Daughter of Isis, Lilian Nirupa [books to get back into reading .txt] 📗

strange combination of Ketu rising’s passion for freedom and her Capricorn love of discipline. But then he would add seriously, “Although many people would not understand it, that is a very good combination for leadership, and you may be a Queen some day. But remember, nobody can command who does not know how to obey.”
Lizla did not need much reinforcing on the subject. She was quite comfortable with discipline. It was Ishtar-la herself who intimidated her. What was she supposed to learn about love? She enjoyed Mikos’ sweet, furtive looks and was annoyed by Psusennes’s daring ones. She felt attracted by the Persian’s melodic voice, whose face she had not seen, and she felt disgusted with Altamira’s slaving disposition toward his lover. Mizzia’s stories of love and Annouk-Aimee’s latest experiences also meant that romantic love can be dangerous. Was Ishtar-la going to teach her how to deal with men? Should she become like Aunt Lillie, the belle of all parties? Aunt Lillie was one of Ishtar-la’s first disciples, but she also had a royal bearing quite Egyptian in lightness and decorum.
All these impressions were swimming in Lizla’s consciousness as she did the 30-minute walk prescribed for her. She chose the path around the man-made lake that faced the Eastern Oasis. When she felt sure that nobody could see her, she sat down by the lake at the end of her walk and contemplated her own face reflected in the clear lake surface. Against the pure, cloudless sky, she saw an oval face with large dark eyes and well designed mouth, framed by the long tresses of dark hair. What was Ishtar-la going to do with this, she mused alarmed?
Psusennes was coming from one of his hunting trips and saw his beautiful but often distant cousin looking at herself in the quiet lake’s natural mirror. He decided to approach her, since he had been interrupted last time by their common mentor Ra-Ta, during his last visit to the Isis temple compound.
“Good morning, my princess. It is a beautiful day, isn’t it, but as I am sure, not as priceless as the image you are seeing in the lake?”
Lizla was puzzled by his gallant greeting. She felt simultaneously a bit of pride, apprehension and delight at seeing him there, but still she reacted as if he was intruding.
Psusennes was silent for a moment and kept looking at her from a respectful few feet away. Lizla calmed down after awhile and said, smiling, “Hello, how are you? Are you on retreat?”
“No.” He seemed surprised by the question, “just visiting.”
Suddenly, Lizla remembered Altamira and her impending childbirth. She did not dare to bring the subject up.
“Visit who? Ra-Ta?” she said to help him out of it.
“Oh, yes.” The prince smiled back gratefully. “But he is in seclusion. I need to ask him for some advice,” he said and a somber shadow of irony crossed over his sun burnt face.
Lizla suddenly remembered her dream last night and wondered if she would dare to share it with her daring cousin. After all, they had the same teacher and were close relatives. So she ventured, “Advice of a personal or political nature?” And almost distractedly, she picked up a pebble from the ground and threw it on the lake. She loved to see the flat pebble jump on the water a couple of times. When she was a child, her sisters and cousins, including Psusennes, used to compete on how many times they could make a flat pebble “jump” over a quiet pool of water.
Psusennes frowned before answering. He was not used to discussing politics with women, not even one as intelligent as his royal cousin. But he had some pressing questions on his mind, and who knows, he thought, she might have some of the answers.
“Why do you ask me that? A beautiful face like yours should not get involved in such matters.”
Lizla gave him a serious look. “Is Ra-Ta giving you advice on pretty faces?” She immediately bit her lip. She could not believe those unfriendly words coming from her own mouth.
Psusennes smiled sheepishly. “You got me, no, yes there are political issues I am worried about. It used to be so clear who your loyalties were with. When your revered father passed away, Ramses IX, the world seems to be crumbling beneath our feet.”
Psusennes looked stern and angry, but Lizla could see his sorrow beneath the bitter words. So she ventured softly, “What can Ra-Ta do about it? He is a wise man, but a priest. I never heard him talk about politics except...” and she stopped as she remembered her dream.
“Except what?” now Psusennes was anxiously asking. Almost unconsciously, he took his cousin’s hand in his handsome hands.
Lizla recoiled shyly but continued, “Well, I had a dream about him last night...”
“Oh, just a dream.” Psusennes seemed disappointed, until he remembered suddenly about Ra-Ta commenting on Lizla’s psychic abilities.
“Well, yes, but it was so vivid and unusual,” Lizla continued, focusing on her memories of the dream. “Of course, it may be been caused by the eclipse or perhaps also from the other political conversations I heard the last two days.”
“Can you please tell me about it?” Psusennes was eager to get close to his beautiful cousin and erase the bad impressions he may have created before with his previous forwardness.
“Well, I dreamt that he was woken up by an assassin.”
Psusennes tensed and raised his brows, but added, “Please continue.”
She told him how he had overcome the young Nubian (who was half Egyptian), taking the dagger from his hand, and how the stranger had related his need to avenge the death of his father, a Nubian official, at the hands of rebellious priests in the Thebes southern capital.
“In the dream, Ra-Ta had decided to go to Thebes to investigate the issue. What do you make of all that? Isn’t it absurd, that the priests at Thebes may be conspiring against a Nubian ambassador... It does not make any sense.” Lizla sighed. “But you asked to hear it.” She smiled softly.
Psusennes jumped to his feet with excitement and a deeper kind of worry crossed his brow. “So that is where he went.” He seemed to be thinking aloud.
Lizla asked him, “What do you mean? It was just a dream.”
Her cousin jumped to his feet and forgetting all formality, he held both her hands in his. Looking into her big calm eyes, he retorted, “My dear cousin, Ra-Ta was right. You may be a prophetess. He left this morning for Thebes, they told me at the temple. And guess what? He took a Nubian slave with him, one whose mother works at the palace.” Looking deep into Lizla’s astonished eyes, he stole a kiss from his surprised cousin and left.

Chapter 10 – Ishtar-la – The Temple of Love Master
Ishtar-la was pensive as she examined the charts of her five new disciples in the Temple of Love. Lizla was the Royal Princess, strange stars for a woman! Much power was indicated and psychic abilities, also feeling and romance. Ishtar-la sighed. Those magnificent Egyptians! She does symbolize it all, the teacher mused to herself.
In Egypt, man and woman were seen as equal in power. Isis defied the ruler of the universe in order to get her healing gifts. Even the ruler of the life itself, Osiris himself, was brought back to life thanks to the healing power of a woman: his wife Isis.
Yes, Ishtar-la had fallen in love with Egypt many years ago. On that fateful day when she was still a young princess in the Babylonian court and this intrepid Egyptian general – a minor prince – in the Memphis court, set his eyes on her for the first time. She had trembled with pleasure, pride, and a bit of fear. His gaze had been burning with admiration, respect and a certain pride that made him irresistible. He was introduced to the Babylonian court bringing a message of peace and alliance from Pharaoh. The king of Babylon received him as the messenger of peace from the two governments. But the moment Arart had set his eyes on Ishtar-la, his heart had been set on fire with longing and desire. It was obvious to all in the court that his sincerity was making his job difficult as he submitted his considerable conciliatory message to the king in passionate tones, all the while stealing furtive glances at Ishtar-la who was one of the Queen attendants behind the throne. The queen herself was amused with the uneasy stance of the Egyptian general turned ambassador.
“Come Prince Arart,” she said in the bewitching Babylonian style that Arart found so confusing in this Royal Court. In Egypt, all those about Pharaoh – particularly in an official ceremony – were guided by the high priests and yielded audience reluctantly and with ultimate decorum.
The Queen arose, and to Arart’s surprise, she held his hand and offered him a seat next to Ishtar-la. The Queen also noted with amusement that her beautiful attendant, a princess well traveled and experienced in the art of love and female grace, was lowering her eyes at the intense looks from the Egyptian visitor. Her own burning cheeks contrasted with the rose and purple gown, making her appearance even more irresistible than anything Arart had ever seen before.
Nabukosodek the king of Babylon gave his wife a furtive glance of approval. How lucky he was to have married this beautiful queen of his. Although her beauty and subtle sensuality attracted more attention that he would prefer, he knew he could trust her.
This time, once again she had proved to be charming and politically savvy at the same time. Ishtar-la was his distant cousin. And an alliance with Egypt by marrying her to the Egyptian nephew of Pharaoh would assure many months of peace, through a powerful alliance with a safe and powerful neighbor. Egypt was stable and rich; and unlike his own kingdom, the priests of Egypt respected Pharaoh while its riches would prove a secure future for him and his family. That would help him to keep his army and palaces protected. Then, who would know? The Babylonian king gave Arart a sign of approval and acceptance as he receive from the young ambassador the beautiful painted box full of jewels that he had brought from Egypt. Then he took a ring out of his own hand and put it on the small finger of Arart, who then bowed to the Babylonian king, kissing his hand...
Ishtar-la was lost in her reveries as she contemplated their beautiful memories together. During the next two weeks, Arart courted her intensely and at the third week, a marriage of both political alliance and of young love made her feel she was living in paradise.
A month later, the happy newlyweds returned to Egypt carrying a pact of alliance for the Pharaoh and a new beautiful exotic Princess to grace the Egyptian courts and Arart’s palace’s in his own heart.
Ishtar-la always remembered those sunny days with love and gratitude. Although five years later, her husband was killed in battle defending Pharaoh’s forces against the Nubians, she had found a new home in Memphis. While she had received a Babylonian education, her mother was Egyptian by birth and Ishtar-la always dreamt with visiting her mother’s place of birth. Also the understanding of the Egyptians’ more serene manners, constant purification rituals and other aspects of their strange religion was her secret initiation from her mother. Besides, she felt also inclined to guide the young Egyptian princesses in the arts of makeup and appreciate the opportunity to learn new hairstyles and more colorful clothing, which the young girls found fascinating. The priestesses of the Temple of Isis were looking to restore the old custom of the Temple of Love, to