Chapter Sixteen

General Hazas’s decision to leave Luka in Egypt quickly bore positive results.

In the latest pigeon post, Luka clearly informed the prince that the High Priesthood, led by Pharaoh Manphis of Egypt, had already offered war prayers to the god Amon and would soon march on Bytado.

That very night, the King, the prince, and their ministers of Bytado held an all-night council to deliberate on the impending conflict. Egypt, a desert nation, lacked naval strength, and Bytado was even weaker in that regard. Yet Prince Izmi, having captured the precious hostage known as the Daughter of the Nile, might not be at a disadvantage in a direct confrontation.

When the hostage was mentioned, General Hazas noticed a smile on the prince’s face. This old fox feigned ignorance outwardly but was inwardly alarmed.

Prince Izmi intended to entrust Inanna with training in literacy under General Hazas’s guidance. As she also held the unique privilege of easy access to the inner palace, Hazas probed further when he met Inanna.

Inanna was well aware that a dramatic and sordid saga was unfolding within the palace walls. Mira admired the prince, who in turn harbored ambiguous feelings toward Kaerol, who fiercely resisted.

But if Kaerol truly favored Manphis, why had she fallen into the prince’s trap? Since a traitor was uncovered in the palace, Kaerol, nearly escaping by leaping into the sea with the help of Unas, had been caught in a fishing net and returned by the prince. Henceforth, palace guards kept her under even tighter scrutiny.

Though Inanna was not a close attendant to either woman, she discerned the excessive intimacy between Prince Izmi and Kaerol.

Inanna said nothing, but gestures conveyed the embraces and kisses clearly enough, turning General Hazas’s old face red.

Yet, as a seasoned veteran both in life and on the battlefield, he quickly grasped the problem. The prince’s attitude was troubling; if he only wished to exploit the Daughter of the Nile’s talents, why display such affection? Such behavior only emboldened the woman. If the prince truly cared, he might as well claim her wholly, thus naturally winning her heart.

Inanna was impressed by the general’s expertise.

Hazas, however, was pained. The prince was still immature; to handle women, one must wield the whip, just as on the return voyage when the Daughter of the Nile repeatedly escaped provocations. Yet the prince had leisure for romance. When the two armies finally faced each other, he might hesitate to strike decisively, jeopardizing the entire campaign.

If Nietzsche knew someone had uttered his saying about taming a woman with a whip three thousand years ago, he would surely weep at this ancient kindred spirit.

Sadly, Murphy’s Law predicted that the worst was yet to come.

Amid the roar of waves crashing against the prow and the thunderous clatter of stray arrows striking the ship’s planks, Bytado, holding the noble Daughter of the Gods hostage, forced Pharaoh Manphis to hesitate despite having the upper hand, ultimately compelling him to abandon the attack.

While Bytado basked in the triumph of strategic success, the Egyptian forces, aided by Kaerol’s inside support and guided by a tunnel discovered by the escaped Unas, stormed the Saligare seaport.

This battle left a deep wound in the young Prince Izmi’s heart. The Saligare Palace atop the mountain was engulfed in flames; the towering walls crumbled into ruins. Cedarwood ships brought from the northwest forests sank one by one. The bodies of men from the highlands piled like mountains. Far away in Hattusas, their wives and children wept, their tears of sorrow and grief flowing into the Red River, which then carried them to the blood-stained sea.

Standing before him, sword drawn and challenging him, was none other than Pharaoh Manphis of Egypt. Between them lay the Daughter of the Nile, pierced through the back and fallen in a pool of blood—the blade lodged in her wound was the very dagger the prince never parted with.

Izmi’s fury blazed; what he could not have, he would deny others. Yet as he watched the fragile young girl flee, his dagger aimed not at her heart, but merely at her shoulder!

This moment of mercy gave Manphis the chance to leap before Izmi, ready to fight to the death.

Prince of Bytado and Pharaoh of Egypt were born rivals, aware of each other since birth. Loyal to their respective nations, they never allowed themselves to lose to the other.

Yet this was their first close encounter, and these two young heroes met first on the battlefield. They were strikingly similar: muscular arms gripping swords with bulging veins, broad shoulders seasoned by spear-throwing, well-toned chests hardened by drawing bows, knees agile and resilient. Both were stunningly handsome, immensely powerful rulers presiding over mighty nations along the Great Green Sea, worshipped by millions, favored as living embodiments of the sun god Amon.

Each had claimed a woman and a seaport as spoils of war, yet the outcome was Izmi’s defeat and retreat. Nineteen years of rivalry culminated in shame, nearly choking the proud prince who outwardly appeared humble.

Salgiare’s loss was certain, but the rivalry between these natural enemies remained unresolved.

Izmi’s sword hand was calloused and blistered from countless clashes. Neither man would yield an inch, each praying to their gods for victory in this duel.

The armies of Bytado and Egypt watched their young leaders fiercely contesting in the shattered Saligare Palace, shaken as if by a magnitude nine earthquake.

Inanna hid behind General Hazas, watching intently. It was her first time truly seeing Pharaoh Manphis’s face. Amid the blazing firelight and shiny Egyptian bald soldiers, only he had a striking mane of black hair. If Prince Izmi’s features were noble and handsome, Pharaoh Manphis was as beautiful as a woman. Yet his black eyes, heavily shadowed with kohl, burned with wild passion. His bold demeanor made him a radiant, fiery youth—undoubtedly the finest earthly embodiment of the sun god Amon.

Inanna admired Kaerol’s steadfastness; she herself was unmoved by this irresistibly handsome and fiercely spirited Egyptian king. Nor was she swayed by Prince Izmi.

If she were to judge Izmi objectively, she would be compelled to praise his sharp brows, starry eyes, graceful bearing, and ethereal charm. Yet these words seemed inadequate for this favored scion of heaven.

Izmi was like a bright moon in the sky, but with a biting crescent.

Inanna realized she might have encountered the legendary time-traveling heroine.

At that moment, the battered Saligare Palace, like a dying elder, emitted a final mournful groan. The mightiest stone pillar crashed down with a roaring howl, scattering fiery debris and abruptly separating the two combatants.

Bytado’s king, having waited long for his son’s retreat, donned black iron armor and came with his guards to retrieve him. Seeing his son’s reluctance to withdraw, he roared, “Izmi, what are you doing?! Withdraw at once! We shall one day exact blood for Midaven’s death from Egypt!”

Hearing his father’s perilous arrival, Izmi barely parried the last sword thrust from Manphis amid falling embers. With a sullen face, he issued a challenge: “Pharaoh Manphis of Egypt, today I have lost. But before the goddess Alina, I swear to avenge my sister Midaven, who died in Egypt! To avenge today’s disgrace! Daughter of the Nile, you dared deceive me, invite the wolf in, and doom many of Bytado’s sons to death. I will claim you to rectify this shame!”

His declaration was brazen to the extreme. Were it not for the desperate efforts of Sinoye and Unas holding back Manphis, the two kings would have again clashed to the death.

General Hazas and Kesi nearly carried the prince through a secret passage beneath the palace to escape. Fearing abandonment during flight, Inanna, under soldier guard, squeezed early into a carriage with the queen’s lower-ranking maids.

Because Egypt’s forces spanned the entire Great Green Sea, deep penetration was unwise, and supply lines could not keep pace. After a night of hurried retreat, Bytado’s troops lost their pursuers, who lacked the will to press on, and after another day’s march, they reached the nearby stronghold of Nairik.

Nairik was Bytado’s third most important city after the capital Hattusas and Alina City. It honored the agricultural god incarnation of King Tieleping, a historical reformer. Its moderate elevation made it ideal for wheat and fruit cultivation, serving as a major source of tribute and taxation.

Although the Bytado people historically innovated the chariot wheel from solid wood to a primitive modern design, they had not yet invented shock-absorbing springs. After a day and night of travel, Inanna’s body felt nearly broken apart, numb from the jarring dirt roads as she leaned against the carriage wall in despair.

When the carriage finally stopped, she scarcely believed such sudden, blissful calm.

The people of Nairik had not yet learned of the empire’s defeat. The city lord Ashri, the king’s sole surviving cousin, appeared in hastily donned, disheveled formal wear to greet them. Remarkably, he faced no reproach.

Those with insight knew the weathered group had suffered misfortune. Ashri’s life motto was to speak little of what should remain unsaid.

Feigning ignorance, he welcomed the imperial family into the palace. To avoid unnecessary rumors, the main army was left outside the city under guard, while Ashri sent guides to nearby villages for rest and recuperation.

As the gates clanged shut, Inanna glared resentfully at General Hazas, who, like a watchful eagle, both served the prince and tightly guarded her—she felt both hatred and fear.

The group was not without distraction. Aside from Mira’s mournful face, rejected by her lover, a beauty from Lydia traveled with them, her melodious speech comforting the defeated Bytado king’s spirits—a truly admirable and talented woman.

Because only the royal family could use wheeled transport on the palace’s specially maintained stone roads, Inanna caught only a glimpse of this consoler’s back.

Man’s inherent faults have persisted through the ages. Though the Bytado queen had borne a grown son, her pampered life had left her plump, radiant, tall, and slender, appearing no more than a young wife. Her naturally noble bearing, inherited by Prince Izmi, was evident.

Yet watching her sway her slender waist and round hips, Inanna mused that the king’s tastes were simple: if a man did not appreciate a woman’s figure, how could he cherish her soul?

Before she could finish this silent judgment, Inanna was summoned by the queen, a reminder that speaking ill of others behind their backs was unwise.