The Queen of Egypt Read online

  “Perhaps we should ride ahead,” I suggested to Oringo and Saleem when we were alone in my tent that evening. “We could prepare Zakai and his people for what is to come and be ready when the army arrives.”

  “I need to stay with the army,” Oringo said. “You and Saleem could go ahead, but the soldiers need to see their general at the head.”

  “I think Sanura should stay,” Saleem added to Oringo. “You are the general, but Sanura is a real face of this war. She is the one people are fighting for. If she was to ride ahead and leave them behind, they might feel that she doesn’t need them. It could hurt morale.”

  I nodded in understanding, but was frustrated by the truth of the matter. “Keket will know we are coming, if she doesn’t already,” I said. “She will be ready for us.”

  “And we will be ready for her,” Saleem said. “These coming weeks will give us plenty of opportunities to prepare for the actual siege. And you know the city better than anyone. You know its strengths and weaknesses. Keket doesn’t stand a chance.”

  I nodded and sipped the coffee Saleem had prepared for us as I looked at a map Baka had provided for us of Africa with the path we were taking clearly marked. Saleem had been right—the coffee was an acquired taste. The three of us were quiet for a moment, then Oringo bowed at me to take his leave.

  “I will see you at first light,” he said.

  “Wait,” Saleem suddenly said, surprising Oringo and me. Saleem had barely said more than a few words to either of us all day, and he had spoken only on the most relevant of matters. Oringo glanced at me and then waited for Saleem to speak.

  “I…I wanted to say that I accept your apology,” he said to Oringo, though he still could not look him directly in the face, but kept his eyes lowered. “Nuru will be proud to stand beside the Dakari in battle again, and the Anwe as well. It is time the three lion kings were united once more.”

  “My brother,” Oringo said, going to Saleem with his arms wide open and a smile on his face.

  Saleem drew back and held up his hands defensively. “I did not say we were brothers,” he clarified. “We are far from friends. The death of my family is something I will carry with me for the rest of my days. But also, for the rest of my days, will I try to cultivate a spirit of forgiveness. And I will not hold their deaths against you when it comes to diplomatic relations between our peoples.”

  I could not help but smile. I was so proud—of both of them. They had come so far. No one believed that the three lion kings could ever stand together as one again. But we were so close to realizing that goal. Only Zakai still needed to join us, but I was certain he would. He would be shocked when the three of us rode into Anwe as one united force.

  “I suppose that is the best I could have ever hoped for,” Oringo said, lowering his arms from a hug and offering just his hand in friendship. Saleem stared at the proffered hand for a moment, but finally, to my relief, he took Oringo’s wrist and the two shook.

  I felt a huge weight slide from my shoulders and raised my eyes in praise of Sekhmet. Oringo and Saleem dropped hands and Oringo once again headed for the door. “I suppose I should retire now. Unless you want to come with me, kitten.” He blew me a kiss and I blushed. I looked at Saleem, who also seemed a little embarrassed.

  “I…” I had to pause to clear my throat. “I don’t really know how to have this conversation. I think by now you both realize that I am in love with both of you. Well, all of you, I should say, including Zakai. You are all incredible men and I can’t imagine my life without any of you in it.”

  “Well, the images in the cave did show the three lion kings united with a lion queen,” Saleem said. “I cannot say that I am surprised by your words.”

  “And are you…okay with that?” I asked him.

  “In my culture, as you noticed,” he said, “it is common for men to have many wives and lovers. I suppose it was only a matter of time before a woman came along who desired many lovers as well.”

  I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I was hardly the first woman to love more than one man. But I might have been the first woman he met with enough authority to be allowed to speak freely of such a desire. How many Nuru women would happily take more than one husband if given the opportunity?

  “I never thought I would fall in love even once,” I said. “My life was utterly devoted to doing what was right for Egypt—and that meant marrying Ramses. But after meeting the three of you, I never want to live without love again.”

  “Will you still marry Ramses?” Saleem asked.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know what will happen,” I admitted. “I still wish to be queen of Egypt. That has never changed. And part of my duty as queen is to marry the pharaoh. Ramses is pharaoh. I will not betray or depose my brother. I do not know what our life will look like after this is over, but for now, I know I need both of you.”

  “I never thought that when I finally chose my woman I would share her with another man,” Oringo said. “That is not the Dakari way.”

  I gave him a worried look as I waited for him to continue.

  “But I never thought that Saleem and I would come to accord either, and look where we are,” he said. “Sanura, I love you. And if the choice is between sharing you with Saleem and Zakai or not having you at all, I know I would rather share.”

  “As would I,” Saleem said. “I suppose if we are in agreement, the only question that remains would be the…uh…logistics of such an arrangement.”

  “Logistics?” I asked stupidly.

  “In a family like my father’s, with many wives,” Saleem said, “First Mother would arrange the schedule for which woman Father would spend each night with. She always gave herself priority, though.” He smirked.

  “I am not sure I could choose,” I said. “I don’t want to be apart from either of you for a moment. When I first arrived in Dakari village, I had already been away from Saleem for a week. And we have barely had any time together since we were reunited. But for a moment, Baka made me think Oringo was dead and my world fell apart. Since I learned he was alive, I have not been able to find solace in his arms.”

  “Then you should go to Oringo,” Saleem said.

  “Are you sure?” I asked him.

  “Yes,” Saleem said without hesitation, and there was only sincerity on his face. “It was quite frightening for you to think that the man you loved had been killed. You deserve his comfort.”

  “Thank you,” I said and my heart filled with warm affection for Saleem. I did not think I would ever meet another man who was so considerate of others. I thought that Oringo was touched as well. He said nothing, but he gave Saleem an appreciative nod.

  Saleem then touched his forehead, his heart, and then bowed to me as he left the tent.

  “I miss him already,” I said with a sigh.

  Oringo turned me to him and tugged at the straps of my gown, exposing my breasts. “You’ll forget all about him in about two seconds.” He then kissed me hard, his tongue exploring deep into my mouth.

  He was wrong. I did not forget Saleem. Or the way Saleem’s mouth and tongue explored the depths of my sex. Zakai was in the back of my mind as well. And I was counting the days until we would all be together again.

  But Oringo was a welcome attempt at distraction. I still had so much on my mind, but Oringo was alive and in my arms, bringing true joy to my heart and my body.

  We both undressed quickly and pressed our bodies together as we kissed in the heat of the desert night. I held Oringo tightly to me, never wanting to let him go again. I kissed his chin, his neck, his chest. I traced the tattoos of his body with my tongue. I lowered to my knees before him and kissed the inside of his thighs. He was quickly growing aroused and I kissed the shaft of his manhood as I gripped his balls in one of my hands.

  “Oh, baby,” he moaned as he ran his fingers through my hair. “You sure you want to do this? I thought I was here to take care of you.”

  “I love you, Oringo,” I said as I ran my
hands around his thighs and buttocks. “I am just so grateful you are alive and here with me now. I want to pleasure you.”

  He let his head loll from one side to the other as he slowly inhaled and exhaled. I knew he had to be a man of strength. He couldn’t show weakness in front of Baka or the Zulu. He had to be strong for me. He had to be superior to Saleem. But all that effort was weighing on him. He was a man like any other and needed respite from the cares of the world.

  I licked his shaft and tugged down on his balls. He moaned and grew larger, thrusting at me. I licked the head teasingly a few times. He grunted and tried to force himself into my mouth, but I pulled back and smiled up at him, shaking my head no. He chuckled at me. I grabbed one of his legs and pulled it forward, disrupting his balance. He fell back onto a rug that had been laid out on the sandy ground. I crawled up him and took him in my mouth, never taking my eyes off his face.

  He lifted on his elbows so he could watch me. He licked his lips as I slowly moved up and down his shaft, my tongue pressed against the underside as I did so. As I went down, I went low enough so that my exposed breasts caressed his thighs. He cursed in almost a whisper as he tried to control his reaction, but he was quickly building toward his climax already. I couldn’t help but laugh, and he must have felt the vibrations because he swore and threw his head back, collapsing to the ground.

  He was so large, I couldn’t fully take him into my mouth, so I wrapped my hands around the base of the shaft and stroked up and down as I move my mouth and tongue up and down him. I was going slowly but at an even pace. I knew he would not climax at this speed, but he was enjoying the sensations.

  “Come on,” he begged. “Faster. Oh…”

  I chuckled again, which caused him to groan, but I did as he wished and began to move a little faster, which also increased the friction from my lips and my hands.

  He moaned and bucked his hips, unable to control himself. “I’m gonna…gonna…”

  He sat up and grabbed me, pushing me backward onto the sandy floor. He spread my legs and shoved himself inside me. I was so wet, he slid inside easily. I hooked my arms under my knees, spreading myself wide open for him. He thrust a few times to get the rhythm back and after only a moment, he climaxed, but I wasn’t done.

  “Don’t stop. Don’t stop,” I begged him. He kept going, rubbing his entire body against mine and my back against the hot, rough sand. With every thrust, he hit the most sensitive part of me and I yelped, but I did not climax just yet. I didn’t want to. I didn’t want the moment to end. Feeling Oringo inside me was incredible and I didn’t want to let go. He put his arms under mine, gripping my shoulders, delving deeper than any man before. I wanted all of him.

  Finally, I could deny myself my climax no more and cried out, both in satisfaction and in disappointment that it was over. But then, it wasn’t. Oringo pulled out of me, but then he used his hands to massage my sex. I was so sensitive, his every touch sent ripples through my body.

  “Yes,” I whispered. “Keep touching me.”

  He took one of my hard nipples in his mouth and sucked gently while still rubbing his fingers in and out and up and down the length of my sex. After a moment, I felt my climax building again. I took a deep breath and arched my back.

  “Yes, yes, yes,” I whispered. “Harder.” He went from gentle calming strokes to harder and faster ones, using his whole hand to send several of his fingers inside of me and then back out to caress my pearl and then back inside again. I was quickly panting again. I didn’t realize I could experience such pleasure from a man’s touch alone, but I would not forget it. I cried out again as I collapsed to the sand, this time satisfactorily spent.

  I pulled Oringo down to me and we held each other until we both fell asleep.

  5

  Many weeks later, we finally entered Anwe territory. The pace had been agonizingly slow, at least for those of us who were riding horses. I did have some sympathy for the foot soldiers who had walked the entire distance. And I knew that they were looking forward to a few days of rest when we reached Anwe. But I was dreading going from a slow pace to completely stopping while the men recuperated and we discussed our plan for marching on Egypt.

  I was also anxious about seeing Zakai. The closer we got to Anwe, the more I realized just how much I missed him. Having Oringo and Saleem with me did not diminish my desire for him. If anything, it only enhanced it. While I was happy, I knew that a very vital part of me was missing, and I would only feel whole when I was in Zakai’s arms once again.

  And yet, I was terrified that he would reject me. Saleem, Oringo, and I had found a comfortable rhythm. They each came to spend the night in my tent in their turn. We did not make love every night—that would have been exhausting!—but we would at least talk, hold each other, and sleep soundly. During the day, they each rode by my side. In the evening, I would meet with them and the other commanders to discuss our situation. There was no hint of jealousy between the men. The three of us had become expert at remaining professional in the company of others. Saleem and Oringo had come to a comfortable truce, and they were learning to work well together. There was still a hint of pain, of sadness behind Saleem’s eyes, and I suspected it would never fully go away. But he held true to his word and did not let the past cloud his words or his judgment. Saleem and Oringo might never truly become friends, but they were allies, and that was far more important.

  But would Zakai be willing to join the life the three of us had already built together? While many cultures allowed men to have multiple wives, I did not know any that allowed women to have several men in her life. It was considered immoral, something only a prostitute would do. Even I myself had never considered that such an arrangement could be possible or acceptable. But my relationship with Oringo and Saleem was not about sex. Even though the sex was incredible, we were truly in love and could not live without each other. But would Zakai see it that way and be willing to still love me while I also loved two other men? I hoped so. He was a wise and magnanimous man. He would certainly understand my feelings. But would he feel the same way? I prayed he would.

  Then, there was Ramses. Father had been right. I loved Ramses as a brother, but not as a husband. While I still believed that we should marry, and that I could do my duty by him as a wife, I could not cast Zakai, Oringo, and Saleem aside for him. And I would never love Ramses as I did my lion kings. Poor, dear Ramses. This was not something I would be able to keep from him. I had to have Zakai, Oringo, and Saleem in my life. Ramses would know that my love for him was different than my love for them. He would see it. He would feel it.

  And it would hurt him.

  My heart ached knowing this. Ramses was my darling brother. I would do anything for him…except give up my lion kings. I was growing nauseous with worry. I had delayed thinking about this for so long, but soon, Ramses and I would come face to face once again. I did not see a way forward for the four of us. But I did not know how it would be possible to choose. Everything I had ever done in my life was in preparation for being queen of Egypt. I could not give up my country for my men. But could I give up my men for my country? I dreaded the moment I might have to decide.

  We were traveling so slowly, that scouts on the edge of Anwe territory saw us coming days in advance. They ran ahead to alert Zakai that we were approaching. He sent messengers to let us know that we were welcome and he was awaiting us anxiously. On the day we were to enter Anwe village, I took extra care with my appearance—at least as much as I could after spending weeks traveling with an army after months spent traveling around Africa in pursuit of my cause. I was thinner but my body was stronger, my hair was much longer, and my skin was darker. I had to wonder if by the time I reached Egypt if Ramses would even recognize me.

  I sat tall in my saddle and gripped the reins tightly even though my hands were trembling. Saleem and Oringo rode to either side of me, each lending me their strength. I had spoken to each of them about my concerns regarding Zakai and Ramses. They had no suggesti
ons regarding Ramses since they did not know him. But they believed that Zakai would remain faithful to our alliance, even if he could no longer accept me as a lover.

  As we entered Anwe village, the entire village had turned out to greet us. They clapped and cheered, released white birds, and unfurled banners of brilliant colors. They waved at me and shouted my name. After finding Dakari village nearly destroyed, I was terrified of what might have become of Anwe village in my absence. But the village appeared to be thriving. In her pursuit of me, Keket seemed to have forgotten about Anwe. If she turned her attention back to Anwe now, she would have an army to contend with.

  The bulk of the army did not enter the village itself, but set up camp outside the village. Saleem, Oringo, and I, however, along with the commanders, rode all the way to the central audience hut, where Zakai, Tabia, the shaman, and Zakai’s other advisors and magistrates were waiting for us.

  When I saw Zakai, my heart flew and I could not stop smiling. Zakai seemed to feel the same way. He laughed and clapped at my arrival, then he extended his arms to me. I jumped down from my horse and ran to him. I’d had an image in my mind of climbing down from my horse and approaching him slowly, giving a respectable bow and greeting him as one monarch to another. But as soon as we had come within sight of one another, those plans were forgotten. I could not contain myself. I ran to him, jumped into his arms, and wept tears of love and joy against his neck.

  “Why are you crying?” he asked me. “I thought you would be happy to see me.”

  I pulled back and slapped his shoulder playfully. “I do not think I have been happier in all of my life than at this moment.”

  He hugged me again, running his hand over my hair and kissing my temple. He then turned me around and motioned to Oringo and Saleem, but he did not let go of my hand.