As quickly as it began, the wind stopped.Hapuseneb arose cautiously, straightened his robe, and retrievedthe necklace. He had a gift to present.
CHAPTER 25
Hattie pushed away the tray of food that Nesihad set before her. “Take it away, Nesi. I have no appetite.”
“But, Majesty,” her servant protested, “youhave eaten nothing in three days, nor have you slept! You must eatand you must rest, else you will fall ill.”
“I care not whether I live or die,” Hattiemurmured. She was only mildly surprised to discover that her wordswere true. She had lost Senemut and, with him, her enthusiasm andenergy for life. She no longer cared if she completed her mission,if she returned to her own time. She had nothing left here, andnothing awaited her in the twenty-first century. “My survival meansnothing to me when I have lost the only man I have ever loved.”
Nesi clucked sympathetically. “Aye, YourMajesty. But Lord Senemut would not want you to grieve so, I knowit. He was ever a kind man and you were his first concern. Surely,you can eat something for his sake?”
Hattie eyed the servant suspiciously. Nesibravely returned her stare, refusing to drop her eyes.
“You are becoming much too smart for me,”Hattie said at last and sighed. It was easier to give in than toargue with the girl, for she had no strength to quarrel. “Aye, verywell, leave the food. I shall try to eat a little.”
“Amun be praised! Thank you, Majesty. And asmall nap would do you good.” A smile lit Nesi’s face. “I will beoutside if you require anything else.”
Hattie took a bite of bread. It tasted likedust in her mouth. Absently, she crumbled the rest. Why had shecome to this accursed time and place, only to have her heartbroken? Surely Hatshepsut could have found someone else to carry onher mission who would have handled things properly, leaving Hattiefree to stay in her own time with her heart untouched. She curledup on the bed, clutching one of Senemut’s cloaks to her chest.
“Oh, Senemut,” she whispered. “Why did youleave me, alone and friendless? What will I do without you? Howshall I go on?”
At last, exhaustion and stress overcame her,and she dropped off into a fitful slumber.
It seemed she had only been asleep an instantwhen she felt someone shake her. Opening her eyes a slit, Hattiesaw Nesi bending over her.
“Forgive me, Majesty, but there was no otherway to wake you,” Nesi said. “You did not answer when I called toyou.”
Hattie sighed and rubbed her burning eyes,then pushed herself upright. “Do not worry. I am not angry. What doyou want?”
“There is a messenger waiting to see you.”The servant glanced over her shoulder and made the sign of thesacred eye of Horus. “Majesty, he is from the House of the Dead,”she whispered.
“The House of the Dead? Nay, send him away. Ido not wish to hear any details of the mummification process.”Hattie shuddered.
“But, Majesty,” Nesi said, looking again overher shoulder, “the messenger says it is most urgent. He carries amessage from the Ka priest at the house of embalming.”
Hattie swallowed convulsively as the bite ofbread she had swallowed earlier threatened to come up. “Verywell…very well. Send him in.”
A tall, gangly priest with a shaved head,dressed in a coarse linen kilt, entered and bowed deeply. “I amsorry to interrupt you, Majesty, but I have news I fear you willnot like.”
“Nothing could be worse than what I havealready endured,” Hattie mumbled. Then she sighed. “Come, give meyour news.”
“Radiant One, I know not how to explainit…but…may Amun forgive us, the body of Lord Senemut hasdisappeared.” He gasped the final words in a rush, then dropped tohis knees and prostrated himself on the floor at her feet.
Hattie frowned. “Disappeared? What do youmean, Senemut’s body has disappeared?”
The priest glanced up at her from the floor.“Lord Senemut was brought to us three days ago after his…hisunfortunate accident. It was late in the day, Majesty, so we merelycovered his body—with the finest of linen sheets, of course. Whenwe returned to the house of embalming the following morning…” Heabased himself again. “Majesty, Lord Senemut’s body was gone. Thesheet lay on the embalming table undisturbed, as if no one had evertouched it. But Lord Senemut had vanished.”
Hattie shook her head, only succeeding inmaking it pound. “Have you searched? Surely, he has just been movedto another part of the facility.”
“Aye, Royal One,” the priest said. “We havesearched from one end of the building to the other these two dayspast, but we can find no trace of him.” His voice sank to awhisper. “It is said that a mighty wind arose in that quarter ofthe city that night. Some say it was caused by the wings of Horus,arriving to take Lord Senemut bodily to the afterlife.”
“I do not think that is the case,” Hattiesaid, scowling.
“I can offer you no other explanation,” thepriest stammered. “I am sorry, Majesty. I stand ready to accept anypunishment you decree.” He quivered, but held his position at herfeet.
Hattie’s eyes cleared momentarily from themist of grief she’d been in since Senemut’s death. A brave man laybefore her, ready to accept death if she should order it so, forsomething he hadn’t done. “Do not fear. I do not hold you or yourworkers responsible, and I will not punish you.”
The priest looked up cautiously. “I…I thankyou, Divine One. You are most merciful!”
The pall of despair dropped over Hattieagain. “It matters not what has happened to the body. Lord Senemutis gone. That is all that matters to me.” She gestured at thepriest and he hurried out, bowing all the way.
Hattie dropped down onto her bed, clutchingSenemut’s cloak to her. “It matters not…nothing matters now. Mylove, and my life, is gone.”
* * *
Hours later, Hattie still lay curled up onher bed, her eyes burning, her soul temporarily depleted of tearsand grief. Nesi carefully poked her head into the room.“Majesty?”
“Aye, Nesi?” Her voice sounded pained anddry, even to her.
“Hapuseneb, the high priest of Amun, is hereto see you. Shall I admit him?”
Hattie sighed and pushed herself upright.“All right.
