The Eloquent Scribe by T. Lee Harris

Author:T. Lee Harris
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical mystery set in the time of Ramesses II
Publisher: Per Bastet Publications
Published: 2016-12-02T00:00:00+00:00

TWELVE

The next morning, we returned to the temple of Bastet in Memphis. I was surprised to find all my things had been moved to a private room. I'm not sure exactly why I was. With all the other Pi-Ramesses people gone, it would have been silly to have me rattling around by myself in the now-empty dormitory. Ta welcomed us back and seemed genuinely glad to see me. I was pretty glad to see him, too. The time on the road had been wearying and, even though the food and rooms at the mansion were sumptuous, what the temple offered felt more like home. There was also the fact that I wasn't walking and covered with dust. That was a very good thing.

I considered taking a day off, but no matter how enticing it sounded, I couldn't do it. My scribbled notes and the landowners' lists had to be turned into a legible, accurate accounting to be sent back with the original offering lists. Lieutenant Si-Montu had promised to return in five to six days. We'd been two days on the road -- three, if you counted the stopover at the manor house and the journey back to the temple. There was also the small matter of the report for General Seti-Merenptah. Those scribbled notes detailing everything I learned at Ma'aheru's and Amuhotep's estates also needed to be transcribed into something more legible. The Medjay's schedule didn't leave me a lot of time to write out all the formal reports and get them into the proper hands. A day off would just have to wait.

I looked at my notes for General Seti-Merenptah, then at the ones for the Opet offerings lying beside the landowner's lists I had to tally. There was no contest. I took the easy way out and wrote the General's report first. Once I had it safely in the hands of the young priest who acted as messenger, I'd come back and start the count.

I riffled through the stacks of papyrus filling the chest on the floor beside me. Maybe I'd get the report to the messenger, then have a nice lunch. Yes. That sounded better.

~*~

By noon the next day, most of the Opet lists had been tallied onto a master sheet. That master sheet looked like there'd been a cat fight on top of it, but that wasn't important. I was a few sheets away from my final entry, then I'd double check my counts and write it all out in a neater, final form. I had dipped my pen again when Neffi, who had been sleeping beside me, raised his head and chirped just before someone tapped on the door. I was a bit surprised anyone bothered to tap since the door was standing open to allow a cross breeze. I was even more surprised to see Master Ta standing there.

"My apologies for interrupting your work for the Great House, Sitehuti."

I tried to rise and bow, but my legs were too stiff from sitting to do a convincing job of it.

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