The suspicions of Alexandros was true– the men of Pharaoh Amunhotep regularly visited the guild. Their excuses were plenty– to get themselves treated as a life-threatening sickness ate up their intestines, to remove the obsession of a lover, and even kill a mistress.

Not once did the mages or Master Hor-Aha gave away that they were truly mages. They knew their profession was known, but to accept it on face meant being vanquished to dust. Which, Alexandros didn't want to manifest.

Although the verdict was passed and the medjay had to destroy many magical crystals and objects of sorcery, they were kind enough to spare a few, hiding them during the regular inspection of the guild by the soldiers of Amunhotep. The mages hoped if at last the Head of Medjay would be able to save them all, but the scarlet-eyed Alexandros made it very clear– he was here to save the most, but not all.

Some were going to be caught. Some were to be lost, and some sold.

It was the warrior-spirit of the mages that many came forward as baits, asking to be sacrificed to the ghastly rage of the new Pharaoh. Alexandros was more than happy to see it. A bittersweet feeling it was, giving him both relief and a sense of guilt. He felt he was irresponsible, not up to the mark. But a battlefield such as life always had some failures. The more intense the fall, the better the rise. So, with a smile and blessings, he passed the decision that the willing mages would stand guard during their mass exodus.

The mission began early. Instead of sending people away at once, Alexandros planned for small groups to leave everyday. They played the role of merchants and wives, ex-soldiers and travellerss. Fortunately, most crossed the borders. As of those who didn't, they drank poison before their bodies could be violated.

Then came the day when the last group was to leave Kemet. Carriages and horses were stored deep in the hearts of the guild, with the medjay burning the crystals and scrolls of magic in public view. It was enough to assure the soldiers of the evil usurper that the men of Ta-Seti were going to be doomed. The vulgarity of Amunhotep, combined with his pride, failed to realise that burning books never meant burning knowledge. In the minds of the mages the spells were imprinted. It would pass on and live in their memories and blood, breathing through the bodies of the shunned.

Amidst all the secret preparations, Hor-Aha called Inanna. His eyes teared up upon seeing her. In a such a less time she was growing from a naive girl to a wise woman. She went around in the guild in a disguise, and such was the intensity of her determination that many of the mages were actually convinced of her being dead. Inanna herself participated in the elaborate funeral and the feast which was created for her own demise. Sitting beside those same mages who believed her to be no more, she chanted prayers for the welfare of her soul.

She wore a dirty woolen robe that was tightened around her waist with a leather belt. She had shaved her head bald to wear a wig. Her head was bouncing with matted curls. She looked like a humble saint from unknown lands. The show was taken a step further when she chose a fake name for herself– Meryamun.

"Meryamun..." Hor-Aha wondered. "Why this name?"

She stared at the horizon. The setting sun splashed a blood-red carpet over the sky. Greyish clouds floated in them, waiting for the shine to subside and the eternal darkness to flourish. Even if Luxor was far, she could see the palace. The cries of the women in there, the veiled face of a broken princess, and a wicked ruler. The throne shook under his weight as he smashed skulls under his spiked sandals.

Inanna heaved a sigh. "Meryamun– it's a name the spirits told me. They said she was from whom I was born."

Hor-Aha chose silence to speak. Some things were so heavy that language could not balance their emotions. But he was glad that the topic of motherhood came in. "I don't know if I will survive this massacre. But you should, Inanna. You are Kemet's true heir, and you carry its future."

"I do not wish to rule."

"It's not your wish. It's your obligation." He exhaled. "You are the firstborn. You can't run away from your fate."

That was true. Even the spirits told her the same, that she was destined to sit on the golden throne despite her dislike. She didn't know how. Was destiny not under her control?

"I will confide in you, Inanna, and share something that is forbidden." Inanna's eyes sparkled. Hor-Aha whispered in her ears, "I am bound to not give away it all, but I can say a little."

"What is it?"

"Alexandros shares my blood," he said. "He is a relative of mine. How, that is for him to tell you, when he feels it's the right time. I had asked him if I should, but he stopped me. Things need to settle down first."

Inanna blankly stared at him. Speechless. Lost. "Does..." She waited for the words to knock on her lips. "Does his family know about it?"

"Probably they do." He shrugged. "Of course. Yes they do. His father knows."

"I am going to meet him in Persia." She gulped. "I am nervous. I know nothing about him, and I didn't want to perturb Alexandros by asking such silly questions. They don't matter currently."

"As far as I know him," Hor-Aha cleared his throat, "he is a strict man. The regular Greek who rejects enjoyment to receive glory. A man who discusses philosophy more than gods. Although, he might have changed by now."

"Bergin knows that he is related to Alexandros?"

"He does. He later told me that he had felt a bond."

"By the way," Inanna's eyes fluttered around, "where is he? I don't see him." She gasped. "Is he alright?"

Hor-Aha lowered his gaze. The bleak hope in his heart was the only thing that prevented his knees from buckling down. He braced himself against a pillar. "He has gone. Duty calls him."

"Duty?" Inanna squinted. "What duty?"

"Alexandros recommended him to Pharaoh Amunhotep," Hor-Aha shut his eyes, "Princess Bintanath needs to be under the protection of someone who is astute enough to understand the politics Amunhotep plays. And he knows very well how to hide his magic; I have taught him. He was the perfect candidate for the job. So, he has now gone to Luxor, to serve as Bintanath's bodyguard."

Inanna sat down dejected on a slab of stone. "And no one thought it was important to tell me?" She banged her fist on the stone. Hor-Aha came and grabbed her hands. "How can he do it? It's dangerous!"

"Don't worry." Hor-Aha saw her knuckles. They were scarred. "I guess it is natural for us to worry. A father's heart. A friend's love. But Bergin had to. Think of the princess– she is so lonely and vulnerable. If she can be close with someone who is on the good side, she will feel less of the pain."

She was her half-sister. Inanna felt sorry for the girl. She heard Bintanath was widowed too early, and now she was going to be wedded to the old lustful Pharaoh. How could the court accept it?

"It's heart-wrenching," Hor-Aha croaked. "Pray may we all meet again."

So she did. One day, they would return to Kemet, to this Ta-Seti, stronger than now and with more power on their side. They would team up and rebel against this tyranny. They would save this land. They would save its people.

And for that, they had to wait.

****

When dusk melted blue into night, Ta-Seti turned quiet. The inhabitants, those who still stayed and didn't travel to another place, knew their death was lurking near. Parents lulled their children to sleep, mixing a bottle of sleeping potion in their food so that they didn't wake up during the killing. They themselves did all the rituals of their death, because no one would care to do it later. As of burying the bodies, they were sure of the debris doing the needful.

Inanna was dressed as a pregnant lady. And another male mage disguised as her husband. To ensure her security, Inanna was to travel with a different party– a total of four who claimed to be a family– while the other mages would go separately. Ishtar was in that. Inanna pleaded Alexandros to let her friend with her too, but his scheme wasn't to be changed.

"You will go in a small group because that's the safest. Sounds illogical, but a family won't be interrogated. Especially when you all are dressed as foreigners. It is obvious that in such a sensitive situation, foreigners will go back to their homeland and the Pharaoh won't stop them. He is in no mood to handle cross-border adversaries. And it will be three men with you. A husband and two children. A perfect family."

That was Alexandros' reasoning. He touched her belly. "One day, we will be that. You and our kids."

"Have you devised any plan to contact Ishtar?"

"I have given her a magical mirror. If that is with her, and it's a full moon night. She will be able to communicate with Bergin. And he will inform me." He averted his gaze. "My spiritual connection with Bergin is deeper than with Ishtar. I tried to create a thread of bond with her, but it wasn't happening. So I chose this. Although I don't know why I am able to tap into Bergin's magical field so easily."

Inanna smiled. "Perhaps you two are close." She chose not to reveal that she knew something. "I trust you, Alexandros. I will wait for you to come. Our child will first climb on your lap."

The once-familiar streets now teemed with the clamor of iron weapons and the clanging of shields, under the gaze of soldiers watching in unbroken stone silence. Ta-Seti was no longer the abode of beautiful magic, but a haven of destruction.

With trembling hands, they reached for each other, fingers barely touching in the waning light. She pressed his hands to her heart. "This beats you for, sings for you." Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I love you, Alexandros."

With a loud wail he wrapped her in his embrace. Her confession was a melody to his ears. A blessing too, his drop of ambrosia to live in this cage. He showered on her kisses, lips refusing to depart. They drank from her tears, wiped them with love.

"I must go," Inanna said, freeing herself from his devoted grip. "Promise me: You will come."

His heart shattered into a million shards. All his life as a warrior he was taught how it was his highest of luck to die for his country, become a martyr. Now, loyalty was being redefined. He had to live for his love. For his child. For his Kemet.

"I will." He sniffed, suppressing the flood behind a wall of strength. "I love you too, Inanna."

In that final moment, as the nome's skyline merged with the night, they held onto a fragile desire—a silent pact, hidden deep within their armoured hearts—that one day, they would meet again.

Inanna didn't look back. She hopped inside the carriage along with the other mages. The horse neighed. They set off for the outskirts of Kemet.

Indeed, as Alexandros had predicted, they were not doubted. The guards at the borders let them pass. It was only a little of fluent Persian that the mages had to speak, and show some souvenirs they had bought. Alexandros had made them memorise addresses and cities in Persia. Those helped me. Cleared to leave, Inanna was out of Kemet.

She was leaving behind her motherland.

When far from the soldiers, she broke down into a sob. Her limbs failed as she fell to the floor of the carriage. The mages, with tears in their eyes too, somehow managed to calm her. Inanna asked the carriage to stop. She got down and stared at the land of deserts.

It was burning. Yes, a smoke shrouded the part where Ta-Seti was to be. Her mother was burning. Howling. Crying for help. And she was running away.

A coward. I am a coward.

"You aren't, Neferneferure."

She spun around. The carriage was gone. So were the sands and the pebbles. The camels were as if a thing of imagination, so was the mortal world. Within moments her vision caused her to dive into an endless abyss till a force tugged at her and gave her balance.

"Neferneferure? Who calls me by this name?"

A burst of golden light tore apart the midnight mask. From within it peeked the visage of a Pharaoh. "I am Menes, your father," he said. "A very bad father. A worthless king. And a much disgusting lover."

She pitied the soul. He was dead, and even if detached from earth, the repentance of his human body followed him.

"Where do you go, Neferneferure?"

"To Persia," she answered. "That is where I will hide. That is where your grandchild will be born."

"Bless you, my daughter. Though everyone knows you as Inanna, your mother Meryamun had named you Neferneferure."

She moaned, biting on her lips to push down the tears.

"Why do you not wish to rule, Inanna?"

"It is a curse. It makes men mad."

"You are a woman, Inanna."

Her eyes widened.

"It is not in your choice," her father said. "Your beloved is destined. He has been yours in every birth. The gods will tell you the greatness of it in due time. And as of your commitment to Kemet, you must return as a queen. Yes, Inanna, because your true identity is Neferneferure. You are the firstborn. The power of the gods that frightened Amunhotep so much that he vowed to kill you. But a force such as yours cannot be repressed. You are here to conquer, not to be conquered."

A garland of flowers swirled around her. A starry cosmos revealed itself. She was standing on the thin line between Life and Death, beholding the universe that had birthed them all.

"You are the youngest of Geb and Nut, a goddess in a human vessel. Who can ever defeat you, my child? You are more than what a mind can fathom in a single birth."

As the curtain between the two worlds began closing, a crown of flaxen uraeus settled on her head. The voice of the Pharaoh reached a feverish pitch.

"Go, Neferneferure. You leave as the Queen of Death, but shall return as the Queen of Kemet."

****

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