The Crook and Flail

by L. M. Ironside

  Dimly she realized that a woman of her station should not pour out her heart to the priestesses she led. But their friendly manner was such a relief after a year of marriage to Thutmose, of serving maat, of loneliness – a year without Senenmut. Their sympathy was more than she could resist.

  Nedjmet and Bakmut shared a glance.

  “Walk with us, Great Lady.” Bakmut offered her arm. They wandered away from the feast tables, the priestesses talking of incidental things until they were well away from the gathering in the forecourt.

  Near the great soaring wall of Ipet-Isut, where they could be sure of their privacy, Bakmut broke off her chatter and turned abruptly to Hatshepsut, her face solemn. “The truth is, Great Lady, Nebseny thinks you unnatural.”

  “Unnatural? Why ever would he think that? I've done everything according to maat.”

  “Is it true, Great Lady, that you have never bled?”

  Hatshepsut's gaze dropped from Bakmut's kindly face to her own feet, which looked very timid and small to her, the gleam of her gold sandals obscured by the dust in which she scuffled.

  Nedjmet spoke up. “The priestesses whisper – concerned, you see. We would never speak maliciously of our God's Wife. Everyone in the temple knows you have a male ka...”

  “Eight,” Hatshepsut muttered.

  “Well, there you have it, then. Male kas. Your mother Lady Ahmose made it known among the servants of Amun. Some say it's your kas that have stopped your blood – that a female body cannot do – well, the things a female body must do, with so many princely kas inside.”

  “And that is why Nebseny spurns me? For my kas? For something I cannot help?”

  Nedjmet clasped her hands. “Don't let that prancing goat intimidate you. Your priestesses back you in all things. We will never allow you to be replaced.”

  Bakmut hissed, and Nedjmet flushed deep red.

  “Replaced?” Hatshepsut stammered.

  Bakmut sighed. “There have been whispers about the temple – from only a few minor priests, you see – that if you are barren then you cannot be the God's Hand. Your role is to ensure the fertility of Amun, and, well....” She trailed off, but at the look of anger on Hatshepsut's face she said quickly, “Don't listen to any of it. It's never going to happen, anyhow. As Nedjmet said, all the priestesses love and support you. Nebseny and his hangers-on could never succeed in replacing the God's Wife without our consent. An&nbd we do not consent.” She narrowed her eyes at Nedjmet, a look that fired arrows. “And that is why it is not worth mentioning such laughable rumors to the God's Wife.”

  Hatshepsut furrowed her brow. “The High Priest of Amun would need the consent of the king, too, if he hoped to replace me. He could never do it without my husband's approval.”

  Wiay cocked her head. The locks of her wig fell across her pale, soft shoulder. “Great Lady, perhaps you can make a good show before the court, but your priestesses know that the king does not love you. And if you are unable to bear him children, might Thutmose be even more eager to set you aside?”

  A chill settled into Hatshepsut's heart.

  “Oh, stop this talk!” Bakmut said. “You are upsetting her needlessly. Great Lady, these are all rumors and nothing more. You must not listen. All you need know is that the priestesses are devoted to you, and your position is secure.”

  Hatshepsut turned back to Wiay. “The Pharaoh is still a child and incapable of siring children himself. He may as well be barren, young as he is.”

  “He will not be young forever,” Nedjmet said. “But in any case, this is less about children – an heir can always come from the harem – and more about the power of the priesthood. If you ask me what I think...”

  “No one asked what you think,” Bakmut snapped.

  “If you ask me what I think, I would tell you that Nebseny would prefer a more biddable God's Wife – a woman he feels he can control.”

  And all at once, Hatshepsut understood. She saw again the look of mingled fascination and revulsion on Nebseny's face that day on the temple steps when she had taken the knife to her own loins. Hatshepsut was devoted to her duties, yes – but also hot as an untrained horse, and falcon-fierce when roused. She was the blood of a king, the blood of a god, and Nebseny must know – as she herself knew, she now realized – that such blood might be capable of anything when stirred. As God's Wife, she held nearly as much power as Nebseny himself. He must feel that she was a bundle of kindle-sticks waiting for a spark. The High Priest would be pleased for any excuse he could find to remove her from office, to set in her place a woman more predictable, less ambitious, less strange.

  “These are only rumors, founded on foul air,” Bakmut insisted. “You should not trouble yourself, Great Lady. And my sisters should mind their wagging tongues.”

  ***

  As her litter-bearers carried her back to Waset's great palace, Hatshepsut sat lost in her troubled thoughts, never hearing the hails of the rekhet she passed. She had drawn the litter's curtains, thick blue wool to keep out winter's lingering chill. Sunlight filtered in to her cushioned chair only dimly. In the milAs d blue light she turned this puzzle over and over in her heart, seeking a solution. She must find a means of securing her place as God's Wife, for she would not give that up along with the king's throne.

  She ached for Ahmose's company. Immediately after the wedding feast, her mother had left her most trusted stewards at the palace to advise and assist Hatshepsut, then retreated to her estate on the bluffs south of the city. She had hardly said two words to Hatshepsut since, and her few words were always by letter, and always terse. Hatshepsut had wounded her mother deeply, she knew, by overturning her plans at the council meeting. She had withdrawn her loyalty from her mother's cause, and had, in effect, declared false Ahmose's visions, Ahmose's reputation as a god-chosen dream-reader, Ahmose's very purpose and identity. There, too, her wild rashness had overcome her, and she had made her own mother suffer for it. She was ashamed. And she was certain she would do it all again, if faced with the choice. I would sooner tear Egypt apart with my own hands and give it to the Heqa-Khasewet brick by brick than see the false heir on the throne.

  No – Hatshepsut had done right. She had sacrificed her relationship with her mother for Egypt's sake. But she had acted in service to maat. I have to believe that, or I will go mad from sorrow.

  She longed, too, for Senenmut. He would know the right question to pose, the right way to tilt his thoughtful face, to make the answer reveal itself within her heart. She closed her eyes, delving into sweetly pained memory for the sound of his voice.

  You cannot act rashly, Hatshepsut. Not in this. There he was – ah, her tutor, her heart's brother! As the litter swayed up the hill toward the palace, she listened gratefully to his words. Each time you flare up like wine tossed on a fire, you suffer for it later. Think this through.

  Her litter bumped down in the palace courtyard. She straightened the God's Wife crown upon her head, and waited for her litter-bearers to draw back the woolen curtains. As she made to rise from her seat, she paused. Across the courtyard, beneath the pale blue shadow of a massive painted pillar, another litter had just arrived. She watched in disbelief as its curtains, too, were pulled aside, and Nebseny emerged, smoothing his leopard mantle as he straightened. He caught her eye and smiled lightly, inclined his head toward her. Quickly she stood, shaking out her skirts. She chewed the inside of her cheek, admonishing herself to think, to observe, to keep the wine well away from the flames. She went to him, fixing a peaceful, confident smile upon her lips.

  “High Priest. What an honor, that you would grace the palace.”

  “Great Royal Wife. His Majesty summoned me. We often talk together, afternoons.”

  “My husband has grown devout. I am glad to see this.”

  “Thutmose is most devout. He seeks Amun's bs.⁀lessing on his plans.”

  “His plans?”

  “Surely the Great Royal Wife knows of the king's plans.” Their litter-bearers were still nearby,
and Hatshepsut's guards had drawn near. Nebseny was careful to keep his tone free from mockery, but Hatshepsut read it clearly in his voice.

  “Of course. I know more of his plans than you might think. I will leave you to the king, High Priest. The gods' blessings on your day.”

  She turned from him and made her way to her apartments. Nehesi trailed her as always; she felt the urge to send him after Nebseny, to cut the High Priest down. But it was a passing thought, a child's tantrum, instantly quelled. No. There was a better way, a cleaner way – a way that would secure her station indefinitely, put Nebseny in her own control, and bring all the priests of Amun to stand behind her as a body united. A way that would elevate her until none but the Pharaoh stood above her. By the time she reached her apartments, she saw her path as plain and secure as if it stretched, smooth-paved and brightly shining, into a secure and brilliant future.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  That night Hatshepsut burned no incense. Smoke of myrrh would only lull her, and she knew she must remain alert. The early night was rich with the scent of damp foliage. The perfume of evening crept in past the thick wool curtains hung over her chamber's windcatchers; the curtains stirred and flapped now and then as a strong breeze moved off the river. When her supper arrived she laid across her couch, gestured for a table. Her servants brought it with their usual alacrity, and with a flourish set before her a whole roasted goose, fragrant with the bouquets of herbs wedged behind its wings; cakes flavored with honey and milk; a stew of barley kernels and great black hunks of charred beef; a large jar of deep red wine, cool and inviting. It was far more food than she could eat on her own.

  The musicians arrived precisely on time. She directed them to a corner of the room, well lit and warmed by braziers. They tuned their instruments as she sucked on the goose's wing bone, waiting.

  At last she heard Sitre-In's sharp clap outside her door.

  “Come.”

  Sitre-In led in the daughter of Ankhhor, dressed in a fine blue gown of a hundred pleats, her throat and wrists jeweled with turquoise and gold. Iset bowed low before Hatshepsut, her delicate, soft hands outstretched. “How may I serve the pleasure of the Great Royal Wife?”

  Hatshepsut dismissed her nurse. Sitre-In could not resist a skeptical frown at the great heap of food on the table.

  “I told you once that you must sing for me in my chambers, Iset. My heart craves for music.”

  Iset sm-In0" et.&n

  “You honor me greatly.” Iset peered around the room, taking in the high ceiling with its cycles of the stars laid in gold, the depiction of winged Mut upon the floor, picked out in tiny enameled glass tiles and twice the size of a mortal woman. The musicians stroked their harps; along the walls long, fine tapestries of goddesses seemed to sway in response to the soft music.

  Hatshepsut lifted her bowl of stew to her lips and motioned for Iset to begin. She took up a place several paces from the musicians, clasped her hands beneath her breasts, and at once the room filled with her sweet, lilting voice. She began with a simple hymn to Amun – appropriate, for the last night of the Feast of Opet. The musicians took it up easily, and Hatshepsut could not tell whether Iset followed the music or the music followed her song. It did not matter. Voice and harp, flute and timbrel wove together, wreathed Hatshepsut in a rich pleasure so intense she could almost feel the music stroke her skin.

  When the hymn to Amun was done, Iset bent her head to consult the musicians. They soon began a rollicking sailor's song; Iset clapped as she sang, stamped her fine, narrow feet, swayed with the words like a boat on the river. An epic was next, the Song of Sinuhe, the man who fled Egypt for fear of his life but returned again as an old man, for the Two Lands pulled so at his heart that he could not die in peace so far from its beauty and its gods. She sang ballads, war songs, hymns to all the gods of Waset. She sang lullabies and children's chants. She danced the quaint dances of the farming districts. The musicians were as tireless as she.

  At last, when she had performed for nearly two hours, Hatshepsut raised a hand to stop her. Iset's face and collarbones flushed a pretty shade of pink. She stood, panting a little, waiting on Hatshepsut's word.

  “Are you hungry, Iset?” She surely was, after so much activity.

  Iset smiled timidly.

  “Come, share my meal.” There was more than enough for both of them. In truth, the meat and stew had gone cold, but the honey cakes were as sweet as ever.

  Iset bowed her head. “Thank you, Great Lady. I am honored.”

  Tem brought a small, three-legged stool; Iset sank down upon it gracefully and accepted with a nod the platter of goose that Hatshepsut pushed toward her. The singer ate with delicate restraint, but Hatshepsut could tell by the way she did not balk at the cold roast that her exertions had left her famished. When the girl was engrossed in the food, Hatshepsut began to speak.

  “You are from Ka-Khem.”

  “Ah, Great Lady.”

  “I sailed past Ka-Khem once, when I was a little child. Though in truth, every boat sails past your home. It is "1ebound on all sides by the river, is it not? It must be very beautiful. Tell me of it.”

  “It is mostly a wild place, all marshes with great flocks of ducks and herons. There are crocodiles in the reeds, and at night deby come up from the river to graze. I could hear them barking at one another from my bed chamber in my father's house.”

  “I hear your father Ankhhor governs Ka-Khem well.”

  Iset's features stilled for one heartbeat. Then she beamed. “Father will be pleased to know that the Great Royal Wife knows his name, and is satisfied with his work. I shall write to tell him.”

  “Your district has always been important to Egypt's prosperity. Grain, flax, oxen...we cannot do without the wealth of Ka-Khem. I am grateful to Ankhhor for his wisdom and loyalty.”

  “Ka-Khem was not always so fertile. My father has worked hard; he improved the planting and harvesting methods and increased his lands' yields threefold. It was his success as a land-owner that led your royal father to name him tjati, and he has taught all the lords of Ka-Khem how to improve their lands, too. He has been a good ruler.”

  “Who ruled Ka-Khem before Ankhhor?”

  Iset shrugged. “Some old man. Hapi...Hebi...I cannot recall his name. Father was glad to replace him, and glad for your royal father's blessing. In a stroke of Pharaoh's writing-brush our family became the highest in the district. Father was much impressed by how quickly a man's fortunes can change for the better, if one is in the good graces of the royal family.”

  “Does your father love this? The wealth, the power?”

  “He is very fond of power.”

  Iset seemed to stare for a moment into a dark and forbidding distance. The sudden change in her sweet demeanor clutched at Hatshepsut's belly with a clawed hand. She pushed forward the plate of little honey cakes to distract the girl.

  “What man does not love power, after all?” Hatshepsut said airily. “Men spend all their lives climbing the highest hill, don't they? But I have let this supper go cold. Tem, pour the lady Iset some wine. We must warm her up.”

  Hatshepsut sipped sparingly at her own wine, barely wetting her lips as Iset told her all about the charms of Ka-Khem, the games she played as a child with her brother and sisters, the barley fields shining silver under the waters of the Inundation. When Iset had finished one cup of wine, Hatshepsut called Tem to pour another, but Iset placed her hand upon the rim. “Wine dizzies my heart quickly, and it would never do for me to lose my manners in the presence of the Great Royal Wife.”

  Hatshepsut ground her teeth. She had planned to rely on the wine to loosen Iset's tongue. She would need to try another angle. She sat up and gestured Iset to join her on the couch. The girl seemed to hold hencer breath a moment; her wide, expressive eyes brimmed with delight as she paused, clutching her necklaces with one trembling hand. Then she stood slowly and crept to the Great Royal Wife's couch, sank onto it with tentative, breathless care.

  Ha
tshepsut leaned toward Iset until her face nearly rested on the girl's shoulder. “The High Priest Nebseny. He is your father's brother, is he not?”

  “He is, though I confess I do not know him well. He left for Waset to join the Amun priesthood when I was still a little girl. Father was furious. He...” Iset trailed off, uncertain, but Hatshepsut coaxed her words with a friendly touch, brushing the girl's shoulder with an encouraging hand. “My father Ankhhor has unusual ideas, Great Lady. They are not popular with everyone.”

  “Unusual ideas? About what?”

  “About the gods.”

  “Oh?”

  “He is a follower of the Aten.”

  Hatshepsut drew back, an involuntary twitch of suspicion. The Aten could hardly be said to be a god. It was merely the roundness and brightness of the sun – a golden disc without will, without thought, without word or intent.

  Iset turned toward her, raised her hands in swift conciliation. “I am devoted to Amun and Mut, Great Lady. Do not think that all of my father's house share his views.”

  Hatshepsut shrugged. “It was only a moment's surprise. The Aten is a small god, and his influence is nothing beside Amun's power. I am not offended.”

  “At any rate, Father was furious that Nebseny was leaving to serve Amun. Nebseny was Father's favorite brother, and before my own brother was born, he planned to make Nebseny his heir. So you can understand why he was so angry.”

  “Certainly.”

  “Well, eventually Nebseny wrote to father from Waset to beg for vouchers and gold, for he had found trouble getting into the Temple of Amun – something about the Temple allowing the young men of Waset in first, before immigrants to the city – and he could find neither bread nor beer. He was living above a poor fruit-seller's shop, earning his very small keep by killing rats. Father decided he could not have Nebseny living in such a state, even if he had turned his back on the Aten. Word might get back to Ka-Khem and all the district would laugh at the house of Ankhhor. So he sent plenty of gold to Nebseny, enough to set him up with a home worthy of our family until he could convince the Temple of Amun to accept him. All it took was a few rats to reconcile them.” Iset gave off a quick burst of shrill, nervous laughter.