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Square ed fore and aft for ated north, propelled by the current Sht to the dark waters ahead Leaving the city of Memphis in their wake, the boats sailed silently, except for the slap of water against their hulls and the dip of oars into the river

Twelve h the boats Ahead, a string of lanterns had appeared It was a vessel moored in the center of the river

Meritaten squinted at the illue Ropes stretched froht hours, while at night it served as a tax station for passing e revealed it was prepared this night for more than tax duty

“Extinguish the lantern!” called the captain of Meritaten’s boat, a gruff man with a clean-shaven head, and looked to the other boats

Too late All three had been seen A teae of arrows

Gaythelos shoved Meritaten to the deck A crewrabbed his neck where an arrow had struck

“Stay down!” As two guards stood watch alongside, Gaythelos dragged a sack of grain across the deck and covered his ith it

Under the sack, she could only listen to the battle The three boats turned to the far shoreline, putting as e The first boat approached one of the barge’s ropes, and men with swords leaned over the bow to sever it Several were picked off by the archers, others sliced the barrier free

The three boats continued downriver, but the barge released a small chase vessel, filled arriors andoars to water, the pursuit craftMeritaten and Gaythelos It closed the distance quickly and pulled alongside Its warriors swar little resistance

Gaythelos and the ar spears and striking their attackers with bronze swords Hand-to-hand fighting spilled across the deck as every crewht to repel the boarders Archers on the attack boat fired arrows into thewarriors on both sides Bodies of the dead splashed into the Nile The battle raged back and forth until the attackers see defeat, Meritaten rose fro place and picked up a dead warrior’s sword

“Seize victory!” she i boarder

The defenders rallied at the sight Charging the attackers, they drove the theing swords archers, then shoved the boat to drift aith its cargo of the dead

Meritaten stepped to the bow in search of her husband The deck was soaked in blood, dead and wounded er She wrapped her arms around him

“We are safe now,” he said “You have led us to victory” He turned to the captain, who sat at the steering oar, an arrow protruding from his shoulder “Isn’t that true?”

The man nodded “There will be no more obstacles We are nearly to the Delta—and ypt will be in our wake”