Page 47 of The Death
She had to be careful not to upset him. This was all very difficult for him. “We won’t talk about this any longer right now. We’ve got to work hard and survive and maybe even work on our master plan.” She checked her watch. “And I’vegot only twelve minutes left before Caldwell comes to take me to that lab to look at the priest’s refrigeration equipment. So I’d like to sit here and stare at you and think how alive and wonderful you look during that twelve minutes. I suppose I’ll have to beg forgiveness from Folashade, but I have to admit how much better I find it than gazing at even the most intriguingB.C.queen…”
It was very cold in the workroom where Zakira was waiting when Eve was escorted there by one of Zakira’s guards a short time later. She’d worn her jacket because she’d expected it after working to restore other mummies under similar conditions. But she almost felt sorry for the guard, who was pretending not to feel the chill. Zakira himself seemed not to even notice it. “You kept me waiting,” Zakira said impatiently. “Don’t do it again.”
She could barely manage to look at him without remembering the last time she had seen him with that damn bloody dagger. But she couldn’t let him see any response that might endanger Michael. Zakira wanted meekness, and that’s what she’d give him. She nodded. “I’m sorry, I thought I was right on time. But I’ll make sure I don’t inconvenience you in the future.” She moved nearer to the golden sarcophagus across the room. “This is beautifully carved. It looks ancient. How old is it?”
“At least four thousand years. The holy rituals were performed on Folashade during the time of the great transfer of power. But before the priests could complete her removal fromthe palace, her body and all her treasures for the afterlife were stolen and hidden away in the mountains. They weren’t found until I took over the search myself.” He patted his chest. “It was clearly meant to be. I was the chosen one.”
That word again. “If you say so.”
He stiffened. “You should speak to me with more respect. You do not believe me?”
“I don’t know enough to decide whether or not to believe you, because I don’t know enough about this Queen Folashade’s history to judge.” Her eyes narrowed on his face. “But you appear to know a good deal about her. I usually study my subjects if I can, because it helps me to define their characters when I start work. Would you be willing to tell me what you know about her? I guarantee it will make my work cleaner and better.” She paused. “Or perhaps I’m wrong and you don’t know that much about her?”
He lifted his chin like a striking snake. “I know everything about that bitch.” His voice was filled with scorn. “Why shouldn’t I? I’ve heard all the stories about Folashade that have been passed down from the time my ancestors were priests serving at her palace. What do you want to know?”
“Whatever you want to tell me. However, you don’t appear to have a very good opinion of this royal queen you’re so eager for me to restore.”
“Why should I? The council of priests were not considered royalty though we’re the ones who actually ran the country and should have been revered by the pharaoh and peasants alike. Instead, we were almost ignored, except on special days or when a pharaoh died and had to receive the special death rites. We were never properly appreciated, but our treatmentbecame a constant insult when the pharaoh Hadabam the Third decided to take Folashade as his queen. It was a disaster. The only thing she had going for her was that she was also of royal birth from a distant branch of the family and had been brought up with Hadabam at the palace. She would have been an adequate match for some unimportant court official. The council tried for weeks to talk the pharaoh out of marrying her; he should have taken a bride from one of the royal families in Egypt or Persia. It would have been the only way he might have increased the power of not only the throne but also the priests’ council.” His lips curled. “But he wouldn’t listen to them as usual.”
“A love match?” Eve asked.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Zakira said in disgust. “The council could have understood if lust had been the driving factor and taken care to supply him with a suitable alternative. This girl was plain as a post and had no skills, and yet the pharaoh seemed content to spend time talking and reading with her and the scribes of the court. If sex was even a factor, the council wasn’t aware of it. Though she managed to give birth to a healthy enough boy a few years after she became queen. The pharaoh had been a sickly child all of his life and there was some doubt about his virility, but she was able to at least furnish him with an heir.” His face twisted. “It might have all gone well if Hadabam hadn’t gotten a fever and died. He ruined everything the council had planned.”
“I’m sure he didn’t intend to cause an upset,” Eve murmured. “What was the problem?”
“The pharaoh had named his queen as regent to her son until he reached the age where he could assume the throne.The child was only three years old. He should have put the priests’ council in charge of the child, not that stupid girl who was still almost a child herself.” His lips curled. “And that was the most terrible mistake of all. Because the minute she took the throne, she became a nightmare for the council.”
“In what way? I believe I heard somewhere that she changed her name to Folashade when she became queen. It had something to do about honor and the crown… Is that right? Why did she do that?”
“Because she was a vain, power-hungry bitch. She told the entire council of priests after the death of her husband that as long as she was in charge, she’d rule with honor and justice; that was why she’d agreed to obey the pharaoh in this. Then she dismissed the council and told them she would never accept their guidance again. She called them thieves and butchers and said they had no idea of the meaning of honor. The whore made the council powerless. She made all the decisions, even made war on other villages and city-states and conducted them herself for the next twenty-four years.”
“And how did that work out?” Eve asked quietly. “Didn’t you mention a disaster?”
“The country people may have thought they were prospering during that period, but they were only ignorant peasants. The council should have been brought in to guide the palace. The priests deserved their worship and respect.”
“And after that time her son took over as pharaoh?”
He shrugged. “No, he was as stupid and useless as his mother. All through his life, he was only interested in his horses and books. Then one night he took his finest chariot and his favorite horse for a ride down to the seaport and sailedaway into the sunset as if Shafira no longer even existed for him. When the council questioned his servants and guards, they only said that lately he’d been talking about wanting to see Greece or Macedonia. But he never returned here to Shafira.”
“Then perhaps he wasn’t as stupid as you might think. Did anyone talk to his mother when he sailed away?”
“They tried, of course. She was unavailable. She’d been ill for the past few days, and the day after he left she died unexpectedly.”
“And he didn’t come back to attend her as she was taken to her tomb?” Eve shook her head in bewilderment. “But that’s against all tradition. Something must have happened to him.”
“There were problems,” Zakira said harshly. “She was a troublemaker all the years she had lived, and her death was just as much of a nightmare as her life. When the priests came to take her body to the place where they were going to prepare it for the tomb, she and all her worldly treasures had disappeared. The council questioned and even tortured some of her servants, but they swore they knew nothing.”
“My goodness,” Eve said. “How puzzling. Whatever did they do?”
“Am I amusing you?” Zakira’s tone was filled with menace. “Perhaps I should put a stop to that immediately. Shall I send for your son?”
She moistened her lips. “You’re too smart not to realize that I would protect him at all costs.” She had been careless, and she had to make sure he was convinced. “I was being honest when I told you it would help me to get an idea what kind of person I was sculpting. But I’m not sure I have the full story. It was clearthat she’d been fighting this priests’ council all through her years on the throne. Why? What did she think they did?”
“What does it matter?”
“I need to get a complete picture.”
She waited.
