Asenath Read Online Free Page A

I was in a temple.
    I was so lost in these dark thoughts that I did not see Irikara reappearing until I felt a hand on my shoulder.
    "Kiya? Are you all right?"
    I jolted, then looked up at her. "Yes, I'm fine."
    As nice as she was, I did not feel comfortable confiding in her.
    "Let's go get something to eat." She nodded.
    I rose and followed her outside.
    "Great Re, aren't you tall !" she said.
    As Irikara led me down a dimly lit corridor, she said, "Before you have dinner, you will be meeting with some of the senior priests and priestesses of the temple. Lord Pentephres is currently away. He is in Thebes, meeting with Pharaoh. He will want to see you when he returns. Be on your best behaviour. Bow when you are introduced. The priests will be asking you several questions. Reply truthfully. If you do not know what to say, I will answer for you."
    I nodded blankly. Her words barely registered in my mind.
    Outside, the night was cold. I shivered and hugged myself.
    Irikara led me through dirt paths lined with squat, mud brick structures, then into an alleyway. At the end, we found ourselves on the threshold of a gleaming courtyard.
    My jaw dropped. I had not imagined that the rugged path would lead to such an elegant place. The courtyard's grounds were laid with polished tiles that reflected the torches. Rows of lotus columns lined the sides.
    At the centre was a towering pointed pole, an obelisk covered in precious stones. The tip was capped with a solid golden benben pyramid which flashed against the looming night sky.
    "Come now, Kiya," Irikara said. "We must not keep the priests waiting."
    With great difficulty, I detached my eyes from the magnificent sights. I continued on my way. As I followed her across the courtyard, I smelled the bittersweet scent of incense wafting through the air.
    Irikara led me inside an enormous limestone building. Once more, I paused in my steps.
    The walls were covered in colourful glittering images. I approached a portrait of a hawk spreading out its glorious wings. The picture was made up of tiny precious stones.
    "Kiya, come." Irikara tugged my arm and practically dragged me the rest of the way through the corridor.
    We entered a vast hall. At a long cedar table, two priests and a priestess sat before a sumptuous feast—roast fowl, lotus bread, cucumbers, onions and honey cakes.
    Irikara led me up to them. She bowed.
    I awkwardly aped her movements.
    " Ankh, weneb, sedjet ―life, health and prosperity to you, holy ones," she said. "Please allow me to introduce to you Kiya. She was one of the
    village children who came with Lord Pentephres. Alas, she was unconscious upon her arrival."
    One of the priests, a short, stout balding man, gave me a friendly smile. "How old are you, Kiya?"
    "Ten."
    I cast a quick glance up at him before averting my eyes once more. Though I did not know anything about the city, I knew these were important people to be respected and feared. Gleaming in their linen robes and sparkling jewels, they looked like they could command day to be night with a single word.
    The priest looked at his colleagues. "She's quite a lovely girl, don't you think?"
    The second priest, a thin man with a large nose, frowned. "What trades do you know?"
    He looked at me with large painted eyes that seemed to see through me.
    I stared at him, not understanding the question.
    "Did you do any chores before you came here, little girl?" the friendly priest asked.
    "Um, I―"
    "Speak up!" the frowning priest said.
    "I cleaned tents and washed laundry. Before that, I helped my mother clean our hut. I also gathered water from the river."
    "Tents, indeed," he scoffed. "We're not lowly barbarians."
    "Neither is she," said his more amiable colleague. "She is Egyptian, just like us."
    "She's awfully tall for her age," the priestess said, looking at me as if I was something that had gotten in her way.
    The frowning priest waved his hand. "Very well. Irikara, you may take her to be fed."
    We bowed and left