more buoyant.
“See. You’re not sinking. I have hold of you. It’s safer here in the water than on the shore.”
Mery swam over to Ramose and was trying to clamber up onto him. Karoya’s cooking pot floated into view. Ramose lifted the cat up and put her inside the pot. Mery yowled miserably. Ramose pushed the pot in front of him with one hand while with the other he supported Karoya. He looked around for Hapu who was swimming across the river, splashing and gasping, but making progress. The river was wide. Ramose kept kicking his legs and reassuring Karoya. Eventually they reached the other side. All three crawled ashore, and collapsed on the wet sand. Mery jumped out of the pot and stalked onto the sand and shook herself indignantly.
Ramose lay on the wet sand, his breath rasping. “My father still lives,” he said.
“May he have long life and happiness,” gasped Hapu.
“I saw your sister,” said Karoya. “She is more beautiful than ever.”
“Did you see the young man on the barge?”
His friends nodded.
“That is Keneben, my tutor. It was he who saved my life when the queen tried to poison me. He’s returned from Punt.”
Ramose looked across the river. Some villagers were rowing towards them in a reed boat.
“We have to keep moving,” he said.
“Where will we go?” asked Hapu, struggling to his feet.
“To the desert. They won’t follow us there.”
There was no farming on that side of the river. Papyrus reeds grew densely on the river’s edge, beyond that there were wild grasses and acacias. The friends got to their feet and hurried into the undergrowth. They ran as fast as their fading strength would allow. They kept going until it was almost dark. With no irrigation canals to carry the river water inland, the vegetation thinned out quickly and they were soon in the sparsely vegetated land on the edge of the desert.
Ramose peered back into the dimming light.
“I don’t think they’ve followed us,” he said. “Egyptians don’t like venturing into the desert.”
They made a camp. Ramose collected fallen dates. Karoya gathered wild grain. Hapu managed to snare an ibis. Karoya made a fire and they were able to have a small but welcome meal.
They took stock of their situation. In the rush to get away they had lost most of their things.
“All we have is the cooking pot, a few deben of copper and a cat,” said Hapu miserably. “Oh, and this.” He pulled something from the belt of his kilt. It was Ramose’s heart scarab. “The priest dropped it when he saw the royal barge.” Hapu examined the jewel. “There’s a chip out of it, but I thought you might still want it.”
Ramose took the lapis lazuli scarab from his friend with a grateful smile. He fingered the hieroglyphs that spelt out his name.
“At least I still know who I am,” he said.
“What are you going to do now, Ramose?” asked Karoya quietly.
Ramose had been thinking about that as they’d walked. He knew what he had to do.
“I’m going to follow my father back to Thebes. To tell him that his true heir lives and that he’s ready to take the throne of Egypt.”
Hapu shifted uncomfortably. “I sometimes forget that you’re who you are,” he said.
“You seem eager to tell everybody that we meet,” grumbled Ramose.
“Yes, but seeing the royal barge and your sister again made me realise you might really be pharaoh one day.”
“That’s my plan. I’d started to think that it was impossible. Now that I know Father is still alive and that I have friends in the palace, I know it isn’t.”
Karoya smiled, looking at her ragged friend. “You don’t look much like a pharaoh.”
“I will one day.”
“Do we have to go back to Thebes?” groaned Hapu. “We’ve just spent three weeks and risked our lives getting away from Thebes.”
“That’s where I’m going,” said Ramose. “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”
“Of course I’ll come. But how will we get there? They took
“See. You’re not sinking. I have hold of you. It’s safer here in the water than on the shore.”
Mery swam over to Ramose and was trying to clamber up onto him. Karoya’s cooking pot floated into view. Ramose lifted the cat up and put her inside the pot. Mery yowled miserably. Ramose pushed the pot in front of him with one hand while with the other he supported Karoya. He looked around for Hapu who was swimming across the river, splashing and gasping, but making progress. The river was wide. Ramose kept kicking his legs and reassuring Karoya. Eventually they reached the other side. All three crawled ashore, and collapsed on the wet sand. Mery jumped out of the pot and stalked onto the sand and shook herself indignantly.
Ramose lay on the wet sand, his breath rasping. “My father still lives,” he said.
“May he have long life and happiness,” gasped Hapu.
“I saw your sister,” said Karoya. “She is more beautiful than ever.”
“Did you see the young man on the barge?”
His friends nodded.
“That is Keneben, my tutor. It was he who saved my life when the queen tried to poison me. He’s returned from Punt.”
Ramose looked across the river. Some villagers were rowing towards them in a reed boat.
“We have to keep moving,” he said.
“Where will we go?” asked Hapu, struggling to his feet.
“To the desert. They won’t follow us there.”
There was no farming on that side of the river. Papyrus reeds grew densely on the river’s edge, beyond that there were wild grasses and acacias. The friends got to their feet and hurried into the undergrowth. They ran as fast as their fading strength would allow. They kept going until it was almost dark. With no irrigation canals to carry the river water inland, the vegetation thinned out quickly and they were soon in the sparsely vegetated land on the edge of the desert.
Ramose peered back into the dimming light.
“I don’t think they’ve followed us,” he said. “Egyptians don’t like venturing into the desert.”
They made a camp. Ramose collected fallen dates. Karoya gathered wild grain. Hapu managed to snare an ibis. Karoya made a fire and they were able to have a small but welcome meal.
They took stock of their situation. In the rush to get away they had lost most of their things.
“All we have is the cooking pot, a few deben of copper and a cat,” said Hapu miserably. “Oh, and this.” He pulled something from the belt of his kilt. It was Ramose’s heart scarab. “The priest dropped it when he saw the royal barge.” Hapu examined the jewel. “There’s a chip out of it, but I thought you might still want it.”
Ramose took the lapis lazuli scarab from his friend with a grateful smile. He fingered the hieroglyphs that spelt out his name.
“At least I still know who I am,” he said.
“What are you going to do now, Ramose?” asked Karoya quietly.
Ramose had been thinking about that as they’d walked. He knew what he had to do.
“I’m going to follow my father back to Thebes. To tell him that his true heir lives and that he’s ready to take the throne of Egypt.”
Hapu shifted uncomfortably. “I sometimes forget that you’re who you are,” he said.
“You seem eager to tell everybody that we meet,” grumbled Ramose.
“Yes, but seeing the royal barge and your sister again made me realise you might really be pharaoh one day.”
“That’s my plan. I’d started to think that it was impossible. Now that I know Father is still alive and that I have friends in the palace, I know it isn’t.”
Karoya smiled, looking at her ragged friend. “You don’t look much like a pharaoh.”
“I will one day.”
“Do we have to go back to Thebes?” groaned Hapu. “We’ve just spent three weeks and risked our lives getting away from Thebes.”
“That’s where I’m going,” said Ramose. “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”
“Of course I’ll come. But how will we get there? They took
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