Burnt Spring

iii. heal

"What are you reading?"

Seti yelped like a jolt of lightning had hit his spine. The letter was on the brink of being crumpled. Fortunately, it endured only certain wrinkles.

He turned to see the intruder, a frown plastered on his face. Inanna cowered and bit her lips. "I am sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you. Here, I brought you some food."

She extended towards him a plate of bread and meat, as he had wished, along with a chalice of slowly brewed wine.

Seti kept the letters under his bag and took the plate. "Thank you," he said as politely as possible.

"What were you reading?"

Seti regretted being soft.

"It is not of your concern, Inanna, what I read and what I not. You are to take care of my ailing body."

"The mind too needs to heal, Amun."

Seti's brows crinkled. "What do you mean?"

Inanna hiccuped. With a palm on her mouth, she fled the room. Seti shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"Strange girl."

But what had she really wanted to say? Seti wondered. Indeed, after the traumatic events of his life, the scars of his mind needed to heal. But he had never got the chance to put balm on the wounds. The balm that he would have perhaps received from fate was snatched away by death. She was now in Duat.

"I pray she is well. She should get to be with the Supreme, in the motherly care of the Divine."

Seti's feet curled in. The toe still ached and every little movement of his body induced a pain that erupted within him heat unbearable. Alas, Neferneferure had in reality burnt in flames; so furious was the hunger of fire that it satiated its wants by turning her whole to ashes. Remnants of her clothes stayed behind, shreds of what Seti could have felt with his callous hands in an alternate universe.

The more he thought of her, the more difficult it got to breathe. Yet he had to keep her in memory, travel the lane of their conversations every night. It would keep his desire for revenge alive. He had to find who had caused the fire.

"It can be no accident."

Since Neferneferure was in his sister-in-law's room, he guessed someone had wanted to either kill Isis or Neferneferure herself. Thus they were the foe of not just the women but of Seti too, for he held them dear in his life.

He grabbed the bread and took a bite. It was wholesome– the smell was of pumpkin and it was sweet in his mouth. It reminded him of Isis– she would cook for him on his birthdays. Queens didn't require to do so but she always made him feel special.

"She thinks I am dead. My revered ancestors, please give her strength. I promise to return, but not before I am ready."

He took the meat. It was a little chewy on the outside but soft in its core. His brother, King Ausar loved to have meat.

"Is he worried about me, that I am probably dead? Oh wait, he had send those soldiers to chase me off."

Instantly he felt an aversion towards the meat. He didn't want to have it anymore. Maybe his brother was planning a celebration, thinking he had vanquished him. Maybe Ausar was enjoying a chalice of wine and watching the entertainers dance.

"No, he isn't like that. He isn't so passionate in his expressions like me. Though that doesn't mean he isn't happy. He must be happy. His one enemy is probably dead."

Or if I calculate carefully, he might be tensed since my body hasn't been discovered. . .

"He can send search parties all around. I have to be careful and regain my strength as soon as possible."

Seti gobbled down the food after that thought. He had to fill his stomach and build back his vigour. Neferneferure needed justice, and Seti vowed to be the vessel of the same.

"How one thought leads to another, and nowadays everything leads me to Neferneferure."

From where had this begun? Yes, Inanna claiming my mind needs to heal.

Seti shrugged while relishing the bread. Somewhere in his head the lamp was lighted a moment later– what did Inanna know of him to have given such an unexpected statement?

****

Inanna washed her face multiple times, splashing water all over. The water seeped into her skin through the gloves. Soon it began itching, then the sensation jumped to the likeness of burning. Inanna pulled out her hands from the gloves. She stared at her right palm– a redness had spread from the heel of it and coursed towards the wrist. She pinched herself to distract the pain.

"You had to avoid water, Inanna!"

Papaya rushed to her side, wiping her hands with a cloth. She blowed on the area to provide it some cool. "The process will be stunted if too much water comes in contact."

"I was feeling sick. So I had to wash my face."

"You could have asked us to do it. It's still two days early before you can let water touch your hand."

Inanna sat on her bed, watching the redness slowly vanish. Papaya fetched some dry gloves and helped her slip her palms into them. "I am not as wise as Istustaya, but I too can read the stars."

Inanna froze. She wrapped her arms around her body.

Papaya heaved a sigh and continued, "I know you are different. Just like him."

"He doesn't know me."

"Perhaps he cannot recognise you, while you can."

Inanna closed her eyes, a lone tear trickling down and falling on her lap. "I read the letters he has. He cherishes them."

"Who wrote them?"

"The one he was engaged to– Princess Neferneferure."

Papaya's eyes widened. They sparkled with curiosity. "Is he someone from the royal family of Luxor?"

"He is. But do not tell that you know."

"Don't worry, Inanna. I shall keep quiet. I will not even tell Istustaya."

Papaya got up and dusted her robes. "Take rest. You need to sleep and give your arm time to come back to normalcy."

Inanna's mirthless laugh echoed in the room. Papaya hesitated to speak, her lips parting only to let silence be pronounced. Inanna smiled, a longing gaze floating behind a sheen of tears as she stared at her right hand. "It shall never be the same again."