Meren put on a leather and bronze corselet that wrapped around his chest, wrist guards of the same materials, and a belt into which he shoved a dagger. Still distracted by his discoveries in Green Palm, Meren failed to hear Reia when the charioteer addressed him.
'Lord? Lord, are you well?'
Meren lifted his gaze from the floor to find Reia holding out a charioteer's whip.
'You asked for this, lord.'
'Oh, yes. Where are the others?'
'Outside waiting, lord.'
'Yes, yes.' He cleared his throat. 'You've given them their orders? Good.' He looked down at the whip to find that his hand was trying to strangle it. He loosened his grip. 'Yes, well, it's time, is it not? Come.'
Outside waited the four tallest and brawniest of his men. With legs like palm trunks and chests as wide as pyramid blocks, they made even Meren feel slight. He walked down the row of doors to the last one and signaled to Reia. The charioteer pulled back the latch silently, then took a step back and kicked the door open with a crash.
Sunlight pierced the dark void within. Reia took a lamp from one of the men and strode inside. Next Meren motioned for the remaining charioteers to enter. They marched in with spears, nearly filling the room. Only then did Meren follow, stalking in slowly, tapping the coiled whip against his leg. He had drained himself of compassion, separating his ka from all softness, forcing himself to meet this woman as a stranger and an enemy. It was the only way he could carry out this task.
Bentanta stood inside against the back wall, her arms at her sides. He usually preferred not to notice her appearance, as it further disturbed his comfortable, removed perspective of her. But she wasn't in the usual elaborate dress of her station, and he was left with nothing to regard except her unadorned appearance. Without heavy paint on them, her eyes still glinted with that annoying look of calm amusement. They were large and tilted up at the outer corners, adding to the impression of cool humor. Her long, heavy hair was loose except for a thick lock at her temple. Unlike many women he'd questioned, she didn't catch her full lower lip between her teeth to attract attention to her mouth. She simply faced him with the dignity of a Great Royal Wife.
Acknowledging a salute from his charioteers, Meren took a position opposite Bentanta, directed a frigid stare at her, and almost felt his jaw unhinge. Bentanta's expression had changed as his men crowded into the small room. Now she was glaring at him as if he were a slave who had disturbed her in a nap beside the reflection pool.
'I've had enough of this bullying, Meren.'
Recovering from his surprise, he asked, 'Are you ready to tell me the truth?'
'I've told you the truth.'
All at once his shoulder sagged, and he let out a long breath. Touching the bridge of his nose, Meren thought for a moment.
'Oh, Bentanta,' he said gently. 'Forgive me.'
Bentanta shifted uneasily from one foot to the other. 'For what?'
'I am so, so very sorry.' He lowered his gaze to the whip, then wearily looked at Reia. 'I must leave this to you.'
'I will be careful, lord.'
'I know you will, but it's difficult.'
'What is difficult?' Bentanta demanded.
Reia took the whip from Meren. 'It would be best if you went to your chamber, my lord.'
'You're right.'
'Wait a moment,' Bentanta said.
Meren hung his head. 'I must leave, Bentanta. I regret this. I truly do.'
'I'll be careful, lord,' said Reia.
'Very well. I've decided you may use the fire.'
'What fire?' Bentanta asked.
Meren glanced back at her. 'Fear not. I'll send my physician at once. He's excellent at treating burns. There might not be scars at all.'
'You're leaving!'
'You were right,' he said. 'I can't bring myself to question you by force. You've beaten me.'
Meren turned his back on Bentanta and shouldered past the wall of charioteers. He slowed his steps as he crossed the threshold. The door closed, and he was left in the sunlight, sweating and shivering. He forced himself to walk to the shade of an acacia, where he whirled around and glowered at the door to Bentanta's cell. Long, long moments passed. He jumped as a whiplash cracked through the air. He heard a cry, a woman's cry, but it was one of fury. Then there was a slap.
'Meren! Meren, you come back here, damn you. Ser-pent's spawn! Demon's whelp! Meren? May the gods curse you if you aren't out there.'
He counted to twenty before entering the cell once more. Bentanta was still standing against the wall. Her long obsidian hair hung wildly about her shoulders, and she was breathing heavily. The skirt of her shift had a slice in it from hip to thigh. Reia was beside her, gawking at her, his hand pressed against a red cheek. The whip lay discarded on the floor. Retrieving the whip, Meren glanced at Reia. The charioteer gave him an embarrassed glance, saluted, and left, herding his men before him.
Standing in a pool of lamplight, Bentanta raked him with her gaze. She gripped her upper arms, and Meren realized that if she didn't, her hands would tremble. Walking away from him, she suddenly whirled around and spat her words at him.
'Spawn of a scorpion, you were going to let them torture me.'
He wasn't about to admit the truth. 'I must find out who killed Sennefer and Anhai. I'm sworn to uphold Maat, the harmony and balance of the Two Lands.'
'And you're officious as well. Gods, why have I tried to spare you? You don't deserve it.'
'Spare me? Spare me how, Bentanta? No more quibbling, no more maneuvers. Tell me what happened with Anhai. Tell me everything, at once.'
Abruptly she gave a bitter laugh. Setting her back against the wall, she lowered herself to a sitting position and drew the lamp to her. 'Sit down, Meren. This will take a while, and it will be-hard.'
He sat down so that the lamp was between them. She glanced around the room at the blank walls.
'No windows, only one door, an isolated building. I suppose I should thank you for providing secrecy.'
'Get on with it,' he said.
Bentanta was wearing a thick lock of her hair strung with gold ring beads. She reached up to it with both hands, lifted the bright strand, and began to pull something that had been inserted within the encircling beads-a tightly rolled paper. This she uncurled and smoothed, holding it at both ends. The papyrus had been folded and refolded so that there were tears along the fold lines. Its edges were ragged, but the script that covered the rectangle was dark and readable. Meren had been expecting to see something like it. Bentanta gave him the papyrus.
'Djet can tell you the truth better than I.'
'Djet?' Meren began to read.
Bentanta,
You were right, as you have always been. How can I explain to you? How can we justify what we've done? You and I took comfort from each other when both of us knew we really wanted Meren. When Ay called me home to care for him, I thought he might turn to me. He did, but only as he always has, as a brother. He writes to me, begging me to come home. How can I tell him I have no home because I made the mistake of telling my parents I loved my cousin? I can't endure being near him. Living with this pain will slay my ka. I don't know how much longer I can contain this lake of fire in my soul. You say there is a child within you from our uniting. I will send a messenger from Babylon with gold for you and the babe, but I see no remedy but silence. It has ever been thus for me, condemned to silence, living amidst many and feeling alone. I'm weary, so terribly weary.
The letter ended with Djet's name. Meren stared at the script until the lines blurred. A confusion of memories
