by Overton, Max
"You have two able-bodied people and some experienced soldiers. Have them--Huni especially--start to train you and Khu. Knowledge of arms and fighting will not go amiss if you are to really help your brother win back his throne."
Scarab looked thoughtful and clapped the physician on the shoulder before walking off. She caught up with Khu and fell into an earnest conversation for a few thousand paces. When they stopped to rest in the midday heat, she went looking for Huni and drew him aside, again talking seriously while the others dozed in the shade.
That night, they camped just short of the Derr Valley mouth, while Horemheb's barge drew up in the shallow bay at the dry river's portal, disembarking and setting up camp. Scarab, after talking it over with Khu and Huni, had the men fall back around another ridge, where she allowed them the comfort of a small, nearly smokeless fire. That, together with some ripe melons collected during the day's march, put all the men in a good mood.
"We are not going up the Derr Valley," Scarab said. "We are going to follow Horemheb to Sehotep-Neteru, where we will spy on him within the city and find out what he means to do."
Sepi licked his lips and looked round the circle of faces lit by the tiny fire. "Is that wise, lady? We are almost in hiding now from them soldiers. Do you mean for us to do it another five or six days?"
Kahi nodded his agreement. "Sepi's right, lady. We've been really lucky or the gods have favoured us, but what if they found we was following? They'd slaughter us, and no mistake."
"We are not going to follow them for ten days," Scarab replied. "We will camp in the Derr Valley and rest. This will give you time to heal and regain your strength, while Khu and I learn to fight."
"Beg pardon, lady," Pamont said after a short pause. "But how's you going to learn fighting?"
"You are going to teach us. All of you. You are trained soldiers with fighting skills that have kept you alive." Scarab looked around the circle of faces in the firelight. "Well, you are going to teach Khu and I how to fight so we can be useful soldiers in my brother's army."
The soldiers all looked at one another but avoided Scarab's eyes. Finally, as the silence dragged on, Sepi cleared his throat and voiced their concern. "It's a commendable thing, lady, wanting to fight for the king, 'specially when you don'ts have to--er, being a lady and all. But training is more than just trading a few blows. It takes years."
"For you it took years," Huni commented. "But royals learn these things early. Why, I bet none of you knew our Scarab has already killed a man in combat."
"Real combat?" Kahi asked, incredulity in his voice. "With weapons?"
"Ask the man who was there," Huni said. "She saved Khu's life."
Khu nodded, and launched into a lurid rendition of how he and Scarab had been set upon by Ay's hired men in Waset. He stood and paced in the low light of the fire, miming actions, staggering under the knife blow he took to the ribs before leaping up again to show how Scarab had finished off both men.
The listening soldiers broke into muted cheers, slapping their thighs and drumming their sandaled feet on the stony ground. "Set's bollocks," Hapu swore, "That was a good tale. You could probably teach us a thing or two, lady."
"I doubt it, good Hapu." Scarab looked around at the men, her face serious. "I was lucky that day, but in the battles to come I will need more than luck. I will need the skills of a warrior, and to learn those, I need you to teach me." She gazed into the eyes of each man in turn. "Will you help me?"
"I don't rightly see how we can refuse, lady," Kahi said gruffly. The others nodded or made terse noises of agreement.
"It'll take time too, lady," Pamont added. "It can't be done overnight."
"I'm aware of that, but one thing you are going to have to do first. You have to stop calling me 'lady'. I can't learn if you are going to defer to me or be polite. You must treat me as you would a raw recruit."
"Maybe not quite that badly," Huni grinned. "But we can be honest in our dealings at least."
"Good enough. And you must call me Scarab, all of you. I am no longer a court lady. Say it now."
"As you wish, Scarab."
"Scarab," Hapu and Sepi said together.
"Scarab it is," Pamont echoed.
"Aye, Scarab."
Scarab smiled at her little group of soldiers. "Then it is settled. As soon as Horemheb and his men leave tomorrow, we shall find a suitable camp where we can begin training."
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Chapter Six
Tutankhamen went to war with all the spectacle and excitement a boy of thirteen could possibly want. General Nakhtmin was there to manage and control the conscripts he was bringing to augment the Northern Army; his servants were there to cater to his every whim; and he had in train all the royal huntsmen he would need. There were rich hunting grounds along the river and within the deserts and as the new army moved slowly, there would be ample time to hunt along the way.
The first part of the journey was by water--at least for the king. The royal barge was fitted out with new timbers, a great awning on the deck and plenty of gold leaf and bright paints. What had once been a barge called 'Aten Gleams' had become 'Amun Reigns'. The journey north from the southern capital of Waset was also to be a royal progression, whereby the peasants that formed the bulk of the Two Kingdoms could catch a glimpse of their young god-king and of the reverence he paid to Amun once more.
For seventeen years under the weak rule of his half-brother Akhenaten, the people had been deprived of their gods, the only one permitted by the king being the disc of the sun, the Aten. Then Smenkhkare had started to change things, bringing back the old gods despite the continued presence of the Heretic King in his new city of Akhet-Aten. Who knew how far the change might have carried had he not met an untimely death in the belly of a crocodile? Well, a new king had succeeded him--a boy it was true--but still a king. The reversion to the old gods had accelerated, with the young Tutankhaten building temples to the gods in every city, and finally changing his name to Tutankhamen to reflect his increasing devotion to the god Amun. Now he sailed slowly down the length of Iteru, the Great River, from Waset to Men-nefer, and every person within the narrow lands bordering the life-giving waters could see their young ruler sitting in glory under the awning of his royal barge.
An army marched alongside, gathering strength at every village and town as the conscripting officers raced ahead of the army, promising the king's gold to any who would make their mark for the glorious war of conquest against the Hittite empire. A great many marked the papyrus rolls that the scribes held, for how could the gods not love this brave young king? Not only was he sure to defeat the Hittites, but he would go on to carve out a name for himself that would live for a million years. Every man with even the smallest measure of ambition wanted to fight where the king could see him. The thought of winning fame and the Gold of Honour at the hands of the king, spurred many a young man to make his mark. The fact that they would exchange the drudgery of harvest and planting for the excitement of conquest no doubt swayed a few wavering spirits too.
The royal barge ended its voyage at Men-nefer, the ancient royal city prior to the present dynasty's sojourn in the southern city of Waset. A great royal palace was kept ready for the king despite Tutankhamen having visited the city only a handful of times in the five years of his reign. The young king rested in sumptuous surroundings to recover from his long trip downriver while his newly enlisted army, some three thousand strong, exercised and drilled on the eastern bank of the river. Recovering swiftly, Tutankhamen decided to hone his martial skills with a hunt in the western desert.
With a great flurry of activity, the royal hunting masters sent out scouts into the red sandy desert, the stony brown wastes and along the borders of the cultivated lands, searching for game. On the third day, the Overseer of the Hunt reported to the king as he sat in a cool open room overlooking the broad expanse of the Great River, breaking his fast at the morning meal.
"My lord," t
he Overseer said in a muffled voice, his head bowed, forehead resting on the cool stone flagging as he knelt before his king. "We have found antelope and wild bull."
"Oh?" Tutankhamen cast a disinterested eye over the kneeling man and picked up a ripe fig from a plate, examining it for blemishes. Finding none, he bit into it, savouring the tangy sweetness. "I had hoped for lion, Panas. Can you not find what I want?"
"My lord," Panas quavered. "My men have not yet all returned, and maybe they will bring news of lion. In the meantime, I thought perhaps the antelope..."
"I am going to war, Panas, I need to hunt something stronger than antelope."
"Indeed, my lord. But the antelope are only an hour's easy travel, whereas the bulls are at least two hours further. I thought as you must remain close to your army..."
"I 'must' do nothing," Tutankhamen said coldly. "I am the king."
"Of c...course, my lord." Panas trembled. "I...I did not mean..."
"I am tired of antelope. I will hunt the wild bull until your men return, then I will hunt lion. See to it, I wish to leave after the noon meal. I want to inspect the new temple of Amun this morning."
"As my lord commands." Panas shuffled backward on all fours before getting to his feet and backing out of the room. Outside, in the presence of his principal assistant Menes, he started swearing. "He wants to hunt wild bull. I couldn't talk him out of it. Those sons of Set are man-killers. We'll all be a long time dying if the king is hurt on one of our hunts."
"Why did you tell him of the wild bulls then?" Menes asked.
"You are new to the service of the king. If you do not mention something he later finds out about, you will be punished."
"Well, we'll just have to be careful."
"And then he wants to hunt lion," Panas went on.
"I did not think we had found lion." Menes looked puzzled. "Where is it?"
"How should I know?" Panas replied, his voice rising so much that Menes had to caution him. "All I know is we have to find one for him."
The two men left the palace and walked through the bustling city streets to their lodgings. The first thing Panas did was to issue a string of commands that had his staff running to prepare the waiting hunting party for imminent departure. Then he sent for the single scout who had returned since dawn, but the man only had news of antelope and hyena, nothing of lion.
"It's no use, Menes; I'll have to take the king on his hunt for wild bulls in the Djebara district. Find us there in a day, no more, and have news of a lion for me."
"But where? If our scouts cannot find them, how am I to find one?"
"I don't care, just find one if you want to keep your job. He will not be satisfied with bulls alone, he will need to prove his hunting prowess with a lion." Panas went to pick up his gear before returning to the palace at noon, ready to guide the young king on his hunting expedition.
The expedition left promptly after the noon meal and was, for a royal hunting party, extremely small. The king had three ox-drawn wagons of essential equipment, comprising a large rounded pavilion with the necessary furnishings in the first, food and wine in the second, and an assortment of cooks, serving girls, bedchamber attendants, grooms and armourers in the third. Behind the three wagons marched the king's huntsmen with their hounds, and fifty soldiers which Nakhtmin insisted accompany the expedition. The king himself rode in his favourite hunting chariot, pulled by a single stallion. He had opted for the lighter chariot rather than the heavy two-horse vehicle as he was hunting wild bull and needed agility rather than stamina.
Their route lay west out of Men-nefer to the edge of the red desert, before turning south along the borders of the cultivated land. The villages of farmers who tended the land were closer to the life-giving river, making the trek out to the far fields to tend their crops an arduous exercise. As a result, few peasants were out in the fields with hoe and mattock but those who were fell to their knees in the dusty soil as their young king rode by in his electrum-plated chariot.
The district of Djebara lay within the Nome that encompassed Men-nefer, but about two hours chariot drive south. The king sped along in his chariot, leaving the wagons and soldiers far behind. Only a handful of huntsmen, in less speedy but functional chariots of their own, managed to keep up.
Panas remonstrated with the king at a point where the rough road crossed an eroded gully, forcing the king to negotiate the steep descent with care. "My lord, we should be waiting for the soldiers. General Nakhtmin was quite specific in his instructions."
Tutankhamen laughed. "Then let them keep up. I have no need of them."
"My lord, they are here for your protection."
"Why do I need protection? Am I not Kemet's much-loved king? Who would wish me harm?"
Panas bit his lip. "Nobody, sire, but they can guard against other things...like wild animals."
The young king threw back his head and laughed, startling his horse. Only the youth's firm grip on the reins prevented it from bolting. "I have my huntsmen to guide me to these wild animals and my bow to kill them with. No, I do not need soldiers though uncle Ay would love to see me ham-strung and helpless for his creature Nakhtmin."
Panas wisely decided a further comment would be counter-productive and he was soon concentrating on the task of urging his own chariot team to match the king's wild pace. He forced his team wide, the wheels bouncing over the rough ground as he closed once more with Tutankhamen's chariot, eventually maintaining a position slightly behind the king and to one side.
"My lord," Panas called out. "We are nearing the place where the bulls are found. See there..." he pointed as the king turned his head, to a stand of tamarind trees up ahead and the figure of a man standing beneath them. "It is Bey, my hunter. The one who brought me word."
Tutankhamen said nothing but slowed slightly and angled his chariot off the rough road and over to the trees. He drew up in a cloud of dust and grinned down at the hunter.
"You are Bey? I understand you have some bulls for me."
The hunter, a small lean man in a coarse kilt and battered sandals, flicked a glance at the approaching Panas before dropping to one knee and bowing his head. "Yis, divine one. Abaht five 'undred paces from 'ere."
"Excellent. Lead me to them."
Panas drove up and circled his king and hunter, coming to a halt facing the youth. "My lord Nebkheperure, it would be wise to wait for the others."
The king scowled and thrust out his lower lip. "Why? So I have to share my victory with them? I do not like your advice, Panas."
"Nothing could detract from your shining example, my lord. I merely meant so everyone can see your skill and bravery in the hunt." And absolve me of blame if something goes wrong , he added silently.
"Well, I suppose that is good. I would not want to deprive you of the sight of your god hunting. We will wait." Tutankhamen tossed the reins to Panas and jumped down from the chariot. "Get up Bey. Tell me about the bulls." He walked off into the shade of the tamarinds, with the hunter trotting behind.
Panas tied up both chariots at the edge of the grove and waited for the rest of the expedition to catch up. The other chariots arrived quickly and the Overseer of the Hunt apprised them of the king's intentions. A small group of soldiers arrived next, under the command of a Lieutenant Hemaka, looking hot and anxious as his squad trotted up, dusty and sweat-streaked.
"Where is Nebkheperure?" Hemaka asked Panas, his eyes darting everywhere. "I am required to have him in my sight at all times. General Nakhtmin's orders."
"Then you have been a bit remiss, Hemaka," Panas said dryly. "He is in the trees, talking to one of my hunters. I would not disturb him," he added loudly as the soldier started toward the stand of trees. "Do not worry; he will be out soon enough." Hemaka hesitated before turning back, scowling.
The wagons came into view far down the road and the rest of the soldiers hurried forward when they saw the others grouped near the tamarinds. Tutankhamen emerged from the trees with Bey and Hemaka immediately ran to him
with his squad, surrounding the king and hustling the hunter to one side. The king took no notice, striding over to Panas by the chariots with an eager expression.
"It is time, Panas. I have waited long enough. Bey tells me two bulls are feeding in a field of wheat not far from here." The king leaped up onto the platform of his chariot and checked his bow and the sheath full of arrows before taking the reins in hand.
"My lord," Panas said anxiously. "We must scout the surroundings before we plan a course of action. We should work out where everyone will stand..."
"There is no need for any of that," Tutankhamen cut in. "I alone will confront the bulls. Everyone else will keep back so as not to alarm them."
"But my lord, we should at least..."
"Enough, Panas. I have spoken."
Hemaka nudged the Overseer of the Hunt to one side, putting a hand on the bridle of Tutankhamen's stallion. "Nebkheperure, let my men precede you that we might make sure of your safety."
The king pouted. "They are beasts, not enemies. I am safe enough."
"Nevertheless," Hemaka said firmly. "I am entrusted by General Nakhtmin with your safety, and he has his instructions direct from the Divine Father, Tjaty Ay."
Tutankhamen hissed and his eyes and lips narrowed. "The Tjaty oversteps his mark if he seeks to control me here. Take your hand from my horse, Hemaka." The lieutenant hesitated, then bowed his head and stepped back. The king turned and gestured to Bey. "Ride with me until we find the bulls."
The small hunter leaped up beside the king with a broad gap-toothed grin splitting his face. Despite Bey's small and wiry stature, he overtopped Tutankhamen by a hand span and his muscled body made the youth appear even slighter as he stood with the reins in hand. Panas felt a shiver of apprehension and he glanced across to Hemaka's stony countenance, hoping for some sign that he would intervene.
Tutankhamen shook the reins and called out encouragingly and the light chariot leaped forward, Bey clinging to the railing. Panas ran to his own chariot and turned it quickly, heading after his king. The other chariots in the hunting party followed and Hemaka and his soldiers broke into a run, their spears waving wildly before they settled into a loping run.