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  Secrets in the Sand

  The Lost Pharaoh Chronicles Book II

  Lauren Lee Merewether

  Edited by

  Spencer Hamilton

  Copyright © 2019 Lauren Lee Merewether

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  For permissions and to visit the author’s website, see www.laurenleemerewether.com

  ISBN-13: 978-1087298511

  Created with Vellum

  For my brother and sisters

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  The Mitanni Princess.

  Contents

  GLOSSARY

  Prologue

  1. The Time of Waiting

  2. The Time of Loss

  3. The Time of Succession

  4. The Time of Scheming

  5. The Time of Murder

  6. The Time of Burial

  7. The Time of Wounds

  8. The Time of the Aten

  9. The Time of Confliction

  10. The Time of Friendship

  11. The Time of Protection

  12. The Time of Secrets

  13. The Time of Scorn

  14. The Time of the Woman King

  15. The Time of Reveal

  16. The Time of Execution

  17. The Time of New Allies

  18. The Time of Demands

  19. The Time of the Coregent

  20. The Time of Broken Oaths

  21. The Time of Love

  22. The Time of Truth

  23. The Time of Consolation

  24. The Time of Desperation

  25. The Time of Death

  26. The Time of Grief

  27. The Time of the Boy King

  28. The Time of War

  29. The Time of Reflection

  Epilogue

  The Story Continues

  Watch for the Complete Series

  A LOOK INTO THE PAST

  What Did You Think?

  EXCLUSIVE READER OFFER

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Lauren Lee Merewether

  GLOSSARY

  CONCEPTS / ITEMS

  Chief royal wife – premiere wife of Pharaoh, Queen

  Coregent – ruler, second to Pharaoh

  Deben – weight of measure equal to about 91 grams

  Decan – week in Egypt (ten day period); three decans in one month

  Dynasties – Old Kingdom, then Middle Kingdom, then New Kingdom (where this story takes place)

  “Gone to Re” - a form of the traditional phrase used to speak about someone’s death

  Great royal wife – chief royal wife of the Pharaoh before

  Hedjet – white crown worn by Egyptian regents of the 18th dynasty

  Ka – spirit

  Kap – nursery and school for royal children in the royal harem

  Khopesh – a sickle-shaped sword

  Modius – the crown for a queen

  Pharaoh – the modern title for an ancient Egyptian king

  Pshent – the great double-crown of Pharaoh

  Royal harem – palace for the royal women, usually headed by the chief or great royal wife

  Royal wife – wife of Pharaoh

  Sed festival – traditionally, the celebration of the Pharaoh’s thirty-year reign, and then every 3–4 years; Akhenaten celebrated several Sed festivals although his reign was not that long

  Season – three seasons made up the 360-day calendar; each season had 120 days

  Shendyt – apron / skirt; a royal shendyt was pleated and lined with gold worn by Pharaoh

  Sidelock – long lock of hair above the ear, kept despite a shaved head, to signify childhood; usually braided

  Sistrum – a musical instrument of the percussion family, chiefly associated with ancient Iraq and Egypt

  Vizier – chief royal advisor to Pharaoh

  GODS

  Ammit – goddess and demoness; “Devourer of Hearts”

  Amun – premiere god of Egypt in the Middle Kingdom

  Amun-Re – name given to show the duality of Amun and Re (the hidden god and the sun, respectively) to appease both priesthoods during the early part of the New Kingdom

  Aten – sun-disc god of Egypt (referred to as “the Aten”); a minor aspect of the sun god Re

  Bes – god of childbirth

  Ptah – god of creation, art, and fertility

  Re – premiere god of Egypt in the Old Kingdom; the sun god; the New Kingdom Pharaohs began to associate with Re rather than Amun

  Tawaret – goddess of childbirth

  PLACES

  Aketaten – city of modern-day El’Amarna

  Akhe-Aten – necropolis for the city of Aketaten

  Ipet-isut – modern-day Karnak of Thebes; Most Selected of Places

  Malkata – palace of Pharaoh Amenhotep III

  Men-nefer – city of modern-day Memphis

  Saqqara – necropolis for the city of Men-nefer

  Waset – city of modern-day Thebes

  Valley of the Kings – necropolis for the city of Waset

  PEOPLE

  Aitye – steward of Nefertiti

  Amenhotep III – Pharaoh; father of Amenhotep IV and Thutmose; died in Book I, Salvation in the Sun

  Amenhotep IV / Akhenaten – second son of Amenhotep IV and Tiye

  Amenket - royal guard

  Anen – Second Prophet of Amun; brother of Tiye and Ay; died in Book I, Salvation in the Sun

  Ankhesenpaaten – daughter of Amenhotep IV / Akhenaten and Nefertiti; royal wife of Akhenaten

  Ay – father of Nefertiti and Mut; brother of Tiye and Anen; Master of Pharaoh’s Horses (second-highest military rank)

  Beketaten – daughter of Pharaoh Amenhotep III; born with the name Nebetah; wife of Pawah

  Beset – priest who performs burial preparations for the deceased

  Henuttaneb – daughter of Pharaoh Amenhotep III; royal wife of Pharaoh Amenhotep IV / Akhenaten; mother of Tutankhaten; died in Book I, Salvation in the Sun

  Horemheb – Commander (third-highest military rank); future Pharaoh

  Hori – royal guard

  Ineni – royal guard

  Iset – daughter and royal wife of Pharaoh Amenhotep III; died in Book I, Salvation in the Sun

  Jabari – chief royal guard

  Kasmut – daughter of Anen

  Khabek – royal guard

  Kiya – Mitanni Princess sent to seal foreign relations through marriage to Pharaoh; friend to Nefertiti; died in Book I, Salvation in the Sun

  Maia – nurse of Tut

  Maya – First Prophet of Amun during the initial reign of Amenhotep IV; succeeded Meryptah

  Meketaten – deceased daughter of Pharaoh Amenhotep IV / Akhenaten and Nefertiti; died in Book I, Salvation in the Sun

  Meritaten – daughter of Pharaoh Amenhotep IV / Akhenaten and Nefertiti; chie
f royal wife of Pharaoh Smenkare

  Meryptah – First Prophet of Amun (highest-ranked prophet of the Amun priesthood / cult of Amun); died in Book I, Salvation in the Sun

  Merytre – steward of Nefertiti

  Mut / Mutnedjmet – half-sister of Nefertiti; daughter of Tey and Ay

  Nakht / Nakhtpaaten – Vizier of the Lower to Pharaoh Smenkare

  Nefe / Neferneferuaten Tasherit – daughter of Pharaoh Amenhotep IV / Akhenaten and Nefertiti

  Neferneferure – deceased daughter of Pharaoh Amenhotep IV / Akhenaten and Nefertiti; died in Book I, Salvation in the Sun

  Nefertiti / Neferneferuaten – daughter of Ay; chief royal wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten; Coregent of Pharaoh Akhenaten and Pharaoh Smenkare

  Paaten / Paatenemheb – General (highest military rank)

  Paramesse – high-ranking comrade of Horemheb

  Pawah – former Fifth Prophet of Amun; husband of Beketaten; Vizier of the Upper to Pharaoh Smenkare

  Sennedjem – tutor of Tut; overseer of the tutors

  Setepenre – deceased daughter of Pharaoh Amenhotep IV / Akhenaten and Nefertiti; died in Book I, Salvation in the Sun

  Simut – First Prophet of Amun during Pharaoh Neferneferuaten’s reign

  Sitamun – daughter and royal wife of Pharaoh Amenhotep III; mother of Smenkare

  Smenkare / Smenkhkare – son of Pharaoh Amenhotep III and Sitamun; half-brother and nephew to Pharaoh Akhenaten

  Suppiluliuma I – King of the Hittites

  Temehu – deceased mother of Nefertiti; died in Book I, Salvation in the Sun

  Tey – wet nurse and step-mother of Nefertiti; mother of Mut

  Thutmose – firstborn son of Pharaoh Amenhotep III and Tiye; died in Book I, Salvation in the Sun

  Tiye – chief royal wife of Pharaoh Amenhotep III; sister of Ay and Anen; died in Book I, Salvation in the Sun

  Tut / Tutankhaten – only son of Pharaoh Amenhotep IV / Akhenaten; son of Henuttaneb

  Wennefer – First Prophet of Amun during the reign of Pharaoh Horemheb

  Zannanza – Hittite prince

  Prologue

  The Time of Remembering

  The sunrise caught the glint of Pharaoh Horemheb’s stare into the empty room. His royal guards stood at attention behind his throne. The statue of their great god, Amun, towered above the five vacant seats in front of him. He lowered his elbow to rest on his knee and he peered through his fingers.

  There is so much left to tell, he thought.

  His mind filled with images from the previous, tumultuous night. The screams and tears of his precious wife, Queen Mut, and the beating she gave to his chest, begging him not to condemn her family to erasure, raced through the forefront of his memory.

  The morning’s grain-rich breakfast rolled in Pharaoh Horemheb’s belly as he sat on his throne. As he had commanded the day before, the five prophets of Amun gathered in their seats at the morning’s first light. They looked well-rested, eagerly awaiting any mistake he might make.

  I was there, he told himself. I remember. They will remember as well. I am Pharaoh. There are none greater.

  Queen Mut entered from the shadowed doorway behind him and took her place behind his throne. Her eyes and cheeks sat puffed and inflamed. Silence lingered in the hall as Pharaoh straightened his back and brought his hand to his side, revealing his eyes. The early-morning sun kissed the feet of the great god Amun, the rest of his stone body still cast in shadow.

  Pharaoh knew that if he began to recount the rest of the story, it would be time for him to sign the edict to erase the pharaohs before him; and so, at the command of his heart, his mouth stayed closed. He looked to the face of Amun.

  So much death for you. So much sacrifice to keep you as the premiere god of Egypt.

  He took a deep breath and closed his eyes to gather his thoughts. He clenched his jaw, wishing Pharaoh Akhenaten had never assumed the throne. Had his brother, the Crown Prince Thutmose, lived, history would not have to be erased. They could have declared the Aten as the premiere god, restored power stolen from the Amun priesthood to the position of Pharaoh, and returned Egypt back to Amun all within a few years and have been done with it. He closed his eyes as he reflected.

  No, Pharaoh Akhenaten had to spend seventeen years tearing apart Egypt, disassembling its economy and faith, lost in his obsessions to the sun, the Aten disc. He brought his murder upon himself, and now condemns his entire family to eternal erasure. . . . He forces me to purge our records. Curse him! By my hand, the people will forget them.

  He squeezed his eyes, and his brow furrowed. A tightness overcame his chest as he took a deep breath.

  But it is necessary. The people cannot remember what he did, what Pawah did, what I did. For the sake of the future of Egypt and Amun’s divinely appointed Pharaohs, I do this—so there is no weakness in the people’s eyes.

  He opened his eyes, noticing the ache in his jaw from gritting his teeth while he thought.

  I must finish telling what happened to honor their memories before I sentence them to erasure. Amun be with me.

  The prophets began to fidget in their seats, uncomfortable with Pharaoh’s silence, until the sun uncovered the knees of Amun. Finally, First Prophet of Amun, Wennefer, stood and spoke.

  “Great Pharaoh of Egypt, we have all gathered to hear that which is to be erased. Will Pharaoh continue from yesterday the recounting of Pharaoh Akhenaten and his Queen Nefertiti?”

  Nefertiti, he thought, taking another deep breath, the one who sacrificed everything for Egypt and Amun. He swallowed the growing lump in his throat, his heart breaking for her and what she had gone through—bringing Pharaoh poisoned wine on the threat of rebellion.

  Duty and love for country made Pharaoh Horemheb speak against the will of self.

  “Pharaoh shall now speak.”

  Pharaoh Horemheb took one final calming breath.

  “Sit down, First Prophet, and all shall hear Pharaoh’s words as we begin with the People’s Restoration of Egypt and their threat of rebellion if Pharaoh Akhenaten was not removed from the throne.”

  Chapter 1

  The Time of Waiting

  The thud of Nefertiti’s heart numbed her chest as a bitter taste settled on her tongue. Leaning back into the door of Pharaoh’s bedchambers, she felt the numbness in her chest drop like a weight to her stomach.

  Should I go back? Should I take the poisoned wine back?

  Her breath hitched as her arms lay limp at her sides. The agony of the answer to her question attacked what was left of her dignity and seared its red stain upon her cheeks.

  No . . . what is done is done, she thought, and lifted her head from the door and straightened her back, lifting her chin to the sky.

  “Amun”—her thick whisper clogged her throat—“forgive me.”

  I leave the wine for you, Amun, and for Egypt. I leave it for the safety of my family and myself. Her hands balled into fists as she thought of Pawah and Beketaten’s threat of rebellion, of her children’s lives. I leave the wine for him to drink, if the gods will him gone. When the time comes, I wish him a painless death.

  The numbness took her lungs as the tears she held behind her eyelids came to a stream down her cheeks. She wiped a tear from her eye as she stared into the hallway, her face lit only by the hall’s torches.

  “Goodbye, my love,” she whispered, and began to walk down the hallway to face whatever may become of her, knowing she would have to deal with Pawah and Beketaten in the morning.

  “Is it done?” Chief Royal Guard Jabari whispered, stepping from the shadows.

  Nefertiti stopped in her gait and shuffled back a step as her red-rimmed, widening eyes found his. It took a moment for her to recognize him, and then her shoulders released their tension and her hands relaxed. You too, my chief of guards? My father, my commander, my chief royal guard, all a part of this plan to kill my husband. She pressed her lips into a grimace. And now, I suppose, so am I.

  Her gaze dropped to the sto
ne floor. “The morning sun shall uncover what is to be.” Her words danced over to him and painted his expression with confusion. Not wanting to say more, Nefertiti continued her walk down the long corridor toward her bedchambers.

  “When the gods want him gone, he will drink of the poisoned wine,” she whispered to herself as she let her fingers slide across the cold stone of the wall. I have said my goodbye.

  Jabari watched her go before hurrying to the council room to tell Beketaten, Pawah, and all those who awaited the news.

  Beketaten pounded a fist into the table after she heard Jabari’s incomplete report. “So? Did he drink?”

  “At the morning’s first light we shall see,” Jabari said again.

  Beketaten shot up. “Coward!”

  Pawah took his wife’s hand, calming her as he guided her back in her seat. Turning to Jabari, he asked, “Did she at least leave the wine in his chambers?”

  Jabari nodded. “She emerged with nothing in hand.”

  “Then it will only be a matter of time,” Master of Pharaoh’s Horses, Ay, said from the corner. “My daughter did well.”

  “We are short of time,” Beketaten said through her teeth.

  “Yes, but let the Coregent keep her dignity,” Commander Horemheb said. “She is not a murderer. She knows Pharaoh must be dealt with in order for Egypt to survive, but . . .”