Focusing her attention on the procession, she looked it over, not knowing what she was looking for, but felt a compelling urge to seek out something along the cliff tops and among the participants. The narrowing of the procession had seen many shift out of position. She, however, frowned when she noticed how far back Istnofret and Merenptah were. Their position seemed somehow off, the woman’s words and actions had indicated that she would most likely remain in the front of the procession. However, Neti put her unease down to too much wine.
Her gaze then shifted over the remainder of the group, finally hesitating at the narrow cliff they would soon pass through. A cold bolt of dread shot through her, causing her to instantly drop her gaze to the valley, with her heart pounding as she sought out the pharaoh and his men. “Stop him!” she exclaimed, staring toward them.
“Neti!” Shabaka called in concern, reaching out to grasp her arm and just missing it. “You cannot!”
“Look at the cliffs,” she shouted, as she took off at a run.
Shabaka hesitated, turning his gaze skyward. “By Ra!” he exclaimed, and took off at a run, shooting past Neti, shouting commands as he went. Only a few people responded, objecting to his behavior, while the noise from the musicians echoing in the narrow passage drowned out anything else.
Shabaka leaped onto the chariot the pharaoh was on and hauled on the reins, pulling the two horses around. The guards around them made to grab him, but he shouted at them to get out of the way, while Ramesses seemed shocked by his prefect’s behavior and clung to the front barricade, trying to maintain his balance.
A low rumble filled the air as the first of the stones hit the ground, quickly followed by others as the rumble grew. Terrified screams filled the air as the stones pelted down on the musicians, followed by larger boulders and loosened ground. Those behind them turned and pushed through the throngs still advancing in an attempt to get away, with several freezing in utter shock as man-sized boulders rained down in front of them, striking friends and loved ones.
Neti managed to draw Ri-Hanna and Homer from the onslaught, with some of the officials quick to respond to her and Shabaka’s urgings, while reluctant ones succumbed to the rocks. People ran blindly, clambering over others to get away, while Neti scanned the area looking for Shabaka. Her heart dropped when she could not find him around her. She was nearly knocked off her feet by the fleeing masses, when a vice-like grip settled around her arm, causing her to cry out, as she was dragged back from the crowds. She turned to look, ready to lash out at the rough handling and froze as she recognized him. He had lost weight, but his cold, calculating stare was not something one could forget.
“Come, little witch!” Ma-Nefer said, dragging her along.
“Let me go!” Neti exclaimed, pulling against his grasp, clamping her jaw to stop the whimper of pain that wanted to escape as he yanked her arm.
“Oh, no, little witch, you owe me a great debt,” he said, pulling her along.
The guard that Shabaka had appointed to her saw her struggle and shouted, “Let go of her!” His words drew the attention of others, causing Ma-Nefer to consider his options, finally letting her go and taking off.
“Who was that?” the guard asked, coming closer.
“Ma-Nefer.”
The man looked at her in shock, “The one we . . .” the man did not even finish his sentence and Neti was nodding, causing him to turn and order, “Get him!” to the others. They hastily took off after the receding figure, who seemed to disappear into the crowd.
Neti’s knees gave way, and she tumbled to the ground, sitting there in a heap. Her thoughts torn between concern for Shabaka and the realization that Ma-Nefer was here, and that he could move around easier because of his weight loss.
A guard grasped her arm and caused her to stiffen in reaction. She turned to look at him. “Come, we should go, we have secured what we could of the royal party.”
“Shabaka?”
“Last I saw, he was with the pharaoh in his chariot,” the man honestly replied, adding, “They should be fine. If anything, Shabaka is a survivor.”
Neti reluctantly nodded and rose on shaky legs, as she followed the guard, turning to look at the pile of rocks blocking the passage. “Has anyone gone after the men?” Neti asked.
“What men?” the guard asked.
“Those who were up on the cliff-face.”
“This was planned?!” the guard exclaimed in disbelief, looking back at the chaos.
“Yes, I think they meant to kill the pharaoh.”
The guard looked at her, and then scanned the area seeking one of the medjay. Spotting one, he turned to her, “Stay here. I just want to speak with him.”
Neti watched as he called for the man’s attention and then jogged over to him, rapidly talking and pointing to the rock face. The guard looked past the man at Neti, lifting his hand in greeting, which she returned. The medjay nodded, and then left, shouting to the others to follow him.
Neti, along with the guard, moved to the area commandeered by the guards for the royal party and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Shabaka talking to, trying to calm, an angered Ramesses. The guard indicated for her to remain there and went to speak with Shabaka and Ramesses, who both appeared taken aback by the man’s words. Shabaka looked in her direction, moments before excusing himself and coming over. His anger came off him in waves, and Neti wanted to slink away, never having faced his anger.
Shabaka took hold of her arm and looked at it, the red finger marks clearly visible, “I will kill him!” he professed, and then looked at her, “The guard said Ma-Nefer did this.”
Neti nodded in reply.
“They will find him.”
“He has lost some of his fat; he no longer looks the same.”
“It does not matter. We know he is here, and instruction has been given to collect any man running from here, including anyone found on the cliff.”
“Question the queen.”
Shabaka looked at her in confusion, “Istnofret?”
Neti nodded, “She was far back in the procession, too far back.”
“You think she knows something?”
“At the very least she was warned, and the way the prince kept turning and looking toward us . . . It is not right.”
“I will speak with Ramesses. He has already called off the rest of the festival. Those who remained in Deir-el-Bahari have been summoned to come and assist.”
“And the pharaoh? These people will know the hills.”
“His guards will accompany him to Nefertari’s tomb for the evening. The others will return to Deir-el-Bahari.”
They turned toward Ramesses as he approached and said, “I want whoever is behind this found! I don’t care who gets whipped until they speak. I will feed those responsible to my lions.” Ramesses seethed before leaving, and Neti could not blame him. A considerable number of innocent people had died, with almost twice as many severely injured.
“I want that rambling man from the beerhouse brought before me,” Shabaka said to Asphelta.
“Which rambling one? They all ramble when they’ve had too much beer.” The physical medjay said.
“The one that rambled about the attempt on Ramesses’s life,” Shabaka seethed.
“Ghesap?” the guard asked in surprise.
“Yes, bring him in, and also bring Nameb and his men. They all know something.”
“How do you know?”
“A man does not start to build a group of key workers, unless he knows something is about to change, or he has a hand in it.”
12
ALL THROUGHOUT THE EVENING, those capable of assisting with clearing the avalanche of rocks blocking the passageway within the valley worked tirelessly. The dead and injured were pulled from the debris and laid out for either healer or embalmer to attend to, while the medjay scouted the hilltops and ranges, capturing everyone wandering around or considered to be fleeing the area. Nameb and his men were apprehended at Deir-el-Bahari, where they
had remained with most of the Thebian participants. Ghesap and his group of men were gathered at one of the temples, drunk out of their minds.
As the eastern sky lightened, the number of captives had steadily risen to fifty, as Shabaka gathered a group of men to accompany him to the site atop the hill from where the avalanche rocks had been released. He wanted to access the scale of the infringement, while those awaiting questioning sobered up some, as no one could make any sense of their ramblings. He also wanted to wait for Neti to recover from her own bout of overindulgence.
For possibly the hundredth time that morning, he turned to look at her, where she sat with her head held between her hands, her whole body sagging. She had been silent for most of the evening, and he knew, like he was, she would be tired. But, she had not seemed to respond to any questions after the pharaoh’s departure. The most pressing had been how had she known? And what had made her stop to look up?
The healer, who had earlier tended to her, had proclaimed her well, if in need of sobering, and had said it was not uncommon for some to become silent when inebriated. When the diagnoses had been made it had seemed probable, however, she had not consumed any wine or beer since then, and her condition had not improved.
Torn between his duty and the need to assure himself that she was well, he looked over those present, seeking someone who knew her. Everyone was tired, with many having left the scene to tend to the injured or dead, which made it especially difficult to find anyone she knew, for all of the embalmers were occupied. As it were, they had already called on her on several occasions to assist, only to be turned away when he informed them that she was tending to the pharaoh’s matters. He knew under what scrutiny she operated, and that she would be reprimanded by the head priest, if her condition were considered such that she could not work.
He caught sight of one of the healers and beckoned the man over, requesting that he have a look at her. The man made to object, wanting to claim that there were those far more injured to tend to, when the pharaoh himself arrived, causing the man to lower his head in acknowledgment and move toward her.
Ramesses took one look at Neti and frowned when he turned to look at Shabaka, then drew him aside, “Is she breeding?” the pharaoh demanded, looking at Shabaka in annoyance.
Shabaka, utterly taken aback by the question, shook his head and lifted his shoulders, as he replied, “I wouldn’t know, why?”
“It is normal for women to take ill in the morning when carrying a child, and if she is, she should not be here.”
“She has been like that all night, at first they thought it to be the wine, but now I don’t know. She stares off into the distance when she does look up, but her eyes are unseeing.”
Ramesses again turned to look at Neti, “Best have her taken to Deir-el-Bahari. The priests will know what to do with her.”
Just then, Moses joined them and having only picked up the latter part of the conversation asked, “Do what with whom?”
Shabaka turned to look at him and then nudged his head toward Neti. Moses followed his gesture and looked at Neti, tilting his head some, “She needs sleep, water and willow root tea.”
“You know what is wrong with her?” Shabaka quickly questioned.
“Yes, she has seen too much wine, too much activity and too much sun. And seeing as she had the same only a few days ago, it is easy to understand. See how she flinches whenever someone touches her? She is oversensitive.”
Shabaka looked at Moses and then shook his head, “There is no place here for her to rest, and I cannot let her out of my sight. She also has to go to the site with me,” Shabaka said pointing toward the hillside.
“Shabaka, she is not going anywhere. Soon enough, she will not even be able to walk properly; the sun will drain all her life. You know how dangerous it is to move in the desert in her condition. Many have died trying,” Moses replied.
Shabaka swallowed against the lump that had formed in his throat. His need to keep her within his range of vision stemmed for Ma-Nefer’s sudden reappearance. He found himself constantly scanning those nearby. The man appeared to be as slippery as an oiled piglet, penned for wrestling, for no one had apprehended or seen the man since the avalanche, which implied that he was in all probability still within the area, possibly awaiting an opportunity. Shabaka, however, knew that endangering her life in an attempt to keep the man from her was just as dangerous as her falling prey to him.
He nodded at Moses’s words and turned towards Ramesses. “The guards will be moving those rounded up during the evening to a holding place near Deir-el-Bahari. I have instructed the guards that the captives are not to receive either water or bread until we have spoken to them.”
Ramesses nodded in agreement, “You have sent for the whip wielders to be summoned?”
“Yes, they will be here this evening,” Shabaka replied.
“Then we will start on them tomorrow morning.”
“I have also instructed the captain of the guard to question the captives, to sort the individuals from the group of tomb workers, family of tomb workers, or people who have contact with tomb workers but do not work in the tombs.”
“Whatever for?” Ramesses demanded, “We will extract information from everyone until we know who planned this, by whip if needed.”
“To move that quantity of stones to the top of the hill took a considerable amount of time—time the tomb workers would not have had, given their work schedules. But they must know of people who were collecting stones, for whatever reason.”
Ramesses again nodded his head, “Someone must have seen something.”
Shabaka turned to Moses, “I want you to travel back to Deir-el-Bahari with Neti, and make sure she is seen to. I will have a chariot made available. You are not to stop for anyone. I will need her to assist with the questioning in the morning.”
“Why?” Ramesses asked, “We will do the questioning.”
“Neti has a feeling about people, and places. She also knows how to use their fear of curses to get them to talk.”
“I see,” Ramesses replied, “You plan to use more than whipping to extract information from them.”
“Precisely,” Shabaka said, adding, “My Lord, I should also warn you that we intend to question your son, Merenptah, and his mother.”
“Why ever would you want to do that?” Ramesses asked, confused.
“Neti mentioned that they had fallen back considerably during the procession, well clear of the rock fall.”
Ramesses looked at him in disbelief, his brow furrowing before he spoke, “You know the penalty imposed on one for such accusation made against the queen. Do you really think it suitable to claim any involvement in this? Yes, I give it to you that such an incident would have been planned, but how would you validate such a claim, or even imply that she could have known? Knowing Istnofret’s nature, she would call for Neti’s life for such a claim. I have no wish to be placed in such a situation.”
“Neti has not accused the queen of anything and only asked for her to be detained for questioning,” Shabaka calmly countered, “I also know that Queen Istnofret has repeatedly requested of you to step down and to name her son as the new pharaoh.”
“That may be so, but what you are suggesting is paramount to conspiracy against me, and I do not think she knows enough people outside the palace to arrange something like this. You, all three of you, face harsh judgments if Istnofret chooses to exert her powers. Therefore, consider the situation before giving too much credence to Neti’s observation. For even as pharaoh, I would have difficulty in refuting such a claim from Istnofret, if it were made.”
“I will take heed of your caution, my lord; however, we will still question her as to the reason. We have no intention of accusing her of anything. If anything, it would attest to our vigilance, in such events.”
The pharaoh nodded his head, “I trust your judgment, my friend, but I also know the nature of that queen,” Ramesses sincerely replied, adding, “I will accompany you up
the hill. I want to see the handiwork of these men who tried to kill me.”
“My lord,” Shabaka cautioned, “It may be too steep a climb for you.”
“I will be the judge of that,” Ramesses stubbornly replied, “I may have slowed over the years, but I am not incapable of such a journey.”
* * *
Moses escorted Neti to Deir-el-Bahari. The journey was made as speedily as possible, given her weakened state, while Shabaka led a larger than originally planned contingent of men up the hill, both in effort to protect the pharaoh from possible attack and to arrest anyone found hiding or wandering the hillside.
On reaching Deir-el-Bahari, Moses handed Neti to the care of one of the priest’s wives, who was familiar with desert illness. It was only as the sun lowered on the horizon that Shabaka, Ramesses and a contingent of guards returned from the valley. With their arrival, Ramesses was notified that Queen Istnofret wanted to return to the more comfortable accommodations in Thebes, and that she demanded an immediate departure on his return, which he denied.
Moses approached Shabaka and informed him of the captives’ complaints about their aching heads and bodies, and that they demanded food and water, which was also denied.
“Why do you deny them water?” Moses asked, confused, knowing that one could start to see things in the desert if one went without water too long.
“My people believe that a man is more likely to tell the truth if he is thirsty enough, that he cannot carry a thought long enough to change the truth.”
“And this works?”
“Yes, I have seen it as a child. My father saw it fit that I learn how to deal with reprobates.”
“But all for water?” Moses questioned in disbelief.
“A man will go mad if he is thirsty enough, he would kill for water. My father told me that the threat of a lashing could get men to talk, and that lashing them enough could get them to admit to any crime, even if they did not do it. But many bands kill their own if they talk when captured, but a man thirsty for water does not think properly, he can easily be manipulated with questions.”
The Curse of Anubis - A Mystery in Ancient Egypt (The Mummifier's Daughter Series Book 3) Page 13