Eve of the Pharaoh: Historical Adventure and Mystery

by R. M. Schultz

  Torchlight glimmered sporadically within a vast city, but the dark figure had vanished. Disappointment pulled my forehead into my hands.

  “Hurry! Pull me up or I’ll start screaming.”

  Sighing with irritation, I leaned back over and shook my head. “He’s gone.”

  “Goat balls!” she cursed and stomped her foot.

  “We can’t possibly find him out there.”

  “Follow me then!” Mutnedjmet said, spinning around. “I need to tell you something.”

  After lowering myself down, we crept through the night. Sweet incense from the gardens thickened before the silhouettes of trees and shrubs rose out of the moonlit desert. Grabbing my hand, Mutnedjmet guided me. We skirted around flowers and plants to the edge of a pool, the water like a mirror. Sitting on the bank, she slipped her sandals off and dipped her toes in the water. The crystal reflection of the moon and sky rippled. Fish darted away, their shiny scales gliding beneath the surface like shooting stars.

  “The garden’s concealed,” Mutnedjmet said. “More guards are on night watch, but they’re more scared of plague and pestilence than people.”

  Sitting down beside her, I asked, “Nefertiti or Beketaten didn’t come out with you?”

  “You’ll be disappointed to know,” she folded her little arms, “your love is sound asleep, as is Beketaten. I’ll have to do for now.” Tears brimmed in her soft eyes before trickling down her nose. “I miss Thutmose.” Sniffing, she wiped the droplets away.

  “I miss my father,” I said. “He’s all I ever had. Did they burn him?” I squeezed my eyes shut, as if the action would shield me from the answer.

  “No.” She took my hand in hers. “Not yet, but they will tomorrow. The purification ceremony was today.”

  I almost shouted in relief, but gnawing stress chewed at my stomach. “Where’s his body?”

  “Heavily guarded, and they won’t reveal the location.”

  We sat in silence, staring into the wavering pool.

  “How is Nefertiti?” I asked.

  “She walks like she carries the cargo of two donkeys, her mood even more sour.”

  My heart twisted in anguish.

  “She was betrothed to Thutmose.”

  “What?” My jaw fell open in utter shock. No, that couldn’t have been. I’d have known something so important about her. For royalty, marrying a cousin was not so strange, but it was not allowed among the common people.

  “The magician’s been acting strange, too,” she said, not addressing my surprise. “No wonder we couldn’t find him. He’s only been seen once in the last week or so, to inspect your father’s room. It’s like he disappeared.”

  I saw him! He had visited and warned me about the doctor. Perhaps I shouldn’t tell her yet—and I’d better not mention that I’d seen the cloaked figure in the magician’s lab, either.

  “Akhenaten’s distant, even more so than usual. But apart from Pharaoh, no one has more power. He’ll become the god-king.” Her face paled even under the moonlight.

  By the Aten! Motive dawned on my naïve brain. Akhenaten desired nothing more than to become God himself, the immortal. What if the entire plague was a lie? “Do you trust Akhenaten?” I asked, scrutinizing her reaction.

  Mutnedjmet grimaced as she kicked the water. “No, he’s done terrible things to me, too.”

  Repulsion churned my guts. I’d have to save Nefertiti from him. “Do you think he could have anything to do with this plague? Or could the deaths have been murders?”

  Gasping, her eyes grew larger than the fish’s in the pond. “I wouldn’t doubt he’s capable, but through a plague? How?” She took an uncharacteristic deep breath and spoke more slowly. “Akhenaten had the most to gain, but he’d also have to have the Divine’s favor in order to ascend as the immortal god-king. He must deserve it, at least in the eyes of God.”

  “What if he performed dark magic to usurp the throne? But why my father? And how did that relate to Thutmose?”

  Her almond eyes wandered in circles, something playing out in her head. Suspicion crept into her tone. “Maybe he needed to test out his plague … or perhaps your father knew something. A disease that only killed his older brother may seem suspiciously coincidental. Maybe your father’s death would make you more obedient, as you have no other family.”

  Her words stung, but the inquisitive girl spoke the truth. Looking away, I fought off tears.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, cupping my shoulder.

  Rage boiled deep inside. If Akhenaten murdered Father, I’d avenge him. But how could I take vengeance on someone so powerful, someone who arose from death?

  “I have to find out if my father was murdered, and if so, who’s responsible,” I said, punching my knee. Perhaps I didn’t kill Father by cursing the Aten that night. “If Akhenaten’s summoning a curse, we have to stop him. Then I have to save my father’s soul.”

  “I’ll help,” she said, the pitch of her voice rising as the vacant haze in her eyes vanished. “But how?”

  “Did you see Thutmose’s body?”

  “Not up close,” she said, squinting. “They wouldn’t let me near him after they knew, but his eyes were red—”

  “The same as my father’s! We have to see the body!”

  Mutnedjmet leaned away. “If you’re caught desecrating the body of the son of the Aten, you’ll be put to death on the spot.”

  “They’re considering burning me already,” I said. “If his wounds are the same as my father’s, it’ll prove the deaths are related. If not …”

  “Wouldn’t the plague kill the same way every time?”

  “Probably, but Akhenaten might not,” I said. “What else can we do? Wait and try to catch him in the act if he tries to kill again?”

  “He might not need to keep killing.” She kicked the water again, distorting the moon and rolling its light over the uneven surface. “Today Akhenaten publicly declared himself the co-regent of the kingdom, alongside Pharaoh. Amenhotep seemed indifferent. His body is withering, even if his ka and ba are immortal. It won’t be long until an ailment strikes him.”

  “Perhaps longer than Akhenaten would like?”

  “Father says Amenhotep’s so broken up by the twist of fate and the death of his favorite son that he’s incoherent and has made no attempt to halt Akhenaten’s ambitions. Akhenaten already directed palace affairs today—”

  “Has anyone tried to stop him?” I asked, anxiety escalating within me like the rising sun.

  Removing her feet from the water, she clutched her knees to her chest and shivered. “Why would they? The doctor diagnosed Thutmose with plague, silencing any murder suspicions. I can try to convince Father to talk to Pharaoh, but Amenhotep won’t take counsel right now. And Aunt Tiye’s beside herself …” Mutnedjmet stood up. “I have a hunch as to where they may’ve taken Thutmose, but none of the living should ever go there.”

  My stomach clenched with dread and curiosity, a wave of nausea washing over me.

  She led the way through brush, brambles, and darkness as we snuck to the palace’s perimeter wall. With her assistance, I scaled the white fortification. After hoisting her up and over, we headed deep into the sleeping city.

  “Where’re we going?” I whispered.

  “I’m not allowed to speak of it.” She held a finger to her lips as we crept by the doorway of a small house. “We went there years ago, after another family member died.”

  Trailing Mutnedjmet through lamp-lit streets lined with houses and shops, I became lost. We lowered our heads when passing a strolling man, and quickened our pace when nearing a group of adolescent males. They had gathered together in a circle, yelling and cursing. The smell of baked bread intertwined with dust and wafting body odor. Three children ran screaming out of a house. They stopped when they saw us and stared, their faces stained with food.

  What seemed like hours later, the buildings parted and a vast expanse of darkness opened into the west. My eyes adjusted. The massive whi
te walls of Memphis circled beyond the void. Scattered rings of firelight marked the inner side of the barrier.

  Mutnedjmet pointed to the silhouette of an enormous temple. A roof lay atop its pillars.

  “There’s a dark temple in Memphis?” I asked. I had never seen or heard of this place.

  Nodding, she retrieved an oil lamp that was burning outside a house. Then she stepped out into the abyss. “We all have our dark secrets. Stay in the shadows. If someone comes, run or hide. They’ll only see me, and I’ll tell them I wanted to see my cousin.”

  Her ring of light stood out like a beacon upon the dark desert. My heart rate quickened and drops of sweat formed on my forehead, but my limbs turned cold. Walking away from the lights of the city, countless stars emerged upon the encompassing sky. I was only one of millions, a tiny part of an infinite whole. How could I ever hope to accomplish anything?

  After traversing a dirt and rock courtyard, stone steps emerged from the ground. The temple dominated the celestial night, blotting out the heavens. Insignificance came over me like a single worker ant before the hill. I couldn’t move.

  “Those who defy fate die or lead miserable lives,” I said, the code of the kingdom sounding in my mind. Breathing came in shallow gulps as my chest tightened in fear.

  “Follow me,” Mutnedjmet said. “We won’t do anything of the sort. Plus, fate wouldn’t even know what to do with warriors as powerful as we are.” Grinning, she ascended the outer steps and tugged me along. We wound between pillars of ancient stone—ten times thicker than me. A shadowing roof extended overhead as we penetrated deeper and deeper into the occult sanctuary. My heart drummed louder and louder.

  Mutnedjmet stopped in her tracks. A faint light shifted through an opening ahead.

  “They’re still here,” she whispered. Brushing tangled hair behind small ears, she crept to the edge of a doorway. She peeked into the room, gasped, and stumbled backward.

  Journal Translation

  LYING UPON A ROCK SLAB in the center of the inner chamber was the body. But beneath twisting shadows, several humanoid creatures roamed about. They weren’t in shadow; they had the heads of black jackals. My throat constricted and spasmed as I gasped for air, unable to move or look away.

  These beings performed rituals of wafting smoke and rubbing cleansing agents on the dead. A sickening smell of caustic liquids and heavy incense floated through the darkness, along with whimpering.

  “By the Aten!” I fell to my knees, crushing Father’s bracelet in my grip.

  “Shhh!” Mutnedjmet put a finger to her lips.

  A creature yanked a multi-lobed organ from the abdomen of the corpse, inspected the brown tissue, and dropped it into an animal-headed jar. The tissue slipped inside the vessel with a moist sucking noise. Something heaved inside me and my stomach fought to let loose. Ducking behind the doorway, I clamped a hand over my mouth.

  “It’s them!” Mutnedjmet whispered. “Mummy Makers. They prepare bodies for the afterlife. Those who have laid eyes on them do not live to speak of it!”

  “Monsters?”

  Mutnedjmet giggled. “Just stories. They’re priests wearing masks … I think.” She strummed a lock of hair with her fingertip. “When I was a child I heard stories about jackal-headed monsters looking after the dead. They keep to themselves, never interacting with the living. I don’t believe these people want anyone unmasking their true identity.”

  Fake beasts looking after the dead? Shuddering in horror, the moisture drained from my mouth. This couldn’t be true … but with my experiences recently, I couldn’t dismiss the notion.

  “If you want to examine Thutmose, you’ll have to do it before the Opening of the Mouth ritual. After that the body will have been treated with so many chemicals and rubs and wraps you won’t be able to tell much.”

  “How long until the Opening of the Mouth?”

  She shrugged. “I heard about it years ago: the most important ceremony to allow the deceased to breathe, speak, and eat in the next life. Without it, they’d never pass the trials.”

  “So these jackal-men actually help people?”

  “But they’re supposed to be from the underworld, helping men arrive so they can do who-knows-what with their souls.”

  My tongue curled at the thought.

  Grabbing my shoulder, she whispered, “You have to see Thutmose’s body. Tonight!”

  “There’re in there cutting out his insides!”

  “We don’t have the luxury of waiting to see if the Mummy Makers leave before daybreak. You have to get back to your room, or you’ll be burned.”

  “But they could be dangerous.” I backed away. “If they catch us disturbing their mummy …” Vivid images of being torn to pieces by a pack of jackals with human bodies sent shivers coursing through my spine.

  “A commotion too intriguing to resist?” Mutnedjmet’s face turned as white as the walls of the palace. “I hope they don’t catch me.” Standing, she held her lamp aloft. “You’d better go in.” She raced back into the darkness of the temple before I could stop her.

  Torchlight sprang to life in a distant hall, followed by another and another. Mutnedjmet screamed, “By the power of the Aten I will burn this temple! Bathe it in light! Let the sun raze it to the ground!” A sputtering torch clattered to the floor at the far end of a long hallway.

  Her yelling would’ve caught the attention of the dead.

  Creatures burst out with a bang as the door slammed against the wall. My eyes squeezed shut with fright. Heat emanated from their sprinting bodies, their mouths panting like dogs. I didn’t dare move from my crouched position in the dark, but cracked an eye open.

  Dark robes billowed around tall, sinewy figures with black jackal heads. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as torchlight glinted in their yellow eyes. Issuing beast-like grunts and barks, the pack sprinted off. I prayed Mutnedjmet had run out into the desert, back to the city. If these creatures could follow scent like a dog, hiding wouldn’t be an option.

  Within the hazy chamber the body rested, alone. Burning guilt seared the pit of my stomach. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if Mutnedjmet was harmed, especially if I didn’t do my part. I crept inside. The combination of sweet incense mixing with medicinal rubs sickened me. An array of bloodied surgical instruments sat upon the slab. Jars lay scattered about, filled with organs or liquids emitting odors so strong they burnt the inside of my nose. The body of Thutmose lay still, a gaping hole in his upper abdomen. Two incisions ran on either side of his disfigured nose, penetrating deep into unknown tissues. My pulse thundered in my ears.

  Grabbing his rigid jaw, I forced it open. Animal-like barks and screeches echoed. My hands shook as I examined the orifice, identifying punctures in the tongue. But no blood trickled out. Was his blood drained by the Mummy Makers? Opening the prince’s eyelids revealed snaking red vessels upon the whites. I moved down to his legs. No marks stood out. The hole in his belly and those on his face wouldn’t be caused by the plague, but the monsters used incisions to remove organs.

  Lifting a stiff leg revealed black and yellow circles across the back of his calf. Hidden in the crook of his knee, dark lines extended upward. The same marks as Father’s.

  The yipping outside amplified like jackals after a kill, raising goose bumps along my arms. Hopefully Mutnedjmet had escaped.

  A vicious snarl erupted behind me. The face of a beast stared, saliva stringing from its curled lips in waist deep strands. No human hid behind a mask! Sheer terror paralyzed me. But the monster lumbered forward, its fetid breath suffocating. Was it my time to die? The beast’s heaving panting warmed the confined space as its flat footfalls slapped stone.

  Crouching at the far end of the slab, something shiny caught my eye. A curved knife sat in a pool of drying blood. Snatching it with trembling fingers, I peeled the handle out of the caking liquid.

  The beast stepped closer, peeking around the corner of the slab. My entire body quaked with fear as this thing
stared, an inferno burning behind sunken eyes. It snarled and a string of bubbling spit splattered onto the floor. Death surrounded me.

  I sprinted for the exit. But the beast moved faster. As it reached out with a human hand, I drove the knife deep into the webbing between two knuckles. The tip plunged through its palm and the creature yelped, dropping and sprawling across the floor.

  Barreling through shadowy passageways, my pounding footfalls echoed. Several monsters wandered distant halls, turning to pursue me. Their yipping intensified again. I’d never make it outside. Statues lined the chamber I raced through, a sputtering torch on the wall. The eternal stone eyes of men, animals, and animal heads atop human bodies stared. Beside a shadow-laden bird of prey, the stone head of a man relaxed, turned, and glared directly at me. Its eyes glimmered. I twisted and jumped away in shock, bounding on. All of the eyes in the room followed me! Was my mind playing tricks? Would I wake up at any moment?

  A side passage opened up in the wall to my left. Turning, I froze. Sniffing filled the stagnant air, followed by heavy breathing. A jackal-beast stood down the hall, its back to me. Dragging long fingernails against the wall, the grinding created an ear-piercing screech. The roots of my teeth tingled and ached with the sickening noise.

  Taking a slow step back toward the hall of statues, I held my breath. Perhaps I’d have a better chance in there. My sandal settled on the ground, and the beast froze, its pointed ears perking up as its head tilted to the side. I stopped. The sniffing returned and the beast slowly rotated. I bolted as a low growl erupted. Crashing into something, I went tumbling. Another creature smashed into a statue, snarling as it fell. Barreling on, barking erupted from the shadows at my heels.

  The hall opened up, pillars soaring overhead as the snarls closed in. Leaping from the top of the stairs, I plummeted and collided with the desert floor. Blood-curdling yips carried into the open night.

  Sprinting toward the city, I glanced back. Three beasts launched themselves from the temple, covering more distance than me. They landed with terrifying thuds, soon to be upon me—a pack of jackals descending upon a single rodent. I’d be torn limb from limb. Hope left me completely as I gasped for air.