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own bed in the palace. There d be little excuse to be alone with
him again. As a son of the pharaoh, he could still order Han to
service him, but the thought didn t appeal. There was a difference
between that and the games the two of them played together.
That night after they made camp, Itamun ate dinner with
Meriatum in the captain s tent as he had done since taking the
Hittite captive.
 The weather s been good for travel. I think we can make it to
the palace by tomorrow afternoon if we start early.
Itamun glanced up at the captain s observation, nodding
slightly.  I suppose so.
 What do you plan to do with that second Hittite?
Though he d admired the loyalty of the boy Netai, he d also
largely ignored him. He was a commoner as near as Itamun could
tell and a Hittite. There was no reason to even acknowledge him,
yet he had let the boy accompany them. He d have to do something
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EGYPT S CAPTIVE
about him.
 I m not sure yet. He seems very loyal to Hantilis.
 Might be best to keep them separated, then. Perhaps the
captive could stay in the palace and the other Hittite could be a
servant in your home?
The suggestion made Itamun frown. His first impulse was to
argue against it, but he fought that off and let the idea sink into his
mind instead. He turned it this way and that, considering, as a plan
began to form. Finally, he nodded.  I may do that.
 Just make sure he doesn t become a pawn of those priests.
You don t want to end up like your father-in-law.
Itamun snorted.  That s all I need. No, I ll deal with the
temple. I ve been far too lenient with them for far too long.
There was the hint of a smile as Meriatum nodded.  Good, I m
glad to hear it.
When he was done eating, Itamun took his leave of the captain.
It was growing dark outside, but there was still enough daylight
left that he could find his way through the camp. He picked his
way slowly through as a plan began to form in his mind. Outside
his tent, the younger Hittite was curled up with some blankets that
Itamun recognized at a glance. They were the ones he d provided
for Han to sleep with on the floor of the tent. Apparently Han had
decided the boy had greater use of them.
Crouching next to Netai, Itamun shook his shoulder. With a
jerk and a snort the boy sat upright, then stared at him with wide
eyes. Itamun smiled slightly, raising a finger to his lips to shush the
boy.
 I want to ask you a few questions, Itamun explained quietly.
 Yes, your highness?
 I thought I d heard you speaking about Yutis one day. Was he
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EGYPT S CAPTIVE
your brother? The young man nodded.  And your loyalty to Han
runs very deeply?
 He s like brother and king both to me.
 And would you take his place as Egypt s captive?
Netai rubbed a hand over his face and yawned hugely, then
looked at Itamun once more, his eyes squinting slightly in
concentration.  Does that mean you ll let him go?
Itamun hesitated, eyes flicking toward the tent. If Han knew of
the switch, what would he do? He might leave or he might be
enraged that the boy was now captive instead. The odds of him
wanting to stay with Itamun of his own free will seemed to be
fairly poor. At least just yet.  Eventually, yes. Say nothing of this
conversation to him, though. I m sure he d forbid you to take his
place.
The boy glanced toward the tent, lips pursed in a small frown,
then nodded slightly.  Yes, your highness.
As Itamun rose to his feet, there was a low keening from across
the camp. The boy shifted uneasily on his makeshift bed, his hands
twisting the blankets between them.  What s that?
 It sounds like Leja s voice, one of the Assyrians, Itamun
explained with a frown.
 Oh. Do you think she s having her baby?
 Possibly.
Leaving the boy to sleep, Itamun slipped into his tent. Han was
already lying on his side on the floor, his back to him. His
shoulders shifted and rose with each breath, just a touch too fast to
be mistaken for the breath of sleep. Itamun watched him for a long
moment, then crossed the tent to kneel next to him.
 Han, get up. This is ridiculous.
He watched as Han s breath stilled. The moments stretched out
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EGYPT S CAPTIVE
painfully before the other man finally shifted over to look at him.
There was a wariness in his eyes that felt like a knife to Itamun s
heart.
 What is it?
Itamun took a deep breath. Briefly, he wondered if what he was
doing was a mistake. It did have the potential to backfire in
horrible, lethal ways, but the thought of never touching Han again
was too painful a prospect to face.  Pharaoh will never know your
history because he ll never meet you. I ll send you to my house as [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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