Qa'a (The First Dynasty Book 3)

by Lester Picker

  SCROLL TWENTY-SEVEN

  The Fate of a Nation

  Urshte

  “Are you mad?” Nomti yelled, loud enough for Woserit to hear from their courtyard. Rasui had already been put to bed.

  “Quiet, the two of you!” she called in a forced whisper.

  “Am I mad, Nomti? You tell me, for have I spoken to you anything that is not true, anything you have not heard or witnessed with your own eyes?” At this Nomti remained silent.

  “As we speak here tonight, Qa’a is mobilizing his army to strike Lower Kem. There will be a blood bath such as Kem has never before witnessed, soldiers against unarmed villagers, children ripped from their parents’ arms to be placed into servitude. Tell me who it is who is mad, Nomti?”

  “Am I stupid, Urshte? I may not have been educated like a Horus priest, but I do have ears and eyes.”

  “And a crippled leg and ribs that pain you with every breath and every step.”

  “What is that supposed to mean, Urshte?”

  “Do you continue to believe, despite all you have learned, that the cave-in at the canal site was an accident?” Nomti sat quietly staring at me. “No, I can see the doubt in your eyes. The same men who arranged for Semerkhet to be poisoned, also plotted to send you on your journey to the Afterlife and be rid of you for good. No more favored friend of Qa’a, no more opposing advisor to deal with.”

  “And you believe this to be true?”

  “Do I believe it? It is common knowledge that Khenemet was behind Semerkhet’s death. If you doubt that, ask Irisi or even Merkha and they will tell you what you do not want to hear.” In the silence that enveloped us, Nomti fidgeted, his heart a torment of confusion, of that I was certain.

  “Look, Nomti, what I am saying is not crazy. The people will follow you, for you have a vision. But, your dream of a truly united and vibrant Kem will be destroyed forever if Qa’a and Khenemet are allowed to continue on this ruinous path.”

  “But he is the King of all Kem, the brother of Horus. And you… you are a respected priest sworn to obey the King and the Chief Priest.”

  “You are wrong on both counts, Nomti, and here is why. My first allegiance in my oath is to the Two Lands and to maintaining ma’at, for they came immediately after the Promordial egg of creation. It is only in the second part of my Horus oath that I am sworn to obey the King and Khenemet, for they are a means to preserving the Two Lands and keeping ma’at strong.

  “And as to Qa’a being brother to Horus, here is what I say to that. Being Horus’ brother is the highest honor and with it comes holy responsibilities which Qa’a flaunts. He is King in name only. He is a drunk and an abuser of women and you and your wife know that full well.”

  “This is making me sick,” Nomti said with disgust.

  “Not as sick as the poor people of the Delta are feeling right now. Not as sick as the grieving widows and parents of young children who were slaughtered and will be slaughtered and enslaved if we do not intervene. I beg you, Nomti, to consider what your destiny is.

  “Do you not think that Horus has been behind this play? Do you think that your rise from humble merchant to the One Who Wears the Gold Armband was not part of the gods’ plan? No, Nomti, you have it wrong. You have all along been tested by the gods and you have always risen on their wings. Now you must rise still higher. You must ascend to the throne. You must,” I said, pounding my fist on the table for emphasis.

  It was at that moment that I noticed Woserit standing on the portico that led into the room in which Nomti and I sat. Her eyes were open wide, and in her hands she carried a wooden tray with steaming tea. For a moment I considered what to do. In the end, with Nomti’s back turned to us, I motioned her in. She hesitated and then quietly approached. I pointed to the chair next to me.

  “Woserit has joined us,” I said, lowering my voice.

  “Wos…” Nomti started as he turned to face us. “What are you doing here my love?”

  “I heard your loud voices and thought to bring you some tea with herbs to calm your bas.” I could see she was uncomfortable. Yet I also grasped a way to bring Nomti to see my reasoning.

  “Nomti, I am reluctant to do this, so say yes or no based on what your heart tells you. I think it would be wise to let Woserit know what we discuss.”

  “We do not discuss anything, Urshte,” Nomti said with a bite in his tone. “You merely brought me an idea. A crazy one at that.”

  “Think what you will, but my heart tells me you do not believe I am crazy. Woserit has been the trusted confidante of the most powerful woman in the Two Lands next to the Queen and I believe it would be wise to seek her counsel.”

  “She is my wife, Urshte. I do not hide any matter of importance from her. She is my most valuable eyes and ears… and heart.”

  “I take your meaning that you do not consider this important, but I suspect that she would disagree with you. Shall we see which of us she would side with?”

  “It is not that I am against your reasoning, Urshte, it is your conclusions of what must be done that I object to.”

  “Men, you are arguing back and forth about vapors. I have no idea what you are talking about. If you have no need for me, husband, then I am content to go and check on Rasui.” She stood to leave.

  “No, sit please,” he called out, his brow knitted in worry. “Urshte is right. I would value your opinion on what he proposes. However, I hold you to our holy marriage vow by not revealing anything of this to anyone, not even Irisi.”

  “Of course.” Woserit sat down once again.

  And so, without telling her about the plots to kill the Royal children, I explained my reasoning and Nomti explained his objections. When we were done, Nomti turned to his wife.

  “And so, dear wife, I’m sure you understand how mad this entire situation is that Urshte presents. There is no way I would even consider it.” Nomti took a sip of his tea.

  “That does not surprise me,” she replied.

  “See, I told you she would understand my side.”

  “Understand, yes, agree with, no,” Woserit said resolutely.

  “What are you saying?” Nomti asked in amazement.

  “I understand you perhaps better than any other person who walks the Two Lands and so your position in this does not surprise me. You are a talented businessman and a great leader, my dear, but you have not been raised to serve others.” Nomti looked puzzled.

  “I have been an Isis priestess since my first flow of blood. I have lived a life of serving others. This, my dear, you truly do not understand, not deep down.”

  “But I always help others, you know…”

  “Help, yes, but that is not what I mean by serving. All you do, you do because you have been fortunate enough to love it. Business, helping others profit so you profit, too, all this is because you enjoy what you do. Your ba radiates Ra’s light from it. You give away debens of gold because it pleases you. My friends say you are the very best husband they have known, and I would agree, yet you do it because it brings you joy and the comforts of my body.” I marveled at Woserit’s way of bringing a person around to her point of view.

  “But as far as serving, you have much to learn, dearest. And now, more than ever before, there is a need for you to serve, to truly serve even though at times it will pain you so that you will not enjoy it and may even hate what you must do. I agree with Urshte. Kem is in mortal danger. The gods wait for you to return some of what they have given you. The people of Kem need you to serve them. There is no one else, Nomti, my love. No one.

  “I have said my peace,” Woserit said, standing and turning to leave. “It is now up to the two of you to decide. But know this, Nomti. I will support your decision, whatever it is, for above all, I serve you.” Nomti was quiet after Woserit left. I could see that he was deeply affected. If anyone was a living example of serving others, it was Woserit and his love and devotion to her raised her above all others in his eyes.

  “There are a few more things that I must
tell you,” I finally ventured, “and then I promise to leave you to your decision.” He looked up at me, pain in his eyes, the burdens on his heart clearly evident.

  “Go ahead.”

  “First, no one I have spoken with feels that you should take a lead role in this transition. You must stay behind this situation, so that if matters take a turn for the worse you are not called to answer.”

  “Others? What others have you spoken to about this? It is obviously a very sensitive matter.”

  “I have told you that I spoke with Irisi. But I have also spoken with Merkha and they…”

  “Merkha? He has raised Qa’a. You cannot expect him to keep this secret!”

  “I can and he will, of that I am certain. He feels shame over the man Qa’a has become and he is ready to help as needed.”

  “I am… I cannot imagine that he would support me in this.”

  “Let me set the record straight on this, Nomti. He does not as much support you as recognize that you are the only one to raise Kem out of the muck that Khenemet and Qa’a have dragged us into. That is a tribute to his love of Kem, as well as his respect for you.

  “But Merkha is not alone. I have also spoken with Hamu, the Queen’s father in Nekhen.”

  “I know Hamu well.”

  “Of course you do. I do not think you understand the depth of the hatred he harbors for Qa’a over the shame the King has caused his only daughter. The entire family, and they are very powerful in the south, they all despise Qa’a.”

  “And you discussed this matter with them?”

  “Oh, no. I only ascertained his readiness to seize upon Qa’a being deposed. I know that at the very least he will influence the leadership of the Temple of Horus to grant you ascension.” Nomti stood and now paced before me, absorbing all I told him.

  “There is more I must relate to you, involving the leaders of Lower Kem.” Nomti turned to face me.

  “Leaders? How do you know the leaders there?” Nomti asked.

  “I was born, raised and trained there. My family has lived in the Delta since before Narmer, may he be happy in the Afterworld. On my recent visit there I was visited by a delegation of their leaders and here is what they asked me to discuss with you.”

  “With me? I only know a few businessmen and women there.”

  “And who do you think some of their leaders are, Nomti? They know of you and your fair treatment of the merchants of Lower Kem. They see the light of hope in your many actions, even your willingness to slow down the canal project to help them adjust.

  “In any event, they have asked me to relate to you an offer. They say that if you ascend, they will offer you a guarantee of peace throughout the Delta for as long as you reign, a strong peace, not just an absence of rioting.”

  “And what do they ask for in return?” I suppressed a smile for I had finally engaged Nomti in negotiation and once so engaged I felt hopeful that he would have an interest in the outcome.

  “First, they want the canal project abandoned to the sands of the desert.” To this Nomti winced.

  “A lot of work and treasure has gone into its creation. But, I never did think it was more than a silly dream. Unfortunately, Qa’a thought differently.”

  “Qa’a has never had a vision for Kem like you do. To him the canal was as close to a vision as he ever saw.”

  “You are probably right. I have poured my life into its creation, yet I would not hesitate to let it go for the greater good of Kem. It has employed many people. The engineers have learned a great deal from it. We have enlarged our trade relations due to it. But we must move on. And what else do these leaders in the Delta want?”

  “A share of the profits from the gold mines in the Eastern Desert and the right to practice their worship of other gods.”

  “Cannot they worship whatever gods they wish right now?”

  “Khenemet keeps a tight reign on that. He sees them as challenges to the power of the Horus priesthood.”

  “To his power you mean.”

  “Exactly.”

  “As for the sharing of profits from the gold mines, I can see that something could be worked out, but in return they would have to provide labor.”

  “I am sure they would agree to that, but we will have to work out the details.”

  “I am curious as to what gods the people are forbidden to worship.”

  “There are many. Some are gods of the Babylonians that they like, or perhaps Apep.”

  “Apep? The serpent god of the Underworld? Why would anyone want to worship him?”

  “That is hard for me to say,” I replied, trying my best to keep my face from betraying me. “Just as there is good and bad in the world, light and dark, right and wrong, so there are powerful forces that govern the skies and the Underworld. Would you not agree it is a safe bet to pray to both?” At that Nomti laughed.

  “Sure, I guess you are right. I care not what gods a person prays to anyway. But we would have to protect the privileges of the Horus priesthood or they would be a potent source of foment, do you not think?”

  “I do,” and with that I knew that our long simmering plans had just received a blessing from the gods.

  To his credit, Nomti was tormented by the choices he now faced. We discussed this every day for what seemed like interminable ten-days, for his fear was that any such action would throw ma’at to the winds and chaos would sit like an oppressive fog over the Two Lands. On many of these discussions Woserit was invited in to give us her viewpoints and to advise us on how to best serve the women of Kem.

  While most mortals would have sold their children into slavery to become King of Kem, that exalted title was not of any interest to Nomti. But I am convinced that it was Woserit’s view of his ba not rising to service of Kem that ultimately swayed him the most.

  As a priest of two traditions, I felt certain that the gods found amusement in our precarious situation, where the fate of an entire nation depended on the answer from a single individual. Yet all I could do was wait, and pray, until he gave me his answer.

  Prayer. It has never been easy for me, for I worship two gods. Two that are as opposite to each other as day is to night, water to desert. During this time I laughed to myself, thinking of Apep as I prayed in Horus’ presence, or thinking of Horus as I prayed secretly at night to Apep.

  Yet I eventually found comfort in this seeming contradiction, for I discovered that there was really no contradiction at all. Horus and Apep were merely different faces of the same force of the gods. Can we understand light without darkness? Does the Great Green not define the end of the Two Lands and the Two Lands not contain the Great Green?

  Men and women, too, are capable of great good and great evil, and that within the very same body. And that is what taught me what others would never allow themselves to consider, not even Khenemet nor Itafe, the great priests of our day. Horus and Apep are brothers, linked as they are by our mortal selves, by our kas that struggle between light and dark, good and evil. They both live within us and we must acknowledge and make peace with them both.

  Aside from prayer, there was still much to do as I waited. I asked Nomti to send me once again on a trading mission to the Delta, even though we both worried that Khenemet might be suspicious. I convinced Nomti of the need for this trip so that I could uncover more details to inform his decision.

  In a month, as General Nebibi trained his troops for an assault on the Delta, I met discreetly with my contacts in our secret lair on the shores of Wadj-Wer. Itafe began by reminding us not to use each other’s names.