Beauty of Re

by Mark Gajewski

  “All men!” Amenemhab shouted.

  Even Thut joined in the laughter.

  “I told Governor Jopa that I wished to personally report to you on the magnificence of his city,” I continued. “That was why he allowed me to go. Anyway, to enter Yapu was my choice, not General Djehuty’s. He could hardly argue with me in front of the enemy and put his plan at risk.”

  I saw thanks in Djehuty’s eyes.

  “And your skirt, and wounds?” Thut asked.

  “Clumsiness, Majesty,” I replied. “I tripped over the body of a wretch in the dark and was stained with its blood.”

  That seemed to appease him. “Continue with your story, General,” Thut ordered.

  “There is little else to tell. Our soldiers slew the enemy guarding the gate and threw it open. My waiting men entered. We swept through Yapu like a tide, overwhelming its defenses. By dawn the city was ours. One hundred of my men remain, watching over your treasure and captives until you return.”

  Thut clapped General Djehuty on the shoulder. “You’ll have much gold in honor of your accomplishment, my friend!” he vowed.

  “Right now, Majesty, I’d rather have food,” Djehuty laughed, biting into a piece of bread.

  Amenemhab slipped to my side, handed me a cup of wine. “I’ll never underestimate you again, Mery.”

  Thut heard. “Nor I. It appears I must number you among my soldiers now, Mery, for real. And, at the least, give you more titles – ‘Opener of the Gate of Yapu’ seems appropriate, and ‘Translator of the King.’”

  I did not fail to note the affection in his voice. Nefer looked at me strangely. I sensed she heard it too. It had been many years since he’d addressed her in such tones. I hoped she’d attribute it to our childhood friendship and not guess it meant more.

  “Majesty,” I said, and sipped at my wine. I wondered what he would have said if he’d known the true part I’d played in the capture of Yapu. But neither he nor anyone but Nefer ever would.

  ***

  When all were finished eating, Thut addressed Djehuty. “Now we must decide the road by which we’ll attack Megiddo.”

  He motioned to the servants, who removed the plates and cups from his table. Tjanuni came forward with a papyrus upon which a map had been crudely drawn. The officers in the tent gathered around to see it as best they could. Those in the back strained to see over those in front.

  “We are here,” Thut said, stabbing the map with a finger. “Megiddo is to our north. A mountain range lies between the city and us, eight miles long, with a small brook along its northern foot. The city itself stands atop a small hill in the middle of a broad plain. Its houses rise toward the crest of the hill, which is surrounded by a high wall. It has a good supply of water, from a well outside the walls, but a captured prisoner told us there’s a tunnel from the city to the well.”

  “These are the two roads to Megiddo?” Djehuty asked, bending near the papyrus.

  Thut nodded. “The northern leads through Djefti, the southern through Taanach. Both towns are four miles from Megiddo. The question is, which of them does the enemy guard?”

  “Both,” I interjected.

  Everyone turned towards me.

  “How do you know?” Thut asked sharply.

  I rose from my chair, relayed everything the captain had told me of the disposition of the enemy and their battle strategy on our walk into Yapu.

  “You’d have us believe this captain would reveal so much to you, a woman of his enemy?” Dedu asked skeptically.

  “Does a man consider a woman he desires an enemy, or temper his boast to her?” I countered.

  Thut looked at me strangely. “This captain desired you?”

  “He did, Majesty. As did his master.” I was not exaggerating, merely stating a fact.

  “To which I can attest,” Djehuty said. He’d seen the captain staring, seen the governor’s hands on me, acquiesced to the governor’s demand to have me. “So, whichever road we take, the wretches lie in ambush, with advantage over us.”

  I leaned close to Nefer, whispered urgently “tell him.” Both of us knew another way to Megiddo. This was a chance for Nefer to prove her usefulness to the king, a first step on the road to his trust and from under Iset’s thumb.

  “Maybe not,” Nefer said, drawing everyone’s attention. She rose and pressed through the officers to Thut’s side. I limped after her. She briefly studied the map, then pointed to the middle of the mountain, depicted without feature on the papyrus. “There’s a pass here – Aruna Pass, if I recall its name correctly.”

  “That’s right,” I confirmed.

  “It cuts through the center of the mountain range and exits directly in front of Megiddo.” Nefer’s eyes sought Thut’s. “Take the path through the pass and your army will lie halfway between each enemy wing, and be closer to the city itself than either of them.”

  “My scouts didn’t mention such a pass. More information from your captain?” Thut snorted, looking at me.

  “No, Majesty,” Nefer replied. “When Mery and I traveled to Punt many years ago we befriended a Mitanni trader, Artatama by name. He told us about the caravan routes through Retenu and Setjet from his homeland all the way to Kemet. He said he always traveled through Aruna Pass. Even though its very narrow, a ravine, actually, wide enough for only a single cart, no one else ever used it, and so he didn’t have to worry about being set upon by bandits.”

  “My captain didn’t mention it being guarded,” I added. “I’d wager the enemy doesn’t fear attack from that direction.”

  “That’s Megiddo’s point of vulnerability, Majesty,” Djehuty said excitedly.

  Thut studied the map for a moment. “Guard!” he called.

  A soldier immediately poked his head into the tent.

  “Bring the prisoner.”

  A minute later the guard entered with a man I took to be an Apiru from his dress, a member of one of the minor tribes that wandered Retenu, stealing and generally causing trouble, serving as mercenaries in the armies of the powerful. He was filthy, bloodied, his arms tightly bound behind his back with bonds of leather.

  “Where’s the translator?” Thut queried.

  “Eating with his squad,” an officer replied. “Only the gods know where in this camp.”

  “Send someone to find him,” General Djehuty ordered.

  “No need,” I said. I moved before the prisoner. “Tell me about Aruna Pass,” I ordered him in his own tongue.

  He refused to acknowledge me, much less answer. Thut and the others regarded us, impatient.

  “He’s not going to talk to a woman,” someone said pointedly.

  “Amenemhab. Your dagger,” I commanded.

  He gave it to me, smiling, handle first.

  I seized the prisoner by his hair. I cringed at a sharp pain in my shoulder. I pressed the sharp edge of the blade against the prisoner’s throat, hard. A line of blood appeared.

  “I’m sure the king has plenty more prisoners for me to question. So tell me what I want to know, or I’ll kill you and try another!” I hissed. “You won’t be the first man I’ve slain, Apiru. Not even the first in the last twenty–four hours.” I pressed the blade deeper. “I’ve earned my scars and bruises in battle.”

  His eyes grew wild with fright. “There’s a road through the pass. Rough and rutted.”

  I translated my question and his answer for Thut.

  “Is it guarded by soldiers?”

  “No.”

  “How wide?”

  “A single soldier at a time. A chariot, perhaps.”

  “His description matches Artatama’s,” I said, looking over my shoulder at Thut.

  “Ask him why he didn’t tell us about it before,” Thut demanded.

  I did. “He said only a fool would pass that way.”

  “Get him out of here,” Thut ordered.

  King and general moved close to the map once more.

  “So it seems we do have another path to Megiddo,” Thut said, sw
eeping his eyes around his gathered commanders. “Thoughts?”

  “Majesty – move the entire army through a mountain pass single file? It will take too long.”

  “I agree. What if the enemy is drawn up on the other side waiting for us, despite what this prisoner said? They’ll kill us one at a time. We’ll be cut to shreds.”

  “What if this is a trick? It would take only a handful of enemy to stop us halfway through the pass.”

  “What if some of them slip around behind us before we emerge? They’ll capture our entire army!”

  “How do you know your wife and her serving woman aren’t leading us into a trap?” Pehsukher asked. “After all, Majesty, if you die in battle your wife will become king.”

  So the news of what Thut and Iset had said in the audience hall of the per’aa had spread throughout Kemet.

  “I’ll march at the head of the army myself!” Nefer said, her voice ringing. “I’ll be first through the pass.”

  “And me at her side,” I added.

  “I’ll be right behind you,” Amenemhab interjected.

  “And I,” said Ahmose.

  The rest, except perhaps Thut and Djehuty, looked at Nefer dismissively.

  Thut then took a seat and listened patiently as each of his officers expressed his opinion about what to do, in turn. That took nearly an hour. Almost everyone was opposed to using Aruna Pass. I had to admit that many made solid points, and I eventually came to doubt my first instinct. Maybe I had oversimplified things – attacking through the pass seemed straightforward to me, but I was no trained soldier and all of them were. I knew nothing of strategy or logistics. Perhaps they saw things I didn’t.

  The last commander spoke and the debate finally ended. Thut had sat impassively throughout, giving no hint of what he was thinking. It seemed to me the consensus was to move the army to Taanach and attack Megiddo from that direction. No one had favored Aruna Pass, except General Djehuty. Thut slowly leaned forward in his chair, rested his elbows on his knees, supported his brow with his hands, shook his head. He, the boldest man I knew, was obviously discouraged, in my opinion because of the caution of his army’s commanders. He’d expected more of them. This, I thought, was the very moment for Thut to assert himself, the moment that would make or break him as a leader and king.

  I leaned close to Thut, whispered in his ear. “Tell them your vision for Kemet. Tell them what they’re fighting for. Make them believe!”

  Thut instantly raised his head, looked at me, nodded. “I wish all these men had your spirit, Mery,” he said softly. He stood, faced his commanders. I saw fire in his eyes once again. “I’ve led you to the North to fight,” he began, his eyes sweeping the tent. “You all know me. I’ve trained with you, sweated with you, suffered hardships with you since I was a young boy. I’ve been your king for fifteen years – though always in the shadow of another. Now I rule alone for the first time. Now I command the army for the first time. Admittedly, I’m mostly untried in battle, mostly untried as your leader. You don’t really know what to expect of me. You don’t really know how far, or if, you should follow me.”

  I saw a few of the men whispering to each other. Thut had indeed put his finger on what they were feeling.

  He stepped forward, into their midst, so that they surrounded him. “Hear my words!” He turned in a circle. “We have not come north merely to defeat a rebellion by chieftains and kings from Retenu and Setjet. We’ve come north to transform Kemet from a kingdom into an empire, the first in the history of the world!”

  Thut had their attention now. They listened, spellbound, as Thut revealed the dream he’d told me of so long ago.

  “I am going to extend Kemet’s borders far south into Nubia, far west into the desert, north across Retenu and Setjet, to the islands in the Great Green, into the heart of Naharina itself.” He paused to let that sink in. “When I’m done making war, the whole world will bow to me! The whole world will bring me tribute! The whole world will tremble at my name! Kemet will be blessed with wealth and power beyond what any kingdom has ever known!” He paused, scanned the faces of his men again, lowered his voice. “Those of you who fight alongside me will become rich and powerful too.” He pointed towards Megiddo. “Three hundred kings and chieftains are arrayed against us there. Don’t you see? Their alliance is a gift to us from the gods! We’ve been given the chance to shatter our enemies completely! All at once! Everyone who has risen in rebellion against me is in Megiddo. It would have taken us years to conquer their towns one at a time. Capturing Megiddo will be the same as capturing a thousand cities.” He clenched his fist and raised it. “We will – or I’ll die in the attempt.”

  Thut’s commanders were with him now. Their faces were eager. A few shouted their assent.

  “The wretches outnumber us at Megiddo. They fight on familiar ground, for their homes, behind the safety of walls. The odds against us are high, but so will be the rewards. I promise you that.”

  More shouted assents.

  “I’m untried. So is my army. So are you. But I believe in every one of us. I believe in my army. My army is the hammer with which I will build an empire. Tomorrow I will temper that hammer in blood!”

  Thut had won them over. Everyone was shouting now.

  Thut pointed to Nefer. “Almost twenty years ago the gods revealed the existence of Aruna Pass to my wife.” He pointed to me. “Yesterday, the gods revealed the wretches’ battle plan to my Great Companion.” He threw his arms wide. “The very gods are with us!” he thundered. “Aruna Pass is their gift to us! If all of you scoff at the idea of taking the mountain path, the enemy has surely discounted defending it. So that is the direction we will take.” His gaze swept everyone in the tent again. “If any of you are afraid of the pass, afraid of taking the first step with me on the road to empire, you may stay here, in this camp, and slink back to Kemet on your own. Otherwise, I want your men armed and on the move at first light. It’ll take half a day at least to get so many of us through the pass. Your men must be in their formations and ready to fight before the gates of Megiddo by midafternoon tomorrow.” He moved back to the front of the tent. “Neferure and I will march together at the head of the column, with General Djehuty and Meryetneith just behind.” He addressed Ahmose and Amenemhab. “You two shall trail the army, to make sure no one falls behind.”

  The lower level leaders immediately hurried from the tent to begin organizing their men. Thut and General Djehuty and the others moved close together and huddled around the map. I assumed they’d spend most of the night working out the details of the following day’s march through the pass, and the subsequent attack. So Nefer returned with me to my tent in the king’s compound so we could both try to get some rest. She nestled beside me in my bed, her head resting on my good shoulder, one arm draped over me.

  “That was a Thutmose I’ve never seen before,” she whispered as we lay awake in the dark, both of us exhausted yet unable to sleep, listening to the sounds of an army preparing itself for battle.

  “No one has,” I said. “Thut was stirring, wasn’t he?” I couldn’t keep the admiration from my voice.

  “I wouldn’t have prevailed if I’d challenged him for the throne. I see that now.”

  I kissed the top of her head. “That’s why I was so afraid for you, Nefer. I did.”

  “You knew of his dream of empire?”

  “Thut told me when we were fifteen years old, Nefer. Half our lifetimes ago. It’s driven him every day since.”

  “He never told me.” There was a long pause. “How is it he tells you so much, Mery? How is it you can tell Thut what to say to his commanders, and he does, and its just the right thing at the right time?”

  Nefer was leading us onto dangerous ground. I couldn’t tell her about my relationship with Thut, about our love, about our plan to marry, couldn’t reveal the intimate details of our shared past. She was in too delicate a condition right now to hear all that. Unquestionably, she’d see my actions as a betrayal. Which,
probably, they were.

  “What better time to reveal his heart’s desire, and who better to reveal it to?” I asked. “Besides – what Thut said about the gods favoring him – don’t you feel its true? Otherwise, why would the two of us be here in Retenu to help him? Why would we know what we know?”

  “The ways of the gods are mysterious,” Nefer agreed.

  “Thut tells me things because I’ve always been his friend, Nefer. I was never his rival, like you. Once you said he and I were very much alike – I think that’s true. We get along with each other and enjoy each other – always have. He tolerates that I’ve chosen to be with you instead of him, because he knows I care just as much for him as I do you. He sees I’m always trying to bring the two of you together. That’s something I think he wants too, even though it may not seem like it sometimes. That’s why I’m glad you have Thut to yourself on this campaign, Nefer – no Iset, no wives, no one whispering against you. Its an opportunity to become his friend again, not just his wife and sister. Do so, and good things will follow – I promise.”

  “Perhaps you’re right, Mery,” Nefer said.

  Then we both drifted off to a brief and fitful sleep.

  ***

  At dawn Nefer and I gathered with the lead elements of the army at the entrance to Aruna Pass, accompanied by the prisoner I’d questioned a few hours earlier. The path appeared as rough and narrow as he had reported and I had heard.

  The army drawn up behind us on the plain seemed to me magnificent. Most of the men were foot soldiers, large arch–topped leather shields slung on their arms, spears and khepesh swords and axes in their hands. They wore brightly colored knee–length tunics of linen or leather, with bronze scales sewn on in bands of red, blue and yellow. Among them were mercenaries from both Libya and Wawat. There were a host of archers, each leading a horse. And there were charioteers, in leather corselets with bronze scales, adorned with gleaming bronze helmets decorated with stripes of black or red or green, with two streamers attached to their peaks. Each charioteer held his two horses by their harness; getting the chariots through the pass was going to be a challenge.