Lynda Robinson - Murder at the Feast of Rejoicing

"I don't understand this rough treatment, my lord. I swear by the feather of truth that I-"

"Wah."

Meren had spoken barely above a whisper, but Wah broke off with a cry and backed away from him. Kysen almost felt sympathy, for Meren's manner was disturbing.

"You've been under a great strain for a long time, haven't you? Keeping unspeakable secrets, fearing retribution, in terror of discovery. And finally, when you were beginning to think yourself safe again, my garrulous sister told you about seeing Paser," Meren said calmly. "That's why you lost your sense and ran. You knew I had him, and that I'd force him to talk. You were afraid of what he'd say."

"Paser had the wits of a goat!" Wah cried. "He was trying to ingratiate himself with Prince Hunefer by spying on you. The ass was stumbling around and keeping you alert and wary when I was trying to gain your favor. That's all there is to this matter."

"Keep quiet for a moment," Meren said in that same calm, pitying tone. "There will be no more dissembling, Wah. I know there's more to this than Paser's blundering. Do you understand what I'm saying? Ah, I see that you do. Then you know I cannot allow you to continue. I hope you understand that well enough to abandon this absurd pretense."

Kysen was growing more and more uneasy. He knew Meren had discovered that Wah killed Sennefer, but that didn't account for his father's gravity, or his carefully concealed fear. Meren was frightened, and that made apprehension crawl down Kysen's spine on scorpion's legs. Wah was mumbling more protests, but they faltered

Z

when Meren continued to look at the man as if he were already dead and lying in a sarcophagus.

At last Wah stumbled against the back cabin wall and asked in a weak voice, "You know?" He swallowed hard as if he might vomit at any moment. "How did you find out?"

"I remembered the conversation between Anhai, Sennefer, and you at the feast of rejoicing." Meren glanced at Kysen. "But I haven't had a chance to tell my son, who doubtless already has concluded that you murdered my cousin."

"But why?" Kysen asked.

Meren walked back and forth in front of Wah. "You weren't there when Wah arrived at the feast, but Anhai and Sennefer were, and Anhai remembered Wah from the days when they both served in the household of the Great Royal Wife Nefertiti."

"But what has that to do with Sennefer or Anhai?"

Meren's path took him back to Kysen, where he paused and asked, "Do you remember how Sennefer died? The fever, the mad visions, the loud voice of his heart, and then the stupor that ended in death? He died so unexpectedly that I failed to relate the features of his illness with any other event. Anhai's death was different from his. And Paser's spy was killed by a crocodile in a seemingly unrelated matter. But I am suspicious, as you have pointed out, and when Paser and his men appeared, I couldn't help suspecting some common influence might be responsible for the other deaths. I began to go over what had happened at the feast, but I found nothing odd until I remembered Wah speaking to Sennefer and Anhai."

Meren glanced at Wah, who was looking at his captor in horror. "You see, Ky, they had been making conversation about Nefertiti and mentioned her death. But it wasn't until just before you came to my office that I realized that the queen's plague closely resembled Sennefer's poisoning."

Wah whimpered, and Kysen turned a wide-eyed stare on him. The kohl around the man's eyes had smeared yet again and streaked his face. In spite of his lankiness, he seemed to be shrinking.

"It was Anhai who made the mistake, wasn't it?" Meren asked. Wah nodded, his bony knees seeming to turn to paste. "You see, Ky, Anhai said that she hated to think of the queen as she'd been while suffering from her last illness-her skin red and dry, the voice of her heart so loud, and the visions. All of these Sennefer suffered, and his body convulsed as well. But Sennefer had been poisoned and died quickly. Not like the queen, who died over the course of days. I would have seen the similarities sooner, but the two deaths were separated by many years, and the queen died when others were succumbing to the plague."

Meren approached Wah and said, "One died slowly, the other much more quickly, yet they suffered the same complaints. If Sennefer was poisoned, then the queen must have been poisoned too." Meren paused, but Wah said nothing and avoided his gaze. "You thought Sennefer was threatening you when he said his wife had mentioned you many times, didn't you, Wah? You had carried your secret for so long without anyone suspecting, and then without warning, Sennefer and Anhai appeared and began to speak of Nefertiti's death and of how they'd talked about you together. You were terrified, weren't you? You expected to be exposed or forced to pay for their silence."

Wah paled, even to the folds of skin beside his mouth and over his eyes. He licked his lips, tried to speak, then simply nodded.

"You must have been delighted when Anhai turned up dead in the granary," Kysen said in wonder. "Was that it? Did you decide to take advantage of the confusion and get rid of Sennefer before he could threaten you?"

Wah's voice croaked. "I thought you would blame the Lady Bentanta or Lord Nakht, or both."

"I was close to it," Meren said. "Until Paser blundered and made me suspicious. What has he to do with any of this?"

"The dullard! He thought you were about some secret business for the vizier or General Horemheb. I told him you were simply going home for a rest, but he wouldn't believe me. I should have killed him sooner."

Kysen shook his head, trying to accustom himself to this strange twist to what should have been a murder for private reasons. Sennefer hadn't been killed out of revenge by Ra or to conceal Bentanta's transgressions. He'd been murdered for what Wah thought he knew.

Looking at Meren, Kysen said, "But Sennefer didn't-"

Meren banged his fist against the cabin wall. "No! Sennefer knew nothing. That's the worst evil of all. This bastard killed my cousin for nothing. If Sennefer had known such a secret, he would have told me. He may have been an ass about women, he may have lied to conceal his weakness, but he wasn't a traitor." Meren whirled around and stalked over to Wah. "And now I want the truth, you murdering piece of refuse. Who told you to murder Nefertiti?"

Wah backed away from Meren. His mouth clamped shut, and he whipped his head back and forth.

"You're going to tell me," Meren said. "My patience is gone. I warn you. You're going to die, Wah. Your only choices are how slowly, and in how much pain. I want to know who ordered the queen killed. I'll ask you but once more. Tell me the whole of it."

Clutching his head, Wah finally gave way to his terror. He doubled over and began to moan. Meren raised his eyes to the ceiling, and Kysen winced at the noise. He raised his hands to his ears as the moans turned to a high screech, and thus was unprepared when Wah suddenly sprang at him, grabbed his dagger, and knocked him to the floor. Caught off guard as well, Meren leaped after Wah, who scuttled out of the cabin with a cry. "Worse will happen to me if I speak!"

Meren hurtled out of the deckhouse after his prisoner. Wah scrambled out of the cover of the awning, hesitated when he saw Reia with his back turned, then charged at the charioteer, dagger pointed, bellowing as he ran. Startled, Reia whirled around to face a shrieking madman. As he moved, he brought his spear around to fend off the attack. Meren shouted a warning, but Wah rushed forward, raising his own weapon.

Reia tried to back away, but Wah jumped at the last moment and lashed out with his blade. Reia's spear thrust forward, knocking the dagger aside, then swept back in a defensive move that brought the tip into Wah's path. Meren heard a grunt and the muted sound of flesh being punctured. He reached the two as Reia pulled the spear out of Wah's gut and tossed it aside. Wah was still standing, clutching his belly while blood streamed through his fingers. Kysen appeared at Meren's side as he and Reia lowered Wah to the deck.