Soldier of Sidon

It is nearly dark. Someone plays a lute. URAEUS AND I carried away the dead men and hid them among the rocks. These Nubians do not keep good watch. He wished to steal horses and go for help. I said I would not leave the others. I told him to steal a horse and bring whatever help he could. He did not wish to leave me, but I ordered him to go. He is my slave, he says. He said there would surely be a guard on the horses and asked whether he might kill him. I told him to kill anyone who tried to prevent him from carrying out my order. URAEUS RETURNED. THERE are no horses. There is little grass here, he says, and they may have been taken where there is better grazing. Shortly before sundown he left me to look.

The sun set, and I went out. Four with spears came to this hut, and there was much loud talk. I wanted to go back into the mine, but there is a fire before it and guards with spears, shields, and swords. The new woman was talking at the big fire. I crept nearer to listen. She spoke the tongue of Kemet. Then Kames spoke as Nubians do. Another spoke, and Kames told her-and me-what had been said. So it went.

The woman: "It is a great treasure, I tell you! A magical treasure. It is a woman of wax who will become a real woman at my command. You will have four women then instead of three."

Another woman spoke as Nubians do, and they struck her.

Kames: "Piy asks if you think they are to be lured away so easily? If they go, your friends will come to free Prince Nasakhma."

The woman: "Give me one man and three horses, and I will bring you this treasure in a day, a magical treasure for which your king will give a sack of gold. Then you will marry me, Piy, and we will be happy forever."

Kames: "He says you only wish food, rest, and a horse. Then you would escape from him. It would be easy to escape one man. He says, tell us where the treasure lies. I will send soldiers to get it. They will bring it here, and when they do, you must show me your magic. If you ca

She told them where it was, and Uraeus and I left so as to be there before they came. We have found the box, and the dead horse that carried it. Now we three wait for them.

I hear voices. PIY HAD SENT four of his dark soldiers with five horses. We waited to let them find the box and find it held no woman. Sabra went to them, showing by gestures that she was the one who had been in the box. They did not believe her. She lay down in the box, and when one bent over her to see, she stabbed him in the throat.

Uraeus bit one. He fell in convulsions, which I do not understand. I killed two with my daggers. We took the box, their horses, and their spears and rode to this place, where we have built a fire. I ate food from their saddlebags, but not Uraeus, who hunts among the rocks. Sabra says she does not eat, but needs a woman's blood. I did not believe it.

"Neht-nefret would have smeared me with her blood and uttered the spell to awaken me," Sabra explained. "That was what we pla

"I do not love you," I told her. She is very beautiful, but I know that I could never love or trust her.

"No, you love your little singing girl. That silly lute player."

Now I know who played the lute I heard, and that I love her. I have written very much so that I will not forget. Uraeus insists that I must do this. Sabra is a woman of wax, lying in her box; and I must sleep. SABRA, URAEUS, AND I talked this morning of how we might free Myt-ser'eu and the others. I did not believe Uraeus could do as he said, but he called cobras from the rocks. He said I was to take up one and Sabra the other two. We did, and they were gentle in our hands. After that, Sabra and I rode here to the mine.

"This is a prisoner of yours," she told them. "I have recaptured him for you."

She spoke to me as she lay down in the box we had brought. "Go back to the mine, fellow!"

I did as she bid, still wearing the chain that had made it so difficult to ride.

The others welcomed me, having feared I was to be killed. "I escaped," I told them, "and we will all be free shortly. I've arranged it."

The prince-Nasakhma is his name-said, "But you have been retaken!"

"Only because I wished to be. I have these for you." I began taking the knives and daggers from under my tunic. There were six. Kames was above; thus I gave one to the prince, one to Thotmaktef, and one to each of my soldiers. One I kept for myself.

"Should we charge the guards?" asked Baginu.

I shook my head. "Charge when I give the order. If you fight bravely and skillfully, we'll be free. Now be silent a moment, all of you."

They were, until Thotmaktef whispered, "A lute…" His ears are better than mine.

"Then she has begun to dance," I said.

"My wife?"

I shook my head. "Sabra. She says you know her."

Thotmaktef stared.

"A woman called Neht-nefret brought her. Sabra says you know her, too."

"So do we," said Baginu. "She's the captain's woman."

"Sabra returned to wax when I left her," I explained to Thotmaktef. "Neht-nefret must have gashed her arm and smeared Sabra's face with blood, as they pla

Vayu muttered, "I do not believe any of us understand you, Centurio."

"Soon the bracelets will fall from Sabra's wrists," I explained, "then it will be seen that they are not ornaments but living cobras. A great cobra has been coiled tightly about her waist, under her gown. It will fall to the ground and call others from the rocks. We hope-"

Baginu had snatched my arm. "That's a lion! Hear it?"

"We must fight too," I said. "Follow me!"

Our guards had left the entrance already. Fighting against men so disordered, many of whom had been bitten, was hardly fighting at all.

We have cleared the bodies from this place, loading them on horses and throwing them into the wadi. We will start back to the river tomorrow, but first it must grow dark, and Myt-ser'eu and I do many pleasant things. Thotmaktef and Alala, too, I suppose.

Myt-ser'eu had a hundred questions, but there is no need to give them all here.

"Where did the big cobra come from, Latro? I'd never seen one half as big as that."

"Uraeus produced it for us by magic. He left Sabra and me, after warning us that it would come and telling us what we must do."

"What did you and Sabra do when you were alone?"

"Talked," I said. "She told me everything she and Neht-nefret had pla

"Only talk?"

"Only talk," I said.

"I was hoping you had her then. No?"

I shook my head.

"Six of them had me," Myt-ser'eu said. "If I screamed or struggled, they struck me." She showed me the bruises on her face, and her eyes filled with tears. "Will you send me away?"

"Of course not."

"They had Alala, too. Eight or ten of them had her." Seeing that I did not credit her, she added, "They liked her better!"

I shrugged. "Perhaps Thotmaktef will send her back to her father. That's up to him."

"I don't think so. How did you get the lions?"

"I didn't." I shrugged again. "I didn't even know they were coming, and neither did Uraeus or Sabra. But I've been reading this, and I think a goddess must have sent them. Is there one called Mehit?"

"I've heard of her," Myt-ser'eu said, "but I don't know much about her. She's an Eye of Ra, and a moon goddess who lights the way for travelers." She paused, thoughtful. "Perhaps that's why Mehit favored you. You're from a faraway city called Sidon. That would make you a great traveler."

"I didn't know."

"Well, it's what Muslak says. Sidon's one of his people's towns."