The City of Refuge: Book 1 of The Memphis Cycle

by Diana Wilder

  Neb-Aten turned silently away from Huni and moved toward the cliffside path.

  Khonsu's gaze lingered on him, wondering, admiring, understanding at last what he had only guessed before. And then he looked back at Huni.

  The mayor of Khebet was watching Neb-Aten. Khonsu realized that he had crossed the line separating fear from defiance.

  He saw Huni, doubled and gasping against the ground, fumble something from his belt. It was the arrow that Khonsu had brought to Khebet just that morning. He must have kept it. He saw him lift the discarded bow, fit the arrow to the bowstring—

  Khonsu lunged to his feet shouting 'Treachery!” as the arrow, loosed prematurely, went wide.

  Huni turned, snarling a curse, and struck with a thin-bladed dagger, his fist arcing upward, driving the blade to the hilt between Khonsu's ribs.

  Through the explosion of pain that flung him into a world of mist and shadows, Khonsu saw Horus turn, hawk-eyes wide with rage and contempt, a sword clenched in his hand. The sword rose, fire-rimmed and blazing, and descended with the irresistible force of the setting sun, splintering the dagger that rose to parry it, and driving on down to bite deep into the exposed neck. Set crashed to his knees in a shower of blood as hot and as red as the fire beyond him.

  Khonsu saw all this as he fell into the growing darkness with the taste of blood on his lips and the feel of fire in his breast...

  ** ** **

  ...Darkness surrounded him, as soft, dense and stifling as a shroud, hiding all landmarks, muffling all sounds except the swift, unsteady heartbeat dinning more and more faintly in his ears. He turned and looked behind him and saw nothing; nothing but darkness lay before him, and when he gazed down at his feet he saw wisps of darkness like mist half-obscuring their form.

  It was not night, he thought, for there were no stars…

  The thought came to him that perhaps he had only dreamed of stars. And then the memory of stars began to fade, as though the darkness had swallowed them, as it had swallowed the memory of his name and his purpose for being there.

  He did not know how long he had wandered through the darkness, his side filled with fire, the taste of blood on his lips. Fatigue weighted all his limbs like a garment of lead, numbing his mind and blurring his memory until he did not know who he was or why he was there, or what he was required to do.

  He stretched out his hand and touched what felt like a barrier. His seeking fingers encountered dry, textured matter— Wood, he thought, marveling. Smooth, polished wood. He remembered wood from– Where had it been? Had he dreamed that, as well?

  The fire in his side threatened to consume him. He put both hands against it and stared blindly through the pain and darkness toward the barrier of wood. Something flickered before him, a brief flash of light or color. His breathing quickened; he stood still and watched as the flicker strengthened, deepened, brightened into a blinding stream of fire stretching above and below him and branching to either side, outlining great, tall shapes before him.

  Through pain-slitted eyes, he could see that he stood before wide doors of dark wood swinging slowly outward toward him as he gazed, spilling light in a river that threatened to engulf him. Beyond the doors lay a long processional way blazing with light. He could make out figures within it, turned toward him, gazing upon him, but the light cloaked all but their outlines.

  The fire in his side had lessened now; he knew they were waiting for him. He raised his hand to shade his eyes and took a step forward as the heartbeat in his ears slowed and faltered.

  Khonsu.

  The light so dazzled him, he almost did not hear the voice.

  Khonsu!

  The voice was stronger now, and he could feel a presence behind him, but the light was beckoning to him. He took another step forward, his hands outstretched toward the light as the pain seemed to melt away with his weakening heartbeat...

  Come back!. It is not your time!

  The light was lapping over his feet like clear, cool water, driving the pain and fatigue from him. The beat of his heart hesitated and then stopped. The light began to build upon itself, towering up and up above him like a wave, ready to crash down and engulf him...

  Two powerful hands reached from behind him, seized the dark doors by their edges, and crashed them shut with a force that extinguished the light as a strong gust of wind extinguishes a guttering wick. The backlash sent the darkness and pain washing over him once more in a wave, but strong arms were circling him, sheltering him, and he saw a grieving face bending close to his.

  Falcon-headed Horus was holding him, gazing down upon him, as close as the heartbeat once more thundering in his ears, as distant as the stars he now could see burning through the red-lit sky above him.

  The falcon face changed as he gazed, melting into the shape of a man's face. The eyes, once so remote and inhuman, now were filled with tears that flashed and glittered in the fitful red light like the udjat eye that hung at his breast.

  Speech came painfully to Khonsu as he felt consciousness fading. “I saved you,” he whispered. “I was so afraid—”

  Lie still, my lion-hearted son, said Horus, holding him more closely. Lie still and don't fret. I am here with you, and there's nothing to fear now, for you saved me, indeed. And now I must save you. No, don't try to move, lie still. I'll keep you safe. And then, in stark, undeniable grief, Oh, Khonsu, Khonsu! How could you think to throw your precious life away for me?

  And the answer came to Khonsu as the world dissolved around him into warmth and darkness, taking memory and pain with it. “I did what I had to,” he said into the growing blackness, remembering one last time.

  The murderer must not escape retribution. Soon or late, in this world or another, the Avenger of Blood must exact the blood-price. For the gods are never mocked, and Horus must always win...

  LVI In Memphis

  “We came bursting up to the top of the cliffs, weapons in hand, with Seti in the lead, only to find Huni sprawled in a pool of blood with his head half-struck from his shoulders. Lord Nebamun was holding you in his arms and doing a good job of stemming the bleeding and keeping you alive. He looked up and saw us He didn't turn a hair, either, as though he had expected us to come roaring in there. He looked straight at Sennefer.

  “'Bring your kit over here and get to work!', he ordered, calm as you please, and didn't move till the surgeon was working on you. And even then he stayed where he was and watched to make sure everything was done right. And for a wonder, Sennefer didn't object, for all he's the most prickly sawbones I have ever met!” Karoya sat back and grinned at Khonsu.

  The sunlight, filtering down through a lattice of palm fronds, rippled across the surface of the reflecting pool. A river-born breeze stirred the leaves; they rustled softly, half-masking the laughter of a group of nearby children.

  Khonsu's eyes rested on one of the children for a moment; as he gazed, Sherit looked up and flashed him a wide, happy smile. She was strong and lively again, as she had been before her disastrous illness. Sennefer had told him Memphis was a remarkable city for promoting good health, but Khonsu knew it ran deeper than any question of good air and sunshine.

  He was reclining beside the pool in the gardens of the High Priest's estate, and if he opened his eyes and raised them a little, he could see the smooth walls of the palace.

  Memphis... Khonsu closed his eyes again and let himself drift. He understood that he had been brought to Memphis, and somehow Sherit had accompanied him, but the rest was all confusion.

  The weeks of rest had certainly transformed Sherit, but Khonsu could remember little, aside from a clear memory of the god Horus speaking to him of life and living and the need to remain until his span of years had truly passed. The god's voice had faded with his consciousness. He knew nothing after that until he had finally opened his eyes to see Sennefer bending over him and understood that he was in the palace of Prince Thutmose, the High Priest of Ptah, in Memphis, under the care of the lady Mayet, his daughter.

>   Khonsu had been too weak to pay heed to any of this. It was enough to know he was among those who wished him well, and his daughter was with him and happy. And now Karoya was here, visiting from Khemnu.

  He opened his eyes again and smiled at Karoya, who was eyeing him with concern. “I'm sorry,” he said. “I'm not good company. All I can seem to do is sleep.”

  Khonsu's silence and pallor had shaken Karoya; his voice was gruff with concern that he tried to conceal. “Just as well,” he said. “Most likely that's what you need. You damned near died. It was Lord Nebamun who pulled you through. You should have heard him that night, talking to Sennefer: 'He shall recover!”, he said. When Sennefer said he'd do his best, His Grace would have none of it. “I said he would live, and so he shall!” he said, grim as you please.” He thought for a moment and said, “I think he would have followed you right to the gateway of the Land of the West to bring you back!”

  “I think he did,” Khonsu said, remembering the dream. He opened his eyes a little wider. “I don't think I'll die this year,” he said. “I just hope I recover some energy soon.”

  But he was only half-sincere; it was so pleasant to lie still on the shore of life and let the world flow past him like a river. When he saw Karoya's expression he smiled and took Karoya's hand for a moment. “Ah, don't mind me, Karoya,” he said. “I'm sleepy, but there's no pain now, and I can feel myself growing stronger. What happened after Sennefer got to work on me?”

  Karoya's anxious expression eased. He gripped Khonsu's hand and then released it. “General Seti took in the situation at a glance, strode over to Huni, turned him with his foot, and said to two of his escort, 'Fling this carrion off the cliff!'“

  Khonsu frowned, remembering the words that had passed between Huni and Nebamun. “His Grace didn't let him do that,” he said.

  “No, he did not,” Karoya agreed. “He ordered the General to take Huni's body back, wash it, and wrap it in a cloth. He ordered me to take some men ahead to Father Neferhotep in Sumneh with orders that a house be made ready to care for you. When he saw I was hesitating, he smiled at me and said, “Don't fear, Captain. He won't die. This will serve to remind him of that.” And he touched that Eye-of-Horus you have round your neck now. Somehow, it reassured me.

  “Then His Grace commanded that word be sent south to Asyut directing the ships to return to Sumneh, ready to carry him back to Memphis. When General Seti would have stayed, His Grace said, 'No, General. You and Captain Karoya must return to your camp and tell Perineb what has happened. The two of you will lead the force to Sumneh tomorrow. Send supplies back here at once, along with a cart, something to convey the Commander to Sumneh in comfort. He mustn't be jolted.'“

  Khonsu was gazing ahead of him, abstracted. “I seem to remember...” he began. And then he stopped. How could he explain that Horus had cared for him all that night? Instead, he smiled and said again, “I survived, I see.”

  “Barely,” said Karoya. “It was two days before they brought you down from Prince Nakht's tomb in the northern heights, and His Grace stayed with you that whole time. It was another week before His Grace and Master Sennefer judged it safe to sail for Memphis. While we were waiting, General Seti and I sent a patrol up and down the banks of the river, and we found the bodies of Huni's escort among the tombs.”

  “I remember stumbling over one of them, not far from Prince Nakht's tomb...” Khonsu murmured.

  “His Grace killed him and the rest of Huni's bodyguard,” Karoya said. “And the crew of Huni's ship were all dead from the smoke. They were on the shore, I think they'd been trying to find the pathway up the cliffs and got lost. “

  “Didn't Huni lead them?” Khonsu demanded with the first heat he had felt in weeks.

  “Not everyone has the good luck to be led by you, Chief,” Karoya said. “Or by Lord Nebamun, for that matter! What a fighter he is! Six men killed in an evening, and the ones who died by his arrows were killed by the first shot. Two through the heart, neat as neat, and three through the eye. And that blow to Huni nearly severed his neck!”

  Khonsu closed his eyes. “I don't think he enjoyed it,” he said.

  “Who ever does?” Karoya asked. “Well, we cleared the place of bodies, sealed Prince Nakht's tomb, and went into the city.” His eyes were somber. “You should see it, Commander. The heart of the city's destroyed. The temples are gone, any remaining stone is warped and blackened. The timber supports in the palace were burned up and the ceilings have fallen in. It's as though the city was gutted, though enough remains of the palace and the residential areas for anyone with imagination to know it had once been a beautiful place. It looks…”

  He fell silent for a moment, as though weighing the foolishness of his words. “…it looks as though the sun came down to earth and consumed the heart of the city. The stones were still warm when we went through there.”

  Khonsu closed his eyes, remembering Perineb's words on the morning before he left Akhet-Aten:

  Tremble for the houses of joy in the joyous city,

  Lament for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine.

  The palaces shall be forsaken,

  The multitude of the city shall be left,

  The forts and towers shall be dens for lions and hyenas,

  Until judgment shall once more dwell in the wilderness

  And righteousness once more reign in the fruitful field...

  “I'm glad I wasn't there to see,” he said. “It was such a beautiful place, once. Did you stay at Sumneh?”

  “I did,” said Karoya. “So did Rai. General Seti returned to Thebes along with the bulk of the army. His Grace kept your boys and his bodyguard as escort. We set sail for Memphis in the morning, and by late afternoon we were at Khebet. His Grace stopped long enough to send Huni's body ashore, along with the bodies of his crew and guard. Then we lifted anchor and arrived at Khemnu at nightfall.”

  Khonsu was silent.

  Karoya eyed him and continued. “His Grace went to the Governor in person. Rai was with him. He told Count Tothotep he was taking you with him to Memphis, and he wished to bring your household, consisting of your daughter and any servants or other dependents, with him. When His Lordship tried to protest, His Grace showed him a message from Pharaoh saying everything was on the up and up. His Lordship knew better than to persist. I was back on duty by then. Kheti was acting in your place, but I saw His Grace off, and he said to me, “Don't worry, Karoya. I won't let him die. I'll summon you to Memphis when he's well on the way to recovery. For now, do your duty with a good heart. So I did, and he sent word, and here I am.”

  “I'm glad you're here,” Khonsu said. He frowned and then said, “I can remember His Grace was here, though I was out of my mind with fever. Sennefer told me the wound was badly infected. But he isn't here now. I haven't wanted to ask...”

  “Thebes,” said Karoya. “His Majesty sent for him a week ago. He stopped at Khemnu to tell me to head north to see you. He gave me gold to cover the trip, and went on to court. He told me he's due to return this week. He asked me to send his greetings.”

  LVII

  Khonsu passed through the next week with the wondering serenity of a man who finds himself awakening from a distant dream of hardship and fatigue to the awareness of a beautiful dawn. He could feel his strength returning, and each new day seemed to bring new happiness. He was able to leave his bed in the High Priest's palace and move to a suite of airy, spacious chambers in the Second Prophet's smaller house under the care of the Lady Mayet and her remaining unmarried daughter, Sitra.

  Sherit had been turned over to Lady Mayet's care upon her arrival in Memphis. She had been welcomed into the Second Prophet's family with as much warmth as a new daughter. She beguiled several days chattering to Khonsu of the things Lady Mayet had been teaching her about running a large estate, and she had even told him that His Grace, who doted on his daughters, had taken her to the archery course and taught her to shoot a bow and arrow.

  “His Grace said he'd
teach me to drive a chariot,” Sherit said early one afternoon, a week after Karoya's visit. She, Lady Mayet and Lady Sitra were sitting in the garden with him and enjoying the afternoon breeze while they sipped cups of cooled pomegranate juice. She smiled at Lady Mayet and said, “If Her Ladyship doesn't mind, I'll ask him to teach me when he returns.”

  “There is no reason to think I would stop you, my love,” Mayet said with a smile.

  “Some people say it's un–unseemly for a woman to drive horses,” Sherit said. She was dressed in pleated royal linen, and Sitra had carefully outlined her eyes with kohl and a little powdered malachite. Khonsu, seeing for the first time in his daughter's face the beauty that would belong to the woman she would grow into, felt a little sad.

  Lady Mayet's soft, smiling voice moved gently into his thoughts. “The great queen Ashore, who was the wife of Serener the Brave, drove her chariot into battle against the Hyksos,” she said. “It was a time of terrible danger for this land, and no one dared think less of her for that. And no one will think less of you, either, my pretty one, for learning to drive a chariot.”

  Sherit looked imploringly at Khonsu. “May I, Papa?” she pleaded.

  “If Her Ladyship approves, you may,” Khonsu said.

  Sitra had been sitting quietly, watching the others with a smile. While she had inherited her mother's gentle voice and smiling serenity, Khonsu had discovered a strong streak of her father's dry humor. She certainly favored him in appearance, though the faint slant of her eyes made her look kittenish, and her full-cut mouth was softened into charm with a dimple in her cheek.

  She had taken it upon herself to be Khonsu's special warden, and had succeeded in taking so large a place in his heart he was beginning to wonder how he could live without her when the time came for him to leave.