Egyptian Timewave

Chapter 43

Abayomi is leaning against the bed, listening to Anippe play. She barely even notices the princess' pauses for breath, the music seems to come out in one long stream of sound. She closes her eyes, only to open them when the music sputters. She sits up.

"Anippe? Is everything alright?"

Anippe is glancing out the window, her head shifting ever so slightly to track something in the sky. "I saw the hawk come by. Could it be another messenger from Amun-Ra?"

Abayomi shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe the hawk will come by again?"

Anippe sighs. "Perhaps, But let's keep playing for now."

She raises the instrument again, starting what seems to be a new song instead of continuing the old one. Perhaps three notes in, there is a banging sound from the entrance to Anippe's rooms and the two girls scream, startled. Well, Abayomi screams. Anippe's mouth was kind of blocked by an instrument, so instead she blows a sharp, high-pitched note in her shock.

Quickly, she reaches under the bed for her knife while Abayomi moves to block the door. When they find two guards standing in the sitting room, Anippe's expression turns thunderous as she points the knife at them.

"What are you doing, barging into my chambers?!"

One of the guards freezes a bit, becoming a bit hesitant in the face of Anippe's anger. He bows slightly. "I apologize, but we were commanded here." he turns slightly towards Abayomi. "I'm sorry, princess."

Abayomi blinks. He thinks she's Anippe? She supposes he just doesn't want to think that the princess is the one holding the knife, but . . . regardless of how alike the two of them look, you would think that the guards would be able to recognize their own princess. One of the other guards makes an angry huffing sound.

"Meramenseamen, that is the handmaiden you are addressing, not the princess." Okay, so some of them can tell the difference.

The guard flushes in embarassement and bows towards Anippe. "I apologize for the confusion, my lady."

Anippe just repeats her question. "Why have you barged into my chambers? Answer me!"

The guard who had corrected the first bows to her. "We're here for the handmaiden, my lady."

"Why?"

"For treason, my lady, and spreading dark influences."

"My handmaiden has done nothing to be construed as that!"

"Princess Anippe, we have evidence saying otherwise, we must take her."

Anippe moves to push Abayomi behind her, still brandishing the knife at the guards. "You are not to take her, Imenand, I order it so!"

That's Imenand? Abayomi peers closer and realizes that yes, he is familiar. They saw him her first day here. He just shakes his head at Anippe.

"My lady, our orders come from someone higher up than you. Nothing you say can prevent this." He looks to the other guard, the one who had hung back a bit. "Grab the handmaiden. Meramenseamen, keep the princess back for now."

Before Abayomi can even process the movement, a guard has moved over to her and twisted her arms behind her while another guard has pressed Anippe farther back into the bedroom and removed the knife from her hands. It glints from beside the wall, where it must have been kicked to. Imenand makes a few quick hand movements and the guard starts to pull Abayomi out of the room. Meanwhile, Imenand starts to speak to the guard blocking Anippe inside the room.

"Take the princess to the prince's rooms after we are gone, he wishes to speak with her."

The guard nods just as Abayomi is dragged outside, twisting to get out of the guard's hold. She's failing, but at least she's trying. The door shuts, only to reopen when Imenand steps through. He reaches for one of Abayomi's arms, and the guard holding her releases that arm once Imenand is holding it. They march her down the hallway, unbothered by her squirming.

Abayomi spits at them. "Let go of me!"

They pretend not to hear her.

Abayomi keeps thrashing all the way until they toss her into a room and shut her inside it. It's like the one she was taken to when she was interrogated, except smaller and without even a stool inside. Just bare stone and a door. She crosses over to the door and tries to open it, but it doesn't budge.

She would say it was a lock, but she didn't see any on the doorframe before they tossed her in here, not even a bolt to slide across the door. So something is blocking it. Abayomi tries the door again, and it opens a centimeter before something slams it shut once more. A person is keeping it closed then.

Probably one of the guards. She slumps to the floor, rubbing her arms where they grabbed her. She's going to be bruised, later. Abayomi hopes Anippe won't be too upset. Then she striaghtens. Anippe! One of the guards was taking her to see the prince! Why? What purpose could they have in taking her to him while at the same time arresting Abayomi?

It makes no sense! But, they said someone higher up than Anippe gave them orders to arrest Abayomi. There aren't many people higher than a princess. But a prince, a prince has more power. He must have sent them, but why? Abayomi shudders, in part because of a wisp of cold that brushes across her skin. She won't find out the answers in here, she doesn't even know how long she'll be stuck alone in this room for.

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So sorry I failed to update! I've been running around doing errands all week and my internet cut out yesterday so I didn't get the chance until now. I won't be able to update next week also, I'll be on my feet from 7am to dinnertime with no real breaks.

Will Abayomi be alright? What's going to happen with the Prince's conversations with each of them? tell me your thoughts!

Happy reading and I'll see you in five seconds for today's chapter(this one is technically yesterday's, after all)

~ Goddess of Fate, signing out