Free The Cult of Sutek by Joshua P. Simon Page A

away from your father when he needed you, not caring how it would affect him. Yet you’re hurt because he chose to continue living. Would a covering of black draped over each of your silly lamps have appeased you?”
    “I hope Nut drops the sky on you both,” Dendera hissed.
    The crowds began spilling out into the street. Conversations ran together into a mess of noise that reminded Rondel of old women gossiping loudly over tea.
    He cleared his throat. “We should find a place for our horses and continue on foot. Staying mounted in the middle of the celebration will only draw attention.”
    “Do you know any stables we can trust?” asked Andrasta.
    “If I remember right, we take this left and there should be a place half a block down.”
    They secured one of the last available stalls. Based on the pungent smell of manure, Rondel determined business had been good for the owner.
    He and Dendera waited out front as Andrasta gathered what they didn’t trust the stable hands to watch over.
    The girl leaned against a post with arms crossed over her chest, angry and defeated. It surprised him that she had not tried to flee since their run-in with the wulfron. Even now, he wondered why she hadn’t tried to escape with Andrasta gone.
    “You know, the festival really doesn’t mean anything,” said Rondel.
    Dendera’s head snapped toward him. “How dare you insult—”
    He raised a hand, cutting her off. “I didn’t mean the idea of the festival. I meant the fact that your father still went on with having it. You shouldn’t consider it a reflection of how he feels for you.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    “You feel slighted that he kept with tradition, right?”
    “Yes. I thought he might delay it, or at least not make it so grand.”
    “Given what you told me about your father’s situation, why do you think he would do that? It should be pretty obvious.”
    Her thin eyebrows came together and her nose crinkled. Rondel assumed she was trying to recall some lesson, but to him it looked as though she’d caught a whiff of the stables as the wind shifted.
    She hesitated. “This is all for appearances?”
    “That’s the way I see it. Even though you’ve only been gone for a few weeks, I’m sure most of your father’s enemies know of your disappearance. To cancel the festival out of worry would make him appear weak. Even vulnerable. By throwing a bigger celebration, it shows his enemies that he’s confident in his position. It also shows his callousness since it seems that he isn’t concerned about the disappearance of his eldest child.”
    “But wouldn’t it be wiser to use all this money to strengthen his defenses?”
    Rondel shrugged. “Possibly. However, I once entertained the great General Lavitcus from Edomah. He said that most wars are won off the battlefield by making your opponent see what you want them to see. You want them to think you’re wealthy, act wealthy. You want them to think you’re strong, act strong.” He tapped his cheek. “Besides, there are a lot of people spending their coin in Girga. Taxes on all this revenue will surely be high. Horus might expect to make back everything he spent and then some.”
    Dendera inclined her head. “You know, when I was younger I thought you were like a jester.”
    “What?”
    “Well, you did wear ridiculous costumes.”
    Rondel’s eyes narrowed.
    “Anyway, you’re actually much smarter than I gave you credit for.”
    “Is that an apology?”
    “Just an observation.”
    Rondel was ready to fire back something about her being even more of a brat than he remembered when a sack hit his chest.
    “I’m not carrying your share as well,” said Andrasta. She grabbed Dendera by the arm. “Let’s go. And keep your head down.”
    Rondel took the lead once more upon re-entering Girga’s main thoroughfare. He glanced over his shoulder as the crowd thickened, noticing the tension tug at Andrasta’s face with each person that bumped her. The first