Qa'a (The First Dynasty Book 3)

by Lester Picker

  “And if their plans succeed, then they hold the reigns of power. The next King would be their puppet. Hmmm, I did not see this coming,” Irisi said.

  “And if Banafrit’s death could be blamed on the Delta conspirators, then…”

  “Then the fog of war would hide a multitude of plots.” Nomti said as he paced behind us. “Merkha, do you think Qa’a strong enough to oppose Khenemet?”

  “Honestly, I cannot see that happening. He has been weakened by his drinking. He does not think clearly, but instead reacts from emotion.”

  “And his grieving will affect his judgment,” Urshte added.

  “The Two Lands are in terrible danger, men of Kem,” Irisi said, her voice shaky. “Chaos waits at our borders, ready to envelope us. We must act quickly, for if foul play is found in Banafrit’s death, a war of vengeance will be upon us.”

  “And do what, Irisi?” Nomti asked. “What if our actions cause more turmoil? What if we fail in whatever it is we decide to do, then what?”

  “I agree with Nomti,” Urshte added. “We do not have enough information yet. If Khenemet is arranging the Senet pieces, then we must find out what his strategy is or we risk making matters worse.”

  “Then what do you propose we do?” Irisi asked.

  “We all, all of us here, have our own network of spies. We must use them to dig out the truth. Merkha, you must find out who else is involved in Khenemet’s design to kill Mume. Irisi, you will need to find out what you can of Banafrit’s death. I will find out from my contacts in the north what role they may have played in Banafrit’s death, for I agree with Nomti, that if they were behind it we must oppose them.”

  “I will stay with Qa’a and find out what I can of his actions before he announces them. That will give me access to Khenemet as he tries to persuade the King to his cause.”

  “I will also seek out Khenemet and find out what he wishes for me to do next regarding Mume,” Urshte added. “That may give us insight into his plans.”

  “I say we meet again, every night if needed, until our plans are finalized,” Nomti said. “We will use this signal. You can see the roof of my house from the palace and temple. If the southwestern-most pole on my roof has a red cloth hanging from it during the day, or a lighted lantern at night, you must make haste to come here. Ignore anything hanging on the other poles.” All in the room nodded in assent.

  In three days, I sat in the antechamber of the King’s bedroom, waiting for him to awaken from the herb-induced sleep from Khenemet’s pharmacopeia. Like a rushing wind, in swept Khenemet and Buikkhu, with a delegation of Horus physicians trailing behind them.

  “Is he awake yet?” they asked.

  “I heard him coughing and going through his morning routine,” I said, standing in respect. “He should be out soon.”

  “Not soon enough for this news,” Buikkhu said. “Fetch him now!” I thought that phrasing odd, if not disrespectful. Yet I turned immediately and entered the King’s bedroom. He sat on his bed, a cup of beer in his hand.

  “I have a headache,” he muttered.

  “You need some water to heal your head,” I said, turning toward the table that stood in the corner.

  “No, I have what I need right here,” he offered, holding up his cup. “What is it?”

  “Khenemet, Buikkhu and a delegation of priests awaits you. It appears urgent.”

  With a sigh, Qa’a stood and walked to the anteroom. All bowed when he entered. As he sat down, they rose. “What is it that brings you here so early in the morning?” I noted one of the physicians flinch. It was already nearly mid-day.

  “We have completed the examination of Banafrit’s body,” Khenemet began. “These priest physicians conducted the… the process and they have concluded that the Princess was dead before she entered the water.”

  “I… don’t understand,” Qa’a said in his herb-fogged heart.

  “From the wound to her head, it appears she was hit in the head by something hard. Once dead, those who did this then threw her in the water to make it appear as if she drowned. She had no water in her lungs, which is what happens when a person drowns.”

  “But how…?”

  “I interviewed the girls who were present,” Buikkhu said. “Apparently, they were playing a hiding game in the trees and papyrus near the shore. She disappeared for a while and they assumed she was hiding. The next thing they saw was her body floating.”

  “Where were my King’s Guards?”

  “They were in their boats, on the lookout for crocodiles. They saw no hostile forces. The captain of the group says he will resign.”

  “Dismiss your priests.” Qa’a said with a wave of his hand. Once they left, Qa’a continued. “Have the captain executed. He did not protect the Princess. Have the rest disciplined. Tell Nebibi to make it so.” Buikkhu stole a sidelong glance at Khenemet.

  “And have you determined who has committed this act against Horus himself?”

  “We do not know for certain, but we strongly suspect the Lower Kemians, for they are the only ones that stand to gain from Mume being the heir to the throne.” I felt sick to my stomach knowing now that others stood to gain also. Qa’a sat lost in the fog of his thoughts.

  “There is another matter we wish to discuss with you, a very delicate matter.” Qa’a looked from Khenemet to me. I shrugged.

  “Go on.”

  “It is about Mume.”

  “I have heard enough about that spoiled child! One thing I can tell you. He will never be King.”

  Khenemet smiled. “I am happy to hear you say that, Master, for his ascension to the throne would be a disaster for all of Kem, even if it were to be tolerated. Yet, he is in line to be King upon your journey to the Afterlife.”

  “I know all this. Page, get me more beer! What is your point?”

  “We have a plan to ensure that his ascension does not happen.” Qa’a’s eyes shot up to meet Khenemet’s. The two remained locked in each other’s gaze for a long time, each assessing the other’s intent, each other’s steadfastness, and ability to deliver. Qa’a did not ask Khenemet for an explanation. His face remained cold and unexpressive.

  “Do what must be done. I do not wish to know any more.” Khenemet nodded, with a sidelong glance to Buikkhu, who smirked. Qa’a took a long swig of beer and sat his cup on the table beside him with a bang. “Summon Nebibi. Tell him to gather the War Council. Tomorrow we prepare for war. The marsh dwellers will know what a dung beetle feels like under the sandal of the King!”

  SCROLL TWENTY-NINE

  The Business of War

  Urshte

  “Yes, Merkha has reported to me all that has transpired in the War Council meetings.”

  “And?” Nomti prodded me.

  “And it is much the same. Qa’a’s hatred of the north knows no bounds since Banafrit’s death. It is as if he wants nothing more than to crush them, to wipe them from the face of the Two Lands.”

  “In this I have come to understand just how misguided he is.” Nomti was remarkably calm, picking at grapes and cheese as we spoke. “He believes that the Two Lands must become one, yet he does not respect the differences in our cultures, the depth of our respective histories.”

  “He does not deal well with anything complex,” I added. “To him the simplest solution is best, and might always offers the simplest solution.”

  Nomti appeared distracted, looking far into the distance at the hills surrounding Inabu-hedj. “On the one hand I feel that what we do is right. Qa’a’s actions bring us closer to destroying the Two Lands as we know them. Yet, what frightens me is how tenuous ma’at will be once things begin to change, if they change. Will the gods be angry or are we the Senet pieces acting out their desires? Do we know, Urshte? Do we have any idea what is in store for us, for our beloved Kem?”

  “I am a Horus priest and I know not the answer. Yet we will all know soon enough.”

  “Soon enough… that alone is frightening. If we succeed, soon the dynasty that Ki
ng Narmer began will cease to exist. Gone. And what will follow in its place, Urshte? The thought of my governing Kem is enough to make me withdraw to the desert to die. What have I to offer? A vision? Will the wealthy and powerful of the Two Lands follow me? For without willing followers there can be no leader. I tremble over what is to come.”

  “As do I, Nomti, yet at present Qa’a leads us straight to the Underworld. What choice do we have?”

  Nomti stood and sighed. “Ah, enough of this ugly conversation. Tell me where negotiations stand with the leaders in the Delta.”

  “They have agreed to all your demands. The Horus priesthood will be dominant and the other gods will assume a lesser role…”

  “But be allowed to practice freely.”

  “Yes, that is important to them. They also agree that the laws of Upper Kem will be the basis of law in all of Kem. They will accept training in our laws and we will build libraries to disseminate the laws to all priests and priestesses, whatever gods they worship. They expect to be given appointments as judges.”

  “And as for Irisi’s demands?”

  “They have agreed to allow more rights for women, but that must proceed slowly, Nomti. They are a hidebound culture.”

  “And the tactics leading to succession?”

  “They have agreed to the general plan. They will execute the… details, without involving you in the specifics.” Nomti winced. “I will serve as your eyes and ears in these matters.” I dared not mention the changes I had agreed to in order to deal with changing events brought on by Khenemet’s plotting.

  Nomti sat quietly for several moments. “Urshte, do you still pray?”

  “Still? Of course, I am a Horus priest. I pray every day at Ra’s rise and at his disappearance. Why do you ask?”

  “Do you wonder at how Horus views your heart? It is his brother who we plot against.”

  I was taken aback at his question, for who but I had pondered this very matter more? “Yes, I do wonder. Yet I have revealed my entire heart to Horus and whenever I ask for him to reveal himself to me, he quiets my heart so that I am calm and feel he has given me the strength to carry on.”

  Over the next few ten-days I met with Merkha frequently, to assess where we stood so that we could adjust our plans. I also needed to find out the battle plans so as to warn them and minimize the death and destruction that was surely coming to the Delta.

  “There is not much new to report today,” Merkha said as we walked along Mother Nile’s embankment. Gardeners toiled in the heat of the day and pages ferried buckets of water to the upper ponds.

  “Are they still planning a sea assault from Wadj-Wer?”

  “Yes. Soldiers and ships are being moved to Ahnpet in preparation. They will mimic Narmer’s battle plan. The main force, led by Qa’a, will proceed from Inabu-hedj toward Dep, while a smaller force will flank the Delta from the west. Dep will be surrounded, cut off.” My heart was burdened to contemplate the burdens my countrymen faced.

  Merkha looked downward, avoiding my eyes. I put out my hand to stop him, and turned him around to face me. “You withhold something.”

  “I do not know how to tell you this, Urshte, for I know you are from the Delta and your family still lives there. Qa’a’s hatred has poisoned his reasoning. He sees nothing past the subjugation of all of the Delta. He plans to wipe out entire villages, burn them to the ground. Those who are not slaughtered will be sold into slavery. Khenemet is planning to offer poor farmers from Upper Kem large tracts of land in Lower Kem to settle there.”

  No sooner was my meeting with Merkha over then I made haste to travel to the Delta to report to my superiors there. Spies were everywhere, so we once again waited until deep darkness to meet.

  “How sure are you of these plans?” Itafe asked me. The others around the fire circle had intensely followed my report.

  “Completely. I learned them from Merkha and they were verified by my palace source.” Itafe closed his eyes.

  “We have also found out through Nafre’s servants that Khenemet has installed a protective guard for Mume.”

  “Khenemet? But… but why?” This news surprised me greatly.

  “Think back, Urshte. Put yourself in Khenemet’s place. If Mume is killed, then chaos reigns, nothing is predictable. Who knows who fills the vacuum of leadership if Qa’a dies? Khenemet is better manipulating Mume and controlling his strings until he comes of age. That buys him time and keeps him in power.”

  “So what do we do?” I asked.

  “We await the right opportunity to sacrifice Mume and Nafre.”

  I felt as if someone had slapped me in the face. I gasped and looked around the circle. All nodded. I contemplated what Itafe had said and the more I thought of it, the more I realized that it was the only viable option open to us.

  “Further, we have made a tentative pact with the Ta-Tjehenus to help us defend the Delta if it should come to that and from what you have reported today we must blood sign that pact.”

  “Their forces are too small and undisciplined.”

  “That is true, but given the threat to our people, we must do something. We will assign them to protect key villages. By time fighting begins we may well be on the way to toppling Qa’a and his corrupt Horus priesthood.”

  “I must return to Nomti and advise him of the Ta-Tjehenu involvement. You must be prepared to call them off immediately, if Nomti gives the order.”

  “We will,” Itafe assured me.

  “As we discussed, I will keep from him any mention of what we must do to Nafre and Mume.”

  “Yes. We must protect him from too much knowledge. That is the curse of all leaders, is it not?”

  On the morning after my return from the Delta, I received an urgent message from Merkha. He met me at the steps to the palace and he hurriedly made his way down the path.

  “Slow down, Merkha, for your haste might raise suspicions. They fly all about us.”

  “Yes, yes, you are right. It is just that I have much to tell you.”

  “Fine, now we are far enough away from big ears. What is so urgent.”

  “Qa’a, Khenemet, Buikkhu and Nebibi met a few days ago. They plan to have Nomti be part of the war. They will have him lead a division of soldiers into the Delta.”

  “What? Is this true?”

  “True and plans are being made right now. They will inform him of this tonight. You will be invited since it will be up to you to provision him.”

  I sat down on a rocky ledge, for my legs shook so. “This is certainly unexpected,” I mused, trying to collect my thoughts. “How did this come about?”

  “It was Buikkhu’s idea, quickly embraced by Khenemet. Qa’a had to be convinced. The evil two do not trust Nomti. Khenemet is worried about his rising influence. Buikkhu feels that at the very least Nomti needs to have some involvement in the toils of war since he benefits so much from Kem’s trade and the King’s good will.”

  “Nor would it make them sad to see Nomti killed in battle, would it? And with him never having battle experience, that is likely to happen. Or it might be already planned during the fog of war. Hmm, this will require some planning, Merkha. You have done well bringing this urgent news to me.”

  As soon as I returned to Nomti’s house, he was waiting for me. “The King has summoned us to a meeting tonight. Do you know why?”