by Max Overton
"It is the king's gold--no matter who the king is. You have not given up on seeing Seti-Merenptah on the throne?"
"Userkheperure's son should succeed him," Tausret said. "I have not given up on him, but I cannot see how to implement it just yet."
Ament looked around carefully to make sure they were not overheard. The cacophony by the monkey cage died away as the boys ran off laughing, while the overseer followed, threatening to tell their fathers.
"Siptah's rule was only ever meant to be temporary," he said. "Elevate him now."
"He is too young."
"Too young to rule by himself, of course, but not too young to rule with you as regent. Siptah is also too young, so what is the difference?"
"The difference is that Siptah is now seen as an able king. Since the war with the Ribu..."
"The war with bandits and criminals in the pay of Bay, you mean," interrupted Ament.
Tausret glared at Ament for a few moments. "Maybe it is as you say, but Kemet sees him as a warrior king. There are even inscriptions to that effect, so it must be right."
Ament's hope of igniting emotion in his Queen's heart by interrupting her, faded. "Seti-Merenptah..."
"...is only four years old," Tausret snapped. "I know what you are doing, Ament, but my choices are limited. If I am to raise my son to the throne early, I must show that act as preferable to the alternative. At the moment, it is a choice between a child governed by his mother and a boy on the brink of adulthood who has substantial backing by officials and the army."
"Then remove that choice." Ament moved closer to Tausret and leaned over, murmuring into her ear. "Have Siptah killed. Or Bay...or both. No one will support a dead boy."
"I will not kill Siptah...or have him killed," Tausret said flatly. "Whoever his father was and whatever he did, the boy is innocent of wrongdoing."
"Then have Bay removed. Without his poisonous whisperings and treasonous acts, Siptah comes under your control again."
"Removing Bay would destroy the last vestige of regard that Siptah holds for me. Besides, Bay is doing no more for Siptah than I try to do for Seti-Merenptah--look after our families."
"Bay has no love for his nephew," Ament scoffed. "He sees him merely as a step to power."
"Perhaps, but Siptah loves him and I won't act against Bay unless there is no other way."
"There is no other way, my lady."
"I cannot believe that. Find a way, Ament. For me."
"An accident, then? I'll remove Bay in such a way that no blame rests at your door."
"No," Tausret said. "I forbid it. I will not have my son gain the throne by wading through blood. Find another way, Ament. That's an order."
Chapter 20
Year 3 of Akhenre Siptah
The northern border erupted into warfare as the Retenu rebelled against the harsh dictates of local Kemetu governors. General of the North Iurudef mobilised the legions and struck back in force, but the rebels melted away in the face of his aggression and when he withdrew, struck again. Iurudef sent messengers speeding south to Men-nefer, carrying reports which bypassed the Queen Regent and were delivered straight to Bay and the king. Bay immediately sent for Commander Besenmut in case there were military terms that needed explanation.
"I welcome the rebellion," Siptah declared. "It is a further opportunity to display my warrior skills."
"No one doubts them, Son of Re," Bay said. "However, we must consider this news carefully before acting."
"What's to consider? They have rebelled, I will crush them utterly and sell their women into slavery."
Bay turned to the army officer. "Commander Besenmut, what do you make of Iurudef's reports?"
Besenmut read through the scrolls again, his lips moving as he struggled with the phrases. "He hasn't had much success, has he? The Retenu are undisciplined but much more mobile than his legions."
"Yes, we know that," Bay said impatiently. "What are we going to do about it?"
"Reinforcements?" Besenmut hazarded.
"I will go up and lead them," Siptah said. "They just need to know their king leads them."
"I have no doubt that would hearten them," Bay replied, "but let us try to see the whole picture before we act."
"What whole picture? They are rebels and deserving of death."
"Indeed, Majesty, but we must decide whether the Kingdoms are best served by your presence on the border, or whether you should merely send more troops."
"I am the victor of Perire. What could be better for the Kingdoms than to see their victorious king once more on the march to the defence of Kemet?"
"You do not need to prove yourself on the field of battle, Majesty," Bay said. "You have amply demonstrated that already. Perhaps you will allow me to point out other considerations?" Siptah nodded, and Bay continued.
"First, Majesty, we are coming up to the hot part of the year, and it will be most uncomfortable on campaign. Flies, dust, heat, inconvenience and discomfort. Why subject yourself to these things when you don't have to? You have already proved yourself a great warrior king. Second, we already have the report of Iurudef that these Retenu rebels are proving hard to destroy. If you go against them, Majesty, and are unable to bring them to battle, you might cause men to lose confidence in their king."
Siptah scowled. "But I cannot just leave them alone, Bay. Then I'd look weak."
"Very true, Majesty. That is why you must send someone in your place to face the Retenu and bring them to heel. If they succeed, it redounds to your glory; if they don't, then you can punish them for failing their duty."
"Who should I send? Besenmut?"
Besenmut looked horrified and appealed silently to Bay, who smiled.
"Besenmut is loyal and it would be unfortunate if he was punished for failure. After all, if Iurudef has already failed, can a single Commander succeed? No, you must send someone whose failure would benefit you."
"Such as?"
"A supporter of the Queen Regent. Any failure on her part weakens her position and strengthens yours."
"Who would you suggest, Uncle?"
"Commander Ament of the Set legion."
"Oh, delightful." Besenmut clapped his hands and uttered a short laugh. "That busybody needs his legs cut out from under him."
"I take it you would not object to Ament failing this assignment, Majesty?" Bay asked.
"I suppose not, though I enjoyed talking to him on campaign...and he did look after me."
"Have no doubt that he is your enemy, Majesty. Whatever he does, he does to further Tausret's ambitions. This campaign is a perfect opportunity to weaken her position."
***
A palace servant brought the message to Commander Ament, pressed it into his hand, bowed and left him to read it. The message was from the king, written by one of the royal scribes, and was to the point, rather than bursting with the usual verbose phrases. Ament read it slowly, forming the words with his lips, and his brow darkened as he read. When he had finished, he swore under his breath, crumpled the message and strode off to find the Queen. He found her in a small chamber off an audience hall, looking over reports from the governors of the southern sepats.
"That son of a whore is getting rid of me," Ament declared, thrusting the crumpled note at Tausret.
The Queen took the note and smoothed it out. "What son of a whore is that?" she asked, a slight smile tugging at her lips.
"Bay, who else? It comes from the king, of course, but I can see his hand in it."
Tausret read the message. "A measure of honour is being offered you, Ament--providing you succeed."
"And if I don't, I'll find myself broken to the ranks. How can I possibly succeed? One legion where three have already failed? It's unrealistic."
"Clever, though," Tausret commented. "The only way Bay can get at me is through my friends and supporters, so he targets you for a difficult assignment, knowing that both of us will be damaged by your inevitable failure."
Ament bowed. "Thank you for be
lieving in me," he said dryly.
"Well, do you honestly think you can do what Iurudef has failed to do? Three legions--Re, Heru, and Shu--failed to bring the Retenu to battle; do you think you can do better with just your Set legion?"
"Why does he limit me to just one legion? I could understand the Set legion being sent up to reinforce the northern legions, but being ordered to do it alone is ridiculous. I'm going to have to appeal the decision. Persuade the king to change his mind."
"I can't see it happening. Bay will control what Siptah says."
"Can't you do anything? You're the Regent."
"I can't overrule the king if Bay supports him," Tausret said. "I might be able to ease your burden a bit though. I could argue for Ptah legion to accompany you."
"No thank you. Besenmut would just be a liability." Ament scuffed at the stone floor with his sandalled feet. "I'll go, and do my best, but the gods are going to have to smile upon my efforts if I hope to live through this."
"How are those boys of yours?"
"Eh? Oh, they're well, thank you. Growing up."
"Take them with you, Ament."
"North?" Ament shook his head. "The army's no place for them. I'm happier for them to learn the management of a vineyard."
"They're Retenu," Tausret observed. "They might be able to offer some insights into the thinking of the rebels."
"All the more reason to leave them behind, my lady. I would not want them to feel they were expected to betray their people."
"Kemetu are their people now. Give them the choice, Ament. They might surprise you."
***
The Set legion was based near Iunu, and Ament sent word that they were to get ready and make their way northeast to Per-Ramesses and wait for him there. He took leave of Tausret and made his way to his estate at Per-Bast, spending a day or two with his sister Ti-ament and her family, and going through the accounts of his vineyard with his adopted sons Jerem and Ephrim.
"I am going to rejoin my legion at Per-Ramesses," Ament told them. "I have been ordered to put down the Retenu rebellion."
The two boys looked at each other. Jerem lifted his eyebrows questioningly and his elder brother Ephrim nodded. "We would accompany you, sir."
"Why? I will be killing members of your tribe. You would be better off out of that."
"Not our tribe, sir," Ephrim protested. "We are Kemetu now."
"And your sons, father," Jerem added. "It is the duty of sons to help their father."
"And their duty to obey their father," Ament said. "If I say you stay behind, you do."
"Please do not order us to do that, sir," Ephrim said. "We desire only to be of service to you. A legion commander must have servants to look after his needs--why not employ us for those duties?"
"Please, father," Jerem begged.
Ament gave in, and two days later they caught a boat for the trip to Per-Ramesses. Once there in the old capital city, Ament spent some time inspecting his legion, soundly castigating his junior officers for real and imagined faults, and putting the men through some rigorous exercises, shaking loose the dust of their recent inactivity. Then, with a baggage train trailing behind them, the Set legion marched north to the border.
General Iurudef read over the orders he had received. "You are to bring the Retenu to battle and destroy them or you are to negotiate with their leaders, but either way you must bring peace to the border." He shook his head. "It doesn't make sense, Commander Ament, but I am expressly forbidden to offer you any help in your mission against the Retenu."
"That was my understanding," Ament replied gloomily.
"I don't know what the king's thinking of," Iurudef went on. "His councillors can't have told him the true situation."
"I think that is the reason. Bay is behind this."
Iurudef looked searchingly at the other man. "This is deliberate? You are being set up to fail? Why? How have you offended him?"
"My only offence is my support of the Queen Regent."
Iurudef grunted. "What will you do?"
"Obey my orders to the best of my ability." Ament shrugged. "After that, it is with the gods."
Ament sent out scouting chariots to scour the land near the border and soon received word of the presence of armed men. He mobilised the Set legion and set off to find them, but as General Iurudef had found, the Retenu did not seem keen on meeting the might of the Kemetu legions on the battlefield. The enemy melted away in front of them, disappearing into the hills and scrubland, only to emerge on the legion's flanks under cover of darkness and inflict casualties.
The tactics of the Retenu drew the Set legion deeper into enemy territory until they lost touch with the passive northern legions within their camps. Then the Retenu became more adventurous, even attacking in the daytime. Small groups of men would hide in the gullies and ravines, swarming out to harass the marching soldiers, and vanishing again as the legion flexed itself to retaliate. The country was too broken and stony to allow scouting by chariots, so foot patrols were Ament's only option. These of necessity were small, and vulnerable to surprise attack, so after half a month, Ament was forced to withdraw his legion to the coastal plains. There he set up camp and licked his wounds while he considered the options open to him.
Chapter 21
Commander Ament speaks:
My expedition against the Retenu was every bit as hopeless as I had feared. General Iurudef had striven to put down the rebellion with three legions at his disposal but had not succeeded in even bringing them to battle. How could I hope to do so with only my loyal Set legion? Half a month in the rugged territory north of the border showed up the hopelessness of my position, and I camped to think things through. Bay's plan had worked, and any respect I had garnered through years of loyal service would rapidly disintegrate if I failed in the task I had been set.
And then, as I sat depressed in my tent, I received news that shattered me like a bronze-tipped spear in the heart--my adopted sons Ephrim and Jerem had run off in the night.
I know they are Retenu by birth. They were captured during Baenre's campaigns and sent to the mines in the Timna Valley, from where I rescued them and brought them back with me to Kemet. Queen Tausret made them my servants and I have always treated them well. Indeed, I came to think of them as sons and I thought they regarded me in the same light--but it appears not. When faced with a military excursion against their people, they threw off the outward appearance of being Kemetu and have fled back to their tribe.
I was heartbroken at first, and then angry that they had taken me for a fool. I ranted and swore to track them down and recapture them, returning them to their servitude at Timna, but gradually I calmed down and resigned myself to the fact that they had never really become Kemetu. They could carry very little information to the enemy that their scouts did not already know. They were peasant boys plucked violently from their tribe, and once a Retenu, always a Retenu, it seemed. Well, no matter, I had more important things to worry about.
I called my Troop Leaders into council and discussed the choices before us. They knew as well as I that this expedition was designed to discredit me, but their own reputations would be brought into question if we failed in our duty, so they were eager to find a solution.
"We must lay a trap for them," Leader Khetef said. "Offer an opportunity to do us some real damage and draw them out into the open where we can crush them."
"They are reluctant to face us," Leader Bakaa replied. "They do enough damage with their night-time raids. Why would they risk all by confronting us?"
"Perhaps if there was a sufficient inducement," I said. "Khetef and Bakaa, work together on this and come up with a workable plan."
"Raid their villages," Leader Penre opined. "Make them angry enough to face us."
"They're angry now with their supposed list of grievances against their governors," I said. "Can a few raids tip them over into carelessness?"
"Take hostages," Leader Djetmen said. "Threaten to kill them unless the leaders
come and talk. Then when they do, slaughter them."
"Why would they believe we wanted to talk anyway?" Leader Hor'heb asked. "I doubt they trust any Kemetu."
"Besides," Bakaa added, "the Retenu throw up leaders as fast as you cut them down. Rid ourselves of this crop and more will spring up--and they certainly won't trust us again."
I considered the opinions of my Troop Leaders for a time. "I'm inclined to try talking," I said. "Really talking. By all means let's take some prisoners, but we treat them well and let it be known we will give safe passage to any leader who will bargain for the lives of the prisoners."
"Would they believe us though, sir?" Hor'heb asked.
"If they don't, we're in no worse a situation than we are now," Khetef said.
"Except we'll then have to kill the hostages," Penre said. "If we released them, we'd look weak."
I dismissed my Troop Leaders and thought about the possibilities they had raised. Direct confrontation had proved fruitless, and unless Khetef and Bakaa came up with a decent plan, I decided I would have to try talking to the leaders of the rebellion and seeing whether we could sort out matters with words instead of swords. If I could get a message to them, of course.
I sent out scouting parties and they found small villages close by. The legion surrounded one at dawn and descended on it, the men armed with staves instead of weapons. Thus we managed to capture nearly fifty men, women and children alive and with no more hurt than a few broken bones and bruises.
I had two uninjured young men brought before me and told them I wanted to talk to the leaders of the rebellion. I offered safe passage for any who came to talk to me and promised to release all the prisoners unharmed after I had spoken to them. I don't think they believed me, but they said they would carry my words to the rebels--"if we can find them, for we are not rebels ourselves"--and bring an answer back.
I had the legion set up camp near the village and erect a secure pen for the prisoners. Then I sat down to wait. It was quite possible that the young men would never return, taking the opportunity to escape, but I had to try. If they had not returned after three days, I would select another two and send them forth.
