by Overton, Max
This morning, unable to sleep past his usual time, he had paid another visit to the North Palace, talking to Nefertiti as she sat at her cosmetic table, three of her ladies in attendance. She sent them out of the room and they talked briefly.
"Play the injured wife. Do nothing else. I stress that, daughter, nothing else. Let it be seen that you have been wronged, but outwardly be humble and restrained."
"What will you do?"
"I have plans to make for a royal marriage." Ay coolly regarded his daughter's pale face and smiled. "It will happen anyway. If I can delay his lust it may work to our advantage. There are many things that need to be in place before the new moon. Leave it to me."
Ay entered the king's palace not long after dawn as the morning services to the Aten were finishing in the Great Temple. He hurried through toward the servant's quarters, the bustle of people in the corridors parting before him almost without thought. Ay never even saw the men and women scrambling out of his way, his mind fixed on what he had to do. He found Nebhotep the physician eating his breakfast of barley bread and beer in the small refectory for minor court officials. Waving to him to remain seated, he pulled up a chair and sat down.
"Good morning, Nebhotep." Ay glanced around at the smattering of other people in the room. None were close enough to overhear, but he lowered his voice anyway. "You are knowledgeable concerning the royal monthlies?"
Nebhotep raised his eyebrows and put down his barley bread, swallowing his mouthful. "Er...yes, Tjaty Ay. Er...may I enquire ..."
"Specifically, when will the princess Meryetaten become unavailable?"
Nebhotep hesitated. "I'm not sure what you mean, Tjaty. Do you mean when will her monthly bleeding occur?"
"Yes." Ay nodded impatiently and, reaching over, broke off a piece of Nebhotep's loaf. "If she was married, her husband would refrain from intercourse then, would he not?" He popped the bread into his mouth and chewed, feeling the tiny fragments of grit crunching under his teeth.
"Normally, yes. A woman becomes ritually unclean at that time." Nebhotep thought for a few moments. "I believe the princess Meryetaten's bleeding is expected within days. Why?"
"You will not have heard the news yet but the king will marry his daughter Meryetaten, having put away his wife Nefertiti. In the interests of this union producing a son, I have consulted with the priests of Min and they have divined a day that is favorable for the marriage. It is the evening of the new moon." Ay broke off another piece of the barley crust and chewed, talking around the food. "Naturally, I cannot go to the king and tell him a false priest advises him to delay his marriage, but his physician could present the date as a medical recommendation."
"I have heard rumors." Nebhotep took a drink from his cup. "Why would the king accept the news coming from me?"
"Because you will not tell him the choice of the day comes from a priest. You will tell him that medically, she will be most fertile on that night." Ay looked at the physician searchingly. "Do you have a problem with that?"
"No," Nebhotep said after a pause. "I will not lie, Tjaty, but it would be advisable to wait until the bleeding is past. I am not sure of the meaning of a woman's bleeding save that it is a signal that she is not with child. It would seem logical to give her womb the maximum time to conceive."
"Good. I will make sure the king sends her to you for an examination. You will recommend this date. Be sure of it, the evening of the new moon. You may spin some tale about the waxing moon inducing increased conception if you wish."
"That will not be necessary. I do not subscribe to superstitions."
Ay smiled and got up, pushing his seat back. "Thank you, physician Nebhotep. You will be doing the king and Kemet a great service."
Well, Kemet anyway , he thought as he hurried off.
Akhenaten had returned from the temple when Ay got back to the king's apartments. Changing from his special robes of greeting into a less formal open kilt that fastened beneath his sagging belly, Akhenaten greeted his Tjaty.
"Divine Father, I heard you went to see Nefertiti last night. How is...how is my wife? Is she angry?" The king's dressers bowed and left the room.
"Chastened, my lord. Knowing that she said things to you in the heat of passion that she now regrets."
The king nodded and wandered over to his toilet, positioning himself on it, his kilt around his waist. "If she will apologize, she may return to her palace." His colour rose in his face and a muffled splash carried faintly.
"My lord, I believe this is what she desires, but she asks your indulgence to let her remain in the North Palace until your marriage. She says she needs to come to grips with her new status, her new position at court."
"Granted." Akhenaten got up and examined the contents of the bowl, then flushed it. "I am sorry if this affair offends you, Divine Father. I know it must be difficult when I put your daughter away like this."
Ay bowed, his face calm. "The king's will is my desire." He smiled faintly. "I know what trouble women can be, my lord, even such a beautiful one as my daughter. Besides, how can I be offended when you only put my daughter aside in favor of my granddaughter?"
Akhenaten smiled broadly and walked over to his Tjaty, throwing his arms around him. "I shall have to call you Divine Grandfather now, I suppose." He turned and clapped his hands. At once a servant appeared in the doorway. "Bring food and drink. I will break my fast."
The king waited until the table in the anteroom had been set and food laid out. He dismissed the servants and started eating. "We will celebrate my new marriage tomorrow. In the Great Temple, I think. Naturally we can only invite those nobles actually in Akhet-Aten but ..." He broke off as he caught sight of Ay's shaking head. "You disagree?"
"It is not my place to disagree with the divine will, my lord, but I do have one concern."
Akhenaten stopped eating and wiped his fingers on a napkin. "Oh? What?"
"Last month at about this time--I cannot remember exactly when--I remember the queen, I mean Nefertiti, made a remark which I paid no great attention to at the time."
"And that was?"
"Your daughter Meryetaten was undergoing a painful...er, time of the month. You understand what I mean, Akhenaten? About a woman's time of the month."
Akhenaten grimaced. "Yes. It is a most tedious affair and interferes with my pleasure considerably."
"If I am right, then Meryetaten is about to have her time again. It would be most unfortunate if this happened on your wedding night."
"Indeed it would." The king pondered this problem. "But you are not sure of the day? Would Meryetaten know?"
"Possibly, my lord, but young girls are often silly and forgetful and this is a matter of great importance. I suggest that we have Nebhotep the physician examine Meryetaten. He will be able to advise us as to her condition."
Akhenaten nodded and resumed his breakfast. "See to it, Ay. Now, is there anything else?"
"Another letter has arrived from Shubbiluliuma. He desires another gift of gold as a token of friendship."
The king groaned and waved his free hand dismissively while picking a fistful of dates from a golden dish. "Does he think I am made of gold? Tell him no...no, don't tell him that. Put him off. Send him a gilded statue like last time but say more will follow. We must appease these kings if Kemet is to have peace."
"As the king wishes. There is also a thief, my lord. He was caught breaking into the tomb of Ramose. Nothing was taken but he caused some damage. Do you want to preside over the court hearing today?"
"You do it, Ay. I don't want to think about such things. I am going to spend the day composing a new hymn to the Aten to be sung at my wedding."
Ay bowed. "I shall look forward to it."
He left the king eating breakfast and found the overseer of nurses.
"You have heard the king will marry Meryetaten?"
The overseer bowed deeply. "I have, Tjaty Ay."
"He wishes the girl to be examined by Nebhotep the physician. Deliver her to t
he physician's chambers immediately."
He then went in search of Mahu, the chief of the Medjay, mentally ticking off the preparation points in his head. Mahu was harder to track down. The Medjay barracks were deserted despite the early hour and Ay did not find the chief until mid-morning. In the end, he came across the burly chief of the Medjay at the Southern tombs where he was supervising the resealing of Ramose's tomb. Although the sun blazed in the heavens, the cliff face and a small area of ground beneath remained in shadow. The dust from the repairs to the mud brick wall still hung in the still air, the acrid scent reminding Ay of death and tombs.
"Ay! Good to see you," Mahu called out in greeting. "Rumors are thick in the city. Is it true the queen, your daughter, has been put away?"
"It is." He shrugged. "As the king wishes." Ay indicated the tomb where, some twenty cubits above them in the sheer rock face; two builders were applying the last few trowels of wet mortar to the bricks filling the tomb entrance. "How did he get in?"
"Lowered himself from the cliff top. We think he had an accomplice though he hasn't admitted it yet." Mahu wiped the sweat and dust from his forehead with a rag, his head scarf with its stripes of office slipping as he moved. His thick white tufted eyebrows stood out against his tanned skin.
The builders smoothed the last of the mortar over the repairs and clambered down from the scaffolding, helping the old priest of Aten and the overseer of mortuary buildings to ascend, carrying their official seals. The old men selected a smooth area of fine-grained mortar and pressed the seals of office in.
"I have heard this robber is part of a larger gang," Ay remarked casually.
"Where did you hear that? He is a young man, Amoy by name. He has a brother called Emsaf, whom I believe was his accomplice, though he cannot be found. There is no evidence they are part of a gang."
"Nevertheless, my sources have informed me they are."
"Who are your sources? Let me question them."
"That I cannot allow, Mahu. You know how it is, if I did not protect their identities, they would not trust me."
Mahu grunted and watched the priest and mortuary official climbing slowly down from the tomb. "I suppose you are right. They are trustworthy?" He shrugged and nodded a greeting to the priest as he walked past them toward the city. "I can question Amoy, I suppose, but it does not make much difference whether he acted alone or with others. He will still die for his crime."
"True, but there is more." Leaving the builders and their laborers to dismantle the wooden scaffolding, Ay sauntered back down the dusty trails toward the workmen's village and the center of town, Mahu beside him.
"The gang is meeting soon to divide the spoils of their many ventures. It would bring you much praise if you could capture them."
"There are many gangs. Why should this one bring me fame?"
"My informants tell me it is led by Bennu. You have heard of him?"
"I have. That would be a coup indeed," Mahu grinned. "I am never averse to either fame or gold. Where is this meeting? And when?"
"North and east of the city, about six hours march. There is a small valley with a cave and a small spring."
"I know it. Why so far out?"
"Who knows? My informant tells me they meet there on the night of the new moon. He thinks there will be much booty."
Mahu rubbed his hands together absently, his mind busy digesting the information. "How many in this gang?"
"About fifty I am told."
"That many?" Mahu shook his head, regret showing in his eyes. "Then I cannot do this. It would take my whole Medjay to capture them and I cannot leave the city unprotected."
"It would only be for a few days, Mahu my friend, and I would make sure the army garrison kept order in the city."
"Why do you not use the army to catch your thieves then?"
"I could do so, of course, and now that you mention it, perhaps I will. I merely thought you would like the credit for the capture. Well, I shall lead the army out there, capture the brigands and confiscate their booty. No doubt I will become rich from the haul."
"Do not be hasty, Ay. You are an old man and unsuited to such work."
Ay yawned. "Not so old," he said, slapping his firm belly. "But I could just get the garrison commander, Neshi to do the work."
"That pretentious idiot? He'd arrive too late or lead his troops to the wrong place. If he did get there, he'd let half of them escape." Mahu laughed and threw an arm around Ay's shoulders. "No, you let me do it and I'll make sure the job is done correctly."
"I don't like to put you out, old friend. Besides, it would leave the city unguarded, like you said."
"It would only be for two nights, three maybe. And while the troop commander is incompetent, the soldiers are good enough. All they have to do is stand around in two's or three's on the street corners and there won't be any trouble. Akhet-Aten's a very quiet city really."
Ay pretended to think about it and with a show of reluctance, agreed. Turning down the Medjay chief's offer of a pot of beer, he excused himself and set off for the military barracks in the North City near the Customs House.
It was a long walk in the midday heat and dust and by the time he arrived, Ay was sweating profusely and his kilt and headdress were stained and wet. He acknowledged the challenge of the guard on the gates and walked into the officers' rooms on the cliff side of the barrack square. Here he found a junior lieutenant sitting with his feet up, feeding seeds to a gaudy parrot in a copper-wire cage. The officer looked up as Ay entered the room.
"Yes? What do you want?" Recognition dawned as he asked and he shot to his feet, the parrot screeching in alarm. "Sorry, sir, I did not know you." He saluted; his body rigid.
"At ease, soldier. I have just walked over from the city center and I'm hot and dusty. I need a bath, a fresh kilt and headdress and a large pot of beer. Find those things for me and bring them over to the bath house."
"Yes, sir." The officer ran to the door.
"One other thing, soldier." The man halted and looked around. "After you have done that, find Commandant Neshi and tell him I want to see him."
Ay left the officers' quarters and walked across to the bath house, picking up a towel at the door. He walked into the deserted wooden building and found one of the stalls with a full tub of river water. Disrobing, he sat on the bench by the tub and filling a ladle with cold water, tipped it over his head. He gasped with the shock, but immediately felt better, the liquid sluicing away the dust and the sweat. Ladle after ladle followed until his whole body felt cool and refreshed once more. The waste water drained away into stone-lined channels that run under all the stalls, discharging the water out into a main drain that emptied into the river.
The lieutenant arrived with a change of clothing and a pot of cold beer, taking Ay's clothes away to be quickly laundered. Following the officer's directions, he went looking for, and soon found, the garrison commander.
"Tjaty Ay," the commandant effused. "You honour us by your presence. When Lieutenant Baqet told me of your arrival it was all I could do not to rush down to the bath house to welcome you."
"Then I am glad you restrained yourself," Ay commented. He stuck a finger in his ear and wiggled it about in an effort to get rid of some water. "Your baths are in good order, by the way."
"Thank you Tjaty. A word of praise from you is like a drink of cold water on a hot day. It is something ..."
"Shut up Neshi," Ay interrupted. "I am a busy man and I do not have the time to listen to your drivel." The commandant subsided and Ay sat down on the only chair in the room. He looked keenly at the now apprehensive Neshi.
"Can you remember your oath of loyalty, commandant?"
"Of course, Tjaty Ay." He thought for a moment then drew himself erect. "I, Neshi, commandant of the garrison of Akhet-Aten ..."
"Don't recite the whole thing, Neshi. I told you I don't have the time. Just tell me who you swore to obey."
"Why, King Neferneferure Waenre Akhenaten of course."
"Very good. And ...?"
"And the General of all the armies, Paatenemheb, and my immediate superior."
"Who is?"
"You, Tjaty," Neshi ended triumphantly, a great smile on his face.
"Very good indeed, Commandant Neshi," Ay said with a trace of sarcasm that was entirely lost on the military man. "Now, I want to put a hypothetical case to you ..."
"A what, sir?"
"A 'what if' scenario. For instance, I might ask you 'what if the Hittites invaded the city'? You would then give me an answer. What I want to know ..."
"I'd send for help immediately sir and take all my men down to defend the main palace. Those Hittites are good fighters so I'd need the help of regular army units."
Ay sighed and closed his eyes. "Let's try again, Neshi. What if a group of rebels simultaneously--that means 'at the same time'--tried to take over both the North Palace where the queen lives and the main one where the king lives?"
Neshi frowned. "I would have to split my forces, which is not good. I'd detail one of my officers to guard the queen while I took the main force south."
Ay nodded. "Probably a better plan would be to guard the queen yourself and let me take most of the men to guard the king. Your men would obey me unquestioningly, wouldn't they?"
"Of course, sir." Neshi looked shocked. "They all know you as the General in charge of the city. They would give their lives for you. You are held in great respect."
"That is good to know, Commandant Neshi. And it eases my mind that such an efficient officer controls the garrison." Ay got up and gripped Neshi's forearms tightly for a moment, before moving to the door. Turning in the doorway he lowered his voice confidentially. "That 'what if' about the rebels is not real, Neshi, but something like it could be. I have heard a rumor that a known Syrian assassin has been seen near Ineb Hedj. Probably there is nothing to it, but if I came to you one night with a sudden need for your troops, it is good to know you are prepared."