In the evening music was still playing as the sun set. Too many cups of wine had been drunk and Iset slipped away from the feast with Nefitiri.
"Do you think they'll notice we left the palace?" asked Nefi.
"Maybe, but we can worry about that later." Iset said confidently as she led her friend down to the river.
"Aren't you worried you'll get in trouble?
"Even if they did notice, they'd just be happy I got home safely. They'd probably blame the guards for not noticing."
"Iset, one of these days you're going to get in real trouble."
"Hey, you can't chide me, daughter of the Mayor of Thebes, who also happens to be High Priest of Amun and Vizier to Pharaoh."
"Alright, I'm just saying." said Nefi, holding her hands up.
"Anyway, won't your father notice your absence?" asked Iset.
"I expect he'll drink too much wine and fall into bed with a concubine. If anyone notices my absence it would be one of my sisters, but I know all their secrets so they won't dare tell on me." Nefi smiled slyly.
Pink skies reflected over midnight blue waters, the birds were singing in the palms while ibis waded through the Nile. Iset and Nefi had changed into white linen gowns that went down to their ankles.
The girls waded into the water until their hems were wet and their bare feet sank into the cool mud.
"What would they think if they knew that the princess and a priestess of Isis's temple had escaped the palace and were in the worker's quarter?" asked Iset.
"I think Sitamun would die of shock." giggled Nefi.
"She and Hotep would never let me forget it, they love to nag."
"Here, eat this. I brought it with me." Nefi held out a honey cake towards Iset's mouth, she parted her full lips and let the sweetness spread over her tongue.
"Mmm, delicious." smiled Iset. "Want a taste?" she leaned forwards. "Why don't you kiss me?"
She had had too much wine.
"Iset!" Nefi laughed, running away from her into the water until she was in all the way to her knees.
Iset gave chase and splashed water at her. Nefi splashed more back until their kalasiris dresses were soaked, their laughter ringing through the air like the tinkling of bells. Everything was still clear and light, the sun shining tentatively, like a little bird in the hands of the night. Silver drops splashing all around the girls chased each other deeper into the water, Iset tried to grab Nefi's arms, trying to catch her until they stopped for a moment, chests heaving and cheeks flushed.
Iset smiled and pulled Nefitiri in close, holding her face in her hands and kissing her rosebud lips, sliding her tongue inside. They kissed, their wet hair clinging to their backs, water droplets falling from their lashes, their skin cold and wet, covered in goosebumps but their mouths hot and desperate for more. Her mouth still tasted of honey.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Nefi asked, wanting her friend more than she knew how to say.
"I want you." Iset whispered, the birds tittering behind them, the water rippling quietly, the music dim in the distance. She looked at her friend, she looked into her big dark eyes and wondered why she never noticed how beautiful she was before. "You're beautiful, do you know that?"
Nefi wrapped her arms around Iset's waist and pulled her in close, grinding her pelvis into her, suddenly hot to her core, hot and tingling in a way she'd never felt before. Not with the boy who kissed her by the date palm behind her father's house, not when she'd been danced with by the nobleman who asked her father to marry her, not even when she lay in bed at night and put her hands between her legs thinking of being touched. It was as though she had felt nothing until now.
They kissed and kissed until they both wanted more, hands wandered exploring the curves of bellies and breasts. Iset took Nefi's hand and led her back to the shore into a thicket of bulrushes and reeds where she lay her down on a sandbank, spread her legs and lay on top of her, kissing her face, her cheeks, her eyelids which made her laugh, and then down to her neck. Iset kissed her breasts, and suckled on them through the wet white linen of her dress.
Nefi moaned, pulling Iset's head down for more as electric shocks went straight from her nipples to her slit. Iset kissed her way down her belly, down her thighs and past her knees, she kissed her friend's ankles and then she lifted the hem of her dress, like a white veil.
Nefi's mons was shaved clean, as was the custom of Egypt, even more so for priestesses. Iset could see, even in the dim light, the pink of her swollen slit contrasted against the brown of her rich dark skin. Iset slowly slipped a hand between her legs and slid one finger into the heart of her lotus, she was excited too, she could feel the wetness between her legs, so slippery and so unlike the water of the Nile. It was warm and it was dripping down her inner thigh.
Nefi gasped as she felt her finger go inside.
"It's so hot, Nefi." Iset whispered as she slid her finger in and out, feeling around a little, unsure of exactly what to do.
"That's nice, don't stop. Keep going." breathed Nefitiri, laying back and spreading her legs wider.
Iset slowly slid in a second finger, sliding them in and out, in and out, toying with the spongy spot inside.
"Oh gods, that's good, like that. Yes, like that." Nefi gasped, thrusting herself onto Iset's fingers, her pussy lips swallowing them up as she grinded herself into her palm.
Iset dutifully complied. Thrusting her fingers in and out, using her thumb to massage her friend's clitoris.
"Kiss me." whispered Nefi, her voice low and lustful.
Iset covered her friend again, keeping her fingers pumping in and out between her legs while she kissed her pillow lips and slipped her tongue into her mouth. Nefi began to suck Iset's tongue in earnest, losing herself in pleasure, losing her shame and her sense of self.
"I want to taste you." Nefi whispered breathlessly. "Lie down, let me taste you."
Iset lay back on the sandy bank, the waters of the Nile were lapping at her feet and as she looked up and the sky she looked up into a canopy of stars.
Nefi got onto her knees and lifted up her friend's dress. She used her hands to gently spread her thighs before she knelt down and used her tongue to lick her way up Iset's pussy lips.
She could taste her sweetness, it was as she had expected it to be, as the Nile sunbirds suck the nectar from the flowers, so Nefi licked and suckled, juices pooling on her tongue while Iset thrashed and moaned, wrapping her legs around her head. Her friend was pure ambrosia, nectar of the Gods, the taste of mana. Nefi's heart pounded in her chest, she felt immortal, she felt potent.
