He made a dismissive sound. “Do you always fasten on to one word and ignore the rest? My father is devoted to Mother. He made her his Great Royal Wife, he heaped her with riches, he permits her to give opinions when he deals with foreign princes, he had a whole lake built for her pleasure! If you don’t like ‘satisfactory’ call it something else, but know what you’re talking about first.”
How “satisfactory” is it if Aunt Tiye’s so afraid of losing her power that she had to bring me here to guarantee your future? I thought. But because I still didn’t have a secure footing in the royal court, I held my tongue. For all I knew at that point, one hard word said to the prince would rebound to harm those I loved. I remembered Father’s counsel; he’d warned me to tread cautiously. So I guarded my thoughts, lowered my eyes, and said, “You’re right. Please forgive me. I’m tired from my journey and it makes me speak without thinking.”
“Fine.” The cat leaped off Thutmose’s knees and went to investigate something at the roots of a nearby flowering shrub. “We’ll have more than enough time to talk. Be welcome in this place.” The stiff, formal words fell naturally from his lips, but there was no warmth in them at all. “You will be well served. Speak up when you want anything to eat.”
“Won’t we dine together?”
“Tonight, yes. You’ll be presented to Pharaoh. After that, I doubt it, though if we must do so again, you’ll be told.” When he stood up, he looked exactly as handsome, strong, and imposing as a statue of Pharaoh striding forth to defeat his enemies: as handsome, as strong, as imposing, and as cold. “Where are you lodged? A servant should escort you back to your rooms.”
“Don’t bother,” I said. “I know where to go.”
“So quickly?” He looked interested but not for long. “As you like. Until tonight, then.”
Well, that wasn’t pleasant, I thought as I left him. He didn’t even try to know me. It’s only our first meeting, but still—! I turned down a corridor painted with scenes of Pharaoh hunting lions from his chariot. I thought it looked familiar. For a time I put away all thoughts of Thutmose as I tried to recall the route by which the older woman had brought me into the hidden garden. The more I walked, the more confused I became.
I’m lost, amn’t I? I stopped in the middle of an empty room lined with storage chests and sighed. I only told Thutmose that I knew my way back because he’d made me angry. I know he’s the crown prince, I know he’s more highborn than I am, even if we’re kin. He doesn’t need to remind me of it. So why did he act as if I was sunk in the mud and he was standing on a mountaintop? I left the storage room behind and walked briskly on, cursing my hasty temper with every step.
My situation wouldn’t have been so bad if I’d only been able to encounter another person, someone I could ask for directions. Alas, my luck led me to a part of the palace that was deserted, the gods alone know why. My steps echoed hollowly from the high ceilings. I sniffed the air, hoping to catch the scent of food or perfume or even dung—anything that might lead me to other living beings.
My efforts were rewarded: A wisp of flowers in bloom reached my nostrils through the dusty air of the vacant rooms. I followed the trail of scent eagerly, until I plunged through an archway crowned with an image of Ra’s Boat of Eternity, bearing the blessed disk of the sun through the sky, and came out into a snug courtyard thick with small evergreens, nets of glossy-leaved ivy, henna shrubs, daisies, and other blossoms.
“Oh!”
I was so intent on my hunt that I didn’t see the boy until I collided with him. Maybe it was the pattern of shadows in the garden, or how small a space it was to be holding so many plants, or the fact that his arms were filled with flowers that helped turn him invisible. Invisible but solid. The two of us tumbled to the ground. His flowers scattered.
I was the first back on my feet. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” I exclaimed. “Are you all right?”
He clasped the hand I offered him and slowly clambered up. He was more than a head taller than me, and the most awkward collection of long bones and oversized hands and feet I’d ever seen. There wasn’t one part of his body that was a match for the rest. Skinny as he was, he had a soft stomach that stuck out over the top of his linen kilt. His head was uncovered and so unnaturally long that it looked as if a pair of mischievous spirits had grabbed the top of his skull, the bottom of his chin, and pulled.
“I—I’m—yes,” he said. It was hard to hear him. His voice was pleasant, but he scarcely raised it above a whisper. “And you?”
“No harm done.” I smiled at him. “You’ll have to teach me your magic.”
“What—I—what magic?”
“How someone as tall as you can hide yourself in a place this small,” I joked.
His laugh was startling. I never expected such a hearty sound to come from such a frail-looking body. “Hiding is—it’s what I do best.”
I’d been about to ask him who he was, but now I didn’t have to bother: My ungainly flower gatherer was obviously one of the palace workers, and not a very good one. When Mery instructed Bit-Bit and me how to manage a household, she taught us: Never keep a shirking servant. They’re easy to spot. Many people try to disappear when there’s work to be done, but lazy servants have a talent for it that’s almost supernatural, and the laziest will even brag about it!
“Hiding,” I repeated. “I wouldn’t overdo that, if I were you. It’ll get you in trouble.”
“No.” He sounded wistful. “Sometimes it’s—it’s the only thing that keeps me out of trouble.”
“I see.” Poor boy! I thought. Maybe he’s not lazy after all. With those gawky arms and legs, maybe he’s just not very good at—well, at anything, and he gets beaten for making a mess of his work. My heart went out to him. I could just imagine how he’d fare if he displeased my aunt or my chilly cousin Thutmose! I could do worse than making another friend here, especially one who knows his way around the palace, and I would like to hear him laugh again. Perhaps we can be good for one another.