Two Eyes Cenote ninety-sixth

the story surprised senmut, but some other aspect of the retelling truly interested the priest. he withheld any comment as the guarded voice continued, exposing emotion as one might glimpse a stern rampart through its covering of willow-leaves.

inclining his head to accept akavir's apology and thus move them silently beyond any further reminding, senmut maintained his peace. a man roamed out in search of a dead daughter. his mind considered aiesha with a sharp pang he had not experienced before; the weight of it cracked the somber set of his face with a worried sympathy.

a moment. two. the priest was himself once more, listening. a woman — qiao? — and akavir attending eset. realizing he had never heard the hebsut scream and realizing he never wished to hear it, senmut felt discomfort and fear rising serpent-heads in his belly.

he saw it; qiao and akavir and khusobek. and a man? another? chaos, as akavir had said. and zaahira in her role as jodai but without strength to stand back and to direct.

a ponderous and long silence spread between he and the valley king. "there will be no arrests," senmut said at last, sparing akavir any explanation of how akashingo's response must decide such things. "eset rules muat-riya. not only did she order your release, she wishes you here." and unless pharaoh herself commanded otherwise, senmut had little thought that akavir would be dragged off.

their guards had discovered eset bleeding with two strangers at hand. he did not misunderstand their swift and violent response, only how the jodai had responded after eset's clear order that akavir be let alone.

"a mess," senmut said lightly some moments later, running the images in his mind. "thank you for your time in this recollection. will you tell me last of this second man? his description."

he did not tell to akavir that the palaces had been attacked; the man understood kingdoms in some form. therefore he would understand also that to be figurehead was to exist beneath constant threat. but this bore suspicion and therefore needed its own time to be addressed.

and then here, this second thing: akavir cared deeply and clearly for eset, and senmut was unsure that he had seen her regard any else in such a way. if this was a matter only of season, a man did not need to give so much of his heart, not as the one before him did in each moment of the recount.