Now when the soldiers heard these dreadful words, one by one they turned and crept down the stairs, till at last there were left upon the pylon roof only the Queen, Asti crouching at her feet, and the monstrous Abi, her uncle.

He looked at her, and thrice he tried to speak but failed, for the words choked in his throat.  A fourth time he tried, and they came hoarsely: 

“Take off your curse, O mighty Queen,” he said, “and I will let you go.  I am old, to-night all my lawful sons are dead; take off your curse, leave me in my Government, and though I desire you more than the throne of Egypt, O Beautiful, still I will let you go.”

“Nay,” answered the Queen, “I cannot if I would.  It is not I who spoke, but a Spirit in my mouth.  Do your worst, O son of Set.  The curse remains upon you.”

Now Abi shook in the fury of his fear, and answered: 

“So be it, Star of Amen, having nothing more to dread I will do my worst.  Pharaoh my enemy is dead, and you, his daughter, shall be my wife of your own free will, or since no man will lay a finger upon you, here in this tower you shall starve.  Death is not yet; I shall have my day, it is sworn to me.  Reign with me if you will, or starve without me if you will—­I tell you, Daughter of Amen, that I shall have my day.”

“And I tell you, Son of Set, that after the day comes the long terror of that night which knows no morrow.”

Then finding no answer, he too turned and went.

When he was gone Neter-Tua stood a while looking down upon the thousands of people gathered in the great square where the battle had been fought, who stared up at her in a deadly silence.  Then she descended from the coping-stone, and, taking Asti by the arm, led her from the roof to the little chamber where she had slept.

Six days had gone by, and Queen Neter-Tua starved in the pylon tower.  Till now the water had held out for there was a good supply of it in jars, but at last it was done, while, as for food, they had eaten nothing except a store of honey which Asti took at night from the bees that hived among the topmost pylon stones.  That day the honey was done also, and if had not been, without water to wash it down they could have swallowed no more of the sickly stuff.  Indeed, although in after years in memory of its help, Neter-Tua chose the bee as her royal symbol, never again could she bring herself to eat of the fruit of its labours.

“Come, Nurse,” said Tua, “let us go to the roof, and watch the setting of Ra, perhaps for the last time, since I think that we follow him through the Western Gates.”

So they went, supporting each other up the steps, for they grew weak.  From this lofty place they saw that save on the Nile side of it which was patrolled by the warships of Abi, all the temple was surrounded by a double ring of soldiers, while beyond the soldiers, on the square where the great fight had been, were gathered thousands of the people who knew that the starving Queen was wont to appear thus upon the pylon at sunset.