The Heretic Queen Read Online Free
their dusty parade grounds, and then beyond the servants' quarters that squatted back into the wadis to the west. When I came to the lakeshore, I approached the water to peer at my reflection.
I don't look anything like Bes, I thought. For one, he has a much bigger nose than I do. I made the grimace that all artists carve on statues of Bes, and behind me someone laughed.
"Are you admiring your teeth?" Asha cried. "What kind of face was that?"
I glared at him. "Merit says I have a face like Bes."
Asha stepped back to scrutinize me. "Yes, I can see the resemblance. You both have big cheeks, and you are rather short."
"Stop it!"
"I wasn't the one making the face!" We continued our walk to the temple and he asked, "So did Merit tell you the news last night? Ramesses will probably marry Iset."
I looked away and didn't reply. In the heat of Thoth, the sun cast its rays across the lake like a golden fisherman's net. "If Ramesses was going to be married," I said finally, "why wouldn't he tell us about it himself?"
"Perhaps he isn't certain. After all, it's Pharaoh Seti who will ultimately decide."
"But she isn't a match for Ramesses at all! She doesn't hunt, or swim, or play Senet. She can't even read Hittite!"
Tutor Oba glared as we approached the courtyard, and under his breath Asha whispered, "Prepare for it!"
"How nice of the two of you to join us!" Oba exclaimed. Two hundred faces turned in our direction, and Tutor Oba lashed out at Asha with his stick. "Get in line!" He caught Asha on the back of the leg, and we scampered to join the other students. "Do you think that Ra appears in his solar bark when he feels like it? Of course not! He's on time. Every sunrise he's on time!"
Asha glanced over his shoulder at me in line as we followed Tutor Oba into the sanctuary. Cloth mats had been spread out for us on the floor, and we took our seats and waited for the priests. I whispered to Asha, "I'll bet Ramesses is sitting in the Audience Chamber right now, wishing he was with us."
"I don't know. He's safe from Tutor Oba."
I snickered as seven priests entered the chamber, swinging incense from bronze holders and intoning the morning hymn to Amun.
Hail to thee, Amun-Ra, Lord of the thrones of the earth, the oldest existence, ancient of heaven, support of all things.
Chief of the gods, lord of truth; maker of all things above and below.Hail to thee.
As the incense filled the room, a student coughed. Tutor Oba turned around to look fiercely at him and I elbowed Asha in the side, bent my mouth into a mean, angry line, then imitated Oba's snarling. One of the students laughed out loud, and Tutor Oba twisted around. "Asha and Princess Nefertari!" he snapped.
Asha glared at me and I giggled. But outside the temple, I didn't ask him to race me to the edduba.
"I don't know why the priests don't throw us out," he said.
I grinned. "Because we're royalty."
" You're royalty," Asha countered. "I'm the son of a soldier."
"You mean the son of a general."
"Still, I'm not like you. I don't have a chamber in the palace or a body servant. I need to be careful."
"But it was funny," I prompted.
"A little," he admitted as we reached the low white walls of the royal edduba. The schoolhouse squatted like a fat goose on the hillside, and Asha's footsteps slowed as we approached its open doors. "So what do you think it'll be today?" he asked.
"Probably cuneiform."
He sighed heavily. "I can't afford another poor report to my father."
"Take the reed mat next to mine, and I'll write big enough for you to see," I promised.
Inside the halls of the edduba, students called to one another, laughing and exchanging stories until the trumpet sounded for class. Paser stood at the front of our chamber, observing the chaos, but when Iset entered, the room grew silent. She moved through the students, and they parted before her as if a giant hand had pushed them aside. She sat across from me, folding her long legs on her reed mat the way she
I don't look anything like Bes, I thought. For one, he has a much bigger nose than I do. I made the grimace that all artists carve on statues of Bes, and behind me someone laughed.
"Are you admiring your teeth?" Asha cried. "What kind of face was that?"
I glared at him. "Merit says I have a face like Bes."
Asha stepped back to scrutinize me. "Yes, I can see the resemblance. You both have big cheeks, and you are rather short."
"Stop it!"
"I wasn't the one making the face!" We continued our walk to the temple and he asked, "So did Merit tell you the news last night? Ramesses will probably marry Iset."
I looked away and didn't reply. In the heat of Thoth, the sun cast its rays across the lake like a golden fisherman's net. "If Ramesses was going to be married," I said finally, "why wouldn't he tell us about it himself?"
"Perhaps he isn't certain. After all, it's Pharaoh Seti who will ultimately decide."
"But she isn't a match for Ramesses at all! She doesn't hunt, or swim, or play Senet. She can't even read Hittite!"
Tutor Oba glared as we approached the courtyard, and under his breath Asha whispered, "Prepare for it!"
"How nice of the two of you to join us!" Oba exclaimed. Two hundred faces turned in our direction, and Tutor Oba lashed out at Asha with his stick. "Get in line!" He caught Asha on the back of the leg, and we scampered to join the other students. "Do you think that Ra appears in his solar bark when he feels like it? Of course not! He's on time. Every sunrise he's on time!"
Asha glanced over his shoulder at me in line as we followed Tutor Oba into the sanctuary. Cloth mats had been spread out for us on the floor, and we took our seats and waited for the priests. I whispered to Asha, "I'll bet Ramesses is sitting in the Audience Chamber right now, wishing he was with us."
"I don't know. He's safe from Tutor Oba."
I snickered as seven priests entered the chamber, swinging incense from bronze holders and intoning the morning hymn to Amun.
Hail to thee, Amun-Ra, Lord of the thrones of the earth, the oldest existence, ancient of heaven, support of all things.
Chief of the gods, lord of truth; maker of all things above and below.Hail to thee.
As the incense filled the room, a student coughed. Tutor Oba turned around to look fiercely at him and I elbowed Asha in the side, bent my mouth into a mean, angry line, then imitated Oba's snarling. One of the students laughed out loud, and Tutor Oba twisted around. "Asha and Princess Nefertari!" he snapped.
Asha glared at me and I giggled. But outside the temple, I didn't ask him to race me to the edduba.
"I don't know why the priests don't throw us out," he said.
I grinned. "Because we're royalty."
" You're royalty," Asha countered. "I'm the son of a soldier."
"You mean the son of a general."
"Still, I'm not like you. I don't have a chamber in the palace or a body servant. I need to be careful."
"But it was funny," I prompted.
"A little," he admitted as we reached the low white walls of the royal edduba. The schoolhouse squatted like a fat goose on the hillside, and Asha's footsteps slowed as we approached its open doors. "So what do you think it'll be today?" he asked.
"Probably cuneiform."
He sighed heavily. "I can't afford another poor report to my father."
"Take the reed mat next to mine, and I'll write big enough for you to see," I promised.
Inside the halls of the edduba, students called to one another, laughing and exchanging stories until the trumpet sounded for class. Paser stood at the front of our chamber, observing the chaos, but when Iset entered, the room grew silent. She moved through the students, and they parted before her as if a giant hand had pushed them aside. She sat across from me, folding her long legs on her reed mat the way she
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