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Write Ramses.
He guided her trembling hand as she completed the
crude inscription. Now for the last step: breaking the tablet.
Sary picked it up, while Dolora again hid her face. She
refused to witness such depravity.
Hard as he tried, Sary could not smash the tablet. The
thin limestone seemed hard as granite. He groped for a rock
on the floor of the grotto and angrily pounded the magic
tablet, but could not even make a dent in it.
I don t understand. It s only limestone, it s thin . . .
Ramses is protected, screamed his wife. Nothing can
harm him, not even black magic! Let s leave here as fast as
we can.
Sary and Dolora wandered through the unfamiliar
streets. With a panicky feeling in the pit of his stomach,
Sary was having trouble retracing his steps. Doors slammed
in their faces, eyes peered from slits in shutters. Despite the
heat, Dolora still huddled behind her shawl.
170 Christian Jacq
A thin man with a hawklike profile approached them, an
eerie gleam in his dark green eyes.
Might you be lost?
No, replied Sary. Out of our way!
Just trying to help.
We re all right.
These streets can be dangerous.
We can take care of ourselves.
You wouldn t stand a chance against armed bandits. A man
carrying precious stones is asking for trouble in these parts.
I m carrying nothing of the sort.
You paid the Lebanese magician in turquoise, didn t
you?
Dolora clung more tightly to her husband.
Do you believe everything you hear? countered Sary.
Both of you were careless. I believe you forgot some-
thing? The thin dark man produced the slab of limestone
bearing Ramses name.
Dolora turned away and buried her head on her hus-
band s shoulder.
Are you aware that an act of black magic perpetrated
against Pharaoh is punishable by death? Rest assured, how-
ever, I have no intention of turning you in.
What do you want?
To help, as I already told you. See the house to your
left? Go inside, your wife needs something to drink.
The dirt-floored dwelling was humble but clean. A
plump young blonde helped Sary ease his wife onto a
wooden bench with a reed mat on top of it, then fetched
Dolora some water.
My name is Ofir, said the thin dark man. And this is
Lita, great-granddaughter of Akhenaton and rightful heir
to the throne of Egypt.
Ramses: The eternal temple 171
Sary was too amazed to speak. Dolora was slowly
coming around.
Is this some kind of joke?
It s the truth.
Sary turned toward the fair young woman. Is this man
lying?
Lita shook her head, retreating into a corner of the
room, as if removed from her surroundings.
Don t mind her, Ofir advised. She s been through so
much that the road back to normal life will be long and dif-
ficult.
What happened to her?
As a child, she was threatened with death, beaten,
imprisoned, forced to renounce her faith in Aton, the One
God, and ordered to forget her name and her parents. In
other words, they tried to destroy her soul. If I hadn t come
along, she d be no more than a raving maniac.
Why are you helping her?
Because my own family was persecuted, like hers. We
live only to seek our revenge, which will place Lita on the
throne of Egypt and banish false gods from this holy land.
Ramses isn t the cause of your suffering!
Of course he is. He belongs to an evil dynasty that has
deluded and tyrannized the people.
How do you manage to live?
Aton still has his followers, who give us food and shelter
in the hope that our prayers will be answered.
There can t be many left.
More than you d imagine, but completely underground.
Even if Lita and I were the only two, we d keep on fighting.
A tired old heresy, protested Ramses sister. No one
cares a thing about it anymore.
You should, Ofir said firmly.
172 Christian Jacq
Let s get out of here, begged Dolora. These people
are out of their minds.
I know who you are, revealed Ofir.
You don t!
Dolora, the Pharaoh s sister, and your husband, Sary,
who used to be Ramses tutor. He s mistreated you both and
you want revenge.
That s no concern of yours.
I retrieved the fragment of limestone you used to cast a
spell on him. If I bring it to the vizier and testify against
you . . .
This is blackmail!
Join our cause and the evidence disappears.
What s in it for us? asked Sary.
Using magic against Ramses is an interesting concept,
but not just any magic will work. The spell you tried would
have been adequate for a mere mortal, but not a king. At his
coronation, Pharaoh s body was surrounded with special
protective forces. They need to be removed, layer by layer.
Lita and I can see to that.
What do you ask in exchange?
Bed and board, a place where our followers can meet in
secret.
Don t listen, Dolora whispered to her husband. The
man is dangerous. No good will come of this.
Sary turned to face the sorcerer.
It s a deal, he said.
twenty-nine
amses lit the oil lamps to reveal the naos, Karnak s
R innermost sanctuary, which he alone was allowed to
enter, or the high priest as his designate. The shadows
parted to reveal the holy of holies, a pink granite chapel
containing the earthly image of Amon, The Hidden One,
whose true form no human being would ever know. Slowly
burning incense cones perfumed this most sacred of places,
where divine energy became incarnate in both the Visible
and the Invisible.
The king broke the clay seal affixed to the door, pulled
the latch to the naos, and opened the doors of the reliquary.
Wake in peace, creator of all life. Look upon your son
whose heart is full of love for you, who comes to seek your
counsel so that his every deed fulfills your purpose. Wake in
peace and shine upon this earth that lives only through your
love. Let your divine energy flow through every living thing.
The king shone the light on the holy statue, unwrapped
the colored bands of linen around it, purified it with water
from the sacred lake, anointed it with unguents, and
rewrapped it with fresh, clean cloth. Then, bringing them to
174 Christian Jacq
life with his voice, the Pharaoh presented the offerings
the same ones the priests would be placing on every altar at
Karnak a ritual followed each morning in every temple
throughout the land.
At last came the supreme offering, in the name of Ma at,
the immortal law.
Through her you live, the king told Amon. Her fra-
grance invigorates you, her dew nourishes you. Your eyes are
the law, your whole being is the law.
Leaving the Divine Power with a fraternal embrace,
Pharaoh closed the doors of the naos, latched it shut, and
resealed it with clay. As high priest, Nebu would next per-
form this rite in Ramses name.
When Ramses left the naos, the entire temple was astir.
Priests were clearing the altars of the portion of conse-
crated food that was designated for human consumption;
breads and cakes were coming out of the temple ovens;
butchers were cutting meat for the noon meal, craftsmen
beginning their day s work, and gardeners cutting flowers
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