War of the Crowns

by Christian Jacq

  Perhaps Aberia would be able to help her, thought Yima. So she went to the barracks where Aberia lived. She found her wolfing a huge plateful of red meat and washing it down with wine.

  ‘Would you like to to share my meal?’ asked Aberia.

  Oh, no, thank you,’ replied Yima. ‘I’m watching my weight at the moment.’

  ‘Then stop eating pastries. They’re food for little girls, anyway.’

  ‘I am worried, very worried.’

  ‘Is someone upsetting you, my poor darling?’

  ‘Yes, but not someone you can get rid of for me.’

  ‘Can’t I? Who can it possibly be?’ Intrigued, Aberia stopped chewing. ‘Tell me the answer to this puzzle.’

  ‘It’s Tany—I think she hates me.’

  Aberia burst out laughing. ‘Tany’s too ugly to have any feelings!’

  ‘Don’t joke. I really am upset. I don’t understand why she dislikes me so much, and I don’t know what she has against me. Do you know?’

  ‘I haven’t the faintest idea, my poor dear—well, actually, yes, I have. That little barrel contains nothing but venom. She hates absolutely everyone: the only person she loves is herself. She has no intention of letting anyone else share the benefits of being Apophis’s woman, so she drives away anyone who might get a little too close to him.’

  ‘But I wouldn’t do that, I promise!’ protested Yima.

  ‘Your reputation suggests otherwise, my little one. But I believe I can solve the problem for you.’

  ‘Really? How?’

  ‘Myself, I have no taste for men. They’re insipid and they tire too quickly. Women, on the other hand … what a delight! If the empress thinks you, too, love women, you’ll no longer be in danger.’

  Yima looked like a frightened child. ‘What you’re asking of me … I’d never dare, I—’

  ‘Yes, you would. In fact, being so perverse, you’ll enjoy it, and afterwards you won’t be able to get enough of it. Come, let’s go to my bedchamber. It’s even better after a good meal.’

  ‘But the soldiers will know, and—’

  ‘That’s exactly what we want, little one. We want our liaison to be notorious. Who would ever dare lay a finger on my darling?’

  *

  A young Egyptian woman, the daughter of a scribe who had been deported, was massaging Khamudi’s toes, one of the parts of his body he considered perfect. After he had tried her out, she would end up either in the harem or in Sharuhen, depending on his whim of the moment.

  Yima was lying on a comfortable mat beside her husband, her face smeared with regenerative clay.

  ‘You’ve done the right thing,’ he told her. The emperor thinks a lot of Aberia, and your being on good terms with her will be very useful for both of us. The more deportations there are, the more important Aberia becomes. As soon as she returns from Sharuhen, the emperor will appoint her head of the guards.’

  ‘Has he decided to kill all the Egyptians?’

  ‘If we want to govern this country in our own way, it’s the only answer. At the moment we still need them as slaves, but foreigners brought up in the Hyksos ways will gradually replace them.’

  ‘What a wonderful world the emperor is creating for us,’ said Yima. ‘single way of thinking, a single direction, a single policy, a single dominant class wielding all the power, and faithful subjects who will obey because the law of Apophis is the law of Apophis! But when is he going to get rid of the Theban troublemakers?’

  ‘He wishes to leave that pleasure to Jannas, and I think he is right. What splendid slaughter there will be! The Thebans are so afraid that they no longer even dare leave their rear camp. At the front, they will eventually tear each other to pieces. Either they will surrender, and Aberia will have many, many prisoners to transport, or else Jannas will have a good many heads to cut off. That’s what happens to fools who put their trust in a woman like Ahhotep.’

  The pirate captain at last got his breath back. When Jannas’s ship had rammed his own, he had thought he was hallucinating: the Hyksos couldn’t possibly be faster and more cunning than he was.

  With incredible stubbornness, the commander had grimly pursued each last one of the Mycenaean, Cyprian and Minoan pirates who, with Minoa’s tacit support, were attacking the emperor’s trading-fleet. They had hoped to sink so many Hyksos ships that Jannas would be forced to retreat, but he was a formidable sailor and had had an answer to every single one of his adversaries’ tricks: little by little, they had become hunted animals.

  They had been sure they would find refuge in the Mycenaean islands—only to be disillusioned again. Even there, Jannas pursued them without falling into any of their many ambushes. Patient and meticulous, he isolated each enemy boat before capturing it with his more heavily armed sailors.

  The captain and ten of his pirates were good swimmers, and reached the coast of Thera. The island was dominated by a volcano, but its eruptions did not frighten them. They would hide their booty there and then withdraw, their fortunes made.

  ‘They’re following us, Captain,’ said a pirate.

  Five boats full of Hyksos archers were heading for the island.

  ‘We’ll climb up higher,’ said the captain. ‘They won’t dare follow.’

  The smoking mountain did indeed make a strong impression on Jannas’s men.

  ‘Need we really bother with these miserable fugitives, Commander?’ asked one officer.

  ‘Every task must be fully completed. The emperor has ordered us to exterminate the pirates, and exterminate them we shall. If we don’t, this handful of rebels will only get another ship and begin all over again.’

  ‘Isn’t this mountain … dangerous?’

  ‘Not as dangerous as my sword,’ replied Jannas menacingly.

  The officer did not press the point. One more word, and he would be dead.

  Slowly, the Hyksos climbed the slopes of the volcano.

  ‘They’re coming after us,’ warned one of the pirates. ‘We must go faster.’

  As soon as they were within range, the Hyksos archers felled almost all the pirates. But, hampered by the plumes of smoke, they missed the captain, who skirted the edge of the crater, hoping to run down the opposite side and so escape his pursuers.

  An arrow plunged into his thigh. Despite the pain, he dragged himself onwards across the rocks until a Hyksos caught him and kicked him to the ground.

  ‘Don’t kill him yet,’ ordered Jannas. He had just discovered a strange lake. It contained not water but bright—red fire, which constantly boiled and bubbled.

  ‘Listen to me,’ begged the pirate. I’ve got a lot of treasure hidden up here in a cave.’

  ‘Where?’

  ‘I’ll tell you if you spare my life.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘Do you give me your word?’

  ‘Take your chance, pirate. And don’t risk annoying me any more.’

  ‘It’s halfway up this slope, opposite a rock with a circle drawn on it. You will see, it’s a real hoard! Thanks to me, you’ll be a rich man.’

  ‘It is the Hyksos emperor whose coffers you will fill. I’m here only to destroy the bandits who’ve been attacking us.’

  ‘And you’ll spare my life?’

  ‘A promise is a promise,’ said Jannas. ‘But before that, a quick bath will do you the world of good. You’re dirty and you stink.’

  ‘A bath? But …’

  ‘That red lake looks suitable.’

  ‘No!’ howled the pirate. No! It’s the mouth of hell!’ ‘Get him out of my sight,’ ordered the commander.

  Four Hyksos picked up the wounded man and threw him into the lake of molten lava.

  20

  The military camp at Thebes was buzzing with activity. After a mild winter, during which many new boats had been built, Neshi presented his report to Pharaoh Kamose and Queen Ahhotep.

  ‘Food supplies have been sent to the front, and it has been reinforced with eager young recruits,’ he said. ‘The experienced
soldiers await your order to embark.’

  ‘In your opinion, how good is the troops’ morale?’ asked Ahhotep.

  Neshi hesitated. Our men are brave and determined, certainly, but …’

  ‘But they are afraid of the Nubians, aren’t they?’

  ‘Indeed, Majesty. The Nubians’ reputation for ferocity frightens more than a few of our men. The generals and I have tried to explain that we now have effective weapons and that our combat training is excellent, but we are a long way from banishing their fears.’

  ‘Anyone guilty of cowardice will be executed in front of his comrades,’ decreed Kamose.

  ‘There may be other ways of calming this ancestral and understandable fear,’ suggested the queen.

  Goose-livers stuffed with figs, roast duck, grilled sides of beef, puréed onions, lentils and courgettes, strong celebration beer of a beautiful amber hue, a thousand and one honey-cakes: these were among the elaborate dishes the palace had prepared for the army of liberation.

  In addition, each soldier had received two comfortable new mats, and ointments based on terebinth resin to relax the muscles, maintain the proper bodily energies and repel insects.

  ‘The queen is a mother to us,’ declared Moustache through a mouthful of fresh bread spread with goose-liver. I’ve never eaten so well in my life.’

  ‘When your country reaches heights like these,’ admitted the Afghan, ‘I almost forget my own.’

  A man at the next table, a veteran soldier, flung away the stripped carcass of a duck. ‘Instead of marvelling like stupid children, you’d do better to think. This is the last good meal you’ll ever eat. On the boats you’ll have to make do with rations, and then you’ll be killed by the Nubians.’

  ‘Well, I have no intention of dying,’ retorted the Afghan.

  ‘You ignorant fool, it’s obvious you don’t know where you’re going.’

  ‘And you do?’

  ‘I’ve never set foot in Nubia, it’s true, but no one can beat those tall black soldiers’they’re ten times stronger than we are.’

  ‘Yet they don’t dare attack the Hyksos,’ pointed out Moustache.

  The footsoldier was silenced, but only for a moment. ‘They will one day. The Nubians were born to fight, not like us. Not a single Egyptian soldier will come back alive from this expedition.’

  ‘If you’re so sure of that, resign and go home,’ advised the Afghan. ‘man who’s beaten before he even sets off is as good as dead.’

  ‘Are you accusing me of cowardice, foreigner?’

  ‘I’m telling you to think clearly, that’s all.’

  ‘No, you aren’t. You’re trying to make me look a fool!’

  Moustache was about to intervene when silence fell.

  Queen Ahhotep began to speak. ‘The ordeal we are all about to undergo is likely to be very dangerous, for we shall face formidable enemies. Before we even encounter the Nubians, who are rightly feared as warriors, we must first capture one of the Hyksos’ largest fortresses, Per-Hathor. If the garrison manages to alert the Nubians, we shall have lost our chance of defeating them, which is why our first objective is to take Per-Hathor. The Hyksos occupy our country, steal its wealth and make our people their slaves. The time has come to make them realize that Egypt will never submit to tyranny. The will to be free is our finest weapon. Eat and drink well, and may courage fill your hearts!’

  The soldier helped himself to another duck and gulped down another cup of strong beer. The queen’s speech had reassured him. Capturing Per-Hathor was impossible, so the army would simply make a very brief excursion south and then come home, abandoning all thoughts of Nubia.

  Ahhotep kissed her mother’s hand; Teti had been confined to bed for several days.

  ‘Mother, I shan’t leave with Kamose, I shall stay with you.’

  ‘No,’ said Teti. ‘Your place is beside the king, your son. He is young and inexperienced. Without you, he might make fatal mistakes.’

  ‘Without you, my beloved mother, our adventure could never have become reality. Now, when you are ill, my duty is to care for you.’

  ‘An old woman must not prevent you leading your troops to victory, Ahhotep. Leave me to face this trial alone, and think only of the future.’

  ‘A daughter who abandons her mother is unworthy to be queen.’

  Teti smiled. ‘I’m beginning to wonder which of us is the more stubborn. Help me up.’

  ‘The doctors say you must rest.’

  ‘You have entrusted me with a task, and I shall carry it out. Thebes must be governed in your absence, and every single man in the province mobilized in the event of a Hyksos attack. So my death will have to wait—at least until you return.’

  Teti left her bedchamber. She was so frail that Ahhotep was sure she would be unable even to stand up for very long, but the old lady welcomed the warmth of the sun and summoned her household.

  ‘Lying in bed is doing me no good,’ she said. ‘Go to PerHathor with a quiet heart, Ahhotep. Ahmose will help me, won’t he?’

  Moustache attached handles firmly to the knives and daggers, using resin; mixed with powdered limestone, it made an excellent adhesive. The Afghan was sharpening the blades and checking the arrowheads.

  Qaris was rushing all over the place, anxious to leave nothing to chance. He spoke with each captain, visited each ship, and inspected each storage-chest and each jar. It was the eve of their departure for the south, and no detail must be neglected.

  Heray, however, had other things on his mind.

  ‘Majesty,’ he confessed to Ahhotep, ‘my investigation has had no results. No one saw the archer who fired at the king. Of course, I have doubled the size of his personal bodyguard and am imposing even stricter security measures.’

  ‘My son thinks it was merely an attempt at intimidation.’

  ‘Whether he is right or wrong, the important thing is to ensure his safety. If the Hyksos spy remains in Thebes, the king will be in no danger, at least for the moment. On the other hand, if the spy is a member of the expeditionary force, his only thought will be to make another attempt on the king’s life.’

  ‘Don’t worry, Heray. I’ll watch over the pharaoh.’

  Way-Finder was the first to board the flagship, where he had been allocated a new mat, in the shade of an awning, which he would share with Laughter. Then came a long procession, led by King Kamose proudly bearing the Sword of Amon.

  The Afghan began to beat a strong, regular rhythm on a strange instrument.

  Moustache had never seen anything like it before. ‘What’s that?’ he asked. ‘Did you make it yourself?’

  ‘It’s a drum. Its music will give the men courage—you’ll see.’

  The Afghan was right. The stirring rhythm calmed many fears, especially among the youngest soldiers.

  After kissing little Ahmose and telling him to help his grandmother, Ahhotep gazed upon her brave men, all of them ready to sacrifice their lives to liberate Egypt. Many would not return from this journey, and she would be responsible for their deaths.

  The Wife of God thought of her dead husband, whose absence weighed a little more heavily upon her with each day that passed. In uttering the ‘words of glorification’ that had brought his name and his spirit to life, the queen had created an energy which was essential if she was to pursue her mad adventure. Seqen was there, close beside her, giving her his strength.

  Up in the sky, the moon began to shine.

  21

  ‘By all the gods!’ exclaimed Moustache. ‘How beautiful my country is!’

  ‘There is some truth in what you say,’ acknowledged the Afghan. ‘Your land may not have high, snow-covered mountains, but it does have charm.’

  ‘What is snow?’

  ‘Water from the sky, which hardens as it falls to earth and turns a beautiful pure white.’

  ‘You mean … cold water?’

  ‘Very cold. It burns your hands when you touch it.’

  ‘How horrible. Put that ugly thought out o
f your mind and look at the Nile and its green banks instead.’

  On board the flagship, which had just set off for the south, the two men were experiencing a moment of perfect happiness. There was no more war, no more danger, no more Hyksos, simply a boat gliding along the river, while ibis and pelicans soared overhead.

  In the bows, a tall, wiry man was sounding the depth of the water with a long forked stick. His role was vital: he decided, according to the depth, how the boat should be handled.

  ‘What is your name?’ Ahhotep asked him.

  ‘Moon, Majesty.’

  ‘Moon? Then you and I are protected by the same god.’

  ‘If you only knew, Majesty, how I have longed for this. I was afraid I would die before I could fight the Hyksos and their allies. Thanks to you, my life has finally gained meaning. I swear to you that I shall guide this ship safely to its destination.’

  The young helmsman’s open smile lifted the queen’s heart. ‘For the moment, Moon, we shall pause in our journey.’

  Their sails furled, the boats of the war-fleet hove to in perfect order.

  While the soldiers were eating, Ahhotep and Kamose gathered together the men who had volunteered for the attack on Per-Hathor.

  ‘We have nearly reached the fortress,’ said the queen, ‘and their lookouts must not see our boats.’

  ‘Faced with such a massive attack,’ said an officer, ‘they might surrender.’

  ‘I have seen the fortress,’ Ahhotep told him, ‘and it looks impregnable. Besides, the Hyksos are far more afraid of the emperor than of an Egyptian fleet. Per-Hathor is the gateway to Upper Egypt.’

  ‘What if we just sailed past it as quickly as possible?’

  ‘Their archers would shoot fire-arrows, and most of our boats would be set alight. The Nubian and Hyksos troops at Elephantine would be warned by visual signals and would slaughter our men, and then they’d go on to destroy Thebes. If we are to be able to use the Nile, it is vital that we capture Per-Hathor and do not give its garrison time to ask for help. Do not forget that from the tops of the towers lookouts can see further than a day’s march to the south.’