by Jay Penner
“A man?” I hoped no jealousy seeped through my voice. She raised her eyebrows at me, and I thought her lips curled in a barely perceptible smile.
“Yes. He was a father when mine was no longer around.”
I felt ashamed.
“Where are your parents now?”
Pause.
“Dead, I think. I do not know. I was snatched away from them when your—” Her eyes welled up, and I hesitated. I placed my palm on her shoulder as she gathered herself. She continued, “When your King Alexander crossed into Asia, my father was among resistors who lost to an attacking force. I was captured along with others and sold to a wealthy merchant.”
It was like someone had punched me in my stomach.
“I—I did not—” I stammered.
“I did not see you in the raiding party, so you are safe from my dagger,” she said, smiling, as she wiped her tears with the back of her hand.
I did not smile. “I am sorry for your pain.”
She patted my shoulder as if to say it was not my fault. I had one more question. “Is your name Eurydice?”
She laughed. “I have a different birth name, but I was called Eurydice since I was a child.”
“Why?”
“We lived in Macedon for a while. My mother loved the name. What else do you want to know?”
Eumenes had warned me from prying into her life, and I could see that the wounds were still raw. I also did not know how much of what she said was true, but I believed most of it.
“Let us talk about our lives some other time, and I can share more of my stupid stories.”
She nodded, and we sat quietly for a while. I decided to change the subject.
“I have noticed no extra guard except those two and the two at the night shift, have you?” I asked her.
“No. But I have heard them mention a larger contingent outside the palace chambers.”
The light detail outside our room was surprising, but they may have thought that we had no chance of getting out. Showing some leniency might gain better cooperation. Allow the two prisoners to talk until they scare each other.
“Have you ever spoken to them?”
“No. There are things they need not know, but I did learn much about them,” she said, her eyes glinting.
The golden sun was midway between the zenith and the tree lines. We looked at each other and pondered what tomorrow might bring.
I knew something was churning in her mind, and eventually, she tapped me on my shoulder. “Sir?”
“Yes?”
“I have an idea,” she said, with a mischievous smile.
It was late in the evening; the sun had almost set, and all that remained was the orange glow reflecting off the sandstone walls. One of the servants came to our room and placed a candle in a decorative brass jar set at the corner.
Nekh-Aser and his companion were getting ready for the end of their shift. Eurydice and I prayed to our gods—for safety, success, and well-being. The strain on what might become of us weighed heavily on our minds, and we had only a day left before Ptolemy summoned us.
The moon rose, bright and yellow, though some saw the rise of a colored moon as an ill omen. I moved next to Eurydice, and we began to breathe in and out to calm ourselves down.
Eurydice's eyes began to flutter and close, and she knelt on the cold floor; her head bowed, and her torso began to sway.
I walked to the door to check the guards on duty. Nekh-Aser and his companion sat quietly, looking bored and ready to go home. Now Eurydice began to shake more often like a spirit possessed her.
She began a mystic chant.
These actions were reminiscent of oracles and mystic priests of Egypt. I ran to the door and shouted in anguish to the guards.
“Spirits!”
Alarmed, they scrambled to their feet. Nekh-Aser was tentative, but the younger guard, who had taken some fancy to Eurydice, rushed to the room.
Eurydice was in a deep trance. Her body quivered, and her mouth opened and closed in a silent chant.
The younger guard stood mesmerized by the vision: a beautiful and sensual woman on her knees, swaying rhythmically, her bare midriff glistening with sweat, and her face enchanting in the gentle glow of the candle, the fading sunlight, and the rising moon.
Eurydice suddenly threw her head back, her lustrous black hair flew in the air, and she raised a slim hand and pointed at Nekh-Aser accusingly. I was awestruck—the arched back, the firm and proud breasts beneath her chiton, the sensuously curved hips—I could not take my eyes off her.
“Thak-el sah-ahk-khaut!” She growled, in Egyptian royal tongue, the way I heard it spoken by the nobles and the priests, startling both the men.
“Kneel, you mortals.”
Nekh-Aser, confounded yet vigilant, looked around unsure how to react. His companion had kneeled even though she had not commanded him. Nekh-Aser then firmly gripped the knife in his belt, stared at me menacingly, and asked me to stand in the corner opposite his side.
I moved slowly behind Eurydice, and he locked his eyes on mine until I stopped. And then he kneeled.
“The goddess commands me to give you a message.”
Eurydice jerked her head forward, some of her hair falling on her face, her back arched, and both hands now raised with her palms making a boat and pointing towards the frozen Nekh-Aser. The other man sat still, hypnotized. The Egyptian brute, his mouth agape as he knelt and stared, tried to interrupt, “Goddess—"
“Be quiet, insolent child!”
Eurydice moved forward and struck Nekh-Aser on his face, stunning him.
I too sat down to show my respect to the gods and bowed my head and clasped my hands. She then turned towards me, her eyes wide, and her teeth open in a snarl. I faced her boldly, and this time she delivered a stinging open-palm slap to my face as well. I fell backward, mumbled my profuse apologies, and kneeled. She turned towards Nekh-Aser again.
“Your woman loves you as the Great River loves the denizens of this glorious land.”
I noticed Nekh-Aser jerk briefly at her mention of his woman.
“A life stirs in her.”
His eyes widened with surprise, and I noticed that his caution had slowly turned to fearful obedience. It always fascinated me to watch how the gods instilled awe even in the most fearsome beasts.
“Six moons before your mighty son sees your affectionate face.”
Nekh-Aser’s face lit at the mention of a son, a great honor for the household and often a necessity for the preservation of family in grim times. From his mannerisms, I knew he came from a primitive part of Egypt where parents took pride in their sons, and tribes cast away those with only daughters.
She then crawled on her knees towards Nekh-Aser, sat straight with her legs folded, and stretched her right arm to gently place her palm on his head.
“I foresee danger. I see walls all around you, enclosing you in a blanket of black.”
Nekh-Aser jerked. I noticed his muscles tense, and he began to sweat.
“A child lost in a deep mine, earth collapsing, entombing you.”
The Egyptian began to tremble, and copious rivulets of sweat drenched his body. He was choking and gasping for breath. I was surprised to see his reactions.
“These images foretell a dark omen. The goddess sees Osiris’ evil brother rise from the bowels of the earth, make his way into the womb of your wife, and strike your warrior son before he sees the light of Ra.”
Nekh-Aser jerked in terror, unsure how to react to the frightening news. “No! That cannot be true, mother goddess,” he gasped.
“There is a way to send Seth back to the underworld where he belongs.”
I had seen similar spirits in bodies elsewhere during my brief time in Egypt. Often the goddess demanded money, grain, gold, or in rare situations even slaves, as restitution to the divine in return for comfort and protection.
Eurydice turned her gaze towards the other guard, his face adoring, and his body transfixed.
“Bring me the candle jar.”
He stumbled towards the heavy brass jar on which the lone candle shone and brought it to her.
She carefully dipped her middle finger into the pool of hot wax, and then as we watched, wiped it on Nekh-Aser’s forehead, and began to hum a hymn in a quiet voice.
“Prostrate before me, and may your ears hear my words.”
Nekh-Aser prostrated. He was still breathing heavily and sweating profusely. Eurydice moved to his side and began to press two fingers on his body, starting with his shoulders, in intervals. And each time, she would exclaim a word. She then ordered the other guard to place the brass jar in my hands and asked me to hold it on my head.
She then moved closer to Nekh-Aser’s waist, while chanting a hymn. She placed both her palms on his back and while looking at me, growled in a low, soft voice.
“Ahk-an-Ra.”
In that instant, Eurydice moved at lightning speed.
She pulled the knife from the prostrating Nekh-Aser’s waist and stabbed him. Simultaneously, I jumped and smashed the brass jar on the other guard’s head.
He collapsed like a rock.
I turned my attention to Nekh-Aser.
Eurydice had stabbed him deep in his shoulder and hung on to his back, but she was unable to extricate the knife out of him. The powerful man would become dangerous very quickly.
Nekh-Aser bellowed as he rose.
I swung my brass jar and connected to his chest causing him to stumble back, pinning Eurydice to the wall behind. His eyes were now wide open, enraged at the duplicity in the name of his gods, and he managed to land a powerful punch on my shoulders. I almost lost my balance but recovered.
He was not yet in control due to the pain, surprise, and with Eurydice now trying to gouge his eyes.
I swung the heavy jar with all my might and connected with tremendous impact, and I heard his jaw break—the sound of a fracturing bone I knew so well from the battlefield. His yellow eyes went wide, and his scream died in his mangled jaws. I raised the jar and hit his head—and Nekh-Aser collapsed.
I wanted to kill him but thought I heard some sounds outside. We had to leave.
I shouted to Eurydice, “Let us go!”
She sprang to her feet, and we both ran out the door. There was no one in the corridor, and the vast halls were empty. It was dark except the dim candles. We soon turned into another quadrangle that led to the outer walls of the palace and found a side gate guarded by sentries. Getting past them was no great challenge, as no one recognized us, and Eurydice was able to expertly speak in their tongue.
Our excitement began to subside as we walked out to the cooler air, with stars shining above, and the moon bright and beautiful. We did not know how long this freedom would last, as there was no doubt that within the next hour the new shift would find the men and raise the alarm. We had to find a way to get out of Memphis and go somewhere out of Ptolemy’s reach. But for now, we enjoyed the freedom and very proud of how we had engineered a miraculous escape.
After a few hours of quiet walk, we found a place to rest.
It sunk in that we had just escaped tortuous death, but now Ptolemy would hunt us.
I looked at Eurydice admiringly. “That was a brilliant plan,” I said, “and awe-inspiring performance. You speak their tongue so well.”
She giggled. The first one in a long time. “And I was amazed at how accurately you recollected all the guards’ dialogs in a tongue you do not know.”
We had pieced information about Nekh-Aser listening to his conversations and Eurydice had found a way to use it against the brute.
“Well, our plan worked spectacularly, at least until now,” I said quietly, “the question is how long we can stay ahead of Ptolemy’s hounds.”
“Where do you think we should go?” she asked.
Ptolemy looked at Nekh-Aser, who now sat recuperating on a clay bed.
The Egyptian had been under a physician’s care for over thirty days, had lost weight, but not the glowing hate in his eyes. The royal physicians had taken care of his stabbed shoulder, allowing the Egyptian some movement of his hands.
But his mouth—that was another matter.
The physicians had created a contraption out of iron wires that held his broken jaw. They then secured it in place by creating a harness that went around his head. It made Nekh-Aser’s face appear like a grim, deformed creature from an offensive play.
The Egyptian had suffered. At night he often wondered what felt worse—the terrible pain in his face, or the shame of falling to a ruse. He had often lain awake, fantasizing the many ways he would torture and kill them. Even the gods of the underworld could not imagine what he would do to them. But it was a mystery to Nekh-Aser why the Satrap allowed him to live, and who now stood looking down at him.
It was as if Ptolemy read his mind.
“You wonder why I let you live.”
Nekh-Aser nodded, barely moving his jaw, and all that emanated was a grunt. He shifted on his uncomfortable bed, now cracking and wet in places with his sweat.
“The search parties have returned empty-handed.”
Bowed head.
“But I am not surprised. Deon was a captain in Alexander’s army, and he is well trained in the art of deception.”
Nodding.
“And the woman, she is a mystery, but she is no innocent.”
Eyes raised. Anger burning through.
“It is a shame she made you look like an imbecile.”
Growl and spittle through the iron wires.
“While your stupidity got us into this situation, your anger makes you the right person to find them.”
Slow nodding.
“In twenty days, you will be on your feet and seek them.”
More nodding and grunting.
“Choose your men. Be discreet.”
Nodding.
“No one, absolutely no one must know what they tell or find.”
Nodding.
“I have debated many times whether I should a different search party instead of you. But the times are delicate and I do not want more people involved. You have been a faithful and talented officer so far, and I trust you to keep this quiet.”
Nekh-Aser felt relieved. He drew a line across his neck with his flat palm, and Ptolemy shook his head.
“Do not kill them once they confess. I do not want them to trick us again.”
Shameful nodding.
“They seek something, and I do not know what.”
Raised head and eyebrows.
“Find their destination.”
Anger flashed on Nekh-Aser’s face. But his chance of revenge?
“And no, I do not want us to meekly follow them to see where they go, for they might deceive us again. Deon knows we seek him, and he will keep a watchful eye.”
Nodding.
“You have to keep them alive until they lead us to whatever they are seeking.”
Nodding.
“Once I have the truth, do as you please.”
Tortured smile.
“If I find out you killed them before we uncover…” Ptolemy left that hanging, and he turned towards the door. Nekh-Aser’s eyes tracked Ptolemy’s face.
At the entrance, looking fearful, stood his pregnant wife. Two burly Macedonian guards stood by her.
Satisfied, Ptolemy turned and walked out. The Egyptian brute lay his head back in relief.
He would track those scoundrels. And he would not wait once he did.
He would torture, break, watch him beg for mercy, and kill him slowly.
He would take her, inflict such horror that she would hope never to be born again.
Too bad his pregnant wife might die at the hands of Ptolemy, but such was life. It was his concern for them that brought him such humiliation.
And pride mattered more to Nekh-Aser than anything else in the world.
Part III
WATER AND DUST
Circa 322 BC
“Let
me not then die ingloriously and without a struggle but let me first do some great thing that shall be told among men hereafter.” ― Homer, The Iliad
ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT
❖
Forty nights had passed since our escape. We evaded checkpoints and managed to reach the outskirts of the new city founded by Alexander.
Alexandria.
That Ptolemy’s forces had not caught us told me that he had not ordered a large-scale hunt. I guessed he wanted to keep this quiet for now. But tonight, under a beautiful moon and gentle breeze, I decided that I would reveal the truth to Eurydice. She had not asked, but I knew it bothered her that after all this time together, I would not tell her the entire truth.
I had indeed grown fond of her resilience, skills, and loyalty. And in no small parts to her cooking skills and how she tended to me. In our limited interactions with outsiders, we were husband and wife. But we had privately not behaved as such.
As much as my love for my wife stayed undiminished, I was drawn to Eurydice. Intimacy had been rare since I left on King Alexander’s campaign.
With Eurydice it was different.
I knew that she knew I was attracted to her.
She had curtly dismissed my awkward overtures of intimacy.
My mind wandered to what Governor Eumenes was up to. Was his army still progressing South? Did he know Perdiccas was dead? But tonight, we sat with our backs to an abandoned well wall. We had stolen some food from a roadside seller. I felt guilty, but we had no other choice until we figured a way to own more barterable tender.
I had nothing with me. All my earning was in Eumenes’ baggage train and accounting books. Iotros had stolen most of the jewelry that I had stolen from the funerary temple. And Nekh-Aser had cleaned the rest of our belongings after our arrest.
After over ten years in Alexander’s service, I was, somehow, completely coinless.
My mind returned to the present.
“This night will be different,” I said, my voice emphatic. I laughed as Eurydice inched away from me, putting distance between us.
“No, Eurydice, I did not mean that way,” I protested. A faint smile passed on her face in the reflection of the moonlight. I held her hand and pulled her towards me, and she slid back without a fight.
