“Get over here!” Nefertiti ducked into the shadows of the nearest alley.
Jake obeyed, but not because she commanded it. He knew he could not rescue everyone on his own. He needed help, and he knew where to find it.
He joined Nefertiti. “Do you know of an inn named the Crooked Nail? It’s somewhere by the western gate of the city.”
She frowned. “Yes. Why? That’s a den of thieves and other low sorts.”
He waved her on. “Perfect. At the moment, we can’t get any lower.”
This earned a small smile from her. Which surprised him. Jake didn’t think she could smile. At that moment, Jake understood Pindor’s interest in the princess.
She headed off. “Perhaps you’re right. Besides, the company of thieves sounds far safer than being near any priest of Ka.”
By the time they’d crossed the city—skulking through the shadows, avoiding any stray eyes—full night had fallen. Overhead, stars sparkled in a spectacle that humbled. Jake stared up at the thick swath of the Milky Way cutting across the sky, what Marika’s people called the White Road.
The thought of Marika and the others pulled his attention back to Earth. With every passing minute, his fear grew. Were they being tortured? Were they even still alive? He had to believe they were alive.
“How much farther?” he asked as they stopped at a crossroad.
She pointed to the left. They’d reached the western wall.
A blare of horns sounded behind them, coming from the center of town. They’d been hearing similar clarions as they fled through the city. An alarm was being raised.
“This way,” Nefertiti said.
She hurried down a side alley barely wide enough to walk in single file. The way cut jaggedly back and forth and smelled of rotting vegetables and gamey meat. Nefertiti lifted the hem of her robe with distaste, stepping over a wet puddle that Jake hoped was old bathwater.
At last, Nefertiti stopped. Jake stared past her shoulder and spotted a sign hanging crookedly, dangling from one chain. There was no name, only the painted symbol of a square-headed nail bent into a lightning bolt.
“The Crooked Nail,” Jake said. “We made it.”
Open windows glowed with firelight. The smell of roasting chicken (or more likely some other meaty denizen of the desert) encouraged Jake forward. He hadn’t eaten all day.
As they reached the door, it banged open in front of them. A red-bearded giant stumbled out, a mug spilling froth in his hand. He leaned against the opposite wall, bent over, and emptied his stomach in a mighty rush.
Nefertiti backed away in a hurry, almost knocking down Jake.
The man stared blearily at them, burped, then wiped his lips. “That’s better. Got more room now.” He swilled from his mug and headed back to the door, but at least he hadn’t entirely forgotten his manners. He pointed to the door. “You going in? Then after you.”
Nefertiti rushed in, squeezing past the lummox, plainly trying not to touch him. Jake followed, just as cautiously.
Inside, the main room of the inn was crowded with people from all manner of tribes, but they shared the same roughshod appearance: scars, stone-hard eyes, patched clothes. It was blisteringly hot in there, made hotter by the fire burning in a long, low hearth against the back wall. Iron pots and kettles, a few bubbling over, dangled above the red coals.
Most of the crowd gathered near the bar along the other wall. Laughter rang out, along with a few bawdy songs.
Nefertiti hid within the hood of her stolen robe. “You say you have friends here?”
As if hearing the question, a sharp call pierced the ruckus. Jake turned toward a small table near the back. A more serious group had their heads bent together. From among them, a man stood up and waved Jake over.
It was Djer, freshly scrubbed, in a loose shirt and belted Egyptian kilt.
Nefertiti leaned close to Jake as they headed over. “That’s Kree’s cousin. Can he be trusted?”
“Considering where I found him, I’d say yes.”
Djer strode forward and hugged Jake hard. “You made it. We feared the worst. The horns have been blowing since nightfall.” His eyes stared over at Nefertiti, still hooded. “Where are the rest of your friends?”
“Captured,” Jake said, his voice catching as worry spiked through him.
Djer clasped his shoulder in sympathy. “I’m sorry.”
“I was hoping you could help.”
Djer’s face closed up. “We owe you much for rescuing us, but we’ve heard word that the royal pyramid is locked tight. Now we know why. They will not be caught by surprise again today. Perhaps if we waited a moon or two, let their guard relax …”
Jake balked at that plan, imagining the torture the others would endure in the meantime.
Nefertiti was not any happier. “No,” she said, shaking back her hood. “That is not acceptable.”
The room went dead quiet as all eyes turned to her.
It took Djer several breaths to speak. “By all the stars, you’ve kidnapped Princess Nefertiti!”
A cheer rose from the crowd. Mugs were raised in celebration. Nefertiti’s countenance went dark with anger. Plainly this was not the reception she’d been expecting.
“I was not kidnapped!” she declared with a stamp of her foot.
But no one believed her.
Djer scooped Jake around the shoulders. “We’d best continue this conversation in a more private setting.”
He and his companions moved to a creaky set of stairs. It was little better than a ladder and led to a set of rooms above the hall. Djer took them to a game room, set up with scarred tables and piles of stones used as playing pieces.
Jake spoke first, needing to clarify the situation. “I didn’t kidnap her.”
Nefertiti had her arms crossed, sulking as only a princess can.
“The danger here is far worse,” Jake said, and explained all that had befallen them.
With the telling, Djer sank into one of the chairs. His face went hard with concern. “That crazed man was the pharaoh’s brother? All thought him dead.” His eyes found Nefertiti. “Your uncle was a fierce advocate for bringing all the people of Deshret together as one. A noble cause. No wonder my cousin had him imprisoned.”
“And now Kree means to murder my father and make himself the new pharaoh. Once his place is secure, he will no longer need my uncle alive.”
Another of Djer’s companions spoke. He was a frail old man with a sunken face. “Kree has made many enemies and will make them suffer for it.” He glanced around the room. “It will not be long before we’re all hanging by our necks or running for our lives.”