The Dagger of Isis (The First Dynasty Book 2)

by Lester Picker

  Finally in the minutes before Ra was again born from Neith’s womb, all was ready. A line of Horus priests sounded their ram’s horns and I was ushered onto the balcony of the palace to witness his life-giving presence and to thank him for his blessings. As the shadows created by Ra’s light began to play over the mountains and valleys below us, I at first could not make out what it was that I observed. Soon Ra had risen enough to illuminate the valley and I noted with amazement what it was that I witnessed. It was a seething mass of my people such as I had never before seen. I had been so secluded during the purification process, I had no idea what it was that Amka, Tepemkau and their subordinates had prepared. Here before me were tens of thousands of Kemians, stretching from foothill to foothill and from mountain to Mother Nile, all eager to catch a glimpse of their Queen and to share in her blessing of them under Ra’s golden light.

  When I was done with the blessings, a great cheer went up from the crowd and the sound of it sent chills through my body. Whether chills of fear or exhilaration I was uncertain, but I had no time to think on it anyway. I was immediately taken out through the opposite side of the palace to begin the procession, for unless we adhered to Amka’s rigid schedule, the spiritual significance of the ceremony would be compromised and only Amka and the Horus priests knew beforehand what that significance was.

  No sooner had I exited the palace than another shock nearly overwhelmed me. Yes, Amka had described to me the next steps, but none could have prepared me for the sight of Herihor, dressed in his finest military clothing, standing at the head of what appeared to be an unending double line of soldiers, stretching from the palace stairs up to the Temple of Horus. Next to Herihor stood Panahasi, a general like Herihor but considerably older and next in line to become the Chief of the Army. Panahasi, a well-respected leader, had allowed age to win the war of his girth, so that as he stood squatly in the road he gave the appearance of a fierce hippopotamus. I almost smiled at the contrast he presented with the muscular Herihor.

  At my appearance Herihor stood ready to give his order for his men to stand to attention, but no words came from his mouth. Instead he stared at me intently, his eyes moving over me as if he studied me for one of Amka’s notorious tests. So long did he stare that Amka tipped his staff toward Panahasi and the old bull called out loudly to his men. They snapped to attention with their spears and shields, one pair after another, so that it took minutes for the line of soldiers to complete the maneuver far in the distance at the Temple’s steps.

  With the soldiers at attention, more horns were sounded and Herihor approached and bowed low before me, embarrassing me because he was my husband’s finest warrior and one of his closest friends. Panahasi also bowed, but his girth prevented him from doing anything more than a slight dip of his head. As the two men rose, they each held one of my hands and escorted me to my gold-edged carry chair. I was lifted high by servants dressed in pure white and themselves ritually purified. With an order from Herihor, his men crossed spears and hooked their legs so as to control the throng of people pressing in on all sides.

  With musicians surrounding us playing flutes and strings and drums, and dancers rattling their sistras before and behind us, we ever so slowly made our way up the main avenue of Inabu-hedj, a wide promenade that linked the palace with the Temples. Aside from people packed into the streets, observers were crushed together standing on the top of the white walls of the city. I heard later than more than a few had fallen and injured themselves, although none died. As the procession advanced, people shouted out praises and blessings and their wishes for my intercession to heal their sons and daughters, parents and friends. People threw flower petals of all colors before us, so that the ground was thick with them, rising even above the ankles of my carriers. As the petals were crushed their fragrances, all mixed together in the still air, soon became overwhelming.

  When we finally reached the steps of the Temple of Horus, some two hours later, Tepemkau held up his staff and the crowd of people surrounding us hushed. The heat had risen and bordered on being uncomfortable and Ra’s light was reflected from Tepemkau’s bald head.

  “Queen Mery-Neith,” he called out as loudly as decorum allowed, “the Horus priesthood welcomes you to our holy temple, where the ka of Horus lives within his statues. He awaits your presence.” With that, Tepemkau pointed toward the temple. A small statue of Horus stood atop the roof, his wings outstretched and his eyes peering down at us.

  If it were at all possible, I would have turned around and run back to the palace at that moment, such is how the thought of Horus dwelling within the walls of the Temple affected me. At that moment I also wished that Ti-Ameny stood next to me to support me through what I knew lay ahead. But Amka and Tepemkau had decided that with Nubiti being the Head Priestess of the Temple of Isis, it would be better to keep the Isis priestesses out of the ceremony entirely. I supported that decision since I had no inclination to see Nubiti until I felt grounded in my new position as Regent. I knew Ti-Ameny did not mind not participating for she had heard rumors about Shepsit’s machinations and did not feel comfortable mixing her roles as my personal healer with that of an Isis priestess. And so she waited for me back at the palace and supervised all arrangements for the celebrations to follow.

  Panahasi, our most senior military commander, and Herihor, his equal but in age, stepped forward and helped me down from the chair. They escorted me, one on each side, up the steps to join Tepemkau, with Amka right behind me. Tepemkau raised his hands and blessed me with the finger blessing of the Horus priests, his hands straight out, his fingers parted into a V shape. I bent my head to accept the blessing and with that we entered the temple itself, leaving Herihor and Panahasi outside.

  Inside the temple it was far cooler than outside. Tepemkau called for water and I quenched my thirst with Mother Nile’s sweet essence. As we walked down a dark corridor past each small statue of Horus we stopped for a prayer. When we had walked nearly around the entire building an immense wooden doorway stood before us, intricately carved from Lebanese cedar.

  Tepemkau called for a sandal bearer to approach. The young boy trembled as he removed my sandals, one by one, and washed my feet, never looking at my face. Only then did Tepemkau call for his priests to open the vaulted doors and as they opened before me the pungent smells of incense filled my lungs. Yet the aromas were far different from those I had experienced at the Temple of Isis. Here the smells were more earthy, as if the priests were burning hay and soil fresh from Inundation.

  Even with the doors wide open I could see nothing inside, for before us was a tall wall. There was a fire of some sort inside, for the walls flickered with an orange glow. I was immediately struck by fear, for no one that I knew save King Djer, King Wadjet, Amka and Tepemkau, and most certainly no woman, had ever entered the inner sanctum of Horus.

  Amka and Tepemkau had also had their sandals removed and feet washed, for no one entered the inner sanctum without cleansing. The three of us took a few steps to our right and stood there as the immense doors swung shut.

  “Queen Mery-Neith, we are about to enter the sanctuary of Horus,” Tepemkau said softly. “Be not afraid, though Horus is a mighty god, for your heart is as light as a feather. But do not look directly into his eyes until you are instructed to do so.”

  I still trembled in fear and anticipation and despite the heat felt chilled. “It will be alright, Mery,” Amka whispered in my ear as he squeezed my hand tight. I looked at him in the dim light and his face appeared worried. I gave him a slight smile and he leaned over and kissed my forehead. “It is time,” he said.

  I noted that the floor was sprinkled with newly raked sand, so that our feet left fresh footprints that indicated our presence. With Tepemkau in the lead and Amka by my side, we walked around the wall and stepped into the inner sanctuary. To this day I still shake in awe at my first sight of the mighty Horus for there, with his side facing me, he towered. Oh, Neith, did he tower! He stood in human form with his falcon head
, his arms hanging powerfully at his sides. The way he was positioned, one foot forward of the other, made me feel he was about to turn to face us. I gasped.

  Amka grabbed my upper arm and held me firmly until my sight adjusted. Horus was easily ten cubits high. His body was carved of black stone and his face was made of pure gold. Although I dared not look directly at his face, I knew with utter certainty that his ka resided within. Horus looked real enough so that I wanted to scream and run from the sanctuary. But I held my ground and breathed the sen-sen breaths, as I was taught, all the while thankful for Amka’s support.

  In front of Horus a brazier fire burned on a metal stand that was used for offerings. As the light from the flames flickered over his body, Horus appeared to move. I could not draw a deep breath, so in trepidation was I of this spectacle of his spiritual power.

  Tepemkau turned his back to Horus and called me to him. “Queen Mery-Neith, you are born of royal blood, for your mother was the sister of Djer, King of all Kem. Your ka was joined with King Wadjet’s and you carried his seed and birthed Zenty, his heir, the future King of Kem.

  “We are here together under the watchful eye of Horus, the Eye of Truth, to determine if you are worthy to serve as King of Kem until Zenty comes of age. What do you say to mighty Horus? Will you look him in his eyes and tell him you are worthy, for he is ready to render judgment in this matter.”

  Never in my life had I been so frightened, not even as a child trapped in the bushes by that horrid rekhi laborer. Slowly my eyes lifted and swept upward and upward toward Horus’ face. I remember every detail, even today, his chest so muscular, his face that of a powerful falcon. And then I looked into his eyes.

  People will tell you how a person’s eyes reveal much of his ba. I have heard priests say that they can even see a glimpse of a man’s ka through his eyes. I would have to agree with these observations for I myself have experienced this in my dealings with my people. But that is only true for mere mortals.

  What happened when I gazed into Horus’ eyes that day in the inner sanctuary can never be explained and Amka later warned me against even trying to do so for fear of Horus’ retribution. And I agree with that, although I believe the far greater danger lay in trivializing the moment. For later Amka told me that the experience lasted only a few moments, but of that I know differently. No, the time that I spent looking into Horus’ eyes lasted a lifetime, for Horus also gazed through my eyes deep into my ka.

  I vaguely remember Tepemkau standing in front of me as I whispered to Horus that I believed I was worthy to assume the kingship of Kem. I recall Tepemkau raising his arms and the fire behind me bursting forth with renewed vigor, brightening Horus’ eyes as they penetrated me and mingled with my ka.

  But to say that I was worthy of ruling Kem was the foolhardy statement of a young girl buoyed up by two very wise and devious men. Oh, I do not blame my dear Amka and brave Tepemkau for putting me up to this. I know now that what they did was right in their eyes and only the gods may judge whether it was right in theirs. But there is no doubt in my mind that at that very moment I was hardly worthy of governing our mighty nation. Much blood would be spilled and heartaches endured before I was truly worthy of serving the Two Lands.

  And so, once Horus’ all-knowing eyes penetrated me and after Amka awakened me gently from the trance the falcon god placed upon me, Mother Nile’s sweet waters refreshed me again. We performed the ceremony of the Apis bull and after he was slain Tepemkau examined its still beating heart and found it strong, a good omen for my rule. In an adjoining room I washed myself of the blood from the bull and changed into clothes that had been prepared for me.

  Back in Horus’ sanctuary, Tepemkau greeted me. The entire sanctuary had been scrubbed clean of the blood of the Apis bull and fresh sand sprinkled upon the floor. “You entered this temple as Queen Mery-Neith,” Tepemkau began. “You have been judged by Horus to be worthy of assuming the throne for your son until he comes of age. Under the Eye of Truth, Vizier Amka and I attest to Horus’ judgment. From now on you will be known as Meryt-Neith for Meryt is the male form of your name. You will reign as Regent until King Zenty ascends to be King of the Two Lands.”

  Amka stepped forward and placed the gold breastplate of the King upon my chest. Then Tepemkau handed me the crook and flail and crossed my hands into the proper position. With the two of them leading the way, we exited the sanctuary and walked to the rear of the Temple. Now Zenty, who was dressed in a headscarf woven with gold thread and a pure white linen kilt, joined us. Upon his feet were bejeweled sandals and around his little bicep was a gold armband with King Narmer’s serekh. Chains of finely crafted gold hung from his neck. Amka carried Zenty until we reached the great doors.

  “Mama!” Zenty shrieked as the massive doors swung open to reveal a restless crowd of two hundred thousand or more of my people spread across the valley floor. Zenty reached for me and my heart longed to hold him and together face this frightening scene. But Amka spoke reassuringly to him and soon Zenty was distracted by Amka’s ornately carved staff.

  I was surprised to see Ra nearly finished with his daily journey across the heavens. Long shadows from the surrounding mountains fell across the valley floor. Thus, by time the day had ended I had greeted Ra as Queen Mery-Neith and blessed his parting as King Meryt-Neith. In that manner, our plan had so far succeeded and none but simpletons, and certainly not my most vociferous opponents, would have lost the significance of the arc of my ascension.

  SCROLL NINE

  Nubiti

  It was Shomu of the fourth year of Meryt-Neith’s reign and it was the worst year yet of poor flooding and poorer still harvests. The oppressive heat of Shomu lay upon the land like a suffocating blanket. The only saving grace was that since Mother Nile had withheld her life-giving mud, the humidity was not as high as it otherwise would have been, but that was meager consolation, indeed. We were fast approaching Heriu-renpet, the five sacred days that preceded the New Year’s celebrations of Wepet-renpet. Heriu-renpet is always a time of reflection and prayer, of terrible fear and desperate offerings, for who knows what the gods have planned for us in the New Year? One thing was certain; this year Heriu-renpet would be a time of extreme anxiety.

  Like the three prior years, Wepet-renpet would not be one of celebration. Farmers were destitute. Children across the land would receive nothing more than a few pitiful toys pieced together from reeds by their grandfathers instead of fancy imported wood senet games bought from traders. Or they would receive verbal promises of more abundant celebrations once Mother Nile finally took pity on her people and gave us abundant floods.

  Throughout the land, the rekhi suffered the most for they had the fewest resources from which to draw. Meryt-Neith’s food granaries were ample at first to stave off widespread hunger, but those stores lasted for only two years. Last year was the first where malnourishment was everywhere. I could hardly walk to the temple without seeing poor rekhi squatting in alleyways, holding out their hands and silently staring at me with bulging, vacant eyes and even larger bulging stomachs. Cats were gaunt, for even mice were scarce since their food supply of grain was gone. Women flocked to the Temple seeking Isis’ intervention, but without even a modest flood we were powerless to prevent undernourished women from dying in childbirth. Breasts no longer produced milk and children failed to thrive. Everywhere one looked people lay about conserving their strength during the hottest parts of Shomu, whispering about the curse that had settled upon the land.

  The first Akhet after Meryt-Neith assumed the throne, no one thought much of the poor flooding. In fact, she was praised greatly by the governors for her foresight in building more granaries in each nome. But after the second poor harvest, when the grains had to be stringently rationed, people began to murmur that perhaps the gods were angry after all that a woman served as King, even if as Regent. After the third Akhet, in which Mother Nile barely flowed over her embankments, people complained bitterly and turned to drastic measures. Executions for st
ealing were commonplace. Bribery and corruption were everywhere.

  It was after the third Akhet that mother and I did what we could to encourage the rumors about the gods being angry with Mery’s regency. Yet I had to guard against encouraging these rumors too much, for although it was Mother Nile who brought us our life-sustaining soil, all knew that it was Isis who determined how fertile the soil was.

  Due to the demands that women throughout the Two Lands made upon our priestesses- for prayers for healthy children, for food to feed their families- I traveled widely during these difficult times. I was often accompanied by a small contingent of King’s troops, so that I could distribute food, herbs and medicines through our temples in an orderly manner. But these trips also gave me the chance to meet with supervisors in the civil service and gauge whether or not they were receptive to bribes. More often than not they were, and I would signal mother, who then would use her loyalists to seal the deal. In that way we were able to siphon off significant stores of grain to the Delta to use as incentives for those loyal to our cause.

  Those excursions brought me to the Delta frequently, presenting me with opportunities to occasionally visit with my allies. Thus it transpired that I was in Dep during the sacred days of Heriu-renpet, drinking wine with Khnum on one of the boats in his fleet.

  “Ah, how I look forward to these midnight sails with you, my lovely niece,” Khnum said before he tipped back his cup, revealing the unkempt underside of his goatee. “Now that you live in Upper Kem, you bring such refinement to us miscreants,” he added, laughing. The full moon reflected off his remaining front teeth. Gulls rose from the water as we sailed past and screeched their collective displeasure at us.

  “And, so, where do you stand today with our plans?” I asked.