Uncle Djer patted the stool in front of his chair and I rose to sit before him. He grasped both my hands in his and I could feel the warmth and power in them. “Mery, the scrolls record deeds performed by Anhotek and his assistant, Meruka, so magical they defy description. Desert vipers tamed, death spells cast or broken, treacherous acts of betrayal unmasked.” I felt goose bumps raise along my arms and neck.
“Yet all of this was made possible only by the vision that formed the very substance of King Narmer’s ka, a soul whose vision foresaw Kem’s greatness; a vision of the Two Lands living under one rule for all eternity. And that is why Hor-Aha, your grandfather, made such a strong effort to connect me with Narmer.
“You see, when a vision such as Narmer’s is first given by the gods to a mortal, it is tenuous, like vapors that rise from Mother Nile and quickly dissipate into the heavens. Men become distracted by everyday tasks that spell survival. They soon forget these godly visions. We are only two generations removed from Narmer and so my father knew how important it was to stay connected to that vision for as long as possible, until our Kem was truly stable, united by a succession of strong leaders under compassionate rule.” By now Uncle Djer was excited, pacing and speaking as much with his hands as his voice. Then he stopped directly in front of me.
“And, that, my dearest niece, is where you come in.” My uncle’s words made me spring upright in my seat.
“Where I come in? What…” I heard a rushing noise in my ears.
“It is King Narmer who ordains your marriage, little one. I have never discussed this with you before, but of this I am certain. He has visited me in my sleep and told me so.” My ears buzzed with a rushing sound, as if Mother Nile’s floodwaters surged through them. I felt dizzy and cast my gaze away from my uncle.
“You seem surprised, yet there is nothing I can do to lessen the importance of this revelation, although your dear aunt begged me to introduce this to you gradually. Both you and Wadjet are blood descendents of King Narmer and your holy union is destiny. It will strengthen Kem for generations to come.”
My heart weighed my uncle’s words and I found it difficult to breathe, for as true as my uncle’s words sounded to my young ears, I also suspected even then what a burden they would prove to be. King Narmer was the most revered of all our kings and until this day we worship him as a god-King. As a younger child I often felt estranged from my uncle for days after someone would remind me, usually in awe-struck whispers, that King Djer had known and actually touched King Narmer. I felt self-conscious of my dear uncle’s hugs then, knowing that those same arms had once encircled a god.
And so it was that Uncle Djer’s words that day had a greater effect on my growing out of my youth than even my monthly flows. And from that discussion on we had an understanding, a deepened bond, as much conveyed in silence as in words, that my role was to be more than wife, more than mother, even more than the eventual Queen. I was part of a living legacy, a continuation of a godly thread that ran from my grandfather’s father, through him to Djer and on to me and Wadjet, and then to our children’s’ children. As equally that god force resided in me as in Wadjet, a fact that was sanctioned by my uncle that day. I left his quarters shaking, whether in fear or in anticipation I am not certain, but knowing in my heart that Amka would soon need to teach me everything about King Narmer that was contained in the holy scrolls in Nekhen.
For the next few days I wandered about my quarters heavily burdened by grave thoughts. I slept lightly, thinking that every leaf brushed by the wind was a harbinger of King Narmer’s imminent arrival in my dream world. No such thing happened, not yet, but I was listless and not as attentive as I should have been to planning the wedding.
It was on the morning of the third day after my talk with Uncle Djer that Ti-Ameny announced to me that my cousin, Nubiti, wished to visit with me. It had been weeks since I last saw her, and my heart lifted at the news of her visit. I asked Ti-Ameny to immediately show her in.
“Little sister!” Nubiti shouted at me from across the room, smiling, as she opened her arms to me. We hugged warmly and began immediately to gossip in urgent tones, as I led her toward my bedroom, where we would not be disturbed.
“Tell me everything that’s going on,” she insisted. “If you leave even one morsel out, I’ll never speak with you again!” We laughed continuously as I explained to her all my dealings with court officials, using the humorous nicknames we had devised for them over the years. I felt grateful for the diversion.
Finally, after an hour of mostly me talking, I remembered my manners and offered her some water. She hesitated.
“Do you have any of that fine beer that Amka gets from the priests in Nekhen?” Nubiti asked. Although my cousin was Wadjet’s half-sister, Nubiti and I had been close ever since that terrible day when that low-class rekhi pig, Rami, attacked me in the garden.
“Do you really drink beer?” I asked, showing more surprise than I had intended.
“In private I do,” she said, laughing. Although I laughed with her, I wondered how I would ever mature from the unsure child I felt I now was to the mature, twenty-one year old woman who sat beside me. Although Nubiti’s language was coarse, in the way of the Delta culture, I still admired her vitality. I quickly ordered one of my servants to fetch us a pitcher of Nekhen beer, but to be sure to keep it from Amka’s prying eyes.
“I hear that your wedding plans go well,” Nubiti volunteered. I knew that Nubiti and her mother, Shepsit, kept close tabs on all that went on in the palace. It could not have been easy being King Djer’s Second Wife, yet it appeared to me that Shepsit wore the title as well as any woman could. I knew from comments made by Aunt Herneith that she did not trust Shepsit. Yet, at the same time, she was always respectful of the difficult role the Second Wife played in our state affairs.
Ever since King Narmer married a woman from Lower Kem to mortar his rule over them, every King was obliged to take on a Second Wife from Lower Kem. Tradition had decreed that the princes of Lower Kem choose the woman the King was to marry and ten years prior to my birth, they chose Shepsit. It took years before my uncle agreed to consummate their marriage, but finally they created Nubiti. I had a sense from my aunt that she was relieved that Shepsit had not had a boy to rival Wadjet.
Yet by the less refined way she spoke and by her appearance there could be no doubt in anyone’s mind that Nubiti was from Lower Kem. She was short and heavy set, with very large breasts, a decided contrast to my slim body and small breasts, like most women in Upper Kem. She wore her black hair down to her shoulders, perfectly framing her heavy brows and brown eyes. I remember that once Aunt Herneith remarked that Nubiti and Shepsit reminded her of old acacia trees, strong, stout and solidly planted.
For several more minutes we discussed the wedding plans. Finally, Nubiti stood to leave. “Well little sister, you’ve done well for yourself. Wadjet! Think of it. Soon you’ll be married to the most important man in the Two Lands.”
“Second most important,” I responded.
“Only for the moment, dear sister, for my father, Djer, is an old bull now and surely won’t reign many more years. But you… you’ve snatched the best prize in Kem. I envy you for that.”
This surprised me, for I would not have thought there was anything that Nubiti, who I admired greatly, would be jealous of, let alone something that involved me. Yet I could also see that in this case her feelings were natural enough.
“Nubiti, you have always treated me like your sister, of this I am most grateful. I have often thanked Isis for the blessing of your presence to guide and protect me. But there is one thing of which I am most perplexed. I have not felt brave enough to ask this of you until this moment.” I felt my cheeks inflame from my sudden boldness. But Nubiti merely laughed.
“Well, child, don’t just stand there. What plagues you?”
“Why haven’t you married yet? I… what I mean is you are so… womanly,” I said, moving my hands through the air to describe her shape
.
“What, these?” she said, crudely cupping her own breasts. “Only Delta men seem to appreciate them. The only reaction these… these melons get from Upper Kemian men… and women… is curiosity. Sometimes fear, I think, for their eyes widen as if they’ve seen an evil mut.”
“That… that is not quite what I meant,” I stammered, embarrassed. “You are smart and gracious and you always know what to do at festivals. Surely men would be honored to have you as their wife.”
“I’m touched that you feel that way, Mery. Truth is that my mother hasn’t yet found a man she feels is suitable. I know you miss having a mother and father, but in some ways you’ve been most fortunate having instead a loving aunt and uncle to watch over you. I love my mother, but as Second Queen she’s a difficult matron to please and that’s all I’ll say on the matter.”
I nodded, feeling deep pride that by confiding in me my cousin and I were truly sisters in spirit. We silently hugged each other.
“Well, I’ve got to go now,” she said pulling away. “Ti-Ameny gave me some tasks to do for the wedding. In the meantime, keep Wadjet straight,” she said, winking at me and laughing. My face must have revealed that I did not understand what was meant by that remark.
“You know, keep it straight,” she repeated, holding up a bent finger. Still I did not comprehend her meaning.
“Oh, for the sake of Isis!” Nubiti laughed. “His penis, the way it bends so to the right… you know, keep it straight,” she said, now straightening her finger. I was so startled I could hardly breathe. I felt the blood drain from my face and suddenly my knees felt weak.
“How… how do you know of such a thing?” My hands were tightly clasped together. The smile immediately left Nubiti’s face.
“Oh, sister. I… I thought you knew. Oh, by the gods how stupid I am!” She paced before me. “I… Djet and I, when we were younger we played together,” she said, using Wadjet’s more intimate name. “We were always close, you know, being the only two siblings in the court. We… when we came of age, we played at sex, too, as… as children do. We laughed at how his organ curved to the right, as if it were an eel trying to escape from a fisherman’s net. Our friendship... I thought Djet had mentioned it to you.”
I was torn between feelings of betrayal and my affection for my beloved and for Nubiti. I stood there, wringing my hands, tears filling my eyes. Nubiti closed the space between us and put her arm around my shoulder, pulling me in tight.
“Sister, don’t let this come between us. Worse yet, don’t let it come between you and Wadjet. It was innocent play between half-siblings.” She now turned to me and placed both her hands on my shoulders.
“Let me give you some sisterly advice, Mery. I wouldn’t mention that you know of our sex play to Wadjet at all. If he hasn’t yet told you, he may have his reasons, such is the way men are.” She looked into my eyes, yet I could not return her gaze, for I saw something in her face that I had never before seen. Chills ran up my spine.
“Here, give your big sister a hug,” she offered, holding me tight. “It’ll be all right. I’ve told you this secret and there’ll be times when you’ll do the same with me. Remember my words, the Royal Court can be a cold and evil place at times. Sisters must stick together, Mery. Remember that lesson well. You must always trust your big sister.”
SCROLL THREE
Nubiti
“Pregnant? You’re absolutely certain?” mother asked, clutching her hands to her breast in her typical dramatic fashion.
“Yes, I’m certain,” I responded, restraining my own anger. “She hasn’t had her monthly bleeding for two months now. She’s been throwing up, she hardly eats. Ti-Ameny and Amka have examined her and confirm it.” I stood before Shepsit dressed in a fine linen robe, having just returned from the Royal Palace.
Shepsit paced before me, agitated. “Oh, dear!” was all she said as she twisted her hands anxiously.
“May Isis damn her, with her stuck-up talk and her… her newly found royal bearing!” I blurted out angrily, kicking mother’s woven rush footstool out of my path with my foot. “How could that harlot become pregnant so quickly? Women sometimes try for years and she does so in just a few months. That little whore!”
Mother knew better than to try to reason with me when I was this mad. A handmaiden suddenly poked her head through the portico entrance to see what the commotion was about.
“Leave!” I shouted, pointing directly at the frightened girl. “When the Queen needs you she’ll call.” I turned back towards mother. “These Upper Kemian servants are stupider than jackasses. In the Delta servants know their place.”
I slumped into one of the chairs at the edge of mother’s bedroom, so that I could look out at the green fields and red hills while she fretted and I stewed. Shepsit continued to pace, lost in her own thoughts. Perhaps it was my mood, or perhaps the rare cloudy day, but mother looked older and frailer. Wrinkled skin hung around her elbows and bags sagged below her eyes. Deep lines were etched above her upper lip. Her lustrous black hair now lacked its previous silkiness and was streaked with coarse gray strands. She appeared tired, worn. My heart skipped a beat, for I suddenly realized that soon I would be thrust into her role as Lower Kem’s symbolic presence in the Royal Court.
“And how do Djer and Herneith take the news of an heir?” mother asked sarcastically, stopping directly in front of me. I looked up as calmly as I could manage, not wanting to further inflame my own passions.
“Obviously, they’re pleased. Herneith visits Mery every day since she’s received the news. Djer boasts of his son’s fertility at meetings of his council.”
“That pig!” my mother said with disgust. “May Anubis find his heart heavy as stone.”
“Careful mother. That’s my father you speak of.”
She threw a quick glance at me to make sure I was joking. “He contributed his seed and that’s all. If I didn’t see him at festivals, years would pass without our speaking two words. The mighty King Djer. May his brother Horus’ talons pierce his arrogant heart!”
Again she paced before me, her brow creased from thoughts and scheming, of that I was sure.
“This is disturbing news, indeed,” mother continued. “I hoped we’d have more time to set our plans in motion. If it’s not one thing it’s another that the gods place in our path. By all rights you should be married to Wadjet and having his child.” At that, I turned my head away in frustration at our thwarted plans, looking to the red cliffs beyond the fields. Farmers and their children hand-tended their crops and thick smoke from potters’ kilns rose from the base of the cliffs.
“You turn away, Nubiti, but…”
“Mother, don’t start down that path again. It’s well trodden already.”
“Don’t you insult me like that! Everything I’ve done since I agreed to marry that southern swine Djer has been for you.” I didn’t bother to remind my mother that she’d hardly agreed to marry Djer, she was forced into it by her Delta prince relatives. At first she thrived on the attention and high rank. All she’d done since my birth was for her benefit and none other. Nor was I blaming her for her own frustration, for to live as Second Queen was a curse not easily borne by any woman.
Mother turned on her heel and walked away from me. I paused to take a deep breath. “Look, mother, we’ve been allies since I’ve come of age. Djer’s decision to bypass me as Wadjet’s wife was a slap in our faces, a… an embarrassment acted out before all those in power throughout the Two Lands. We became jokes. Unification, ha! My father’s commitment to unification is as shallow as the waters at Urimbe. He had the perfect opportunity to unite the Two Lands… truly unite them, by marrying Wadjet to me, his half-sister.” Mother leaned against one of the mud brick pillars and tilted her head back.
“Yes, it’s a pity, really. Now his slap has resounded throughout Kem, and I’ll tell you, daughter, it’s been heard in the Delta by some very powerful people.” She sat with a sigh in the chair nearest mine, her lips pursed in ange
r.
Mother has always been a force not to be taken lightly. Those few who have underestimated her passions over the years have suffered grave consequences and stories to that effect have circulated through the palace during my growing up years. Many is the time I overheard discussions about my mother, spoken in hushed whispers, followed by the gossipers making the sign across their brows to ward off the evil eye. More than one referred to mother as Shepsit the Sorceress.
Until that day, when I brought her the news of Mery’s pregnancy, I’d never seen any indications of Shepsit’s sorcery, only her vituperation and bile. Yet on that day, as she sat in that chair, stiff as the Lebanese wood from which it was made, I was granted a glimpse of my mother’s powers. And it began with the maid again poking her head in the archway.
“I thought I told you to disappear!” I shouted at her. The poor girl shook and tears ran down her cheeks.
“But, my… my Queen,” she pleaded, looking at mother, “it’s important. I’ve been sent to…”
“Well, out with it!” mother insisted.
“It’s the King, Queen Shepsit. He… he’s gravely ill.”
And so it was that events of unimagined importance unfolded over the next few days and months, events that held the forbidding possibility of changing our fate, and that of the Two Lands itself. Through it all, through days of secret meetings and sleepless nights of planning and plotting, I was reminded of my mother’s anger that day and how she had damned the royal family and my father, in particular, with her curses.
We both rushed from mother’s chambers and were immediately carried by porters across the Royal compound to King Djer’s palace. A crowd had already gathered and our porters had to shout ahead to get them and their donkeys to part so we could gain admittance. The porters stopped at the palace stairs and a phalanx of armed guards refused us entry. The entire palace was off limits to anyone but the Royal family.
The Dagger of Isis (The First Dynasty Book 2) Page 4