The Amarnan Kings, Book 2: Scarab - Smenkhkare

by Overton, Max

  "Scarab," he said. "Meryam?"

  The woman backed away, shaking her head. "Anah." She pointed at herself. "Anah."

  "Not you, you silly girl," Khu groaned. "Where Meryam was at?"

  Another woman joined young Anah and spoke to her, asking what she was doing with the Kemetu lad.

  "I think he's looking for someone called Meryam," Anah explained. "But which Meryam? I know five and I'm sure there are more."

  "Well, tell him. Ask him which one."

  "I don't think he speaks Khabiru. His accent is terrible."

  "Ask him anyway. See if saying a name will get him to recognise one."

  Anah nodded and cleared her throat. "Meryam. Do you mean Meryam daughter of Uphiel...or Meryam daughter of Azarel...?"

  "Yes, yes," Khu nodded vigorously as he heard the familiar name. "Meryam, Scarab. Where?"

  "Which one?" Anah asked. "Ednah, can you talk to him?"

  "What is that other word he used, the Kemetu word...scar-ab, was it?"

  "It is the name of one of their gods, I think. The scar-ab beetle is their sun god," Anah explained.

  "What a strange people, worshiping insects." Ednah's mouth fell open as a thought occurred to her. "Could he mean Meryam the whore? She lives over near the pagan temples."

  "That must be it," Anah exclaimed. "Kemetu men think of little else...or so I've been told," she added wistfully. Now that the lad had calmed down a bit she noticed his deep brown eyes below his wavy black hair, his lips that looked as sweet as...

  "Anah!" Ednah said sharply, jabbing a finger into the young girl's side. "Your Meryam is over there, young man." She pointed back toward the walled city of Zarw, close to where the many-pillared temples gleamed in the sunlight.

  Khu understood the gesture if not the words and he frowned. "I've just come from there," he said. "I know Meryam's tent is over here somewhere, closer to the canal."

  Ednah and Anah pointed again and Khu shook his head. "Meryam," he repeated. "Scarab."

  "I think he means the young Kemetu girl who birthed last month. Meryam my sister attended her." A short, somewhat stout Khabiru man in the full beard favoured by every male old enough to grow one, strolled up to Khu and said in passable Kemetu, "I know the Meryam of whom you speak for I am her brother Eli, son of Abiezar. Come, I will take you to our tent."

  "Thank you Eli." Khu bowed politely to the two women, then at the man. "I must find Scarab. Do you know where she is?"

  "With my sister no doubt, playing with her baby." Eli sighed and led the way through the maze of tents. "This Scarab of yours is an intelligent woman with many stories of the court. Then just as she was getting interesting she has a baby and can now talk of nothing else. Why is this, Khu?"

  "I don't know." Khu shrugged. "I have never understood women."

  "You would not be alone. Our sacred writings say there are four things no man can know, an eagle in the air, a snake on a rock, a ship in the open sea and the heart of a woman." Eli grinned. "You are her husband?"

  "No." Khu tried rather unsuccessfully to hide a scowl. "She is unmarried. She loves a soldier, a General in the northern army. I am a friend...just a friend."

  "A friend is never 'just' a friend. Be steadfast, Khu, for friendship often outlasts love...ah, here we are." Eli pointed to a broad woolen and hide tent, richly embroidered in red and brown. He drew back the tent flap and bowed toward Khu. "Be welcome in our tent. Your presence honours us."

  Khu entered the tent and blinked in the dimness, his eyes gradually becoming accustomed to the darkness. On the far side of the spacious tent, on carpets slightly threadbare with age, two young women sat on their heels looking down at something in front of them. Both were dressed alike, in the long woolen robes of the Khabiru and Khu felt a pang of annoyance that Scarab was not here after all.

  Then one of the women turned and smiled. "Khu, what a lovely surprise. Come and see little Set."

  Eli winced at the name but kept quiet. Why would any sane woman name her child for the destroyer?

  Khu crossed the tent and knelt by Scarab. Her baby slept in a wickerwork basket, lined with a red woolen blanket. One thumb was tucked safely inside his mouth and every now and again he sucked on it in his sleep.

  "Er, very nice. He, er, looks like...his father?"

  "Doesn't he?" Scarab smiled and gently stroked the baby's bald head. "He will grow up to be a famous general, just like his father."

  "Scarab," Khu whispered, plucking at her sleeve. "I have news. You must come at once."

  "What is it?"

  "A messenger from the south." Khu saw her look of alarm and shook his head. "Not from Waset, from Kush. There...there is news of your brother."

  "Tutankhaten? Is he on an expedition to Kush? But he is just a boy. What is Ay thinking of?"

  "Not Tutankhaten, Smenkhkare. He has been seen."

  "If that is true, it means trouble," Eli muttered.

  Meryam motioned her brother to silence, and put a hand comfortingly on Scarab's arm.

  Scarab sat silent, staring down at the sleeping baby. "Don't," she whispered after a few moments. "Don't ruin my happiness with false rumors."

  "I would not do that to you, Scarab," Khu said. "Not for all the gold in the Great Place. This is official. It is a messenger from Horemheb himself, bidding Paramessu bring troops down to Waset."

  "H...how do you know, Khu? Why would you be told?"

  Khu grinned. "Sometimes you learn more being a nobody. You know that pretty serving lass in the barracks kitchens? Tua? Well, I was in there passing some time with her and enjoying a pot of beer when this messenger comes in, all dusty and tired, and sits down with the officer of the guard. It seems he has just reported to Judge Seti, Paramessu's father, and given him official dispatches from Horemheb."

  "Don't be silly, Khu. Dispatches are sealed and the Judge is not going to open them in front of a common messenger and read them out. The man's just guessing, spreading rumors."

  Khu shook his head, his grin broadening. "No, that's where you are wrong. The messenger received the orders from the hand of Horemheb himself in...oh, I can't remember the name...some city in Kush--and the General told them why it was so urgent they get the news through. He said--this is Horemheb saying this, not the dispatches--that Smenkhkare was alive and marching on Waset with an army."

  "But why would he...ah, he knows Ay...but how? What of the crocodile? Was that a lie too?" Scarab shook her head, a frown creasing her brow. "I must find out. I must get to Waset." She leapt to her feet then stood looking down at the sleeping infant. "What about little Set?"

  "I can look after him," Meryam said. "I would be delighted to. I can find a wet-nurse easily."

  "He would be safe here," Eli said reassuringly. "If that is what you want to do."

  "Yes...no." Scarab looked from one to the other, then at the flap of the tent and back down to little Set. "I don't know. Of course I cannot leave him, I am his mother, but I must find out..."

  "Why not leave him here while he is sleeping?" suggested Eli. "Go to Judge Seti and find out the truth. Then you can come back here and decide what you want to do."

  "Sounds sensible," Khu added.

  "Will Judge Seti see me though? He does not know me."

  "I will find an elder to accompany you," Eli said. "We are on good terms with the Judge. He will see an elder if we request it."

  Scarab looked puzzled. "Why would an elder do that for me?"

  "Because of who you are," Eli replied.

  "And because of who we know you to be," Meryam added.

  Eli hurried out and returned about an hour later, an hour during which Scarab slowly became more and more anxious. She paced the tent, woke up her baby and played with him, put him down again and fretted when the infant would not fall asleep. Meryam picked Set up and rocked him and his fitful cries hiccupped to a halt. Scarab scowled and took her baby back firmly, rocking him and murmuring.

  The tent flap was thrown aside and Eli entered with another man--a ta
ll man with a scar across his forehead.

  "Jeheshua," Khu exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

  "He is an elder of the tribe of Yuya," Eli explained. "Who better to represent Scarab, who is of Yuya herself, than an elder of her tribe?"

  Scarab nodded and handed her baby to Meryam. "Can we go now? Anything could be happening. For all we know Judge Seti could have left the city by now and be marching down to Waset."

  "Impatient, isn't she?" Eli grinned. "Is that the blood of Yuya showing?"

  "I believe that statement is bordering on disrespect for your elder, young Eli," Jeheshua reproved mildly. "Are you calling me impatient too?"

  "My apologies, revered elder," Eli said, bowing. He spoilt the effect by grinning. "Judge Seti is not going anywhere, Scarab. That's why we took so long. We petitioned Seti for an audience and he has granted one. We can leave whenever you are ready."

  Seti greeted the small deputation in his house in Zarw. Recently retired after a long life of service within the army, he looked forward to a pleasant few years with his wife before making the last journey into the West. It was a vain hope. Such was the Judge's experience and wisdom that hardly a day went by without someone seeking him out for help with some knotty problem of law, both civil and military. He found he welcomed the disruptions as time hung heavy in a household too empty for too long. Only two of his children by his beloved wife Pentere had survived childhood, a son and a daughter. Paramessu had risen rapidly through the ranks of the army and was now a General, enough to make any man proud. But a man who is active in the army has little time for a family and at forty, Paramessu had still not re-married after his first wife and young son had died in the plague. Seti's daughter Nefertari was barren. Perhaps the worst fate that could befall a child-loving Kemetu, her husband had divorced her and she lived now with her parents. Seti and Pentere had all but despaired of having grandchildren.

  The gate-keeper let the three men and a woman into the walled courtyard of the judge's residence and the steward of the small estate took them through to an inner courtyard where Seti awaited them. A fishpond filled one corner and an old tamarind tree overhung the still waters. Dragonflies danced above the reeds and waterlilies and bees hummed in the foliage of the perfumed flowering trees. An old man sat on a stone bench near the pond, reading a scrolled papyrus. He looked up as his steward crossed the courtyard, the sand scrunching beneath his feet.

  "Ah, Jeheshua, come in, my friend, come in." The judge rose to his feet and embraced the old jeweler warmly. Looking beyond him, Seti examined the three younger people. "This must be the young woman I am hearing things about, but who are these men?"

  Eli stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "I am Eli, son of Abiezar, sir. May I present Khu, son of Pa-it of Akhet-Re, and the lady Beketaten." Khu bowed deeply as he was introduced, but Scarab merely inclined her head gracefully.

  Seti raised an eyebrow at her gesture. "I am Troop Commander and Judge of the king's forces in Zarw, young lady. You would do well to remember that."

  "And I am a high-born lady of the royal court in Waset, Judge. You would do well to remember that too."

  "She is high-spirited, Jeheshua," Seti commented. "Is she really the one?"

  "You may address me directly, Judge," Scarab said with a trace of asperity creeping into her voice. "There is no need for a middleman."

  "This middleman, as you call him, got you this meeting. A touch more respect for your elders and betters would not go amiss, young lady. Do they not teach manners in court any longer?"

  Scarab opened her mouth to utter a cutting retort but Khu jabbed his elbow into her side hard. "Remember why you are here," he hissed.

  Scarab controlled herself with an effort and bowed rigidly. "Your pardon Judge Seti, I am forgetting myself. Thank you for allowing me this meeting. I want to ask..."

  "First, some refreshment. Steward, bring wine and I think some of those delightful honey cakes cook makes."

  The steward bowed. "At once, my lord." He hurried off on his errand.

  "Well," Seti said with a smile. "We shall await refreshments. Pray take a seat, Jeheshua." The old judge sat down on the stone seat next to the jeweler and looked up at the three young people standing in front of him. He gestured across the courtyard. "There are some chairs over there. Khu, Eli, be so good as to fetch them."

  When everyone was seated, Seti looked Scarab directly in the eye. "You are the young woman my son Paramessu has bedded. You have had a child I believe. Is it his?"

  Scarab's eyes flashed and her lips tightened momentarily. "Paramessu and I are lovers. We intend to marry. He will recognise the boy as his."

  "As I said, Jeheshua, high-spirited. Not a bad thing in a horse or a woman." Seti's features softened slightly. "Have you told Paramessu he has a son?"

  "I have written to him, but he has not replied."

  "I would not read too much into that. It is notoriously hard to get a letter through to the army unless it goes by special messenger."

  "On another matter, my lord Judge," Scarab said, allowing a little more respect into her voice. "You have had word from the south, I believe. May I know the content of the letter?"

  "Ah, the wine. Besneb, please serve my guests." Seti watched as silver goblets were filled with chilled wine, moisture beading briefly on the cold exteriors. "I have it shipped in from the Island of the Sea, Kretos, I believe it is called. Drink, tell me what you think." He waited for expressions of praise before accepting one himself. "The honey cakes are from an old recipe that my cook refuses to divulge." Seti shrugged and smiled. "I have no choice but to keep her on."

  For a few minutes they ate and drank, with Scarab slowly becoming more agitated. At last she could not stand it any longer. "Judge, please, what was the message from the south?"

  "First tell me why you are so interested? The contents of the letter are confidential at present but I anticipate it will be public knowledge before the month is out, sooner if the messenger is already spreading rumors. Cannot you be patient, young lady?"

  "Is it to do with King Djeserkheperu Smenkhkare?"

  Seti sighed. "Why are you interested in a fallen king?"

  "Because he is my brother, sir."

  Seti's eyebrows shot up. "Brother? You are a daughter of Nebmaetre? By a concubine perhaps?"

  "By his queen Tiye."

  Seti sat back and exhaled loudly. "Then you are full sister to Akhenaten and half-sister to Tutankhaten as well. What did you say your name was?"

  "Beketaten."

  "There was a princess of that name. I thought she died of the plague years ago."

  "Obviously not, as you see."

  "You swear this is true, not just an elaborate tale? Forgive me lady, but..." Seti looked at the three men. "This is true?"

  "I was on the King's Council myself, sir," Khu said. "This truly is the lady Beketaten, sister of three kings."

  "By all the gods," Seti muttered. He stretched out a hand to Jeheshua. "Forgive me, old friend, I mean your solitary god no disrespect."

  "None is taken, sir," Jeheshua murmured. "The news is startling."

  "The letter?" Scarab asked impatiently. "What did it say?"

  "Er, yes." Seti seemed momentarily at a loss for words. He withdrew the papyrus scroll from his robe and unrolled it. Clearing his throat, he read. "Greetings from General Horemheb, Commander-in-Chief of the northern armies, fan-bearer on the king's...er, I'll leave out the honourifics and greetings, shall I? Let's see, yes...The man calling himself Son of Sobek is in reality the former king known as Djeserkheperu Smenkhkare. I have it from his own mouth that he intends to wage war against the lawful authority of the Two Lands and will be approaching Waset with an army estimated at fifteen hundred by the full moon of Proyet. You are commanded to muster a force of at least two thousand men, fully armed and equipped, and transport them to Waset before this date. Er, he ends with the usual..."

  "So he lives." Scarab suddenly burst into tears. The men looked at the ground, unsure of th
eir supposed course of action. Khu lifted the linen cloth from the honey cakes and passed it to Scarab. She dried her tears, dabbing at her face with the cloth. "I'm sorry. I am happy really, I just...I just believed he was dead for so long."

  "More wine?" Seti asked, lifting the wine pitcher.

  Scarab shook her head. "I must go to him. When do you send the soldiers down to Waset to aid my brother? I will go with them."

  "My lady Beketaten, I do not think that is their purpose," Jeheshua commented quietly. "General Horemheb's words have a different meaning."

  "What other meaning could he have? He said he talked to my brother. He would not just talk if he had some other motive."

  "No, he is right, Sca...lady Beketaten." Judge Seti shifted uncomfortably on his seat. He opened the papyrus scroll again and scanned it. "Horemheb plainly states Smenkhkare as saying he intends to wage war against the lawful authority. This means he regards himself as being in opposition to the...your brother and the men he requests from me are to fight him."

  Scarab stared wide-eyed at the old judge, then around at the two Khabiru men and Khu. "You would send men to kill my brother? To kill your grandson's uncle--the true king? What of me? Will you kill me too?"

  "Not while I am here," Khu growled, moving over to stand behind Scarab.

  "Nor I," Eli agreed.

  Judge Seti shook his head. "Please, please, there is no cause for alarm. Horemheb's request cannot be fulfilled anyway. I have no troops to spare in Zarw as they are all far north of here with my son's army. The full moon of Proyet is just over a month away. I could not send troops in time even if I wanted to."

  "And what of myself, sir? Will you hold me to ransom to force my brother's surrender?"

  Seti smiled. "Do you imagine he would surrender his kingship for a woman? Even his sister?"

  Scarab sat silently for a few minutes before shaking her head. "Nor would I want him to. But I am still going to him. You will not stop me."

  "You will take your son--my grandson?"

  "Of course."

  "You would take a newborn babe on a dangerous journey knowing that a battle lies at the end of it? You would really risk his life?"