Secret of the 7th Scarab (The Mummifier's Daughter Series Book 4)

by Nathaniel Burns

  Ma-Nefer again fought the guards, but they held firm, jolting him back to movement.

  "I am going to tell the pharaoh that whatever he decides your fate to be, your punishment should be made public, seeing as you enjoy the attention of onlookers. It will also give some recompense to those you have cheated."

  A piercing whistle cut through the air, causing everyone to turn and look around them; however they saw nothing out of the ordinary. Ma-Nefer also stiffened at first and then complied with the guards, allowing them to pull him along.

  Turning at the end of the row houses, Ma-Nefer walked almost meekly between the guards, no longer resisting their hold on him. He lowered his head as they continued to move through the streets. Several onlookers stopped and pointed in their direction, many talking in hushed tones among themselves. Some of the children even scurried along for several paces, with some of the men heckling the guards or Ma-Nefer, depending on which side they chose to support. The women hastily called their children as they watched the guards march Ma-Nefer toward the more affluent parts of the city, markedly puzzled as to why he would not be taken to the guard's house.

  Just as the three men turned up another pathway, a loud shout sounded, and from seemingly nowhere, a group of young men ran through the street, pushing and shoving those close by, causing them to stumble and fall. Many cussed as they fought to maintain their balance or prevent their wares from falling to the ground. The guards shifted their focus for a mere beat; however, it was all that Ma-Nefer needed to pull away from them. Belatedly they realized that he had managed to escape their hold. They were about to set off after him when some of the youths pushed them, causing them to stumble, but they quickly regained their balance and turned to set off after them.

  "Leave them," the captain harshly commanded, then swore loudly, causing the onlookers closest to him to turn and stare. He watched as the two guards checked themselves before turning to face him. He wanted to reprimand them for letting Ma-Nefer get away; however, he knew there was nothing they could have done to prevent it. Their bewildered faces were enough to confirm their surprise at the events that had just transpired.

  "That man is like a slippery fish," one said, looking around the group of people still gathered.

  "No, he is a snake, and like a snake he should be killed on sight," the captain of the guard seethed, adding, "We had best return to the palace and report the events to Ramesses."

  "You do not fear his wrath?" a guard uncertainly asked.

  "In my years, I have learned that his wrath is far less if he is informed of events. It is when messengers convey news that one should be concerned."

  Chapter Eleven

  Neti fought the fogginess of sleep, her mind feeling fuzzy and her body heavy as she opened her eyes. A sharp painful sensation shot to her brain, which caused her to pinch her eyes shut and groan loudly, while trying to remember what they had done the night before or what would cause her to drink too much wine or beer so soon after the festival, especially since she had vowed not to do so again.

  She reached up and clutched her head, the sudden painful sensation giving way to steady thudding. Moments later she suddenly sat up fighting the sudden need to vomit, bracing with her hands to avoid toppling over. Neti again tried to open her eyes, the sharp sensation not as intense although the swirling sensation that overcame her made her feel nauseous again. She felt hot, too hot, and turned to get off her divan, only to realize she was on a grass mat, on the floor. Rubbing her eyes, she tried to remember what had happened.

  On her third attempt, she managed to open her eyes without being assaulted with searing pain, although the thudding in her head intensified as she took in the scene around her, her heart racing as she scanned the tent.

  Most of the contents, which had been carefully positioned the evening before, lay scattered around the floor. She looked for Moses or Khabo, knowing they would not be far off, her breath caught when she finally made out a still figure on the other side of the tent, partially under his grass mat.

  "Moses?" she called, although her throat was sore and it came out more of a husky squeak. She continued to look for Khabo. But not finding anything, she again called to Moses, more insistent this time, while wondering if her vague memory was from a blow to the head. She lifted her hand and ran it over her scalp, making a mental note that she needed to have it shorn again; however she felt no lumps or tender parts.

  Moses at first grunted, before shifting, causing a wave of relief to flush over her. Looking around her, she saw her wig and reached for it, quickly checking it for any damage before placing it on her head. Moses finally sat up, also clutching his head and taking short gasps before turning to look around the tent.

  "What happened here?" he asked, the confusion evident in his voice, as he looked around.

  A funny aftertaste in Neti's mouth had her reach for her water skin, thankful that it was not too far from her reach. Her thoughts managed to sort themselves out, causing a heavy sensation to settle over her heart, as the memories of events filtered through her foggy mind. She again looked around, trying to determine what time of day it was and how much time had been lost, knowing even more would be gone to assess what had been taken. Then they still had to pack.

  Neti got up, and waited for her body to adjust to the change of position, before carefully making for the tent flap.

  "Where are you going?" Moses asked.

  "I'm going to check on Khabo," she said, and then ducked through the doorway, halting in her tracks at the scene before her. The vast openness of the desert lay before them and she turned to look around her, searching for Khabo and the camels, not certain where he would have slept during the evening, although the camels had been tethered off to the side. There were still indentions in the sand with several footprints, although her heart sank to her feet when she followed them, knowing that the men the previous evening had not just ransacked their tent, but had also taken the camels. She again checked the footprints, easily enough identifying the shallower camel tracks. She suddenly turned to look around her, for a moment swaying but quickly righted herself.

  "Khabo!' She called looking around the area. There were only two sets of deeper tracks, which meant he was somewhere nearby. She moved to circle the tent and noticed him near the well, sitting upright with his head resting in his palms. She moved to him, placing her hand on his shoulder as she spoke, "Khabo?"

  He released a mournful sigh, with his head lowered as he spoke, "I have failed you, and in such a way failed the Nubian prince."

  "What do you mean?" Neti asked, lowering to sit next to him.

  "I should have known something like this could happen."

  "This is not your doing, you are not responsible for the actions of others," Neti calmly replied.

  "I have traveled these paths before. I know what kind of people travel here," Khabo said lifting his gaze to her, "I should have been able to see."

  "People are not always what they appear at first," Neti calmly, soothingly replied, thinking back to the vizier in Pi-Ramesses, "In my experience, it is those who are most dangerous who at first appear most appealing."

  Khabo looked at her in surprise, "Ma-Nefer used to say, when we traveled this way, that you can trust only yourself and those you can whip."

  "Ma-Nefer put too much faith in that whip of his," Neti angrily retorted, then rose from her position. "Come, we have to go through what is left and decide what we do from here."

  Neti waited for Khabo to regain his feet and then walked back toward the tent, only to hear Moses angrily exclaim, "The thieving sons of whores took everything!"

  Neti pulled the flap out the way and countered him, "They did not take everything; you still have the clothes on your back."

  Her words made Moses halt and look at her, visibly seething, "How can you be so calm?! Look at this place. They took everything of worth, including my purse. We have no flour or oil, and they have taken all of Yani's flatbread. My stomach is burning with hunger!"
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br />   "It is not the hunger burning, but the linctus they put in the food," Neti said, as her gaze again moved over the tent.

  Moses shook his head, "I don't understand. They ate the same food. There is no way that they could have put any linctus in it."

  "Did you see them dish up their food?" Neti asked, her attention focused on comparing the state of disarray between the opposite sides of the tent.

  "No," Moses replied,

  "My side is not as disturbed," Neti said, causing them to look at her and then toward her sleeping mat. Moses replied, "They considered you to be a married woman, so they would not have touched you."

  Neti turned to look at him, a frown marring her forehead, "What does that have to do with it?"

  "No man traveling the desert would attempt to touch a newly married woman," Khabo said.

  "But I'm not married!" Neti said, as she moved toward her mat.

  "They did not know that," Moses replied, as they watched her move the mat from where it lay, digging in the sand below it.

  Pulling free her purse she held it up, "My purse is still here."

  "They would not have thought to search you for one," Khabo spoke up, "being a married woman, your husband would hold all the money."

  "Well then, I am happy to know that we are not married," Neti said.

  Then Khabo turned to Moses, "How much was in your purse?"

  "About twelve debben's worth of gold pieces, you said not to bring any cast coinage."

  "They would not have thought to search her for more," Khabo said, "to most men, that is the bounty of four raids. Considering they took all our food and both camels, they will not be seen for some time."

  "You would know," Moses commented, causing Khabo and Neti to turn toward him.

  Neti rose to her full height as she spoke, "That was improper," while glaring at Moses, who in turn squared his shoulders.

  "And just how is it improper?" he countered. "He has traveled this way before, is familiar with those who travel here. This . . ." Moses said, gesturing around the pillaged tent, "is not only theft of the pharaoh's goods, it also means we now have to return to collect more supplies."

  "No," Neti countered. "We will not turn back."

  "Are you mad?! We do not have enough food to move through the desert. We have hardly started our journey. Do you want us to starve?"

  "It was your extravagant provisions that identified us as an easy target," Khabo calmly added, causing Neti and Moses to look at him.

  "What do you mean my extravagant provisions?" Moses demanded, turning to face Khabo.

  "Only the wealthy travel with so much and they would only travel the main routes. People who travel this way travel with the bare minimum. They do not draw attention to themselves."

  Moses reasoned, "We carried the bare necessities."

  Khabo shook his head, as he replied, "Maybe to one used to traveling with the pharaoh or his armies, but here, it was too much. Desert travelers carry the bare minimum."

  "There is no way we can cross the desert with what we have," Moses reasoned, his hand sweeping to indicate the tent."

  "That is true," Khabo agreed. "There is no way we could carry it all."

  Moses' eyes bugged, "What! Carry it?"

  "I can see you are not familiar with this type of travel," Khabo said. "The men who travel these paths carry their goods, either themselves or they use slaves. Anyone traveling with such an elaborate tent would be noticed."

  Moses made to speak, however Neti halted him, "Please, just listen to him."

  Moses nodded and allowed Khabo to continue.

  "We take only our water skins, whatever food remains, and anything worth trading for more food. It is easier to fit in at an oasis when you have so little, and then many of the larger groups will welcome you."

  "I thought you said not many travel this way." Moses countered.

  "There are those who like to keep to themselves, the nomadic groups, who also travel here. Not the same route as we are traveling, but their routes cross and join up at various oases. These people are often welcoming of others and entertain with lively tales of their travels through the desert. They might have little to share. When we get to the trading city by the water, we can use whatever is left to help us find my prince, Shabaka. It will also be easier to move around the markets if we do not need to concern ourselves with the camels and our goods being stolen."

  "And what of all this, what do we do with it?" Moses demanded, gesturing to the tent's contents.

  "What everyone else does in the desert. We bury it until we return."

  Moses looked around him, knowing there was little enough time to catch up with the group of men they were chasing. Returning to the city could mean that they lose their trail completely.

  "And you think we could make it if we walked, with no food and only water?"

  "We have food," Khabo countered.

  Moses shook his head, "They took it all."

  Khabo turned and exited the tent, Moses and Neti following his trail. "This is something Ma-Nefer taught me. He said, 'Never let anyone know how much of Yani's bread we have, for they will come in the night and steal it.' Thus, I have always been told to hide most of it, to only leave a few pieces out." Khabo stepped closer to the well. "Because there were only the two men here, I hid some of the bread and dates here when I watered the camels."

  Khabo moved to the side of one palm, braced his back against it, and paced several steps away from the underbrush. "Most people hide their goods near a tree or bush, but it is too easy to find," Khabo said, as he began to dig. Several moments later he pulled a parcel wrapped in material from the ground, pulled off the outer layers and the satchels became visible. He turned and extended one to Moses and the other to Neti, "Dusty food is better than no food."

  Moses turned to Neti, "You do realize that there will not be a tent, and that you will not have any privacy." Neti nodded, and Moses released a heavy sigh, "Shabaka is going to kill me if we find him."

  "When we find him," Neti immediately corrected, not wanting to consider the prospect that they might not find him.

  "We should get ready then," Moses said, adding, "but first breakfast. I was looking forward to camel's milk this morning . . ."

  Chapter Twelve

  As the sun reached its zenith above the Thebian valley, a low murmur rose from within the walls of the city guard, where with each passing moment more men gathered, each armed with a kapesh dagger and short spear, as they had been instructed. Everyone contemplated the reason for their sudden call to duty, even though no word of an impending threat had arrived by messenger.

  Senior members of the palace guard were sorting the men into groups as they arrived, an almost automatic response. The older members of the guard looked over the younger members, whose enthusiasm at the opportunity of battle reminded them of their own youth, while they feared for the uncertainty that war brought to the city.

  In the assembly hall Ramesses met with the Thebian captain of the guard and the captain of the royal guard, while all others were excluded from the meeting. And soon enough word spread through the city that Ramesses was preparing for war.

  "How many men do we have?" Ramesses demanded, looking between the two men standing in front of him.

  "They are still coming in, my lord," the Thebian captain of the guard replied. "We have recalled all the available men between here and Karnak."

  Ramesses nodded, and then demanded, "Where is that scribe? I want that scroll now!"

  "My lord, if I might ask, why are we gathering the guards?" the captain of the royal guard asked. "And why the rush? Certainly if we are to go to war, it would make more sense to call in all of the guards and wait for the royal guard to arrive from the palace. "

  "I do not have time to wait," Ramesses angrily replied, causing both men to look at him with concern.

  Just then the gilded doors opened and the guard bowed lowly before announcing the young scribe, who hidden behind the bulk of the document caref
ully made his way over to the men, bowing lowly as he spoke, "The scroll your requested, my lord."

  The Thebian captain of the guard took the document from the boy, while Ramesses nodded his head in both acknowledgment and dismissal. The boy turned to leave while the captain placed the scroll on the floor and rolled it out.

  "My lord, I caution you against rash decisions." The royal captain of the guard once again advised.

  Ramesses turned toward the guard, squaring his shoulders as he spoke, "Are you questioning my decisions? Because if you are, you can leave."

  The man looked rightfully chided and lowered his head, "No, my lord, I will stand beside you in this."

  As soon as the doors closed behind the young scribe, they turned their attention to the scroll.

  "This is the city map," the captain of the royal guard said, confused. "The scribe brought the wrong map."

  "He did not," Ramesses said, perusing the map before him. "I have no intention of going to war." Pointing to an area on the map with the end of his walking staff, "This is where the entrance to Apisit Ripisit is located." Both men looked at where he pointed as he continued, "We know that it consists of several joined houses," Ramesses continued moving his staff just above the papyrus, indicating the houses adjoined to it. "We do not know how many of these homes they have taken, but it would be safe to include the entire block. We need to gather enough men to surround this area and be capable of capturing anyone who leaves this area while the others enter the main entrance."

  "You plan to search this place?" the captain of the royal guard spoke up.

  "Yes, after this morning's events," Ramesses said, nudging his head toward the captain of the guard, "it is time for the Thebians to learn that there is little that happens in this city that I do not know of. Also they need to learn that that those who defy me will pay for their sins."

  "Who are we looking for?" the man asked.

  "We're not looking for anyone in particular; we are cleaning out the area, taking everything within its walls, and holding everyone within." Ramesses said, and again turned his attention to the map, "I will not allow for such a place to continue in one of my cities. I will not have the citizens rob me."