The Amarnan Kings, Book 3: Scarab - Tutankhamen

by Overton, Max

  "That would be incredibly dangerous, my lord. You would have to be in a position of weakness to bring them out, and if you were, we could not support you."

  Tutankhamen frowned. "You think I am afraid?"

  "No, my lord, I know you are not. Word has reached me of the bull hunt at Men-nefer. That was an act of great bravery."

  The king looked at his general for several long moments, trying to read the older man's face. "But...?"

  "But a beast is not as cunning as a man. A beast will attack, sometimes with great valour, yet it is just a beast. What you see is what it is. A man though, especially a man as cunning as Jebu, will dissemble and deceive, seeming to show one thing, yet revealing another when the time is ripe. My lord, I would not try to dissuade you from battle--kings and generals are raised up by the gods to battle Kemet's enemies--I only urge thought. Look for the cunning behind every opportunity."

  Tutankhamen nodded. "Yet I am right, am I not? Jebu would regard the king of Kemet as too great a prize to pass up. If I baited a trap with myself, he would be sure to attack. Then my army could fall upon them and destroy them."

  "If you are determined upon this course, my lord, I will assist you in any way possible, but let us first wait upon word from my scouts. We may not need to take any risks."

  The king grinned. "Where is the fun in that?" He picked up the pitcher and poured himself another cup of the white wine. "Is there any food? I'm feeling hungry."

  Paramessu sent out for food and it arrived within minutes. A procession of servants brought in wholesome army food, nothing fancy, but the king did not seem to mind. He ate with gusto, sampling bread and meat, plates of vegetables and dishes of fruit and nuts, washed down with draughts of fine white wine. As he sat back, finishing his meal with a pot of sweetened beer and honey cakes, a guard brought Paramessu a message. He listened before addressing the king. "A scout is back, my lord. I think we should listen to his report." The king sat up eagerly as the scout entered the room and offered the dust-caked scout the remains of his pot of beer.

  The man grabbed it with no more than a glance and drained it, letting go a loud belch. "Thanks lad, I needed that." He saluted Paramessu. "I 'ave found the enemy, sir."

  "You have found more than that, soldier. This is your king."

  "Eh?" The scout frowned and looked round at Tutankhamen. He saw the gold pectoral and the blue Khepresh helmet and he laughed nervously. "Oo is 'e really, sir? Some...some noble's son or sumink?"

  "He is your king, Nebkheperure Tutankhamen, soldier. If I were you I'd fall on my knees and beg forgiveness. I cannot answer for the king but as your rudeness was through ignorance, he may forgive you."

  The scout paled and tottered, holding onto the table for support. "Oh gods," he muttered. He fell to the floor and lay prostrate, holding his arms out in supplication. "Forgive me, divine lord. I...I did not...did not recognise you."

  "You are forgiven, soldier," the king said solemnly. Then he spoiled the effect by giggling and helping the man to his feet. "Oh do get up; I want to hear your report. Speak. Tell us everything."

  The scout gulped and looked at the slight figure of his king, then at his general, before staring at his feet. "I...er, I...that is, we...er..."

  "Soldier!" Paramessu snapped, cutting off the stuttering. "Stand to attention, for Re's sake. I can see by your insignia you are one of Hednakht's men, so act like it."

  The scout stiffened and saluted again. "Sir, I...I was sent north toward the valley of Neh-geret and...and I..."

  Paramessu saw the scout's eyes slide toward the king again and his stuttering increase. He moved sideways, dragging the scout's attention with him, until the king stood out of sight. "Now, the king will forgive your turned back, but I will not forgive your dereliction of duty unless you give me your report immediately. Do it!"

  "Yes sir. I scouted the valley of Neh-geret and from there the smaller dry stream valleys to the north. Late yesterday morning I came upon a thousand Amorite soldiers marching slowly westward and followed 'em until they camped."

  "Show me on the map."

  The scout moved across to the table and after a few seconds of orienting himself, pointed. "This is where I found 'em and 'ere is where they camped."

  "You are sure of the numbers?"

  "Yes, sir. I made a rough count when I found 'em, and when they camped I counted their fires. Five to a fire, close as I could make out, two 'undred fires."

  "I am amazed," Tutankhamen murmured. "Even your scouts can read maps and count."

  "They'd not be much use without those abilities. Go on, soldier. Did you see any insignia that tells us who they were?"

  "They is Amorites sir. Not 'ittites. And...and I seen their commander before. 'E's that one they call Jebu, sir."

  Paramessu frowned in disbelief. "Jebu? It can't be. He's the general in command of the whole Amorite army. He wouldn't be off with a mere thousand men. The rest of the army must be close by. You just didn't see them."

  "Well, I'll allow it's possible, sir," said the scout. "There's a whole lot of gullies and ravines over 'ere..." He pointed at the map again. "But me mates was scouting that area and the ones what 'ave come back so far, they didn't see anything."

  "Very well. Thank you," Paramessu said, dismissing the man. "Go and get something to eat."

  "Yes sir. Thank you sir." The scout saluted his general and bowed deeply to his king before heading for the tent entrance. He stopped with a hand on the flap and turned back to face them. "One other thing, sirs. They was only armed with swords and didn't 'ave much in the way of supplies. Traveling real light, they was."

  "Here's our opportunity, Paramessu," Tutankhamen said excitedly after the scout left. "Jebu with only a thousand men. He may not be the Hittite king but he's the next best thing. I will attack with my army and annihilate them." He walked over to the map and leaned over it, tracing possible attack routes.

  "You don't think it sounds too good to be true, my lord? What is Jebu doing isolated at Neh-geret?"

  "Even the best general can make a mistake and Jebu just made his last one. Only a thousand men! I will need but a fraction of my army--the Heq-at and Sept legions, I think. They are the best trained."

  "My lord, your army is made up of raw recruits. I shall mobilise all four of my legions and together we can surround and crush them. Let us take no chances."

  Tutankhamen turned to face his general, his boyish face set and determined, though his voice quavered just the tiniest bit. "No, General Paramessu, I will use my men, not yours; and I will command them, not you. I came here to make war on the Hittites. Kemet expects its king to act steadfastly and bravely and so I shall. I will return now to my camp. Please have a driver take me back. Tomorrow, I and General Nakhtmin will attack the Amorites and defeat them utterly. Tomorrow, the enemy general, Jebu, will die."

  Paramessu opened his mouth to protest, but he saw the hardened bronze that glinted in the young king's eyes and bowed instead. "As my lord pleases."

  When the sound of the chariot wheels had died away in the desert stillness, Paramessu called messengers into the tent. "I want the legion commanders here by sunset and before they come, they are to put their legions in battle readiness. You understand? Good, then go."

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  Chapter Thirteen

  Scarab and the others sat in stunned silence around their tiny campfire as Pamont recounted the tale of Huni's capture.

  "We went to the barracks as agreed, but when we got there we found the whole place in a considerable uproar. The guards were very vigilant and we saw we were not going to be able to get in, so we decided to try the taverns. There are always off-duty soldiers looking for a lot of drink and a bit of er, rump--if you pardon my language, lady. We tried one or two but we couldn't get into any conversations as we stuck out, not drinking and all. I mean, soldiers always drink, but as we had no copper, they were suspicious-like, thinking we were wanting to sponge off them. We had to do somethi
ng."

  "We understand the problem," Nebhotep said. "What did you do?"

  Pamont looked down at the remnants of greasy fish in his hand and threw it into the embers, wiping his hand on the dead grass and sand. "We found a soldier and robbed him." He looked back up at his fellows and shrugged. "Well, we had to. I didn't like it, but we had to have some copper to buy beer."

  "You didn't kill him, did you?" Khu asked, a tinge of horror in his voice.

  "No, but perhaps we should have. He had only a bit of copper but a nice onyx ring so we took that too, thinking we could trade it. We tied him up and left him behind a stack of timber in a furniture maker's yard. Then we started on the taverns. Things went fine as long as the copper lasted. We were responsible, Scarab. We bought one pot of beer apiece and nursed it for over an hour, listening to soldiers talking, joining in where we could, and we found things out. Anyway, it was after the copper ran out that..."

  "Before you go on, what did you find out?" Scarab looked around the circle of faces in the firelight. "I want to rescue Huni as much as anyone, but this was our whole reason for doing this. What did you find out, Pamont?"

  "Nobody knows very much, but there seem to be two main ideas about where the legion is heading. Barges are going to be used, so it's either along the river all the way, or transport as far as the quarries at Tumnus and then marching."

  "Where's Tumnus?"

  "It's up near the third cataract, Scarab," Sepi said. "Desolate place but good building rock."

  "So why there?"

  "Well, I'm only guessing, but the second cataract is not far from here so the barges could be loaded above them. It would be fairly easy travel to the third, but the river will be rising soon, so it may be easier to go overland from there."

  "Look," Khu said. "There's something I don't really understand. We know the king is going to be at Kurgus or close enough to it to leave scouts there to meet us, so why are we going to all this trouble? If Horemheb has found out where he is, he'll be going there. Why don't we just go to Kurgus and warn him?"

  "We don't know where to find him," Scarab replied. "All we know is he'll send men to the Kurgus stelae at the new and full moon. What if we get there just after the men leave? We'll have to wait fourteen days and that might be enough time for Horemheb to catch him. I'd rather spend another few days finding out exactly where they are going. We can still stay ahead of Horemheb."

  "But what about Huni?" Sepi asked. "If we leave ahead of Horemheb we may never see him again. Are we just going to abandon him?"

  A chill night wind blew off the desert, making the leaves in the trees whisper. Scarab drew her clothing tighter about her and she huddled closer to the fire. "I will not abandon him. That is my promise to you all."

  "Providing he's still alive," Nebhotep said grimly. "Is he, Pamont? Tell us what happened."

  "The copper ran out and Huni tried to sell the ring. Trouble was, the ring belonged to a friend of the man he tried to sell it to. He recognised it and drew a sword on him. His friends joined in but I managed to scramble away and run. The last I saw of Huni, he was on the ground with three men punching and kicking him."

  "You didn't try and help him?" Kahi asked.

  "Not with another four after me. I ran and managed to lose them."

  "So he may be dead for all we know." Pamont did not reply, just stared at the fire and the piece of fish now charring in the embers.

  The others sat in silence too, a silence broken only by the muted sounds of the city as lamps were blown out and the inhabitants huddled close against the dangers of the night. Far off, in the hills at the edge of the western desert, a lion roared, emphasizing the solitude that lay outside the city boundaries.

  "What do we do?" Nebhotep asked quietly. He threw another piece of wood on the fire, sending red sparks soaring upward as if to join the cold, white points that decorated Nut's body.

  "There is a man on Amenemipet's staff who might know something," Scarab said. "I will find out tomorrow."

  "And Huni?"

  "Pamont will have to stay hidden, but Sepi and Hapu can investigate the taverns again. Find out what happened and if...if he's still alive."

  "What of myself, Scarab?" Nebhotep asked. "What would you have Kahi and I do tomorrow?"

  "You earned copper as a physician today, didn't you?"

  "Silver even. Most medical people up here are local herb doctors. A visiting Kemetu physician is in great demand, it appears."

  "Then raise more. Either way, we will have to set out soon and we must buy food."

  They built the fire up and settled down for sleep shortly after. Scarab dozed fitfully, the cold ground, the roaring of lions and worry keeping her awake long after the others slept. By the time dawn lightened the eastern sky, she was fully awake and shivering in the chilly air, and set about re-igniting the fire. The men awoke, and slapping arms and stamping feet to set the blood flowing again, stumbled off into the bushes to relieve themselves. The morning meal was unappetising--barley bread and a few vegetables--and as the sun rose above the hills, sending its welcome warming rays over the city, they hurried off into the awakening streets, each about their own business.

  Scarab and Khu made their way quickly up to the viceroy's palace again. Already, though the hour was early, the palace buzzed with energy as the overseers of the various sections of palace life ordered their servants about, bullying them into action. They split up just inside the palace gates, but Khu hesitated, his eyes searching Scarab's.

  "Who is this man you're looking for today? Why is he important?"

  Scarab shrugged. "Emsaf. He's a junior officer on the deputy viceroy's staff. The bed chamber girls said he might know where the army is going."

  "Why would he tell you?"

  "No reason. I'll just have to ask him nicely. Now, I've got to run or I'll be late. I'll see you later."

  Khu nodded reluctantly. "Just be careful."

  The overseer of the bed chambers worked Scarab and the other girls hard that morning, running them down to the laundry with dirty linen and back again with fresh loads, making up beds, dusting and polishing the furniture and sweeping out the rooms. The red dust of the western desert drifted in continually on the gentle breezes and it was an ongoing task. In the early afternoon, the overseer allowed them a short break and Scarab took the opportunity to slip away toward the deputy viceroy's suite of rooms. Casual questioning of guards and servants drew her to a room tucked away in the far corner of the palace and a thin wooden door behind which she could hear a murmur of conversation. She mentally braced herself, wondering how she would be able to persuade this man. If he was anything like Hory, as Tia indicated he was, she thought she could guess what he'd want. With a grimace, she drew herself up and knocked.

  "Who is it?" a rather petulant voice called out. When Scarab did not answer, it came again. "Well, come in if you're not going to say."

  Scarab pushed the door open and stepped into a room filled with shelves and boxes overflowing with scrolls of papyrus. A small table and chair stood in the middle of the room, where a shaft of sunlight from a high window illuminated them, in sharp contrast to the gloom of the rest of the chamber. In one corner, a young but overweight man was pawing at a young girl, obviously a servant from the quality of her clothing. The girl bore his attentions stoically, staring over his shoulder in an attempt to dissociate herself from his actions.

  The man looked around as the door opened, his expression of annoyance quickly changing to excited anticipation as his eyes roamed over the young woman in the doorway. "Come in," he purred. He stepped back and the girl ducked under his arm and ran for the doorway, slipping past Scarab. "I'll see you later, Mita," he yelled as she disappeared down the corridor.

  "You are Emsaf?" Scarab asked.

  The young man hitched at his kilt, sucking in his belly as he walked over to the table. He licked his full lips, his small eyes continually moving as he considered the young woman standing in front of him. "I am Emsaf. Shut the door a
nd tell me why you want to know."

  "I wanted to know where the army is going." Scarab shut the door. "Tia said you might be able to tell me."

  "Tia, eh?" Emsaf scratched his belly, his fingernails leaving pale trails in the dimpled flesh that only faded slowly. "She's a good girl and knows what I like."

  "You can help me?" Scarab asked. "You know where they are going? Exactly?"

  "Yes." Emsaf licked his lips again, the tip of his tongue pausing on his upper lip for a moment. His eyes glittered, their gaze passing everywhere except the young woman's face. "But why should I help you? Perhaps you are a spy for the rebel they call Smenkhkare." He tittered, his lips curving into a lascivious smile.

  Scarab snorted. "If I was a spy from this...this rebel, why would I want to know something he already knows? I have a brother who has just been conscripted. He is my only family and I want to know where he is going."

  "No husband? No lover?" Scarab shook her head and Emsaf grinned. "If I tell you, what is my payment?"

  "I...I have a little copper. Not much because I am only a servant."

  "I do not want your copper...what is your name, lovely one?"

  "Neferkhepra. What is it you want then?"

  "Beautiful scarab? A beautiful name for a beautiful woman. As for what I want, I want what any man wants of a woman." Emsaf held out his arm, his pudgy fingers beckoning. "Come, Neferkhepra. Please me and I shall tell you all."

  Scarab thought quickly, debating the worth of the information he had to offer. The thought of being close to this man made her skin crawl, but maybe he would be satisfied with a little and a promise of more. "I think not," Scarab said with a smile. "I know my beauty and my worth. I can command a high price and you would have me give it away for a morsel of information that I could obtain from a senior officer who would make me a handsome present afterward as well. For a small piece of information, perhaps a stroke of your cheek, a kiss at most."