Eye of the Moon

by Dianne Hofmeyr

  In one very still moment all went deathly quiet as if every man had heard me. Thousands of eyes turned to look at us.

  21

  MEN OF THE BOW

  I felt my legs give way. Tuthmosis gripped me beneath my elbow and held me up.

  “Be brave!” he whispered close to my ear. “They’re not enemies! They won’t harm us! We must find their commander.”

  I nodded to show I’d heard, but couldn’t speak.

  Some soldiers rushed toward us. I cringed and squeezed my eyes shut as I imagined the sound of arrows being drawn and the twang of bowstrings being pulled. But everything was confused. I scarcely had time to draw breath and fill my lungs with air before we were surrounded and grabbed.

  “Stop!” Tuthmosis shook himself free. “I can prove—” But he was hit across the jaw before he could say more.

  Anoukhet raised her dagger and showed no sign of putting it aside. It skimmed the skin of a soldier’s arm and left behind a bleeding gash. She lunged in all directions before it was knocked from her hand.

  “Keep still! A plague of locusts on you, boy!” one soldier shouted as he grabbed her and thrust her hands behind her back.

  We were trussed with ropes and led down the soft sand like donkeys or camels. Row upon row of bowmen crowded in on us, beating a slow, frightening tattoo against their shields and cursing into our faces as we passed. The heat and dust and raw smell of them terrified me. I could scarcely look up. The soldiers dragging us shouted at them to make way. The men slowly parted but not without jeering and pulling at our cloaks and shoving us along. I tripped and Anoukhet spit at one soldier and Kyky escaped from her cloak and went scampering off among them.

  In a basin of arid dunes was an area barricaded with shields and staves to form an enclosure. We were shoved along through a horde of soldiers dressed in tunics woven with red thread and tied in such a way that long tasseled fringes hung down in the front. They had armbands of copper and gold and ivory and studs of gold in their ears—every embellishment worn, it seemed, to make them appear more fierce and their bodies more powerful.

  We passed through a wooden gateway. Inside the enclosure was an area that seemed more like an entire town. There were shelters for stores and weapons and tented areas, and in the center, a number of raised platforms stood on thick posts cut from trees and were covered by large cloth canopies.

  A man emerged from beneath one. His face twisted with annoyance. “Tie them up!” he shouted.

  “If we’re separated,” Tuthmosis hissed as they jostled us along, “keep to the truth of our story. Remember what I said. I have ways of proving—”

  He was given a sharp stamp across the back and his words ended in a groan.

  “Keep quiet! The lot of you!” a soldier bellowed. “Take that one away. Keep him apart. He has too much to say!”

  They led Tuthmosis away, and Anoukhet and I were each tied to a separate post.

  “Hathor, protector of women,” I begged, “goddess of the moon, right eye of Horus . . . protect me! Don’t let them take Anoukhet away as well.”

  “Stop that!” Anoukhet hissed. “You’ll only annoy them!”

  I hadn’t realized I’d spoken the words out loud. “Where have they taken Tuthmosis?”

  She shrugged and then called out to a soldier. “Hey! You! We need water. And we need to speak to someone in authority!”

  “You’re prisoners. Prisoners can’t make demands,” the soldier sneered back at her.

  “What have we done to be made prisoners?”

  “It’s said you were planning an attack.”

  “Three people were going to attack an army this size? Have you lost your senses?”

  “It’s what we’ve been told.”

  “Who told you?”

  “Boys from the river at the Belly of Stones. They spy on newcomers. They said you were whispering things.”

  “They’re only boys! Not spies! How would they know anything? They were mistaken. We weren’t planning anything. We work for the donkey men.”

  “Tell that to our leader.”

  “Take us to him, then. Or bring him here. Either way, I’ll tell him.”

  “You’re a cheeky one. You’d do well to keep your mouth shut.”

  “I’m Nubian and so are you. I’m asking you as a fellow Nubian.”

  “You might be Nubian. But the other two aren’t. They’re Egyptian, and Egypt is the enemy.”

  “All I ask is water. At least bring me that.”

  When the soldier brought her a gourd, she whispered something to him. He threw back his head and laughed. Then he looked over his shoulder at me in surprise and came across to offer me a drink. He went away laughing and shaking his head.

  “What? What did you say, Anoukhet?”

  “I said I was your slave.”

  “My slave? How could that be?”

  “I told him you were a high-ranking prince in disguise. That you bought me as your slave out of the kindness of your heart.”

  “Tuthmosis said we should tell the truth!”

  “Tuthmosis isn’t here. At least now we’ll get some action. I said you’d reward them. I asked him to call his leader and to search for Kyky and my dagger as well.”

  “What . . . ?” a voice echoed above us through the slatted platform. “Am I to listen to a slave telling me what to do?”

  “Not just an ordinary slave. He says his master is an Egyptian prince. He hinted of some exchange. He spoke of the great wealth of the prince. That perhaps something could be arranged.”

  “Which one is the prince and which the slave? They both look like ragged dogs.”

  The soldier came to the side of the platform and pointed below at us in turn. I looked up at the outline of the man above me but couldn’t see the features of his face against the sunlight. He came down a wooden stairway and passed between us into the shadow of the platform, then stopped in front of Anoukhet and looked her directly in the face.

  She dropped her eyes. “I’m not the prince, sir. He’s there.” She gestured to me.

  The man turned to look at me. He was younger than I’d first imagined. He wore the same tunic as the others, armbands of gold, copper, and ivory, a belt of cowrie shells, and a short Nubian wig. His skin was dark and sunburned, but I could see he wasn’t Nubian.

  He narrowed his eyes as he looked at me. I stared back at him, but his face was still hidden from the light. For a moment he seemed startled. But perhaps I was seeing only shadows beneath the platform. He swirled around and commanded a soldier, “Cut them loose!”

  “But—”

  “Do as I say!” Then he sent the soldiers away and marched Anoukhet and me up the stairs ahead of him and wrenched the canopy aside. We entered a small, enclosed tented space hung with fighting instruments—bows, arrows, daggers, and finely honed axes and spears with such sharp-pointed blades that I shuddered at the thought of them piercing my body.

  I turned to look at the man. Around his neck I saw a glint of blue glass. It was a common sort of amulet. Anyone could have bought a similar one in any marketplace. But then my heart skipped a beat. I saw the dreadful scar that marked his shoulder. Strapped to the stump of his right arm was a false limb made of wood.

  “Can it be . . . ?” I whispered. I stepped toward him.

  “Stand back!” he commanded.

  His amulet . . . it was definitely a scorpion. “Katep . . . ? Can it be? Do you not know me?”

  He took me by the shoulders and studied my face for a long time as if he wanted to be completely sure.

  “Isikara? So it is you!”

  22

  KATEP

  I stood staring at my brother in complete disbelief, my eyes taking in every detail of his weatherworn face. How had he come to be so far south?

  He looked me up and down, but seemed more annoyed than delighted. “Isikara, what are you doing dressed like this? Why are you here? And who’s this boy?”

  I was surprised at the sound of his voice. But t
hen, for a moment I’d forgotten we were still in disguise.

  I glanced across at Anoukhet. The sun was shining through a gap in the canopy. It struck her crop of gleaming dark curls. Her hair was beginning to grow again. She was lounging against a post, taking in the scene between Katep and me—her eyes not missing a thing. With her legs stretched out in that indifferent, confident manner of hers and with her short curls and cloak, she did seem like a boy. A very handsome boy at that.

  Suddenly I could see why Katep was playing the protective brother.

  He squared his body to face Anoukhet. “Don’t just stand there. What are you to my sister?”

  Anoukhet smiled across at him. “She’s my friend.”

  “I can see that! But why have you taken up with her? What are your intentions?”

  “Katep—,” I tried to interrupt, but he held up his hand to stop me.

  “My intention is to remain true to her all my life,” Anoukhet replied with a half smile on her face. I could tell she was teasing him.

  He glanced back at me.

  I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. “Katep . . . Anoukhet is a girl!”

  “What?” He strode across and pulled her shoulders around toward the shaft of sunlight coming in through the canopy. It looked as if he might pull off her cloak.

  “Stop! Trust me. She’s a true friend. We’ve come through this together by being disguised as boys.”

  “But a girl! What will the commander say about having a girl in the camp?” Then he looked across at me. “Two girls, in fact. This is a camp of hardened soldiers. They behave like soldiers. They swear and curse and don’t always bathe. They’re a rough bunch.”

  Anoukhet smiled back at him. “I can swear and curse with the best of them.”

  “It’s impossible. You can’t remain here! What about the other boy? The one being held separately because he was causing trouble. Is he a girl, too? Am I to tell my commander there are three girls in the camp?”

  In the relief of discovering Katep, I’d forgotten about Tuthmosis. I shook my head. “He’s not a girl. He’s the crown prince Tuthmosis of Egypt.”

  Katep shot a look at me. “What? You’re traveling with the crown prince Tuthmosis? It’s rumored he was murdered. This is truly serious.”

  “Have you heard what happened in Thebes?”

  He turned abruptly and stood at the railings with his back to us. “There’ve been many rumors.”

  I went across to him and touched his shoulder.

  He spun around angrily. “Get back before anyone sees you! Is it true? Was Father poisoned? Was it Wosret’s doing?”

  “I’ll tell you everything. But first, order your men to free Tuthmosis.”

  “They’re not my men to order. I’m just the leader of a phalanx under the orders of a commander.”

  Anoukhet shrugged. “Speak to whomever you have to. But ask them to find my dagger and Kyky as well.”

  “Kyky?”

  “My monkey.”

  Katep sighed. “Two women, a prince, and a monkey! What am I to say?”

  He shouted to some soldiers below. Then he pointed for us to sit on some cushions on the floor.

  “I thought you went to Sinai. Why are you here in Nubia?”

  He shrugged. “The wind took me south. It’s easier for a man with only one arm to sail rather than row. I kept going. When did you last see Father?”

  “In Thebes. At Queen Tiy’s embalming. He said he’d follow.”

  “He might still come.”

  “It’s been too long.”

  “But he might. . . .”

  “No, Katep. . . .”

  Then I told the story and we interrupted each other in our hurry to hear what each was saying. Now and again Anoukhet added her own words. Every time she spoke, Katep looked at her with complete attention. I could see she held some fascination for him. When Tuthmosis was brought in, Katep gave him a curt bow and changed his attitude to become businesslike again. He turned to me. “Tell me about this Naqada.”

  I gave Anoukhet a sharp look. I wasn’t brave enough to talk about Naqada.

  “A scorpion,” was all she replied.

  A soldier came with Kyky and brought a message as well. Katep stood up and began pacing. “It’s impossible! You can’t stay! The commander will never allow it.”

  “Why not?”

  “How can he allow Egyptians in his camp? Egypt is the enemy.”

  “He allowed you!”

  “That’s different. I’m a mercenary. I fight alongside whoever will pay me.”

  Tuthmosis nodded. “We will, too.”

  “You’re not just any Egyptian. Your father, Amenhotep, was his most vile enemy!”

  “My father is dead. With the Nubians on my side, I can defeat the Egyptian army. When my throne is restored to me, the Nubians will be free of skirmish. They’ll never have to fear another attack from Egypt. What is theirs will remain theirs. This I promise.”

  Katep shrugged. “He’ll need some persuading. And if he agrees, you’ll have to work like any soldier. Every person in this camp has a job to do.” He gave Tuthmosis a sidelong glance. “And you’ll have to obey commands.”

  I could see he found it hard to believe this person dressed in tatters, who smelled of donkeys and camels, was a royal person.

  “The men won’t stand for slackers. Even one who’s the son of a pharaoh. Perhaps less so, when he’s the son of a pharaoh! You’ll need to earn their trust.”

  Katep sized Tuthmosis up. I saw him take in the scarred leg. Involuntarily he touched his own false limb. I saw Tuthmosis’s eyes drawn to the wooden arm. He didn’t comment, but Katep picked up the glance and a dark flash of annoyance crossed his face.

  Katep would need to be won over. I didn’t want them to dislike each other. “Tuthmosis would be of use to the Kushite army. He hunted with his father. They hunted lion.”

  “But he’s never been a soldier,” Katep challenged.

  Tuthmosis shook his head. “No, I haven’t, and you don’t have to speak for me, Kara. It was my father who hunted lion, not me. I was just a charioteer.”

  “A charioteer?” I could tell Katep was impressed. “I’d give anything to have our army equipped with chariots.”

  Tuthmosis nodded. “Chariots give you the advantage of attack—right into the heart of battle.”

  Suddenly Katep was on the defense again. “Yes, but the Egyptians keep their charioteers as the elite of their army. Only the elite have special bows, while the rest of their foot soldiers carry ordinary bows. With us, all our men carry special bows. We are better bowmen.”

  I exchanged glances with Katep. He was testing Tuthmosis. I knew him so well. Stop! my eyes signaled.

  His eyebrow curved up. So? he questioned back at me.

  The thread that bound us like a spider’s web was still intact.

  Tuthmosis eyed him. “I’m a good marksman. Steady with a bow. But I’ve never killed a man.”

  I turned away quickly. I was afraid to hold Katep’s glance because of the secret that lay among the three of us. Naqada. I’d killed a man!

  Katep narrowed his eyes at Tuthmosis. “Are you a coward, then?”

  “There’s never been a need for me to kill a man. Have you?” Tuthmosis responded.

  Katep shrugged. “I told you . . . I’m a mercenary. I work for the underdog. I kill where I have to.”

  These two were on warring sides. Fighting some strange hand-to-hand duel. “Stop. All this is of no importance. What are you doing here as leader of a Kushite phalanx, Katep?”

  “It was because of my bow skills. The commander was swimming in the Great River one day. I was passing in my boat when a crocodile appeared from nowhere and lunged at him. It had him in its jaws when I shot it, using my false arm.”

  It was the first time he’d referred to his false arm piece. As if to break the tension, he nodded across at Anoukhet. “Isikara has no bow skills. What are yours?”

  She tossed her head and laughed. �
��My skills? Ha! If I had my dagger, I’d show you. I’m as accurate with a bow as I am with a dagger. I’ll manage as well as any man.”

  Her reply made Katep defensive. “It’s not as easy as you think. We use the composite bow. It’s strengthened with horn. You need power in your shoulders to bend it back.”

  Anoukhet needed no further challenge. “I’m strong enough!” She sprang forward and grabbed a bow from the wall where the fighting implements hung. She chose an arrow, fitted it to the string, then strode to the canopy opening. She pulled the gut back until the bow ends curved sharply and the feathers touched her breast as she took aim and released. It shot out over the heads of the soldiers and came to rest squarely in the wood of one of the upright posts of the enclosure.

  In one stride Katep reached her. “Give me that!”

  They stood with barely the space of a hand between their faces. He looked directly into her eyes. Then he gripped her wrist with his good hand and held it so hard that I could see her skin whiten around the edge of his fingers. “That’s my bow. Don’t ever touch it again.”

  I waited for Anoukhet to toss her head and spit out one of her taunts. But instead she looked down. And when Katep released her wrist, she turned and placed the bow carefully back on its hook.

  I suspected Katep realized his victory. “I’ll speak to my commander. It’s up to him whether you stay or not.” He looked directly at Anoukhet. “But you can’t behave as you please.” Then he turned to me and spoke as if I were his little sister stuck up in the fork of the mimosa tree. “And you can’t suddenly become scared, Kara. In battle there’s blood and people dying. It’s dangerous and terrifying.”

  I threw my shoulders back and held my head high as I met his eye. “I’m prepared to fight. I’m not scared of blood!” As soon as the words flew from my mouth, I knew they weren’t true. I was scared of blood. And I’d seen Naqada’s blood on my hands. The horrible blackness of it in the moonlight. And I’d been terrified.

  I thought of the moment when I’d crept up on him. Perhaps that’s what being in the army was like. You had to forget everything. You had to kill like an animal hunting. It was kill . . . or be killed. A lynx wouldn’t have worried about blood.