The Forest of Myrrh (Imhotep Book 3)

by Jerry Dubs

  He had fallen when she jumped on him, landing sideways on his knee. The knee had twisted and then he had rolled onto the blade of the knife that the fallen soldier held. The knife had sliced his arm at his elbow. He had been able to staunch the bleeding, but his lower arm was useless now, his fingers without feeling in that hand.

  He couldn’t take a turn rowing with only one arm, so the other men had put him ashore.

  He knew that he was going to die. He could barely walk and his arm was dead. He would limp until he had no strength and then he would fall over and something would kill him. He knew it. But now the gods had given him a chance for revenge.

  He might die alone, his name would be unspoken and forgotten, his ka would wander forever in Duat, but so would the ka of the woman who had done this to him.

  He slid behind a tree and, gripping the tree limb he was using as a crutch, he waited.

  - 0 -

  Imhotep removed the bandages from Bata’s back and clenched his teeth at the smell. The bandages were mottled pink from blood and yellow from pus. The wounds were swollen and red.

  They had fed him and given him water, but he had barely been conscious of what they were doing.

  We must find Akila soon, Imhotep thought.

  He handed the bandages to Weneg. “Wash them in the river and then wash them a second time in the water that I boiled,” Imhotep said.

  Kewab entered the hut as Weneg left.

  He squatted beside Imhotep and looked at Bata’s back.

  “Have you pissed on him?” Kewab asked.

  Imhotep closed his eyes. He had told Akila about some of the remedies ancient Egyptians used and she had surprised him by approving some of them. He hadn’t asked her about the habit soldiers had of urinating on wounds to cleanse them.

  He knew that Akila had antibiotic cream in her med kit and some pills that would fight the infection, but he didn’t know if they would find Akila in time. While they had been in the temple, he had searched the small storeroom for honey or oils, but hadn’t found anything useful.

  He put his hand on Bata’s head. It was burning. Maybe the acid in the urine would help, he thought. Something had to be done.

  Turning to Kewab, he said, “When Weneg gets back with the cloth, I’ll clean Bata’s back and then we’ll take him outside and try your treatment.”

  Kewab shrugged. “It is what we did after battles, Imhotep.”

  - 0 -

  When Inkaef heard the second woman’s voice, he remembered the other smaller woman who had been by the river. He gripped his tree limb staff tighter with his good hand.

  Akila was walking on the side of the road where Inkaef was hiding.

  As soon as she passed the tree, he swung the thick branch with his good arm. His aim was good and the wood cracked against Akila’s head, knocking her to the ground.

  Inkaef was moving before Akila landed.

  Turning at the sound, Hapu saw Akila crumple and a naked man lurching past her. In the moment it took her to understand what was happening, Inkaef threw himself on her.

  As she landed on her back Inkaef fell on top of her. She gasped as the wind was knocked from her. Unable to catch her breath, fear overwhelmed her as she saw darkness for a moment.

  Pain shot up Inkaef’s leg as he landed. Cursing, he shuffled himself upright so that he was sitting atop Hapu. With his good arm he clutched her throat.

  “Lay still, bitch, or I’ll kill you,” he said.

  Hapu’s eyes rolled up in her head and Inkaef suddenly realized that he was killing her. Fine, he thought, I’ll take her afterward. She’ll still be warm and she won’t fight back.

  Leaning forward, he pressed harder against her throat. Suddenly something crashed against the side of his head and he fell sideways. Rolling onto his back he saw Akila standing over him with a rock in her hands. His hand found the tree limb and he swung it viciously at Akila’s legs. It hit the side of her knee and she fell.

  Crawling on elbows, Inkaef reached out for Akila. As he touched her arm she started to roll away from him. He lunged and got a firm grip on her arm and pulled himself toward her. But as she rolled back at him, the rock she had used earlier was in her free hand.

  As she raised it to hit Inkaef she lost her grip and the rock fell to the ground beside her.

  Gasping, Inkaef slapped her face and pushed his shoulder against her, pinning her to the ground.

  Akila fought back, scratching at his face. He tried to butt her with his head, but she blocked him and pushed harder, her fingers working up his face toward his eyes. With his one hand, Inkaef picked up a handful of sand and threw it in her face. Some of the sand got in her eyes, but most of it found her gasping mouth and she started to choke.

  Releasing her grip on his face, she tried to roll onto her side to spit out the sand.

  Inkaef pulled himself on top of her and ripped her linen sheath away from her body.

  Coughing, choking and blinded, Akila tried to fight, but each breath drew the sand deeper into her throat. Inkaef pinned her to the ground with his weight and then reached across for the rock she had dropped.

  As he picked up the rock he felt a stinging cut on his neck and a sudden warmth on his shoulder. Looking to the side, he saw blood splashing on the ground and then, strangely, a jet of blood shooting away from him.

  Turning more he saw Hapu standing behind him.

  In her hand was something thin and shiny.

  He stared at it, feeling weak and dizzy. A small red drop fell from the tip of the blade of the scalpel Hapu was holding and as Inkaef watched the blood fall through the air, he followed it, falling face down into the sand.

  Searching

  Imhotep stood by the boat as Weneg and Teta carried Bata onto the shore at Khmunu and gently laid him in the shade. It was nearly noon and the river and streets were quiet.

  “Weneg, run to the barracks and see if anyone is here. Teta, stay here with Imhotep and the women. I’ll check the temples,” Kewab said.

  “Kewab,” Imhotep said softly, moving close to the soldier. “Do we know if this nome is in revolt or if it is loyal to the king?”

  Kewab shook his head. “I don't know,” he said.

  Whispering now, Imhotep said, “Perhaps Teta and Weneg could take the boat to the western shore and keep Meryt, Maya and Bata safe there. I need to go to the Temple of Thoth. Nimaasted has medical supplies there that will help Bata. You and I could go there together. Nimaasted will know if the city is safe for us. If it is, we can go to the barracks. If not ... ” Imhotep nodded to the river.

  Kewab thought for a moment and then nodded.

  “Teta, take them across the river and wait there. Weneg, go quietly to the market and gather supplies. Avoid soldiers. Imhotep and I will go to the Temple of Thoth. Teta, if we haven’t returned by the eighth hour, take the boat and go upriver as far as you can before nightfall. Then continue on to Waset tomorrow.”

  - 0 -

  The Temple of Thoth was deserted.

  Impatiently Imhotep led Kewab deeper into the temple to the most holy sanctums, rooms reserved for the priests and then finally to the suite of rooms for the god himself.

  “We shouldn’t be here,” Kewab said nervously as they approached the outer doorway to the hidden sanctuary. The doorway jambs and the entablature were covered in gold and it seemed to Kewab that the light was reluctant to pass the threshold as if Re himself would not enter the rooms without invitation.

  “I don’t know where Nimaasted stores his supplies, but I do know that if he is still here, this is where we will find him,” Imotep said, lifting his staff across the threshold and stepping into the anteroom.

  He had never been inside the inner sanctum, the suite of rooms that made up the god’s home. But he knew that the most sacred room, the bedroom of the god himself, would be in the back and that it would be windowless and dark.

  And he was sure that if Nimaasted were still in Khmunu, he would be there with his god.

  Kewab, growin
g quieter and more hesitant with each step, refused to enter the last chamber. The doorway was just wide enough to allow the god’s boat, supported by two long poles, to be carried through it. The room itself was at the end of a windowless hallway that grew darker with each step Imhotep took.

  By the time he reached the inner sanctum he was using his staff to knock against the floor and walls to find his way.

  Pausing outside the final room he said softly, “Nimaasted, I need your help.”

  He heard a soft shuffling from within the chamber.

  “Nimaasted, it is Imhotep,” he said.

  Then he heard a voice, so raspy and faint that it could have been nothing more than dry leaves softly shuffling over each other.

  “Nimaasted?” he said.

  “I am no longer Nimaasted.” The voice was still weak, but imbued now with a sense of wonder. “I am Thoth.”

  Imhotep clenched his teeth, he didn’t have time for religious delusions, he just wanted whatever medicinal ointments or herbs were here. But he had dealt with King Djoser, who viewed himself as a god, and he had worked with priests throughout the Two Lands who were sure that they spoke for their god.

  Very well, he thought, I’ll deal with Thoth.

  “Mighty Thoth, thrice great, Lord of Ma’at, Judge of the Two Combatant Gods, I beseech your help.”

  “Ma’at has fled,” Nimaasted answered, his voice weary.

  “And we flee, also,” Imhotep said fighting to keep his voice patient. “I need your aid, as Isis needed your help.” I want your medical supplies, Imotep thought, angry at having to dance around a direct request.

  He heard movement, a slow shuffling and wheezy breathing as Nimaasted approached.

  In the dark, Imhotep couldn’t see Nimaasted’s face, but he could sense the frailty of the man who staggered into the hallway.

  “It is you, Imhotep,” Nimaasted said.

  “Yes, mighty Thoth, and I need your help.” He reached out to take Nimaasted’s arm and was shocked at how thin it was.

  “Nimaasted,” he said, forgetting himself, “Do you have food?”

  Nimaasted leaned against Imhotep as he shuffled forward.

  “I quit eating. My ka is ready to leave for the Field of Reeds, Imhotep.” He stopped moving and said, “The soldiers returned here three days ago. They took everything and then they marched north to meet the other rebels.”

  He raised his head, his neck shaking from the effort, and said, “I don’t want to see the Two Lands divided.”

  “Nor do I, old friend,” Imhotep said, putting an arm around Nimaasted’s waist to help support him. “Kewab,” he called, “I need your help.”

  - 0 -

  “The barracks are empty,” Weneg said when Imhotep and Kewab found him along the river.

  He was standing beneath a palm, a dirty sack at his feet. “I found some bread in an abandoned bakery. Then I went out to a field and pulled some onions. There isn’t anyone around, Kewab. No one at all.”

  Onions, Imhotep thought sadly. Fortunately there was always water and they could catch fish. If they were willing to take the time, the soldiers could hunt. And they had some chickpeas and dried figs among their supplies in the boat. He was sure they could find lettuce in an abandoned field.

  Food wasn’t the problem. Safety was.

  They needed to find Akila and Hapu then get everyone to Waset and the protection of the king’s army.

  He hefted the small sack of supplies they had taken from the temple. In addition to oils, they had found some honeycomb, which Imhotep hoped would help Bata’s back.

  Looking up, Imhotep saw that Teta had already begun to row the boat across the river, angling far upstream from them to allow the current’s push to bring him ashore by Imhotep. Straining, Imhotep counted heads on the boat.

  Reassured that everyone was there, he turned his thoughts to Akila and Hapu. He was less confident than Kewab was that the women had someone escaped on the boat and then managed to row hard enough to keep ahead of his boat, which was being rowed by four men taking shifts.

  One more day, he told himself. I’ll tend to Bata and then if we haven’t found Akila and Hapu by tonight, we’ll change our plans.

  He stole a glance at Kewab, wondering how difficult it would be to get the young soldier to agree to go against the king’s orders.

  - 0 -

  They put ashore in Badari just before dusk.

  As had become their custom, Weneg stayed with the boat while Kewab and Teta explored the village. Imhotep sometimes went with the soldiers, but this evening he stayed on the boat.

  “Meryt,” he said softly as soon as Kewab was out of sight, “I’m worried about Akila and Hapu. We should have seen them by now.”

  Meryt nodded. She seemed weary to Imhotep. She spoke little and was short of breath at times and coughing deeply at others. But more worrisome was her smile. It looked forced at times, uncertain at others. She was keeping a brave face for Maya, he knew.

  Now she raised a small hand and touched his face.

  “Go find them,” she said, always able to pierce to the heart of his questions and hesitation.

  He glanced at Bata. His friend was lying on his wide, his eyes closed, his head resting on Maya’s small lap. His torso was wrapped in bandages torn from the last of Imhotep’s spare kilts. To Imhotep’s surprise and relief, the wounds had been less inflamed when he had changed the dressing after returning from the Temple of Thoth.

  He had thought briefly about having the soldiers urinate again on Bata’s wounds, but he couldn’t bring himself to make the request. Instead he and Maya, who had become a comforting and unflinching nurse, washed Bata’s wounds, tenderly removing lint stuck to the cuts, and then applied a dressing of raw honey.

  “Maya will care for Bata and Kewab will keep us safe,” Meryt said, following Imhotep’s glance.

  Imhotep wiped a hand across his face, weighing the possibilities.

  “Dear husband,” Meryt said, pulling his hand away from his face. “You always worry about others. Are Akila and Hapu safe? Who will tend to Bata if I am not here? Who will protect Meryt and Maya?”

  Imhotep smiled and pulled her hand back to his face. Gently turning the palm toward his mouth he kissed her hand. This was a conversation they had had over and over again and he knew how it would end.

  “I cannot be everywhere and do everything,” he said for her, smiling and kissing her hand again.

  She smiled, a satisfied teacher rewarding a star student. “Even you, Imhotep, even though people think you are a god,” she said. Then, thrilling him with a smile as happy as the smile of her youth, she added, “We both know better.”

  Imhotep leaned forward and kissed her softly. Then he rose and turned to Weneg.

  “I need your help,” he began.

  - 0 -

  “We must turn around,” Imhotep told Kewab when the soldier returned from making sure the village was safe.

  “Turn around?” Kewab said.

  Imhotep nodded as if it were obvious. “We need to go find Akila and Hapu.”

  “We are looking for them,” Kewab said.

  Imhotep shook his head, playing a role that he hoped would lead Kewab to arrive at the solution he wanted.

  “No, Kewab, we’ve been rowing upriver hoping that we would encounter them. We haven’t been searching for them. We haven’t seen their boat and you know that they couldn’t be traveling faster than we are. They must be walking and we must have passed them.”

  He put his hands on his hips, trying to look determined and obstinate.

  “We’ve been watching the shore,” Kewab said.

  Imhotep tilted his head down and stared at Kewab. He hoped that he looked stern. “Kewab, if you were a woman traveling in a land where there are rebel armies and outlaws, do you think you would walk along the road so anyone could see you, or would you hide?”

  Kewab nodded. “I would hide. But, Imhotep, we can’t turn around and look for them. You heard Nimaasted, the
rebelling armies are behind us. They will be coming this way. We need to get to Waset and King Huni.”

  “Yes, I agree,” Imhotep said. “And King Huni needs to know what we have learned. But I can’t abandon Akila and Hapu. I called Akila here from her land and Hapu is my apprentice, they are both in my care, as we are in your care.”

  Kewab sighed.

  “Kewab?” said Weneg, who had spent the last hour being coached by Imhotep and Meryt. “I could go with Lord Imhotep. I could search one side of the river while he searches the other. And with less people on the boat, you and Teta could make better time. It would ... ” he looked to Imhotep for help.

  “It would kill two birds with one stone,” Imhotep said, finishing Weneg’s rehearsed speech for him.

  “Oh,” Weneg added, remembering part of the speech he had forgotten, “and my shoulder muscle isn’t right, so I wouldn’t be able to row.”

  “Which shoulder?” Kewab asked.

  Weneg looked to Imhotep who touched his right shoulder.

  Kewab shook his head. He turned to Imhotep. “I’m surprised that you waited this long, I thought that you would suggest this when we were in Khmunu.”

  “I wanted to take care of Bata and I had hoped we would find Akila and Hapu here,” Imhotep said. “Bata’s wounds look better and Maya can change his dressings.”

  He paused. “Akila and Hapu are out there somewhere, Kewab,” he said earnestly. “They are unarmed, helpless and frightened. I must look for them.”

  Kewab nodded. “I understand.”

  Turning to Weneg, he shook his head and slapped the shoulder’s right arm. “You are a good soldier, Weneg, but a terrible liar.”

  Alone in the Two Lands

  After two hours of walking, Imhotep turned from the path and walked to the river bank. Leaning on his staff he put his hand above his eyes to shield them from the midmorning sun and looked eastward.

  Weneg was somewhere across the river, jogging north along the eastern, more heavily settled side of the river. Imhotep and Kewab had agreed that Weneg, quicker and armed, would search among the scattered settlements where he was more likely to encounter strangers. Imhotep would walk the western side where there were few homes and he was unlikely to be challenged.