Chapter Fourteen

General Hazas observed the Prince’s expression and offered a sincere compliment: "For King Memphis to have conceived such a brilliant scheme so soon after his coronation, he is truly a natural-born talent."

"If Egypt were on good terms with my Hittite Empire, that would be one thing. But as it stands, with the Princess’s vengeance yet to be exacted, if the two countries fall into enmity, your Highness must remain vigilant."

"I suspect that wise Chancellor Imhotep is the one plotting behind the scenes. He and the High Priest of Egypt, Kapta, share only a superficial friendship; rumors of their discord have circulated for some time," Prince Izmir remarked. He turned his head toward Inanna and asked, with a tone that was half-jest and half-earnest, "Sukamu, what do you think of this 'Daughter of the Nile'? A Sukamu who can conjure clear water in the desert?"

Every gaze in the room was drawn to Inanna, especially those of the scouts seeing her for the first time.

Ever since the Prince began traveling the kingdoms of the Great Green Sea at the age of twelve, no woman had ever been part of his retinue. At first, these men had wondered if the Prince had finally taken an interest in the fairer sex, but Inanna was clearly a girl who had yet to fully mature; she looked nothing like a pampered favorite.

Hearing the Prince’s words now, the group realized the implication and chimed in with congratulations: "This is a blessing for our Hittite Empire!"

The Prince remained unmoved, staring at Inanna. "It is said that this Daughter of the Nile transformed murky water into clear, fresh water for the slaves in the quarries. Can you do the same?"

Inanna’s body stiffened. Unsure of the Prince’s intent, she bowed low and gave a slight nod.

"Show us." Since Inanna could not speak, the Prince signaled for Luca to assist her.

Inanna found a sturdy reed basket, pierced a small hole in the bottom, and layered it with fine white sand, gravel, and small stones. She then poured a bowl of muddy water into it. Moments later, clear water began to trickle from the hole at the bottom.

When the onlookers saw this, they realized it was no miracle, but a mere parlor trick—though they had to admit it was quite ingenious.

General Hazas, a man of conspiratorial mind, scoffed: "Prince, it seems this 'miracle' is practical, but it is a deception. There is no telling if Memphis simply found some obscure girl and instructed her to fool the simple-minded commoners."

"A fair point," the Prince agreed. "As for the cobra venom, that could also be a bluff. Once I capture that fraud, I shall have a cobra bite her, and the truth will reveal itself."

"Does your Highness have a plan?" General Hazas seemed to sense the next move.

Izmir sneered. "Since Memphis wishes to consolidate his power, I shall not let him have his way. He is exploiting the Daughter of the Nile’s reputation among the populace to suppress the Temple of Amun, elevating her to the position of Queen of Egypt to bolster his own glory, while simultaneously stripping power from his sister, Isis, to unify Upper and Lower Egypt. If his plan succeeds, Egypt will become a formidable enemy of our nation within a few years."

General Hazas agreed wholeheartedly and was about to discuss a plan to kidnap the Daughter of the Nile when the Prince abruptly shifted his focus.

He leaned down, forced Inanna to lift her head, and pinched her chin. His amber eyes narrowed, as if trying to peer into her soul. "What do you think, Sukamu? You are both foreigners. The Daughter of the Nile lives in luxury in the Egyptian palace, revered by all, while you kneel on the ground as a slave—do you not envy her? Shall our kingdom find a 'Goddess of the Red River' for you to play, hmm?"

Inanna shuddered. She knew that no matter how dull-witted or miserable she might appear, the Prince’s questions were never to be taken lightly and were likely malicious. She frantically shook her head, her eyes pleading for him to retract this "honor."

Izmir lost interest instantly. "You are clever, though a lack of ambition makes one of little use. Since you cannot speak, it is quite inconvenient. General Hazas, once we return home, have someone teach her our language so that she may serve our nation."

"Your Highness is wise!" General Hazas accepted the order gladly. Setting aside the fact that Inanna’s status and abilities were ill-suited for such a ruse, if they were to copy Egypt’s "miracle," it would inevitably look like a cheap imitation, bringing shame upon the Hittite Empire. A leader as wise as Prince Izmir would never commit such a foolish act that only served to highlight Egypt.

The wise Prince had already mapped out the next steps: "Tomorrow, we shall divide into three teams. One will accompany me to patrol the streets. General Hazas will take men to the Egyptian palace to sell textiles. Kesi will prepare a squad to seize the opportunity to assassinate the King of Egypt and create confusion. The Daughter of the Nile stays in the deep palace; perhaps she knows the truth behind the disappearance and death of Mitamun."

The group had been waiting for this moment, eager to give Egypt a taste of their strength.

The next day, Inanna followed Prince Izmir and a small group of disguised soldiers into the streets, wandering through the largest market in Thebes.

The market, nestled against the massive and magnificent Karnak Temple, teemed with humanity. The weather in Egypt was sweltering, and the flooding of the Nile made it humid and unbearable. The market was so crowded it felt suffocating, a truly staggering visual spectacle.

Inanna had traveled from north to south across several countries, but this was her first time witnessing such a massive "feast of flesh." The Egyptians shaved their body hair completely smooth; women wore nothing but thin linen, some even baring their chests, pushing their way through the crowd with their full breasts exposed. Through their translucent garments, one could see that they were hairless below as well.

The men were all bare-chested, wearing "loincloths," which were less revealing, yet every time they lifted a leg or bent over, the view underneath was laid bare.

Inanna awkwardly used her cloak to shield herself, covering her mouth and nose to block out the overwhelming stench of sweat, body odor, and livestock that permeated the market. Even though she was soaked in sweat, she dared not lower her hands. Izmir was long accustomed to her quirks; he merely glanced at her and said nothing.

This led Inanna to wonder if the golden, pampered Prince had a sinus infection, to be able to endure such a sweltering, foul-smelling place.

As they walked, Inanna came to understand why the Pharaoh viewed the temple factions as a major threat. This market was attached to the Karnak Temple; every merchant had to pay a daily fee to set up a stall.

Travelers passing through were also squeezed by the temple, forced to buy tickets just to enter and purchase goods.

While commoners were not directly affected, half of those who shopped in the market would take their goods to the temple as offerings afterward.

There were five or six such markets in Thebes alone, and countless more throughout Egypt. The temple’s profits were astronomical, while the Pharaoh—the nominal ruler of the nation—did not see a single coin of it.

Given the immense tax revenue, protection money, and land ownership at stake, any ambitious Pharaoh would have to fight to claim a share.

Inanna held her breath, waiting for Prince Izmir to finish his business, when the crowd suddenly stirred and parted. The citizens, eyes reddened with excitement, began to cheer loudly: "The Daughter of the Nile is here! The Daughter of the Nile is here!"

Outsiders who did not understand began to ask who this was, and then those who were beside themselves with excitement would spout off the miracle that had been repeated hundreds of times until it was etched into everyone’s ears.

When the scouts first described this to her, Inanna had suspected this Daughter of the Nile might be a fellow foreigner. But given Prince Izmir’s plan for revenge, she decided it was best to pretend she did not know her, lest she be branded a collaborator and meet a gruesome end.

She felt fortunate to have covered her head, as it helped her hide her unease.

Carol was currently exhausted by the aggressive pursuit of Memphis. Since being brought to Egypt by Isis, she was torn between her fascination with the ancient culture that had once been out of reach and the distress of trying to avoid interfering with history.

Life in the palace was profoundly boring, so she had snuck out with the captain of the guard, Unas, secretly plotting how to shake him off.

Unas was already frantic, with the entire palace in an uproar over the cat-and-mouse game between the Pharaoh and the Daughter of the Nile. Carol was a restless spirit, and as her reputation for intelligence spread across Egypt, Unas had to remain on high alert every time he escorted her out, fearing assassins and foreign spies.

Inanna watched as Prince Izmir unrolled a bolt of cloth and threw it with precision, landing exactly at Carol’s feet. With natural acting, he appeared before the Daughter of the Nile, ignoring the sudden emergence of several Egyptian soldiers, and calmly engaged the naive girl in conversation.

Carol was trying to figure out how to escape Memphis, and upon meeting this handsome, well-traveled merchant, she began to chatter incessantly, asking, "What is your name? Tell me about your travels!"

The Daughter of the Nile’s enthusiasm caught even Prince Izmir off guard, but he adapted quickly, playing along and showering her with attention. He watched with satisfaction as Carol, looking back repeatedly, was escorted away with the cloth he had given her.

His followers had been sweating for the Prince, and they breathed a sigh of relief when he emerged unscathed. The Prince felt confident, as the events had unfolded so smoothly, and the scene had already been observed by those who would pave the way for his next move.

The Prince led his small squad out of the market and reunited with General Hazas at a side gate of the palace. When Ali, Queen Isis’s handmaiden, saw the merchant who had been flirting with Carol presenting himself, she was overjoyed. She readily purchased his goods and told him to wait at the West Gate the following day.

That night, Ali sent a servant to deliver the cloth, which contained a hidden note, to Carol’s room. She lied, claiming the merchant, Imil, wanted to meet her, luring Carol into attempting to escape the palace. Everything seemed to be unfolding as if by divine intervention.

The next day, the palace was in chaos; Kesi had successfully assassinated Memphis, leaving him wounded in the shoulder.

Izmir waited at the western palace with a few trusted men, expecting the innocent little rabbit to fall into his trap.

Luca and Inanna, being less experienced in field operations, were stationed at the docks to prevent any blunders. They were to wait for the Prince’s signal to set sail, splitting into different routes to confuse the Egyptian soldiers.

That day, many small boats belonging to Egyptian nobles traversed the reeds, using boomerang-like sticks to hunt wild ducks. The riverbanks echoed with the cries of countless birds. Luca and Inanna waited on the shore as the hunting sticks flew over their heads, and a mountain of dead ducks piled up nearby.

As the ducks cried out in agony, several camels dashed out from the Thebes city gate. At the sound of a crisp, long-drawn-out horn, General Hazas, waiting on the boat, ordered them to set sail immediately.

Inanna quickly jumped onto the boat, but General Hazas ordered Luca to stay behind in Egypt to monitor the movements of the Egyptians.

Luca watched the boat drift away with deep reluctance. As the sun set, he waited until the ship was no longer visible before rising to return to the civilian quarters in the city. The duck hunting on the Nile was nearing its end.

A man wearing a Nemes headcloth ran over and began to count the hunted ducks. Moments later, a roar erupted: "Who? Who pulled out all the ducks' tongues? Ah?! Was it you, you little brat? I saw you sitting here for so long, I knew you were up to no good!"

Luca ran for his life, chased by a group of the nobles' servants. Only then did he realize why Inanna had been turning over those dead ducks earlier. He had thought she was just bored and ignored it, but she had been pulling out all the ducks' tongues!