“Tell us about Buhen, Seni,” Captain Djehuty said. He was clearly taking the lead in the war council.
“It’s the most substantial remaining fortress of those raised by King Senwosret,” the viceroy replied. “Unlike the others we’ve passed, its still in good repair. And it’s very big. One side abuts the river. It can’t be assaulted. An outer wall of mud–brick guards the other three sides, 13 feet thick and more than 30 high, with 32 protruding bastions from which archers can lay down a crossfire. There’s a citadel inside the fortress; its walls are equally thick and rise close to 40 feet. And there’s a 20–foot wide 10–foot deep ditch around the outer walls. The defenders have covered access to the river, so they will not lack water if we have to besiege them.” He looked around the group. “Unfortunately, we don’t have enough men with us to successfully besiege Buhen.”
“Then we must arrive at Buhen before the wretches do and defeat them before they reach the safety of the fortress,” Djehuty said.
“But how?” a commander asked. “We have to sail to Buhen and disembark a safe distance away and march around it and then array ourselves for battle, all before the enemy gets there. And we’ll have to march the final miles in the dark. There’s not enough time.”
“Unless we sail past Buhen in the night and land our forces between the wretches and the fortress,” Thut said quietly.
“Are you serious, Majesty?” Seni asked, his voice rising. “Our boats could run aground on a sandbar. Archers on Buhen’s walls could slay us as we sailed past. We’d be defenseless.”
“Perhaps. If they expected us. But the wretches have already underestimated the speed with which we’ve moved our army south. Otherwise they’d already be behind their walls, waiting for us. No, if we sail past, we’ll find the walls basically undefended.” Thut slammed his fist on the table. “This is our best chance to win.”
I saw the slightest smile on Captain Djehuty’s face.
Seni was not convinced. “But the enemy has as many men as us, or more, according to this scout, and we’ll have a fortress with more wretches at our backs. Our army will be trapped between them.”
“Unless we use the strategy our ancestors employed against the Chiefs of the Foreign Lands at Avaris,” Thut replied evenly.
“Majesty?”
“We’ll sail past Buhen, land the bulk of our army as far south as we dare, establish a battle line. Just after dawn we’ll sail two or three boats loaded with our best archers past the wretches’ camp and attack it from the water. Re will be at our backs; we’ll have the advantage. Our attack will be unexpected and will confuse them. I have no doubt they’ll flee in panic towards the safety of Buhen. Our foot soldiers will be waiting for them outside its walls. And once our archers have driven the wretches from their camp, they’ll land and follow after. The wretches will be trapped between two groups of our men.”
“Captain Djehuty?” Hatshepsut asked.
“I believe the king’s plan will work,” he said decisively. “It’s risky, but war is always risky. Our archers are well–trained. The wretches will not be able to match our firepower. And we’ll have surprise on our side.”
“Then it is decided,” Hatshepsut said.
“I will lead the foot soldiers stationed on land, along with you, Majesty,” Djehuty told Hatshepsut. “I assume you will fight with us.”
“A king’s place is with her men,” Hatshepsut answered.
“Since the naval attack was his idea, the king will command the archers aboard the boats.”
“A boy of seventeen?” Seni asked skeptically. “Are you sure that’s a good idea, Captain?”
“Thutmose is a trained soldier and a natural–born leader. And your king,” Djehuty said sharply.
I suspected Seni was voicing a doubt that many in the war council shared. I whispered a prayer that Thut would rise to the occasion. Should he fail leading this attack, should his fleet run aground, should his men fail to follow him into battle, his dream of empire could be jeopardized.
Djehuty scanned the circle. “I want the fleet underway in ten minutes. Leave everything in camp behind. There’s no time to pack. We must beat the enemy to Buhen. I want oarsmen on every boat, pulling in shifts. Sails are not enough. Put a few small boats out in front of the fleet once it gets dark. Put men at their bows with poles to test the depth of the river. And have your men ready to disembark an hour before dawn, wherever we are. Select your archers. We’ll put them on three boats when we land. That’s all.”
The war council broke up, lesser commanders disembarking and rounding up their soldiers and hurrying them aboard their respective boats. Our army was moving just a few minutes later, our campfires still burning on the shore, tents and supplies abandoned. I supposed if we weren’t successful we wouldn’t need them.
The rest of that day was tense and exciting. Hatshepsut and Thut and Djehuty and his top commanders spent the day huddled under the canopy, going over details of the attack. I heard snippets of the conversation as I brought food and drink to Hatshepsut. Nefer remained in the cabin with Aachel, out of the way, both of them frightened once I filled them in on the plan and its dangers. While I was under the canopy I watched Thut. It was gut–wrenching, being so near yet unable to speak with him, uncertain about his feelings, his love. He didn’t glance in my direction even once. But, then, he had more important things on his mind than me. I feared what might happen to him in the coming battle. I knew he’d never actually fought before. I assumed he must be at least a little afraid, though he gave no sign. I saw Hatshepsut gaze appraisingly at Thut a few times. I was willing to wager she hoped he’d be killed in the fight. That would give her sole control of the throne and make Nefer the Falcon in the Nest and simplify everything for her. I wondered what would happen if Thut survived and Hatshepsut was killed. How would Thut deal with Nefer, and me, afterwards?
Nefer and Aachel joined Hatshepsut and Senenmut and Seni and a few others for the evening meal. Thut and his advisors were gathered elsewhere. “Majesty, is it true you’ve gone to war in Nubia before?” I asked her as I placed a platter before her.
Hatshepsut smiled. “Along with my father and mother and brother and priests and scribes and officials. We were on campaign for seven months. I was just a girl.”
“Tell us about it,” Nefer urged.
“The King of Kerma, the capital of Kush, just beyond the Third Cataract, rebelled in Father’s second regnal year. He began sending raiding parties into Kemet. Kerma is the oldest and largest city in Africa beyond our borders – there are large royal tombs nearby, filled with luxury goods pillaged from Kemet in the unsettled times between Mentuhotep’s house and ours. There are some twenty thousand graves around the city, many holding retainers sacrificed to accompany Kerma’s rulers to the Afterlife.”
“That’s awful,” I said.
“Our first kings did the same, at Abdju,” Senenmut interjected.
“Anyway, Father destroyed Kerma and erected five stelae near the Third Cataract recounting its destruction. Then he continued south to Kurgus, between cataracts four and five, in a great bend of the river. There was a large rock face of quartz there, embellished with drawings and of great spiritual importance to the Nubians. Father carved a stela on the rock, obliterating the carvings, marking the site as the new southern boundary of Kemet and the end of the ordered cosmos ordained by Amun–Re, threatening dire consequences for any Nubian who violated the monument. He brought the captured Kushite king back to Waset, dangling head down from the bow of our boat. To govern Kush, he divided it into three parts and placed two of them under the rule of sons of slain rulers.”
“After your father took the throne, Nefer,” Senenmut added, “those two joined together with a ruler who had rebuilt Kerma, and they attacked the fortresses left behind by your grandfather. Your father sent a punitive expedition south and killed all the males among the enemy, except the son of one Kushite chief. He was brought to Kemet to be reeducated and was eventually returned to rule h
is town. We’ve had peace from that day until now.”
“Majesty, are you really going to fight tomorrow?” I asked Hatshepsut.
“A king must lead by example. I’ll be with the soldiers in the morning. But be assured, the wretches will not stand before us.”
None of us slept that night. I spent most of it by the bow, peering into the darkness. It was nerve–wracking, being enveloped in inky darkness, afraid that at any moment we might run aground. Plus, everyone knew that the ghosts of the unsettled dead roamed the river at night; who knew what they might do to us. There was just a sliver of moon, making it impossible to see, yet also making it impossible for the enemy to see us. Near morning we slipped past Buhen, its high walls a dark indistinct shape in the darkness. We all held our breath and remained completely silent, our oars shipped so as not to make noise in the water. Not long after passing the fortress we landed, for the sky was beginning to lighten in the east. We’d beaten the wretches to Buhen, but just barely. Even I could see we were too close to the fortress. If we were discovered before our archers attacked the enemy camp, and were ourselves attacked and driven back by the wretches, we’d be within the range of archers on the wall. Now I understood how big a gamble Thut was taking.
Nefer and Aachel and I were ordered to remain in the cabin of the royal boat, anchored on the far side of the river along with the bulk of the fleet. Most of the royal officials were on the boat as well. If our attack failed our boat was supposed to sail back to Waset, in which case, it occurred to me, if neither Hatshepsut nor Thut survived, that Nefer would become king. I told Nefer I needed to see to something and exited the cabin. I picked up a small leather bag I’d prepared earlier, snuck down the gangplank, made my way through the darkness to the boats being loaded with hand–picked archers. I headed towards Thut’s. It was easy to spot, for it was the fastest in all the fleet. I slipped to the foot of the gangplank, took a deep breath, threw back my shoulders and tried to blend in with the line of archers who were embarking.
I had one foot on the gangplank when a commander seized my arm and bent his face close to mine. “You’re a girl!” Then… “Where are you going?”
“Bandages and ointments,” I said with all the assurance I could muster, indicating my bag. “Just in case.”
“Hmph.”
He released me and I climbed onto the boat and quickly hid myself away in the shadows near the stern of the boat, as far from Thut as I could get. Along the way I spotted a loose bow and quiver of arrows and appropriated them. Then I settled down to wait. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do next. I hadn’t really thought it through. I just knew I had to see Thut somehow, to talk to him, and this was the only way to get to him without Iset around.
In just a few moments the last of the archers was on board. Sailors poled us into the current and sails majestically rose on our three boats and we began to quickly move south.
I rose from my hiding place and, leaving my medical supplies behind, wound my way across the crowded deck to Thut’s side near the bow of the boat. He was in the midst of his Medjay bodyguards, bow in hand, quiver on his back, dagger in a belt at his waist. He was wearing the Kepresh crown with its blue faience disks, and a leather corselet and a white kilt. Several of the Medjay had shields fastened to their forearms, no doubt to protect Thut from enemy arrows.
Ahmose was the first to spot me. “Mery! What are you…”
“Didn’t want to miss the excitement,” I said flippantly.
Thut peered at me in the growing light, open–mouthed.
I bowed. “Majesty. I’m here to save you in case you fall from this boat into the water. As you commanded the day we visited Mentuhotep’s temple.”
Thut stared at me for a long moment, then began to laugh. “I should throw you overboard right now to keep you out of danger, Mery,” he said half–seriously. But I saw in his eyes that he was happy to see me. He didn’t hate me after all. My heart was suddenly lighter.
“But you won’t,” I said cheerfully. “Because this is what you like about me – my daring.”
“This is war, not a shooting contest in a per’aa,” came a stern voice from behind me.
I turned. “Amenemhab, is it?” I recognized him as the instigator of the contest at Swenet. So Thut had taken him to Mennefer as he’d promised.
“Yes. And this is no place for a girl. Majesty, give the order and I’ll throw her overboard.”
Serving with Thut hadn’t made Amenemhab any less obnoxious. “How many battles have you fought in, Amenemhab?” I asked innocently.
He glanced at Thut. “None, My Lady.”
“Then this will be the first for both of us.”
Thut looked at Ahmose and Amenemhab, then shrugged his shoulders. “Stay close beside me, then, Mery. And try to stay out of trouble.”
“As Your Majesty commands. I will try.”
Thut turned his attention back to the river. His was the first boat in the fleet and two more trailed it, each lined with archers. Re was rising now, and each of us cast long shadows towards the western shore. We rounded a small curve in the river and saw the enemy camp, a few cookfires already burning, men beginning to stir. They saw us about the time we saw them. I heard shouts and trumpets and men began scurrying from tents like ants from an anthill.
“Hold!” Thut cried, as we neared the camp. A few bowmen on shore took aim at us, their arrows falling short and plunking into the water. One or two thunked into the side of our boat.
“Ready!”
All of us put arrow to bowstring and drew back.
“Now!” Thut screamed as we drew even with the camp, and a volley of arrows took flight, like a flock of birds rising all at once, soaring across the sky, mine among them. Then they plunged to earth and I heard screams and saw dozens of men crumple to the ground. I heard rather than saw our sails flutter down. Our boat immediately slowed. We launched more volleys. I shot as fast as I could, trying to keep pace with Thut and Ahmose and Amenemhab. Their bowstrings sang with power, unlike mine. I couldn’t tell if I actually hit anyone. I saw the wretches begin to flee north from their camp, towards what they expected was safety, but was actually the rest of our men, waiting in ambush, commanded by Djehuty and Hatshepsut. Thut’s plan was working. Now all we had to do was outfight the enemy. A few enemy archers were still shooting as our boats nosed towards shore and prepared to land, a token resistance, but most of their arrows were far off the mark. Then I felt a sting and heard an arrow plunk into the deck behind me and looked down and saw a line of bright red blood appear on my left arm just below my shoulder. Then I felt the pain and dropped my bow and grabbed at my arm. About that time our boat touched the bank. Sailors jumped overboard to secure it and let down the gangplank.
“You’re hit, Mery!” It was Thut. There was fire in his eyes and concern in his voice.
“A graze. I’ll be fine.”
“Stay on board, Mery,” Thut ordered. “I mean it. I can’t worry about you being in the fight and lead my men too.”
By that I knew he cared. I realized he did need to concentrate on the battle, not be distracted by me and concerns for my safety. “I will, Thut. I promise.” I touched his cheek. “Come back to me.”
“I will, Mery.”
And then he was over the side, trailing Ahmose and Amenemhab, followed by his Medjay. After briefly organizing his men he was off at a run, dagger raised in his right hand, bow carried in his left, pursuing the wretches in the direction of Buhen. I watched as archers from all three boats swarmed onto land, loosening arrow after arrow after the fleeing enemy and sweeping them before them. Then I heard trumpets and screams and shouts and knew the wretches had run into Djehuty’s line. I went to my bag of medical supplies I’d hidden earlier, washed the blood from my wound – the graze was much deeper than I’d originally thought – made a poultice, smeared it with honey, then awkwardly wrapped my arm with a length of linen. A bit of blood began to seep through, but the bandage was good enough for now. Re was well up n
ow. I climbed to the roof of the cabin and from it could see a great cloud of dust kicked up by indistinct shapes fighting furiously, flashing daggers, shields, the towering walls of Buhen, townspeople and soldiers peering from the battlements. But all the enemy on those walls could do was watch, for our men were out of range of their arrows. In less than two hours the battle was over, the wretches throwing down their arms and surrendering. I saw Thut and Captain Djehuty meet in the middle of the battlefield and embrace, and then I saw Hatshepsut with them. Everyone important to me had survived. For that I was grateful and whispered a prayer of thanksgiving to the gods.
I got down from the cabin and grabbed the medical bag and several empty waterskins, went down the gangplank, filled the skins with river water, slung them over my shoulders, then made my way to the battlefield.
There were very many enemy dead in a broad swath leading from their camp towards Buhen. I saw the few survivors on the plain being herded in small groups by Thut’s soldiers, saw other soldiers cutting hands and penises off the dead and tossing them into reed baskets. Women and children and old men were being prodded through Buhen’s gate onto the plain outside. Those in the fortress had apparently surrendered without a fight.
I turned my attention to the wounded. The glorious tales of war I’d been raised on were nothing like the gore and horror that met my eyes. Many of the enemy were grievously hurt, with arrows embedded in their torsos and legs and heads, their bodies deeply cut and stabbed by daggers or pierced by spears. Most of the living were begging for water and crying for mercy. Most of the dead were already starting to bloat and turn black beneath the baking sun. At first the sights and smells turned my stomach, but strangely, they ceased bothering me overly much in short order. I ignored the wounded and dying wretches; they had rebelled against my king and deserved their fates. I sought out our soldiers, treating all I could until my supplies ran out, providing comfort to the rest, giving water to the thirsty, returning to the river over and over to refill my waterskins.
Beauty of Re Page 18
