The Mummifier´s Daughter - A Novel in Ancient Egypt

by Nathaniel Burns

  He stepped into the mason’s private room, and was once again greeted by a bloody sight. The walls were covered in blood, with the man’s chest violently ripped open, his heart also missing. Once again, there was a trail of bloody footprints leading from the room and Shabaka knew, without a doubt, that whoever the killer was, they would be looking for the same man that killed Neti’s parents.

  Shabaka walked to the side of the bed, noticing the young man’s features, and wondered about the man’s interaction with Neti, if it could in any way have led to his death, and if so, how?

  “For the love of Horus! What is this?” the familiar booming voice of Thebes’s mayor filled the room, causing Shabaka to take a deep breath, before clenching his jaw tightly in order to prevent himself from retorting to the mayor that it was a murder scene, and they had work to do. He however righted himself and turned towards the mayor, before calmly stating, “Greetings, Mayor. Anything I can help you with?”

  “No, I just came to see what all the commotion was about,” Pa-Nasi replied, shifting slightly on his feet and looking past Shabaka toward the body. He appeared unwilling to step further into the room, and remained in the doorway, his hands wringing slightly.

  “There’s nothing much to see,” Shabaka pronounced, and he looked about the sparsely furnished room, before returning his gaze to the mayor and flatly stating, “The man did not own much. So, there will not be much to tax him on either. There is no reason for your presence here.”

  “And you think that that is why I am here?” the mayor once again boomed, “that all I worry about is the taxes these people pay?”

  “No, actually I don’t know why you are here, just that you seem to show up at every incident, interfering with the inquiry of each,” Shabaka decreed, looking directly at him.

  “I am the mayor of this town!” Pa-Nasi angrily exclaimed, before concluding, “Need I remind you of that fact.”

  “No, I am well aware of that,” Shabaka calmly replied, “but like you, I was also appointed by the pharaoh, to deal with these situations,” he added, indicating to the body.

  “You may deal with such situations,” the mayor impertinently started, before defiantly asserting, “but I am still the one who decides whether the body receives a funded entombment.”

  “The man is a young mason,” Shabaka started in disbelief, “what possible contribution has he made to the city to warrant the use of tax money for his burial?”

  “That is for me to decide,” the mayor arrogantly stated.

  Just then a tall man, with a scar slanting over one eye, entered the room, and Shabaka looked the man over, for a moment wondering about the man’s crimes, the scar on his face being similar to those wounds decreed for criminals by the Kenbet, the court of justice. However, Shabaka did not contemplate this for long, as the newcomer was soon flanked by two sturdier men.

  The man looked at Shabaka for a while, before pointing to the corpse. “I’ve come to collect the body.”

  Shabaka looked the man over again and gave a slight shake of the head. Unable to recall his face, he firmly demanded, “And you are?”

  “Karndesh, I am an embalmer,” the man calmly stated, before looking at the men flanking him, indicating as he spoke up, “These are my bearers.”

  “Then why have I not met you before?” Shabaka was quick to ask.

  “I am entrusted with the civil funded funerals. I have been tasked with cleaning this body for burial,” the man said, nodding towards the bloody body on the bed.

  Shabaka looked towards the mayor for a moment, before turning his attention to the man, “I would like Neti-Kerty to have a look at the body first.”

  “Ha! That witch, I don’t think those outside would even allow her close to the body,” the mayor derisively started, “and what could she possibly tell you that you cannot see for yourself,” he continued, glancing towards the body. “Clearly the man’s heart was ripped from his chest. I do not know why you insist on her seeing the body. She cannot possibly help you find who did this by looking at the body. She is nothing but a wrongly educated woman,” the mayor concluded, before turning to Karndesh and ordering him, “Take the body. You do not need to heed his wishes.”

  Shabaka stepped towards the mayor, before intrepidly challenging, “Should I report back to the Vizier that you are impeding me in my duties? I do not think the pharaoh would appreciate such news from Thebes.”

  The mayor pulled himself up to his full height, before averring, “There is nothing that woman can do for him. I tend to agree with the crowd out there that she could have done it.”

  “That is not physically possible,” Shabaka answered back in contempt. “Neti is not strong enough to have fought off a mason, so how could she have killed …” Shabaka trailed off as the crowd outside started up in a roar, drawing his attention away from their conversation.

  The guard outside the fabric door stepped inside, anxiously glancing about the room until his gaze came to reset on Shabaka. “Prefect,” he addressed Shabaka, “you had better come see this.”

  Shabaka stepped past the mayor and out of the mason’s room, moving quickly to the main doorway. Pushing the fabric aside, he stepped out into the bright daylight, his heart immediately racing when he saw the crowd gathered around Neti, calling her names and shoving her between them. “Stone her! She is one of Apep’s servants,” a woman within the crowd called. “Burn her body, condemn her to her god’s side,” another piped, “she is evil.”

  “What is going on here?” Shabaka demanded harshly, causing everyone to stop and look at him. “Let her go!” he commanded, looking pointedly at the man who held her in his grasp. The man shoved her towards the ground, causing her to stumble and land on her knees. “Now back off,” Shabaka commanded, “if anyone so much as harasses her, I will have them brought before the Kenbet,” Shabaka decreed as Neti rose to her feet. Her wig was slightly askew, as she dusted off her hands and looked down at her slip, noticeably rattled.

  “She is not welcome here,” a woman shouted, and spat on the ground.

  Neti righted her clothes and wig, keeping her gaze lowered. Shabaka took hold of her arm drawing her to his side. The action caused her to glance up at him, allowing him to see the tears glistening in her eyes, and how she blinked to prevent them from falling

  “That is enough. She has as much right to be here as you,” he commanded to those present, “and challenge me on that, and you will be the first to appear before the Kenbet.”

  The group of people quickly backed off, murmuring among themselves.

  Just then, the embalmer with the scar came out of the door, his two bearers conveying the wrapped body as they walked past them, the mayor in their wake.

  “Who is he?” Neti asked in confusion, looking after the departing faction.

  “That is what I was hoping you could tell me,” Shabaka replied, drawing her attention. “He claims to be an embalmer.”

  Neti turned her head to look at the group before professing, “I’ve never seen him.”

  “You know all the embalmers, right?” Shabaka asked, causing her to look at him.

  “Yes, we’re a close-knit community,” Neti replied, nodding her head absentmindedly, “But I’ve never met him.”

  Shabaka looked at her for a moment, before asking, “Are you hurt?”

  Neti looked at him, before giving a slight shake of the head and replying, “No, just a little manhandled.”

  Shabaka looked at her in disbelief, but then indicated down the road, before bidding, “Come, I will walk you home.”

  “You don’t need me, then?” Neti asked, confused.

  “The mayor has already had the body removed, and I think it is best if maybe you didn’t see the room,” Shabaka said as they started their return journey.

  “Why?” Neti asked, falling into step next to him.

  “His heart was taken so I don’t think there is much you would have been able to do.”

  “Oh,” Neti replied, then looked at h
im, reaching for his arm and effectively halting their progress, “Were there any bloody footprints?”

  “Yes, there were,” Shabaka replied, before looking down to where her hand was resting on his arm, watching as she hastily withdrew it. Her gaze dropped to the ground for a moment, before they continued along the road again.

  “Have you heard from Asim?” Shabaka asked a short while later.

  “No, why?” Neti replied looking towards him.

  “I’ve had guards posted outside his house, but he hasn’t returned home. Tei-ka hardly moves from the house. Something is not right there.”

  “I don’t think he had anything to do with it,” Neti professed.

  “I know you’re partial to the man, because of his connection to your family, but it looks damning for him,” Shabaka candidly replied.

  “I need to see the body,” Neti suddenly decreed, halting suddenly.

  “Why?” Shabaka asked turning to look at her.

  “Embalmers have a certain way of cutting a body, very often unique to them, to the size of their hands,” Neti said, lifting her hand. “My father used to make the initial incision twice that of his hand’s width. He always said that way he did not harm any of the entrails when he withdrew them.”

  “You think you could possibly identify who it could be?” Shabaka asked in disbelief.

  “No, but I will be able to tell you if an embalmer did it,” Neti said.

  “By only the cut?”

  “Embalmers know how to cut a body to be able to extract the internal organs through only one cut,” Neti clarified.

  Shabaka looked at her for a moment, before nodding his head and replying, “We can go and have a look, but I first want you to make sure you weren’t hurt just now. We will have to track this embalmer down.”

  “That is easily enough achieved,” Neti replied, causing Shabaka to look at her, “All embalmers are listed with the overseer of embalmers, who reports to the overseer of high priests. If this embalmer is practicing in Thebe,s he would have to be listed.”

  “Where do we find this overseer?”

  “Marlep acts as Thebes’s overseer. He oversees the main Per-Nefer. He will know where to find him.”

  Later that same morning, the mayor Pa-Nasi made his way into the beer house. It was mid morning and he was irritated from the morning’s interlude with the prefect. The darkened room was cooler than outside, and filled with the familiar scent of fermented grain. The grass mats on the floor were still neatly arranged, and it would be some time before the others would arrive for a drink. He greeted the owner in passing, nodding his head when the man indicated an earthenware cup, and continued further into the room, finally locating the slave-owner Ma-Nefer in the corner they frequented whenever meeting.

  Ma-Nefer was already seated with a beer, and looked up as he approached, inclining his head in greeting.

  “I have more important matters to attend to than to meet you here for trifling matters,” the mayor spoke up.

  “And yet you are here,” Ma-Nefer arrogantly replied, indicating that the mayor should join him.

  Pa-Nasi took one of the seats, glancing about the room, watching as one of the serving women approached them. He looked her over, contemplating if he should discuss a tryst with the owner, but instead took the beer from her and, returning his attention to Ma-Nefer, demanded “So what did you want?”

  “I need a favor,” Ma-Nefer flatly stated, looking pointedly at the man.

  The mayor regarded him, lifting both brows before replying, “A favor connected to what?”

  “Neti-Kerty,” Ma-Nefer replied, frustrated.

  The mayor scoffed at that. “Your future wife already causing you some problems? I told you she’d be trouble.”

  “She’s not the problem. I’m actually looking forward to breaking her,” Ma-Nefer started, a sly grin forming on his lips. “I need her papers intercepted. She cannot receive them until we are married.”

  “Why?” The mayor asked taking a sip from his beer, the cool slightly grainy fluid rushing down his throat, soothing the dry sensation that had formed there.

  “One of my men told me Suten Anu sent a scroll to the Kenbet this morning,” Ma-Nefer started, “I’m not certain that the will is as straightforward as I believed it to be. She has already approached me wanting to buy out of the marriage.”

  “Not that I blame the woman,” Pa-Nasi scoffed. “You’re not exactly the Nubian prefect she seems to have taken a fancy to.”

  “Be that as it may, I have far better use for her skills,” Ma-Nefer professed.

  “I will see what I can do about her papers,” Pa-Nasi returned, once again taking a draw from his beer.

  “Now all I need to do is lessen the assets she holds, so that she cannot buy out of the marriage,” Ma-Nefer mumbled thoughtfully, more to himself than to Pa-Nasi.

  “Why don’t you get Kadurt to do some documents for you? Make some claim against the house that needs to be paid,” Pa-Nasi calmly spoke up, causing Ma-Nefer to look at him, and then nod his head slightly.

  “That is an idea,” Ma-Nefer concurred.

  The mayor started swirling the beer in his mug, watching it slop around and around, before asking, “When is your next shipment of goods moving out?”

  “We’re getting ready to leave in two days,” Ma-Nefer replied. “Everything is in order.”

  The mayor lifted his gaze from his cup, and looked pointedly at Ma-Nafer, stressing, “Let’s just hope they don’t run into trouble, like last time.”

  “There was no trouble,” Ma-Nefer replied, shrugging his shoulders slightly, “It was taken care of.”

  The mayor released a frustrated sigh, before speaking, “This Shabaka is getting on my nerves, and I would think yours as well. It seems that little wife to be of yours is rather taken by him. They seem to be spending a lot of time together lately.”

  Ma-Nefer simply shrugged his shoulders, “Who knows, maybe she’ll distract him enough. He’ll leave anyway, when he fails to find what the pharaoh sent him for. And once we’re married she’s going to make me a wealthy man.”

  “You’ve had queries?” the mayor asked in surprise.

  “A few of our colleagues. I just need to get her fully isolated from the townspeople.”

  “Well this morning’s little episode should help with that,” the mayor stated before taking another draw of his beer.

  “Yes I heard,” Ma-Nefer replied, nodding his head.

  Neti-Kerty and Shabaka ascended the steps leading to Thebes’s largest Per-Nefer chambers. The high-roofed building with its impressive pillared entrance, festooned with hieroglyphics honoring the gods, was divided into a series of chambers where individual embalmers set about their work while training up the next generation of embalmers.

  Their entrance was greeted by the familiar smell of burning spices, the smell originating from the lamps lighting the main chamber, all filled with a herb infused oil. The smell, although overwhelming, could not completely dispel the stench of dead bodies.

  “I do not recall other Per-Nefers smelling like this,” Shabaka commented, slowing his stride slightly.

  “Marlep often has to deal with already rotted bodies. The main Per-Nefer is charged with the removal and processing of all bodies. The smaller Per-Nefers have personal clients we are responsible for, which is why they do not smell,” Neti explained as she walked towards Marlep.

  “Marlep,” Neti greeted the embalmer, as she came to stand before him.

  Marlep turned to look at her and smiled warmly, before starting, “Well now, if it isn’t little Neti-Kerty. What brings you here? Or have you received your papers from Anum and need to enlist?”

  Neti shook her head, and then replied, “No we’re looking for a embalmer named…” Neti halted and then turned to look at Shabaka, who added, “Karndesh, he has a scar over one eye.”

  Marlep nodded, replying, “I know him. He arrived here a few months ago. Holds full papers from Anum. Figured it strange at first t
hat he would select Thebes to practice, but he is a quiet man, keeps to himself.”

  Shabaka looked at Neti, before asking Marlep, “Do you know where we can find him?”

  “Yes,” Marlep replied, pointing down the passage, “He works in the far chamber on the right, handles most of the civil funded funerals. He comes in, does his work and leaves at night. Come, I’ll take you to him,” Marlep invited, starting to move towards the passage.

  Neti and Shabaka followed in his wake, Shabaka asking, “Is he busy?”

  “Not really,” Marlep answered. “He does a few bodies a month, and helps if we’re overrun.”

  “You’ve checked his work?” Shabaka asked.

  “He works neatly enough, but receives no supervision. He does civil funerals requiring the minimal preparation of the body. I know he had bearers bring in another body this morning, so he might be busy at the moment,” Marlep replied, as they came to a halt outside a heavy drape.

  “That is why we want to see him. I want Neti to have a look at the body,”

  Marlep looked at Neti for a moment, before stating, “You do realize that the body was also cut open like your parents?”

  Neti nodded her head, before replying, “Yes, I was warned.”

  Marlep drew the heavy drapes aside, allowing them access to the chamber. Their entry caused Karndesh to turn to look at them, before suddenly throwing his hands up, exclaiming, “No-no-no no, no women are allowed in here.”

  “Easy Karndesh, Neti is one of us,” Marlep professed.

  Neti’s gaze landed on the body lying on the platform, the bandages and the flagon of anointing oil, the room suddenly dimming.

  She was a young girl again, her mother having sent her to call her father to dinner. She moved the doorway drapery out of the way, stepping into the chamber. She was not scared of these people her father worked with. They were always quiet. They just lay there while he worked on them. Some darker than the others, some of their skins were softer to touch. Her father was rubbing the oil her mother helped him prepare. She often helped with gathering the herbs. The man he was working on was being wrapped. She had even helped her father, handing him the bandages and amulets.