Sequal to New Horizon....
The Sunset On The Horizon

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Chapter Seven

Alexhotep was making his rounds of the royal suites of the palace. It was routine, and he wasn’t at his normal alert state of mind. His mind was wandering until he saw the flutter of white linen which faded in an instant.
Knitting his brows together, Alexhotep strode forward in pursuit. He saw what appeared to be an apparition slipping through the halls. As he pursued her, he felt the thrill of the chase welling up through him as it always did.
Finally, she came to a dead end. Turning around, she jumped at seeing Alexhotep on her tail.
“What are you doing?” she asked, sort of shyly.
“The question really is: what are you doing? I don’t suppose you’re a harem girl... No, you don’t look like the type. So then you really shouldn’t be here. Why may ask are you here?”
She looked at him as though he had just spoken a foreign language. Alexhotep watched her sternly.
“I’m... uh... I got lost?”
“Nice try. Why are you really here?”
“I wanted to look around the palace. I slipped away from my friends and was walking around. I didn’t know where I was... so... I was trying to look for a way back.”
“Then why were you running?”
“I saw some guards and didn’t want to be caught.”
Sounds likely, Alexhotep thought to himself. Besides, she doesn’t look like the conspirator type... Then again, neither did we. Smiling wryly at the memory, Alexhotep looked down at the young woman. “Well, I guess I can let you go right now as long as you promise not to do something this foolish again. If it had been someone other than me, he might not have been as lenient as I’ve been.”
“Thank you. I promise I won’t do it again.” She smiled at him and turned to leave. She stopped in mid-step and turned back around.
“Which way is the exit?”
Alexhotep grinned. “That’s gonna come with a price.”
She arched an eyebrow.
“If you tell me your name, I’ll show you how to get out of here.” “Okay, that’s sounds all right... My name’s Iset.”
“Pretty,” he murmured. “I’m Alexhotep, by the way, Captain of Palace Security.”
“No wonder.”
“Would you like me to show you out?”
“If you don’t mind,” she replied with a shy laugh. Iset followed Alexhotep through the marble-floored corridors towards what he knew as the exit.
“That’s it,” he pointed toward a distant doorway.
“Thank you, Captain,” she told him, peering into the mysterious depths of his dark eyes.
“Alexhotep, please.”
“Then thank you, Alexhotep.”
He watched her flutter out, and then he returned to his work.
*******
Time ever so slowly passed, as it always does. Before anyone knew it, two months had gone by. The time had come for Brianamun to prepare to return to the Temple of Karnak for his month of service. The two months had been a time that he had used to get to know his new wife. During this period, Brianamun and Nofretke had established a friendship. They had become extremely close friends---nearly best-friends, in fact. They acted as husband and wife, but in the end, it was not love. Both of them knew that, and they both knew it was too early to get a divorce. There would be vile rumors spreading around the court that Tutankhamun’s arranged marriage hadn’t worked, and who knows what else they would say! Brianamun glanced at Nofretke who was strumming the chords to her lute and humming.
“Please! Stop humming! My ear drums are going to burst!” Brianamun cried.
Nofretke laughed. “I don’t sing--or hum--all that bad.”
“Sure.” He rolled his eyes and broke into a broad, mischievous grin. “If you say so. "
“Are you going to be okay while I’m at the temple?”
She raised her eyebrows. "No, Brianamun, I’m going to sit here all day for a month, pouting.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“I’ll be fine. What do you do in the temple anyway?”
“Shouldn’t you know? You worked in a temple too.”
“I’m a woman. Of course I wouldn’t know. We were lucky if we got to go beyond the gardens much less if we knew what the priests did all day. Sometimes I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know.” Brianamun burst out laughing. “Hathor’s temple... There have always been rumors.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“Poor goddess!”
“Not really. One of the richest actually...”
Brianamun rolled his eyes again, but then grinned because her response was exactly something he himself would have said.
******
Kevinkare quietly shut the door to Ankhesenamun’s chambers, nearly running head-first into Tutankhamun. “How is she?” he asked anxiously.
“She’s doing fine for this early in the process. You know, there is a specialist in pediatrics that you might prefer to me.”
Pharaoh vigorously shook his head, no. “I trust you, Kevinkare. I don’t want some stranger treating my wife and child.”
Kevinkare smiled, slightly flattered. “Thank you, Majesty.”
“Everything is... normal?”
“Yes. Her Majesty is a healthy young woman. The gods of childbirth will smile upon her as she is their sister.”
“I hope you are right.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I was meditating in Karnak last night, and I had this grave premonition wash over me. Do you think Amun is trying to warn me of something to come?”
“Perhaps. Amun works in mysterious ways. Only he knows the truth behind his actions. We can only guess.”
Tutankhamun nodded again thoughtfully. “Thank you, Kevinkare. I will send for you later. Send my regards to my dear sister, won’t you?”
“Of course, Majesty. Meritaten also sends her love and is terribly sorry that she couldn’t accompany me today. The kids and all...”
“I understand.”
The two parted ways. Kevinkare went home, while Tutankhamun went in to see the queen.

Chapter Eight
As Kevinkare left, Ay stepped out of the shadows which had concealedhim. Once the physician was out of sight, Ay slipped toward the Great RoyalWife’s chambers. After gaining access, he found Tutankhamun and Ankhesenamun sprawled across pillows, chatting.
“Majesty,” Ay began, “forgive my intrusion, but--”
“What is it?” the king inquired, annoyed.
“I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time--”
“You have it,” Tutankhamun snapped.
“Privately, please, Sire.” He tried to appear sheepish.
“I keep no secrets from my wife, Ay.”
“Er, of course, Your Majesty. Forgive me. As your humble servant and Vizier, I feel it is my duty to warn you of Kevinkare’s threats against you.”
“What could Kevinkare ever want to do to me? He is my advisor and iscompletely loyal to me!” the young Pharaoh cried, indignantly, and in disbelief.
“My workers have reported suspicious actions on his part. I didn’t want tomake false accusations before I had solid proof, but I couldn’t keep this secret if it might endanger Your Majesty’s life! I also came to request permission to carry on my investigation against Kevinkare.”
“Thank you for your concern, Ay, but I think your suspicions areunprecedented.”
“I’m sorry for interrupting you, Majesty. I just thought you should be aware of my feelings on this subject matter.”
Cursing silently over his failure, Ay made his way back to his office where he could rethink his course of action.
*****
Brianamun found that returning to the temple was an immense relief. As close a friend as Nofretke had become to him, he had looked forward to taking a break from her and the whole of marriage life.
Upon his arrival at the temple, the Third Prophet of Amun had ran up to him.
“The high priest,” he panted, “... he passed away...”
“When?”
“Just this morning. He didn’t show up for the daily rites to the rising sun so I began to worry about him. I went to his little house and found him there... It was peaceful, I’m sure. He passed away in his sleep.”
Brianamun frowned. “Send word to Pharaoh immediately. He is going to need to appoint a new First Prophet.”
“Rightfully, the position belongs to you, Brianamun.”
“I know,” he replied quietly before turning away toward the entrance to the Inner Sanctuary.
************* With all honesty, Nickathor could not say he was happy. He loved his life; he loved his wife, but he just wasn’t content. It wasn’t enough. He longed for the adventure that they had once had when they had all been secretly plotting against Akhenaten. It seemed like ages since he had last gone on a diplomatic mission. While it had only been about three months, to Nickathor it felt as though ages had passed since that time.
However, usually Aneski wouldn’t mind if Nickathor went on one of his trips, but since she was pregnant, it wasn’t a time when she wanted her husband to be away from home.
By then, Aneski was about five months pregnant and was beginning to show. She was easily made grumpy and lived for her cook’s marvelous meals. Nickathor’s horrible case of cabin fever wasn’t a picnic for either of them, but they dealt with it as they would any problem a married couple would need to.
Nickathor was cooped up in his home office one day, fiddling with a reed pen. Unintentionally, he broke it with his strong grip. Pushing the two ends to the side, he dug for another one. He was interrupted by a knock on his door. It swung open to reveal his chamberlain.
“A messenger from Pharaoh has just arrived.”
“Show him in then.”
A tall, muscular man stepped in. Sweat was glistening on his tanned skin from his exertion to get there in as short a time as possible.
“How may I help you?” Nickathor began.
“Tutankhamun has a request for you. He wants you to lead a fact-finding team down to Nubia. There are rumors of revolt, and he, the Great Royal Wife, and the Queen Mother want you personally on the job.”
Nickathor frowned. He might as well have received a direct order. Aneski wasn’t going to be too happy about this, but did he really have a choice?
“Tell their Majesties that I will come to the palace as soon as possible. Give me an hour at the most.”
The messenger nodded and stomped out. Nickathor sent a servant to pack his necessary belongings. Then, taking a deep breath, Nickathor set out to find Aneski. He found his wife doodling on papyrus.
He glanced at them over her shoulder. Unlike the stiff, unlife-like drawings shown on official buildings and in tombs, Aneski’s drawings were full of life and much different from the classic designs of Egypt. They were unique, and Nickathor loved them. Aneski looked up and smiled. Her smile faltered, however, when she observed the unsure look that was on his face. “What’s happened?”
“Nothing.... Well, nothing drastic, that is.” She raised an eyebrow.
“What is it?”
“Tutankhamun wants me to go to Nubia.”
“Why?!”
“On a spy mission, really. There’s a suspicion of revolt, and he wants me on the job.”
“And you’re just going to leave me here?” She stood up and clenched her fists.
“Aneski...”
He reached out for her hand, but she pulled it away from him. “Listen, Nickathor, I need you right now in my life. I thought we had agreed that you weren’t going to go anywhere until the baby was born! We had talked it out, and you had promised--”
“I know, and I’m sorry, but Pharaoh wants me.”
“Oh, let Set take Pharaoh!”
Nickathor’s eyes widened at the curse.
“Just tell him no. For once, someone tell that spoiled, little boy, no! You’re staying, Nickathor. If you leave...”
“I’m sorry, Aneski. I can’t betray my king.”
Nickathor turned and left.
Aneski stared after him in disbelief. In a rush of rage, she picked up her reed pen and stomped on it, trying to fight the tears welling in her eyes.

Chapter Nine
Nickathor tried to keep Aneski off his mind. He felt guilty for leaving her in that state of her pregnancy, but his pride kept him from turning his chariot around and going back home. Vowing not to think of her, he gave the reigns a slap and the sped through downtown Thebes toward the royal palace. He stalked through the halls to Pharaoh’s reception chamber. Nefertiti and Tutankhamun were awaiting him.
“You came,” Nefertiti murmured.
“Did you think I would deny my king?”
“My condolences to your wife,” the Queen Mother continued. “I am sorry to draw you away from her in her delicate condition.” Nickathor cleared his throat, uncomfortable. “Don’t concern yourself, Majesty. My wife will understand.” Eventually, he thought cynically.
“My Viceroy in the south sends word that Nubia is in a state of unrest,” Tutankhamun explained. “Unfortunately, I have reason to believe that he isn’t trustworthy. I want you, Nickathor, to travel south to interpret the situation.”
Nickathor nodded thoughtfully, his interest in the mission was peeked. It sounded like a huge adventure compared to his current lifestyle at home.
“When do I leave?” he inquired.
“Immediately...”
“And you also must go alone,” Nefertiti added.
“I can handle it.”
“Your ship is waiting for you.”
“N... now?” Nickathor stuttered.
“That is what ‘immediately’ means,” Tutankhamun sighed.
I’ll really be in deep water now, Nickathor thought bitterly.
“I’ll have someone drive you to the docks now,” Tutankhamun told him. Nickathor nodded and headed out.
****
Ay was in heaven. With Nickathor in Nubia and Brianamun confined to the temple, he could easily carry out his plot. All he needed was a way to keep Kevinkare, Alexhotep, and Howymose occupied and out of Pharaoh’s way long enough for Ay to snivel his way into Tutankhamun’s confidence.
Ay also knew that directly trying to control Tutankhamun could easily backfire. The gods could punish him, if they should it worthy.
Already, Ay knew what he would do to get Tutankhamun fastened in his strings. Ay walked through the open courtyard toward the palace aviary where the queen spent whatever free time she could take advantage of. Ankhesenamun had abandoned her servants, giving them a few hours off. Heavy makeup, fancy dresses, and jewelry aside, Ankhesenamun was not beautiful. She was merely a young girl with the customary looks of her class and nationality. Her father’s salary and prominent position at court had won her the rank and title of Great Royal Wife.
She was reclining in a lounge chair observing the different birds flutter around. Ay gently cleared his throat to announce his presence. Startled, Ankhesenamun spun around. “Oh, it’s only you, Ay.” She looked at him expectantly.
“I was wondering what you were doing out here alone.” “Just enjoying nature as the gods made it.”
Ay smiled. “I understand. Can this old man join you, Majesty?”
“I don’t see why not.” She smiled graciously and patted the seat on the bench beside her.
Ay slid next to her. “Forgive me for saying so, Majesty, but you seem so lonely at times.”
“Being the head of a state can be lonely at times, Ay. I guess it was just my destiny.” She shrugged and subconsciously began massaging her belly where her child was slowly forming.
Ay watched her and allowed a few moments of silence to pass. “Majesty,” he began.
“Yes?”
“May I be blunt?”
“Of course. I may be young, but I do appreciate honesty especially among my husband’s advisors.”
Ay cleared his throat, feigning both modesty and nervous ess. “Do you think that Tutankhamun is fit to rule? I know he is capable for his age, and Nefertiti is very wise, but the court has their doubts. I’m trying not to let those rumors affect me.”
“Is that what they’re saying now?” Ankhesenamun asked rather sharply.
Ay nodded. He could see what he had said was sinking in. Ankhesenamun was young and not yet used to the ways of the court. He was hoping that those rumors would sink into her mind and plague her until she believed them. “I’m trying not to believe them and go about my work. After all, this is normal court activity.”
“Yeah,” Ankhesenamun murmured, abstractedly stroking her stomach once more.
“I’m sorry to have bothered you, Majesty.”
“It’s all right, Ay. I enjoy having someone other than my servants to talk to once in a while.”
Ay bowed, and smiling smugly, proceeded out of the aviary. He was absolutely positive that his report would make the Great Royal Wife think.

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