Read Online Sphinx's Princess by Esther Friesner - Free Book Online Page B

softly. “He serves Pharaoh by helping to stop any wrongdoing in Akhmin.” Over the years I’d come to learn what our father did for a living, but it was still a mystery to my little sister.
    “You mean he chases
thieves?
” Her eyes grew wide.
    While Father and Mery laughed discreetly, I said, “Hedoesn’t chase
common
criminals. When goods come into the city that are supposed to go to the royal storehouses but some of them … ‘wander’ into someone else’s hands, Father has to find out about it and tell Pharaoh.”
    “Well said, Nefertiti.” Father nodded approval. “I’m happy to say that we’ve had very few instances of such crimes in Akhmin. But now”—he sighed—“now that may change. Pharaoh has authorized me to investigate the temples. Do the riches that pour through their doors go to honor the gods or to let the priests live in royal luxury?” His smile was sour. “I already know the answer.”
    “Then why did you invite the high priest to dinner?” I asked. “If you
know
that he’s stealing—”
    “I’m doing it so
he
will know what I do,” Father said. “Perhaps that will be enough to make him behave a bit more righteously. You’d be surprised how many offenders will mend their ways the instant that they realize someone’s watching.”
    “What if he isn’t one of those?”
    “In that case, it becomes a matter for Pharaoh to decide.” Father closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “For all the good it will do. The priests have too much power, and the people believe they are the only ones who can keep things right between gods and mortals.”
    I thought about Father’s words while I prepared for the grand dinner. Mery was obsessed with guaranteeing that every detail of the feast would be perfect. She sent all the slaves and servants running on countless errands. Bit-Bit and I were also put to work. Mery wanted to have professional musicians and dancers entertain the guests, butFather forbade it. He said the expense would be hypocritical when he was about to reprimand the high priest for his lavish ways.
    “So you girls will sing and dance for us instead,” Mery concluded. “Now go practice.”
    Bit-Bit and I were overjoyed. She loved to sing even more than I loved to dance, and she had a wonderful voice—sweet, high, and clear. We rehearsed our performance constantly. Hearing Bit-Bit sing was like watching a lotus open its petals to the sun, something that became more lovely with every passing moment. She beamed when I told her how beautifully she sang, but as the day of the feast drew near, she began to panic.
    “What if I’m awful?” she cried, clutching my hand as we practiced the steps of our dance in our room. We could no longer work in the house or even in the garden. It was the day before the dinner and Mery was turning the whole house upside down with the final preparations.
    “Honestly, Bit-Bit, don’t you
listen
when I tell you how good you are?” I demanded. “As soon as you sing one note, everyone will love you, and I’ll become invisible.”
    “As if
that
would ever happen.” My little sister’s lower lip stuck out. “When people see you, it’s everyone else that vanishes. I wish I were half as beautiful as you are, Nefertiti. Then it wouldn’t matter if I sang well or if I croaked like a frog.”
    I stared at Bit-Bit as though she’d been sunstruck and was spouting nonsense. “I’m not beautiful.”
    “You
are
.” Bit-Bit was as sweet as her name, but sometimes she showed a flash of temper. She stamped her barefoot and stubbornly repeated, “You
are
beautiful. Everyone says so—Mother, Father, the servants, the neighbors, all of my friends,
everyone!
” She took a calming breath and added: “Even me. I wish I looked like you. You’re so tall and graceful, and your eyes are such a pretty shape, like willow leaves, and your mouth always looks like you know a wonderful secret.”
    “But you’re beautiful, too, Bit-Bit,” I