Excerpt of Magic of the Nile by Veronica Scott

“I’ve never ridden in a chariot,” she confided as he
handed her up into the vehicle. She clutched the side as
he stepped into the driver’s position and the chariot
rocked a bit on the axle.

“A war chariot is hardly the normal mode of transport for
a lady,” he agreed. Raising the reins, he set the horses
into motion. Wheels rumbling, the chariot rolled faster
and faster down the broad dirt road. The horses tossed
their heads, making the feathers on their harness dance.
At first the team trotted but as they reached the main
road to the village, Sahure glanced at her for
permission. Seeing her nod, he set the team into a gallop
and the chariot shot forward as the powerful animals
responded to his command.

Hair flying, Tyema laughed in sheer pleasure. “This is
wonderful! Oh to be able to move so fast through the
world!” She reveled in the ride, knowing all too soon
they’d be at their destination. Deciding this was a night
for daring, working up her courage, she said, “May I
drive?”

“In the twilight, on an unknown road? Hardly the place
for me to teach you to handle a high spirited team,” he
demurred.

“When will I ever have such a chance again? You must be
one of Pharaoh’s best charioteers, surely? Who better to
learn from?”

Glancing at her face, which must have shown her
disappointment despite her wheedling tone, he laughed,
drawing the horses to a halt in a cloud of dust. “I can’t
resist such a charmingly worded request. All right, as a
compromise, you can hold the reins with me, if you’d
like.”

He stood back as she sidled to a position in front of him
and he folded the leather reins into her hands, never
actually releasing them himself. “You wanted to drive,
lift the reins and click your tongue so they know to
run.”

Tyema was exhilarated as they flew along the road in the
moonlight. Fear was the farthest emotion from her heart
right now, which was a blessed relief. Keeping her
balance with difficulty, she yelled, “We’re moving so
fast, like gods!” Only the sense of invulnerability that
swept over her at the height of conducting a major
ceremony for Sobek rivaled this feeling of rushing
through the world like a goddess. So much sheer power
harnessed to do her bidding! If I had a chariot and a
team, I could experience this joy, this freedom from
daily fear and boredom whenever I wished. And I don’t
need anyone else to participate, only the horses.
Although Sahure standing so warm and close behind her was
also a pleasant sensation, her body tingling where they
touched as he supervised her driving. She wished the trip
could last forever but moments later the captain was
extricating the reins from her grasp, pulling the team
into a slower gait as they approached the town gates.

Trying to smooth her hair into some semblance of order as
the chariot rolled past the guards, Tyema laughed from
sheer pleasure. “Thank you, handling the reins was
wonderful! I might have to get one of these myself.”

He looked at her askance. “A chariot? For a temple?”

“Why not?” She’d tasted the glory of traveling with the
speed of the wind and she craved more, enthralled by the
idea of escaping the confines of her normal life any time
she pleased, going so fast no one in the nome could ever
catch her.

“Keep in mind you’ll need a groom, a proper stable—horses
are expensive to feed.” Sahure waved his hand at Nahkti
and Senbi, now walking docilely down the crowded road.
“They’re beautiful but they eat their heads off. Your
head priestess might not like the idea much.”

Tyema laughed. “Oh there’s no problem there, I assure
you.”