Son of My Soul - Two

[ismenin]

By Richie! Hugses!


Hello! It's so much cooler, today, thank goodness! It has been awful this week. I do not like excessive heat or cold and it certainly was too much pour moi. Blech!!

But I sit by my fan and am comfortable. So that'll do!

I hope you're all ready for Egypt part 2. Cos here it is!





Thank you, ladysunrope, for beta. Hugs.


Part 2


Lij shook his head, and quickly marshalled his thoughts. He did not wish to throw his authority at the law officer by flaunting the Seal of Horus. The Seal was the power to act in the name of Pharaoh, and everyone in the land bowed to its authority. Lij carried it everywhere when he was away from the Palace, in disguise. One never knew, he had declared, when such a thing would be needed.

But, once produced, the Horus would mark out Dom and Lij as high-ranking men - princes at least - and this Lij did not want. He liked roaming about their kingdom, free from ceremony. He liked being just a man, on occasion, and not a god.

The epistates came bounding up the stairs, and Lij saw at once that this man might be open to suggestion. A tall, stately figure, handsome, but not proud, he seemed to take all before him in his stride. Lij bowed as to a superior.

"Greetings, sir. There is a mystery before us that I trust you will allow me...us...to unravel," he amended, indicating Dom, who was still sitting trembling and shocked, in the bed.

The man looked in through the door, carefully and quickly assimilated the scene with a thoughtful brow. "I see what you mean, sir," he replied, equally politely. "It is obvious to anyone with half an eye..." he stopped, and stepped over the threshold, and approached the body. "Yes, indeed. Panshi, come here and tell me - what do you see?"

The young man, who was a Nubian, as his name declared, stood at the senior officer's side, and gulped hard, brushing his coal-black hair from his eyes. "A man with his throat cut, and...and...another man, in bed, covered in blood, Master Aapet."

"Exactly!" grinned Aapet, waving at Dom to get up. Dom stood, naked as the day he was born, and Aapet told the gawpers at the door to go and find something more useful to do than goggle like idiots at a naked man.

"Will you permit me to wash, officer?" Dom asked in a shaking voice. Aapet glanced once at Dom then said, "only one moment, if you please, then you may do so. Panshi, examine our, er...only suspect. What do you see, there?"

Panshi cast anxious eyes over Dom. "A naked man with blood smeared all over his chest, master," the young man volunteered nervously.

"Quite right, again!" the officer boomed. "And can you now see where the problem lies?" He indicated to Dom that he might wash the blood off, and to Lij that he could come in and help his friend.

"Um, no sir," Panshi said, in a defeated tone.

“He has only been in the position of trainee officer for two weeks,” his master explained to Lij, as Dom poured water from the ewer and scrubbed at his body. "He has not your eyes, sir. Can you inform young Panshi what it is that you saw? The two main points that make it - let us say, at the least - unlikely that your friend here murdered the man?"

Lij managed a smile as he rifled through Dom's pack for a fresh tunic, and then laid it within Dom's reach. Thank all the gods, they had happened upon an honest and wise official. Lij would remember to note this in reports.

"Well," Lij said, stepping around the bed and glancing down at the body. "This is the silversmith from the stall near the tavern. He was most definitely murdered, but not here, and not by Dom."

He saw the questions in Panshi's eyes. "There is little blood on the floor, or on the bed, except where the knife was...thrown. There is none on Dom's hands, either. Wherever this man was killed, it was not here. If we are guessing, by the state of his sodden clothing, that his throat was cut whilst he was still living, the blood would have gone everywhere."

The epistates nodded in agreement. Lij continued. "There are more things that puzzle me - why would Dom have been thought to have killed the man, and why he was brought here, after he died? What reason could there be to implicate Dom in this murder? It is twenty years since we visited Tolan. No-one here, I am certain, either knows, or will remember us."

Dom was pulling on the linen tunic, and looked a little better now he had rid himself of the silversmith's blood.

"And, you see," continued Panshi's superior, nodding at Lij's conclusions, "this man - Dom, did you say? - Dom, had the blood smeared on his chest, only - smeared, boy, do you comprehend? If he had been near the dead man when he was struck, there would have been great gouts of blood..."

Panshi began to look a little queasy, so Aapet cut it short. "Only his chest was coated. Do you not think there should have been a little blood, er, lower down? It runs, you know, in a downward motion, when one is splashed with blood - take my word for it."

Dom sat on the bed, well away from the body. His legs were far from steady. He attributed it to the shock. "So you do not believe I killed this man?" he asked Aapet, hope brimming in his eyes.

"Well, if you did, you put in place a careful ruse to make it appear obvious to any man of sense that you did not do it. You are either incredibly devious and cunning, or an innocent man," the officer observed.

Lij put his hand on Dom's shoulder. "Dom is innocent of his crime, I assure you," Lij said in a soft voice that had won over harder men than Aapet. "Will you allow us to join you in your efforts to vindicate him, and prove he is no murderer?"

"You have done this before?" Aapet asked, with a flash of insight. "Solved a crime, I mean?"

Dom cleared his throat. "Lij solved it. I merely...assisted."

"I will be interested to hear of it at a more convenient time. Meanwhile, we must remove the body, and inform his poor family, if rumour has not got ahead of us. Anyone will tell you where my office is located. I trust I will see you both, there, later today."

If the two men noticed the slight emphasis on the word 'both', neither mentioned it.


Dom and Lij went downstairs to partake of a welcome cup of wine. Nat was already sitting there with Nakht at his side, and both men sprang to their feet as Dom and Lij entered the room.

The landlord, when he saw Dom was free to roam about at will, brought the wine himself, and tried to make up for the fact that he had earlier all but called Dom a murderer. The man was just about to leave the table, when Dom called him back.

"What had made you come to my room, when you discovered the crime?" he asked the harassed man. Two burly men, dressed in the yellow tunics of law officers, with a wide brown stripe running down the left side, thundered up the stairs carrying a stretcher, and the landlord spared them a glance, and shouted as they passed, "Mind the walls! The paint is fresh!" then returned to Dom's question.

"Someone had asked me to take you up a jug of beer. Paid for it, too. Said you were thirsty, in the heat."

"Can you describe the man?" Nat asked, thinking they might gain some clues from what the landlord had observed.

The landlord shook his head. "Oh, it wasn't a man, sir, it was a woman - no, never seen her before today," he volunteered, understanding what the next question would be. "Tall girl - or woman - hard to say which. Had a veil over her face. Slim. Very well-dressed. Expensive, gold-spotted silk. That's all I remember."

They allowed the man to rush upstairs to see that the officers were not damaging his paintwork, and in a few more moments, the body of the silversmith was carried out of the tavern door.

"A woman!" Nat mused. "Do you think, Lij, that a woman could have committed the murder?"

Lij sipped his wine. "Undoubtedly. He was quite a small man, after all, shorter than me, at any rate, and I am certain he would not have been expecting the attack. But I cannot see how she could have killed him, dragged his body - a dead body is a heavy weight to carry - to our room, without leaving even a small bloodstain on the walls and floors."

"Then she would have to have washed and re-dressed herself in one of the rooms without leaving any evidence, or it being noticed by the servants, before coming down to order the beer. Of course, that is not to say that she could not have done it with the aid of an accomplice, or two. It is a puzzle."

"And besides," Dom interpolated, feeling a little better for the wine, "I wish to know where his bodyguard was, when the killing happened. A man certainly unworthy of his hire."

"Exactly what I was thinking, my love," said Lij, ignoring Nakht's frown at the use of the endearment in public.

"Where shall we go first?" asked Nat, eager to help.

"You and Nakht go to the stall, and see what you can discover. Interview the bodyguard, if he is there. Talk to the people working nearby. Ask what time he left - that sort of thing. Take notes so that we can all read them later. Dom and I will go to the man's workshops. It may be we shall find a clue, there."

***

The workshops were to be found in a narrow alley at the very end of the port town. There was a stout wooden door to the premises, to which they had been directed by a helpful citizen, although it was bolted shut, but the sound of voices could be heard coming from inside.

Dom knocked loudly with his fist. "Epistates!" he called out. It was not strictly true, but the officer had given them permission to try to discover what they could about the sad affair, so they were acting in his name, Lij whispered.

The door opened, and a big, good looking, well-built man, bare-chested, wearing a leather kilt, and heavy wrist-bands, peered around the frame. "Yes, sirs, what is it you want?"

"Is this the workshop of Seth the silversmith?" Lij asked. He was glad he had bothered to find out the man's name before they had left the tavern.

The man shook his head. "Next door!" he pointed left, and shut the door firmly in their faces.

The next door was fashioned of exactly the same wood, in the same pattern, with the same ironwork hinges. "Odd!" Lij commented, as Dom hammered the door again.

"Epistates!"

He raised an eyebrow as the same man appeared, this time wearing a smug grin. Lij asked the question again, refusing to be irritated.

"Yes, sir, it is - but Master Seth is not here at the moment. He is to be found at his stall in the harbour."

"He is to be found in the House of the Dead, being watched over by the law and the priests. He is dead," Lij said, in a cool level voice. The man paled. The pupils of his eyes grew large with shock. "D...dead?"

"May we enter?" Dom asked, and the man, trembling now, moved out of the doorway, and let them in.

Before anyone had a chance to speak, a young lad, hardly out of his teens, came running in off the street, panting heavily. "The master is dead!" he managed, before Lij could stop him.

Lij quickly glanced about him at the three other occupants of the work-room, but none there displayed the shock and dismay that the man who had opened the door had shown, although they all looked surprised, and saddened.

"We are here from the epistates," Dom told the newcomer. "We will take over from here." He handed over a small coin. "Go and buy some refreshment." The young lad grabbed the money and raced out, in case anyone should deprive him of his booty.

The trembling man was sitting on a low stool, and one of the others came to him, and laid a metal-stained hand on his shoulder.

"I am sorry for your loss, Ramose."

The older man looked at Dom and Lij. "Can you tell us, sirs, what happened?" he inquired.

Lij pursed his lips. "Is there any here related to the - to Seth?" he asked, looking about him casually, for it seemed to him that the seated man was closer to the dead silversmith than any other present. "It is only right that he should receive the details in private, should he so wish."

Ramose sniffed, and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. He seemed to be a man in his late thirties, not quite young enough to be Seth's son.

"No, speak so that all may hear - his wife would not think to tell me the news. I am...was...his onam cora," the man whispered. Dom gasped to hear the word from his homeland spoken here, in a dusty workroom in Egypt.

"Onam cora?" Dom breathed, trying to look puzzled. "What is that?"

The man looked down at his feet. "It's what the Great One, Sen-Adom, calls his beloved Spouse, Knefer-Lijedefer, Living Forever," the man said, making the sign of homage with his hands. "Seth heard it said at the Palace, and liked the term. It applied to us - we were soul-mates, yes."

Dom breathed deeply for a moment, his heart pounding, imagining what he would feel like if the news had just been brought to him of Lij's death.

"I am sorry for your loss," Lij said softly, feeling saddened. "I am sorry, also to have given the news so...cruelly. But there is more, I am afraid, Ramose. Seth was murdered."

One of the men brought a cup from the back room, filled with cheap wine. Dom could smell the acidity quite clearly. The man drank it, quickly, and it seemed to help him a little.

"Come, sirs," he said, clearing his throat, and standing abruptly. "Let us go to his office. We will be more comfortable there."

He led them through the workshop and into a small back room. There was a bench, a couple of stools and a slab of white marble that was used for a desk. It was light and airy, and obviously a place that was well-used, as it also had a small table, with a flask of wine on it, and a bowl of dates and bread, and a lump of goat’s cheese.

Ramose sat down and gestured for them to do so. "What happened?" he said, his voice heavy with sorrow.

It was Dom who answered him. "Someone cut his throat and placed him in my chamber whilst I rested from the heat this afternoon. Aapet, the epistates, has allowed us to help him try to find who did such a dreadful thing."

The man ran a hand over his pale face, not knowing what to say.

"Did he have any enemies, Ramose? Was there anyone who wished him dead?" Lij asked, gently. The man shook his head. "His wife, perhaps?" he continued, thinking of the mystery woman.

Ramose shook his head again. "She did not hate him, she hates me," he said, very quietly. "They had not been married long when...when I came here, to work, nearly twenty years ago. I was a lad of eighteen, straight out of a master-smith's tutelage. I saw him, and I loved him in that moment - and he loved me. I do not expect you to understand it, but that's how it was with us."

Dom glanced at Lij. They knew exactly how it was, he thought.

"Tawaret - his wife - tolerated me, but she never spoke to me, except upon business. I did not visit their house, unless the matter was urgent. Not because he did not wish me to do so, but out of deference to her. I stole her man away, heart, body and soul, after all. She would not care to see me there. She had made that plain."

He cleared his throat. "He gifted to her the workshop next to this - the door on which you first knocked is Tawaret's workshop, not Seth's - except we share the business that comes our way, half and half. She knows she can trust me to do this, if she wishes to keep it on. I keep meticulous records. Or she might sell it to me, and move elsewhere. I can easily afford to buy her out."

There was silence for a moment before Lij spoke again. "Can you think of anyone who would want him dead?"

"No, sir. I inherit the workshop, and the other half of the business. His wife knows that right well. So I suppose I am the only suspect. But I...I..."

Dom and Lij allowed him a few minutes to contain his grief, which was evident. Then he looked up. "You will find the man who did this? You will obtain justice for my Seth?"

The men stood. "He...and you...will have justice, we promise you that," Dom said, his voice vibrant with passion.

"What sort of person is this Tawaret. What does she look like?" Lij asked, his hand on the door ready to push it open.

Ramose thought for a moment. "She is tall - above average height for a woman. Slim, but well-formed. Pretty, I suppose you'd say. She has a good mind for business, is kind to her slaves, and knows how to keep house," he said, striving, Lij could see, to be fair to the woman.

He paused for a moment. "She is near my age - younger by a generation than Seth. Thirty-seven. She has been a virtuous and loyal wife. I can say nothing against her."

"Where does she live?" Dom asked, as Ramose showed them to the door.

He told them, and Lij, impulsively held out his hand, and Ramose, surprised, grasped it. "You shall have justice. I will promise you that. If we need you again, you will be here?"

Ramose sighed. "I have several rooms above the workshop. Where else, now, would I go? This is my home, even without...him. You will find me here, when you need me, unless I am at his stall, in the docks."

As the door shut behind them, the two men turned left, and soon were standing outside the gate of Seth's house, a substantial building set in its own square, high-walled and well-guarded.

They were allowed inside to comfort the widow.

***

Some time later, they sat in the shade, drinking a very potable wine bought from a tavern nearby. They took turns drinking from the flask, as they had no cups.

"Well, we learned nothing today, did we, Lij? From Ramose and Tawaret, I mean. Not very enlightening."

Lij wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and grinned. "Oh, I would not say that. I gleaned a few things from both. No, do not rush me, Dom. You know I like to mull things like this over before speaking. But I will say that she - Tawaret - told us more than she thought."

Dom stared at his spouse. "In what way?"

"Well," Lij continued, swallowing another mouthful, then handing the wine to Dom. "She is a very rich woman, the house alone would indicate that. But she was dressed simply and plainly. No expensive jewellery, or elaborate wig such as some women in her position would wear. I wonder why that was?"

Dom gave it some thought. "I cannot say, Lij. Have you any thoughts on the matter?"

"Not yet. But there is something not quite.... She seemed shocked at the news, and was plainly distressed, and I think that was not assumed. But something in that house made my toes tingle. You know how it is with me."

Dom did know. Lij often felt things - things about people, or their surroundings. It was useful sometimes.

"I do not say she killed him. But there is something..." He slapped his hand on his knee. "Let us visit Aapet. Perhaps he has gained an insight into the case that we have missed. Then we shall return to the inn for the evening meal. It will be cooler, then."

His voice sank to a whisper. "Then I will take you to bed - in another room, do not fear - and I will ravish you all night, and you will serve me in any way that I desire!"

Dom shuddered. He felt himself rise under his robes at the very thought, and Lij laughed. "Come, a stor!"


***

The law office was at the centre of the port town, as one might expect. It was set above the prison cells, and reached by stone steps that ran up the side of the building.

As they approached, they saw young Panshi coming down. He waved at them to go up. "Master Aapet is there, sirs."

As they entered the room, Aapet rose from his chair, and beckoning them forward, went and bolted the door behind them. Then, to their astonishment, he knelt on the floor, in front of them, head bowed, arms outstretched in obeisance.

Lij laughed, surprising Dom. "You searched our things!" he said in a mock accusing tone. "Get up, man! We are colleagues, in this matter, are we not?"

The man stood, and gazed carefully at Dom and Lij, and then sighed. "We are colleagues, yes, but I know who you are. There were too many clues, after I had found the Horus Seal."

They sat around the large desk, Dom and Lij refusing the beer they were offered, as they had no taste for it.

"Clues?" Dom asked, interested. "What clues, pray?"

"Well, Great One..." Aapet began, but Lij stopped him at once.

"We are Dom and Lij, two merchants from Phatkept. Strive to remember it. And call us by those names, if you please, particularly in public. We have no desire to be identified." Lij's voice was light, but firm, and the man nodded, managing a smile.

"Well, er...Lij. Your names, I discovered, are Dom and Lij. Not unusual, but...interesting. It is what the Great Ones call each other, after all. You have the Seal of Horus in your baggage, Lij, a sign of authority only held by princes. Your servant has two very sumptuous lots of clothing in his bag, too. Very rich stuff. Your companion, Nat, is thought to be a great lord. Why? He paid well over the odds for his silks, as if he did not know the value of money. In fact, his purse is filled with gold debens. If he were not such a big man, he would be at great risk from thieves. All this is quite unsuitable behaviour for a group of ordinary merchants. And I found this..."


He handed over to Lij a scroll of parchment. Dom glancing at it, saw it was written upon in runes. He stared at his spouse. "What is it, Lij?"

Lij smiled at him. "Not now, a hashkeh. Patience!" He rolled it up and tucked it in his scrip.

"I could not read it, of course, but anyone who has seen the great stele at Phatkept will recognise the birth-language of the God, Sen-Adom, Living Forever." The man bowed his head again.

"I cannot deny that I fear you, Great Ones. I cannot help it. I would be a fool if I did not; you, who have the power of life and death over us all."

"Do not fear us, Aapet. We are simple men at heart, and we like to escape sometimes from our duties, which are onerous indeed. Life and death, as you say." Lij smiled gently, reassuring the man.

"No-one else knows, I assure you! I took the liberty of removing the seal, and bringing it here - in case others decided to rifle through your bags." Aapet reached under the desk and took out a leather pouch, which he handed to Lij. "For, once I had realised who you were, I wondered if some other knew of it, too. Why would anyone wish to implicate two merchants in the murder of someone they did not know?"

Dom shrugged. "Perhaps mine was the first room they passed, saw me sleeping there, and did the deed, as the place was convenient."

Ramose shook his head. "You were smeared...Dom. Why did you not notice it being done?"

Dom's brow wrinkled. "I was asleep. I felt...nothing..."

"You think he was drugged?" Lij's voice grew sharp.

The officer reached under the desk again, bringing out one of the silver goblets they had bought off Seth, and which Dom had had filled with wine before going to bed that afternoon.

"He was. Smell it!"

Lij sniffed cautiously at the cup. A very faint aroma assailed his nostrils. Faint, but recognisable, nevertheless. Poppy.

"We have to discover why this happened, before we can begin to understand this case," Aapet said, in heavy tones. "And I, for one, tell you that I have not the remotest clue what is going on!"

Lij's eyes sparkled. "Well, we must all work together to untangle the mystery. But...in the morning, if you please. I am hungry, and, what is more to the point, I long for my bed."

Dom's breath caught in his throat. His need of Lij was never very far from his thoughts, even after all these years.

So do I, muh chree! So do I!

Comments

[verangel.livejournal.com]

*clapping hands in glee* you are amazing oh great royal story teller!! This was wonderful, pur delight. I loved how fairly Dom was treated and how just the officer was. It was so sad though hearing of Ramose love of Seth who is now gone. I can't wait to know what happened. I love that they are allowed to help in figuring it out and that Aapet is so respectful of them. OH Part 3!!! I have to wait now another 7 days for hot sex...*whimpers*. There is nothing better than these two at *play*. heehee. They are so wicked together. I wonder if the new whip will be involved that Lij intended to send Dom that he sent to you instead on your birthday. heehee Hugs you close! I read it like a parched person leaving the desert for the oasis. xoxoxoxoxo v

[ismenin.livejournal.com]

Thank you, my love. It's so nice to be back in Egypt again, and to meet up with THIS Dom n Lij. It's funny how they are all different - to me, anyway.

The whip gets used in pt 3, but it's only mentioned in passing! ;D Hugs ya xxx

[mews1945.livejournal.com]

I love the way you steep the chapter is the atmosphere of the place, and it was quite a relief that the officer was wise and quick enough to deduce that Dom wasn't a murderer. The plot and the characters are fascinating and I look forward to the next chapter.

[ismenin.livejournal.com]

Thank you, dear. It's all go, here, and - for once - I actually know who did the murder and why! A first. Usually, I haven't a clue. I'm looking forward to seeing how Lij arrives at his conclusions. ;D xxx

[http://users.livejournal.com/tweedle_/]

Wonderful! Your characters so so beautifully described. I can see them all quite clearly. :) I'm so looking forward to finding out what has happened and what Lij has had up his sleeve for over a year. I'm as curious as Dom. Terrific story telling. *hugs* :D

[ismenin.livejournal.com]

Hugses back. I'm glad you like it. No Dom or Lij were hurt during the making of this story - SO FAR! Giggles. :D xxx

[janejanejane.livejournal.com]

Thanks as always, dearest Issi... I love it! Another fascinating chapter from the best story teller I know :-)

Great manip from Richie, too!

XXXX

[ismenin.livejournal.com]

Aw, ta, love! Glad you like it. Dom's headgear is not on straight, but that's because Rich did the pic without asking, and I didn't like the one he chose! Ask first, eh? Hugses xxxx ;D

[janejanejane.livejournal.com]

Ah right... Guess he'd better *ask first* next time! ;0)
Hugses back xxxx

[pattilovesviggo.livejournal.com]

Oh! What a gem to discover a week late at 11.30 at night.
I do love these two :)

[ismenin.livejournal.com]

Yes, me too. I do so love a masterful Lij! ;D xxx

[bonnie-las.livejournal.com]

I feel I am right there in Egypt, witnessing the whole proceedings.

Wonderful.

[ismenin.livejournal.com]

Thank you, my love - for that's how I feel when I'm writing it! :D xxx

[primula-baggins.livejournal.com]

I like how Dom and Lij had instant trust in Ramose because they understood his relationship with Seth. How interesting that Ramose knew the words 'onam cora', too. This Seth fellow might have been from Dom's homeland. That could be why the body was left in Dom's bed and why Dom was drugged. I fear one or more of the people from Eire have made their way to Egypt to do some harm. But to whom, and why?

Intriguing!

[ismenin.livejournal.com]

Well, it's a thought, my love - but not on track. Seth heard the term at the palace, where it is well known. It was inevitable a good artisan would find his way there at some time. But nothing to do with the plot! So there!! :D xxx