Chapter 2 (ChumbaWamba – I Get Knocked Down)
Yugi winced as he pulled another weed out of the flower bed. As he had expected, the guards had caught him in the lineup again. One of the guards had brought his staff down hard on Yugi's back, so now it hurt to bend over. Then he had been sent off to the gardens again.
Yugi paused and stretched for a minute. 'At least they picked a good day to work outside.' he thought 'The river looks beautiful today.' The wide back steps of the castle led gently down into the Nile River on the right side and into the gardens on the left. Where the gardens met the river there was nothing but a waving strip of sand and reeds, to keep the water from washing the plants and low trees away. To the far left, on the garden side, the steps stopped and the floor of the palace simply extended out into the gardens about three feet over ground level, creating a terrace. Instead of a fence, the edge was ringed with large potted plants that flowed down over the side. The sunlight glittered off the golden lines of the palace and the river waters, making the flowers in the garden seem even brighter. The whole palace, including the gardens and the small section of the Nile, was ringed by a high wall that kept out alligators, assassins, and people who would invade the pharaoh's privacy.
Yugi sighed as he thought of today's encounter with the guards.
***flashback***
'Alright Yugi,' he told himself 'Don't look left or right. Keep your head down. Keep close to Rehema and move with the line.'
From the front of the line Heqet was flirting with the guard to the right of the doorway, trying to distract him. It seemed to be working. Most of the palace servants knew that Heqet wouldn't even consider sleeping with a guard, but Yugi had never seen this one before.
'He must be new.' Yugi thought 'If I move just a bit to the right I might be able to escape Kontar's notice.' Yugi shifted closer to Rehema and quickly tried to step to the right, hoping the girl behind her would move forward to hide the gap. He saw her sandal stepping forward out of the corner of his eye.
'I did it! I made it!' Yugi thought 'I'm going to get through this time!' Suddenly Yugi felt a heavy blow on his back, just below his shoulders. He dropped to the floor, his whole body shaking from the impact.
"I saw you moving, little rat!" bellowed Kontar "Didn't think I'd get around to you in time, did you?" He casually kicked Yugi's side, forcing him to curl into a ball.
"He's too little to fight you Kontar! Must you hurt him like this?" Yugi felt warm arms around him.
"Rehema go back." Yugi whispered "You're not supposed to break out of line."
"Shut up, slave!" Kontar aimed a quick kick to Rehema's leg "Mudada, get over here!"
The guard stopped talking with Heqet and moved over to Kontar. "Yes sir?" he said.
"Why did you miss this rat? I told you he would try to make it to the pharaoh!" Kontar prodded Yugi with the end of his staff as he awaited an answer.
"Well...sir…I was just talking to…I mean Heqet was saying that she liked…." Mudada gestured towards Heqet, who was trying to help Rehema stand.
"Oh, was that it?" Kontar's eyes narrowed "Mudada you have a lot to learn. You can start by learning that Heqet hates all guards with a vengeance. She would never sleep with you; she was only trying to protect the little rat."
Mudada's hurt expression seemed to be all the answer that Kontar needed. He turned to Yugi, preparing to kick him again.
"Stop!" Heqet shouted "Just look at what you've done to Rehema! She was a gift from a Grecian lord herself. If anyone stood a chance of impressing the embassy, it was her! Now what is the pharaoh going to think when he sees his best option walking with a limp?"
Kontar stopped mid-kick. "You'll tell him she had an accident. She fell off the balcony and landed on her leg or something."
"And just why would I protect you, scum? Of course," Heqet's tone changed "I could move her to the end of the line. I could even direct the pharaoh's attention to one of the other girls. Ebe hasn't had her chance to impress the pharaoh, after all."
Kontar lowered his foot. "For what price, slave?" he demanded "I haven't got time to haggle over this."
"You'll let Yugi go." Heqet demanded "Then you'll leave the gate closest to here unguarded for the rest of the evening."
"Fine." Kontar said "But the little rat must be punished for trying to escape again. To the garden with you." he picked Yugi to his feet and threw him away from the line.
Yugi stumbled back into the concubine's quarters to change. Glancing back, he saw the line moving through the doorway, Rehema leaning on one foot as she waited for the last girl to pass.
***end flashback***
'I hope Rehema's alright.' Yugi thought 'But at least the other girls get the afternoon away from the palace. I hope I'm done with this in time to join them.' Yugi's thoughts were interrupted by voices drifting down from the veranda.