Heretic of the Nile

020

It was already too late to retract their steps. Down below, the clashing of keen blades against one another was creating a deafening racket in the once-peaceful village, spilling blood and death over the Nile's bank. General Akiya was barking orders in a foreign language while his men hurriedly shifted their cargo onto the ship. He slowly backed towards the gangway, still holding Prince Iynefer hostage.

"You will not be leaving Egypt's shores today, General," King Sneferu's voice boomed. He stepped out from the shadows, accompanied by Nefermaat.

Kha's fingers clenched over the fabric of his shendyt. He wanted to rush out to stop his father, but he could not. He had to wait—wait and see what game Kanefer was playing.

"F-f-father," Iynefer stammered, looking far more fearful at being discovered by the king than by the blade at his neck.

"If you and your men come any closer, your son is going to become fish fodder," the general said.

"I lost a son the moment he decided to collude with the likes of you."

"Father, please, I can explain!" Iynefer's entire body trembled, his lips draining of colour.

"Do what you will, General, but none of you are leaving these shores, and neither are my crystals."

"I'm afraid that's not for you to decide, Your Majesty." Akiya gestured towards the background. "Luckily for you, not all your sons are imbeciles like this one. You'll be glad to know that your kingdom will be in good hands after tonight."

We've fallen into a trap, Kha thought. He looked around into the darkness that they were shrouded in, trying to search for signs of ambush. In order to leave Memphis undetected, they had opted to bring along fewer men. Although the soldiers they had brought with them were all elites, they could still end up at the losing end if Kanefer outnumbered them.

A whistling sound split through the air.

The first arrow landed—striking Nefermaat squarely on the right shoulder. The second prince cried out, collapsing to his knees.

"Nefermaat!" King Sneferu exclaimed.

"Get the king to safety!" Nefermaat shouted, and all at once the king's men swarmed in, surrounding the king and the second prince in a protective barrier.

"Kha, what should we do now?" Mereneith asked, her eyes staring in wide-eyed horror at the slew of arrows flying down towards the docks.

The king's guards were cutting down the arrows as they fell, but their numbers were dwindling as well. It wouldn't take long before Kanefer would secure victory. Already the Canaanites had finished loading their cargo onto the ship and the Canaan general himself was standing on deck, issuing the orders for departure. As for Prince Iynefer, he had been ruefully abandoned on the gangway once it was clear that the king's men no longer had their attention on the Canaan ship.

Kha gritted his teeth, fingers tightening over the roof ledge. "There's nothing we can do," he replied. "We have to wait. If we go down there, Kanefer will have us captured too, and then we will truly have lost. Let's go. We need to get out of here before they discover us."

Judging from the direction of the arrows, Kanefer's forces were stationed towards the west of the village, on the opposite side of the docks from where they were. Kha slid down the bamboo ladder, then reached out his hands to help Mereneith. Once they both had their feet firmly back on the ground, he beckoned to her to follow his lead, slipping into the hazy shadows cast by the acacia trees.

#

Kanefer moved more swiftly than they expected.

Within the short span of a day, news of the king's "deteriorating condition" had already been spread all over the streets of the capital, along with Prince Nefermaat's impending execution for crimes of assassination of both the king and fourth prince Kha. Naturally, Nefermaat had been stripped of all rights as co-regent of the kingdom while he awaited his death sentence, and Kanefer conveniently assumed full control of governance. With Iynefer backing up Kanefer's claims (bearing a wound to his neck he claimed had been dealt to him by Nefermaat's men), the nobles of the royal court had no option but to accept the story they had been fed.