Chapter Seventy Nine: Saved by a Mirror
Kiya woke to find the ka-flower shining brighter than the moonbeams streaming through the window slits. Somehow the ka must sense its nearness to Osiris, she thought and knew that the soul longed to be reunited with its body.
When she tried to free herself she discovered that the effects of the drugged wine had worn off and she was able to wriggle out of the sheet that bound her. She sat on the side of the bed and picked up the flowerpot. Her courage quailed thought of returning through that dark passage to the King’s quarters - perhaps it might be better to wait for another night.
“Soon,” she whispered to the plant. “I will return you soon.” But soon the women of the harem would be arriving with their servants and children. There was no better time than now if she wished to avoid detection.
Kiya rose to her feet and looked down at her naked body. She decided not to rummage through Vitane’s chest to try to find something to wear. The Princess’s clothes were unsuitable for adventuring and instantly recognisable as Cretan. If her mission was successful she would return to the harem without being seen. If it was not, nakedness would be the least of her problems.
She carried the flower across the room and out into the night. The air was cold. She shivered and clung to the pot more tightly. Where did Bunefer sleep? Was the harem guarded? Kiya feared that unseen eyes might be upon her as she crept around the sides of the courtyard. Her head hit a cage and sent it swinging. From inside came sleepy twittering. Kiya paused, her heart beating rapidly, but there was no movement from the shadows. She crouched down lower and continued her progress until she reached the main room.
Kiya held the ka-flower high to help illuminate the way around the table and benches to the tall screen at the far end. It will all end here if the door is locked, thought Kiya but the latch lifted to her touch and she was able to push the hidden door open.
“May the gods protect me,” she prayed as she peered into the darkness beyond. Bracing herself, she stepped forwards. The passageway seemed longer than it had when she was in Rahotep’s arms, but the shining ka-flower gave Kiya the confidence she needed to reach the King’s chamber.
Ikhnaton’s snores reverberated in her ears as she opened the door and entered his bedroom. She tiptoed to the next room and found it deserted. On a table in the middle were rolled sheets of papyrus paper. Presumably he and Dennu had been discussing plans for the building of Akhetaten. A door led to a corridor and Kiya hesitated, wondering which way to go. She took a step in one direction and the flower’s light faded. She went the other way and the light shone more strongly so she continued and stopped in front of the first door she came to. The flower was brighter than ever and so she lifted the latch and went in. She recognised the mirror on the dressing table and knew that this was Nefertiti’s bedchamber. Kiya felt sick with apprehension as she looked at the bed – it was empty. Was the goddess lying in wait for her? Nervously she looked around the room. Could Isis be hiding behind the clothes stands? Or crouched down behind the bed? Kiya was poised to flee from an attack, but nothing happened and her tense muscles slowly relaxed. Where could Isis be? Perhaps she had gone to meet her fellow gods beyond the veil.
The door to the inner sanctum stood ajar and Kiya hurried towards it. A thought made her stop and pick up the mirror. If Isis attacked her, she could deflect the killing beams and might have a chance of survival.
Awkwardly, with the flower in one hand and the mirror in the other, she pushed the door open and entered the darkness. By the light of the flower she could see that the lid was off Osiris’s coffin and Nefertiti lay sleeping beside the corpse, her arm around her husband’s chest in a loving embrace.
Kiya quickly pulled the flower from the pot and placed it in Osiris’s mouth. It sank down into the god’s body and its glow spread beneath his skin. She had expected Osiris to wake instantly but he remained lifeless and, with dismay, she saw Nefertiti stir. The goddess’s eyes opened and focussed on her. With mesmerising speed she leapt from the coffin.
“You wicked girl. What are you doing here?”
“I have restored the soul of your husband,” said Kiya, but the goddess was not listening. Rage stoked the fires within, until her eyes glowed red. Kiya held up the mirror as two rays of burning light shot from the goddess’s eyes towards her. The rays were deflected and hit the far wall of the chamber, where they shattered the plaster and carved grooves into the bricks behind.
Nefertiti blinked and then tried again. This time her attack was longer. Deep gouges zigzagged across the damaged wall as Kiya desperately tried to hold the mirror steady. She was hoping to deflect the rays back at Nefertiti and nearly succeeded but the goddess closed her eyes when the rays came near and then changed the angle of attack.
The mirror was heavy and Kiya was tiring, it was only a matter of time before the end. A death ray caught her arm. Kiya screamed with pain and dropped the mirror, which smashed to the floor in pieces. She dived down behind the coffin in agony. The smell of burning flesh filled the air and when she looked, she saw that her arm had been incinerated to the bone. In a scarlet haze of pain she heard the goddess’s footsteps round the coffin and she braced herself for the end.
“Isis?” The voice was deep and sweet.
“Osiris! You are alive, my darling.”
Kiya lay on the floor in anguish, listening to the joy of Isis and Osiris as they were reunited. Pain engulfed her in waves and she knew that her arm had been destroyed. The foetus in her womb stirred and Kiya felt as if her burning flesh had been plunged into icy water. The relief was instant. She raised the ruined limb and saw that it was whole once more. A red line, like a scar, was the only sign of the wound. It was a miracle – a miracle wrought by the baby inside her.
There was a rumbling sound as the wall, which had been weakened by the death rays, crumbled and fell to the ground, revealing a moonlit garden beyond. Hand in hand, Osiris and Isis walked over the rubble into the garden.
Kiya scrambled to her feet. From the room behind she heard shouts as people came running. Kiya rushed into the garden behind the two gods. For a brief moment she saw Dennu’s astounded face as he watched what was happening from a nearby terrace, then she dived behind a bush and hid.