Flail of the Pharoah Read Online Free PDF Page B

to trouble.
    The queen introduced Charmian to a couple of other concubines, and then swept out in her regal way. The two women patted a seat between them and eagerly made way for the newcomer, stroking her golden hair with little cries of wonder. They babbled at her in Egyptian, but with strange accents she could scarcely understand, and they soon wearied of her monosyllabic replies to their questions.
    Eventually they abandoned her to a crowd of children who were also fascinated by the fair-skinned girl who had suddenly appeared in their midst. It didn’t take Charmian long to realise that she was far happier in the company of these children, since she could join in their games of dice and marbles with little need for verbal communication. Soon she was feeling more like a child herself.
    Yet, as she played, she was acutely aware of the sidelong glances she was getting from the women in the harem. They were mostly dark-skinned beauties, some voluptuous and others slim, some with hennaed hair and others with black oiled tresses. A couple were black Nubian women with large breasts and buttocks whose heads were shaven. There were some lighter-skinned Libyans, too. Charmian knew, from the basic lessons in Egyptian history and politics Ephiras’ boy had given her, that Nubian was mostly friendly to Egypt while Libya had been a troublesome enemy for many years. But here in the Pharaoh’s harem she sensed that all such considerations seemed irrelevant. Each was there for his majesty’s pleasure, and that was all that mattered.
    The rest of that first day passed slowly for Charmian. Although she was often stared at, and no doubt gossiped about by the other women, she was not let into their conversation and had to be content with whatever scraps of language she could overhear. The children were more helpful. As soon as they realised her vocabulary was limited, they began to point to things and say the name.
    It wasn’t long before Prince Neshi joined them. He sprawled on a couch and looked down at the other children with a superior air, but he seemed to take a particular interest in the fair newcomer.
    ‘You don’t speak much Egyptian, then?’ he enquired casually.
    She shook her head, averting her gaze from the dark, searching eyes that glittered with faintly mocking amusement.
    ‘No, sir, I come from… far off.’
    He reached over and casually stroked her hair. ‘Pure gold. No doubt you are worth your weight in gold, too!’ He laughed. ‘I envy my father. He has the pick of all the world in his harem while I have… nothing and no one.’
    Charmian caught his drift, but his words disturbed her. The prince was clearly an adolescent, with the strong sexual desire of all young males, and as he moved she was sure she could see his penis stirring beneath his short tunic. Her feeling that he had no place here with the women and children was confirmed, but it was none of her business so she vowed to remain silent on the subject. When he apparently grew bored with her company and moved away to join in the dancing with awkward, gangly movements, she felt both relieved and disappointed.
    At last night fell and torches were lit. Food was brought in for the women and Charmian feasted hungrily on the tasty dishes: most of the flavours she had never tasted before, but they were all delicious. Once the meal was cleared away there was a great deal of activity amongst the women, who seemed to be queuing up to bathe in the great marble baths. Once they were clean and scented they put on their fine linen and ornaments, then dressed each other’s hair. Charmian looked on, wondering if she should be joining in as well, until one of the women said to her in passing, ‘You don’t need to do this yet. You must be trained first.’
    Once they were all looking their best the women took pains to display themselves to advantage, posing on the low couches that were placed around the harem. Some showed off a shapely ankle or a lean thigh; others