Chapter Seventy Five Ptah-Tchay
Kiya looked across the water to where Anubis and Hathor stood. They waved at her and then they too disappeared. She felt a momentary loss at the departure of Anubis but steeled herself and turned to the rock face, which stretched high and glistening, wet with the spume of the river. The craggy surface offered plenty of hand and footholds so Kiya strung her spear across her back, hitched up her shift and started to climb.
When Kiya reached the top of the cliff, she hauled herself up onto the grassy knoll that formed the centre of the island. Then she reached down and helped her aunt climb up beside her. The two of them lay on the short, springy turf while they recovered their breath.
Huy joined them. “Well done, girls,” he said. He looked around. “I don’t think much of the temple.”
Kiya agreed. The so-called temple was a small square building, little more than a hovel, with a single door and high, slit windows. They crossed over to it and knocked on the door.
A man’s voice came from within. “The temple is closed!”
“Our boat capsized and has been washed away. May we sleep beneath your tree?” said Huy.
“No you may not. Go away!”
“We cannot leave until morning,” said Huy.
“Isis will be angry if you spend the night on her island,” said the man.
“We humbly beg her forgiveness, but we have no other option,” said Huy.
There was silence and, after waiting for a few minutes, they went to the acacia tree that stood beside the temple. It was an ancient tree. Its roots must stretch right down to the river for it to receive enough water to support its huge size, thought Kiya. There was little other vegetation on the island, apart from scrubby grass. Beneath the tree the ground was layered with seeds.
“Can you smell anything?” asked Huy.
Kiya sniffed the air. She could smell nothing that resembled the cinnamon odour of Osiris’s ka. She shook her head. “This might not be the right tree.”
“We are here for the night,” said Huy. “So we might as well check the seeds.”
“All of them?” gasped Kiya, looking at the millions of seeds that surrounded them.
“If we start by gathering them into piles, would you be able to tell if a pile contained the right seed?” asked Huy.
“I doubt it,” said Kiya. “The seeds are so small. But it must be worth a try.”
The three of them worked on their hands and knees gathering seeds together. Kiya looked up and thought she saw a man’s head staring at them from the roof of the temple. It disappeared the moment she glimpsed it.
Kiya sniffed each pile, but with no success. “This is hopeless,” she said. “If Seth did, indeed, conceal the ka here, he could not have chosen a better hiding place.”
“Don’t despair,” said Huy. “We have only looked through the upper layers. We can continue our search tomorrow. Meanwhile, let us eat.”
They sat beneath the acacia tree and unpacked the remains of their lunch. Kiya was about to bite into a hunk of bread and cheese when a movement caught her eye - the temple door was opening.
Kiya watched in shock as the figure of Isis emerged and came towards them. The goddess was taller than when disguised as Nefertiti. Although her face was hidden in the twilight, she was instantly recognisable by her strange geometric headdress. As she came near, Huy leapt to his feet and drew his sword.
“Stop!” said Kiya. There was no scent of roses so the figure could not be the goddess. “That is not Isis, but the priest,” she said.
“I am the goddess Isis,” said the priest in a falsetto voice. “Give me your food or I will destroy you with the killing beams of my eyes.”
“If you are hungry, you are very welcome to sit down and join us,” said Laylos.
The priest hesitated. “Actually, I want all your food.”
“Well, you cannot have it,” said Laylos. The priest glared at her with what for Isis would have been a killing look.
“You are not really Isis, are you?” said Huy.
“Yes I am,” protested the priest. “My eyes produce death rays that can burn you all to ash.” Laylos handed him a lump of bread and he ate it hungrily.
“You are the priest who lives on this island, are you not?” said Huy.
“Oh, very well, I’m not Isis,” said the priest sulkily. “What else have you got to eat?” He sat down under the tree with them and devoured more than his fair share of cheese, dates and bread.
“What do you usually eat?” said Laylos. “It must be difficult if you cannot get to the shore for much of the year.”
“I catch fish and make porridge out of acacia seeds. I tried eating grass but it did not agree with me. The porridge doesn’t taste too good either.”
“You eat the acacia seeds?” Kiya was appalled. Supposing the priest had eaten the ka of Osiris?
“Yes. I soak them and then boil them and mash them up. They unsettle my stomach but they are better than nothing. Is there any food left in that basket?”
“No,” said Laylos and turned the basket upside down.
“Oh. Well. Thank you.” The priest got up, ready to leave.
“Wait,” said Kiya. “Have you ever come across a seed that behaved strangely?”
The priest thought and then said. “There was one that turned into a flower when I soaked it. That was an odd thing for an acacia seed to do.”
“When did it happen? Have you still got the flower?”
“Yes, it is pretty,” he said. “I put it in a pot.”
Kiya sighed with relief. “Can I see it? Please!”
“Have you got any more food?” said the priest.
“No.”
“Then you cannot see it.” He turned on his heel and walked back into the temple.
Kiya ran after him. “We are going back to the mainland tomorrow. Would you like to come with us?”
He paused at the temple door. “It is my duty to stay here. One day the goddess will visit her temple again. I don’t want her to find it deserted.”
“I know where she is,” said Kiya. “She is living with the King at Akhetaten. We are on our way there. If I see her I will tell her what a devoted priest she has at Ptah-Tchay.” He looked pleased and Kiya had an idea. “Would you like me to take her a gift? She would appreciate that magic flower. I will say it came from you.”
The priest brightened. “Do you think she would accept such a simple present?”
“I am sure she would,” said Kiya.
“Wait there,” said the priest. He hurried into the temple and came out with a flower in a pot. It was a plain, white daisy but had an inner light that made it shine.
“It is beautiful,” said Kiya. She took the flower, buried her nose in the petals and breathed in the sweet scent of cinnamon. “Isis will love it. She may even pay a visit to thank you in person.”
“I pray with all my heart that I will receive her blessing,” said the priest. “I have been very lonely these many years. To see her once more in the temple will be the happiness that is worth a lifetime’s pain.” He gave a wan smile before he went back inside and closed the door.
Kiya slept badly. The night was cold, the ground was hard and her brain seethed with ideas on how to get the ka to Osiris. Huy and Laylos slept little better, the three of them huddled together beneath the tree and longed for the night to be over. Beside them the flower glowed in the darkness, a reminder of the challenges to come.
When, at last, dawn broke, Kiya was so cold and stiff, she could hardly respond to Huy’s call that it was time to get going. She struggled to her feet and picked up the potted flower. She look at the temple as they passed on their way to the cliff. She was hoping to wave farewell to the priest but the building remained shut.
It was difficult descending the cliff, clasping the flower in one hand and searching blindly for footholds, but she reached the base safely and was joined by Laylos and Huy. Sobek was waiting for them, his broad grey-green back barely visible
in the spume.
“I hope that’s the right crocodile,” Huy joked as he helped first Laylos and then Kiya onto Sobek’s back and leapt on behind them. Despite carrying their weight, the huge beast swiftly traversed the rapids and came to a halt beside the riverbank.
Kiya was the last to climb from Sobek’s back. She tried to thank him for his help, but the god swam away ignoring her gratitude.
Kiya and the God of Chaos Page 75