Chapter Forty Five: In the Barracks
“Is anything wrong, Mistress?” asked Sabu as she joined him and Enno.
Kiya frowned. “Dennu has employed a man who I hoped never to see again. He pretended not to recognise me and I wish now I had not allowed the deception.”
They walked away from the tent and Kiya glanced back to see Dennu bent once more over his table and no sign of Urshu. She sighed at being so quickly forgotten. “Dennu is the man who gave me the armlet I lost at the inn,” she told Sabu. “He would not believe it was stolen. He is such an irritating man - I might have to ask you to kill him one day.” Sabu nodded. “I’m just joking,” she added hastily.
He laughed. “I would never kill a man who means so much to you.”
“No, he does not!” she protested. “He means nothing to me. We are just friends, that is all. Sometimes I doubt if we are even that.”
Sabu looked across the river to where the sun was approaching the distant escarpment. “We must find your aunt and uncle before nightfall.”
As they hurried towards the barracks, Kiya worried about Urshu. Did he mean to harm Dennu? The man was obsessed with power and capable of anything. She wondered if she should warn Dennu but feared that he would not believe her. Besides, it would be too easy for Urshu to wreak revenge. He knew too many secrets that she wished to keep hidden.
Kiya was distracted by the delicious aroma of cooking. She and Sabu were joined by an ever-increasing crowd of tired labourers, all heading in the same direction. She saw that their destination was a kitchen that had been set up beside the barracks. Men and women sat on wooden benches at long trestle tables eating from bowls and helping themselves from baskets of bread. Soldiers walked between the tables, carrying flagons of beer.
Kiya longed to join the queue of people waiting to take their places at the meal, but Sabu hurried her past. “There will be time to eat when we have found your aunt and uncle,” he said.
The barracks consisted of several squares of single-story terraces. They all looked identical and Kiya thanked Horus that she had met Dennu first - she would never have discovered the correct house without his help. She counted the fourth square, then the third door, took a deep breath and knocked.
After a pause, Laylos answered the summons. She looked blankly at Kiya for a moment, then she folded her into her arms in a hug.
“Kiya, my darling. How good to see you.”
“Dear Laylos. I have missed you.”
“Is that why you have come to pay us a visit? I fear you will find conditions primitive.” She looked past her to Sabu, who was standing with the donkey. “Who is this young man?”
“This is Sabu. He is my bodyguard.”
“A bodyguard? That is very grand - and very necessary, no doubt. It would be a dangerous journey for a girl to make on her own. I see you have brought Enno.”
“Yes. I have to get him back to Teos for next season’s ploughing.”
“You plan to stay here for so long?” Laylos raised her eyebrows in surprise.
“Not exactly. I am on a mission.”
“I might have known it. You had better come in,” said Laylos, holding the door wide. “Come on both of you, and bring the donkey.”
It was a tight squeeze with the four of them in the little room. “How I miss my nice apartment in Thebes,” said Laylos. “We have no amenities here. There is no water, except what is carried in buckets from the river. There are no cooking facilities - we all have to eat at the communal kitchen. Honestly, when I think of what your uncle has brought me to.”
She seemed cheerful enough, despite her grumbling, and Kiya tried to encourage her. “It’s an adventure, Aunt. You are here at the start of something new.”
“The start of something stupid, more like!” said her aunt. She looked at Sabu. “Tell me, young man, why is a bodyguard wearing soldier’s uniform?”
“He saved me from his fellow soldiers on the way here,” said Kiya and recounted what had happened at the inn.
“Oh my goodness, what a narrow escape,” gasped Laylos.
“They would have killed me,” Kiya agreed. “One of them threw his spear and it missed me by a hair’s breadth. The worst of it is that, in all the confusion, I left behind the armlet Dennu gave me and he is furious.”
“I do not doubt it.”
“He refuses to believe it was stolen. He thinks I sold it to pay for Sabu to be my bodyguard.”
“Poor Dennu. If he has a fault, it is to always think the worst – especially where you are concerned.” Laylos frowned. “You say the soldiers are bringing grain to Akhetaten? What if they should see you here? They will try to silence you before you can accuse them.”
“I will protect her,” said Sabu.
“I am sure you will, Sabu, but you will be dangerously outnumbered,” said Laylos. Enno shifted slightly and let out a resonant fart. “Oh by Horus, that donkey is about to soil my floor. Get him out of here, Sabu. He can join the other donkeys in the compound.”
“Will he be safe?” asked Kiya anxiously.
“Of course he will. There is plenty of hay for him to eat and water to drink.”
When Sabu and Enno had gone Laylos turned to Kiya. “Now, perhaps you can tell me where you got the money to pay for a bodyguard. I hope your poor father has not had to raid his life savings again.”
“No, of course not. I have been given gold to undertake this mission. I tried to share my good fortune with Papa, but neither he nor Ramala wanted any.”
“Gold? Good heavens child. How did you come by it?”
Kiya told her about the meeting with Anubis and Hathor. “They want me to use my power of smell to find the ka of Osiris and have paid me with a bag of nuggets. Look!” Kiya stripped off her shift and turned it inside out to show Laylos all the pockets sewn inside.
Laylos was feeling the nuggets through the linen, with little exclamations of surprise, when Huy walked through the door. “By Horus!” he exclaimed. “A naked niece. What goodness have I done to deserve such a sight?”
“Look away you naughty man,” said Laylos transposing her bulk between him and Kiya. Kiya hastily put her shift on again and felt herself blush scarlet.
“So, Kiya. What are you doing here?” said Huy. “On another of your wild adventures, I presume.”
“She has to find the ka of Osiris,” said Laylos. “And has been given a fortune in gold in order to do so.”
“I want you to have half my wealth,” said Kiya. “I will not need it all and my parents have refused to have any.”
“Why should they turn down the chance to become rich?” said Laylos.
“They are happy as they are. They think they would lose their peace of mind and their friends.”
“They are right,” said Huy. “We will not take your gold either.” Laylos moaned in protest. “But I am happy to earn some of it. I will be your bodyguard.”
“And I will be your chaperone,” said Laylos.
Sabu came through the door. “Who are you?” asked Huy.
“I am Mistress’s bodyguard, Sir.”
“Ah a rival bodyguard. I will have to fight you for the post!” Huy pretended to reach for his sword.
“Don’t tease the boy,” protested Laylos. “Kiya can have two bodyguards. She will probably need them if past experience is anything to go by.” She patted her stomach. “I am starving. Now we are all here, let us go down to the communal kitchen for supper.”