“He has placed a curse on us, one that is so intricately woven that it was not obvious at first. It seemed to be mere chance, a coincidence. But then it happened, again and again and it is difficult to say when it had turned against us. He did not heed to the warnings, and she gave us several, he did as well, but he would not heed them, he thought he could outwit fate.”
Neti felt just as confused as Shabaka seemed to be, uncertain what to make of the woman’s words; the only thing that was apparent was that whatever situation she was in, it seemed too much for her mind to process.
“Why not start from the beginning? When did these ‘things’ first to occur, and who are the people you are speaking of?” Neti calmly asked.
Aya looked at Neti. She closed her eyes and remained silent for several moments, then she finally said.
“It all started not long after we got married, when my husband employed a girl by the name of Huya to be my companion…”
“Huya may have been a plain girl, but she was a hard worker, honest and willing. She never once bemoaned the tasks Nikare assigned her with, which were often the most humbling. I was not the primary wife then, Nikare held that title. She is also the mother of his eldest son, Rameke. She managed the day-to-day business of the home and approved of everyone employed. She had approved the appointment of Huya, because she was not an attractive girl… Nikare is like that. She does not like any competition, always wants to be the most beautiful of all the women in the house. But she did not get to choose whom my husband took as secondary wives. You see, my husband is several seasons older than I am. At first, Nikare did not object to me. She must have thought that my youth would make me easy to manage, and as primary wife, she could limit my contact with visitors. Another thing Nikare had not foreseen was that my husband and I would develop a strong relationship, regardless of her interventions. Do not think that I am complaining. As secondary wife I know my place, but all of a sudden she made no secret of her resentment to me. Even with all her verbal barbs my life was good, I knew no hunger as I did as a child.
Then, one evening several seasons ago, my husband and some of his fellow traders were planning their imminent trip to Thebes, to pay the Egyptian pharaoh’s tithe. Huya’s duties that evening included washing and salving the guest’s feet upon arrival and to assist with serving the meal. Not long after their arrival, Huya became irritable, nervous even. At first, I thought it was simply a case of nerves, as many young women suffer when they are in the company of a man they like. I had not been permitted to attend to the guests, so instead I helped in the kitchen to prepare the meal. So I only heard Nikare’s reprimand when Huya dropped a plate of flatbread in the hallway. I do not know how it happened; only that Huya was quivering like long grass in the wind when I got to her. I rushed to help her tidy the mess and pick up the scattered bread, knowing that Nikare’s words were only the beginning, since she did not like such things to happen when we had guests.
“Forgive me my lady”, Huya said, trying to gather the shards. Her hands were shaking so badly that I feared she would cut herself with one of the shards; so I grabbed her hands to calm her down.
“Careful or you will cut yourself”, I said, and then handed her the flatbread, “Go and fetch fresh bread”, I instructed, then pointed to the doorway leading to the kitchen and continued to clear up the mess.
She returned several moments later and served the men, but remained upset. On her return to the kitchen, I pulled her aside, hoping to calm her, but she wrung her hands and found it difficult to speak let alone meet my gaze.
“Calm down, take a deep breath”, I said, but she continued to anxiously look around, clenched and unclenched her fists and nervously swallowed.
“It is fine, it was an accident”, I tried to reassure her, but it did nothing to calm her. Her eyes kept shifting towards the doorway, to the other room where the men were talking.
“What’s the matter?”, I asked, “Is it one of the men? Has anybody said something?”, I asked, hoping I could get some explanation for her sudden nerves, for in all the time she had been my companion, not on any of the trips we took to the market or down to the river had I ever seen her in such a state.
She shook her head in reply and added hesitantly, “No my lady, it is not one of the men.”
“Then what has you so upset?”
“Please, my lady, I do not wish to cause trouble.”
“How could you cause trouble?”, I asked in return, “Dropping bread was just an accident”, I said pointing to the pile of breads on a nearby work surface. “It is not as if the men would go hungry.” I then went over to where the bread from the floor was stacked, “You can take these with you tonight and give them to some of those children you have told me about; they will find nothing wrong with them.”, I added, knowing that although there was nothing wrong with the flatbread, it was unthinkable to serve something that had fallen to the ground to my husband and his guests.
Huya nodded her head, although even my reassurance did not seem to have calmed her. Her hands still shook as she put the pieces of bread into a woven sack.
“Are you certain that you are well enough to continue?”, I asked as we prepared to serve the wine. Her hands were still trembling and I was worried that she may drop the wine cups.
Huya again nodded, but cowered when Nikare entered the kitchen, demanding, “Where is that clumsy servant!”, and then turned to us. I knew that she would be harsh on the girl; she always seemed to be particularly harsh towards Huya.
“That will be a day’s less pay for you”, Nikare declared, glaring at Huya who swallowed and nodded. I watched her shoulders drop in response and Nikare must have noticed as well, because she continued, “Now serve the wine and if there is another incident you can go look for work someplace else.”
Nikare meant it, too. I could see it in the glare she gave me, as if she was challenging me to defy her, but I knew my place and I could see what she was doing; I also knew she would take pleasure in reprimanding me for defying her decision.
Huya may not have been an attractive girl; she had always carried herself with dignity though. But for the remainder of the evening, it was as if it had been taken from her. Just before she left, I pulled her aside. Knowing that Nikare had this way of making everyone else feel inferior, I did not want her to leave thinking any lesser of herself.
It was at that moment that Huya softly addressed me, and said, “You must not let the master travel with the party through the desert at the end of the moon cycle, something terrible will happen.”
You can imagine that I was shocked at her words and did not believe her. You see, I have never been one to believe in soothsaying and tampering with things that may or may not happen. I believe that the gods will look after you, that there is no way one can predict such things. But when I looked into her eyes, and having known her for as long as I have, I could see that she was serious. I had no idea what I should do, whether I should reprimand her for saying something like that, but I became even more concerned when she continued.
“You are closer to the master than any other. He prefers your company and listens to you. Please, tell him he must not go. I do not wish for anything to happen to him.”
Her insistence both alarmed and frightened me. I did not believe in such things, but I know that when you fear something, it will come to pass. I did not want to heed her words, or even give them any credence, but I could not ignore them completely. Her agitation and the fear in her eyes seemed sincere.
When I got to spend time with my husband again, I told him of her warning, although he did not believe me or really concerns himself with it. And why would he? Those were but the words of a servant girl, a warning of something that could be mere happenstance or as he said, “It is a danger we face every time we leave the city. There are bandits and thieves everywhere, who are too weak of will to work for their keep.”
You can probably imagine that I felt like a fool for heeding to the girl’s words. I felt so
mewhat uncomfortable in her presence for a few days after the incident, especially during the preparation of the food and supplies for the men. She remained irritable and was growing even more so, the closer we came to the day of their departure . Although I realize that it was not just what she had told me that got to me, it was compounded by Nikare’s persistent interruptions and alternative tasks. I, for one, did not think that everything would be ready on time.
It turned out that it did not matter in the end, as a caravan with a number of pelts was delayed, which in turn delayed the departure of my husband and his men. By the time they were ready to leave, word had spread that the other caravan had been raided and all the goods taken. No one was murdered, although there were some severe injuries amongst the men.
Then, in hope of making up time, my husband instead had the goods loaded onto a bark and sent his foreman with the load, as he had to see to other matters.”
“And the goods arrived safely on the other side?” Shabaka asked.
Aya nodded, “Yes, the bark’s owner even gave my husband a discount since we had provided enough food and supplies for everyone. It was also the first time he had opted to send goods by bark; you see, he had heard several tales of the ships taking water and sinking or being turned over by hippos.”
Aya took a sip of her tea, reminding both Neti and Shabaka that theirs was also cooling, before continuing: “At first we dismissed it as a coincidence, because it’s not difficult to predict something that happened so frequently. My husband believed that the Gods have in their own way protected his men and the goods by delaying the other caravan. It was not something we concerned ourselves with and we all continued with our lives.
A whole season passed, before Huya became irritable again. I remember it, as there were several crates of gems, gold, along with several leopard skins that my husband was uncertain about. He wanted to distribute them between the pack animals hoping that that would make them less obvious to anyone who passed or travelled alongside the caravan. Huya came to me one evening, just as we were starting our preparations for the caravan, and said, “My lady, I do not wish to trouble you, but it is about the master.”
“What is it Huya?”, I nervously replied, uncertain whether I wanted to hear what she had to say. We had a lot to do, with several bread satchels and water skins that needed to be filled.
“My lady, forgive me for burdening you with this, but please, the master must not leave this time, he must not go with them, something ill awaits him.”
I hesitated for a moment. Uncertain whether I should reprimand her and whether I was once more willing to make a fool of myself in front of my husband. But her previous warning lingered in my thoughts and I nodded, knowing that my husband would not ridicule or belittle my concerns, he is a good man.
That evening when it was once more just the two of us, I told him of her warning. At first, I thought he would laugh about my unwillingness to have him leave, about my wanting to take advantage of his attention… But, he seemed to think about it, which scared me.
“It would not surprise me”, he said, and I remember my heart pounding at that.
“But you said that it was not uncommon, that no one could predict such things”, I replied.
He shook his head, “It is not difficult to predict such a thing, if one knows of those plans.”
His words confused me, because I had no idea what he was trying to say. Huya spent most of her time with us, at our home; I could not see how she could know of raids planned in the deserts behind Syène.
“You must find out how she came to know this and what she knows. We are taking the pharaoh’s tithe to Thebes, there is hundreds of debbens worth of goods. But if she knows of a plan to raid the caravan, then someone has spoken about it and we must find out who this person is and what their intent is. Until then I will proceed with the plan.”
The following morning I took her aside again and said, “My husband wants to know who told you this.”
She seemed insecure, uncomfortable, and shook her head in response, “I cannot tell you my lady. He would never forgive me.”
Her unwillingness made me wary and doubt whether we should heed her warning.
That evening I told my husband, who then said that he was going to continue with preparations and that I should pay attention what Huya was doing.
The following day we started the final preparations and baked the flatbread. Nikare for once refrained from her usual verbal barbs and commands, and allowed us to continue with our work undisturbed. That is why I knew that this time Huya’s discomfort was not a result of Nikare’s insistence. At that time, I thought Huya’s nerves were going to get the better of her. She seemed haggard and drained; her hands were shaking so much I eventually took over sealing the wineskins. Yet, when I asked her about it, she remained silent. She just looked at me with a sad expression on her face.
It frightened me, especially since whatever was happening had such a profound effect on her. I wished there was something I could do to ease her anxiety, but there was little I could do, since it is not for a woman to interfere with the business of men.
I again approached my husband with my concerns and he assured me that he would tend to them.
The following morning my husband called his eldest son, Rameke, and assigned the duty of passage to him. Stating that it was time to learn the trade he was to inherit. Rameke was pleased by the decision, for in the past he had requested numerous times to go on a trip with the others, but his education was considered as a reason not to take him. My husband also assigned his most loyal foreman, but had the gold and gems taken from the load, sending instead only the pelts, wheat and ivory.
Nikare immediately objected to the arrangement, stating, “Rameke cannot afford to miss his lessons, he has to attend stick dance. I will not have his education interrupted because you deem it so.”
“You coddle him too much, he needs to get out, needs to see that there is more to the world than Syène and what the scribes teach him.”
“And what is the matter with you?” Nikare demanded of my husband, “…you used to enjoy these trips away, why now the sudden desire to stay home? If you have not yet managed to get your younger bride with child, there is little chance of it happening now.”
“I may no longer be as young as I used to be, but I still provide for you, and therefore you will respect my decisions including those I make regarding our son. He has a lot to learn and see.”
“He has not yet finished his studies.” Nikare insisted.
“And if you had your way he would never leave the city!”
“But I want to go.” Rameke then insisted.
“Hush up!” Nikare snapped at him. “I will not have any of it, he is to finish his studies and attend the stick dance. I will allow him to go on the next trip, when he is a low season older. You are still fit enough to make this trip.”
Huya, who had grown even more agitated at the primary wife’s objection, then said, “He cannot go, he will be killed!”
Her words had Nikare turn to her in anger, “Don’t you dare say something like that in my home, no one is to speak or foretell of the death of someone here. I have put up with your clumsiness long enough. The only reason I tolerate you is because you are her chosen companion”, Nikare fumed pointing at me, “She may put up with your tales – yes, I have heard rumors of your tales – but I will not tolerate it. Go! Leave! I have no desire to have someone like you in my home.”
Huya looked at me, and there was little I could do. Even though she had been a good companion to me, I could not object the decisions of the primary wife, and Nikare knew that.
With that, the argument came to an end and the arrangements remained unclear.
Huya packed her meager belongings into a satchel, was given her wages and left the house. Those who stayed behind, even my husband’s foreman, were too weary to say anything, and the remainder of the preparations was completed under the blanket of a heavy silence. The gems and gold wer
e removed and the packs again distributed to ensure an equal load on each beast.
The following morning, Nikare was not in the house home and her son did not arrive in time for the caravan’s departure. My husband instead sent his foreman with the goods, and said that he had to tend to matters at home first.
After their departure, my husband went to the medjay, to enlist their assistance in finding Nikare, but by the time he returned home so had she. She professed that she had had an early start on the chores, claiming she had bartered for some vegetables as we had little left in the house. We could not oppose such a claim as there was indeed a basket of vegetables in the kitchen.
My husband spoke to her in seclusion and I have no idea what was said, but she seemed more amiable in the days that followed.
I missed Huya’s company. The young woman had always been willing to talk and share her thoughts whenever we walked down to the river or the marketplace. My new companion said little, and felt more like an intruder into my space. In a way I think the close relationship I had shared with Huya is why she was willing to come to me with the warnings. She was more of a friend than a servant.
Six days after the departure of the caravan word of a raid spread again. The caravan had been attacked one evening and the foreman killed, the goods had been searched but nothing had been taken. The remainder of the men were injured but had continued onto Thebes.
My husband sought me out that afternoon, and said, “We need to find Huya. I have to speak with her and thank her for saving my life. I also want to meet the person responsible.”
6
Chapter Six
That evening, I could not sleep. I had no idea where to begin my search for Huya. You see, for as good a companion she had been to me I knew little about her. I had some idea about where she lived, but no certainty. I also found it difficult to accept that someone could see into the future, although my husband’s certainty that someone could have mentioned something to her seemed far more likely, and even in such case I could understand his desire to thank her for the warning, as I shared it.
The Forgotten Papyrus (The Mummifier's Daughter Series Book 5) Page 5