Reincarnation Read Online Free PDF Page A

her straight, thick, black hair grew warm against her
    forehead.
    She smiled coyly at her audience. Across from her, the nobleman Nakht, his wife, Renenutet,
    and their exquisitely dressed guests sat at tables by an inlaid pool with white lotus flowers
    floating languidly on its shimmering crystal waters. They were merchants, politicians, and
    dignitaries. One of the guests was an immensely fat woman who had a pet alligator on a
    leash. Tetisheri hoped she'd fed it well before arriving.
    She waited for the harpist to hit a particular, prearranged note before breaking her statue-
    like pose and beginning her song. It was a popular tune that recounted how the goddess
    Isis frantically searched for her murdered husband, the god Osiris, in the afterworld, never
    losing faith in their love for each other, even in death.
    The song challenged her vocal ability with its ever-mounting intensity, requiring her to
    strain to the top of her range, but it would show off her voice well. It was important
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    that Nakht be made proud in front of his guests, so it would be clear he could afford to
    employ a top-quality singer and dancer in his household. Her job depended on it.
    Living in her small room in Nakht's lavish estate with its murals, golden mosaics, and
    imported glass windows was so much more than she could have hoped for as a wife down
    in the village. Up until this chance arose, being a wife had been the only future she could
    look forward to, and it had always struck her as a living death of dullness. But since the day
    Renenutet had heard her singing in her father's shop and asked to hire her as the household
    entertainer, her life had changed dramatically. This life was more than she had ever dreamed
    of.
    A sidelong glance revealed that her audience was watching with rapt interest. Good. This
    evening was crucial. If the guests responded well to her, Nakht and Renenutet would give
    her a permanent position in the household.
    She continued with the song of Isis and Osiris, reaching out dramatically, warbling with the
    anguish she imagined Isis must have felt when she was told that the god Set had murdered
    Osiris.
    Pulling back her shoulders, her arms raised, Tetisheri strained for the song's often elusive
    high note. Her voice quivered, cracking slightly. She pushed harder for the note. The
    shakiness left her. She hadn't failed entirely. As she majestically lowered her arms, she
    thought she saw appreciative nods.
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    Tetisheri began swaying her hips. The miniature bells on her ankle bracelets jingled when
    she kicked her right foot forward and hopped backward onto her left. Raising her arms into
    the air again, she hoped the thick golden cobra bracelet wrapped around her upper arm
    would flash with dramatic effect.
    As she turned in a circle, re-enacting Isis becoming a falcon in order to better search for her
    beloved, she felt the animal-sense tingle of a gaze upon her. Cutting her eyes to the
    doorway, she glanced toward the young man standing there.
    His striped headpiece with its highly polished golden cobra shaded his face but she
    recognized him just the same. She had grown up with Ramose in the town, but she hadn't
    seen him for some time. He had grown strikingly handsome since the last time they had
    spoken, and she'd heard he'd been made a Captain of the Guard in the army. The golden fly
    that hung from his neck was a mark of valor in battle.
    Nakht stood and raised his hand to the harpist to stop playing. Tetisheri stopped as well,
    stepping back beside the harpist, her head bowed.
    Nakht beckoned for Ramose to approach, and he stepped forward. "Ramses the Second
    thanks Nakht for supporting his successful campaign to suppress the Nubian rebellion and
    for raising funds for the building of the great temple at Abu Simpel," Ramose said in a
    formal, official tone. "In gratitude, he sends you this Nubian slave captured in recent battle."
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    Another Egyptian soldier dragged out a man with skin the color of