Pharaoh's Gold

by Nathaniel Burns

  “That is because, High Priest, I do to know how to answer it. For anyone to do such a thing to another, they must be filled with an amount of pitiless wrath that I am unable to understand. For even with all the punishments I have seen passed down, none comes close to this.”

  “So you would then agree that not all punishment passed down by the pharaoh could be considered humane.”

  Neti remained silent for several moments, her gaze dropping to the ground. She knew only too well how much the priests wanted to usurp the rule of the pharaoh. She had herself experienced it in Thebes. She knew she had to be careful with her answer, as to not incriminate herself of any wrongdoing. Neti looked up at the priest and said, “I think the pharaoh holds a position of great difficulty. He cannot allow people to simply do as they please since it would result in lawlessness. He therefore makes an example of those who choose to disobey him, or the laws. His punishments need not only to befit the crime but should also serve as a warning to others who may be tempted to do the same.”

  “Ah, yes, I see you understand how it works. Then you also understand that by undermining the practice of the embalming also carries with it a punishment?” The priest calmly asked.

  “What are you accusing me of?” Neti flatly demanded.

  “I have not accused you of anything,” The priest said, holding both his hands up the palms extended towards her, in a calming gesture. “… but you understand how others fear the unknown, how they fear your ability to evaluate things and find answers they cannot.”

  “You have had complaints?” Neti asked.

  The priest looked away for a few moments, visibly swallowed, before again looking at her. “Let me just say, the fist time you arrived here, I was one of the people who cautioned the pharaoh, most ardently, against your presence in the palace. But not only did you save the queen, you proven to me that you have no intention of practicing witchcraft and have been bestowed a great gift from the Gods.”

  “What does that have to do with this?” Neti asked.

  “It has taught me not to judge you or to listen to the tales of others.”

  “Which is what brought you here.” Neti stated.

  “Yes, others fear that you will bring the wrath of Ra upon us all, that you will use some sort sorcery for your discoveries.”

  Neti was momentarily affronted, but pointed to the body as she irritably rambled, “What I learn and what I see is not through sorcery, but from observation. I can therefore with confidence say that he was not killed where we found him, and he has been subjected to a level of torture that to me is unimaginable. Those are things I can tell simply by looking at him.”

  Again, the Priest held his hands up in a calming gesture before he said, “This I understand, child, but I just want you to know that there are others who don’t, and that they have objected.”

  Neti visibly calmed.

  “I have no reason to question you, but others feel threatened by you.” The priest added.

  Just then the doormat rustled again and they both turned to look. Shabaka entered the room and looked from Neti to the priest, however it was the priest who spoke. “I believe the person you mistook me for has arrived.”

  Shabaka’s brows furrowed for a moment before he approached them, lowering his head momentarily in acknowledgement to the priest before coming to stand beside Neti, asking, “Is everything in order?”

  Neti turned her head to look at him and gave him a small smile before answering, “The High Priest was just cautioning me.”

  “On what?” Shabaka demanded, looking pointedly at the man.

  “That there are some that do not understand her work, and that they are afraid of her.”

  Shabaka stepped forward and placed the sheets of papyrus, ink, and quill next to the body, before turning towards the High Priest and decisively said, “We have already received threats as to the nature of this investigation. If you have any sources, or the names of any who would wish either Neti or myself any harm, I would suggest you give us those names right now.”

  The high priest looked noticeably put out by the manner of Shabaka’s address and said, “You have no right to demand such of me. You know I am to protect those who confide in me.”

  “You may protect them but if you in anyway shelter someone who has the intent of harming another, or prevent us from fulfilling our duty to the pharaoh, then I will have the pharaoh strip you of your title.”

  “The pharaoh cannot do that.” The priest ardently replied.

  “He can punish you as you remain one of the people of his kingdom.” Shabaka threw back.

  Neti placed a hand on Shabaka’s arm, causing him to look at her for a moment. Neti said, “He doesn’t know anything.”

  “How do you know that?” Shabaka demanded.

  “I consider myself a good judge of people, but all of his questions and reasoning only confirms one thing…” Neti turned to look at the High Priest, “…he knows nothing of this. Like so many others, he is driven by curiosity and the obligation he has to his followers.” Neti gestured to the body, “He does not know who is responsible, and unlike most priests, he is not as quick to blame a God for the occurrence…” Neti again looked towards the High Priest as she continued, “…for he knows too well the dark side of human nature.”

  The High Priest nodded, but turned towards Shabaka as he spoke, “And I see you do not suffer fools.”

  Shabaka visibly relaxed and turned to Neti. “Do you require his presence here?”

  Neti shrugged her shoulders, “It will not change what we find…. However,” Neti added causing Shabaka to frown. “… His presence here will absolve me of any potential claims of witchcraft.”

  Shabaka looked hesitantly at the man and then to Neti who picked up the papyrus and quill, “He is also versed in Egyptian writing, so he can take the notes leaving you free to help me.” She said handing the hesitant priest the papyrus.

  The High Priest hesitantly took the papyrus from her and looked at the body, stating, “I do not have much time.”

  “The initial notes do not take much time, and I will take over from there to write the conclusion.” Neti said, again turning to the platform where the selection of tools lay. “You can put down so long: Unknown man. Length: five cubits and a hapi. Appearance of the body on discovery: visibly abused or tortured. Time of death: just before sunrise.” Neti said then reached for one of the bowls. She picked it up and handed it to Shabaka, “I’ll need some water.”

  Shabaka nodded as he took the bowl from her and moved to fill it. She picked up the flint knife and checked it before turning towards the body.

  She carefully perused the body, for a moment stopping at one of the raw wounds. “The wounds appear to have been burnt, but I do not know of any method that will pull the skin from the body in such a manner. The chaffing and swelling on is wrists and ankles confirm that he was restrained.” She looked up at the High Priest, only to find him looking at her in astonishment. “You need to write that down.” She said then turned her attention back to the body. Shabaka returned and held the bowl out towards Neti. Neti indicated for him to remain where he was as she continued her inspection.

  “What are you hoping to find?” Shabaka asked.

  “Some idea as to what caused this.” Neti said carefully scraping the flint knife across the raw skin. She lifted it and checked it before stating, “Whatever means they used for this it removed all skin and stopped the wounds from bleeding.”

  “How do you know that?” The priest asked.

  “The color of the wound and the texture tells me that.” Neti said pointing to the interior of one of the wounds.

  “Before or after death?” Shabaka asked.

  “Before,” Neti said. “There would not have been movement of blood after death, they would all appear the same color and not have darker ridges.”

  “So the crime scene would not have any blood?” Shabaka asked, causing the High Priest to look at him, questioningly.”

&nb
sp; “I would not go as far as to say that there would be none,” Neti cautioned. “He may have bled, but it is unlikely to be a great amount of blood. Or to put it simpler, he did not die from any great loss of blood.”

  “And how do you know this?” The High Priest demanded.

  “The blood line has now established.” Neti said pointing to the lower part of the body. “If he had lost a great deal of blood the line would not be as visible.”

  “So what caused his death?” The High Priest asked.

  “I don’t know yet.” Neti said returning her attention to the body.

  Some time later, Neti placed the last of the tools back on the platform. Both Shabaka and the High Priest looked at Neti with expectation.

  Neti only shook her head, “He was still perfectly healthy when this happened. There is some problems with his lungs, which I imagine would come from his working in a very hot environment, but there is nothing that could point as to the actual cause of death. It was not due to air deprivation. He was also not poisoned, stabbed, or starved.”

  “So how did he die?” The High Priest asked.

  “I would say his injuries were so severe that his Ba (soul) simply could no longer take it and left.”

  “So, he simply died?” The High Priest said.

  Neti shook her head before she spoke. “I don’t know whether the person who did this intended for him to die, or how experienced this person could possibly be, but under the circumstances, we will be treating this as a murder.”

  “Experienced?” The High Priest and Shabaka questioned simultaneously.

  “Earlier…” Neti gestured to the High Priest. “…when you arrived, High Priest, you questioned the mode of punishment that Ramesses uses.”

  The High Priest for a moment appeared uncomfortable, but nodded.

  “Those tasked with various modes of punishment, over time, become familiar not only with the tools of their trade, but also how much a human could take. They learn how hard or how much is needed to extract information. We may not approve of their duties, but to these people it remains their work. They hold nothing personal against the person being punished. This is also needed, because being personally involved could push them too far and so blind them.”

  “You think the person who did this could have been genuinely angry at this person?” The High Priest asked.

  “No,” Neti said shaking her head. “What I am saying is that this person knows the tools they used, but they are not very experienced in their application, or at least not for extracting information.”

  The men looked at her in confusion.

  “Both of you are familiar with the practice of burning out the eyes of those considered mad.”

  Both men nodded, with the High Priest responding, “It is one of the more common treatments to correct the addled mind.”

  “Then you will also know that if it is done incorrectly it will kill a person.”

  Both men remained silent for some time before Shabaka spoke, “Even knowing that does not help us much. It does not even give us a place to start looking for answers.”

  Neti nodded and turned to collect up the bunched sheet and turned to cast it over the body. “We shall report to Ramesses our findings,” she said turning to the High Priest. Shabaka appeared shocked and was about to say something when Neti again spoke, “Thank you for your assistance, High Priest, but we are done here now.” Neti held out her hand for the papyrus scroll, which the priest handed to her before taking his leave.

  Once he had left Shabaka turned to her and asked, “What was that all about?”

  “He does not need to know everything.”

  “No, I’m talking about the Ramesses bit. We never account to him when we are dealing with such matters, only once we are done.”

  Neti looked at Shabaka, “I know, but he doesn’t. And, besides, I thought it best to remind him who we answer to.”

  “What did he say in my absence?”

  “He questioned some of Ramesses decisions and governance.” Neti said, haphazardly adding, “I did not want to get involved.”

  Shabaka tilted his head slightly as he looked at her.

  “I’m not going there. We’ve had enough experience with the High Priest of Amun in Thebes.”

  Shabaka just nodded.

  “How did it go with Ramesses and the trail today?” Neti asked turning back to the implements on the table.

  “Ramesses sentenced him to the mines of Aswan.”

  Neti started placing some of the implements in a bowl, but said nothing in response.

  “You do not approve?” Shabaka asked.

  “It is not for me to approve or disapprove. He did not perform the work given to him, thus he is punished with slave labor. I can see the reasoning in that.”

  “Then what is it?”

  “I’m trying to come to terms with how something so gruesome could be done to a man who seemingly intended no one any harm.”

  Shabaka looked at her in confusion, however understood when Neti pointed to the body on the platform.

  “He is in himself a question that needs an answer. And maybe in doing so, we will find those responsible.”

  “What do you mean?” Shabaka asked.

  Neti for a moment halted her cleaning before answering, “We need to discover his name, where he lives, and when he was last seen. And for that, we need only to return where we both suspects he worked.”

  “The master craft hall.” Shabaka said.

  “Yes, we only need a good enough reason to return there.” Neti said.

  “His death will give us ample reason to snoop around and ask questions.” Shabaka said, turning to Neti. “Come, I will help you clean up here and then we can plan our approach.”

  9

  Chapter Nine

  The following morning Neti and Shabaka arrived at the master craft hall. From appearances, little had changed. It was only as the Master Craftsman approached, with his demeanor already conveying his reluctance that one could conclude any problems.

  “I do not have time today for your asinine questions.” The man said as manner of greeting. “I have far greater concerns to tend to today.”

  “What may those be?” Shabaka asked.

  “One of my best gold workers has not returned from his day off, and I need several sheets of thin gold to continue with a commission.”

  Shabaka looked at Neti for a moment but then turned his attention to the Master Craftsman, and asked, “Could you describe this man to us?”

  The Master Craftsman looked from Neti to Shabaka before answering their question with one of his own, “What part of I do not have time for your inane questions did you not understand?”

  “Oh, we comprehend your question well enough,” Shabaka said acidly. “You, however have no idea as to why we are here. And neither have you enquired as to the reason of our visit. If I were to be blunt I would say you are rather boorish.”

  The Master Craftsman looked somewhat chided as Neti calmly said, “We are investigating the murder of a man we suspect may be one of your craftsmen.”

  The Master Craftsman looked at her in surprise and shook his head before answering, “That cannot be. My men would never involve themselves in any forbidden activities for which they would be murdered.”

  “Thus I ask you again, please describe the man you are missing. If it is not the one murdered, he will be viewed as a suspect.” Shabaka insisted.

  The Master Craftsman looked from Neti to Shabaka before replying, “Geris was over five cubits high with a developed upper body, some scarring on the arms from his time as a smelter. He was one of the best gold beaters I had, he could beat gold until it was as thin as a horse’s hair.”

  “Was he bald and had a prominent nose?”

  “The Master Craftsman thought it over for several moments before nodding, “Yes, he was somewhat bald and some would say he had a prominent nose.”

  “He’s dead.” Shabaka stated.

  “What! How?” The M
aster Craftsman demanded, shocked.

  “That is what we hope to establish.” Shabaka said.

  “Does he have any family?” Neti asked.

  The Master Craftsman thought it over for a moment, even appeared hesitant, and then shook his head, “Not that I know of. His wife and firstborn were taken by the plague while the city was still being built. As far as I know, he never took another wife.”

  “Does anyone here know where he lived?” Shabaka asked, however added at the master craftsman’s confused expression. “We will need to go through everything as part of the investigation.”

  “But certainly a craftsman’s death does not fall within your scope of duties.” The Master Craftsman said.

  “Until such time as the pharaoh requires our services elsewhere, we are to investigate his murder.” Shabaka flatly stated.

  “He was murdered?” The Master Craftsman asked, shocked.

  “You seem genuinely surprised.” Shabaka countered the man.

  The Master Craftsman shook his head before replying, “He was not the sort that would go looking for trouble.”

  “Have you known him long?” Neti asked.

  “He has been working here since his apprenticeship. He has a long standing work partner who knows where he lives. Perhaps he could be of some help.” The Master Craftsman said before turning and gesturing for them to follow him.

  Shabaka looked about the area as they wove between the various workers. Most of the craftsmen went about their work, with only a few periodical glances.

  The Master Craftsman finally came to a standstill on the far side of the furnaces where men were busy hammering gold. He then loudly shouted, “Kare!”

  The physique man, with rivulets of sweat running down his darkened back, turned to look at the Master Craftsman.

  “These prefects want to speak with you,” The Master Craftsman said indicating to Shabaka and Neti.

  The man looked towards Neti and Shabaka and then to the Master Craftsman before nodding.

  The Master Craftsman turned towards Neti and Shabaka and said, “He does not hear too well, so you will have to speak loudly.”