Fall of the House of Ramesses, Book 2: Seti

by Max Overton

  They drank, and Bay commented on the wine, praising it. Seti nodded. "From the Royal Vineyards. Now tell me, Chancellor Bay, how is your nephew Siptah? Have you word of him?"

  Bay hesitated. "No, Son of Re. He is in Khent-Min, under the protection of Menm...of your brother...and I have not heard anything for nearly a year."

  "How was he then, a strong lad? He'll have been...what? Six years old?"

  "Seven, Son of Re. Eight by now, but not strong, my lord. He was born with a withered leg and though he can walk, he limps badly. I fear he will never be a soldier."

  "Well, we'll see. He can always ride in a chariot providing his arms are strong. He is my nephew, you know, as well as yours."

  "Yes, my lord."

  "I will not see him suffer for who his father is. I will find him duties suitable to his station and abilities."

  "Y...you are most generous, my lord."

  "Nonsense," Seti cried. "What sort of a king would I be if I waged war on children? Is that not right, my beloved?"

  "Indeed, husband," Tausret confirmed with a gentle smile. "And speaking of children, I am hopeful that my lord will soon have a son of his own to provide for."

  Seti stared at his queen. "You are with child? How long have you known?"

  "Not long, my beloved. The physicians declare I am healthy and carrying a boy."

  "Let us pray to all the gods that is so," Ament said.

  "I shall offer up a sacrifice of thanksgiving at the altars of Min and Mut myself," Bay added.

  They drank again in celebration, and then the servants offered food, goose and beef, fine-ground bread, lettuce, radishes and onions, dates, cucumbers and melons. The king ate heartily, engaging Bay in talk while Tausret drew Ament to one side.

  "You are well, my friend?"

  "I am indeed, my lady." He fingered the gold bracelet on his left arm. "Do I have you to thank for my reward and appointment?"

  "Not in the slightest. Setnakhte commented on your bravery and how you saved the day with your archers. As soon as the king heard, he knew what he should do."

  "Well, I thank you anyway, my lady."

  "I was sorry to pull you away from your duties as Overseer of Vineyards in Per-Bast," Tausret went on. "Your boys are well? The slaves from Timna? What were their names...Jer something, I think, was one of them. Outlandish Retenu names."

  "Jerem and Ephrim, my lady. They are well, and help me in my work."

  "And your sister Ti-ament? How is she getting on with that Kaftor husband of hers?"

  Ament grinned. "She and Zeben have three children now, a boy and two girls."

  "And yourself? Have you found some nice girl to warm your bed?"

  "None worth more than a tumble, my lady." Ament saw the look on the queen's face and hurried on. "I'm not the type to settle down, my lady. All I need is my duty, my food and drink, and an occasional girl when the need strikes me. I'm a soldier, plain and simple."

  "Never plain and simple, Ament." Tausret looked pensive, and chewed on a piece of bread in silence for a few moments. "I have need of a loyal soldier."

  "I am yours to command, my lady. As always."

  "It might be dangerous."

  Ament shrugged. "More dangerous than war?"

  "And it would take you from your duties as legion commander."

  "That is more difficult. Userkheperure appointed me; I cannot cease my duties without his permission."

  "I will arrange that."

  "Then tell me what I must do, my lady."

  "What is the biggest threat to Kemet and the Ma'at of my husband's reign?"

  "Menmire...your pardon, my lady. The southern usurper."

  "Do not be afraid to call him by his throne name...except perhaps in front of my husband," she added with a smile. "I once refused to think of him by that name, but Messuwy was anointed king by the Hem-netjer of Amun and I suppose has a right to be called Menmire, even though Roma-Rui was deposed as Hem-netjer and there was already a king of Kemet. But you are right; his presence disturbs Ma'at. He must be removed."

  "That is what we are all trying to do, my lady. Unfortunately, he sits in Waset while Sethi ventures out with his Kushite army. Perhaps if we can carry the war down into Ta Shemau, we may be able to tempt him out."

  "Meanwhile, the common people of Kemet suffer."

  "That is always the way of war, my lady."

  "We must bring it to an end, for everyone's sake."

  "Of course, but how? We are already doing what we can, legion against legion."

  "Sometimes a single man can achieve what an army cannot."

  Ament frowned. "I am not sure I discern your meaning, my lady."

  "A single man with a pot of poisoned cream struck down Baenre. Perhaps another man can strike down Menmire and put an end to the war."

  Ament stared. "You would have me become an assassin? I have no knowledge of poisons."

  "There are other methods, but can you think of a better way to swiftly end this war? Our armies are evenly matched after three years. Must Kemet suffer for another three...or even thirty?"

  "But...I am known to many people."

  Tausret smiled. "Take off your jewellery, your badges of office, and put on an ordinary workman's kilt and you would blend into any crowd of men. You once sailed upriver with a boy and girl, so I know you can do it. The question is...will you?"

  Ament hesitated. "If you ask it of me, my lady, but as I said before, the king has commanded me to take up the Set legion. I cannot disobey him."

  "I will ask him to let you return to your home for a month before taking up your command. He will grant it, and that will give you time to sail south and kill Menmire."

  "But to kill an anointed king..."

  "Anointed by a false Hem-netjer. The gods will look kindly on the restoration of Ma'at."

  Ament did not look convinced. "If you say so, my lady, but...well, let me take the Set legion upriver in barges and we can strike at the heart of the rebellion in an honourable way."

  "No. We have tried the army way. It is time we tried something subtler. A single man silently walking the streets of Waset, moving through the rooms of the palace like a servant, may strike the usurper dead where legions have failed."

  Ament considered the notion for some little while as he chewed on fatty goose meat and bit into a crisp onion. "Very well, my lady, I will try it," he said at last.

  Tausret clapped her hands in delight, attracting the attention of several servants who hurried toward her. She waved them away. "Excellent. I shall issue instructions that everyone is to assist you in whatever you need."

  "Please say nothing to anyone, my lady...except the king, of course. I will slip away quietly in a day or two, after making a show of going home. The fewer people who guess my destination, the less chance there is of betrayal."

  Chapter 33

  Year 4 of Userkheperure Seti

  Year 3 of Menmire Amenmesse

  A few days after the ceremony where Setnakhte was awarded his gold chain, news came to Men-nefer of such importance that Tjaty Hori felt the need to interrupt the king as he took his leisure in the palace gardens. He hurried along the paths; his sandaled feet crunching in the fine gravel, one hand holding his long robe aloft so he would not trip on it and the other making sure his ornate wig of state did not slip on his shaved head. The king sat under a tamarind tree near a reed-lined pool with his queen, talking and holding hands, and Hori hesitated to disturb their peace. Then he took a deep breath and plunged forward. At once, guards who had been previously unseen in the shadows, leapt out with spears levelled and challenged him.

  "It is all right, Re-It, Paner, you may let my Tjaty through," Seti called, turning and rising to his feet. "Come, Hori, what is the matter? I can't remember when I saw you so flustered."

  Tausret rose too and cocked her head on one side as Hori bowed. "Is it the rebels?" she asked. "Have they broken through?"

  "No, my lady," Hori said. "Iurudef has them bottled up south of Khent-Min.
"

  "Then what?" Seti asked.

  "Grandsons of Usermaatre again, Son of Re. They think to take advantage of the unrest and seize the throne of Ta Mehu."

  "Like Meryre," Tausret said with a laugh. "And look what happened to him. Head on a spike for a month and then fed to the crocodiles."

  Seti joined in the laughter. "Yes, my Queen is veritably a lion of Kemet...or should I say lioness? Perhaps I should have that title appended to your others in the temples."

  "Forgive me, Son of Re...my lady...," Hori said. "The present threat is nothing like that of Meryre. Without wishing to detract from your victory, my lady, Meryre led a thousand peasants. These two, Ramses and Meryma'at are both grandsons of Pareherwenemef, actually command trained men. Their armies are small, but you will need to recall a legion to answer them."

  "Pareherwenemef?" Seti asked. "He died even before Khaemwaset, and I thought without issue."

  "He had a daughter called Nefertari, and she had sons by a nonentity. One of them, Ratep I think, gave birth to these two brothers who have estates on opposite sides of Ta Mehu."

  "No claim at all then. Leave them alone and they'll lose interest."

  Hori bared his teeth in a semblance of a smile. "They both like to say they are sons of Usermaatre, but Pareherwenemef was never in the line of succession and the blood is well diluted now. They have no support outside their own men, and hope to take advantage of unrest in the kingdoms." Hori hesitated and then continued, picking his words with care. "Forgive me, Son of Re, but you should take this threat seriously. If you leave them alone, others will take heart from your inaction. Show any sign of weakness, and other nobles could join their rebellion. You must crush them completely, and at once, and for that you will need at least one legion drawn either from the south or the northern borders."

  "Two brothers, you say?" Seti asked. "How do they plan to rule? Who is to be king?"

  Hori shrugged. "Meryma'at is the elder and has the larger army. I imagine he intends to make his brother Tjaty under him."

  "You say they have trained men," Tausret said. "How trained and how many?"

  "Ramses has about two hundred veterans settled in the northwest, north of Perire, and can command another five hundred peasants. So far he has not moved from his lands, but I expect he will march southeast soon and try to meet up with his brother. Meryma'at has somewhat more men, maybe as many as a thousand, and is on the move south from Djanet. Most of his force is military men with a number of mercenaries of the Sea Peoples."

  "Chariots?" Seti asked.

  "None."

  "And what forces have we around Men-nefer?"

  "Not enough, Son of Re. A few hundred men recovering from wounds..."

  "How many able to fight?"

  Hori shrugged. "Two hundred? Three?"

  "Plus the Medjay," Tausret said. "They served me well before."

  "Against peasants," Seti observed.

  "I would be prepared to take them out against these pretenders," Tausret said.

  "I was not here then, wife of my heart, or I would not have permitted it. What's more, you are with child. No, I will take what men we have and march to meet Meryma'at, he seems the more immediate threat. If I can get to him before his brother joins him, I can smash the rebels individually."

  "You will still be much outnumbered," Hori said.

  "I shall send a messenger north to the border, ordering a legion down. I shall catch Meryma'at between two armies and crush him."

  Seti started striding off, caught up in the excitement of a new war, but Tausret ran to catch him up. "Let me take a small force of Medjay and at least delay Ramses. If he reaches his brother before you, their army will be too strong."

  "Obey me in this, my love. I will not risk you and our child. Stay safe here in Men-nefer until I return."

  Tausret heard the harshness in her husband's voice and lowered her head, saying no more. She knew that if she pushed, he would extract a promise from her or institute a direct command for Hori to keep her back. Without such a promise or command, the possibilities were more numerous.

  As soon as the king got back inside the palace with Hori at his heels, he was barking orders, sending servants scurrying to find army officers and stores, stirring up the ants' nest that was the palace and the city. He sent messengers north to the border, both by river and road, exhorting Commander Disebek to bring the Heru legion south, leaving only the forts between the northern enemy and the rich lands of Ta Mehu. It was a gamble, but one that Seti felt he had to make. If the gods were on his side, all would be well.

  Priests ran to berate the ears of the gods, and within a day, Seti had taken himself across the river to where the wounded soldiers were recuperating. Physicians examined every man, and if he was capable of holding a spear and walking, he was pressed into service. Army officers scoured the city and towns for other men, even conscripting artisans and farmers, in an effort to swell the ranks, and three days after the news had reached his ears, Userkheperure Seti marched north along the Great Military Road toward the elder of the two rebelling brothers.

  The dust kicked up by Seti's army still hung in the air, when Tausret started issuing her own orders. Neferhotep marshalled the palace guards, and Usertem's Medjay volunteered to a man to join the Queen's army. Everyone remembered the previous expedition and wanted to share in the spoils of another campaign.

  "Strip the palace and city of every man," Tausret instructed. "There are so few men left that there will be no crime while we are away."

  Each commander calculated the forces at his disposal. "Eighty guards, fully armed and ready," Neferhotep reported.

  "Two hundred Medjay, but only half armed with spears," Usertem added. "The others have their staff of office."

  "It will have to do. Go now and prepare your men. We leave at daybreak."

  As expected, Hori objected to the Queen's plan, but there was little he could do. The king had not instructed him to prevent the queen from leaving, nor from hindering her in any way. Furthermore, the palace guard had already enlisted in her army, so nobody would be obeying a mere Tjaty. He capitulated with as much grace as he could muster, and looked the other way as the tiny force marched out the next day, heading north on the western side of the river as they strove to intercept the men of the younger rebel.

  Tausret rode in one of the two chariots the king had left behind, sending the other one ahead to scout the land and find the rebels. A day after they left Men-nefer, not long before sunset, the scout reported back that the rebels had been sighted preparing to cross the river branch. Tausret picked up the pace of her little army, determined to reach Ramses before he took his army out of reach. She made it while his army was split, some on the western bank, some on the eastern, and as they came in sight, Ramses' men shouted an alarm and formed up in a semicircle to protect their comrades embarking in dozens of tiny boats.

  Guard Commander Neferhotep frowned as he scanned the ranks of soldiers facing them. "I don't like it, my lady," he said quietly. "They look experienced, though there are several grey heads among them."

  Usertem pointed toward the river. "Whatever we do, we'd best do now," he said. "They're starting to bring some men back."

  Neferhotep nodded. "I think we could just take this lot now, but not if they get reinforcements."

  "Sound the horns for attack, my lady? We have not got long before nightfall."

  Tausret had also been scrutinising the soldiers facing her and knew Ramses was a far more formidable foe than had been Meryre. She doubted her little army could defeat even these few rebels on the near side of the river, let alone the others if they recrossed the water.

  "No," she said. "Let's try something else first. Send a man forward under a flag of truce and say that Queen Tausret desires to talk with Ramses son of Ratep."

  "Forgive me, my lady," Neferhotep said, "but I think that's a mistake. You're only giving them time to ship more men back. A quick throw of the dice now and we could win this."

&nbs
p; "At the cost of how many good Kemetu lives? We only have to delay them long enough to prevent them joining with Meryma'at before the king can destroy him."

  Neferhotep sent a herald forward under a flag of truce and both armies watched as he spoke with an officer of the forces of Ramses. The officer turned and walked back into his own lines but returned shortly to give his commander's answer. Neferhotep's herald reported that Ramses had agreed to meet Tausret, and had offered the hospitality of his command tent, provided she came alone. If not, then he would fight her here on the banks of the river.

  "We have waited too long," Usertem said morosely. "He's brought most of his fighting men back over to our side."

  "Then my plan is already working," Tausret said. "We have delayed him for a fifth part of a day. Let's see if I can make it longer by talking with him."

  "You're not seriously thinking of accepting his invitation, are you my lady? You'll be putting yourself completely in his power."

  "I'll be safe enough...I think. I doubt he'll risk the goodwill of common men by waging war on a woman."

  Neferhotep turned away, muttering something about the gullibility of women, but Tausret chose to not hear. She called for her chariot and took the reins herself, guiding it through her own men and across the narrow strip of pasture toward Ramses' men. They drew aside as she approached and closed ranks behind her, preventing her from escaping if she changed her mind. She approached the shore and an officer stepped forward to grasp the horses' bridles and halt the chariot.

  Tausret stayed in the vehicle, looking around her until she spotted a man standing by the only tent that had been erected near the river. He approached and inclined his head toward her.

  "Lady Tausret, you are welcome in my tent."

  "I do not know you. Who addresses me?"

  "I am Ramses, son of Ratep, descended from Pareherwenemef, third son of the great Usermaatre himself. You are welcome, cousin. Will you not alight and have a cup of wine with me?"