The Queen of Egypt Page 5

  “Queen Sanura has done the impossible,” Zakai said, addressing the great crowd. “She has brought the three lion kings together in an alliance for the first time in a great age!”

  The people cheered and Saleem and Oringo waved and nodded to the crowd.

  “Come,” Zakai said, opening the flap to the meeting hut. “We have much to discuss.”

  As we went inside, the shaman gave me a smile and nod. I then felt Tabia pull me to her for a hug.

  “Happy to see you, daughter of Anwe,” she said in my language.

  “You speak Egyptian now?” I asked her, my eyes wide.

  She shook her head in embarrassment. “I learn only a little for you.”

  I hugged her again. “Thank you so much.”

  The majority of the meeting was held in Egyptian for my benefit, but the shaman interpreted where necessary. Most of Zakai’s men only spoke Anwe, and the Zulu commanders could only speak Zulu and Dakari. As we all tried to communicate, I was amazed at just how many different peoples were represented in this small hut. It felt as though all of Africa had finally joined together to fight the threat Keket posed.

  “Queen Sanura of Egypt,” Zakai said once we had all taken our places around the room. “You are heartily welcomed back to Anwe. And congratulations on having a successful journey.”

  The room clapped and I nodded my thanks. “It was not easy,” I said. “And took much longer than I had anticipated. Tell me, what news of Egypt? I have heard nothing since we left Zululand.”

  Zakai nodded to one of his advisors, who stepped forward and spoke through the shaman.

  “Egypt is suffering greatly,” he said. “The cities are in chaos. Many of the freed slaves have rebelled against their former masters, killing them mercilessly. Many nobles have fled the city, seeking safety in Nubia to the south and Persia to the east and beyond.”

  This was sad news to me. How many of my friends had been killed? However, there was a silver lining. The nobles who escaped would certainly be willing to return to the city and support me after I had overthrown Keket. They would help strengthen my claim to bring peace back to the city.

  “Is there any way to find out which nobles escaped and where they are?” I asked.

  The advisor nodded. “Some nobles have preferred to stay in hiding after fleeing, but many have made themselves known in their new countries.”

  “Good,” I said. “Reach out to the leaders in those regions where the refugees are known to be. Once I retake Egypt, I want to let the nobles know as soon as it is safe to return.”

  “There is also word of a coming famine,” another advisor said. “Without the landowners, the field hands are letting the grain rot in the fields. Many people are simply gleaning what they think they will need for the coming months, but there is no organization to it. No one storing grain for the lean months and no one sowing the fields for the next harvest. Basically, the food the people have now might seem like enough. But once it runs out, there will be no more and Egypt will starve.”

  I nodded. I was not surprised to hear this. Keket might have had her reasons for trying to kill me, but she knew nothing of running an empire.

  “Of course, all of Egypt’s allies have deserted her,” another advisor said. “And her army is a fraction of the size it once was. Ramses has sent his troops to raid Nubia and Persia and countless villages throughout Africa.”

  “To what end?” I asked, and everyone simply shrugged.

  “No one knows, Your Majesty,” the first advisor said. “There seems to be no order to the attacks. And Keket has not made any demands other than for you to be returned to her dead or alive.”

  “This might be a foolish question,” I said. “But has Keket done any good for Egypt? Is there anyone who is glad she is there? Has she made even the slightest improvement to anyone’s life?”

  Awkward glances shifted between some of the advisors, but eventually one of them spoke up.

  “The end of slavery in Egypt was most welcome,” he said. “As I am sure you are aware, while many nations practice slavery in some form, the massive scale of slavery in Egypt was excessive. And it was inescapable. In many lands, people may earn their freedom after so much time. And no one should be born a slave.”

  I nodded. I was aware of this attitude by the other nations as well. It was something I had been considering in the back of my mind, but I had not come up with a plan for how to deal with the slavery issue. I was hoping my advisors and I could begin instituting some changes after I had dealt with Keket.

  “I understand,” I told the advisors. “But surely people do not condone the way she has carried out this mass emancipation. As you said, the country is now in chaos.”

  “True,” another advisor said. “But there has been little interest in seeing Egypt brought to heel. At least not yet.”

  “Oh?” I asked.

  “Egypt has been the dominant power in North Africa for millennia,” he said. “There are those who would rather see the country burn itself down and then vie with each other to take her place.”

  “And what do they think of me?” I ask. “If the other countries wish to replace Egypt, will they stop me from rebuilding her?”

  “No,” the advisor said. “They will not stop you from removing Keket and retaking your place. But neither will they help you.”

  “That is enough for me,” I said. “With Anwe, Dakari, Nuru, and Zulu behind me, I do not need Nubia’s or Persia’s support. We will take back Egypt and restore peace and stability to North Africa ourselves.”

  The room erupted into cheers and applause, and Zakai looked at me with pride.

  “I do have one final question,” I asked. “What of Pharaoh Ramses?”

  Again, the room went silent as the advisors looked at each other.

  “Please,” I said. “Be honest. I know my brother’s limitations better than anyone. I have worried for his wellbeing constantly since I was banished. Tell me anything you know.”

  “Keket has allowed him to think he is ruling,” one of the advisors finally told me. “All of her orders, she allows him to announce. He is using all the money in the royal coffers to erect a huge monument to himself. He calls himself the Cobra of Egypt. But everyone else calls him the Little Snake.”

  “Thank you,” I said with a slow nod. I thought about when I saw him in the guise of a snake back in Dakari village. He had said that Keket would never rule in his place. Clearly, he had been mistaken. So he was either a fool or under Keket’s control. I had to hope it was the later. My brother was young and often struggled with complicated issues, but he had never been stupid.

  “Whatever happens,” I said. “Ramses must be protected. He is the rightful pharaoh of Egypt and my only kin. Anyone who brings harm to him will face my wrath personally.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” everyone said to me.

  “The army needs to rest for a few days,” I said. “We have traveled a long way. The Anwe army will need to integrate with the army we have already built. King Oringo is serving as my general. All commanders answer to him. We need to make arrangements for all of the commanders to meet together with Oringo, myself, and my principal advisors—King Saleem, King Zakai, Tabia, and the Anwe shaman—so we can come up with a plan of attack against Egypt. We may only get one chance at this, but I think we can do it.”

  “For now, I think that everyone may be dismissed,” King Zakai said. “Tonight, rest, relax, get to know one another. Tomorrow, the real work begins.”

  As everyone filed out of the hut, I lingered. Finally, Zakai came to my side and took my hand.

  “There are still a few things I need to attend to,” he said.

  “I understand,” I said. “There is always something that needs my attention it seems.”

  “The healing hut is prepared for you,” he said with a knowing smile. He leaned down and whispered in my ear, his hot breath brushing my cheek. “Wait for me there.”

  “I will,” I said and I watched him leave the
hut with anticipation tingling in my belly.

  6

  I waited in the healing hut anxiously for Zakai to come to me. He acted as though nothing between us had changed. He was still warm and loving and had been so very proud of my triumphant return. How I longed to hold him in my arms again. To hear his smooth voice in my ear. To make love to him throughout the long night.

  But I knew that things were different now. My love for him had not waned, but my heart had grown three times as big to make room for Saleem and Oringo. It would not be fair to Zakai to take him to my bed without telling him what I had decided. That I loved all of them. Wanted all of them. Needed all of them.

  I paced the room, my face feeling flush. The village was much more noisy that it used to be. There were thousands more people here than before. It was now a veritable mobile city, with makeshift tents, kitchens, and latrines that would be packed up in just a few days and moved to a new location. And eventually to Egypt herself.

  Egypt. How my heart raced at the thought of finally returning to my homeland. I had been away so long, and so much had changed. So much death and destruction. Would I even recognize the city of my birth? In my heart, I remembered every street and alley, every temple and shrine, every creek and garden path. I would know my city even if I had been away a hundred years. And no matter what had changed or been lost, one day, I would restore Egypt to her former glory. Nubia and Persia might have been lying in wait to pounce like an eager hyena. But Egypt and I were one and the same. Just as I had once nearly died in the desert and the hyenas followed, waiting to tear the flesh from my dead body, I had survived. I had risen, even stronger than before. I had been saved by Zakai. So would Egypt rise from the ashes and triumph thanks to the three lion kings. Zakai, Oringo, Saleem.

  The shrine in the healing hut that I now knew was dedicated to the Lion Queen but I still preferred to use to honor Sekhmet had been completely restored. Tabia must have taken great care with it after my departure. My treatment of the shrine before still shamed me, and I had not forgotten my vow to one day build a great temple to Sekhmet in Luxor. Of course, now that Egypt had no slaves and my brother was depleting our supply of gold, I was not sure how I would build my temple. But I would find a way.

  There was so much for me to do. Much to prepare. If—no, when we succeeded in retaking Egypt from Keket, I would be tasked with not only repairing the massive damage she had done, but possibly completely rebuilding Egypt’s economy. I had always intended to do something about the massive rates of slavery in the country. But I was going to start small. Perhaps by allowing those born in Egypt to slaves be granted freedom and citizenship. I did not think it would be possible to simply free all the slaves. But now that Keket had done so, I did not see a reason to reinstate slavery upon my return. But what would replace it? Who would provide the labor we needed to sustain the city? How would we pay an army of laborers? I didn’t know. But hopefully I would be able to find some wise men and women to guide me. I had always hoped that Habibah would be one of my chief advisors if I were ever queen of Egypt. But she was gone. I was not sure who I would be able to rely on after I was anointed queen. Where was Chike? I had heard nothing of him since my banishment. In all our skirmishes with the Egyptian army, he was never with the soldiers, and no one had ever spoken his name. But the army had been deployed all over the region. Chike could be anywhere. Though, I could not imagine that he would be working in support of Keket. I had to hope that wherever he was, he was still loyal to me and to Ramses and I could count on him when I returned.

  “A coin for your thoughts?” Zakai asked me.

  I turned with a gasp. I had been so lost in my mind I had not heard him enter. “Sorry,” I said. “Just…thinking.”

  “That much was obvious,” he said, pulling me into his arms. “About me?”

  “Yes,” I said, “among other things.”

  He ran his hands over my hair, my shoulders, down to my hands.

  “Sanura,” he said, nearly as soft as a whisper, and I felt my legs go weak. I leaned into his chest and I breathed out in relief. I nearly wanted to cry, but I did not know why. I was here. With the man I loved. I had my army. I was going to march on Egypt and retake my throne. Everything was wonderful. But my heart felt heavy.

  “Shh,” Zakai cooed, rocking me in his arms. “You have endured much during these months. You need to rest. You need to have faith. We are so near the end of your great quest.”

  “Am I?” I asked, looking up at him and wiping away the few tears that had managed to escape from my cheeks. “I feel as though retaking Egypt will only be the beginning. Your advisors painted such a bleak picture of the state Egypt is in. I wanted so much to be queen. But I am not sure I am actually capable of being the leader she needs.”

  “You are the exact leader Egypt needs,” he said, taking me by the hand and leading me to sit on the reed mat bed. “No matter what the other countries think, Egypt cannot fall. The empty space that would be left in commerce, diplomacy, culture, exploration could not be filled by another power. Someone will have to rebuild Egypt. Who better than you? The daughter of pharaohs. The queen appointed by Pharaoh Bakari. The sister of Pharaoh Ramses. The most devoted follower of Sekhmet. No one could guide Egypt back to the power she was better than you.”

  I nodded. “Thank you for always believing in me,” I said.

  He sighed. “I wish I had believed in you sooner. It has been difficult to rebuild our livestock enough to see us through the winter. And I should have done more to forge an alliance with Saleem and Oringo when they were here before. All of us would not have suffered such massive losses if we had allied months ago. And we could have marched on Egypt much sooner.”

  “We cannot regret the past,” I said. “If I had not left, we might not have had a large enough force to retake Egypt. Having the Zulu on our side nearly guarantees our success.”

  Zakai laughed. “You will have to tell me how you managed that.”

  “It is a long story,” I said. “But in the end, King Baka Mara agreed to the alliance in exchange for a marriage contract between his son and Saleem’s eldest niece.”

  “So, you received an army that basically cost you nothing,” Zakai said. “And you thought you were not a shrewd diplomat.”

  “Well, hopefully I can forge a stronger alliance with the Zulu myself once I have a country I am able to bargain with,” I said. “Thankfully Saleem had something Baka wanted.”

  Zakai sighed and took my neck in his hand. “Everything you have accomplished is incredible. And I look forward to hearing more about it on our march to Egypt. But…for now…” He pulled me to him and placed a gentle kiss on my lips. It was warm and sweet, like a refreshing cup of wine at the end of a hard day. He leaned into me, pushing me backward. I wanted him. Needed him. Had been longing for him. But I couldn’t. Not yet.

  I placed my hand on his chest and stopped him. He looked at me, confused.

  “Are you too tired, my love?” he asked. “I know your journey was exhausting.”

  “It…it’s not that,” I said, and he leaned away, looking even more concerned. “I…I love you. So very much.”

  He looked at me as though he didn’t believe me. “But…?” he asked.

  “But…” The words died in my throat. I didn’t know how to continue.

  “There is someone else?” he prompted. “Your feelings for me…have changed?”

  “Not…exactly…” I said. I stood up and poured myself a cup of wine. I needed to loosen my tongue to get the words out. “There was a time when I didn’t believe in love. I thought it was stupid. Dangerous even. I knew that I would have to marry Ramses, so falling in love with anyone else was only a distraction.”

  “Yes…” Zakai said, clearing his throat and rubbing his hands together. “I know of your devotion to your brother—”

  “This isn’t about him,” I said. “I mean, he is a part of a larger problem, but not what I need to tell you now.”

  “Then what is it
you need to tell me now?” he asked.

  “That loving you seemed to teach me just how wonderful love can be,” I said. “How it did not make me weak, but stronger. I was better for it.”

  “That’s…good?” he said, unsure of his words.

  “Yes,” I said. “And I learned that I have so much love to give and so much room for others in my heart that I didn’t need to live a life devoid of such…magic. I…I love you. That has not changed. But…I also love Saleem…and Oringo…”

  He stared at me for a minute as he digested my words. Then he scoffed, then let out a laugh. “Are you serious? Is this some terrible joke?”

  “No,” I said. “I love all of you equally, but for different reasons.”

  Zakai stood up and paced for a moment. “You…have given yourself to them? To…both of them?”

  “My relationships with them are personal,” I said. “It would not be proper to talk about the details—”

  “Details?” he asked, his voice raised. “Have you slept with them? Have you been unfaithful to me?”

  I grimaced, unsure of how to justify my actions in a way that would not hurt him or enrage him further. It had all seemed so reasonable in my mind. Oringo and Saleem had so easily accepted the situation, I was a fool to think that Zakai would be equally as accepting.

  “I did not consider it as being unfaithful at the time,” I said. “I still love you. That has not changed. I love all of you. And you and I did not make any vows to each other. Quite the opposite, in fact. I told you that we could never marry.”

  He exhaled through his nose a few times to calm down. “I suppose I was the fool to have assumed that there was something special between us,” he finally said.

  “No!” I said, and I wanted to go to him, but I did not think he would accept me. “You were not a fool, and you were not wrong. I do love you. And what we have is special. It is unique. My relationship with each of you is special. Please, try to understand that my love for them truly has nothing to do with you. I love you all. I need all of you in my life. I have felt a huge hole in my heart ever since we were parted, and Saleem and Oringo did not fill that void. They only took up their own spaces.”