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this."
    The priest clucked his tongue. If I had not been numb, I would have been intimidated by his grandeur.
    "It is indeed too much for a young child." He looked at me with eyes lengthened by cunning kohl streaks. "Her parents need not worry. They can rest knowing that..."
    Then I slipped back into nothingness.
     

 
     
    CHAPTER THREE
     
    I was certain I had died. There were no sounds, not even a faint light, nothing. I could not even see the gods who would decree my eternal fate. Perhaps I had been deemed worthless by them and discarded for all eternity.
    One day, the darkness lifted.
    I opened my eyes and saw I was in a strange room. Rows of reed mats stretched out to either side of me. Torches burned from alcoves in the stone walls. A large window revealed a dark-blue sky.
    I looked around blankly, my mind in a fog.
    A door at the far end opened to reveal a tall thin woman. She hurried over to me.
    "Kiya! Praise Re, you have awakened." She knelt by my side.
    "How are you feeling?"
    My voice was hoarse. "Uh, all right. Where am I? What is this place? Who are you?"
    The woman smiled. "I am Irikara. You are here in the Temple of Atum-Re in Heliopolis. The high priest Lord Pentephres brought you and some of the other village children here."
    "What's Heliopolis?"
    "The city of the sun-god."
    My eyes widened in fear. "You mean this isn't my village?"
    "No, Kiya. You are in the city now."
    I began to shudder. I knew nothing of the big cities, except what I once heard from a passing trader. He told us that little children there were tied up in sacks and left to die.
    I whimpered.
    Irikara placed a gentle hand on my arm.
    "Don't be afraid, Kiya. We're here to help you. Lord Pentephres has commanded that no harm should come to you or any of the other village children. And some of your friends are here too. Do you know Menah?"
    My anxiety immediately vanished. "He is my best friend."
    "How about the twins, Lyla and Nyla?"
    "Yes."
    I didn't know them too well, for they were quiet people who often kept to themselves. But I was more than happy to have familiar people around.
    "Menah has been asking about you every day," Irikara said. "And Nyla sleeps on the mat next to you. This is the room for the girls, you see. Menah sleeps in the boys' room."
    "Do you sleep here too?"
    "Yes, over there by the window." She nodded toward it. "Anyway, we've cleaned you up so that you're now fresh and pretty."
    For the first time, I noticed I had on a new and clean white dress.
    "I also saved this for when you awoke." She drew something from her pocket.
    I gasped.
    It was the lapis lazuli lotus necklace. It was then I realised how close I had come to losing it.
    Irikara pressed the precious gift onto my palm. My fingers closed tightly over it.
    "Thank you!" I said. "Thank you, Irikara."
    She smiled. "Why don't you go freshen up for dinner? You'll be able to see Menah and the twins. I'll leave you for awhile. You can wash your face over there."
    She motioned to a pitcher and some bowls.
    I gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you."
    Everything was still so strange to me. But she seemed very nice.
    "I shall see you soon." She disappeared out the door.
    I strung the lotus around my neck. After splashing my face, I went over to the full-length mirror by the window.
    I gazed at myself.
    The dress I wore was cut modestly and reached just below my knees. My hair, which had become stringy and smelly during my captivity, now fell to my hips in a glossy black veil. My feet were bare. Though I was dressed very simply, I thought I looked glamorous.
    I twirled around, loving how the dress flared out slightly. If only my parents could see me now.
    Suddenly, everything came crashing back to me.
    The captivity.
    The terrible news of Sakhbu.
    I woodenly walked back to my mat and sank down. It was not fair. I wanted to break down and cry, but for some reason the tears would not come. In the depths of my heart, I cursed Hapi for allowing this to happen. Never mind that