Free Eye of the Moon by Dianne Hofmeyr Page A

snapped his fingers at the captain. In the flare of the lamps I saw his garnet ring clinging to his hand like a bubble of blood. “Let’s waste no more time! Darkness is descending. Row on! They can’t have gotten far!”
    We sat in silence after they passed, until their wake stopped washing against us and our boat finally stopped rocking. The night grew dark around us.
    Finally Tuthmosis let out a deep sigh as if he had been holding his breath. “That was stupid, Isikara.”
    I found I was shivering. “I hate him! I
loathe
Wosret!”
    â€œBut you didn’t have to taunt him.”
    â€œI wanted him to feel guilty.”
    â€œA man like Wosret never feels guilt.”
    â€œI
had
to say something. He’s killed my father! He’s made him drink the poison cup.”
    â€œYou don’t know that for sure.”
    â€œI
do
know! My father would’ve followed otherwise. Why else hasn’t he? And why else would Wosret be out on the river looking for us at night? They’ve discovered my father replaced you. You heard Wosret!
They can’t have gotten far
. . . . He knows! He’s after us! And he’s killed my father!”
    â€œBut you didn’t have to pretend to throw the dog into the river! Now we’ve lost our blanket!”
    â€œWhat?” I gasped. “You brute! What do blankets matter when I’ve lost my
father
? There were
two
in the bundle.” I hurled another skin into his lap.
    We stared at each other unflinchingly. Then he turned abruptly and reached into the woven basket. He plucked out a flask of sweet fig wine, pulled the stopper with a sharp plop, and drank some. He held it out to me. “Have some of this. You’re not yourself and neither am I. Remember”—his voice dropped lower—“I’ve
also
lost a parent.”
    I eyed him angrily. “It’s not the same for you!”
    â€œHow do you know?”
    â€œBecause you’re a prince!”
    â€œDo princes not have feelings?”
    I glared straight back at him. How could he of all people know how I truly felt? I wanted to thump my fists against his chest. Instead I snatched the flask from him, took a quick gulp, and almost choked at its strength.
    â€œThere’s nothing wrong with me! It’s
you
who’s strange!” I snapped as I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “I’m fine!” But suddenly I felt my stomach heave, and before I could help myself, I was spewing over the side of the boat.
    â€œIsikara?” He put a hand on my shoulder.
    I shrugged him off. “I’m fine!”
    â€œBut . . . ?”
    â€œLeave me alone.” I bent over the side of the boat and spewed into the water again. “I’m just . . . just angry and . . .”
    â€œAnd what?”
    â€œAnd . . . perhaps scared . . . ?”
    He sat back in the boat and began to laugh.
    I looked back at him. “What? Curse you, Tuthmosis! At a time like this, you laugh? You really are a brute.”
    â€œSorry. But I never thought I’d hear you admit that.”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œBeing scared.”
    â€œAnd I thought I’d never hear you say sorry!” I snapped back at him.
    â€œWe could’ve been killed by them. No one would’ve known. Our bodies thrown to the crocodiles in the darkness. We’d have disappeared forever!”
    â€œSo?” I eyed him.
    He was looking at me strangely. “But it didn’t happen, did it?”
    I shook my head.
    â€œIt didn’t—because of
you
. You managed to bluff Wosret! Have you seen the ring he wears? When I was a boy, he used to tell me that with that ring he had power over everything on earth. He could make things happen.
Anything
he wanted. And I believed him. But you outwitted him. We should drink a toast! We’ve seen the last of him. The last—until I’ve gathered my army against him.”
    â€œWe’ll
never
see the last