The Princess of Egypt Must Die Read Online Free PDF Page B

the girl who called herself my sister in Thrace.
    I should never have called her Bunny.
    I should have remembered that her real name was Eurydice.
    I should have seen her as a rival.
    "I carried notes for Cassander," she confesses to her father, big crocodile tears in her eyes. "But only because he swore to me they were innocent. I didn't know any better, Father. The moment I realized the queen meant to betray you, I told the guards everything I knew."
    The king turns cold eyes to me. "How will you defend yourself, Arsinoë?"
    Lifting my chin, I say, "I've done nothing."
    The king roars. "Nothing! You stand before me having been caught in the night with another man and you call that nothing?"
    Not another man, I think. His son. Cassander is his son, I remember. Surely that must count for something. "We only clasped hands in farewell," I say, choosing my words carefully. If I want Cassander to live until morning, I must use my wits. "We clasped hands. Nothing more. Not tonight. Not ever."
    "You cannot trust her," Prince Agathocles says. "She's an immoral girl."
    King Lysimachus snaps his fingers, warning the prince. "She's still your queen."
    "She was my queen when she professed love for me at your welcome banquet," Prince Agathocles says.
    My mouth falls open in horror and my stomach cramps sharply, as if I've taken a blow.
    "And why is this the first I'm hearing of it?" King Lysimachus snarls.
    "You seemed so happy to bring home your new bride," Agathocles says. "I thought she was young and naive. I didn't want to believe she was wicked."
    In Egypt I never learned to defend myself. I hope it's not too late to learn now. "He's lying."
    "Oh, but there's more," Prince Agathocles says. "A few days later, your queen asked me to meet her beneath the mulberry tree—yes, the very same tree under which she betrayed you tonight."
    "That's not true!" I cry.
    "Ask Bunny," Agathocles says. "Ask your guards and gardeners if you don't believe me. Some of them were witness to it. Your queen professed her love for me, and when I rebuffed her, she ran from me in anger. I called after her that I wanted only to be her friend."
    The blood drains from my face as I realize how expertly I've been maneuvered and manipulated by Prince Agathocles. The king's children planned it all from the start. Bunny called herself my sister, but she's
his
sister.
    And they both want me dead.
     
    I fall to my knees before King Lysimachus, reaching for his feet to plead for his mercy. When I do, the horrible dog snarls, lunges, then sinks its teeth into my arm. I wrench away, too late. Fangs have pierced the tender skin of my wrist and I'm bleeding. The courtiers all gasp; even though I am a queen near disgrace, they're horrified by the sight of the bright red blood that trickles down my hand.
    My blood fascinates me, however. The vibrant color. The sharp scent of it. It focuses my mind to perfect clarity. And I know what I must do.
    I must attack.
    "Your ambitions to take your father's throne don't deceive anyone," I say, pointing at Prince Agathocles with a bloody finger. "You wear expensive jewelry to remind all his lords that you outrank them. You lead the king's cavalry. You take it upon yourself to host in his banquet hall, welcoming his bride by saying she is only fit to give him comfort in his
golden years . You said this to remind the lords of your father's age and to make them think you should take the throne from him."
    Another gasp comes from the crowd. My accusation seems to startle the prince, whose eyes widen. He is
so
startled that he cannot stop himself from self-consciously hiding his bejeweled fingers behind his back.
    "Now you drag your poor sister into it," I continue, glancing at Bunny—no, Princess Eurydice; I will never again forget her name. "You made her lie. You made her scheme. All in an effort to do away with me before I stopped you from stealing your father's throne."
    Before anyone can reply, I whip my head to face the king. My