Our Here Be Magic boxed set is here for only $.99 at Amazon, All Romance eBooks and more ebook retailers soon. I'm so excited to share an excerpt from my new
novella Healer of the Nile. Can Mehyta, a village healer, persuade the
god of Fate to help her save Tadenhut, a soldier trapped between Life and Death?
I’ve mixed magic and ancient Egypt with a bit of romance (of course!), to tell
a new tale of life in 1550 BCE.
…. Mehyta shrank against the wall as
servants carried an elaborate litter into the room, followed by the lord and
lady of the estate, accompanied by a grand personage in a gold trimmed robe, who
she realized was Pharaoh’s physician, as well as several high ranking soldiers.
Peeking over Simut’s shoulder, she observed Tadenhut unmoving on the litter,
eyes closed, face pale. His arms lay at his sides, palms down on the thin
mattress.
As the servants transferred the limp
patient to the bed, the royal physician said, “I’ve done everything possible
within the canons of good medicine. Pharaoh felt Tadenhut should be at home,
now that his fate is so clearly in the hands of the gods.”
“Pharaoh is kind,” Lord Wadjmose
said, his jaw clenched. Lady Nebetta squeezed his hand and he gave her a
grateful, tired smile.
As the litter and the litter bearers
exited the room, two more servants carried in a large chest, decorated with
inlaid faience and turquoise. Nebetta directed the men to set their burden in
the bedchamber itself, against the wall.
“Where’s the local doctor?” said the
man from Thebes.
Simut left Mehyta’s side and bowed.
“An honor to assist you, noble sir. I am Simut, trained in Memphis, at the temple
of Sekhmet.”
The royal physician pursed his lips,
nodding at the impeccable academic pedigree. As Wadjmose and Nebetta moved to
the bedside to stare at the unresponsive form of Tadenhut, the doctors drew
aside to confer. Mehyta tried to be unobtrusive as she followed Simut. If she
was required to assist him, she’d better hear the instructions.
“I’m to stay the night and leave in
the morning,” the visiting doctor said. “Pharaoh doesn’t want me absent from
his court for long. I’ve brought an ample supply of drugs, more than you’ll
need by the looks of our patient, but the Great One insisted we be generous, in
case you lack anything here. We have specialized medicines in Thebes, after
all. “He opened the chest and removed a papyrus, handing the scroll to Simut.
“Doses and spells for administering them.” He leaned closer to his colleague
and lowered his voice. “It’s a miracle the man’s lingered this long, frankly,
with his injuries. Pharaoh is fond of him, regards him as a friend and a
shieldmate, and Tadenhut saved his life in the battle, sacrificing his own for
all intents and purposes. There’ll be gold of valor in the trunks we carried
here from Thebes, which will adorn the soldier’s tomb nicely. He takes a good
record into the afterlife. Now let me show you the proportions of the night
medication.”
As the two men fell to discussing
the merits of one potion versus another, Mehyta let her attention wander. Simut
would tell her what to do. Her healing skills and the herbal remedies she used
were in no way related to the Egyptian practice of medicine, but learned at her
late grandmother’s knee. She stared at Tadenhut, gaunt, pale, lying on the bed equally
oblivious to his father’s grief and the learned doctors’ chat. Lady Nebetta lowered
her head, dabbing at her skin carefully, so as to not mar the kohl and
malachite perfectly outlining her large brown eyes. No actual tears fell. Her
son was next in line to inherit the estate when the current heir died.
For more information on my series of paranormal novels set in ancient Egypt, please visit my website!
No comments:
Post a Comment