by Overton, Max
"I...I'm reluctant."
Maya's eyes widened in surprise. "Why?"
"If I command him and he obeys, all is well. However, if I command him and he doesn't obey, I cannot force him. I don't have the power. Nakhtmin does, but he isn't here."
Maya looked thoughtful, as if considering the problem. He turned away so the king could not read his face. Is Ay that weak? Should I be negotiating with Horemheb? If Nakhtmin cannot contain him, he will be the next king . Aloud he said, "Do not order Horemheb then. Send to the commanders of the two nearest legions - they are probably in Men-nefer - and order them down to Waset with all haste."
"They would still report to Horemheb."
Maya shrugged. "Maybe. Let them. Horemheb is in Zarw so by the time a messenger gets to him, the legions will almost be here. Once they are under your direct command, there is nothing he can do."
"That might work..." Ay looked doubtful. "Which legions are closest?"
"There is one in Shedyet - the Asar legion of sepat Atef-Pehu; and another, though under-strength - the Sep legion in Per-Medjed in Uab sepat. Neither are front line troops but on the other hand, both have the advantage of being in the administrative region of Waset. Under Horemheb's command, but actually supplied and maintained directly from Waset. I think they will pay close attention to a command from their king."
"You seem to know a lot about this," Ay said suspiciously. "How is that?"
Maya smiled. "I pay the troops and make sure food is sent to them regularly. Clothing, weapons, beer, bread and onions. Everything crosses the desk of the Treasurer, your majesty."
"Who are the commanders?"
"Hrihor of the Asar and Parennefer of the Sep. I do not know them personally, but I am told they are young and ambitious. Just the sort of commander to answer their king's call to defend him."
"And Horemheb would not be involved?"
"Not if you so command it. I can send out the summons myself--a trusted Treasury scribe on a fast boat downriver."
Ay sat down on the bed again, his face reflecting inner agony, his hands in constant motion, fluttering or rubbing one against the other.
Maya looked at him wonderingly. Where has the king gone? This is just an old man, terrified of the world . His mind strayed to Horemheb and he found himself comparing that bronzed warrior with the trembling man before him. What sort of king would Horemheb be ?
Two Treasury scribes left the city of Waset the next day. One left openly with documents from King Kheperkheperure Irimaat Ay, Lord of the Two Lands, bidding his faithful commanders Hrihor and Parennefer make haste with their legions in defence of the king and Amun's city. The other scribe went disguised in a small fishing skiff, bearing no written letter--only a memorised message for General Horemheb.
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Chapter Thirty-Four
Paramessu asked Abi-Hadad for permission to visit Scarab that evening. The Prince of Amurru readily gave his permission but insisted that the general could carry no weapon in with him and that Amorite guards must be present at all times. Agos of Gubla also insisted on having representatives present. Paramessu was admitted to Scarab's private chamber after she had eaten supper. The guards filed in and took up positions around the walls. All remained watchful but the Amorite guards made a special effort not to upset Scarab in any way. They knew of her powers.
"You are welcome, Paramessu," Scarab said softly. "Are you well?"
Paramessu nodded. He examined Scarab critically. "You look better. Fitter, calmer, your eye is less inflamed. I take it you have come to terms with your place in the world?"
"Things have changed. Your father is well?"
"As well as can be expected."
"And...and our son?"
Paramessu stared at the woman who was the mother of his son. "You have no son. I thought I made that clear last time we spoke. My wife Tia and I are blessed with a son called Seti, who is twelve now and will shortly be joining the Heru legion as a junior aide to General Djedhor." He sighed and pushed his fingers through his still dark but thinning hair. "How he is raised is really none of your concern any longer, but I do not mind you knowing as long as you make no effort to contact him."
"You are cruel, Paramessu," she whispered. "He is my son, born of this body. This body that you loved."
"And because of the love I once had, I am content to let you live, though not with Seti."
"You have never forgiven me for leaving him, have you?"
"He was only an infant and you deserted him, not returning for six years. You should have stayed away or died with your renegade brother."
"My brother was the legitimate king. You know that, whatever the politics of your master dictate. Loyalty means everything to you, yet you could not allow me to be loyal to the then king of Kemet."
Paramessu shrugged. "That is all in the past. We must make the best of what we have."
Scarab regarded him coolly for several minutes. "Why did you come to see me tonight?"
Paramessu glanced at the impassive faces of the Amorite guards. "You seem to have some influence with Abi-Hadad. He allowed you to stay at the meeting."
Scarab smiled wryly. "Less than you might think, but he is afraid of me."
"Afraid? Why?"
Scarab opened her right eye and the torchlight glinted off the polished stone. "With this I can turn back evil. Any attempt to harm me or hinder me turns back on the offender."
"Then why, in the name of all the gods, are you still here? You could walk out any time."
"Abi-Hadad has Khu in his power. Unless I do as he wants, he will kill him. I cannot protect him with this..." She touched her eye, "...if I do not know where he is."
Paramessu pursed his lips, thinking. "Khu must be close by else you could overpower Abi-Hadad and perhaps rescue Khu before word could be got to his jailers. In addition, the prince would need to be able to communicate his instructions quickly and easily. You are sure you do not know where he is? In the palace, perhaps?"
"On the journey here, he had horsemen watching us."
"Then he will have something similar now. I will have him watched."
"Why? How does it benefit you to know where Khu is being held?"
"A small kindness for old time's sake. You would feel better knowing where he was."
"I would feel better if I knew he was safe."
"That might be arranged."
"Again, why? Moreover, do not tell me 'out of kindness'. If you were truly kind you'd let me see my son."
"You might be able to persuade Abi-Hadad to let me win the auction."
Scarab laughed. "Ah, that I can believe at last. Why do you want me? Or more to the point, why does Horemheb want me?"
Paramessu gaze slid away from hers. "You are the last member of the royal family. Horemheb feels you should be accorded the rights and privileges of your rank."
"He wants to remove the last member more likely. Give him a straight run at the throne."
"No. Nakhtmin is the one that wants you dead. With you out of the way, Ay will make him co-ruler and Horemheb will lose any chance he might have. You know he will be loyal to the anointed king, whoever it is."
"Nakhtmin is likely to win though, isn't he? He has the treasury behind him. What can Horemheb possibly offer that might persuade Abi-Hadad?"
"I...I don't know that I should be telling you. Please believe me that Horemheb and I have considered our options at length. Without gold we must offer something even more valuable."
After a few moments of silence, Scarab said, "What? You can't just make a statement like that and leave it hanging in the air between us."
"What is the most valuable thing we don't have but could have if we deny Nakhtmin his victory here?"
"By the Nine, you would barter the Double Throne itself? How would it help you to have Abi-Hadad as king of Kemet?"
"Don't be a fool, Scarab. No Amorite will be king of Kemet. But if he judges the possibility is there, we might be able t
o make a deal."
"So you would lie to him? Promise him the Kingdoms and then break your promise? What sort of a king would Horemheb make if he started his reign by lying?"
"You overstate the case," Paramessu said quickly, though he could not look her in the face. "I will be very careful not to lie."
"Just mislead. I'm sure the gods will make that distinction when they come to weigh your heart against the Feather of Truth."
"So you won't help me?"
"Not if you are going to lie. And while we are on that subject of lying, why does Horemheb want to buy me? Don't tell me it is because he values my rank and position."
"To gain the throne. I won't lie to you, Scarab. He wants to marry you to make his claim to the throne absolute."
Scarab stared open-mouthed. Then she started to laugh. "He wants to marry me, or thinks he needs to? And what about you? What do you think of this idea?"
"It makes sense. You know as well as I do that a man can join the royal family by marriage. If Horemheb married you, he would be the only living male member of Per-Aa, the royal house."
"Not quite," Scarab said softly. "There is one other."
Paramessu frowned. "You mean me?"
Scarab laughed again, bitterness creeping in. "We were never married - not officially anyway. But there is another - our son Set. He has a better claim to the throne than Ay or Horemheb. He is the grandson of Nebmaetre after all."
Paramessu laughed now, nervously. "I...I had forgotten that."
"Does Horemheb know?"
Paramessu pondered whether to answer this question truthfully and after a few moments, decided to lie. "I don't think so. He always refers to Seti as the son of Tia and me."
"Then pray he never finds out, for if he does, our son is dead that day." Scarab raised her eyebrows. "What? You can't believe that of your friend? Believe it. Horemheb will allow nothing to stand between him and the throne."
"It may be as you say," Paramessu muttered. "But I shall not tell him. There is no need for him to know. Seti is not your son, not any longer. He will find his own way in the world."
"Make sure of it, for it will be his life if he finds out. How many know the truth of it?"
"My father, Tia - my mother while she was alive...the wet-nurse knows only the child is not Tia's, not whose it was. One or two of the household servants maybe, but only that the child comes from elsewhere."
"Good. Say nothing. Let him grow up normally..." Scarab grabbed at a chair and sat down suddenly. She bent her head and sobbed. "I can no longer claim him or attempt to see him. My presence endangers him. I had not seen that before." She wiped her tears away with one hand and blew her nose on a square of linen. "You have won, Paramessu."
Paramessu sighed and nodded. "Then help me win this auction also. If you marry Horemheb, I could well be the next Tjaty. You would be the Queen and the Queen could take an interest in my son without anyone thinking it strange."
"I...I must think on it."
"Do not take too long. If Ay and Nakhtmin win, we are all dead, and that means my son...our son as well."
"Can you free Khu?"
"I think so. I can try."
"Do more than try. If you free him, it frees my hand to act as I see fit, rather than just be a helpless captive."
* * * * *
Scarab sat and thought for a long time after Paramessu left. She thought of her son Set, dredging up the few memories she had, remembering him as a baby and adding in a handful of glimpses she had of him as a young boy in Zarw. Now he was twelve and already taking the first steps that would lead him to a military life, the command of a legion, maybe even General of the Army and after that...well, a soldier with an influential patron like the next king of Kemet could rise far. If his father was going to be Tjaty, then maybe Set could too. Does that mean I am going to agree to marry Horemheb? As Queen I could protect my son, make sure his rewards were great . She considered the alternative. If Horemheb loses to Nakhtmin, I die, and probably Horemheb will too. I cannot imagine Nakhtmin as king keeping Horemheb alive. Moreover, when he falls, so will Paramessu...and with him, his family.
The Amorite and Gubla guards had left with Paramessu, so Scarab got up and wandered around the room. She looked out of the single window, set high in the wall. She could only see a strip of night sky and a dozen stars or so. Nakhtmin will win tomorrow, he has the wealth of Kemet in his hands. Abi-Hadad will not believe Horemheb's promise of power after him - so Nakhtmin will win. What can I do to survive? Kill him? That has always been my intention - him and his father .
Scarab went to the door and knocked. "I want to see Lord Nakhtmin," she told the guard. "Please ask him to come and see me." The guard grunted and shut the door. With an ear pressed against the wood, she could hear voices outside but not what was being said. The voices receded and she sat down to wait, not knowing if her request would even be conveyed to Nakhtmin, let alone whether he would come.
He did. An hour later, the guard admitted the Crown Prince, together with the usual contingent of Amorite and Gubla guards. Nakhtmin strode in, his hand ostentatiously on the hilt of his dagger, and looked around the room suspiciously.
"Lord Nakhtmin," Scarab said. "Do you find my presence so intimidating you must arm yourself to visit me?"
Nakhtmin sneered and let his hand slip away. "I answered your summons because I was curious. State your purpose or I will leave."
"I, too, am curious. What is your intention if you succeed in bribing Abi-Hadad?"
Nakhtmin stared coldly at Scarab. "To convey you back to Kemet."
"And then?"
"And then we shall see. You are my father's avowed enemy--perhaps I should keep my eyes on you by keeping you close at hand."
"Or perhaps you will kill me."
"Perhaps."
"Know that I am not easily killed."
Nakhtmin inclined his head in a gesture of unwilling admiration. "As I have seen. I would not have given you a day of life when I last saw you in Waset."
"Neither would I," Scarab admitted. "However, the gods decided to preserve me."
Nakhtmin smiled. "A reasoning man might say it was chance. A caravan in the desert."
Scarab shook her head. "Another unbeliever? How could you think you would be allowed on the throne of Kemet? The king is high priest--god and man together."
"My father Ay has been king these four years. He will be king for many more, and then I will succeed him. Perhaps we do not need the gods."
"Yet you did not kill me when you had the chance. Why not if you did not believe that killing an anointed king was god-cursed?"
Nakhtmin stared. "You still cling to the fiction that you were crowned king? We believed it possible then, so we stopped short of killing you. No more though. The priest officiating at your spurious ceremony was not entitled to offer the kingdom. Aanen was a fallen priest and therefore you cannot be king." He paused and a small smile twitched his lips. "You realise the penalty for pretending to be a king?"
"Who told you Aanen was fallen?"
"Bakt, the First Prophet of Amun. As it is a prophet of Amun who must carry out the ceremony, I think he would know Aanen was ineligible."
"Aanen was Second Prophet when Bakt was Third. No man demotes a priest--only the god himself. Whatever Bakt says, who as all men know is your father's creature, it is Amun's decision."
"Well, I will not remain awake at night worrying over your legitimacy. Nor should you. I will persuade Abi-Hadad to accept my offer tomorrow and by nightfall, you will be on my navy ship, heading south to Kemet. Come to terms with whatever gods you believe in, Lady Beketaten. You will be seeing them soon enough." Nakhtmin bowed and turned toward the door.
"I would have thought a man like you would want to kill me as soon as you had me in your power, Lord Nakhtmin. Why wait? Is it that you are a coward? Wait; why not get Abi-Hadad to do it for you?"
Nakhtmin paused near the door and turned back to face Scarab, his face starting to flush. "I hoped to get the
Amorites to kill you to save myself the journey up to Gubla, but you have fooled them with foolish superstitions. I am not that gullible and when the time comes, I shall take delight in removing you from life."
"You think you could? Oh, wait, yes, I am a woman. That means you'll have me tied up or held by strong men before you dare approach me."
A muscle jumped in Nakhtmin's jaw and he took a step toward Scarab. "Are you trying to anger me? Why? I do not believe in the silly tale you have spread among the Amorites. Do you believe it? Is that why you are trying to goad me?"
"It is not superstition, Lord Nakhtmin," Scarab replied. She swept back the hair that had covered the right side of her face and opened her right eye. "The god gave me this."
A wave of disgust washed over Nakhtmin's face. "Spoiled your looks, didn't it. Am I supposed to be frightened of a stone eye or filled with compassion? It disfigures you but it does not make me sorry for you."
"I do not care what you think. It is a sign of the gods' protection."
Nakhtmin laughed. "Then they haven't done a very good job, have they? They allowed you to be captured by the Amorites and then to fall into my hands, where you will die."
"You cannot kill me, Lord Nakhtmin. Nor can you even harm me. This will protect me." Scarab touched her eye.
"As I said, I don't believe in your superstition. No lightning bolt will fall from a clear sky to prevent me killing you."
"No, for that has never happened. I don't know how it will happen, but the god will stop you, nullify your action."
"You are deluded."
"You think so?"
"I know it."
"Then take your dagger and strike me down now. Prove me deluded."
The Amorite officer of the guard stepped forward, followed an instant later by the Gubla officer. "No, Lord Nakhtmin, Lady Beketaten. There will be no violence offered here. Prince Abi-Hadad forbids it..."
"As does King Agos," added the Gubla officer.
"I was offering none," Nakhtmin said. "You heard this deluded woman try to goad me into striking her. No doubt she hoped that one of you would strike me in her defence."
"No one is striking anyone, my lord," said the Amorite. "I think it would be best if you leave now."