Last week I shared the first time the two main characters noticed each other but today I’ll share their actual face to face encounter.

Tuya is a senior lady of Pharaoh’s Court, lady-in-waiting to the queen. She’s jaded and bored and finds her life confining. Khian is a captain in the army, from a distant nome (province), in Thebes for a short term assignment.

Tuya has been to the temple of Mut, carrying out duties as a priestesss. She had a vision of the goddess and when she awakens, the hour has grown late.

Tuya’s back hurt. Opening her eyes, she stretched, amazed to find herself reclining on the hard stone bench in Mut’s tiny garden. I fell asleep? More than a little afraid, she craned her neck to look at the statue of the goddess, but the carving was unchanged, Mut’s face serene as always. Tuya realized the light was going fast as Ra’s sun boat glided over the western bank of the Nile.

Unable to believe how long she’d been napping, or more correctly, caught in the goddess-sent vision, she got to her feet with difficulty, stiff after lying on the unforgiving bench, and hastened down the path toward the area where the litters waited. Stumbling a bit, she was relieved to see her conveyance and servants, although dismayed to find hers was the only one left.

“My lady, thank the gods, you’re here.” Hemaka, the chief of her household, straightened from where he’d been leaning against the gilded litter.

“Why didn’t you come check on me?” she asked. “We’re late.”

“It’s not my place to interrupt your devotions,” he said, eyebrows raised. “You’ve made the rule clear in the past.” He helped her into the litter and, as she settled against the cushions, he gestured for the four men to raise the elongated chair into the air and start marching. “We’ll have to return to the palace through the city, my lady.”

“Is using city streets a good idea, so late in the day? Why can’t we take the private road, as we usually do?”

“No one uses it after dark,” he reminded her. “There will be no guards and it’s possible thieves will be keeping an eye out for anyone unwary enough to risk the route.”

She toyed with her ornate golden collar. “But at this hour, with the work day complete, the people of the city will be in the roads and the squares—it’ll be crowded.”

“The situation can’t be helped.” He leaned over. “Best you pull your cloak closed, conceal the richness of your attire.”

As she complied, she thought with regret of the palace guards to which she was entitled by virtue of being senior among Ashayet’s ladies. She hadn’t requested an escort today because she was with other noblewomen priestesses, and there’d been an honor guard for the entire complement from the palace. Tuya was angry with herself for being careless about the time of day. But if the goddess wished to send me a vision, there wasn’t anything I could do about it. She shied away from contemplating the substance of the vision, even though every moment was clear in her mind.

Moving quickly, the litter bearers entered the edge of the main square. Keeping the pace, Hemaka directed them to work their way along the fringe and Tuya relaxed a bit as she hoped she might reach the palace with no problem after all. Even as she had the thought, shouts sounded up ahead and the litter slowed.

“Two men, arguing,” Hemaka said, tall enough to see over the heads of those surrounding them. “And a crowd gathering to watch, making bets.”

Forward progress became impossible. Tense, Tuya sat upright on the litter and stared at her servants in the flickering torchlight. “What do we do? Should someone run to the palace for help?”

“Well, what do we have here?” The voice was harsh, the accent thick. “Are you lost, pretty lady?”

There were jeering laughs from the companions of the man who’d spoken. Reinforced by their approval, he swaggered closer, thumbs hooked in his belt.

Tuya forced herself to take a deep breath. “I’m returning to the palace. Kindly move out of my way.”

“We’d escort you. For a price.” The heavyset man came closer, shoving a protesting Hemaka out of his way with ease. “Or we might escort you somewhere else. Someplace private.” He gestured at his comrades, who pressed closer. “We’re guests in your fair city – shouldn’t you be more welcoming?”

She smelled stale beer on his breath and shrank back when he reached for her. “How dare you threaten to lay hands on me? I’m a member of the Pharaoh’s court.”

“Pharaoh should take better care of his ladies then.” The thug grabbed her by the arm and tried to drag her from the cushions.

A thug tripped the litter bearer on the front left corner and the platform tilted, spilling her to the ground. She landed hard on her side, breaking her fall awkwardly, biting her lip from the pain.

There were shouts and the sounds of men running and the next thing she knew, a man had placed himself between her assailant and Tuya. Sword raised, he said, “Show proper respect to your betters or the edge of my blade will sever that unruly tongue from your head.”

“Apologies.” The man bowed his head but eyed the soldier slyly. “You don’t have enough men with you to arrest all of us. I’ve my entire crew here with me.”

“I’m concerned with getting the lady to the palace, where she belongs, and nothing else. If you leave now, I’ll forget your face. Go seek trouble elsewhere while I’m busy here.”

Laughing, the street tough pivoted and strutted away.

Sheathing his sword, her rescuer bent over to lift Tuya to her feet. “Drunken sailors from Minos. Scum. Are you all right, my lady?”

“My—my wrist hurts.” Dazed from the fall, she stared at him in the flickering torchlight. “You seem familiar. Thank you for your timely assistance.”

He kept his gentle hold on her as he checked how efficiently his squad of men had routed the other bystanders and would-be trouble makers. Then he gave his full attention to her. “Captain Khian, at your service, my lady. If I may be so bold, we saw each other at Pharaoh’s audience a few days ago.”

She put a hand to her head to straighten her wig.  “Oh yes, I remember now. Congratulations on your gold of valor.”

“Kind of you to remember. As I told the Great One, we merely stood our ground and fought.” Khian checked her wrists, first one then the other, sliding his strong fingers across her skin with a reassuring touch. “Nothing broken. A sprain perhaps, when you attempted to break your fall.” He took a scarf from her belt, ignoring her exclamation of protest and made a rapid sling, looping it over her neck and supporting the affected wrist. “How does that feel?”

Realizing his intent had only been to help, she smiled. “Much better, thank you. How is it you’re here, captain? I’m grateful, of course—”

Her servants had righted the litter, and Khian handed her into it, making sure the pillows were adjusted behind her back. “Move out,” he said to Hemaka. “We’ll accompany you to the palace, my lady, make sure there are no more unfortunate incidents.”

LADY OF THE NILE by Veronica Scott

Tuya, a high ranking lady-in-waiting at Pharaoh’s court, lives a life of luxury, pageantry and boredom. Khian, a brave and honorable officer from the provinces temporarily re-assigned to Thebes, catches her eye at a gold of valor ceremony. As the pair are thrown together by circumstances, she finds herself unaccountably attracted to this man so unlike the haughty nobles she’s used to. But a life with Khian would mean leaving the court and giving up all that she’s worked so hard to attain. As she goes about her duties, Tuya struggles with her heart’s desires. 

When Tuya is lured into a dangerous part of Thebes by her disgraced half-brother and kidnapped by unknown enemies of Egypt, Khian becomes her only hope. Pharaoh assigns him to bring the lady home. 

Aided by the gods, Khian races into the desert on the trail of the elusive kidnappers, hoping to find Tuya before it’s too late. Neither of them has any idea of the dark forces arrayed against them, nor the obstacles to be faced. An ancient evil from the long gone past wants to claim Tuya for its own purposes and won’t relinquish her easily. 

Can Khian find her in time? Will he and his uncanny allies be able to prevent her death? And if the couple escapes and reaches safety, what of their fledgling romance?

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