by Overton, Max
"Lord Horemheb desires Lady Khepra to attend on him immediately," Khu said imperiously. "Here is the letter of authorisation." He waved the papyrus past the noses of the guards.
"I know nothing of this," one guard grumbled. "I must send for the officer."
"Then do so. You are keeping Lady Khepra waiting, not to mention Lord Horemheb."
The guard hurried off and a few minutes later returned with an officer. "He says she is Lady Khepra, sir."
"I can see she is," the officer snapped. "Everyone knows her." He bowed briefly. "My apologies, Lady Khepra," he said to Scarab, "But I have strict instructions that you are to remain inside the palace."
"Lord Horemheb requests her presence immediately," Khu said, waving the papyrus again.
The officer grabbed the note and read it, his lips sounding out the symbols. "It does not bear Lord Horemheb's seal."
"He did not have it with him at the docks," Khu said with a shrug. "Shall I go to him and say the officer of the guard rejects his command? What is your name, so I may be sure he knows who opposes him?"
"Ptahmose, sir. I...I merely observed that it did not bear his seal. Of course Lady Khepra must go to him if Lord Horemheb commands." He signed the guards to stand aside and Khu led Scarab and Abrim out of the palace.
"It worked," Abrim cried exultantly. "Quickly now, before he changes his mind."
"No, slow down," Scarab said. "A lady does not hurry, but walks sedately." She led the way at a saunter, refusing to be hurried.
Khu and Abrim followed, trying hard to control their impatience. "Go into a side street," Khu said. "Then we can hurry."
"The officer is still watching us," Scarab said. "Do nothing suspicious. This road leads to the docks." She led the way slowly down the long road and at last turned a corner, out of sight of the palace. "Alright, now we can pick up the pace."
They hurried down this street and the next before Scarab stopped, looking around her. "Should we be going this close to the docks? If Horemheb is there, I do not want to be recognised."
"Amenhotep's house is this way," Khu said. "We did not expect to be escaping now, so we have to fetch him."
"At least I should change out of this dress. I am conspicuous."
"What, here in the street?" Khu said with a grin. "That would really attract attention. You can change at Amenhotep's."
"We should hurry," Abrim said.
The house of Amenhotep the fisherman lay no more than two stone-throws from the docks and by the time they neared the house they were pushing their way through crowds that had gathered to watch the dead king's procession. Scarab kept her head down, allowing the long braids of her wig to swing forward and obscure her features, but people still recognised her and called out. She hurried on, but the tumult grew greater and a junior officer in the Medjay, trying to keep order, spotted the trio and confronted them.
"Lady, you should not be on the streets. It is not safe."
"We are under orders," Khu said, stepping between the man and Scarab. "See? Orders from Lord Horemheb himself." He waved the papyrus again.
"Of course. I am sorry, but...but it is still not safe."
Khu sighed in exasperation. "Then we shall wait in one of these houses...this one." He pointed at the gate into Amenhotep's courtyard. Without waiting for the Medjay officer's permission, he led Scarab and Abrim into the enclosure and shut the gates behind them.
Amenhotep looked out anxiously from the door of his house and when he saw Khu and Abrim, hurried over to them. "Is this...is this the lady?" The fisherman fell to his knees and put his head on the ground.
"Get up, Amenhotep," Scarab said. "You are a friend, not a servant."
"We must leave as quickly as possible," Khu said. "Is your boat ready?"
"I thought it was not until tonight, young sir, but...yes. I just have to say goodbye to Rea."
"Hurry then. Scarab, you must change clothes."
Amenhotep disappeared inside the house and Scarab quickly shed her dress and slipped her robes on. She stuffed the wig inside her robes. When Abrim looked enquiringly, she explained. "We may need the gold beads. Here..." she took a few that had come loose. "Put these in your wallet, Abrim."
The crowd outside the courtyard suddenly fell silent and a few moments later the gates were thrown open. Lord Horemheb walked in with several soldiers and the young Medjay officer.
"That's the man, my lord," exclaimed the Medjay officer, pointing at Khu. "I don't see the lady though."
"Well, well, Physician Khu," Horemheb said. "I might have known. So this must be..." He threw the hood of the robed person back to reveal Scarab's scarred face. "Lady Khepra. What are you doing here?"
"What business is it of yours, Lord Horemheb?"
"Everything in Kemet is my business, Lady Khepra. What are you doing here?"
"They said they had orders from you, my lord."
"Indeed? Let me see them." The soldiers searched Khu and swiftly found the papyrus. Horemheb read it, his face filling with anger. "I do not appreciate my name being used for deception, physician. I have a mind to have you executed. Take him away and lock him up until I decide."
"You will do no such thing, Lord Horemheb," Scarab declared. "I wrote the note and I penned your name. Do not start your reign with a gross injustice."
Horemheb nodded. "I thought as much. I will not kill him but I will lock him up. This is the second time he has tried something like this. A cell would not be an injustice."
"Nevertheless, you will not do that, Lord Horemheb. Not if you value my cooperation. Let him go and I will do as you wish without complaint."
"I will hold you to that, Lady Khepra. Now, please go with my men to the barge. We sail within the hour." He called the Medjay officer to him and instructed him to escort Khu back up to the palace. "Hold him there until we have sailed."
Scarab sighed and shook off the hands of the soldiers. "Khu comes with me. How else can I ensure his safety?"
"You have my word, Lady Khepra," Horemheb said. "Do you doubt me?"
"No, but I do not trust all who work for you. Besides, I desire companionship on our voyage south. Would you deny me every friend I have?"
Horemheb shook his head irritably. "Very well, take him, but if you or he tries to escape, I shall have him dragged behind the barge until a crocodile takes him." He signed to the soldiers. "You have your orders; carry them out." As Scarab and Khu were marched away, Horemheb followed.
Amenhotep came up to Abrim as the last of the soldiers left his courtyard. "Will they be alright?"
"We still have to rescue them. We must follow the barge and await our opportunity."
"I cannot." The fisherman looked troubled. "I have a family to care for and if we had to follow them all the way to Waset and back, we'd be away a month. My wife and children would starve without an income."
Abrim opened his hand and looked at the gold beads he still clutched. He passed four of them to Amenhotep. "Would these pay for your boat and time?"
Amenhotep took the proffered beads and examined them. "Gold? I've never had gold." He nodded. "I don't like being away from my family but I'll do it."
"Then bid your family farewell," Abrim said. "We must be ready to follow the barge when it sails."
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Chapter Sixteen
For once, Ashraz's vast information network had failed him. After eluding the soldiers of the White City, he had sped northward by ship and horse, quickly making it back to Amorite territory. Here, he let it be known that he sought a carved scarab, like those the Kemetu people created. He did not specify the material of which it was made and consequently was brought a number of scarabs, mostly made of wood or stone. A merchant brought a beautiful one made of faience and a guard from Taanach owned one made of lapis and copper that he had won in a game of dice.
Ashraz thanked each man who offered a scarab, and bought a few of the better-made stone ones in case one of them was the right one. He did not t
hink they were but he had to be sure. Now he sat in his room in the city of Taanach and stared at a collection of eight stone carvings, wondering what his next step was.
I could take them down to the White City and let the witch decide, but if none of them is hers then it would just be a waste of time. How can I tell beforehand ?
He thought about what Scarab had told him. 'It is a golden scarab, Ashraz, about so big...' She had put thumb and forefinger together. 'I would say it is unmistakeable, but I have seen men think it nothing more than a carved rock in the form of a scarab.' Ashraz considered the worth of a lump of gold the size of his thumb and laughed. That scarab is worth far more than a lump of gold. Far more...far more... Something niggled at the back of the spymaster's mind and that told him it was important. Instead of concentrating on his problem, he locked the door behind him and went for a walk on the windy battlements.
The air was brisk and chill from the north and Ashraz felt invigorated, as if dry and musty thoughts were being blown from his mind. He nodded affably to the guards and strode along to the next set of steps leading down into the courtyard. Several soldiers were practicing with slingshots and he stopped to watch. They used rounded river pebbles as missiles, hurling them at speed toward a straw dummy. Most hit with a solid thunk and a small puff of straw dust, but every now and then one would pierce the target and clatter against the stone wall behind. The difference intrigued him and when the men were collecting their spent missiles, Ashraz strolled across to ask about it.
"Theys mos'ly pebbles, see, but some of uz 'as these 'ere beaten balls of copper," a soldier said. "Theys same size but 'eavier. Does more damage."
Ashraz weighed a copper ball in one hand and a similar sized river pebble in the other. He smiled and thanked the soldier, handing back the missiles and hurrying back to his room. A gold scarab will be heavier than a stone one. They all look like stone but if the gods are concealing its golden nature, maybe it'll still weigh as much as gold . He brought with him a few rocks and pebbles of about the size of his scarabs and paired each one up with a similar sized rock. None of the scarabs he had in his possession was appreciably heavier than its partnered rock.
He contemplated the task before him, of literally finding one rock among the millions out there on the Taanach to Gubla road, and realised the impossibility unless the gods guided him to it. Well, that's that, I suppose. A pity, because it would have been a wonderful bargaining tool . Frustration getting the better of him, he hurled one of the stone scarabs at the wall, where it shattered. He laughed. Quicker and easier than weighing them. A stone one will shatter, a gold one will bounce off, dented maybe but intact . One after another, he threw the remaining scarabs at his wall. They all broke, scattering fragments around his room--except one. Ashraz threw it again, and again, and on the third throw it too shattered, just as hope was starting to rise in him.
Ashraz swept the shards of rock to one side and turned to another of his tasks as Aziru's spymaster. This was the reading of reports from his many agents scattered throughout Amurri and the neighbouring nations. They usually made interesting reading, containing much that was fanciful or wildly inaccurate, but also holding the occasional grain of pure gold. He came across one such grain half a day later.
The report came from Aplil, an Amorite merchant whose business in Gubla allowed him access to several important people. He had been at a dinner hosted by the deputy to the security chief in that city and he had told a series of amusing stories about foreigners. Another guest wondered if four Shechite tribesmen riding expensive horses might form the basis of another story. They had been seen several nights ago near Gubla, but had been walking, searching the road for something, rather than riding.
Shechites. Scarab's people searching the road for the golden scarab. It can only be that . Ashraz felt a surge of excitement again. He leafed through the remaining reports, looking for his local man in the Taanach guards. Yes, here it is . 'Shechite men walking the road. Said they were shepherds returning from Gubla.' And later , 'Saw four horsemen riding south from the road.' When was this...two days ago ? Ashraz called for his horse to be prepared and while he waited, he gathered a small amount of gold for his journey. His quarry had a two day start, but with luck he could catch them before they reached Kemet.
Five days later, Ashraz neared the Stream of Kemet and the line of forts guarding the approaches to the Delta lands. He knew the most westerly fort, the Fort of Gulls, was in Amorite hands, but he knew the Kemetu legions would also be in the field, so he bore westward to the coast road. It was likely the Shechites were already in the river lands, but he would follow in the hopes that an accident might befall them.
Ashraz stopped at the Fort of Gulls, showing his authorisation to get a hot meal and a bed for the night, but was surprised to find that General Jebu and the army were far to the east. The lieutenant in charge of the fort was only too eager to explain. "We won a signal victory here a few days ago, shattering one of the cursed Kemetu legions and sending the others running for home. Then word came that the next fort to the east--the Foxes--was undermanned, so we attacked and took it two nights ago. Last night the Fort of Owls fell too." The man grinned broadly and scratched his greasy beard. "In another month we will be in the White City at this rate."
"General Jebu knows his business," Ashraz said equably. "Tell me, have you seen any Shechites locally? On horses?"
"Why, yes. Just after we crushed the legion. There were four of them I think. The General interrogated their leader."
"Indeed?" Ashraz got up and dusted the crumbs from his tunic. He drained his beer and belched loudly. "It seems I must find General Jebu immediately. Can you provide me with a guide?"
Ashraz rode through the night with the man assigned by the lieutenant. They followed the supply and communication trail from the Fort of Gulls to the Fort of Foxes and on to the newly captured Fort of Owls. Jebu and the Amorite army were camped outside that fort and Ashraz found the general as he supervised the execution of the surviving defenders.
"Ashraz," Jebu said. "What brings you here? Have you come to see our victories?"
"I heard you have been rather successful of late. I wonder why that is."
"Force of arms," Jebu said. "I have the superior army."
"When did that happen? Horemheb and Paramessu were always more than a match for you, and Djedhor is a man in the same mould."
"You always were a sour-faced bastard, Ashraz. Come and have some wine to sweeten your spirits. I am just about to have the prisoners executed."
Ashraz accepted a cup of wine and walked with the general to the holding pen. He saw the golden hand moulded to Jebu's right arm and his eyes widened.
"Is that gold?"
Jebu held his hand up and smiled. "You like it? Aziru gave me gold after my last victory and I had this hand fashioned from it. It may not be as deadly as the bronze spike I used to have, but it fills the men with awe."
Twenty armed soldiers stood guard on a somewhat greater number of prisoners sitting on the hard ground. Ashraz looked at the Kemetu survivors with interest.
"A sorry looking lot aren't they? Is this all that survived? They must have put up a good fight."
"Actually, we took the fort rather easily. These one surrendered after less than an hour. I promised them their lives if they threw down their weapons."
"And now you're going to kill them?"
Jebu shrugged. "They're only Kemetu."
Ashraz drained his wine and tossed the cup aside before walking down to the prisoners. He passed among them, looking carefully, talking to a few, before rejoining Jebu. "They are not your usual Kemetu soldier," he said quietly. "They are slovenly and shifty looking. Not at all what you would expect of a front line warrior. How many were killed in the assault?"
"About the same number. Why?"
"Fifty men to man and defend a fort? Three hundred would not be too many."
"Just another sign that the Kemetu are decadent and ripe to fall."
"You don't find it suspicious?"
Jebu shook his head.
"How many were in the previous fort? The Foxes?"
"Fifty or sixty. I forget."
"You don't think that is strange either?"
"No."
"Two forts with almost no defenders. Djedhor is willing to let you take forts with only a little fighting. Why does he do that?"
Jebu smiled and shook his head. "You always did look for hidden reasons. I suppose that is why Aziru made you his spymaster, but there is no mystery here. Djedhor is struggling to keep their northern borders secure with too few men. Something had to give and it is proving to be the forts. Another few victories and we will have a string of forts to threaten Kemet with."
"Have you seen Djedhor's army since that initial battle at the Gulls?"
"No. he is avoiding me."
"Have you looked for him?"
"Yes."
Ashraz waited a few moments. "And...?"
"I am losing a lot of patrols. The men are deserting, I think. No doubt the swine think the war is over and want to go back to their families. Those that do return report nothing anywhere near us. Djedhor is probably regrouping far to the south or perhaps he has withdrawn to Zarw."
"It is possible," Ashraz conceded. "But is it wise to assume so?"
"I cannot believe you came all this way just to be sociable, old friend. Why are you here?"
"A few nights ago you captured four Shechites. Do you still have them?"
"No. Three died and I let the other one go."
"You son of a poxed goat."
Jebu grinned. "You should know. You got her that way. Why are you so upset?"
Ashraz shook his head. "Sorry. I have been tracking these men for weeks. I wanted to interrogate them."
"Concerning what?"
"Just information." Ashraz shrugged. "You know my business. I come across a shred and I have to follow it, confirm it and worry it to death just in case it is important. Now I will never know."
"Ashraz, old friend, you need a different line of work. Can I not interest you in becoming a simple soldier?"