by Wilbur Smith
Five days later the population of the town and the voyagers from the south assembled again on the spit of land that stood at the confluence of the two branches of the Nile. The monument that Governor Nara had erected there was a column hewn from a single block of blue granite.
On it was carved an inscription in beautifully executed hieroglyphics.
The masons had worked day and night to have it ready for this day.
This stone was erected in the name of Pharaoh Nefer Seti in the twenty-sixth year of his reign over the Two Kingdoms, may he be blessed with life eternal!
From this point departed the revered magus, Taita of Gallala, on his historic adventure to reach the headwaters of Mother Nile and to restore the flow of her blessed waters for the benefit of the Egyptian empire and all its citizens.
By virtue of his spiritual power he succeeded in this dangerous enterprise. May he be praised unstintingly!
Tragically he perished in the wilderness. Although he will never return to our very Egypt, his memory and our gratitude to him, like this granite stela, will abide for ten thousand years.
It is I, Nara Tok, governor of the nome of Qebui in the name of Pharaoh Nefer Seti, the Great One beloved of the gods, who have written these words to his praise.
Gathered around the granite monument in the early-morning sunlight, they sang praises to Horus and Hathor, and beseeched them to take the spirit-soul of Taita into their safe-keeping. Then Meren and That led the company to the waiting boats. They embarked and set off again in convoy on the last long leg of the return, another two thousand leagues through the six great cataracts and into the fertile lands of Egypt.
With the Nile running so high, the cataracts were long white chutes of tumultuous water. However, the Jarrian boats were designed for precisely these conditions, and Meren was a skilled river pilot. Unseen, Taita stood at his elbow to guide him when he faltered. Between them they brought the flotilla through without loss or serious damage.
Between the fifth and second cataracts the river meandered out into the western desert in a huge loop that added almost a thousand leagues to the journey. The relay riders that Governor Nara had sent ahead of them had a lead of five days, and were able to cut across the bight of the river, taking the direct overland caravan route. The despatches they carried were read by the governor of the nome of Assoun many days before the flotilla descended the first cataract into the valley of Egypt.
From that point on the voyage became a triumphal progress.
On both sides the land was inundated with the life-bringing water.
The peasants had returned to their villages to work the fields and already their crops were green and flourishing. The population rushed to the banks as the boats sailed past, waving palm fronds. They threw jasmine blossoms into the current to float down with the flotilla. They wept with joy, shouting praise and adulation to the heroes returning from the dark, mysterious southern reaches of the earth.
At each city they came to the travellers were welcomed ashore by the governor, the nobles and the priests and led in joyous procession to the temple. They were feasted, feted and showered with flower petals.
Taita and Fenn went ashore with them. Fenn was seeing the land she had once ruled for the first time in her present life. No one in Egypt would have recognized either her or Taita in their present form, so Taita dispensed with the spell of concealment behind which they had hidden for so long. Nevertheless they covered their faces with their head cloths, so that only their eyes showed, and mingled freely with the crowds.
Fenn’s eyes shone with wonder and joy as she listened to Taita describing and explaining all that she saw about her. Until then her memories of her other life had been hazy and fragmentary, and even they had been restored to her by Taita. However, now that she stood at last upon the soil of her native land, everything rushed back to her. Faces, words and deeds from a century before were as clear in her mind as though only a few short years had intervened.
At Kom Ombo they beached the boats below the massive walls of the temple complex. Gigantic images of the gods and goddesses were chiselled into the sandstone blocks. While the high priestess and her entourage came down to the riverbank to welcome the travellers, Taita led Fenn through the deserted corridors of the temple of Hathor to the dim, cool inner sanctuary.
‘This is where I first looked upon the image of your spirit-soul in your present form,’ he told her.
‘Yes! I remember it well,’ she whispered. ‘I remember this place so clearly. I remember swimming down to you through the sacred pool. I remember the words we exchanged.’ She paused as though rehearsing them in her mind before she spoke again: Tie on you that you do not know me, for I am Fenn,’ she repeated, in a sweet childlike treble that wrung his heart.
‘That was exactly the tone you used,’ he told her.
‘Do you recall how you replied to me?’ He shook his head. He remembered clearly but he wanted to hear her say it.
‘You said…’ She changed her voice to mimick his. ‘I knew you all along. You are exactly as you were when first I met you. I could never forget your eyes. They were then, and still are, the greenest and prettiest in all Egypt: Taita laughed softly. ‘How like a woman! You never forget a compliment.’
‘Certainly not such a handsome one,’ she agreed. ‘I brought you a gift. Do you recall what it was?’
‘A handful of lime,’ he answered at once. ‘A gift beyond price.’
‘You can pay me now. My price is a kiss,’ she said. ‘Or as many kisses as you deem fair.’
‘Ten thousand is the figure that springs to my mind.’
‘I accept your offer, my lord. I will take the first hundred at once. The rest you may pay me in increments.’
The closer they drew to Karnak, the slower their progress became, impeded by the joyous population. Finally, royal messengers arrived, riding hard upriver from Pharaoh’s palace. They carried orders to the commander of the flotilla to make all haste and present himself at the court of Karnak forthwith.
‘Nefer Seti, your grandson, was never a patient boy,’ Taita told Fenn, who laughed excitedly.
‘How I long to see him! I am delighted that he has ordered Meren to hasten. How old will Nefer Seti be now?’
‘Perhaps fifty-four years, and Mintaka, his queen and principal wife, is not much younger. It will be interesting to see what you make of her, for in character she is much like you, wild and headstrong. When aroused, she is almost as ferocious as you are.’
‘I am not sure if you mean that as a compliment to us or an insult,’
Fenn responded, ‘but of one thing I am certain. I shall like her, this mother of my great-grandchildren.’
‘I divine that she is in turmoil. She is still held in the coils of Eos and her false prophet, Soe. Although Eos is destroyed and her powers dissipated, Soe still has her in his clutches. To set her free will be our last sacred duty. After that you and I will pursue our own dreams.’
So they came to Karnak, that city of a hundred gates and countless splendours, all of which had been restored by the returning waters. The crowds there were denser and more boisterous than any they had met so far. They poured through the city gates, and the sound of drums, horns and shouting made the air throb.
On the royal wharf stood a welcoming committee of priests, nobles and army generals, clad in their robes of office and accompanied by entourages who were almost as splendidly attired.
As soon as Meren and That stepped ashore, the horns blew a ringing fanfare, and a great shout of acclaim went up from the multitudes. The grand vizier led them to the pair of splendid chariots that stood ready for them. Both vehicles were covered with gold leaf and precious stones so that they sparkled and shone in the bright sunlight. They were drawn by perfectly matched teams of horses from Pharaoh’s own stables, one milky white, the other ebony black.
Meren and That sprang up on to the footplates and whipped up the teams. They drove wheel to wheel in the royal way, between the ranks
of stone sphinxes, two heroic figures in their warlike armour and accoutrements. An escort of mounted cavalry preceded them, and a company of the Royal Guard ran behind. The voice of the crowd burst over them like a tempest.
Far behind, Taita and Fenn followed in their disguise, making their way on foot through the surging, shifting throng until they reached the palace gates. Here they paused, joined hands and shrouded themselves in the spell of concealment to pass between the palace guards into the great royal audience hall. They stood aloof from the dense press of courtiers and dignitaries that filled the space.
On the raised dais at the far end, Pharaoh Nefer Seti and his queen sat side by side on their ivory thrones. Pharaoh wore the blue war crown, Khepresh: it was a tall headdress with flanged sidepieces adorned with discs of pure gold and, on the brow of the helmet, the uraeus, the entwined heads of the cobra and the vulture, the symbols of the Upper and Lower Kingdoms. Pharaoh wore no cosmetics and his torso was bare, showing the scars of fifty battles, but the muscles of his chest and arms were still sleek and hard. Taita examined his aura and saw that it was brave in endeavour and steadfast in duty. Beside him, Queen Mintaka also wore the uraeus, but her hair was streaked with silver, and her features were etched with the marks of mourning and sorrow for her children. Her aura was confused and forlorn, riven by doubt and guilt. Her misery was deep and desolate.
Before the royal thrones Colonel Meren Cambyses and Colonel That Ankut were spreadeagled face down in loyal obeisance. Pharaoh rose to his feet and lifted one hand. A deep hush fell over the assembly. When he spoke, his voice echoed among the tall sandstone pillars that rose from their plinths to the high, painted ceiling.
‘Be it known through both of my kingdoms and throughout all my foreign dominions that Meren Cambyses and That Ankut have found great favour in my eyes.’ He paused and his grand vizier, Tentek, knelt before him and offered a silver tray on which lay a scroll of papyrus.
Pharaoh took and unrolled it. He read from the parchment, in a ringing voice, ‘By these presents, let all men know that I have elevated Lord That Ankut to the nobility, and donated to his dignity one river unit of fertile land along the banks of the Nile below Esna.’ A river unit comprised ten square leagues, an enormous extent of arable land. In one stroke That had become a wealthy man, but there was more. Nefer Seti went on, ‘From henceforth Lord That Ankut shall be ranked a field general in my army of the Upper Kingdom. He shall have command of the Phat Legion. All this by my grace and magnanimity.’
‘Pharaoh is merciful!’ shouted the congregation in one voice.
‘Arise, Lord That Ankut, and embrace me.’ That stood to kiss Pharaoh’s bare right shoulder, and Nefer Seti placed the deeds to his new estate in his right hand.
Then he turned to Meren, who still lay prostrate before him. Tentek offered him a second silver tray. Pharaoh took from it another scroll and displayed it to the gathering. ‘By these presents, let all men know that I have elevated Lord Meren Cambyses to the nobility, and donated to his dignity three river units of fertile land along the banks of the Nile above Assuit. From henceforth Lord Meren shall be ranked marshal general of the army of the Lower Kingdom. Furthermore I bestow upon him as a mark of my special favour the Gold of Praise and the Gold of Valour. Arise, Lord Meren.’
When Meren stood before him, Pharaoh placed the heavy gold chains of Praise and Valour over his shoulders. ‘Embrace me, Lord Marshal Meren Cambyses!’ he said, and kissed Meren’s cheek.
With his lips close to Pharaoh’s ear, Meren whispered urgently, ‘I have news of Taita, which is for your ears only.’
Pharaoh’s grip on Meren’s shoulder tightened momentarily, and he replied softly, ‘Tentek will bring you to my presence directly.’
While the entire assembly prostrated themselves, Pharaoh took his queen by the hand and led her from the hall. They passed only a few paces from where Taita and Fenn stood unseen. Meren waited until Tentek reappeared and spoke quietly to him. ‘Pharaoh bids you to his presence. Follow me, my lord marshal.’ As Meren passed, Taita took Fenn’s hand and they fell in behind him.
Tentek ushered Meren into the royal presence, but when Meren would have made another obeisance Nefer Seti came to him and embraced him warmly. ‘My dear friend and companion of the Red Road, it is so good to have you back. I only wish you had brought with you the magus. His death has struck me to the heart.’ Then he held Meren at arm’s length and gazed into his face. ‘You were never good at concealing your emotions. What is it that disturbs you now? Tell me.’
‘Your eyes are as sharp as ever. They miss nothing. I have tidings that I shall relate to you,’ Meren replied, ‘but before I do I must caution you to prepare yourself for a great shock. What I have to tell you is so strange and wonderful that when I was first presented with it my mind could not encompass it.’
‘Come now, my lord.’ Nefer Seti smote him a blow between the shoulder-blades that made him stagger. ‘Speak!’
Meren drew a deep breath and blurted out, ‘Taita lives.’
Nefer Seti stopped laughing and stared at him in astonishment. Then his features darkened in a scowl. ‘Jest with me at your peril, my lord marshal,’ he said coldly.
‘I speak the truth, mighty King of Kings.’ In this mood Nefer Seti struck terror into the bravest heart.
‘If this is the truth, and for the good of your soul, Meren Cambyses, it had better be, then tell me where Taita is now.’
‘One more thing I must tell you, O majestic and magnanimous one. Taita is much altered in appearance. You may not recognize him at first.’
‘Enough!’ Nefer Seti’s voice rose. ‘Tell me where he is.’
‘In this very chamber.’ Meren’s voice cracked. ‘Standing close to us.’
Then, under his breath, he added, ‘At least, I hope he is.’
Nefer Seti placed his right hand on the hilt of his dagger. ‘You trespass on my good nature, Meren Cambyses.’
Meren looked wildly around the empty chamber and his voice was pitiful as he spoke to the empty air: ‘Magus, O mighty Magus! Reveal yourself, I beseech you! I stand in peril of Pharaoh’s wrath!’ Then he let out a cry of relief. ‘Behold, Majesty!’ He pointed across the room to a tall statue carved from black granite.
‘That is the statue of Taita, carved by the master sculptor Osh,’ Nefer Seti said, in fury. ‘I keep it here to remind me of the magus, but it is only stone, not my beloved Taita in the flesh.’
‘Nay, Pharaoh. Look not at the statue but to its right-hand side.’
Where Meren pointed a shimmering and transparent cloud appeared, like a desert mirage. Pharaoh blinked as he stared at it. ‘There is aught there. It is light as air. Is it a djinni? A ghost?’
The mirage became denser, and slowly took solid shape. ‘It is a man!’
Nefer Seti exclaimed. ‘A veritable man!’ He stared in astonishment.
‘But it is not Taita. This is a youth, a comely youth, not my Taita. Surely he must be a magician that he is able to mask himself in a spell of concealment.’
‘It is magic,’ Meren agreed, ‘but of the whitest and noblest kind. A magic wrought by Taita himself. This is Taita.’
‘Nay!’ Nefer Seti shook his head. ‘I know not this person, if he is indeed a living person.’
‘Your Grace, this is the magus made young and whole again.’
Even Nefer Seti was speechless. All he could do was shake his head.
Taita stood quietly, smiling at him, a warm, loving smile.
‘Look to the statue,’ Meren pleaded. ‘Osh carved it when the magus was already an old man, but even now that he is young again the resemblance is unmistakable. Look to the depth and width of the brow, the shape of the nose and the ears, but above all look to the eyes.’
‘Yes… perhaps I can see some resemblance,’ Nefer Seti murmured dubiously. Then his tone became firm and challenging: ‘Ho, phantom! If you are indeed Taita, you must be able to tell me something known only to the two of us.’
‘That i
s so, Pharaoh,’ Taita agreed. ‘I could tell you many such things, but one comes instantly to my mind. Do you remember when you were still Prince Nefer Memnon and not Pharaoh of the Two Kingdoms, when you were my student and ward and my pet name for you was Mem?’
Pharaoh nodded. ‘I remember well.’ His voice had dropped to a husky whisper and his gaze softened. ‘But many others could have known such a thing.’
‘I can tell you more, Mem. I can tell you how when you were a boy we set pigeon decoys beside the pool of Gebel Nagara in the wilderness and waited twenty days for the royal falcon, your godbird, to come to them.’
‘My godbird never came to the decoys,’ said Nefer Seti, and Taita saw by the flickering of his aura that he was laying a trap to test him.
‘Your falcon came,’ Taita contradicted him. ‘The lovely falcon that was proof of your royal right to the double crown of Egypt.’
‘We captured him,’ Nefer Seti said triumphantly.
‘Nay, Mem. The falcon refused the decoy and flew away.’
‘We abandoned the hunt.’
‘Nay again, Mem. Your memory fails you. We followed the bird deeper into the wilderness.’
‘Ah, yes! To the bitter Lake Natron.’
‘Nay yet again. You and I went to the mountain of Bir Umm Masara. While I held you on the rope, you climbed to the falcon’s eyrie high in the eastern face of the mountain to take down the chicks.’ By now Nefer Seti was staring at him with bright eyes. ‘When you reached the nest you found that the cobra had been there before you. The birds were dead, killed by the venomous bite of the serpent.’
‘Oh, Magus, none but you could have known these things. Forgive me for not acknowledging you. All my life you were my guide and mentor, and now I have denied you.’ Nefer Seti was stricken with remorse. He strode across the room and enfolded Taita in his powerful arms. When at last they drew apart, he could not take his eyes off Taita’s face. ‘The transformation in you defies my powers of comprehension. Tell me how this came about.’