Mac Tire � Son of the Earth

Part 20 - The Puzzle Continues

During the night and most of the early morning before breakfast came, Dom and Lij talked. They talked about Nekeb, their relationship, and their love for each other. They talked about what had happened recently, and what could be done about it; but, next morning, when Lij broached the subject of Dom's secret, his lover shook his fair head. "No, Lij - of this I shall not speak."

"I know," Lij murmured, braiding Dom's hair with nimble fingers. "I just wanted you to know that I, too, was keeping a secret until the time was right. Now I see I should have spoken of it sooner. Before I left for Karnak, Dom, I spoke with Lygia...."

Dom interrupted Lij by pulling him into a kiss. "I know of this secret, my love. I saw Lygia briefly before I left. We have been foolish. We could have enjoyed this little piece of joyful news, and had something to look forward to on less ....comfortable days.

My child, Lij! She is to bear my child! I am so...so..."...

Lij kissed him again. "I know, my love. When Soraya and Lygia approached us to ask this thing of us - a child for both of them to love and cherish - I was not certain. Both of them being a Wife of God it should have been my child, as it would mean death for them to lie with another man. But I saw your face, and I knew how much it would mean to you to have a child of your own...

...oh, I know Jed and Titi are as much yours as mine. But it is a miracle, holding a child you have sired in your arms, Dom.

I regret that I took so little notice of my other children when they were born. I hope I have remedied that since the twins came. The other six are sure I am their father, and that I love them. Titi, of course is so happy about it, bless her. She is a proper little mother even now." Lij paused and took a deep breath in.

"I did not understand the nature of love until you came to me, a hashkeh! You have taught me so much. And I am so pleased for you, Dom. ..."

Dom nuzzled the hand resting on his shoulder, and twisted in the chair to catch Lij's lips with his own. "When we return..." he began, then tailed off as he saw Lij's face.

"And are you sure you will come back with me, Dom? If you are king here, what will you do?"

Dom nodded decisively. "If, when the minor kings come to the Feis, they elect me, again, I shall stay long enough to see that everything is in order, then I will find a regent worthy of my trust and name him Tanist heir. I shall never give up my kingship, as it is mine by right, as well as by election. If I had not been kidnapped by those slavers, Lij, I...I would have gone back to Ede and to my duty.

I went out from my house by the sea, where I had run to think. My horse was butchered by the slavers on the beach for fresh meat. I cannot blame folks, on finding the remains, for thinking that I too had perished in the slaughter.

The regent may rule in my stead. You trust Menkh with your kingdom, Lij, I can find someone..."

A cough from the next room caught their attention. Lij secured the end of the last braid, and hurried through the adjoining door to Orla.

"What is it, my dear?" Orla winced as she sat up in bed. "I need a woman to help me, if you please," she tried to swing her feet over the edge of the bed and failed.

"Dhia! I feel like one of these kittens!" the girl grumbled, moving the tiny creature off her lap onto the bed-covering.

"Will I not serve you just as well?" Lij smiled at the frowning child.

"No!" Orla stated baldly. "Go and find me a woman, Lij. Quickly!" Lij nodded and dashed out into the corridor. Luckily the big woman who had brought their meal yesterday was approaching with a huge tray.

Lij ushered her into the room, a look of triumph on his face. Orla snorted. "Well done, my Lord. Now go back to Dom and leave me in peace for a few minutes...if you please, that is," she added tardily.

Lij bowed low. "It shall be as you wish, my Lady." He winced as he heard the cry of pain coming through the door as he closed it. "Poor child! She shall not go back to Ede, Dom. I am resolved upon it. That woman is an anim..." Lij stopped as he saw Dom's face.

"I know...who better?...what she is, my Lij. Come..."

Cass tapped on the outer door and entered sheepishly. "I was ordered out of the room next door. That girl has a tongue on her, she has, so."

He glanced at the closed the door between the rooms and said in a low voice, "I told Gronya what had happened here, and she will be here shortly, disguised as a washerwoman, or something, she says."

Cass snorted loudly, and said nothing further as he went to take the tray off the woman who had tapped loudly and opened the adjoining door.

After he'd closed it again, he smiled. "She is not like any washerwoman I have ever seen, they tend to be flighty pieces. But she is a clever old biddy. I'm sure she'll think of something. Here is your breakfast!"

* When Gronya arrived later in the morning, Lij was amazed at her appearance.

Although she was a tiny woman, she had grace in her bearing. The grey gowned frail looking old dear that tapped at the door looked nothing like the Gronya he knew.

"Ha!" she cried as she put her basket on the chair, kissed Lij, and waved at Dom through the open door. "First things first," she grinned, pushing Lij into Dom's room, before tending to the child.

Lij had foreseen this banishment and had tucked Nekeb's list into his belt for them to discuss. Dom scanned the list. "What does it mean, Lij? Why did he write this all down?" Dom frowned at his partner. "I do not understand..."

Lij smiled. "Read the list to Cass, Dom. You might, then, see what Nekeb was about.�

"1. Purple...murex?
2. Emerald gem
3. Pearls
4. Frankincense and Myrrh.
5. Dates
6. Strange man
7. Best Samian
8. Silk
9. Lapis lazuli
10. Porphyry
11. Garlic"

Dom read obediently, then glanced at Cass. "Well, my friend?"

Cass set down the watered mead he had brought and rubbed his head, perplexed. "I know about wine, garlic and dates - you have told me of them - and I can work out that Nekeb saw a strange man here, somewhere. In fact I think I have seen him myself. Pearls I know of...but nothing else on the list makes sense to me, I must admit."

Lij nodded. "You see, Dom? We are used to these things, living with them every day at hom...in Egypt. But here, these things are unknown. There are no grapes grown here to make wine and Samian comes from far away.

Purple dye...murex... comes from the beards of shellfish found in much hotter climes than this. Silk is spun in Cathay, the best Frankincense comes from Punt - Egypt ... " Lij added for Cass; benefit. " ... and the only porphyry mine is in Egypt, too. I don't know what the reference to the emerald means, all I know is there are none in this part of the world, however, Orla, bless her, gave us another clue about something we might otherwise have missed. Porphyry is not a vase or urn carved of the stone, as I thought, but a man, living here in the keep, she said."

Dom stared at Lij. "There is a Phoenician in the castle, Lij? How can this be?"

Lij smiled. "I do not know, Dom, but I mean to find out. It is obvious Ede has been trading with ...Ninus, perhaps? Or his friend, Abibal? I remember thinking it odd that Ninus professed to be Phoenician, had a Phoenician name but spoke with a Hyksosian accent, but with one thing and another it slipped my mind. I still cannot understand that part of it, but I think it is plain that Ede has been trading the Connemara marble stones, so highly valued for their healing properties, with the Phoenicians for exorbitant prices. And this is why Ninus brought some to Egypt, to Soraya. It is so rare in the east only great kings can afford..."

Lij was interrupted by Gronya entering the room, and closing the door quietly behind her. Cass got up to give her his seat, but the nimble old lady waved him down and perched on the bed by Dom's feet. She looked pensive and a trifle disturbed.

"Orla has been speaking to me a little, telling me things that perhaps she would not tell a man. Have you noticed how few young people there are about the place, boys?"

Lij smiled. It was a long time since anyone had dared to call him boy. He thought of Menep, and sighed. Then an unwelcome memory from his past assailed him.

"Now that you mention it," Cass said, slowly. "I have been all over this keep, and there are indeed, very few young..." Cass stopped short, catching a glimpse of Lij's face. He was remembering - though the guard did not know it - Kishlan, and Sennacherib the Assyrian king, who murdered boys for his sexual pleasure.

"Lij? Are you well?" Cass was concerned. Indeed Lij's face had become the colour of curdled milk. Dom knew instantly why this was, and saved Lij the distress of relating the details by telling them himself. "Do you think it could be so?. Here?.."

" I do not know, but I will find out." Gronya nodded firmly. "There is no-one here who will know me, now. It is many years - more than a generation - since I left this place. Ede, I never knew. There will be no danger in wandering about a little. If I stray into dangerous regions - why, I am an old woman, and I was lost. I shall present myself to Ede as a poor woman trying to sell a few simple herbs and unguents. She will want them, I have no doubt. Some of them are not easily come by on this hill.

And I notice, Cass, that the covering salve I prepared for your face shows no trace of the tattoo even though you have rubbed your face twice since I have been here. Still, I long to see your face uncovered and you back in your rightful place, serving the true king, my dear.

But firstly," she clapped her hands, bustling up from the bed, "we must find the young lady next door a more suitable bed than yours, Egypt!" Lij blushed, and Gronya crowed delightedly at his discomfort.

"Luckily I visited the housekeeper - lax though the housekeeping appears in this pile of rock - and she...ah! That must be her knocking on the outer door. I told her Brian had asked for me to look after the child. Luckily he is well respected here, and they will not question his motives. Or yours, Lij, in needing her out of your bed."

Gronya stood and reverted to her guise as the aged healer and the group started talking about Orla's treatment as a strange face appeared after a brief tap at the adjoining door. Gronya greeted the housekeeper with deference, and the woman, intimidated by Lij looking down his nose at her, said she would await their pleasure outside in the corridor, and quickly left.

Gronya grinned at Lij. "Yes, my pet, you are every inch a king. Lij, Cass...come with me! You may assist us in the shifting. She must be carried gently." With a smile at Dom, Lij thrust the list in his lover's hand, and followed Gronya out of the chamber like an obedient sheep.

Dom laughed. How they would goggle in Egypt to see the Great One ordered around like a servant! But Lij did not seem to mind it; that was one good thing.

As silence marked the exodus from the next room, Dom examined the list again. It seemed Lij was right. Nekeb had stumbled on something. Was it the cause of his death? Dom was tired. Too tired to think clearly. He lay back on his pillows and fell asleep.

*

Ede had had every intention of visiting her Seaneen who was still her husband this morning and telling him of her plans for his future. Plans that did not include his beloved Lij in any way, shape or form. But she had forgotten, as in truth it was of little importance to her, a trifling ceremony that had to be conducted today; Connor's funeral.

She had not cared for him. He was a means to an end. He was a man, a rich man, who wanted power but did not wish to work for it. As a partner for Ede the Avaricious, he had been perfect.

He had not cared where the money or the power came from, as long as they came. There was silver by the barrel, and even bags of rare gold in the cellars. Fine silks and other cloths, jewellery, ornaments and illuminated scrolls. Ede had gathered it all to herself, and sat on it like a dragon guarding its hoard. Now it was all hers, for Seaneen had little care for jewels and finery. He would not touch it. It was hers.

Carefully she had laid her plans - and they could wait a little longer. She allowed her maid to dress her in apparel suitable for a grieving widow. Cormac and Morne were still too weak to attend the funerary rites. They will be over the quicker for it, she thought. Pulling a black veil over her head, she went out to see her so-called husband buried.

*

Dom was tired of bed, and in Lij's absence promoted himself to a chair. He sat in it for a short while, then, bored, decided to take a few steps about the room to strengthen his weakened legs.

He still felt very unsure on his feet which was alarming. He did not know exactly why, but thought it was from the poison attacking his body. He moved the bowl to a place where he could reach it if needful, and took a few unsteady steps about the room.

Emboldened by the fact that he managed this without incident, he walked slowly into Lij's room, and it was there, sitting on the bed, that Cass found him a few minutes later.

Cass was carrying a bundle wrapped in an old shirt. "I need your advice, Dom, because I have gone against Lij's express wishes, and now that I have seen him in a temper - Dhia! - I do not wish his anger to fall upon me. What should I do? Advise me!"

Cass unwrapped the bundle and took out Lij's crown. "He wanted Nekeb to be buried wearing it..." Dom's face showed his shocked expression. The crown meant a great deal to Lij... " saying there was more to being a king than the wearing of a crown, but I knew how much it meant to him. I saw his face when I returned it to him last time. I fear he will not be so pleased, now."

Dom took the object in his hands. "Why did you not do as he commanded?" Cass noticed Dom did not use the word "asked". Lij, it was plain, was used to commanding men, and to being obeyed.

Cass decided honesty was the best policy. "Because, when it came to it, it seemed that Nekeb did not wish to be buried wearing it. I had the distinct impression he wanted it returned to Lij. So here it is. Now what?"

Dom nodded, decisively. "Tell Lij just that, Cass. That Nekeb told you to bring it to him. After all, Nekeb nearly drowned trying to save this for his God. Oh, yes, Cass - in Egypt, Lij is a god to his people. Lij will remember these things. And a message from the Otherworld is not to be discounted - ever. He will be pleased. Trust me!"

Dom stood slowly and carefully, pleased to see the relief on the soldier�s face. "Now I will be glad if you will help me back to my bed, before Lij returns and starts fussing. My legs can barely hold me."

The king was trembling violently when Cass lifted Dom's legs into the bed. Cass shuddered. Whatever it was that had been in that food, he was glad the left-over portions had not been returned to the kitchens, and shared between the servants and guards ....

He stopped short, puzzled. " The left-over portions�what happened to them? I will be very interested to discover why no servants or guards appear to have been killed or poisoned. And if it was not taken back, who disposed of it? And where?�

Dom was happy to leave the problem in Cass's capable hands. There were a dozen angry bees buzzing in his head. He was glad to sleep.

*

Orla was gently deposited on her new bed, and the woman curtseyed low to Lij, and spoke with her head bowed:

"Will you be pleased to tell us what we should do with the stuff, my lord?"

Lij looked at her, puzzled. "Stuff?" he said, staring round him. Then he saw it. Nekeb's bath, his clothing in a neat pile, one of Lij's night robes newly laundered, airing over the end of the bed...this was Nekeb's room. He sat down quickly on the one chair the room possessed, shaken to the core.

"I will deal with it, thank you. It can remain here for now." The woman curtseyed again and backed out of the room promising more fresh linens should be brought soon.

Gronya cast a surreptitious eye on Lij and asked his help in some mundane task she was occupied with. Soon Lij was putting more peat on the fire and moving furniture around to the old woman's orders.

Orla woke up, and Lij lifted her to give there the tisane Gronya had made for her. It was warm and sweet and soon the girl smiled at him, and asked for the kittens to be brought to lie on her bed. Cass went off to fetch them, and as he was leaving, let in the seamstress who was carrying an armful of garments.

Lij surveyed her handiwork with care. She had much skill. The two gowns and a skirt that had been made from Lij's robe and the cloak were very fine. There was also a cloak, and a blouse and two bedgowns. Sitting on the top of the pile were two very finely wrought undershifts of especially fine lawn, beautifully darned and patched.

"I begged a few items around the place," the woman beamed, as Orla stared at the items being held up for her inspection. "Fine ladies often have some old garments that their maids despair of ever getting off their backs. Morne's lady is like that, but her maid was very kind to me.

Lij thanked the woman profusely and tried to give her some silver pieces as a reward. The woman shook her head as he dived into Nekeb's pouch for coins. "No, I thank you. It is my job, after all, to serve the keep. I want no reward, save a job well done."

Lij thanked her again, and she went out, smiling. Lij turned to Orla who was fingering one of the bedgowns Gronya had placed on the bed for her to wear. She lifted her head and they could see tears running down her cheeks. "No one has ever given me a present before. I thank you, Great One, for these gifts," she said, softly, looking into Lij's astonished face.

"Great One?" he managed. "Now where did you hear...?" The girl smiled and wiped her face with the back of her hand. "Nekeb," she said, simply. "He worshipped you, you know." Lij thought of the love that his friend, dying in his arms, had revealed for him in his final moments "I know," he said, quietly, smiling sweetly at the girl . "I know."

Cass had told Lij of his thoughts concerning the food from the poisoned meal, and they decided to investigate. Lij had never before visited a kitchen, and he was amazed at the amount of people it seemed necessary to employ to cook a meal.

He vowed silently to visit his own kitchens when he returned home, to check standards of cleanliness for himself, praying to his gods that they were better in Egypt than this place.

Everyone seemed to have more grease on their clothing than they were larding over the basted fowls that were being prepared for tonight's dinner. The filth on the tables and the way the cooks wiped their hands on clothing stiff with old stains made Lij shudder.

To their puzzlement and dismay, they discovered that the dishes containing the left-over food from the fateful meal had been returned to the kitchens, and had been eaten by three members of the kitchen staff and two guards who happened to be visiting, with no ill effects whatsoever.

Cass and Lij stood in the courtyard breathing in the crisp fresh air. "What does it mean, Lij? I am at a loss."

Lij thought carefully. There was something niggling at the back of his mind. Something he had heard at home, but whatever it was it stubbornly refused to surface.

"I do not know, Cassawn, my friend, but by Dhia and the lovely Maeve, we shall find out!"

The determination in Lij�s voice was unmistakeable. No matter how long it would take, Lij was determined to get to the bottom of all this. Cass secretly pitied any who would stand in his way.




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