The Assassins of Isis Read Online Free PDF

dancers and singers, consecrated by their parents to dance in the Holy of Holies and give praise to the Mother Goddess, virgins who have taken a vow never to leave the safety of these precincts. In the space of a few months four of these girls have disappeared without trace.’
    â€˜If a young woman has an itch—’
    Impuki banged the desk with his fist. ‘These are sacred girls, dedicated to the Goddess, not temple prostitutes! No one has seen them leave, they have not returned to their parents’ houses. According to the High Priestess,’ Impuki snorted in derision, ‘they were happy enough.’
    â€˜So how is that my fault?’ Mafdet sneered. ‘How can I be held responsible for their disappearance? If you decide to scale the walls, my lord, and run away, what can I do to stop you?’
    â€˜Well, the walls could be patrolled.’

    â€˜They already are, by your priests and my guards.’
    Impuki picked up the fan and wafted it in front of his narrow face. He could feel the anger seethe within him. The muscles at the back of his neck were tense, whilst his mouth was as dry as if he had been facing a desert wind. He closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing, and when he looked again, Mafdet was sitting, legs crossed, arms hanging down by his sides, staring up at the ceiling, humming quietly.
    â€˜I’ll have you dismissed,’ Impuki declared. ‘I’ll make an appeal to the court. I have the Divine One’s ear. You’ll be discharged to join the other lazy veterans in the beer shops of the Necropolis or the slums of Thebes.’
    â€˜If you do that, my lord,’ Mafdet straightened the chair, ‘I, too, will ask for an audience before the Divine One, or my patron General Suten, or perhaps Lord Senenmut, Pharaoh’s Chief Minister. I will tell him about the secret doings of this temple.’
    â€˜The secret doings?’
    â€˜Well, my lord.’ Mafdet sighed and patted his stomach, smacking his lips as if eager for a drink. He looked longingly at a jug standing near the doorway. ‘It is remarkable how many men and women come to this temple and die in the House of Twilight.’
    Impuki stopped wafting his fan. ‘What are you implying? Our patients are old and very ill; they come here to die and we make their last days as comfortable as possible.’
    â€˜They still die,’ Mafdet answered cheekily, ‘and before they do, they write out their wills and leave most generous legacies to the temple.’
    â€˜We don’t need their money and you know that,’ Impuki answered. ‘They wish to repay us for our care and skill. You will find this common practice in other temples; the income we receive from such legacies is a drop in the pool.’
    â€˜And there are other matters,’ Mafdet continued.

    â€˜What matters?’ Impuki could now feel the sweat soaking his body. The buzzing of the flies over a dish of sweetened dates seemed to grow, an irritating sound which set Impuki’s teeth on edge; for the first time since this confrontation had begun, he felt a prick of fear in his gut. How much did Mafdet know? What was he hinting at?
    â€˜If you have anything to say, now is the time.’ Impuki drew a deep breath. ‘If not, I think it is about time to dispatch you to your duties. I want you to search the temple gardens, the groves, the undergrowth, the orchards, all those lonely places.’
    â€˜And what am I looking for, my lord? Do you think the temple girls are hiding there, giggling behind their fingers, eager to play hide and seek?’
    â€˜We have many visitors to this temple,’ Impuki retorted. ‘The sick in body and mind come here. They visit our schools of life, they make offerings in our chapels and seek the advice of our priests and physicians.’ He took a deep breath. ‘It is possible that we have admitted a sinner, a man who likes to prey on young