Keeper of the Ark (A Moses Trilogy)

Chapter 1: Tharbis
Tharbis stared down from the rampart, imagining what it would be like to run her fingers through the tousled dark waves framing the Egyptian general's sun-tanned face. It was early morning. The sun was just beginning to rise. No one knew for sure how many hours the Egyptian army had been camped outside their safe haven, but it wasn't speculation that lured Tharbis. This was simply her morning ritual. She loved the dawn and always rose early to greet the sun from the highest point in the fortress. Preferring the village, she hated being cooped up. She liked the freedom to run and feel the wind on her face. So much of her life had been spent traveling to and from this fortress every time the scouts sensed the threat of an attack. And now that the Egyptian army really had come, it was a total surprise.
Being in the fortress was a fortunate coincidence. King Kashta had called the elders into council to discuss the coming rainy season. But Tharbis was much more interested in watching the general than searching the sky for signs of rain.
Moses' back bent as he examined the tower, searching for a way to break through the battlement that kept Tharbis' royal family safe. He was muscular. She watched his thighs tighten under the strain of the backbend necessary to examine the top of the tower.
She found herself wanting to help him, despite circumstances. Her heart was embracing his form. She imagined what it would be like to touch him, to talk with him...
Her dark eyes sparkled as she climbed down from her eagle's view and broke into a run, skipping two steps at a time on her way to her father's royal chamber.
At first the guard denied her entrance. Children were not usually permitted into the royal council while it was in session, so Tharbis waited for a recess. She didn't have to wait long, and it looked as though her persistence was about to be rewarded when the king approached her! This was quite unexpected. She fully anticipated having to make a scene to get his attention, but it didn't take long to figure out what was really going on when someone touched her shoulder. She spun with a start to face her mother.
"Come with me, Tharbis. Your father is expecting us. Those crazy Egyptians are here and our scouts did not alert us. We don't know how they got this far without our knowledge. No one guarding the Nile passage saw them come. We are trapped inside this place and totally unprepared. Our supplies have not arrived. We must devise a plan."
Everyone knew the only way the Egyptians could attack their fortress at Saba was by coming down the Nile River. Scouts always camped on the banks of the river, and runners dispatched any time the Egyptians tried to sneak past their careful vigils The ground routes were infested with flying, biting serpents. No one could successfully traverse those dangerous fields, or even consider such an undertaking.
Tharbis followed behind her disconcerted mother, who chattered all the way. While her father returned to his place at the head of the room, Tharbis looked around, surprised at how large the room was. She had not spent much time in this part of the fortress, so she took it all in with wide eyes.
The royal chamber was dimly lit with torches that gave off the smell of smoke--smoke that left ashy streaks on the walls of the cylindrical red brick room. The large room was comfortable, with many soft skin loungers for the royal council, and rock-hewn benches set in various places along the curved walls.
The elders gathered round King Kashta, speaking in urgent tones that frightened Tharbis. She reached for her mother's hand as they settled on one of the benches concealed by shadow in an out-on-the-way area of the room.
King Kashta was trying to gain control while silencing the clamor around him.
"We need a plan," Kuza said in a loud forceful speech that commanded the attention of the elders. Kurza was chief advisor and King Kashta always listened when Kurza spoke. And when King Kashta listened, everyone was quiet so he could think.
"We will surely die of starvation," Balzar said. No one disagreed.
"We will die of thirst before that," Kurza said. "We have to make an alliance, but what can we offer?"
Again there was silence--silence that spoke directly to Tharbis' bumping heart. Here was the opportunity she had hoped for, but did she dare speak up? Rising slowly from her dark alcove, Tharbis took a deep breath and stepped into the light.
Her breasts were just beginning to bud, and her waist was becoming too small to hold up the cotton skirt her mama had woven for her tenth birthday. It meant she could begin to seek a mate. That was two years ago. No one appealed to her--until today.
Mustering her courage, Tharbis cleared her throat and allowed the words to tumble out all at once.
"Papa, offer me to the Egyptian general. We can make an alliance between us. I want him for my mate."
King Kashta looked with new eyes at his daughter. She was lovely. Kashta's mind revisited the past twelve years in the few quiet seconds it took to gaze tenderly at his only child.
She loved the outdoors. She liked to run and climb trees, and pick bouquets for her mama. How he hated to sequester her in this monstrous fortress all the time. But the Egyptian army had become more menacing, and today his greatest fear had become a reality.
"Go, make the offer," Kashta ordered in a wistful, broken whisper that openly expressed what his frayed emotions could not conceal.
When he turned aside to regain his composure, his aide quickly left the room.