Read Online Shadows of the Nile by Jo Franklin - Free Book Online Page A

out.”
    He took her hand and guided her down to the bottom where there was a chair.
    â€œSometimes I sit here, making my servants work harder on my paintings.”
    He pushed her into the chair. “Sit down, Tadinanefer.” He took out a rope and tied each of her wrists tightly to the arms.
    She looked up at him fearfully, beginning to understand what he was doing.
    He smiled. “Your punishment is for you to spend the night in my tomb, for you to think on what you’ve done.”
    â€œPlease don’t leave me,” she cried. “What if Anubis, the God of the Afterlife, comes to collect me? He may think I’m dead. Don’t leave me here, I beg you.”
    â€œIf your sins are that great then you’ll die.” He leant down and kissed her on her forehead and smoothed back her damp hair. “We shall see.”
    He started to leave.
    â€œPlease don’t take the torch.”
    â€œI’ll leave it upstairs. You’ll have light for a while.”
    â€œPlease,” she cried. She tried to move the chair but it was heavy and didn’t budge.
    â€œDon’t struggle. You’ll only stress yourself even more.”
    She was still crying out when she heard him close the door and lock it.
    She tried to loosen her bindings but they only became tighter. She tried again to move the chair but she wasn’t strong enough. The torch from above cast long shadows and in each corner she thought she could see strange shapes.
    â€œPlease don’t come for me, Anubis,” she whispered. “I’ve never really done anything wrong.”
    She thought she saw something which looked like a snake. It might bite her. She must keep very still. She mustn’t cry or scream. She would sit and wait for the morning in the hope that it would arrive.
    After a while the torch began to flicker. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Soon she’d be without light, securely hidden away in the tomb. There would be no escape until he came back for her. She wasn’t even certain if he’d come back – just leave her to die there without food, water and warmth. She’d already begun to feel very cold as the dampness from the walls started to seep into her body.
    Then she felt something wind its way up her legs! When she looked down she saw an enormous cobra. Terrified, she tried to keep calm as it coiled itself onto her lap and lay there contentedly. The torch light suddenly flickered and went out. It should now have been completely dark but there was another glow, an eerie greenness which came from the snake’s eyes. A strange and unearthly heat exuded from the cold-blooded reptile, flooding into her chilled bones and warming her. After a while she lost her fear of the snake and she started to drift off into a weird and vivid sleep. She saw a woman on a white horse. She was very beautiful and had hair the colour of gold which reached down to her waist. She was smiling at Tadinanefer as she sat there. The countryside she was in was different to anything Tadinanefer had ever seen; there were trees everywhere, with different-shaped leaves. Everywhere was very green. The woman rode into a circle of large stone tablets and then she stopped. A man, very tall, very muscular, with long hair also the colour of gold, lifted her down and kissed her. As Tadinanefer opened her eyes they disappeared.
    She dozed again.
    *
    She heard a noise. Someone was coming into the tomb. She trembled fearfully, and in doing so disturbed the snake. It uncoiled itself and slowly slid to the floor. A torch shone from above and she looked up to see Ptah. He stared down into the gloom and started to descend the steps just as the cobra disappeared under the wall.
    â€œSo, girl, you are still alive?”
    â€œDidn’t you expect me to be?”
    Ptah gave a hoarse laugh. He set down the torch and untied her wrists. Holding her neck with one hand, he slid the other under her shift, pushing