Emheb was amazed to see a few archers and hordes of peasants disembarking. They looked nothing like soldiers.
‘Majesty,’ he said, ‘what joy to see you again! But … who are these people?’
‘Citizens of Kebet and farmers from the liberated provinces. You shall train them, Governor, and they will help you to consolidate the front. I could not leave Thebes unguarded, but neither could I abandon you, as my message explained.’
Emheb’s expression darkened. ‘I have received no message, Majesty.’
The smile faded from Ahhotep’s face. ‘We sent you one of our best pigeons. The poor thing must have been killed on the way here.’
‘No doubt by a bird of prey,’ said Emheb.
‘No doubt,’ repeated the queen, though she did not believe it.
‘The important thing is that you have come—and at just the right moment. Despite the denials, some of the men still believed you were dead.’
‘I shall not leave here until I have met each and every one of your soldiers. You are to keep almost all the boats, three-quarters of which have brought supplies of weapons and equipment for you. If necessary, the others will enable you to travel back to Thebes. Thanks to their new sails, they are faster than the Hyksos boats.’
To see the queen, speak with her, celebrate with her the birth of the sun, hear her beseeching the gods not to leave the land of Egypt but to dwell in the soldiers’ hearts: such things swept away all fears for the future.
Ahhotep gave a great banquet for the heroes who were holding back the Hyksos, and promised them future evenings of celebration once Egypt was liberated. She showed them the gift she was going to send to the emperor, and it made everyone burst out laughing.
The emperor dropped the limestone scarab on to the stone floor, as though it were a burning coal. ‘Who received this abomination?’ he demanded. ‘And who dared send it to me?
‘An Egyptian archer fired it over our front line at Qis, Majesty,’ replied Khamudi. ‘An officer picked it up and gave it to the army messenger.’
‘Have those imbeciles executed! Have you read this text, Khamudi? Have you read the loathsome message that loath-some female dares send me?’
The High Treasurer picked up the scarab, which bore a clear inscription in beautiful hieroglyphs: ‘Greetings to the vile Hyksos Apophis, who occupies my country. Queen Ahhotep is very much alive, and every Egyptian knows it. They also know that you are not invulnerable.’
‘It must be a forgery, Majesty.’
‘Of course it isn’t!’ snapped Apophis. ‘Now that damned woman is going to flood the country with scarabs like this, and wreck our campaign of false information. And the frontier at Qis is now firmly established.’
‘Our surprise attacks have not been very effective, I admit, but they have shown us that that’s where the Egyptians have massed the main body of their troops, and that they cannot advance any further. Also, the news from Asia is good: the local rulers are becoming less troublesome, and Hyksos order has been re-established. As for Jannas, he is pursuing the last of the pirates in the Mycenaean islands, where they think they are safe. Killing that scum was vital. All that remains is for you to say, Majesty, whether you wish him to destroy Minoa.’
‘I’ll think about it,’ said the emperor, his voice even harsher than usual. ‘Now tell me, doesn’t one bit of this contemptible message surprise you?’
Khamudi read it again. “‘Every Egyptian knows it”: does that mean there are still rebels in the Delta, who might spread information from the South?’
The semblance of a smile added an extra touch of ugliness to the emperor’s face. That vainglorious queen has made a grave mistake by trying to insult me. We have been too lenient with the the natives, Khamudi, much too lenient. I require interrogations to be made far more rigorous, and there are to be as many deportations as necessary. No town or village is to be spared.’
Her mother had been raped and beheaded, her father dis-embowelled by the emperor’s bull. Because of her beauty, the young Egyptian woman had had the honour of being chosen to become one of the courtesans in the official harem at Avaris. These courtesans had to be ready, at any hour of the day or night, to satisfy the lust of Hyksos dignitaries.
It was barely survival, and each hour weighed more heavily than the last, but the young woman put everything out of her mind in order to fight in her own way.
By offering herself to one of her guards, who was not permitted to touch these beautiful girls, she had succeeded in convincing him that she loved him. The rough fellow was absolutely besotted with her and would do anything not to lose her.
One night, after enchanting the brute once again, she had begged an immense favour: a meeting with her brother, who was working as a carpenter on the outskirts of Avaris. The guard could contact him via a groom. Just to see him for a few moments, to embrace him, that was all she wanted.
The guard had hesitated for a long time. But then he wondered how his beautiful girl would react if he said no. She might refuse him her charms’and he would never find another woman like her.
The first meeting had been arranged for the middle of the night, at the entrance to the harem kitchens, which the girl had described in detail to her ‘brother’, a rebel friend of her parents who had contacts in the South. Unfortunately, she could do no more for him.
What he had told her was extraordinary: the army of liberation really did exist, and a queen called Ahhotep was leading the fight! Soon the news would spread throughout the Delta, and new rebels would swell the present meagre ranks.
She had passed on to him an idea which had been haunting her: to get a raiding-party into the harem, kill the guards and take hostage the high-ranking Hyksos who would be found there. Her ‘brother’ agreed, and had promised he would not not come to the second meeting alone.
Now the moment she had so longed for had at last arrived.
After lavishing sensual delights upon the commander of the imperial guard, the young woman left the room and slipped down a poorly lit servants’ passageway. She was barefoot, and hardly dared breathe in case someone heard her.
At this hour of the night, the kitchens were deserted. Here, she would have to give herself one last time to the guard before he would open the door.
‘Here I am,’ she whispered. ‘Are you there?’
There was no answer. Surprised, she let her eyes grow accustomed to the darkness, avoided bumping into a large spit on which geese were roasted, and crept past one of the ovens.
‘I’m here. Where are you hiding, my love?’
Her throat dry, she stumbled over something on the floor. She crouched down and felt around. Her hand touched hair, a nose, teeth, and they were sticky … She cried out in fear.
Suddenly, a torch lit up the kitchen.
‘I slit that guard’s throat myself,’ said the lady Aberia. ’I knew he was sniffing round you, even though it’s strictly forbidden.’ She ripped open the girl’s dress. ‘You have pretty breasts, and the rest isn’t unattractive, either. Before he died, that pig told me that he had allowed you to see your brother, which is also forbidden. He has just been arrested outside, with two of his friends. You were going to let them in here, weren’t you?’
‘ I … I have nothing to say to you!’
‘Come, come, little one. The emperor has ordered us to identify all the rebels, and I think I have sniffed one out. You will tell me everything, otherwise your pretty body will feel the kiss of this torch.’
The young woman leapt forward and threw herself on to the roasting-spit, which pierced her throat. When Aberia dragged the body off the spike, she thought she saw a gleam of victory in the dead Egyptian’s eyes.
13
All day long, under the cruel sun, Queen Ahhotep herself brought water and food to the carpenters, who were working without a break. In spite of the heat, Way-Finder never balked at carrying heavy loads. Sure-footed and even-tempered, he was constantly alert as he followed her and Laughter.
Only the bustl
ing presence of the queen prevented the Thebans from lapsing into gloom. True, they were free again, but for how long? The Hyksos’ power had been barely scratched; sooner or later the dragon would react’and that reaction would be terrifying. But there was Ahhotep, with her beauty, her smile and her determination, which nothing could weaken. Seqen’s soul lived in her and endowed her with his strength.
Only Teti the Small sensed that her daughter was beginning to have doubts.
‘Should we not pull back the front line and be content with Thebes?’ she suggested, as they ate their evening meal on the palace terrace.
‘That would certainly be the sensible thing to do.’
‘In other words, you don’t think it appropriate.’
‘It is not appropriate for Egypt, Mother. Partial freedom would simply consign us to an even worse prison than the one we have broken out of. By falling back to our little piece of ground, we would become easy prey for the emperor.’
‘Then you are refusing to face reality, Ahhotep.’
‘I shall never accept the reality imposed by Apophis, because it is against the Rule of Ma’at. If we accept the supremacy of violence and injustice, this world will no longer be fit to live in.’
‘Then what do you plan to do?’
‘We have only a few statues of the gods left, and we don’t honour them enough, even though without their support we can never succeed. For ten days, I shall offer them the finest food and beg the ancestors to inspire my actions. I shall then consult the moon-god.’
Teti the Small looked long and hard at her daughter. ‘Ahhotep, you have become a true Queen of Egypt.’
Once again, the ritual upon which the balance of the universe depended was being enacted: caught in a fishing-net, then reassembled by the gods Thoth and Horus, the full moon’s silver eye shone with such intense brilliance that the spirits of seers were opened.
‘You who know yesterday, today and tomorrow,’ declared Ahhotep, ‘also know that I will not surrender. My life no longer belongs to me: I have offered it to my people. To live in slavery is worse than death. Trace out a path for me in the heavens, and I will follow it.’
Hieroglyphs appeared on the silver disc, spelling out a name.
When she read it, Ahhotep realized that her heart must continue to bleed, for the gods had left her no choice.
‘Don’t flatter him, Heray, and don’t hide anything from me,’ ordered the queen. ‘Is he ready, yes or no?’
‘Majesty, your son is a true soldier, well capable of fighting in the vanguard.’
‘What are his weaknesses?’
‘He is as good as our very best archers, wins every bout of hand-to-hand combat and wields a sword better than anyone. And all this with virtually no sleep.’
‘Do the soldiers respect him?’
Heray lowered his eyes. ‘Majesty, I hardly dare tell you—’
‘I want the truth.’
‘The transformation has been astonishing. He grows more and more like his father. I have never seen such a young man show such qualities of leadership. He doesn’t realize it himself, but all he has to do is make an appearance and he is obeyed.’
So the moon-god had spoken truly when he revealed Kamose’s name to her: the hour of his coronation had arrived.
‘I don’t wish to offend you, Mother, but is it really urgent?’ asked Kamose. ‘I was planning to practise with my bow this afternoon, and then—’
‘I am speaking to you as Regent Queen of Egypt.’
Ahhotep’s solemnity made a deep impression on the young man. Together, they walked slowly beside the sacred lake at Karnak. The light was intense, the place peaceful.
‘Everyone reveres you,’ said Kamose, ‘but I have one criticism: why do you insist on being only a regent? Why don’t you become Pharaoh?’
‘Because that office falls upon you, my son.’
‘On me?’ Kamose was astounded. ‘But I have neither your authority nor your experience.’
‘The moon-god has decided that my period as regent is coming to an end, and that your reign is beginning. You are only seventeen, Kamose, but you must succeed your father.’
His face fell. ‘He is still my ideal. How can I possibly equal him?’
‘If you want to show yourself worthy of him, by achieving more than he did.’
‘May I refuse this burden?’
‘You know the answer to that question.’
Kamose halted and gazed deep into the blue waters of the sacred lake. ‘How far away the war seems,’ he said quietly. ‘Yet as soon as I am crowned it will be my prime duty. And I must not only deal with the present situation, but go further—much further. Do you think I can do it?’
‘The gods demand that you do.’
‘You’re the incarnation of the goddess of Thebes, aren’t you, Mother? You’re the true pharaoh, and I shall be merely your strong arm.’
‘I shall fight tirelessly at your side, and I’ll never fail to support you. But you must reign in your own way, Kamose, and according to your own abilities.’
‘There’s a fire burning inside me, and it won’t let me sleep. It frightens me sometimes. Because of it, I can neither wait on events nor withdraw from them. If power is given to me, this fire will force me to attack all the obstacles I face, even if they’re impossible to break down.’
Ahhotep kissed him on the forehead. ‘You are my son and I love you.’
Moustache wished he could have thousands more nights like this one. The shopkeeper’s daughter was as beautiful as Hathor. With her high, round breasts, her deliciously flat stomach and her slender legs, who would not have been seduced by her? And it was him, a soldier, and not exactly a handsome one, whom she had chosen—at least for a few hours.
The war was not wholly bad. In ordinary times, this young beauty would have thought only of starting a family. Today, who could be sure of living long enough for that? Brief liaisons came and went; people enjoyed ecstasy and forgot their anguish in intense moments of pleasure.
Moustache was caressing his sleeping mistress when out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of a ray of sunshine.
The new recruits! They must have been waiting for him for ages. It was his duty, as senior officer, to greet them—and the queen did not look at all kindly on lapses in discipline. Not even taking the time to shave, he tied on his leather kilt and rushed out on to the training-ground.
It was empty. In fact, the whole base was deserted and silent, save for the sentries at their posts atop the watch-towers.
Moustache walked back to the officers’ houses and went into the Afghan’s.
He found his friend fighting a rather more amorous battle than usual, with a pretty brown-haired girl with heavily made-up eyes. It appeared that the shopkeeper’s elder daughter was no more shy than the younger.
Moustache coughed. ‘Ahem, it’s me.’
‘I can see that,’ said the Afghan. ‘Did you fall out of bed?’
‘I don’t understand. There isn’t a single soldier on the parade-ground.’
‘You were really drunk last night, but I told you quite clearly that the army was enjoying a week’s rest in honour of Kamose’s coronation.’
Moustache rapped his forehead with his fist. ‘It’s coming back to me now.’
‘Would it bother you if I asked you to leave?’
‘No, not at all. I’ve got some urgent business to finish, too.’
14
At Seqen’s coronation, the pharaon had had to be content with a simple crown, because the priests at Karnak had neither the Red Crown of Lower Egypt nor the White Crown of Upper Egypt.
The latter was widely thought to have been destroyed by the Hyksos, but after consulting the archives the High Priest of Karnak had reached a different conclusion.
‘Formerly, Majesty,’ he told Ahhotep, ‘the Red Crown was kept in a temple at Memphis and the White in the ancient city of Nekhen, on whose site Elkab was built, and unfortunately Elkab was looted and destroyed by the inv
aders. It would probably be no use for you to go there, but …’
‘I shall go there at once,’ decided the queen.
Since Emheb had liberated the region, Elkab had changed greatly. Life had returned to the narrow streets, and the little white houses had been rebuilt in the traditional manner, even though the town and its people faced an uncertain future. Like Edfu, Elkab housed a regiment of reserve troops, who could be mobilized at a moment’s notice to beat off a Nubian attempt at invasion or a Hyksos attack.
Ahhotep’s only companions on her journey were Laughter and the twenty men who made up her personal bodyguard, all carefully chosen by Heray. As soon as they arrived, she made her way to the ancient fort, whose imposing walls were still standing. Inside the curtain wall, the temple of the vulture-goddess, ‘Holder of the Royal Title’,*lay in ruins.
‘Majesty, I beg you not to go any further,’ said the town’s mayor anxiously. ‘This place is haunted—looters who dared go inside were found dead. We must wait until the goddess’s anger is appeased.’
‘ba have no time. I cannot wait.’
‘Majesty, I implore you!’
‘Stand aside.’
When Ahhotep set foot on the stone pavement, several black scorpions scuttled away. Dark forces had indeed taken possession of the ruined shrine, where the King of Upper Egypt had formerly received the supreme insignia of his office. No, Nekhen was not yet free. And it fell to Ahhotep to appease the goddess, for the new pharaon’s future depended upon it.
When a vulture flew above the building, tracing wide circles in the blue sky, the queen knew what was killing intruders and what she must confront. The crowns were protected by both a celestial creature, the vulture, which was the supreme incarnation of the Mother, and an earthly being, the snake, which embodied the flame that destroyed the king’s enemies.
Darting out of a ruined inner shrine, a female cobra reared up in front of the queen.
Ahhotep raised her hands in a gesture of worship.
‘ba have come here not to steal,’ she declared, ‘but to have my son declared the rightful King of Upper Egypt. I bow before you, the great ancestor who existed at the very beginning of all things. You who touch the limits of the universe and cause the sun to be born, you who are at once god and goddess, wipe away impurity and misfortune, and rise once again on Pharaoh’s brow.’
War of the Crowns Page 6