“I have just received news of a lion at the jetty.” Shabaka explained, and Neti looked at the man who seemed to come to life when he heard the news.
“Which type?”, he quickly asked.
Shabaka shook his head, “A lion is a lion, what do you mean which type?”
“There are the red-maned ones from farther down the river; and there are the pale-maned ones from just beyond the deserts.”
“They said something about it being black-maned.”
“They are the biggest of all lions, with claws as big as your head”, the man enthused, moments before his tone changed, “But the master has given strict orders that no wild beasts are to be kept here. Not since...” the man never finished his sentence.
“I’d rather keep it here, where we can keep an eye on it with enough guards to kill it if it attempts to do anything, than send it somewhere where it might get out”, Shabaka said. The beast master nodded as Shabaka continued. “I will have guards posted here tonight to ensure no one comes anywhere near the cages.”
“I will prepare one of the holding areas then.” The man said and bowed before turning from them.
Neti remained silent as the man left. There was little she could say or do. Menwi’s warnings weighed heavy on her conscience, and she could not help but think that they were inviting the inevitable by allowing the beast to set foot on land.
They silently made their way down to the jetty, following a path one of the men had shown them. It opened to a separate jetty where goods were being discharged.
Shabaka looked around, when Hazim started to explain. “Grandfather gave permission for the jetty to be built here when the main one could no longer handle the amount of goods. It is for trading purposes only.”
Shabaka nodded, before stepping onto the jetty.
Neti recognized several of the medjay as they went to the end of the jetty were the bark was moored.
The animal paced in its small cage, and Neti wondered if it would not go mad at the lack of space drove it mad. When the captain of the bark saw them, he approached to speak with them. He was approximately the same age as Dagi.
“You are in charge?” Shabaka asked the man even before he came to a stand in front of him.
“Yes”, the man said and stopped, his stance firm; and as if preparing for a fight he replied, “As I gather you are the one in charge here.”
Shabaka nodded. The man was not Nubian thus he would not know that he had unwillingly insulted him.
“I do not know what the problem is, I have several times before delivered beasts here, yet these men refuse to let me offload it.” The man said pointing to the lion.
“Dagi has a place for these beasts; those men are not making any sense.”
“When was the last time you delivered a beast here?”, Shabaka calmly asked.
“Last dry season”, the man replied. “These beasts are not easy to capture or to transport.”
“When was the last time you were in Syène?”, Shabaka asked.
The man looked at Shabaka in question, before he answered hesitantly, “Three moon turns ago.”
“And you knew you would be bringing a lion?”, Shabaka asked.
“Why all these questions? Have I done anything wrong?”
“Just answer me, did you know that you would be returning with a lion?”
The man shook his head, “You never know when you will be asked to move an animal like this; never know if they can capture one. The young men are brave in claiming that they will, but I have heard of more lives lost trying to capture one, than actual lions are captured.”
“I see”, Shabaka said
“Look, are you going to let me offload him or should I let him go farther up river? I have other goods that need to be delivered before I can come load other goods to take back home.”
While the men spoke, the lion paced its cage clearly agitated by the tone of their conversation. Neti warily looked at it and even Hazim stood closer to her than he had ever before. Looking at his height, it was easy to assume him to be older, but in fact he was but barely a man. Yet, there were a lot of men who would not even approach the cage. The animal was hungry. Neti could make out its ribs as it moved; its hips were also pointy. There was nothing in the cage indicating that he had been fed properly. He could have gone for some time without any food
“The beast master is currently preparing an enclosure for him, as soon as he is ready you can offload him”, Shabaka said.
The relief in the captain’s voice was evident as he turned to his men. They moved to unfasten the ropes holding down the cage.
Neti, Shabaka and Hazim watched as a group of men gathered around the cage. Thick wooden rods were pushed through the slots at the bottom of the cage and several others joined to help them carry the lion off the bark.
The animal paced in his cage, roaring loudly as they moved. The men straining under the sudden weight shifts, balancing the cage until they finally made it onto the jetty. From there they moved towards a passageway, which Neti quickly identified as the one that lead to Dagi’s property. They set the cage on the ground and stepped back, while the lion was still pacing nervously. Suddenly his claws struck the cage, and Neti’s heart pounded in her chest. She hoped that they managed to get him in the passageway before he broke the cage.
It took only a little while until the animal settled some. Its pacing slowed when it realized that it would no longer be disturbed. Several times it stuck its nose in the air and appeared to scent the air. Neti suspected that it could smell the blood of the slaughtered lamb.
The beast master finally arrived with some of his men. He looked at the cage and instructed his men to take their positions. His ease at the situation, and the organized way he and the others approached it, allowed Neti relax, but not enough to fully calm her nerves.
They tied several ropes to the cage, tossing the ends over a beam overhead. Once they were done, the beast master shouted something she did not understand, yet to the men it seemed as if they had been waiting for this command.
They pulled the ropes and the hatch of the cage was lifted and held open.
The lion looked at the opening that had suddenly appeared and stepped forward to sniff the ground. He hesitantly left the cage; his feet carefully testing the ground before stepping forward and out of the cage. When the men suddenly dropped the hatch, the lion shot forward, followed by the lashing of whips, which quickly sent him hurtling along the passageway.
Neti and Shabaka turned from the jetty and returned along the path to Dagi’s premises, with Hazim following behind them. They arrived at the enclosures just as the lion entered one of the cages, agitatedly pacing the area, growling as he scented the air again.
“That is the fastest we’ve ever moved one”, one of the men said. He was panting.
“He can smell the blood”, the beast master said. “I will have them feed him the entrails.”
“Give him an old ram to eat. He will be less trouble once he’s well fed.” Shabaka said, and the man looked at him in disbelief.
“But we will never get paid for feeding him a ram.”
“The lion is hungry, entrails will only feed his hunger. Give him a ram. I’m certain that if your master was to pick between his life and that of a ram he would rather give up the sheep.”
“But I cannot…”, the man began only for Shabaka to interrupt him. “I will pay for the ram.”
The beast master meekly nodded and spoke to one of the others, who, along with another left to fetch a ram.
“You didn’t have to do that”, Neti finally said, her voice hoarse with anxiety.
“If I was to choose between paying for a ram and inheriting another man’s wife, I would rather pay for the ram.”
Neti was somewhat taken aback by his reply, for a moment puzzled, and was about to ask him what he meant when she realized that he was just as unwilling a participant in the matter as she was. “You can always back out.”
Shabaka scoffed, bef
ore turning to her, “And have the tale told to all of Nubia. I am of age to marry, past it actually; no one here will see such inheriting a wife as a burden on a prince.”
“But to you it is. Do you not want to be married?”
“It is not that I have anything against marriage, I simply prefer what I am doing now over what my duties as a husband and prince would be.”
Hazim was the one to speak in reply, “But your father can make you.”
“I know; which is why I do not want to give him the opportunity to.”
Their attention was drawn by the return of the men with an old ram. The holding areas were designed so that the beast master could move above them on a series of passages and platforms, allowing a better view of the occupants.
The lion paced below them as the men dragged the ram along a passage. Once in position they exchanged a few words before the hatch was opened and the ram dropped into the cage.
The ram had hardly hit the ground when the lion pounced on the animal. The scared bleating from the animal, as it met its end caused Neti to turn away; she could never understand how some could consider this entertaining. Her body went cold as the coppery tang of freshly spilt blood filled the air. Even Shabaka remained quiet at the scene, eventually also turning from it as the lion growled, his jaws locked around the animals throat.
“We should inform Dagi”, he almost mumbled.
As the sun set on the horizon, Dagi, with Aya on one side and the elderly servant on the other, left the house. Using a walking stick, he moved at his own pace, the woman on either side only there to support him if needed.
They slowly progressed through the gardens with Shabaka walking behind them, Neti and Hazim following a short distance behind.
Neti listened as Hazim told her of the trouble his brother and he had gotten into over the years. His stories, told with great enthusiasm, served to temporary lift the uneasy atmosphere surrounding them, and even Dagi chuckled at some of the tales.
They walked through the doorway, when Dagi said something to Hazim in their own language, and the young man quickly answered him, although Neti could sense that Dagi was not pleased by his reply.
Once they were moving again and a short distance separated Neti and Hazim from the others, she asked, whispering, “What was that about?”
Hazim also lowered his voice as he replied, “Dagi said that I should not try so hard to impress you, you may think I am interested in you.”
Neti was shocked by his words. “And what did you tell him?”
“I told him that I like you, but I do not need you to feel attracted to me because I know that your heart belongs to someone else.”
Neti was taken aback by the young man’s openness and honesty. “Well I like you too.” Neti replied, not knowing what else she could say.
“I think, I too would want to be one of the Pharaoh’s prefects, although I assume my grandfather would prefer me staying here in Syène.”
Neti only nodded; she was not sure whether she should encourage or discourage him, thus rather said nothing.
They proceeded along the path and with every step her anxiety grew; even knowing that the lion was safely locked away and that several barriers had been put up to ensure that the animal remained where it was. She understood Shabaka’s reasoning: it was easier to fight a known enemy with a known location than one who is completely unknown. The beast master had also reported that the lion had eaten the whole ram and that it had settled down to sleep. She didn’t know how long he would be sated, but everyone seemed to consider it to be the least threat at its current location.
As they moved towards the jetty she hesitated for a moment, wondering whether they should be taking Dagi to the river. From what she had learned from the man, and others they had spoken to, he seemed to be very self-conscious; not allowing others to see him in his current state… then there was also the difficulty in ensuring his safety amongst others, especially with only Shabaka and Hazim accompanying them.
Much to her relief the jetty was devoid of any citizens; nobody was there, which made her look around nervously. It seemed too unlikely that nobody was here. As she caught a glimpse of one of the medjays, who appeared to almost blend in with his surroundings, he gestured to her to simply move along.
Hazim, with a lowered voice, said, “They are on lookout. The jetty was cleared earlier, no one will be able to try anything.”
Neti nodded; then an absolute silence befell the group. The only sounds were that of their sandaled feet as they struck the wooden jetty, and the rhythmic lapping of water against the wooden piers.
They walked to the end of the jetty and gazed into the distance; watching, as the sun touched the tips of the rocky outcrops. The sun eased its way down, symbolizing Ra’s departure from the heavens and his preparation for yet another battle with the beasts of the underworld.
The sky turned orange-red as the sun disappeared beneath the horizon, signaling an intense battle in the underworld, one in which Ra was once again going to defeat Apep. But how much ba was to be lost would remain unknown until morning, when the ka would seek its physical form, only to find it lifeless.
The sky above the horizon turned pink while the sky above was taken over by a pale gray and slowly turned dark. The effect was similar to the one that had greeted her arrival in Syène. The distant scene was the same; the same rocky mountain edges were still in the distance, and the sky was painted with the same colors as it had been upon her arrival; the world appeared unchanged, as it would for many sunsets to come, yet within the few days since their arrival so much had changed within her. The hope she had then fostered was now overshadowed by the fate of a man, who firmly believed that he would die that very evening. He had not even shown any distress when they had told him of the lion. He had merely accepted that his foe had finally arrived. She could not understand it, nor his desire to witness his final sunset. If she were ever given the choice she would not want to know when her time had come. It was too much for her.
The mere thought of what would happen if the prediction was to come true, if Dagi were to die - that she would have no claim for Shabaka’s affections or his time; that he would have to stay there, where his home was – it all frightened her. Even if he were inclined to take more than one wife - she knew she could never settle for anything less than being the primary wife, to anyone. She had grown up in a home with only two parents, she had no idea how having multiple wives with multiple children would work, and from her experience the women often disliked each other and shunned their children. She had no interest in fighting others to maintain such a position with her husband.
Hazim and Neti stood some distance from the others. It allowed her to watch their interaction without it seeming strange or intended, yet they were close enough to hear any conversation, not that much was said. Dagi stood at the end of the jetty and Neti was more concerned about the possibility of him falling off than the sudden appearance of some unknown beast.
The thought drew her attention to the passageway the lion had been moved along. Seeing it securely closed let her breathe a sigh of relief. She returned her attention to the weakened man at the end of the jetty. Dagi’s chin was raised and pointed outwards at an awkward angle as he watched the setting sun. He stood still, almost as if he had turned into a statue. His eyes did not blink, almost as if he feared he could miss something. As the sky darkened, Shabaka spoke to Dagi and they turned to go back to the house.
Neti and Hazim stepped aside and allowed them to pass. Just as Dagi had passed, a series of quick, resounding steps came from the jetty. Their sudden, loud and unexpected occurrence made Neti’s heart jump. She turned to look in the direction they came from, only able to make out two of the guards who were restraining a man. His face was not clearly visible, but the way he resisted the guards was enough to know that he was young and fit.
The man cursed at the guards, something Neti had no need to be translated, because she had already identified the owner of the voice: the
y had spent more than enough time the previous morning listening to its tone. Although this time there was anger and frustration in his words, whatever they were.
Dagi firmly addressed his son and Shabaka said something to the guards, who in turn released Rameke.
Hazim translated for her as the conversation commenced.
“What are you doing here?”, Rameke asked them. The question was mostly aimed at his father as he continued, “You are unwell and you walk around in the evening, when anything could happen!”
“What are you doing here?”, Dagi firmly rebuked, obviously not bothered by his son’s words.
“I heard they allowed the boarding of a lion, when you expressly forbade any wild animals to be kept here. So I came to see for myself since I know rumors are often without merit; but not only did I find the rumors to be true, I also find that you were not in the house, neither were Aya and Nebtu. The others have told me that Aya let several leave this morning and that she was last seen accompanying you to the jetty.”
“Since when is that any of your concern? How the house is managed is my wife’s concern, your mother no longer holds that position. I have gone for years without having to answer to anyone, and I will certainly not answer to you.”
Rameke appeared frustrated by his father’s words and Neti was able to empathize with him, because it was obvious that there was a great amount of tension between the two and that he was, in fact, concerned.
“You are convinced that someone is out to kill you. You have been ever since my mother fired that servant girl, your wife’s old companion. I am told she still sees her. I think you would do better taking a closer look at them to find out who your enemy is, because since this man planted in your head that you are going to die, you have become weaker every day.” Rameke threw at his father.
Neti could not understand the reason or the relevance of his words, but she noticed how Aya tensed up. She sensed that the two of them could be resentful of the other, although neither had said or implied so.
The Forgotten Papyrus (The Mummifier's Daughter Series Book 5) Page 14
