Ornament of Pharaoh by Kylie Quillinan

Author:Kylie Quillinan [Quillinan, Kylie]
Language: eng
Format: epub

Chapter 21

Ineni’s gathering lasted until late into the night. My eyes drooped and I was trying not to yawn long before anyone suggested it might be time to leave. I didn’t want to be the first to depart, but the later we talked, the more I fretted over whether Ahmose was waiting for me to return before she went looking for Ettu. As we finally left, Ineni surprised me with a kiss on the cheek.

“Thank you for coming,” she said. “I hope you weren’t too bored. We must have spent a lot of time talking about people you don’t know.”

I emerged into the hallway to find a line of maids waiting to escort their mistress to her chambers. So I wasn’t the only one taking measures to ensure I didn’t walk the hallways alone. Ahmose and Merytre were there, leaning against the wall and looking more awake than I felt. We didn’t speak until we were well away from anyone else.

“Is there any news?” I asked, rubbing my eyes and trying to look alert. “Ahmose, I thought you would have gone by now.”

“I was waiting until we collected you before I left,” Ahmose said. “So Merytre wouldn’t have to come on her own.”

“I’m sorry I was so long,” I said. “I should have made an excuse to leave earlier.”

“Did you learn anything useful?” Merytre asked.

We reached my chambers and I tried to pretend to myself I wasn’t hoping Ettu would be there when we opened the door. She wasn’t, of course. I waited until the door closed behind us before I answered Merytre.

“It was mostly Palace gossip, but there is some kind of alliance between the women who were there,” I said. “Henutmire asked whether they were going to talk business, and then something about how she thought they had decided to trust me. I don’t know what it was all about.”

“Interesting,” Merytre said.

Ahmose disappeared into her bedchamber to prepare to leave. I sank down onto a couch, lightheaded as fatigue and too much wine both caught up with me.

“Do you think she is all right?” The words slipped out before I realised what I was going to say.

Merytre sighed. “I don’t know and that’s the truth. I pray to Horus she is well.”

“Funny you should mention Horus,” I said and told her about the protective amulets the women were wearing.

“I have one myself, although I don’t wear it on a chain.” Merytre fumbled in her pouch and withdrew a small item. She set it on her palm and held out her hand to show me. Like the ones I had seen earlier, the eye seemed to stare at me balefully.

“You don’t find it… disturbing?” I resisted the urge to edge away from it.

“Of course not.” Merytre tucked it back in her pouch. “It protects me from evil. That’s why I’m not afraid to walk the hallways alone. I did tell Ahmose she didn’t need to wait tonight because Horus would protect me, but she insisted.”

“I’m surprised everyone wasn’t already wearing such amulets.

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