupt was the movement, he did nothing to avoid the blow when the king backhanded him.
'May the gods curse you, Meren. Get out, get out!'
His jaw stung, and he tasted blood. Meren straightened, raised his arm, and touched the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand while he gazed at the boy. Tutankhamun was breathing hard. His gaze dropped to Meren's hand as it touched his mouth, then to his inner wrist.
Meren stiffened; he had forgotten to wear a bracelet or wristband to cover the sun-disk brand. Ay was remonstrating with the king, but neither pharaoh nor Meren heard him. Tutankhamun narrowed his eyes as he stared at the scar. Meren dropped his hand to his side. The king's gaze met his.
'I'd forgotten,' he said.
Ay fell silent.
Tutankhamun went on in a suddenly flat voice. 'Parenefer isn't the only one with cause to hate my dead brother.'
Chapter 15
Meren tried not to stalk out of the palace.
Imagine that you're walking out of your own house, he told himself. Imagine that it is Remi who has just indulged in a fit of temper. Only for a while. Just until you're out of the palace precinct.
He fixed all his attention on walking without haste, easily, as if he were slightly drowsy because of the early hour. All the while, deep in the recesses of his ka, he was furious. Furious at the son of the god. The obstinate young fool.
Passing into the great reception hall, Meren entered the growing crowd of courtiers and officials who had business with pharaoh this day. A young man separated himself from a group of army officers and hailed him while digging his little finger in his ear. Meren cursed in silence, then turned to greet Prince Rahotep.
'Ah,' Rahotep said. 'You've returned. Did you find him? I could have found him in half the time you've been gone.'
'Of course I found him,' Meren snapped.
The prince took a step backward and held up both hands. He shook his wide head. Meren reflected that it looked like it had been flattened under a falling obelisk.
'Don't bark at me,' Rahotep said. 'I only asked what everyone else will.'
He'd almost given himself away. Touching his forehead as if weary, he smiled.
'Forgive me. It has been a long and unhappy journey.'
'So you found Ahiram. Where is he?'
Meren hesitated. 'He's dead.'
'Dead! But how?'
'All the circumstances of his death aren't clear.'
'What do you mean, not clear?' Rahotep's voice began to rise. 'Either he's dead, or he's not. Did you kill him?'
This last had been said in a loud voice. Silence fell over those nearest them, and Meren saw a priest of Ra and several officers of the infantry look their way. Rahotep had clamped his mouth shut and was gawking at him as if he couldn't believe he'd blurted out the accusation. Meren directed a regal stare at the prince.
'You're overexcited, Rahotep. Maybe this is an inauspicious day for you, and a sacrifice to Amun or Toth would aid your disposition.' He paused while he watched Rahotep try to shrink into himself. 'Or perhaps you should just go home.'
He left the prince standing in the small clearing his outburst had created and continued to weave his way through the crowd toward the tall double doors in the palace entry way. These portals were of cedar of Byblos overlaid with sheet gold, which showed scenes of the king in his chariot making war on the nine traditional enemies of Egypt. He forced himself not to glare at the image of Tutankhamun.
So great was his concentration that he almost ran into Tanefer and Maya when they appeared in front of him. They fell in step with him as he walked outside to the courtyard and called for a groom to bring his chariot. When the groom had gone, both men faced him.
'What have you done, Falcon?' Maya asked in a whisper.
