As the pharaoh halted the horses at the base of the reviewing stand, the crowd screamed in adulation. He looked up at Nefertiti, his eyes relieved and confident. He dismounted and walked slowly down the center of the boulevard, basking in the divine certainty that he was both ruler and god.
And then Nefertiti placed her lips to Aye’s ear. He could smell her perfume and feel the heat of her skin. More than ever, he lusted for this beautiful woman.
“Starting tomorrow, Aye,” she told him, “ Egypt will be changed forever. Mark my words.”
He had no idea what she was talking about. The only thing that mattered was the beating of his heart and the way his name had sounded in her mouth.
“And Aye?”
“Yes, my queen?”
“If I ever see you looking at me that way again, I will feed your heart to the crocodiles.”
Chapter 13
Amarna
1345 BC
ONLY IN THE ANCIENT WORLD was such a thing possible-such a miracle in architecture. In just two years, the city of Amarna was complete. Aye had been in charge of the site, and now he sent word to the pharaoh. He figured he had three weeks, maybe four, until Akhenaten and his host of minions arrived.
But he had underestimated the earnestness of his king’s desire to flee Thebes.
A week after his message was received, Aye was sipping ale on the terrace of the new royal palace. He was bored and lonely. His wife was still in Thebes. Even worse, so were his harem girls.
He gazed out at the Nile, marveling at the view. It truly was a gorgeous afternoon. The sky was a clear blue, and the heat tolerable if he stayed in the shade.
Then the royal vizier saw a sight so shocking that he nearly dropped his ceramic mug.
Cruising up the Nile was an armada of ships. Dozens. No, make that hundreds of vessels. Their great trapezoidal sails were visible from miles away. Aye could see thousands of citizens from Thebes lining the decks, ready to start their new lives in Amarna.