Ra jerked his arm free and glared at Meren. Then his lips twisted into a smile. 'By the wrath of Amun, I've wanted to do this for a long time. Come then, mighty Eyes of Pharaoh, great and powerful Friend of the King, fight me if you dare. I'll kill you before the sun sets.'
Chapter 13
Kysen hurried over to his father as Meren removed his gold collar, belt, and overrobe. 'He came charging out of the house saying he heard you'd forbidden him to leave. I was nearby when he tried to bully the sentry into letting him out of the gate.'
'Did you say he was suspected?' Meren asked. Reia took his jewels and robe.
'Of course not. I said no one was above suspicion, and he took offense.' Kysen glanced at Ra, who was glaring at them from across the clear space formed by the crowd. 'This isn't good, Father. Your wounds aren't completely healed. Let Reia and the men take him.'
Meren took Kysen's dagger from him. 'No. He has attacked you in front of my people and challenged me. Neither of us can go back, and taking him prisoner would deal him a humiliation he'd never forgive.'
Kysen knew that set look on his father's face. Meren had made a decision from which he wouldn't waver. He stepped back, caught the eye of one of the sentries, and gave him a hand signal. The man nodded, pursed his lips, and whistled. Another whistle sounded inside the house grounds, then another.
At the same time, Meren and Ra began to circle one another. The sun hung low in the sky, just visible through the trees. Meren kept his back to it, working his way closer and closer to his brother while making Ra face the light most of the time.
More people joined the crowd-farmers, fishermen, servants. Several charioteers shouldered their way to the front of the throng. Kysen signaled again, and they spread out in a loose ring around the two fighters. Feeling helpless, Kysen moved with them, watching Ra's dagger. Meren was a warrior, but Ra was seven years younger.
The two drew close enough to strike, but Meren remained on the defensive. Crouched, balancing on the balls of his feet, Ra waved his blade back and forth in front of his brother. Meren refused to look at it, watching Ra's face instead. Finally losing patience, Ra thrust his dagger straight at Meren's gut. Meren hopped out of reach, almost forcing Ra to overbalance. He jabbed again, this time from the side. The blade caught Meren at the waist, drawing a thin line in blood.
The crowd gasped, and a woman shrieked. Kysen saw one of the charioteers holding Idut by the arm as she shouted at her brothers. Neither paid her any attention. Ra was smiling after his hit, but Meren ignored it and moved to keep his back to the sun. Ra darted at him, his dagger leading. At the last moment, he tossed his weapon to his left hand and struck. Meren ducked underneath the path of the blade, spun, and shoved Ra, causing him to stumble and fall to his knees.
Kysen wasn't surprised when Meren simply straightened and waited for his brother to recover. From the beginning Meren's stance and lack of offensive movements had told Kysen he didn't intend to fight Ra as he would an enemy. Ra seemed to realize this too, for he jumped up and turned on Meren, his sweating face red, teeth bared.
'Fight me, you cursed son of the Devourer.' Ra walked quickly toward Meren. 'I'll not let you take this from me as you have everything else.'
Before he finished speaking, Ra launched himself at Meren. He crashed into his brother, who fell backward as he grabbed Ra's dagger arm with his free hand. They landed with Ra on top. Meren pulled Ra's arm while shoving with his body. Ra toppled to the side, ending up on his face, spitting dirt.
Meren jumped to his feet, turned, and stood over his brother, his chest heaving. 'You've drawn my blood, Ra. Surely you're recompensed for any insult.' He lowered his dagger and turned away.
Ra rolled over, wiped dirt from his eyes, and saw his brother walking toward the front gate. Springing to his feet, he sailed at Meren, dagger held high and pointed at his brother's back. Kysen put his fingers in his mouth and let out a piercing whistle that was accompanied by those of the charioteers.
At the sound, Meren whirled around and brought his dagger up just as Ra's blade descended. Metal slid against metal until the weapons locked hilts. Meren fell beneath the impetus of Ra's charge, planted his feet on his brother's stomach, and threw him over his head. Ra hurtled through the air. His head cracked against hard earth as he slammed into the ground on his back, stunned. His dagger flew from his hand.
There was a sudden quiet as Meren got quickly to his feet and went to his brother. Flailing with arms and legs, gasping for air, Ra tried to rise, but ended up looking like a writhing fish tossed on the riverbank. Kysen picked up Ra's dagger and joined Meren to kneel beside the fallen man.
Meren grabbed a fistful of Ra's hair and pulled the dazed man upright. 'Remember. I wasn't the one who wanted to fight, Ra. And remember this too. If you ever touch Ky again, I'll fight you as I would an enemy instead of a spoiled little brother.' Ra slapped Meren's hand from his head and cursed. 'You're staying here.'
Meren said. 'You can remain as a guest or as a prisoner. I care not which. Come, Ky. We've work to do.'
Kysen had listened to his father's last words with growing surprise that kept him silent while Meren ordered his men to remove Ra to the house. Always, deep within his ka, there had remained a nagging feeling of disbelief that Meren could hold for him the affection a father held for a son of his blood. To be presented with such overwhelming proof of Meren's love was like being gifted with perfection by the gods. He didn't know how to feel or how to respond. Luckily, Meren seemed unaware of the magnitude of his actions. He handed his dagger to Reia, waved a hand to banish the crowd of onlookers, and then glanced at Kysen.
'We can only pray to Amun that my fool of a brother will think before acting in the future. Damnation. Here comes Idut. Delay her, Ky. I'm going to wash. Meet me in the granary. I want to look at it again before all the light vanishes.'
'Aunt,' Kysen said as he stepped in her path. 'You don't look well. Didn't you enjoy Father's little game with Ra?'
'Game? That was no game. Meren! You come back here, Meren.'
Kysen danced in front of his aunt as she tried to go around him and thought of a half-lie. 'A royal messenger has just arrived. Father must attend to it at once. May I send for beer? You seem overheated, Aunt.'
A messenger had come from the king, but he'd arrived long ago and was filling his belly in the kitchen while he awaited Meren's letters of reply. Kysen managed to divert Idut long enough for Meren to disappear into the security of his apartments.
Not long afterward Kysen entered the granary court to find Hray in the process of issuing ration payments to the workers. While waiting for his father, he questioned
Hray again. No, the overseer had seen nothing out of the ordinary, touched nothing when he found Anhai.
Meren joined them. 'But there was one thing out of the ordinary, Hray.'
'There was, lord?'
'Your grinders fought over their querns and grindstones.'
'Aye, lord. They're a quarrelsome lot sometimes.'
Kysen glanced at the bowed querns and the oblong grindstones. 'It appears that several of the laborers have favorite implements. Two of them prefer the same ones.'
'Yes, lord.'
'Indeed,' Meren said. 'And when you found Anhai's body, two of the grindstones had been switched, precipitating an argument. What I want to know is whether the querns and grindstones were left in their proper order after the day's work.'
'Oh yes, lord,' Hray said, jerking his head up and down. 'I make them keep the querns and grindstones matched, and I make the two laborers take turns with the set they both prefer. I don't tolerate fighting over the tools. Wastes time.'
'And yet the stones were mismatched,' Kysen said. While Meren dismissed Hray, he went over to the awning and picked up a black grindstone, hefting it in his hand. Returning to Meren, he pointed the stone at him. 'It's heavy. Wouldn't it have made a mark if someone hit Anhai with it?'
