Accompanied by Laughter, Ahhotep was walking in the palace garden. Suddenly, the dog stopped. Neshi was coming to meet them.
The queen stroked the dog, whose eyes remained fixed on the official.
‘Forgive me for disturbing you, Majesty, but I have something important to tell you.’
Was Ahhotep at last about to find out the appalling truth?
‘I served Pharaoh Kamose faithfully,’ said Neshi, ‘and I approved of all his decisions. But now he is dead, and so am I, in a way. For that reason, I wish to resign from my offices, while beseeching you to save this country, which needs you so much.’
‘Neither our country nor any other needs a saviour, Neshi. What it does need is righteousness. When Ma’at once again governs the Two Lands, misfortune will disappear. Put aside your devotion to one man, and serve only that righteousness. Then, and then alone, will you deserve to be called a true servant of Egypt.’
Ahhotep walked away, followed by her dog. She needed to be alone with her husband and her elder son, two pharaons who had given their lives fighting the Emperor of Darkness. And the Queen of Freedom gazed up at the waxing moon, her protector, praying that it would grant her the faith necessary to re-establish the reign of Light.
* Two stelae were indeed found at Karnak. Their texts have provided much valuable information.
Born in Paris in 1947, Christian Jacq first visited Egypt when he was seventeen, went on to study Egyptology and archaeology at the Sorbonne, and is now one of the world’s leading Egyptologists. He is the author of the internationally bestselling RAMSES series, THE STONE OF LIGHT series and the stand-alone novel, THE BLACK PHARAOH. Christian Jacq lives in Switzerland.
Also by Christian Jacq:
The Ramses Series
Volume 1: The Son of the Light
Volume 2: The Temple of a Million Years
Volume 3: The Battle of Kadesh
Volume 4: The Lady of Abu Simbel
The Stone of Light Series
Volume 1: Nefer the Silent
Volume 2: The Wise Woman
Volume 3: Paneb the Ardent
Volume 4: The Place of Truth
The Queen of Freedom Trilogy
Volume 1: The Empire of Darkness
Volume 2: The War of the Crowns
Volume 3: The Flaming Sword
The Black Pharoah
The Living Wisdom of Ancient Egypt
About the Translator
Sue Dyson is a prolific author of both fiction and non-fiction, including over thirty novels, both contemporary and historical. She has also translated a wide variety of French fiction.
First published in France by XO Editions under the title La Guerre des Couronnes, 2002
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English translation copyright © Sue Dyson, 2002
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ISBN 0-7434-4957-6
ISBN-13: 978-0-7434-4957-1
eISBN-13: 978-1-4165-9205-1
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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