Goddess of Bast, Book I

Egypt. 1540 B.C. The 18th Dynasty. Third year of the reign of Pharoah Thuthmosis I. Lord User, loyal citizen of the Two Lands, governs Bubastis in the Egyptian Delta, ancient birthplace of Bast, benevolent cat-headed Goddess of the province. User is nervously expecting his first child, while Pharoah Thuthmosis in far away Thebes shares the same anxiety as his Governor. To universal rejoicing in Thebes, the Great Wife Aahmes delivers a daughter, the Princess Hatshepsut; while in Bubastis, the long and agonizing birth of User’s daughter Temert precipitates his beloved wife’s death. Hatshepsut soon becomes her father’s favorite; Thutmosis denies her nothing, In Bubastis, all the love User felt for his beautiful Hrera is transferred to Temert. User’s uncritical devotion to Temert creates a willful, single-minded child. She revels in her influence over her father, and the power she wields over others. The household servants are easy early victims of petty cruelties; they fear her temper and her uncanny ability to know their thoughts. Her proud Nubian bodyguard, Pinehas, is a constant target because he refuses to fear her. She becomes an acolyte in the Temple of Bast, destined to one day become High Priestess. But it is not enough. She seeks other, more immediate fulfillment in secret liasons, while her innocent father believes her to be chaste and devout. When Temert is 18, Princess Hatshepsut is crowned Queen and Co-Regent by her father. They journey throughout the length of Egypt, visiting every province and introducing the new queen to the population. In Bubastis Temert breathlessly awaits their coming. Hatshepsut fascinates her, and the new queen is equally intrigued by the provincial beauty. Ambition ignites in Temert; to become a part of the fabled Court of Thebes. Somehow. Temert returns to daily service in the Temple and her nightly anonymous adventures. Hatshepsut becomes Pharoah. Temert is elevated to High Priestess. Again, it is not enough. She remains ambitious, thwarted, hungry. One evening as she is leaving the Temple she meets Menes, younger brother of Maatnofret, kneeling at an altar. Temert pursues the young man. Their affair changes everything for both of them.
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